American naval officer, born in Princess Anne County, VA, on the 24th of December 1808; moved with his parents to Ohio, receiving his education at Chillicothe Academy, and in 1827 became a midshipman in the navy. He was present at the bombardment of Vera Cruz, and at the close of the Mexican War was transferred to the Mediterranean squadron in 1855. During the Civil War he prevented the capture of Fort Pickens by the Confederates, enabling the Federals to recapture the navy-yard at Pensacola and the neighboring forts. In 1861 he was present at the battle of Belmont, and commanded the Carondelet at the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. At the bombardment of Island No. 10 he was the first to run the gauntlet of its guns, finally capturing the batteries below the island. He led the Union fleet at the battle of Fort Pillow, and in June 1862 played an important part at the battle of Memphis, and with the Carondelet overcame the Confederate ram Arkansas. He was present at the siege of Vicksburg, at Yazoo, at the battle of Grand Gulf, and blockaded the mouth of Red River, June 1863. He thereafter cruised for two years after the Alabama on the Sacramento. He was commissioned commodore in 1866 and rear-admiral in 1870. He retired in 1871, and died in Brooklyn on the 8th of March 1896.
