Adm. David G. Farragut

David Farragut was the greatest naval hero on the Civil War. Though a Tennessean, there is little known of him in his native state. There are 2 reasons for this, though he was born in Tennessee. First, the Admiral sent most of his life at sea and living in other states. Secondly, he fought for the Union and Tennessee was a Confederate State. For years after the war, there were sectional bitterness and animosities that persisted.

Adm. Farragut was born at Campbell's Station, an early post 16 miles west of Knoxville. His father fought under Andrew Jackson in campaigns against the British and the Indians in the War of 1812. The family moved to New Orleans, and it was there that David, as a young boy, got his first taste of the sea. When just 9 and a half years old he was given a warrant as a midshipman in the U. S. Navy.

At 12 years of age, he learned the smell of power and the saw the sight of blood as he fought against British Ships under the command of Adm. David Porter in the harbor of Valparaiso. He continued in the Navy after the war, saw much of the world and continued his education. He served through the transition from sail to steam as he rose through the ranks. When the Civil War began he remained loyal to the Union. His experience had prepared him for a major campaign at sea.

In the Spring of 1862, he led the biggest naval expedition that, to that time, had ever sailed under the U. S. flag. His ships were powered by sail & steam, but there was not an ironclad in the fleet. His fleet sailed up the mouth of the Mississippi River, battling  Confederate forts and destroyed a Confederate fleet. The city of New Orleans was then captured.

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