Born into an illustrious naval family on both his mother's and father's sides, Vice Admiral Henry C. Mustin furthered the family's reputation for service to country. His father’s side dated back to the War of 1812. His third-great-grandfather was Commodore Arthur Sinclair IV, who was voted a silver service by Congress for victories over the British in the Battle of the Great Lakes in 1812. And then there were a series of Arthur Sinclairs, one of whom commanded the stores ship Supply in Commodore Perry's expedition to open Japan. During the American Civil War another Arthur Sinclair, VADM Mustin's great-great-uncle, served in the Confederate States Navy with Captain Raphael Semmes in the CSS "Alabama" and fought in the Battle of Hampton Roads aboard CSS "Virginia".