■^ 
 
 E 
 
 ■I 
 
 A 
 
 MEMORIAL ADDRESS 
 
 DELIVERED AT THE REQUEST OF THE 
 CITY COUNCIL OF BOSTON 
 
 INSTALLATION OF A BRONZE STATUE 
 
 ADMIRAL FARRAGUT 
 
 IN THE MARINE PARK 
 
 JUNE 28, 1893 
 
 BY 
 
 ALEXANDER H. RICE 
 
 FORMERLY CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS OF THE 
 HOUSE or REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES 
 
 BOSTON 
 
 Press of Rockwell and Churchill 
 
 1893 
 
Class ^^^^ 
 
 •I 
 Book- 
 
 r2.3l( 
 
 ^ 
 
A y-s 
 
 MEMORIAL ADDRESS 
 
 DELIVERED AT THE REQUEST OF THE 
 CITY COUNCIL OF BOSTON 
 
 INSTALLATION OF A BRONZE STATUE 
 
 ADMIRAL FARRAGUT 
 
 IN THE MARINE PARK 
 
 JUNE 28, 1893 
 
 BY 
 
 ALEXANDER H. RICE 
 
 FORMERLY CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS OF THE 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES 
 
 BOSTON 
 Press of Rockwell and Churchill 
 
 1893 
 
^ 1 3 H f 
 
 
A MEMORIAL ADDRESS. 
 
 There is no demonstration to which the heart re- 
 sponds more promptly and completely than to an ex- 
 hibition of lofty and self-forgetful patriotism. It is this 
 fact which gives significance to all memorial emblems, 
 whether they be institutions, monuments, statues, or tab- 
 lets ; for they each and all seek to perpetuate deeds and 
 the quality of lives which have won the admiration of 
 mankind. 
 
 We realize this in the efforts made to keep alive by 
 private and specific emblems the affectionate memory 
 and example of our departed relatives and friends, to 
 whom we fondly atribute most of the virtues ; but there 
 is also a geneiic quality in the tribute to patriotism when 
 the universal public concentrates its admiration upon 
 an ideal, more or less frequently represented by an in- 
 dividual example, worthy of the emulation of all men. 
 Indeed, it is this ideal — the measure of a character ly- 
 ing behind all action — as well as the deeds themselves 
 which we seek to commemorate. 
 
 This endowment appears to be inherent in human na- 
 ture; and hence among all nations and in all periods of 
 time we find monuments commemorative of those es- 
 teemed to be wise, or good, or heroic; which monu- 
 ments are at one and the same time evidences of the 
 grandeur of genuine manhood, and the authoritative 
 teachers of all subsequent generations. 
 
It is not enough that the description of great hves 
 and of their achievements be embodied in the literature 
 of a people; for all do not read, especially do not have 
 the leisure of the library and the scholar, nor even the 
 enchanting literary opportunities of the fireside and 
 home; we must, therefore, have palpable objects in mon- 
 uments, statues, and tablets which shall represent the 
 heroic qualities of men, and must place these in con- 
 spicuous places where they shall be seen by the pubhc, 
 and where their imagery, like the sunshine in nature, 
 shall cause the minds of all beholders to become fruitful 
 in desire and effort to go and do likewise. What would 
 life be without its great examples ? And how empty 
 the world without the remembrance of its great artifi- 
 cers and heroes ! How tiresome and shallow would 
 history be without the story of the benefactors of man- 
 kind ! 
 
 We come, therefore, to-day, to set up another me- 
 morial to the greatest naval hero of modern times ; not 
 in the hope to enhance but to perpetuate the fame of 
 Admiral Farragut, and to show that this is a commu- 
 nity that can rightly appreciate the nobility of his char- 
 acter and the valor of his deeds. 
 
 In contemplating a great character we are wont to 
 seek the germs of greatness in inheritance; and we 
 sometimes look in far-ofi* generations for some individ- 
 ual of a lineage whose magnificent characteristics are 
 newly born, perhaps with superior lustre, in his suc- 
 cessor. While the ancestry of Admiral Farragut ap- 
 pears to have been illustrious in individuals of civil, 
 military, and priestly celebrity, yet, with the exception 
 of the renowned Don Pedro Farragut, who served un- 
 der James I., King of Aragon, in 1229, in the cam- 
 paigns which resulted in the expulsion of the Moors 
 
from Majorca, and from Valencia in 1238, if there be* 
 any adventiirons spirit like the great Admiral himself, 
 the horizon of history closes down before we are able 
 to identify him in the constellation of glories to which 
 he immediately belonged. About all else of special in- 
 terest that we know of the family is that the Admiral's 
 father was born in the Island of Minorca in the Med- 
 iterranean Sea, Sept. 29, 1755, and that he was not of 
 that Anglo-Saxon race for which we are accustomed to 
 claim almost everything worthy of commemoration, but 
 that he was of pure Spanish blood, which in these Col- 
 umbian days may justly claim a respectable share in 
 the line of maritime exj^loits, as well as in the tradition- 
 ary development of good fighting qualities. At the time 
 of Farragut's father's birth, however, the island of Mi- 
 norca was under the British flag, having been ceded to 
 the British Crown by the Treaty of Utrecht, in 1713. 
 In March, 1776, when twenty-one years old, having long- 
 before severed his connection with his native country, 
 George Farragut, the Admiral's father, emigrated to 
 North America, then in the early struggles of the Rev- 
 olutionary War, immediately espoused the cause of the 
 colonists and served gallantly during the entire conflict. 
 At the close of the Revolutionary War, in the search 
 of his own fortune and the welfare of his family, he fol- 
 lowed the adventurous spirit of those days to the bor- 
 ders of civilization, then at the meeting-place of ]Nrorth 
 Carolina and Tennessee, where he settled and married 
 a lady, native of Dobbs County, in the former State. 
 She appears to have been a woman of excellent natural 
 endowments, possessing withal the courage and forti- 
 tude necessary to meet bravely with her household the 
 dangerous necessities of a frontier neighborhood. It 
 was here, in East Tennessee, at Campbell's Station, 
 
6 
 
 near the present city of Knoxville, that David Glasgow 
 Farragiit, whom this splendid statue seeks to com- 
 memorate, was born on July 5, 1801; about as near 
 to July 4th, you will observe, as he could get without 
 trenching upon the great national holiday in that year. 
 Shortly after the birth of this son, the Farragut family 
 removed to Louisiana and settled by the borders of 
 Lake Pontchartrain. 
 
