Existing comment:
David G. Farragut
1801-1870
Farragut was only nine years old when he entered the Navy. He served on board the frigate Essex during the War of 1812, and when he was twelve he commanded a prize ship captured in the Pacific.
Although a citizen of Virginia and married to a southerner, Farragut chose to serve in the Union Navy during the Civil War. His successful command at New Orleans and Port Hudson earned promotion to rear admiral, the first officer in the United States Navy to hold that rank. After his success at Mobile Bay in 1864, he was promoted to admiral, against the first American naval officer to wear that rank. |