PORTER. 179 



DAVID PORTER senior was bred to the sea. He commanded the sloop Delight 

 (6 guns),. detailed in 1778 to intercept British supply-ships; later he commanded 

 the Aurora (10 guns), with the rank of captain. He was captured and confined 

 in the prison-ship Jersey, on which his brother Samuel was confined and died. 

 David made his escape and continued his active cruising to the end of the war. 

 He then commanded a ship in the West India trade. Once in Santo Domingo 

 his ship was boarded by a British press-gang. "Porter armed his men and after 

 a short and sharp struggle drove the intruders from the ship with considerable 

 loss." "His courage and spirit on this occasion were rewarded by an appoint- 

 ment as sailing-master in the reconstructed navy." He spent his declining years 

 at the naval station at New Orleans, of which his son had command. He died 

 in 1808. 



In David Porter senior we see the same love of the sea, the same quickness in 

 an emergency that are found in his son and grandson. Obstinacy showed in him, 

 also. The love of the sea goes back on the male line to Alexander Porter, father 

 of David, senior, who was a merchant captain and served in the colonial wars. 



Obstinacy and audacity are seen also in Captain David H. Porter (VI 1), 

 son of David 2d's sister Anne, who married her cousin, Alexander Porter. David 

 H. Porter was a most capable naval officer who accompanied David senior, his 

 uncle, to Mexico and was given command of the Esmeralda, in which raider David 

 Porter 2d was placed. The Mexican crew mutinied, but Lieutenant David 

 H. handled the situation well with stern discipline. In a second expedition, when 

 compelled to retire before a superior force, Captain David H. was planning with 

 "the stubborn tenacity which he possessed in common with the rest of his family, 

 an audacity that was little less than sheer recklessness," to give the slip to his 

 pursuer and return for his quarry. But his ship was overtaken and he was killed 

 while in action. 



FAMILY HISTORY OF DAVID DIXON PORTER. 



I 1 (F F F), Alexander Porter (born 1727), was a merchant and a captain who served in 

 the colonial wars. 



Fraternity of F F: II 1, Samuel Porter, was bred to the sea and sought active service at 

 the outbreak of the Revolutionary war. He was captured and confined on the prison-ship 

 Jersey, where he died from his wounds. II 4 (F F), David Porter (died 1808), was bred to the 

 sea; in 1780 he was commissioned a captain in the State navy of Massachusetts (see text). II 6, 

 William Anderson, born Chester county, Pennsylvania, 1763, at the age of 15 joined the Con- 

 tinental army and served 5 years. He held various political offices and in 1809 was elected to 

 Congress, retaining his seat till 1815. Ill 7, Elizabeth Dixon, of Virginia. 



III 1, Alexander Porter. Fraternity of F: III 2, Anne Porter. Ill 4, Mary Porter. Ill 

 5, Brown. Ill 6, John Porter, entered the United States navy in 1806 and died a com- 

 mander in 1831. Ill 8 (F), David Porter (1780-1843) (see text). Ill 9 (M), Evelina Anderson. 

 Fraternity of M: III 10, Thomas Anderson, "something of a fire-eater" (quarrelsome); had a 

 strong sense of humor. Ill 11 (consort's F), D. J. Patterson, a commodore in the navy. 



IV 1, David H. Porter, a lieutenant in the Mexican navy who was killed in action (see 

 text). IV 2, John R. Brown, a diplomat at Constantinople. IV 3, Fitz-John Porter (born 

 1822), entered the United States Military Academy, and served with distinction through the 

 Mexican and Civil Wars, rising to the rank of general. IV 4, Bolton Porter, a midshipman, 

 was lost at sea. Fraternity of Propositus: IV 5, Evelina Porter. IV 6, Captain Harris Heap. 

 IV 7, Imogene Porter. IV 8, - -Harris. IV 9, William D. Porter (1810-1865), served through- 

 out his life in the navy. During the Civil War he commanded the Essex and distinguished himself 

 in the capture of the Arkansas. He died as a result of his injuries. IV 10, Theodoric Porter, 

 was the first officer killed in battle during the Mexican war. He was a lieutenant in the Fourth 

 Infantry and was killed after volunteering to search for another officer. IV 11, Thomas Porter, 

 entered the Mexican navy and died of yellow fever while a midshipman. IV 12, Henry Ogden 



