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David Dixon Porter (June 8, 1813 – February 13, 1891) was a United States Navy admiral and a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the U.S. Navy. Promoted as the second U.S. Navy officer ever to attain the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G. Farragut, Porter helped improve the Navy as ...
Learn about David Dixon Porter, a U.S. naval officer who commanded Union fleets in the American Civil War. He opened the Mississippi River, cooperated with Grant at Vicksburg, and blockaded Fort Fisher.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about the life and career of David Dixon Porter, a Union naval officer who fought in the Civil War and became an admiral. He participated in the capture of New Orleans, Vicksburg, and Fort Fisher, and was a close ally of Ulysses S. Grant.
The maritime adventures of David Dixon Porter (1813–1891) began at the age of ten when he sailed to the West Indies with his father, Commodore David Porter. Controversy surrounded David Dixon Porter at the beginning of the Civil War.
- David Dixon Porter - Early Life
- David Dixon Porter - Joining The Us Navy
- David Dixon Porter - Early Career
- David Dixon Porter - Mexican-American War
- David Dixon Porter - Civil War
- David Dixon Porter - Mississippi River
- David Dixon Porter - Red River & The North Atlantic
- David Dixon Porter - Later Life
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Born at Chester, PA on June 8, 1813, David Dixon Porter was the son of Commodore David Porter and his wife Evalina. Producing ten children, the Porters had also adopted the young James (later David) Glasgow Farragut in 1808 after the boy's mother had aided Porter's father. A hero of the War of 1812, Commodore Porter left the US Navy in 1824 and two...
In 1828, Porter sailed aboard the brig Guerrero (22 guns) to attack Spanish shipping off Cuba. Commanded by his cousin, David Henry Porter, Guerrero was captured by the Spanish frigate Lealtad(64). In the action, the elder Porter was killed and afterwards David Dixon was taken to Havana as a prisoner. Soon exchanged, he returned to his father in Me...
Due to his time in Mexico, the young Porter possessed more experience than many of his midshipman peers and the junior officers above him. This bred a brashness and arrogance than led to clashes with his superiors. Though nearly dismissed from the service, he proved a capable midshipman. In June 1832, he sailed aboard the flagship of Commodore Davi...
Assigned to the Coast Survey, he saved sufficient funds to allow him to marry George Ann in March 1839. The couple would ultimately have six children, four sons and two daughters, that survived to adulthood. Promoted to lieutenant in March 1841, he briefly served in the Mediterranean before being ordered to the Hydrographic Office. In 1846, Porter ...
Before Porter could depart, the Civil War began. Approached by Secretary of State William Seward and Captain Montgomery Meigs, US Army, Porter was given command USS Powhatan(16) and dispatched on a secret mission to reinforce Fort Pickens at Pensacola, FL. This mission proved a success and was a demonstrative show of his loyalty to the Union. Promo...
His return to the East Coast proved brief as he was soon promoted directly to rear admiral and placed in command of the Mississippi River Squadron that October. Taking command, he was tasked with aiding Major General John McClernand in opening the upper Mississippi. Moving south, they were joined by troops led by Major General William T. Sherman. T...
With the city's fall on July 4, Porter's squadron began patrols of the Mississippi until being ordered to support Major General Nathaniel Banks' Red River Expedition. Beginning in March 1864, the endeavor proved unsuccessful and Porter was fortunate to extract his fleet from the river's receding waters. On October 12, Porter was ordered east to tak...
With the end of the war, the US Navy was rapidly downsized. With fewer sea-going commands available, Porter was appointed Superintendent of the Naval Academy in September 1865. While there, he was promoted to vice admiral and embarked on an ambitious campaign to modernize and reform the academy to make it the rival of West Point. Departing in 1869,...
Learn about the life and career of David Dixon Porter, a naval officer who fought in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and the Civil War. He commanded the Mississippi River Squadron and supported Union operations against Vicksburg and New Orleans.
Learn about the life and achievements of David Dixon Porter, a Mexican-American War veteran and a key figure in the Union blockade and capture of New Orleans and Vicksburg. Find out his birth and death dates, place of burial, and naval ranks.
Learn about the life and achievements of David Dixon Porter, a Union admiral who fought in the Civil War and commanded the Mississippi flotilla. He was also the step-brother of Admiral Farragut and the Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.
