Lincoln's Admiral: The Civil War Campaigns of David Farragut
James P. DuffyOverview
Recently discovered primary source material sheds new light on Farragut's life and times. The first full admiral in American naval history, he was small in stature and almost sixty years old at the outbreak of the Civil War. Yet Farragut possessed enormous courage and stamina. He led by example and became an inspiration to the entire nation. Thoroughly researched and compellingly written, Lincoln's Admiral examines Farragut's command of the most daring and important assignment of the Civil War: the mission to recapture the vital Southern port of New Orleans. With meticulous detail, Duffy deftly retraces the steps that led up to that critical campaign.Synopsis
"Damn the torpedoes. . . . Full speed ahead."
Admiral David Farragut's bold order at the Battle of Mobile Bay has served as a rallying cry for the United States Navy for a century. Described as "urbane" and "indomitable" by contemporaries, and lionized as an "American Viking" by the Northern press during the Civil War, Farragut was considered gallant, brilliant, and humane by friend and foe alike.
Recently discovered primary source material sheds new light on Farragut's life and times. The first full admiral in American naval history, he was small in stature and almost sixty years old at the outbreak of the Civil War. Yet Farragut possessed enormous courage and stamina. He led by example and became an inspiration to the entire nation.
At the start of the Civil War, many thought Farragut—a southerner by birth—would join the Confederate cause. But he had spent almost five decades serving aboard ships that flew the American flag. His unwavering loyalty to the Northern cause was founded in the belief that the South's secession was a first, fatal step toward national collapse.
Thoroughly researched and compellingly written, Lincoln's Admiral examines Farragut's command of the most daring and important assignment of the Civil War: the mission to recapture the vital Southern port of New Orleans. With meticulous detail, Duffy deftly retraces the steps that led up to that critical campaign.
New Orleans's defenses against attack from the Gulf were formidable. In the dead of night, Farragut ordered men to board rebel barrier ships stationed in the river and plant explosives.
"In the rigging of his flagship, the Hartford, highabove the mantle of smoke, stood sixty-three-year-old Rear Admiral David Farragut. It was the only location aboard ship that afforded a panorama of the battle. He held a spyglass firmly in one hand, and a megaphone in the other. Bound securely to the mast, Farragut deftly directed the action of his fleet in what would be one of the most important naval engagements of the Civil War. He periodically raised the spyglass toward the bay, keeping a watchful eye on the Tennessee and her able commander and his old friend, Confederate admiral Franklin Buchanan. Had a rebel shell struck the Hartford's mast, a prized target of every Confederate gunner, Farragut would have crashed to the deck, or been catapulted overboard." - from Lincoln's Admiral
Farragut positioned his boats and prepared his men for battle, carefully planning every detail of the fleet's advance. The fleet passed Fort St. Philip and Fort Jackson single file as both forts opened fire with a deafening roar and covered the river with dense smoke. Navigating the treacherous Mississippi and bypassing the defenses, Farragut eventually recaptured the South's largest port, while losing only thirty-seven men.
Lincoln's Admiral also offers new insights into the Battle of Mobile Bay, arguably Farragut's most famous campaign. Farragut launched an attack against one of the forts in Mobile Bay as a ploy to fool the enemy into thinking that he was preparing to capture Mobile itself. His goal was to keep as many troops in and around the city as possible so they weren't diverted north to defend against Sherman's final offensive. It was at Mobile—as the fleet moved into the bay with Farragut's Hartford in the lead—that Farragut uttered his famous command. Unsure of where the enemy torpedoes were, but knowing that to hesitate would mean defeat, Farragut gambled and gave the famous order: "Damn the torpedoes. . . . Go ahead, Jouett, full speed ahead."
An expansive and compelling chronicle of Farragut's career, Lincoln's Admiral traces the brilliant decisions and wartime strategy of one of history's greatest military leaders.