 If the early biography of Admiral Farragut be limi- 
 ted and simple (and so far as I know, outside of public 
 documents, it is chiefly embodied in a volunie written 
 by his son, Mr. Loyall Farragut, of ]N^ew York, and in 
 another by Captain A. T. Mahan, U.S.JST., from each of 
 which I have drawn liberally in the preparation of this 
 address), if, T sa}^, it be limited and simple, it is also 
 singularly picturesque, romantic, and providential; 
 indeed, from first to last, his cai*eer appears to have 
 been guided and directed by an inscrutable Providence, 
 which led his associates and followers to say so often 
 that he had a " charmed life." 
 
 What, for example, could possibly seem more provi- 
 dential than the incident which occurred upon the lake 
 by which they lived in Louisiana, when Farragut was a 
 boy scarcely eight years old, and yet which opened the 
 way and shaped it for that wonderful career which has 
 given world-wide celebrity to his name? We are told 
 that one day while his father was out fishing on the 
 lake he casually fell in with another fisherman who was 
 prostrated in his boat by the heat, whom he took to his " 
 own house and nursed and cared for until he died. 
 This sufferer proved to be David Porter, the father of 
 Capt. David Porter, the noble commander of the frigate 
 " Essex," of reputable fame, and grandfather of Admiral 
 David D. Porter, who succeeded Admiral Farragut in 
 
 
the highest naval rank m this country, hirgely because 
 of his distinguished achievements in the War of the 
 Kebellion. The Porters were bound in lasting grati- 
 tude to the Farraguts for their kindness to the suflPeiing 
 fisherman; and as Mrs. Farragut, the Admiral's mother, 
 died at about the same time as Mr. Porter, the two were 
 buried on the same day, thus cementing in the sacred 
 solemnities of death the providential incident which 
 initiated their acquaintance. 
 
 Previous to the incidents just stated, young Far- 
 ragut's father had received a saiUng-master's commis- 
 sion in the navy and commanded a gunboat, so that 
 his active services were frequently required in allaying 
 disturbances during the dispute concerning boundaries 
 then existing between the United States and the Span- 
 ish Government, to which latter Florida then belonged. 
 The boy Farragut appears to have been the special 
 recipient of the kindness and grateful offices of Captain 
 Porter, who took him into his S23ecial care, placed him 
 at school at Chester, Pa., and afterwards took him as 
 his charge and companion on board the vessels which 
 he commanded. Farragut thus obtained a midshipman's 
 commission before he was nine years old, which case 
 probably has no parallel in the history of the American 
 ^avy. He was ten years and one month old only 
 when he joined the " Essex," a brave, self-reliant, adven- 
 turous, but dutiful boy, afterwards eminently fit to 
 command, because early accustomed to obey. The 
 " Essex " was built at Salem, Mass., and paid for by the 
 patriotic contributions of the citizens of that place. 
 Captain Porter took command of her in August, 1811, 
 young Farragut being with him, and the frigate was 
 then lying at ^orfolk,Va. On the 18th of June, 1812, 
 only about eleven months afterwards, the Congress of 
 
8 
 
 the United States declared war against Great Britain, 
 and this declaration was read to the crew of the " Essex " 
 on three successive days, so that no British subject on 
 board, if there chanced to be one, should be required to 
 serve against his flag. Tliere being none who were 
 not liable to duty, the "Essex " sailed for her memorable 
 cruise in the Pacific Ocean. She was the first Ameri- 
 can man-of-war to pass around Cape Horn, as she had 
 been the first to double the Cape of Good Hope, and 
 her experience was a rough one, but it was followed by 
 a series of almost uninterrupted successes and victories, 
 until she finally encountered the British frigate 
 " Phoebe " and the British sloop-of-war " Cherub," 
 early in February, 1814, oflJ" Valparaiso, Chili. A com- 
 bined attack was made upon her by these two vessels 
 while half the men belonging to the " Essex " were on 
 shore; but upon a signal being given, the men were 
 all aboard the "Essex " in fifteen minutes, and all but one 
 prepared for duty. After one of the most desperate 
 battles ever fought upon the ocean, under the adverse 
 conditions of contending with two vessels of the enemy 
 of greatly snperior force, herself disabled by a furious 
 storm, all her officers but one killed, and the "Essex " on 
 fire, she surrendered in a defeat, like that on land at 
 Bunker Hill, Avhich was more glorious than the victory. 
 The commander of the British forces, Capt. Ilillyard, 
 was wounded, and died before the engagement ended. 
 In his note-book young Farragut says: "Dm*ing the 
 action I performed the duties of captain's aid, quarter- 
 gunner, powder-boy, and in fact did everything that 
 was required of me. I shall never forget the horrid 
 impression made upon me at the sight of the first man 
 I had ever seen killed. He was a boatswain's mate 
 and was fearfully mutilated. It staggered and sick- 
 
9 
 
 ened me at first; but they soon began to fall around me 
 so fast that it all appeared to me like a dream, and 
 produced no effect upon my nerves." " I can remem- 
 ber well," he continues, " while I was standing near 
 the captain, just abaft the mainmast, a shot came 
 through the waterways and glanced upward, killing 
 four men who were standing beside the gun, taking 
 the last one in the head and scattering his brains over 
 both of us. But this awful sight did not affect me half 
 as much as the death of the first poor fellow. I 
 neither thought of nor noticed anything but the work- 
 ing of the guns." 
 
 Such was the literal baptism by fire and blood of the 
 young midshipman and future Admiral, as if fate, or 
 that Divine Providence which he always reverently 
 recognized, intended thus signally to forecast his 
 illustrious destiny. 
 
 Later on in his journal young Farragut wrote: 
 " After the battle had ceased, when, on going below I 
 saw the mangled bodies of my shipmates, dead and 
 dying, groaning and expiring with the most patriotic 
 sentiments on their lips, I became faint and sick; my 
 sympathies were all aroused ; among the badly wounded 
 was one of my best friends, Lieut. Cowell. When I 
 spoke to him he said, ' Oh Davy, I fear it is all up with 
 me ; ' but when it was proposed to drop another patient 
 and attend to him, he replied, ^ JSTo, doctor, none of 
 that; fair play is a jewel. One man's life is as good as 
 another's ; I would not cheat any poor fellow out of his 
 turn.' Thus died," continues the journal, " one of the 
 best and bravest men among us." 
 
