PORTER. 175 



53. PORTER FAMILY. 



DAVID DIXON PORTER was born at Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1813. Reserved 

 with his father (David 2d) when 1 1 years old in a cruise against the West Indian 

 pirates. At the age of 13 he received a midshipman's commission from Mexico and 

 served with credit under his father throughout her war with Spain. Having been 

 captured by a Spanish frigate, the lad was taken to Havana, guarded for a time, 

 and then released. In February 1829 he was commissioned a midshipman in the 

 United States navy. For 12 years he was on the Mediterranean and the United 

 States Coast Survey. The Mexican war gave Lieutenant Porter a better oppor- 

 tunity to show his valor. As captain of the Spitfire he took part in the actions at 

 Vera Cruz and Tuxpan. After the war he commanded mail steamers plying 

 between New York and Panama. He once entered Havana harbor against the 

 prohibition of the Spanish government and defied the guns of Morro Castle, which 

 were not fired upon him. On the breaking out of the Civil War, Porter was assigned 

 to the command of the Powhatan and ordered to secure Fort Pickens, Pensacola, 

 to the Union, and this he did. While blockading the mouth of the Mississippi 

 river, the idea of capturing New Orleans came to him and, after it had been accepted 

 by the Navy department, he cooperated with Farragut in carrying it out, and 

 ran by Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip, which defended New Orleans on the 

 river. Later, Porter bombarded the Vicksburg forts from the river while Farra- 

 gut passed them. In September 1862 he was made acting rear admiral and given 

 command of the Mississippi squadron, which aided in an important way the fall 

 of Vicksburg. Toward the end of 1864 he captured Fort Fisher the main one of 

 the defenses of Wilmington, North Carolina, after the general commanding the 

 land forces had concluded it was impregnable. After the war Porter was made 

 vice admiral and succeeded to the rank of admiral on Farragut's death in 1870. 

 From 1865 to 1869 he was superintendent of the United States Naval Academy. 

 He wrote a life of his father, the "History of the Navy in the War of the Rebellion" 

 (1887), two novels, anecdotes of the war, and numerous essays; he greatly prized 

 his novels. He died at Washington, February 13, 1891. He married, in 1839, 

 Georgia Ann, daughter of Commodore Daniel Tod Patterson, who commanded 

 the naval forces cooperating with General Jackson at the battle of New Orleans, 

 and sister of Captain Carlisle P. Patterson, superintendent of the United States 

 Coast Survey (1874-1881). They had 4 sons: Major Essex Porter, United States 

 army, retired; Captain Carlisle P. Porter, of the United States marine corps; 

 Lieutenant Theodoric Porter, born in 1849, graduate of the United States Naval 

 Academy, United States navy; and Richard Porter. They had also 2 daughters, 

 the elder the wife of Captain Leavitt C. Logan, United States army, and the 

 younger the wife of Charles H. Campbell. 



Some of the Porter traits which were responsible for his achievements were: 



Nomadism. As a child, contact with naval men who visited his father 

 roused a desire to go to sea, and he was at sea most of his life from the age of 10 

 years. 



Love of adventure. This alone could lead a boy to court the dangers of naval 

 warfare at the age of 16 years. 



Intrepidity. When he challenged Rowan to a duel he was fearless of conse- 

 quences. His plans to capture the fort at San Juan, to reduce Forts Jackson and 

 St. Philip before Vicksburg, and to capture Fort Fisher, were made with con- 



