Lincoln's Admiral: The Civil War Campaigns of David Farragut. James P. Duffy. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997.
Often, the overland campaigns of the Civil War are given the most treatment, possibly due in part to the Southern states' many victories on land, but also possibly due to the fact that the Union victories at sea and on the rivers seem to have been foregone conclusions. This does not seem to have been the case when the war began, however, as argues James Duffy in Lincoln's Admiral. At the commencement of the war, the Confederate states held possession of the vital ports of Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana, and the critical naval base at Norfolk, Virginia. Control of the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers was the Confederacy's to lose, and they lost little time in placing orders for ironclads, rams, and other similar river steamers designed to keep Federal ships out of Southern waters. Aggressive action was needed on the part of the Union to forestall the Confederates in their quest for control of the Southern tributaries, and they were able to find such an aggressive commander in Captain David Farragut.
Farragut was a lifelong seaman, having joined the United States Navy as a Midshipman at the age of nine, and enjoyed a distinguished naval career rising to the rank of Captain following five long decades of service to his nation. A Southerner by birth, Farragut lost no time in declaring himself loyal to the Union following the secession of his home states of Louisiana and Virginia. Farragut moved his small family to New York to await an assignment, which he feared might never come due to widespread suspicions in the North concerning Southern-born officers who claimed to be loyal.
Luck would be on his side, however, as several well-placed officers and secretaries within the Navy and Navy Department knew Farragut and his potential, and when the post of commander of the Western Coast Blocking Squadron was made open, and Farragut placed in command. He was ordered to capture New Orleans, one of the largest port cities in the Confederacy with the largest shipyard at the time within the Confederacy as well. Construction had begun in New Orleans on several armored ironclad river patrol boats, and more would be on the way. Once these ships were completed, Southern dominance of the river would be all but assured until sufficient land forces could be mustered to capture each of the dozens of forts and batteries guarding the Mississippi. Delay or frustration of these projects would be required for the Union to establish control over the waterways of the South.
Farragut acknowledged the strength of the Rebel fortifications on the Mississippi, and so opted to bypass them by "running" past them and heading directly for the city of New Orleans itself. This bold maneuver would serve the dual purpose of isolating the forts from their source of supply, obliging them to surrender, and capturing New Orleans without having to conquer the powerful river forts. Farragut executed his plan to near perfection, capturing the city and the forts commanding the river within a few weeks. Confederate shipbuilding efforts in New Orleans were permanently shelved, and the city of New Orleans would be among the first large cities subjugated by the Federals. Farragut repeated his feat two years later at the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama, effectively closing off all Confederate ports to the Gulf of Mexico.
In retrospect, little attention is given to the Federal victories at sea and in the inland waterways. This could be because those campaigns are viewed as "easy", lopsided wins for the Northern troops, but they were only rendered lopsided by the masterful use of the Federal resources by Admiral Farragut. Farragut's deft maneuvering of his fleets and audacious, but calculated, assaults help posterity take the Union naval victories for granted. Farragut was not taken for granted in his time, however, as he was singularly honored by being the first American promoted to the rank of Real Admiral, and subsequently, Admiral. Several men, both within the Department of the Navy and without it, claimed credit for having recommended Farragut to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles at the outset of the war. Although the title of Duffy's work, Lincoln's Admiral, seems to imply that Farragut and Lincoln had a more intimate relationship than they actually did, Farragut's impact on Lincoln's reelection cannot be understated, and as the first American Admiral, Farragut was indeed Lincoln's Admiral.
Stephen Edwards
Lincoln’s Admiral: The Civil War Campaigns of David Farragut. By James P. Duffy. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., c. 1997. Pp. x+276).
David Farragut was the most successful of the Union’s Civil War admirals. In his book Lincoln’s Admiral, James Duffy outlines the life and Civil War career of this Northern naval hero. Duffy’s Farragut achieved consistent success by not directly engaging the Confederate fortifications, but instead by running past them. Once past, Farragut would use his superior ships to defeat Confederate fleets, and then to cut off the targeted fort’s supplies, forcing its surrender.