 After this momentous battle, Porter and his surviving 
 officers and crew were sent to ISTew York under parole, 
 himself receiving an enthusiastic ovation from the 
 
10 
 
 people, who TO'jt the horses fix>iii his carriag-e and drew 
 ii ihemselves i' _ street- r city. Xocnz 
 
 Pirra^rnt was i^-— - ^.-^-i at s.. ^: Chester, Pa.. 
 
 ^::ere there were some innovatioiis tipoii the c-nstom- 
 aiy methods of teaehiog". bnt in which we now recog- 
 nize some of the in«:»st approved elements of modern 
 sradT. hj If""^^ : " ■ ":"-:--"':?. It has some- 
 timt^ been : - : a lad taten a'^s'ay 
 
 &OiBL the early opp^itimities for schooling, and entering 
 tiie GoTeraiDent seroee at so early an age, could have 
 
 did ac<:-omplish. It mnst be borne in mind, in this con- 
 nection, that Captain Poner w^as his feithfol and almost 
 paternal _ . that when young F: ~ 
 
 not '~ - - -.: _ _- -ler. he ^ras imder in?: :. ^. _i 
 
 the ■: _s of the fleei to which he was at the time 
 
 attajched and in companionable intercotirse with officers 
 ^whc' were men of polite and : - 
 
 ~ - "-' '— :':-■'- _■ -^ r- ''~ are. ^__~ :_r .-..._ -: 
 
 versity. in which y onng F _ 
 enlarged Ms sphere of ^knowledge and strengthened 
 thosie natural iz ~ers i?rmch supplemented 
 
 F" ■ - — 'fare of h: = 
 
 c :- . -. -: _-. - :i :_- first "^v.:_ 
 
 resj*ec-l: to him. as TVords worth says. ti:it 
 
 ~ The ehUd i^ fssbcjr c-f ti^ jusa." 
 
 ^;i ^-.Qj^ ^e migh: vards apply to Farragut 
 
 are's immortal definition, and sav. 
 
 SST V. - :xn."" 
 
11 
 
 Dnrmg the year following the arrival of the ^ Essex" 
 in Xew York, he was paroled, and thus enabled to 
 retiim to active service. Farragnt was connected with 
 several different vessels in cruises at home and in 
 foreign seas, and was abroad for fonr years, daring a 
 portion of which time he was under the instruction of 
 ^Ir. Charles Folsom. of Cambridge. Mass.. then our 
 consid at Tunis, in Africa, where he studied mathe- 
 matics. English Literature. French and Italian, and 
 made personal investigation of the ancient civilization 
 estabHshed at Carthage and vicinity during the period 
 of the great Eoman Empire. He had a special apti- 
 tude for languages and spoke several modem tongues 
 with ease and fluency. After his return to the United 
 States in 1820 he passed a successful examination 
 and was promoted from the rank of midshipman to 
 lieutenant in the navy. 
 
 In February, 1S23. Farragut joined the Mosr^tiito 
 fleet under Capt. Porter, to exterminate the pirates 
 which infested the Caribbean Sea, and was eminently 
 successful in that his last oflieial connection with his 
 life-long mentor and benefactor. It will thus be seen 
 how extraordinary were the opportunities, and how 
 exceptional the iustruction and discipline that young 
 Farragut received for discharging the highest duties 
 and assuming the weightiest responsibilities of the 
 naval service. Ulustrions as were the services of 
 Capt. Porter all through his honorable and brilliant 
 career, could all secrets be revealed, it would be 
 found, perhaps, that all his other achievements were 
 excelled by his training of the youth who was destined 
 to be the greatest naval officer of modem times, and 
 to make a fame for himself and for his country that 
 has penetrated to the remotest corners of the earth. 
 
12 
 
 From this time (namely, the cruise of the Mosquito 
 fleet) till the beginning of the War of the Rebellion, 
 the experience of Farragut was, for the most part, 
 we are told, that of naval officers in general in time 
 of peace, except that he improved every opportunity of 
 study, observation, or experience to more completely 
 qualify himself for the highest duties of his profession ; 
 as if the great future which ultimately oj^ened to 
 him had already been revealed. During this period 
 he cruised in foreign seas, did bureau and commission 
 duty at home, attended lectures at the Smithsonian 
 Institute in "Washington, etc. 
 
 We have noticed that in the earliest part of his 
 career, and during his first fighting experience on 
 the "Essex," while covered with blood himself, and 
 standing where men were falling all around him, he 
 says, "I neither thought of nor noticed anything 
 but the working of the guns." That might appro- 
 priately be taken as his motto: he always had Ms 
 eye on the guns; and nothing, not even the terrible 
 rage of battle, could so confuse him as to distract 
 his attention from the legitimate duties of his 
 profession. He carefully studied "the working of 
 the guns," and every change in the naval equipment, 
 experimental or permanent, the movements of every 
 battle, the effects of any conflict upon diflerent kinds 
 of defences, and whatever could contribute to his 
 stock of naval knowledge. 
 
 During the period between the expedition of the 
 Mosquito fleet and the breaking out of the Civil 
 War, Farragut was promoted first to the rank of 
 commander, and then of captain in the navy ; which 
 latter rank he held when the Rebellion broke out. 
 
 The occurrence of the Civil War was one of the 
 
18 
 
 most moniciitoiis events in the history of the world. 
 Upon its issues hung not only the hopes of liberty 
 and the fate of republican governments throughout 
 the world, but there was no government nor people 
 who would not have felt its influence in some modi- 
 fying particular, if the American Union had been 
 destroyed. This country was too large and its 
 influence and example too powerful to allow these 
 issues to be pent up within its own borders. This 
 was seen by sagacious statesmen throughout the 
 world; and hence the declaration at a critical moment 
 by Prince Gortschalcofl*, the Prime Minister of Pussia, 
 that "the preservation of the American Union was 
 essential to the peace of the world," produced a 
 signiflcant effect upon ^France and England when 
 they were manifesting some hesitancy as to the di- 
 rection in which their sympathies should be thrown. 
 