Publishers Weekly
David G. Farragut (1801-1870) was America's first admiral. Drawing upon published primary accounts and secondary studies, Duffy (Czars) presents a narrative biography of this Tennessee-born hero, tracing his career through the epic sea fights of the War of 1812 (Farragut was only 10 when he "went to war as an officer in training"); his construction near San Francisco, in the mid 1850s, of the Navy's first West Coast navy yard; and his decision to remain with the Union when the country split in 1861. Most of the book concerns Farragut's daring Civil War exploits-the capture of New Orleans (April 1862), operations on the Mississippi River that included action at Vicksburg and Port Hudson and the epic Battle of Mobile Bay (August 1864). Duffy's descriptive writing is often compelling, and includes data on wooden and ironclad warships, cannon and mines, as well as thrilling tales of ship-to-ship action. He also details the difficulties faced by warships operating against heavy cannon placed on high ground to command the Mississippi River. Period maps and illustrations enhance the text. For the general reader, this is an excellent introduction to Farragut's life, but a more intensive, analytical biography utilizing fully Farragut's wartime correspondence at the National Archives, as well as the letters of his contemporaries, remains to be written. (Mar.)
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
David G. Farragut (1801-1870) was America's first admiral. Drawing upon published primary accounts and secondary studies, Duffy (Czars) presents a narrative biography of this Tennessee-born hero, tracing his career through the epic sea fights of the War of 1812 (Farragut was only 10 when he "went to war as an officer in training"); his construction near San Francisco, in the mid 1850s, of the Navy's first West Coast navy yard; and his decision to remain with the Union when the country split in 1861. Most of the book concerns Farragut's daring Civil War exploits-the capture of New Orleans (April 1862), operations on the Mississippi River that included action at Vicksburg and Port Hudson and the epic Battle of Mobile Bay (August 1864). Duffy's descriptive writing is often compelling, and includes data on wooden and ironclad warships, cannon and mines, as well as thrilling tales of ship-to-ship action. He also details the difficulties faced by warships operating against heavy cannon placed on high ground to command the Mississippi River. Period maps and illustrations enhance the text. For the general reader, this is an excellent introduction to Farragut's life, but a more intensive, analytical biography utilizing fully Farragut's wartime correspondence at the National Archives, as well as the letters of his contemporaries, remains to be written. (Mar.)Library Journal
Duffy offers the life of Civil War naval master David Farragut, who was 60 at the time of the conflict's onset yet proved to be the most energetic and courageous of the Union's maritime warriors. Lewis reveals the young George Washington from 1748 to 1760, when he struggled with his own shortcomings before becoming the great revolutionary. Fetherling presents a biographical dictionary of assassins throughout history, from Brutus to John McCall-who put a bullet through Wild Bill Hickock's bean-to John Hinckley. Although it might sound gruesome, Fetherling's work is chock-full of interesting trivia (Hinckley originally planned to shoot President Jimmy Carter, but Carter's polling numbers dropped; he went after the more popular Ronald Reagan instead). Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Kirkus Reviews
An admirably researched history of the long, successful career of America's first admiral and a popular hero of the Civil War, who is best remembered for his famous order in the heat of the battle at Mobile Bay, "Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!"To complement (and correct) the mainly army perspective found in most Civil War histories, Duffy (Target Hitler, not reviewed, etc.) presents a record of the frequently overlooked naval aspects of that conflict, as reflected in the career of David Farragut. Born in the South, Farragut went to sea as a midshipman when he was nine. While Duffy offers a summary of Farragut's life before the war, he is primarily interested in Farragut's Civil War years. He explains in some detail the often highly unorthodox strategies Farragut used to shut down Southern ports. And he explores Farragut's unwavering determination to overcome any obstacle in his way, including suspicions about his loyalty expressed by some fellow officers, aroused by the presence of a Southerner in the Federal navy; jealousies stirred by his early successes, which delayed promotion; and the opposition of bureaucrats in Washington, who attempted to reverse some of his naval strategies. Farragut, who held an unshakable belief in the necessity of preserving the Union (and who, having largely grown up at sea, had little sympathy for the South), always persevered. His brilliant campaigns on the Mississippi and his capture of New Orleans electrified the North. His blockade actions captured over 1,500 vessels. And his great victory at Mobile Bay against determined resistance, and under daunting circumstances, closed another Southern lifeline and diverted Confederate forces away from the defense of Atlanta. Duffy argues that Farragut's actions had more to do with the downfall of the Confederacy than some of the more celebrated land battles.
A highly readable chronicle of a remarkable man, and an exciting account of decisive incidents in naval history.