David Dixon Porter Wins Week 1 Contest

Last week, the CWN 150 announced that it will begin a poll to decide who was the greatest naval officer of the Civil War. The polls will stretch over a few months, ultimately with a showdown between Union and Confederate officers. This past week, we highlighted the first of our poll with four Union officers: John Worden, David G. Farragut, David D. Porter, and Louis M. Goldsborough. After a week of voting, David D. Porter won with 10 votes.

We will be posting the second round of the poll tomorrow. Please vote, and encourage others to!

David Dixon Porter's brief biography from the Naval History and Heritage Command:

David Dixon Porter was born at Chester, Pennsylvania, on 8 June 1813, the son of Commodore David Porter (1780-1843). His naval career began as a midshipman in 1829, and included service in the peacetime cruising Navy, the Mexican War and the U.S. Civil War.

The latter conflict saw him rapidly rise from the rank of Lieutenant to Rear Admiral. In 1862, he was in charge of the Mortar Flotilla during the campaign to capture New Orleans and the lower Mississippi River. He took command of the Mississippi Squadron in October 1862 and led it through the active phase of the Western Rivers campaigns. Rear Admiral Porter spent the last several months of the Civil War in command of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron.

Following the War, Porter was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1866 and served as Superintendent of the Naval Academy. He became the Navy's senior officer, with the rank of Admiral in 1870, and remained an influential figure in naval affairs until his death on 13 February 1891.

Five U.S. Navy ships have been named in honor of David Dixon Porter and his father, Commodore David Porter, including: Porter (TB-6), Porter (DD-59), Porter (DD-356), Porter (DD-800) and Porter (DDG-78).


For more information about these officers, please visit the Naval History and Heritage Command homepage.