 Although the contest was to be a domestic one, — 
 a war l)etween contending States, — yet as the country 
 was ocean bound, and linked in close commercial 
 relations witli other maritime powers, it was evident 
 from the beginning that a powerful navy would be 
 required for defence, if not for conquest. Perhaps 
 no nation was ever less prepared for a great naval 
 test. The warships were few in number, though 
 some were of good pattern and equipment for that 
 day — a strong contrast to this day, when modern 
 American cruisers fully equipped make more than 
 eighty miles in four hours. 
 
 The Secretary of the Navy, in his report submitted 
 to the President, July 4, 1801, says of the size of the 
 navy: 
 
 "Excluding vessels on the stocks, those unfinished, 
 those used as stationary storeships and receiving-ships, 
 
14 
 
 and those considered inexpedient to repair, the avail- 
 able force of the navy is sixty-nine vessels." Of this 
 force forty-two were in commission (as it was termed), 
 and of the twelve belonging to the Home sqnadron, 
 only fonr small vessels, carrying twenty-five guns and 
 about two hundred and eighty men, were in IS^orthern 
 ports. And again, in his report five months later; 
 namely, Dec. 2, 1861, the Secretary said, " The Home 
 squadron consisted of twelve vessels, and of these only 
 four w^ere in j^orthern ports and available for service." 
 The remaining vessels of the Home squadron were in 
 Southern waters, and the other ships, not of the Home 
 squadron, were in the Mediterranean, ofi" the coast of 
 Brazil, the coast of Africa, and in the East Indies. 
 What an insignificant force were these four small 
 vessels with which to undertake a gigantic war involv- 
 ing as one item the blockade of three thousand miles 
 of sea-coast and more than thirty-five hundred miles of 
 river navigation ! 
 
 There Avere, as the Secretary says, only four small 
 vessels ready for immediate service; nearly one-half of 
 our navy-yards were in hostile territory; and to them 
 had been transferred in advance a large portion of the 
 ordnance and stores fit for use. Many of the officers, 
 especially those of Southern birth, had decided to " go 
 with their State," as it was termed, or were hesitating 
 in their decision, and the loyal people of the country 
 had no realization that Ave were actually entering upon 
 a bloody and protracted war. The Government at 
 Washington, however, did realize the fact, and the 
 Avisest counsellors were at their Avits' end to solve the 
 problem of successfully dealing Avith so grave a matter. 
 MeanAvhile, diplomatic uneasiness Avas increasing, and 
 the difficulty of preserving equilibrium Avith other 
 
15 
 
 nations was all the time growing more imminent; and 
 the half-fear, half-impatience of our people at the sup- 
 posed delay of etFective action by our own Government 
 was daily becoming more formidable. At this juncture, 
 the Secretary of the JN^avy bought a hundred or more 
 merchant vessels with the purpose of altering them so 
 as to carry batteries, and otherwise fit them for naval 
 service. These were distributed among private ship- 
 yards, as well as the still loyal navy-yards; and the new 
 activity seemed for a time to allay the public complaint 
 and anxiety, but did not extinguish either. All re- 
 member the much criticised remark of Mr. Seward, 
 about this time, that " the w^hole disturbance would be 
 over in ninety days," or words to that effect. Some 
 persons, then and since, have supposed that Mr. Seward 
 was mistaken in his estimate, but, if there was any one 
 man of that administration besides President Lincoln 
 who correctly nnderstood the situation of affairs, that 
 man was "William H. Seward, the Secretary of State. 
 Mr. Seward's statement, therefore, must be regarded 
 as purely a diplomatic utterance; in which he perilled 
 his own reputation for sagacity foi* the triple purpose 
 of quieting foreign powers, composing our own people, 
 and gaining time for the Secretary of the Xavy to suc- 
 cessfully accomplish his work. It was rumored in offi- 
 cial circles, at that time, in Washington, that Secretary 
 Welles was, after all, obliged privately to ask the ship- 
 yards not to hurry the alterations of the merchant 
 vessels, because he had no guns to equip them with if 
 immediately finished; and thus the last dilemma might 
 be worse than the first. 
 
 A still further embarrassment arose from the fact 
 that the higher offices of the navy were then filled with 
 respectable gentlemen, some of education, fortune, 
 
16 
 
 political influence, and eminent social position, yet 
 manifestly unfit for such commands as their rank en- 
 titled them to, if ordered into actual war service. IS^o 
 personal objection could be made to these gentlemen, 
 and it was the desire of the Government to shield them 
 from every possible indication of its disrespect. It was 
 absolutely necessary, however, that most of these men 
 should be retired, or their places upon the active list 
 be made vacant, which was substantially the same 
 thing ; but how this could be done without wounding 
 the sensibilities of the officers affected, or their friends, 
 was an embarrassing problem, and although its solution 
 was attempted with the most absolute fairness both in 
 legislative and executive departments, it was practically 
 impossible to avoid all heart-burnings and complaints 
 in its accomplishment. 
 
 Upon his decision to abide with the l^orth, or with 
 the Union, after the passage of the ordinance of seces- 
 sion by the Virginia Convention, Farragut went direct- 
 ly to ^ew York and took up his residence at Hastings, 
 on the Hudson River, and there waited results. From 
 Hastings he was called to AYashington "to assist the 
 IS^avy Department in the delicate but necessary dis- 
 crimination to be made between the competent officers 
 and those disabled by age or other infirmity." Probably 
 no duty more distasteful to his generous and warm- 
 hearted nature could have been assigned to him, es- 
 pecially as he had not wholly escaped criticism himself 
 on the score of bias or prejudice arising from his birth- 
 place and associations. This criticism, however, had no 
 efi'ect whatever upon himself, and very little upon the 
 public mind ; therefore, he assumed without hesitation 
 the unwelcome duty, supported substantially by the uni- 
 versal confidence of the Government and of the country. 
 
