David Glasgow Farragut

Loyalty:  Union

Born Date:  July 5, 1801

Born Place:  Farragut, TN

Died Date:  August 14, 1870

Died Place:  Portsmouth, NH

Service:  When he was 11 years old, Farragut served in the War of 1812 under the command of his adoptive father. He received his first command in 1823, at the age of 22, and went on to participate in anti-piracy operations in the Caribbean Sea. He then served in the Mexican–American War under the command of Matthew C. Perry, participating in the blockade of Tuxpan. After the war, he oversaw the construction of the Mare Island Navy Yard (now Mare Island Naval Shipyard), which was the first U.S. Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean.

On April 18, 1861, the day after Virginia seceded from the Union, Farragut picked up and left his home in Norfolk Virginia. After this display of loyalty to the Union, the Navy charged him with the awesome duty of capturing New Orleans. Farragut some how slipped past the guns at Fort Jackson, and Fort Saint Phillip. On April 25, 1862, Farragut arrived at the city, and it was captured five days later. His success was emphatic, and gave the North a much needed confidence boost. His victory also served a strategic importance, opening the Mississippi to the North, and scaring off the European recognition that the North severlly feared. Promoted to Rear Admiral, Farragut served as the first man in this office.

August 5, 1864, Farragut pursued a similar goal to his previous victory. He sailed south to Mobil, Alabama, and slipped past the defenses and sunk the Confederate Warships in the area. Although the city itself was not captured until April 1865, Farragut effectively closed the Confederacy's last major Gulf port. During a critical moment of this assault, when one ship's captain hesitated out of fear of Confederate mines, Farragut shouted, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead." He , passed away at the age of 69 on August 14, 1870.