Duffy introduces Farragut in the first chapter, summarizing his subject’s biography leading up through 1860. He was a native Southerner, born in Tennessee, raised in New Orleans, and then settling in Norfolk, Virginia when not spending time at sea. Farragut first joined the navy in 1808, leaving home after his mother’s death to serve as a midshipman under Commander David Porter Jr. Farragut trained under Porter aboard the Essex through the War of 1812. In the years that followed, Farragut slowly rose through the Navy’s ranks, owing mostly the relative peace of the early nineteenth century, finally rising to the rank of Commander in 1841. Following service the war, he remained in the Navy, acquainting himself with various aspects of the organization, earning a good reputation in many quarters of the Navy.
When the Civil War broke out, many believed Farragut would join the Confederacy. The naval man was a born southerner, had family in New Orleans, many friends across the South, and was twice married to Virginia ladies. After Virginia’s secession, Farragut and his family made the decision to go north, slipping out of Norfolk shortly before local militia forces could take control of the port. Now based in New York City, Farragut offered his services to the Union, and received a commission to command the Union fleet that would attempt to capture New Orleans, described to Farragut by his mentor David Porter as “the best command in the Navy,” (56).
In early 1862, Farragut departed aboard his new flagship, the Hartford, for the Mississippi River. The first challenge in capturing New Orleans would be the Forts St. Philip and Jackson, which guarded the river’s mouth approximately 75 miles to the south. After a day or two of bombardment, Farragut quickly realized that he could not reduce the forts from on the river. He made the decision to run them, sailing quickly past them and hopefully cut them off from supplies further up the river. Farragut’s daring plan caught the Confederates off guard, and after a brief battle with Southern ships to the north of the forts, he had successfully positioned the Union navy was to take New Orleans while suffering minimal casualties. Once above the forts, Farragut used the strength of his fleet to coerce the capitulation of New Orleans, then cut off the lower forts and force their surrender. Farragut would follow the capture of New Orleans by helping to beat off a Confederate assault on Baton Rouge.
Farragut followed those victories with an assault on Port Hudson, which guarded the mouth of the Red River. Once again running the fort, Farragut was able to cut off the Confederates and force their surrender without significant loss. While the run past Port Hudson did not go quite so well as Farragut planned, the end result of the Hartford moving to the fort’s north forced its surrender with casualties that appeared relatively minimal to the rest of the Union. The North then turned its full attention to the final Mississippi obstacle of Vicksburg. Once again running his ships past the fortification, Farragut worked closely with General Grant to choke off the vital Confederate city. The surrender of Vicksburg gave full control of the Mississippi to the Union, and earned Farragut the plaudits of a grateful nation.
After his triumphs on the Mississippi, Farragut and the Hartford received orders to assist in the conquest of Mobile, Alabama. Once again, Farragut planned to assault the region by running the Confederate fortifications and directly engaging the Rebel navy. Targeting the Confederate ram Tennessee, Farragut’s better-armed ironclads fought through and forced the surrender of the Southern ships. Duffy also provides an apparently more accurate account of Farragut’s famous line, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.” Duffy comments that the line was actually separate comments to different people, blended together by the distance of time (247-8).
Duffy certainly holds Farragut and his accomplishments in high regard, and suggests the Admiral’s place in Civil War memory should be equal to that of Grant and Lee. His superior strategies both preserved the lives of his men and won important victories along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast. Duffy’s narrative, while rich with naval detail, does suffer from a lack of citations. Still, his focus on Farragut reveals a man who took advantage of his strengths and made key advances upon the water.
Texas Christian University Keith Altavilla
Lincoln’s Admiral: The Civil War Campaigns of David Farragut. James P. Duffy. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1997, Pp. 1-262.