17 
 
 A little later on I well remember the anxiety which 
 pervaded the 'Navy Department when the expedition 
 against 'New Orleans was projected. It was felt that 
 an officer of large experience, thorough loyalty, and 
 fruitful in expedients for such emergencies as might 
 arise in an undertaking so novel and so dangerous 
 was indispensable as a leader. Rear Admiral Joseph 
 Smith, the veteran chief of the Bureau of Yards and 
 Docks, and Mr. Gustavus Y. Fox, the Assistant Sec- 
 retary of the ISTavy, were warm advocates of Captain 
 Farragut, and he was finally selected with entire unan- 
 imity by all concerned. It is not necessary to Admiral 
 Farragut's reputation to claim that he originated the 
 plan of the expedition to JSTew Orleans and the bold and 
 chivalrous idea of passing the two forts of Jackson and 
 St. Philip which guarded the approaches to the city on 
 either side of the river. The credit of the conception 
 of the idea and of substantially maturing the j^lan 
 adopted by the Department for its execution belong to 
 Mr. Fox, the Assistant Secretary of the IS'avy ; but the 
 point which immediately concerns us now is that Far- 
 ragut was selected for its achievement, because he was 
 believed to be the best officer of eligible rank to whom 
 the expedition could be intrusted. Farragut was de- 
 lighted both with this evidence of the confidence of the 
 Government in his ability and loyalty, and in the rare 
 opportunity the appointment would afford to serve his 
 country. 
 
 Of the two forts, Jackson on the right bank of the 
 Mississippi and St. Philip on the left bank, Jackson 
 was much the stronger, and is described as " a case- 
 mated brick structure, pentagonal in form, carrying en 
 harhette over the casemates twenty-seven cannon of 
 and above the size of thirty-two pounders^ besides eleven 
 
18 
 
 twenty-four pounders. In the casemates were fourteen 
 twenty-four pounders." Fort St. Philip was nearly op- 
 jDosite and so placed as not only to command the river in 
 front but to sweep any approaching vessels in the stream. 
 " It comprised the fort proper and two water batteries, 
 which together mounted forty-two guns. " " The sites 
 of these fortifications, " says Captain Mahan, " had been 
 skilfully chosen, but their armaments, though formidable 
 and greatly superior to those of the fleet, were not equal 
 to the demands of the occasion. " In addition to the 
 forts the Confederates constructed a barrier across the 
 river, just below the forts and under their fire, consist- 
 ing of the hulks of eight schooners bound together by 
 h'on cables and held by anchors to their places in the 
 stream. The object being, of course, to obstruct the 
 passage of the Union squadron, and to hold it possibly 
 under the fire of the forts, if an attempt to pass were 
 made. The Confederates also had another flotilla of 
 obstructions farther up the river, and above Fort St. 
 Philip ; so that, in case the Union squadron should by 
 possibility pass the lower obstruction, it would encoun- 
 ter the second in a spot where it would be directly un- 
 der the fire of both forts. 
 
 The fleet of Farragut consisted of nineteen ships, 
 divided into three divisions; the first division consisting 
 of eight, the second of three, and the third of eight, 
 including Commander Porter's, gunboats, which are 
 here counted as one. The leader of the second or cen- 
 tre division was the " Hartford," Farragut's fiag-ship. 
 The original idea seems to have been that Porter's 
 mortar fleet would reduce the forts, and that then the 
 other vessels would pass up the river and take posses- 
 sion of the city; and the instructions from the 'Navj 
 Department rather favored this idea, or at least were 
 
]9 
 
 sufficiently indefinite to allow of that interpretation. 
 It may be here remarked that the prevailing idea, both 
 in the Confederate councils and in those of the Union, 
 was that if JSTew Orleans was to be attacked at all, it 
 would be, perhaps must be, from the ISTorth rather than 
 from the sea; and it was thought that the difficulty of 
 passing the bar at the mouth of the river with large 
 vessels, the two forts and the flotillas affiDrded ample 
 protection from attack from the latter direction. 
 
 This idea was current until the time of Mr. Fox's 
 conception of the attack committed to Farragut's ex- 
 ecution. While the larger vessels were being dragged 
 over the bar, therefore. Porter's mortar fleet entered 
 the river and proceeded to attach the forts. After six 
 days of bombardment, during which the guns of the 
 fleet were worked with great precision, very little dam- 
 age was done to the forts. Two of the gunboats, the 
 ^' Itaska " and the " Pinola," were sent upon the daring 
 and dangerous duty of destroying the flotilla hulks 
 chained across the river and, as has been said, within 
 range of the forts. After various unsuccessful and 
 perilous attempts to break the cables Avith which the 
 flotilla was chained, the " Itaska," by a most daring rush 
 against them, broke the cables and made an available 
 breach in the line. In the meantime, Farragut saw 
 that the reduction of the forts by the mortar fleet was 
 practically impossible; and a less daring and cour- 
 ageous spirit than his might have given up further 
 attempts to reach ISTew Orleans and still keep within 
 the letter of his instructions; but he was a man as fer- 
 tile in expedients as he was indomitable in courage, 
 and after much meditation and consultation, he deter- 
 mined, even against high and authoritative opinion, to 
 attempt to run the fleet past the forts before the latter 
 
20 
 
 had been reduced by the mortar boats; he accordingly 
 gave orders in detail for this adventurous effort, at the 
 same time giving notice that further particulars would 
 be given from time to time, by signal, as circumstances 
 might develop their necessity. " It was the prelude 
 to a drama of singular energy and grandeur, for the 
 Confederates in their forts were fully on guard and had 
 anticipated with unshaken courage, but with gloomy 
 forebodings, an attack during that very night." " There 
 will be no to-morrow for ^ew Orleans," said the un- 
 daunted commander of Fort Jackson, the day before, 
 "if the [Confederate] navy does not at once move the 
 ^ Louisiana ' to the position assigned to her close to the 
 obstructions." The " Louisiana " was a powerful Con- 
 federate iron-clad battery not quite completed when 
 Farragut entered the river. The order to prepare for 
 the attack was given, and the ships wei*e put in order 
 as quickly as possible; the rigging was reduced as far 
 as practicable, the wooden sides of the vessels were 
 protected by chains run fore and aft over the portions 
 outside the engines and boilers, and at last all was ready, 
 both oflflcers and crews meanwhile holding their breath 
 in suspense of expectation. The passage of the forts 
 was a spectacle and an experience which baffles alike 
 the efforts of the pen to describe or the imagination to 
 conceive. The darkness of the night, the teriific thun- 
 derings of the forts, and the still louder belchings 
 of the fleet, the fire of floating rafts and discarded 
 property, the smoke of wrecks and of cannon, the 
 shrieks of the wounded, and the upturned faces of the 
 dead, — all commingled to present in tragic majesty the 
 multiplied horrors possible in war; but the victory was 
 achieved, and the Union squadron road proudly upon 
 the waters in front of New Orleans. 
 
