DU PONT, SAMUEL F. 



325 



the Orleans property was decreed, but even 

 then he did not wholly quit public life. In 1857 

 he again accepted the office of Procureur, justi- 

 fying his doing so by the observation that he 

 " had always belonged to France, and never to 

 parties." For the latter portion of his life he 

 had devoted his time mainly to an attempt to 

 reform the present luxurious, extravagant style 

 of dress and living. A few years since he pub- 

 lished a pamphlet, which had an extensive sale, 

 entitled "Le Luxe Effrene des Femmes," and 

 in which he demonstrated that the present sys- 

 tem of extravagance among women was the 

 great cause of many of the troubles in the 

 world and the precursor of greater ones in the 

 future. 



DU PONT, SAMUEL FRANCIS, U. S. N., a 

 rear-admiral in the navy of the United States, 

 born at Bergen Point, N. J., September 27, 

 1803, died in Philadelphia, Pa., June 23, 1865. 

 He was of French origin on his father's side, his 

 grandfather being P. S. Du Pont de Nemours, 

 the intimate personal friend of Madison and 

 Jefferson. He was appointed a midshipman in 

 the navy by President Madison, December 19, 

 1815. His appointment was made from Dela- 

 ware, of which State he became a resident in 

 his boyhood. His first cruise was in the Frank- 

 lin, seventy-four, under Commodore Stewart ; 

 from this he was transferred to the sloop-of- 

 war Erie, Captain Ballard. His second cruise 

 was on the Mediterranean station in the Con- 

 stitution, and twice subsequently he returned 

 to the Mediterranean for three years in the 

 North Carolina, seventy-four, and in the sloop- 

 of-war Ontario. He also served on the "West 

 India station and on the coast of Brazil in the 

 frigate Congress, under Commodore Biddle. On 

 the North Carolina he had been promoted to be 

 sailing master, and in 1826 he was commis- 

 sioned lieutenant and ordered to the schooner 

 Porpoise. From 1835 to 1838 he served as 

 executive officer on the Warren and Constella- 

 tion, and from 1838 to 1842 on the Ohio, the 

 flag-ship of Commodore Hull. In 1845, having 

 been promoted to the rank of commander, he 

 was ordered to the Pacific in command of the 

 frigate Congress, bearing the flag of Commo- 

 dore Stockton, and in 1846 was transferred to 

 the corvette Cyane. The outbreak of the Mexi- 

 can war brought his services into request. In 

 the Cyane he captured San Diego, and landed 

 John C. Fremont. He cleared the Gulf of Cali- 

 fornia of Mexican vessels, capturing and de- 

 stroying thirty. He took possession of La Paz, 

 the capital of Lower California, spiked the guns 

 of San Blaz, and established the blockade of 

 Mazatlan, which latter port he subsequently 

 assisted in capturing, leading the line of boats 

 which entered the main harbor under the or- 

 ders of Commodore Shubrick in November, 

 1847. He was next despatched in the Cyane 

 to defend Lower California against the Indians 

 and Mexicans. He covered La Paz until it 

 could be fortified, landed at San Jose with a 

 force of one hundred marines and sailors, de- 



feated and scattered a largely superior force of 

 Mexicans, and rescued a small party under 

 Lieut. Heywood, who were beleaguered in the 

 Mission House. He led or took part in a num- 

 ber of expeditions into the interior, capturing 

 many prisoners and cooperating with Col. Ben- 

 ton and Lieutenant (now Maj.-Gen.) Halleck, 

 approaching from the north, scattered the Mex- 

 icans and Indians, and gained complete pos- 

 session of the peninsula of California. In 1848 

 he returned to Norfolk in the Cyane after an 

 absence of three years. After a service of forty 

 years, sixteen as lieutenant and thirteen as com- 

 mander, he was made a captain in 1855. In 

 1857 he was ordered to the command ef the 

 Minnesota, and sent on a special service to 

 China, with W. B. Reed minister to that em- 

 pire. After a cruise of two years, during 

 which he visited Japan, Western India, and 

 Arabia, he returned in June, 1859, to Boston, 

 in the Minnesota. On January 1, 1861, he was 

 appointed to the command of the Philadelphia 

 navy-yard, relieving Commodore Stewart. Here 

 he was stationed at the commencement of the 

 war, and by his promptitude and experience 

 rendered great service in securing Washington. 

 In June, 1861, he was made president of a 

 Board called at Washington to establish a plan 

 of naval operations from the examination of the 

 records of the coast survey and other data. 



On the division of the Atlantic squadron into 

 two distinct commands, in September, 1861, 

 Capt. Du Pont was appointed to the command 

 of the South Atlantic squadron, where he re- 

 mained until his recall on the 3d of June, 1863. 

 His first enterprise afloat with his squadron 

 was the brilliant bombardment and capture of 

 Forts Beauregard and Walker, at the entrance 

 of Port Royal Harbor, S. C., and the occupation 

 by a joint land and naval force of the islands 

 adjacent. This was justly regarded as one of 

 the finest and most admirably conducted naval 

 conflicts of the war. He also rendered essen- 

 tial service in the establishment of a very close 

 blockade of the coast of Carolina and Georgia ; 

 in the occupation of Tybee Eoads and Tybee 

 Island, which gave the army their base for the 

 reduction of Fort Pulaski ; in the expedition 

 for the destruction of the batteries on the main- 

 land at Port Royal ferry; in the capture in 

 March, 1862, of Cumberland Island and Sound, 

 Amelia Island, the river and town of St. Mary's, 

 Ga., Fernandina, Florida, and Fort Clinch. The 

 inlets along the coast were also occupied or 

 carefully examined, the rivers ascended, Jack- 

 sonville and St. Augustine, Florida, taken, and 

 the yacht America, which had been sunk, was 

 raised. At Charleston alone the blockade was 

 ineffective, the force at command not being 

 sufficient to cover completely the circuit from 

 the bay to Stono, and the demands upon the 

 navy rendering the reenforcement of the squad- 

 ron impossible. The capture of Charleston, it 

 was hoped, would complete the blockade, and 

 in April, 1863, a resolute attempt was made, 

 the rear-admiral himself leading the attack to 



