In the Civil War he was Fleet Captain of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron in its capture of Forts Clark and Hatteras in August 1861, and commanded in the blockade of New Inlet, North Carolina. From 1869 to 1873 he was Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, attaining the rank of rear admiral on May 24, 1872. From 1873 to 1875, he commanded the European Squadron, and the combined European, North and South Atlantic Squadrons assembled at Key West in 1874.