21 
 
 In the first flush of victory Farragut wrote home 
 thus tenderly: 
 
 "Off New Orleans, Flag-Ship 'Hartford', 
 
 "April 25, 1862. 
 " My dearest Wife and Boy : I am so agitated that I can scarcely 
 write, and shall only tell you that it has pleased Almighty God to 
 preserve my life through a fire such as the world has scarcely known. 
 I shall return properly my thanks, as well as those of our fleet, for 
 His goodness and mercy. He has permitted me to make a name for 
 my dear boy's inheritance, as well as for my comfort and that of my 
 family. We lost about thirty killed and ninety wounded. I lost no 
 officers. . . . All the oflflcers did theu' duty to my admii-ation, 
 which I shall notice at a more convenient season, I have only time 
 to thank God and bless you both. Give my love to the family and 
 all the neighbors. 
 
 "D. G. F." 
 
 He appointed eleven o'clock on the following morn- 
 ning (the 26th) as the hour " for all the ofiicers and 
 crews to return thanks to Almighty God for His great 
 goodness in permitting them to pass through the events 
 of the last two days with so little loss of life and 
 blood." 
 
 Time and your patience will alike compel me to 
 pass over the attack upon Vicksburg, Port Hudson, 
 and the rest, each of which in its chivalric incidents 
 was sufficient to establish the skill and intrepidity of 
 any commander of any age; but the main points of our 
 hero's story would be incomplete without a few words 
 about Mobile, the last of the Confederate maritime 
 strongholds to be captured. 
 
 ISText to ^ew Orleans, Mobile was the most impor- 
 tant sea-port of the Confederacy, and under the pressure 
 of war became well-nigh indispensable to its contin- 
 uance. Its reduction was, therefore, a matter of prime 
 importance to the Union cause. The Confederates 
 
09 
 
 naturally concentrated theii* utmost resources for its 
 defence, in wliicb tliey ^ere aided by their war experi- 
 ence and in tiuiely preparation after it was known that 
 an attack by the Union forces was probable. AYhile 
 fewer problems for its capture were presented for 
 solution than at Xew Orleans, perhaps even greater 
 practical skill and leadership were necessary; for this 
 leadership both the Government and the people looked 
 to Farragut; not that he was the only officer in the 
 service competent to manage an intricate and perilous 
 expedition, but because there was a general impression 
 that, in some mysterious way, he reached victory every- 
 where, and was well-nigh invincible. 
 
 It wiU be remembered that the Bay of Mobile, at the 
 head of which the city is located, makes up into the 
 land about thirty miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and 
 the navigation is difficult, owing to shoals and iskmds 
 in the shape of natural obstacles; and upon the right 
 approach, on what is called Mobile Point, was a formi- 
 dable fortification, Fort Morgan, mounting eighty-six 
 guns of various calibre, and on the left approach, on 
 Dauphin Island, was Fort Gaines, another, though not 
 equally formidable fort. In front of Dauphin Island 
 was a far-reaching shoal, rendei'ing the draft of water 
 so shallow as to crowd all passing vessels neai* to Fort 
 Morsran. The Confederates had also constructed a 
 formidable h-on-clad ram — the " Tennessee " — and had 
 planted the bay in the vicinity of the forts with torpe- 
 does, in the hope and belief that if Farragut's fleet 
 should escape the fire of the forts, it would be destroyed 
 by the torpedoes in any attempt made to approach the 
 city. Farragut's fleet consisted of niueteen vessels, iu- 
 cludinsr fom- ii'on-clads, two of which were built for 
 river service on the Mississippi. There was the usual 
 
23 
 
 almost inevitable delay in getting the squadron to- 
 gether and ready for action, during which there were 
 also the customary fluctuations of hope and fear. To 
 Farragut, especially, the engagement would be fraught 
 with immeasurable consequences ; for with his reputa- 
 tion for success, failure from whatever cause could 
 hardly have saved his fame, while success in this addi- 
 tional instance could add little to it, because he would 
 simply do what was almost universally expected. He 
 was also very much worn out with long service and 
 anxiety; but the moral grandeur as well as the physical 
 importance of the occasion took possession of him, and 
 his splendid abilities again rose to the emergency, and 
 he was once more the same grand sea king that will 
 inhabit the imagination of men in all coming time. As 
 at ^ew Orleans, the capture of Mobile and of the forts 
 was to be made by the cooperation of the land forces 
 with the navy. At Mobile no attempt was seriously 
 to be made to reduce the forts by the gun-boats, but 
 the purpose was to run by them, and by getting between 
 them and the city, cut off supplies and make their 
 surrender inevitable. 
 
 At about half-past five o'clock on the morning of the 
 5th of August (1864:), having learned that the wind 
 was in the right quarter, the Admiral said to Captain 
 Percival Drayton, who commanded the " Hartford," 
 while still sipping his tea at breakfxst, " Well, Dray- 
 ton, we might as well get under way." The signal for 
 which all the vessels were waiting was given, and the 
 ships were arranged in pairs, side by side, the " Meta- 
 comet," Lieut.-Commander James E. Jouett, being- 
 lashed to the "Hartford;" the monitors Avere standing- 
 down from Sand Island, the flag-ship crossed the bar, and 
 all the vessels hoisted the United States flag at the peak 
 
24 
 
 and masthead as well, and it was evident that the 
 squadron " meant business." The " Tecumseh " led the 
 iron-clads, and the " Brooklyn " the wooden ships, Far- 
 ragut having yielded his purpose to lead with the 
 " Hartford " to the persuasion of his officers, who did not 
 wish him to be exposed to so great peril as the leader- 
 ship would involve, and the "Hartford" took the second 
 place. While the monitors were taking their stations, 
 the " Tecumseh," which led the column, fired two shots 
 at the fort, and the order of battle being now fully formed, 
 the fleet went ahead. Fort Morgan soon opened fire 
 upon the "Brooklyn," which at once replied with her 
 bow guns, followed very soon by those of the fighting 
 column of wooden ships. " In the midst of the vigorous 
 cannonade, in order to see more clearly, Farragut 
 climbed up and took his position in the port main 
 rigging. As the smoke increased, Farragut went up 
 step by step until he was close under the maintop." 
 Here he was near the j^ilot, who had been sent aloft, and 
 the whole scene of battle spread out under his eyes; 
 but Captain Drayton, being alarmed lest he might be 
 thrown to the deck or into the sea, sent a seaman up to 
 lash the Admiral to the rigging. 
 
