Description:

David Dixon Porter
Washington, DC, May 29, 1871
Admiral David Dixon Porter Criticizes the Naval Academy He Led from 1865 to 1869
ALS
"The fact is, between ourselves, the system now pursued at the institution does not accord with my views."

DAVID DIXON PORTER, Autograph Letter Signed, to Stephen Decatur, May 29, 1871, Washington, D.C. 2 pp., 7.75" x 9.75". Expected folds; some toning; bold ink signature.

In this letter to his friend Commodore Stephen Decatur, nephew of the great naval hero of the Barbary Wars and War of 1812, Admiral David Dixon Porter complains about the examination of his friend's son for admission to the naval academy. The son was William Beverley Decatur (1855-1934), who in 1871 petitioned the Maine legislature to have his name changed to "Stephen." He was appointed a midshipman in the U.S. Navy in 1870 and resigned in 1872.

Excerpt
"I have just received your letter and am sorry to hear that there is any difficulty about your Son's examination although I don't think they will be so stupid as to make any trouble because he didn't happen to work up all the problems.
"The principle should be to find out whether or not a boy knows what he is about and not that he should Miss Nancy all the way through the Naval Academy. The fact is, between ourselves, the system now pursued at the institution does not accord with my views.
"I have been intending to go down to the Academy but am not well enough to do so, at least yet awhile. I may get down there before the week is over.
"I will write to Mr. Smith today. I think he is the most reasonable man in the whole party."

David Dixon Porter (1813-1891) was born in Pennsylvania and began naval service at the age of ten as a midshipman on a ship commanded by his father, Commodore David Porter (1780-1843). He served in the Mexican Navy from 1824 to 1828, when his father was its overall commander. The younger Porter obtained a new appointment as midshipman in the US Navy in 1829, was promoted to lieutenant in 1841, and served in the Mexican War. After the war, he took a leave of absence to command civilian ships. When the Civil War began, Porter returned to active duty. He was promoted to commander and given charge of a flotilla of twenty mortar boats to be used against the forts guarding the entrance of the Mississippi River below New Orleans. They would be a part of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron commanded by Porter's adoptive brother Captain David G. Farragut (1801-1870). In mid-1862, Porter was ordered to Hampton Roads to aid General George B. McClellan in his Peninsula Campaign. By October, he was back on the Mississippi River, now as Acting Rear Admiral in charge of the Mississippi River Squadron. He quickly became friends with General William T. Sherman and later with General Ulysses S. Grant and played a key role in the siege of Vicksburg. Late in the summer of 1864, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles transferred Porter to command the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and tasked him with closing the port of Wilmington, North Carolina, the last major port open to blockade runners. Cooperating with General Alfred H. Terry, Porter's fleet successfully captured Fort Fisher, the Confederate fort protecting Wilmington, in January 1865. Porter toured the captured Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, with President Abraham Lincoln in April 1865. After the war, Porter served as superintendent of the US Naval Academy from 1865 to 1869, where he initiated reforms in the curriculum to increase professionalism. In 1866, he was promoted to vice admiral, and in 1870, he became the second full admiral in US history, behind his adoptive brother Farragut. He served as de facto Secretary of the Navy in the early days of the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, but his administration led some Congressional leaders to force Secretary of the Navy Adolph E. Borie to resign after only a few months on the job. The new Secretary of the Navy George Robeson curtailed Porter's authority and eased him into semi-retirement.

Stephen Decatur (1814-1876) was born in Newark, New Jersey, a nephew and namesake of the famous Commodore Stephen Decatur (1779-1820). The younger Decatur was appointed a midshipman in 1829 and commissioned a lieutenant in 1841. In 1848, he married Anna Rowell Philbrick (1821-1906), and they had six children. After taking a leave of absence in 1842 because of eye problems, he returned to naval duty in 1851 with service in the East Indies and New York. At the beginning of the Civil War, he was promoted to commander, the rank he held throughout the war. He was promoted to captain in 1867 and to commodore on the retired list in 1869.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 7.75" x 9.75"
  • Medium: ALS

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