David Farragut

Lore & Background

David Farragut was born in 1801 to George Farragut, a Spanish Balearic merchant captain, and Elizabeth Shine, of Scotch-Irish descent, at Lowe's Ferry on the Holston River in Tennessee. After his mother died of yellow fever in 1808, he was placed with U.S. Navy officer David Porter. At age nine, he became a midshipman and served in the War of 1812 under his foster father, participating in the capture of HMS Alert and the Nuku Hiva Campaign. He was wounded and captured at Valparaíso Bay in 1814.

Farragut received his first command in 1823, fighting pirates in the Caribbean. He served in the Mexican–American War under Matthew C. Perry, blockading Tuxpan. Later, he oversaw construction of the Mare Island Navy Yard in California, the first U.S. Navy base on the Pacific. During the Civil War, though a Southerner by birth, he remained loyal to the Union. He captured New Orleans in April 1862 after the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, and later led the successful attack on Mobile Bay.

Reader's Guide

David Farragut's significance lies in his pioneering role as the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy, setting a precedent for naval rank structure. His decisive victories at New Orleans and Mobile Bay were critical to Union control of the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, effectively splitting the Confederacy and closing its last major Gulf port. His bold command at Mobile Bay—'Damn the torpedoes ... full speed ahead'—became emblematic of aggressive naval tactics. Farragut's career spanned 60 years, from the War of 1812 through the Civil War, and he remained on active duty until his death in 1870. His legacy includes the establishment of Mare Island Navy Yard, which served as a key Pacific naval facility. Farragut's loyalty to the Union despite his Southern roots underscores the complex allegiances of the Civil War era.

Did You Know?

• Farragut was born James Glasgow Farragut and later adopted the name David in honor of his foster father, naval officer David Porter.
• He became a midshipman at age nine and served in the War of 1812, being wounded and captured at Valparaíso Bay in 1814.
• Farragut oversaw the construction of Mare Island Navy Yard, the first U.S. Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean.
• He was a Southern Unionist who opposed secession and moved from Norfolk, Virginia, to Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, before the Civil War.