 " Shortly after the monitors and the bow guns of the 
 fleet began firing, " says Captain Mahan, " the enemy's 
 gunboats and the iron-clad ' Tennessee ' moved out 
 from behind Fort Morgan and took an enlihiding po- 
 sition. " The two columns of iron-clads, and the wood- 
 en ships lashed together in pairs, as before stated, wei'e 
 soon approaching the line of torpedoes and the narrow 
 channel of safety. " All promised fairly, provided the 
 leaders of the two columns pushed rapidly and unhesi- 
 tatingly in the direction assigned them. But almost 
 at the same moment doubt seized the leaders and led 
 
25 
 
 to a double disaster" ; namely, the loss of the "Te- 
 cumseh " and the confusion of the fleet. A sigpi^i was 
 soon made to the " Brooklyn " to " go ahead," but her 
 commander probably misunderstood the signal, or " j^er- 
 haps between his orders to pass east of the buoy and 
 the difficulty of doing so, owing to the position into 
 which his own vessel and the monitors had fallen," re- 
 mained motionless. It was a moment of supreme anx- 
 iety, and Farragut, as he afterwards said, solemnly ap- 
 pealed to Heaven, saying, " O God, who created man 
 and gave him reason, direct me what to do ! Shall I go 
 on ? " "And it seemed, " said the Admiral, " as if in an- 
 swer, a voice commanded, ' Go on.' " Quick as a flash 
 Farragut obeyed what he interpreted as the Divine di- 
 rection and moved forward; as he passed a hesitating 
 ship of the squadron, a warning cry came from her of 
 " torpedoes ahead." " Damn the torpedoes ! " shouted 
 the Admiral in a transport of excitement, and elated 
 by his dauntless purpose. " Four bells, Captain Dray- 
 ton. Go ahead, Jouett, full speed ! " And on he went 
 where death was most threatening and danger most 
 appalling. "As they passed the buoys the rubbing 
 of the cases of the torpedoes was heard against the 
 bottom of the ship and many of the primers snapped 
 audibly, bat no torpedo exploded," and again it 
 was marvellously said that Farragut had a "charmed 
 life." 
 
 It is not expedient to follow the incidents of the bat- 
 tle any farther, nor to tell in detail of the gallant bear- 
 ing and action of the officers of all the wooden ships 
 and monitors, nor of the subsequent engagement of the 
 forts, the attack upon and mastery of the Confederate 
 iron-clad " Tennessee," the wounding of Admiral Bu- 
 chanan of the opposing fleet, and his early surrender. 
 
2G 
 
 Mobile was ours, and Farragiit the greatest of naval 
 heroes. 
 
 We need not abate one tittle of our gratitude and ad- 
 miration for the soldiers of the Union Army, profuse 
 as these have always been for their priceless services 
 in saving the country from destruction, in order that 
 we may give a like offering of praise and thankfulness 
 to the officers and sailors who so magnificently cooper- 
 ated in this work of patriotism and gaHantry. JSTeither 
 need we fear that any noble-minded soldier would have 
 us withhold our enthusiastic devotion to the navy. 
 And I say without hesitation that a more heroic, faith- 
 ful, and persistent body of men never carried muskets 
 on the field nor trod the decks of a fighting squadron 
 than those who in the past composed and in the present 
 constitute, as I believe, the naval force of the United 
 States. God bless them all for their fidelity and 
 courage, and preserve in them and their successors 
 these inestimable virtues! 
 
 It has been asked if Farragut was really a great 
 man? Yes, great in his vocation, where most men show 
 greatness if they have any. He had not the philosophy 
 of Dr. Franklin, nor the statesmanship of Webster, nor 
 the eloquence of Choate, nor the poetical graces of 
 LongfelloAv; but neither had any one of these the quali- 
 ties of all the others; but Farragut had some of the 
 qualities of each, including a poetic fiincy, and some 
 qualities which neither of them possessed. As a 
 strategist he had something of the quality that Em- 
 erson had as a poet — he was not only practical but 
 mystical; he had keen and faultless sagacity, delicate 
 intuitions, wonderful penetration, and great staying 
 power; and, in the language of our day, the habit 
 of " getting there." To the masses of people he was 
 
27 
 
 a kind of nautical wizard; to them, at least, he had 
 power 
 
 " To call spmts from the vasty deep," 
 
 marshal them into battle on his side, and bid them pen- 
 etrate the hidden channels of success until they should 
 light, at last, with unerring certainty like eagles upon 
 his victorious banners. 
 
 He was a man of well-defined and inflexible 
 principles ; a sense of duty was the governing power 
 of his life. Of this inflexibility no further evidence 
 need be given than his decision, at the opening of 
 the Kebellion, to abide with the Union cause. It 
 will be remembered that Farragut was a native of 
 Tennessee, and that his domestic aflSliations were 
 even nearer with Virginia than with Tennessee. His 
 residence was at ]^orfolk, where there was then as 
 now a navy-yard, and many naval officers whose 
 sympathies were then with " allegiance to the State " 
 rather than to the nation. Daily gatherings where 
 such sentiments were encouraged were held. In 
 one such, on the morning of the day when it was 
 announced that the ordinance of secession had been 
 ])assed by the Virginia Convention, Farragut hap- 
 pening to be present, expressed freely his dissatis- 
 faction at the action of the convention, and openly 
 justified the course of President Lincoln in calling 
 for troops after the seizure of the forts and arsenals. 
 For this he was " impatiently informed," says his 
 son, 'Hhat a person of his sentiments could not live 
 in Norfolk;" to which he calmly replied, "Well, then 
 I can live somewhere else." To his noble wife, herself 
 a native of JS^orfolk, he said, " This act of mine may 
 cause years of separation from your family, so you 
 
28 
 
 must decide quickly whether you will go IS^orth or 
 remain here." Her decision was immediate to accom- 
 pany her husband. 
 
