Naval officer; born in
Brown county, O., May 15, 1820; entered the navy as a midshipman in 1836.
In 1861-62 he commanded the gunboat
Seneca in the
South Atlantic blockading fleet.
His bravery was conspicuous in the
battle of Port Royal, Nov. 7, 1861.
Later, under
Dupont's command, he took part in all the operations on the coasts of
Georgia and.
Florida.
In the engagements with
Fort McAllister, March 3, 1863, and with
Fort Sumter, April 7, 1863, he commanded the monitor
Patapsco.
In the attacks on
Fort Fisher, in December, 1864, and January, 1865, he commanded the
Mohican.
He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1877, and was retired June 4, 1878.
Afterwards he was a member of the board to locate the new Naval Observatory, and a representative of the
United States at the Interoceanic Ship Canal Congress in
Paris.
He designed a cask balsa to facilitate the landing of troops and field artillery; a life-raft for steamers; and the steel ram
Katahdin.
His publications include
The Atlantic coast in
The Navy in the Civil War series;
Recollections of Grant; and
The old Navy and the New.
He died in
Washington, D. C., July 11, 1898.