FARRAGUT, DAVID G. 



and for which privilege Commodore Porter 

 was compelled to as.si.st the tribe who lu-ld 

 possession of the bay in which he had oast 

 anchor. So severe was the havoc which the 

 Essex had mado on English commerce that the 

 I>riti-li Admiralty sent out a number of crui-crs 

 stroy her. Two of these cruisers, tlu< 

 rinrho frigate and Cherub sloop, found tlio 

 at Valparaiso, in the winter of 1814, and 

 blockaded In r tor six weeks, the English com- 

 mander. Captain Hillyer, refusing to fight the 

 Essex with his single ship, though she was the 

 larger vessel of the two, and had the heavier 

 armament, and the greater crew by sixty-five 

 men. Ho probably acted nnder instructions, 

 as there was no reason for doubting either his 

 skill or his courage. Captain Porter made an 

 effort to get to sea, and left the port ; but in 

 going out his ship was seriously damaged, los- 

 ing her maintoptnast while trying to double 

 the Point of Angels ; and, before he could re- 

 gain the port, ho was attacked by both British 

 cruisers, and the Essex taken, after an action 

 that lasted two hours and a half, in which one 

 hundred and fifty-five of her crew of two 

 hundred and fifty-five men were lost. The ac- 

 tion was a most unfair one on the part of the 

 Hritish; and it was a terrible initiation into 

 the business of war for a boy of not thirteen 

 years. Young Farragut went through the 

 whole of it, and was wounded, though not se- 

 verely. He was surrendered with the ship, 

 and was paroled and placed on the Essex 

 Junior, which was declared a cartel, and or- 

 dered to New York. When about to enter 

 Sandy Hook, the Essex Junior was overhauled 

 by the British ship-of-war Saturn, and declared 

 a prize. From the vessel thus irregularly de- 

 tained, as from a prison-ship, Commodore Por- 

 ter and a part of his officers and crew escaped 

 in a small boat and made their way to Babylon, 

 Long Island. Farragut seems to have been left 

 behind on the Essex Junior, which was finally 

 released, and in her ho soon after reached New 

 York. On the return of peace in 1814, Porter 

 secured a place for his namesake in a school at 

 Chester, Pennsylvania, where he spent a year 

 in the study of military and naval science. He 

 was then ordered to the Washington, flag-ship 

 of the Mediterranean squadron, in which he 

 served two years. Mr. Charles Folsom, so well 

 known for his high character and profound 

 scholarship, was chaplain of the flag-ship, and 

 became Mr. Farragut's instructor, and found 

 him an apt pupil ; and, when Mr. Folsom was 

 appointed consul at Tunis, Mr. Farragut ac- 

 companied him. This intercourse was highly 

 beneficial to the youthful sailor, and in time he 

 became a man of learning, and was familiar 

 not only with the principal European lan- 

 guages, but also with Arabic and Turkish, rare 

 accomplishments under any circumstances, and 

 especially rare with the members of a profes- 

 sion as laborious as it is useful and honorable. 

 While his mental proficiency was thus carefully 

 fostered, his moral training was not neglected 



by his conscientious and capable preceptor, 

 lie grew up a manly youth of decided personal 

 courage, but of quiet tastes, reserved manners, 

 and pure morals. Returning from the Medi- 

 terranean, he was promoted to be a lieut* u- 

 ant, and served in 1821-1823, in the Grey- 

 hound, under Lk-uU-nant-Coramodore Kearm y, 

 engaging in the capture of the piratical estab- 

 lishment at Cape Crecs, Cul.a. In 1823 ho 

 was ordered to the Norfolk Navy -Yard, 

 where ho remained on shore duty until 1883. 

 Here ho married Miss Loyall, daughter of 

 a prominent citizen of Norfolk, but she be- 

 came a hopeless invalid soon after their mar- 

 riage, and died after several years of great 

 sutt'ering. Two years' service after 1833, in 

 the Brazilian squadron, in the Vandalia, fol- 

 lowed. On his return he was again sent to 

 the Norfolk Navy- Yard. During his service he 

 married his former wife's sister, Miss Virginia 

 Loyall, by whem he had an only son, named 

 Loyall Farragut. He was not afloat again until 

 1838, when he was ordered to the West In- 

 dies as lieutenant-commander of the war-sloop 

 Natchez. In September, 1840, he was pro- 

 moted to be commander, and put in command 

 of the sloop-of-war Decatur, for a cruise in the 

 South Atlantic. In 1843-1844 he was on leave 

 of absence; then on duty again at Norfolk 

 in charge of the receiving-ship Pennsylva- 

 nia. A year's service in command of the 

 Saratoga in the West Indies followed. Again 

 at Norfolk in 1848, he was ordered to Washing- 

 ton as Inspector of Ordnance in 1851 ; and in 

 1854 to the San Francisco Yard. Here he re- 

 mained, having been promoted to be captain, un- 

 til 1858, when he was ordered to the Brooklyn 

 and the Tiome squadron. Later he was placed 

 on the Naval Retiring Board, and stationed at 

 New York. When the civil war began, he was 

 living at Norfolk, and made no secret of his 

 abhorrence of the disloyal action of most of 

 the people of that place. He was told by his 

 infatuated neighbors that he would not be 

 allowed to remain in Norfolk if he gave utter- 

 ance to his sentiments. "Very well," was his 

 reply, "then I will go where I can live and 

 utter them." When the yard was destroyed 

 by Commodore McCauley, Farragut left the 

 city and returned to his duty at New York. 

 Ho left Norfolk on the 18th of April without 

 money, and with difficulty reached New York. 

 Here he encountered Commodore McCauley, 

 who, at his solicitation, told him the circum- 

 stances of the destruction of the Norfolk Navy- 

 Yard, and the noble vessels stationed there. 

 After placing his family in safety at Hastings- 

 on-the-Hudson, he hastened to Washington 

 and tendered his services to the Government ; 

 but there was no ship for him to command, 

 and for nine months this master-mind of the 

 Navy was compelled to waste itself in weeding 

 the service of disabled, unworthy, and incom- 

 petent officers. At length the time came for 

 action. He was appointed to lead the fleet 

 which was to attack New Orleans, on the 20th 