 He was a devout Christian, but not of the clamorous 
 or demonstrative sort ; he was always hopeful, gen- 
 erous, trustful, and self-reliant. I think he counted 
 himself in a large degree a man of destiny ; he 
 dared on his own account, but felt safest when he 
 had hold of the hand of the Almighty. As a man 
 he was dignified and self-possessed ; proud of the 
 services rendered to his country and heartily enjoyed 
 their recital ; but he was the very incarnation of 
 modesty, and quailed like a timid maiden before 
 superfluous praise and adulation. There was not the 
 slighest condescension in his bearing ; he had nothing 
 of the austere mannerism of men who are great (or 
 think they are) in little things ; but all his intercourse 
 was frank, cordial, and sincere. There was also a 
 vein of humor in his composition which enabled him 
 to draw amusement from observing the foibles of 
 men and from the incidents of society. At one time 
 while a guest at my house, the serving-man at table 
 was about to fill his glass with water, when the 
 Admiral quietly passed his hand over the top of it 
 and playfully remarked, "IN^one of that inside of me 
 to-day, if you please, though I usually like about 
 three or four fathoms under my keel." 
 
 There is something supremely interesting in the 
 love of a sailor for his ship. It is not unlike the 
 attachment of an enamored groom for his bride ; there 
 is in it an absorption for the time being of the 
 whole power of the soul, and an intense impression 
 of personality, as if the ship were a living thing 
 and conscious of every sentiment of her commander. 
 
29 
 
 Farragut was no exception to this rule. During the 
 progress of the Rebellion vast changes and improve- 
 ments were made in the construction and equipment 
 of naval vessels, including monitors, iron-clads, etc.; 
 yet in a conversation with the Admiral after the 
 war was over, I asked him what kind of a war-ship 
 he would build after all his experience. He waited 
 for a moment and then said, " She would be ver}'- 
 like the ^Hartford,' sir." The "Hartford," you will 
 remember, was his old flag-ship, in which he had 
 suffered his greatest perils and won his most con- 
 spicuous victories. 
 
 In the same conversation I asked him, " What did 
 you expect when you entered Mobile Bay ? " He 
 instantly replied, "To take the place, of course." — 
 " Yes," said I, " but why ^ of course ' ? To common 
 observers the chances, if not even, would seem to 
 have been against you. The Confederates had about 
 as strong a naval force as you had and an equal 
 variety of vessels ; besides, they had planted the 
 Bay with torpedoes and had two cooperating forts ; 
 and the ordinary estimate has been that one gun in 
 position on land is equal to four of like calibre afloat ; 
 and you yourself have given to Admiral Buchanan 
 credit for high naval skill and ability ; therefore 
 the ^of course' does not seem to me apparent. Do 
 you mean," I continued, "that you had a clearly 
 defined plan the working out of which would give 
 you victory ? " He waited a moment before rejDlying, 
 and then said, " Well, I never go into a battle 
 without a well settled plan, and I am never so 
 wedded to my plan that I cannot abandon it at any 
 moment when I find the circumstances different from 
 what I anticipated." This, I think, was very charac- 
 
30 
 
 teristic of him ; and I have been told by naval men 
 that this was probably the grand secret of his success 
 in Mobile Bay. His opponent, Admiral Buchanan, 
 was not wanting in bravery and was well versed in 
 naval tactics. He had probably anticipated Farragut's 
 l^lan up to the time of the sinking of the " Tecumseh; " 
 but then Farragut abandoned his plan, threw his 
 opponent into confusion, and by "dealing with the 
 circumstances as he found them," snatched victory 
 from impending defeat before the astonished eyes of 
 both friends and foes. 
 
 I have been reminded by the Hon. F. W. Lincoln, 
 then Mayor of Boston, that Admiral Farragut visited 
 this city in 1865, when he stated that he had not been 
 here before for forty years, but that he then sailed from 
 our navy-yard a young officer. He participated in the 
 Fourth of July celebration of 1865 in Boston, was pres- 
 ent at the oration, was in the procession to Faneuil Hall, 
 made a speech at the dinner, and afterwards held a re- 
 ception in the same hall, where thousands of citizens took 
 him by the hand. He was also entertained at dinner 
 at the Union Club, and received numerous hospitalities 
 at the hands of the Mayor and of eminent citizens. He 
 also had an excursion down the Harbor, visited Fort 
 Warren and other notable places, and was every- 
 where enthusiastically received with the honors due 
 to his rank and fame. Our distinguished Dr. Oliver 
 "Wendell Homes, poet-laureate by popular designation 
 if not by royal appointment, saluted him with an 
 appropriate poem, which was published in the " Tran- 
 script " of August 1, 1865. 
 
 Admiral Lessoffsky, commander of a Russian fleet 
 which came here the year before, often expressed his 
 admiration for Farragut, who, he delighted to say, was 
 
one of the greatest naval commanders the world has 
 ever seen ; and that this sentiment has not died ont in 
 the great northern empire, is shown by the visit to the 
 Admiral's tomb, at Woodlawn Cemetery, by the officers 
 of the Russian fleet which visited the harbor of J^ew 
 York a month ago, and by the touching eulogy there 
 made by its commander. All of which is reenforced 
 by the Russian ships here present and speaking for 
 themselves to-day. 
 
 And now, fellow-citizens, while the story is but half 
 told, and that imperfectly, the moment has arrived when 
 words no longer have potential significance. Unveil 
 the statue, and let the bronze lips forevermore accen- 
 tuate his fame! 
 
 Army of the Potomac, Grand Army of the Republic, 
 soldiers, sailors, marines, veterans, guests, whoever may 
 be present, thrice welcome all; let us give a thousand 
 cheers for the artist who has so happily caught the 
 pose and delineated the features of the famous original! 
 Ten thousand more for the great Sea King himself! 
 Wave around him the flag of the country he loved so 
 much! Let these salvos of artillery be to our ears the 
 echoes of his thundering squadrons! And while 
 chiming bells and martial strains fill the air with mel- 
 ody, let all our hearts renew their tributes of admiration, 
 afi'ection, and gratitude to the peerless Admiral, the in- 
 corruptible patriot, the altogether noble man. 
 
Ill III I Jii ; III I 
 
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