In Lincoln’s Admiral, James P. Duffy gives a biographical sketch of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut’s life. From his childhood and through his sixties, Farragut devoted his life to the sea. After Virginia seceded, Farragut left the state, since he always pledged to remain loyal to the Union. Although many Northerners suspected him to be a Southern supporter, Lincoln and his administration soon realized that placing Farragut in leadership positions in several campaigns would aid the Union’s cause. Farragut assisted the Union in capturing New Orleans, Vicksburg, and Mobile Bay. During Lincoln’s presidency, Farragut was named vice-admiral. Because of his bravery and his fidelity, Duffy notes that Farragut was praised by Northerners as one of the champions of their cause. Even today, Duffy contends that Farragut, like Grant, is remembered as one of the Union’s celebrated heroes (1-262).
Duffy demonstrates that Farragut was destined to live the life of a sailor. David Farragut’s father George sailed with North Carolina’s Navy during the American Revolution. After George Farragut’s wife died, his son David Farragut went to live with Commander David Porter, Jr. Farragut became Porter’s apprentice. After several years of sailing, Farragut finally achieved the position of captain. (1-58).
Before the Civil War, David Farragut adopted the state of Virginia as his home. While living in this state, he married his wife Nancy, became a widower, later wed his second wife Virginia, and became a father to son Loyall. Once the state of Virginia took steps to secede from the Union, the Farragut family immediately left for New York. Although David Farragut was fond of his adopted state, he firmly remained faithful to the Union. While in New York, Northerners began to distrust Farragut. Many knew that Farragut was born in Tennessee. According to Duffy, “Some [New Yorkers] asked if [Farragut] might be a Confederate spy sent to observe naval preparations along the [Hudson] [R]iver” (49). Once the War Department was convinced that the North could take and occupy New Orleans, Farragut was assigned to capture the city. No longer a suspected traitor, Farragut was made a flag officer (39-58).
Duffy notes that some naval officers believed that nothing on Farragut’s résumé recommended him for this mission. Yet, those who praised Farragut’s ability contended that Farragut was resolved to succeed. In laying siege to New Orleans, Farragut sought a plan that countered the beliefs of his superiors. Farragut always contended that he could take New Orleans without defeating the nearby forts. Duffy notes the sentiments of Farragut. Farragut proclaimed, ‘I expect to pass the forts and restore New Orleans to the government, or never return. I may not come back, but the city will be ours’ (57, David Glasgow Farragut). Farragut held that if New Orleans was first captured then Forts Jackson and St. Philip would eventually fall. According to Duffy, “[Farragut] knew from army reports that both forts relied on New Orleans, the object of their protection, for their supplies and communications. Capture New Orleans, he had said often during the past few weeks, and the forts would collapse from their own need” (74). Farragut’s plan worked, and New Orleans was then occupied by the Union’s forces (39-114).
After taking New Orleans, Lincoln and his administration lauded Farragut. Admiral Farragut was then sent to help weaken the area surrounding Vicksburg. According to Duffy, “Farragut kept the Red River closed to enemy traffic, sinking an occasional boat that attempted to break his blockade. By remaining on station, he prevented food and supplies from reaching both Port Hudson and Vicksburg, contributing to their ultimate collapse” (215). Farragut’s and Grant’s efforts to take Vicksburg resulted in months of attempts by both commanders. Once Vicksburg was captured by Union forces, Farragut was again acknowledged as a Northern hero
(115-218).
Finally at Mobile Bay, Farragut instructed his fleet of ships to constantly fire until the Confederates surrendered. Duffy seeks to portray Farragut as a sympathetic individual, since Farragut was saddened that he would lose large numbers of men while firing on Mobile Bay. Duffy notes the reaction of Union Quartermaster Knowles. According to Knowles, ‘It was the only time I ever saw the old gentleman cry, but the tears came in his eyes, like a little child’ (253, Quartermaster Knowles). On August 5, 1864, Southerners at Mobile Bay surrendered (219-253).
An interesting biography, Duffy’s Lincoln’s Admiral depicts Farragut as a man deeply committed to sailing and to preserving the Union. Although once despised by Northerners, Duffy shows how Northern sentiments evolved as Yankees realized that Farragut was needed to help weaken the South. For his victories at New Orleans and Mobile Bay and his assistance at Vicksburg, Admiral David Glasgow Farragut is remembered and admired for his efforts.
Andrea Ondruch Texas Christian University