The New York herald., 1879-11-23
The Life and Letters of a Great
American War Sailor.
ADMIRAL FARRAGUT'S CAREER.
Exciting Scenes from Ills Seventy Years Of
Life and Sixty Of Service.
"S Il R I K Z H A r. ID r.

peculiarly their own in the popular Imagination
The battle wherein the floating fortress may become
in instant the coffin of all the CONTESTANTS. where
bravery must be supplemented III commander
and subordinate by GOODNESS, vigor skill and
resource fascnates powerfully. The biography
then, Of such great sailor AZ farragut
compiled from the materials left to his family
we'll us from the public records of his services and
other sources would prove of great interest to the
people of any land. To Americans. however. the
story has almost personal relation. for he en-
bodied the patriot as well as the great captain
Seventy years of life and sixty of service were the
brief record of 1ghting sailor. whose motto was
''The safest way prevent injury from enemy is
to strike hard yourself"
''The Life of Admiral Farragut." by his son d. Ap
pleton Co.. valuable addition to the history Of
our time. OF the of this famous officer during
the late the public is pretty well informed but it
remained for his own letters and journals to bring
us into intimate association with the man. 1t was
the express wish of Admiral Farragut that his biog
raphy should be written by his son. and that gen.
tleman has accomplished his mission in q man.
ner that could bo no less satisfactory to his de-
ceased father than it must be to the public for
whom it was written.
David Glasgow Farragut. who came of Spanish
ancestry. was born at Campbelrs Station. near Knox
vile. East Tennessee, the 9Th of july 1901 His
father was major OF cavalry and child he fire.
qucntly accompanied him on his expeditions in pur-
SUIT of the Indians. Major Farragut was made
sailing master and appointed to New Orleans At his
house in that city Commodore Porter nursed
through painful illness and died. His son. David
Porter. appointed to the position of
commander Of the naval station at New Orleans
and there he became acquainted with the family
in which his father died. He exceedingly grate
tul to them for their Kindness to the old Commo-
dore and offered to adopt of the children Young
Farragut volunteered for adoption at once. and
thus commenced his acquaintance with the cell
ebrated Commodore Porter and began his naval
career. 1t was tho famous frgate the Essex that
he rst took to the in August. 1911. On the out
break of the OF 1912 his ship after cruising in
the Atlantic sent to the Pacific. where she was
captured after gallant fight with the British ships
Phoebe and Cherub. March %. 1914. The boy Farra-
gut was through the entire fight and escaped with
out injury He was. he says. captain aid quarter
gunner. powder boy, and, in fact. did everything
that was required of mo-" The first man he saw
killed staggered and sickened" him at first
But he soon got used to it. and in a few minutes
''neither thought of nor noticed anything but the
working Of the guns" This q good battle be-
ginning for the future hero of New Orleans Vicks-
burg. Port HUDSON and Mobile Bay. He was taken
Out Will SURVIVORS OF the disaster
leased parole and returned to the United States
where he went to school at Chester to gentle
man named Noif. an ex-guardsman Of the great Ma
poleon who taught orally and without books of any
kind. But before tho year was out he was back in
tie service again. having been exchanged He
rose gradually in the navy and cruised exteu-
sively. In 1888 be for tho first time
made executive officer of large vessel the Natchez
On the 9th of March. 1884, he took command
Of the Boxer. then in the harbor Of Rio.
From his journal learn that he was invited
by Commodore Taylor to meet "the little Emperor"
Dom Pedro H.. the present Emperor OF Brazil. A
handsome collation. was prepared. and the journal
chronicles that both "the Emperor and his sister
in lulged in the pleasures of the table more freely
than necessary for children of their age."
Farragut present at the ball following the EN-
peror's accession to the throne. The room pre-
pared for this OCCASION he says "lined through
out with damask silk" and 'the dresses Of the men
all conception"
On the 10th OF April. 1888, Farragut took command
OF the Erie. The of this vessel is recorded by
him with minute detail. and is interesting from its
connection with the events of the brief war
between France and Mexico. The gallantry
OF Santa Anna at Vera Cruz is mentioned
with high commendation. lie returned from
this cruise in January. 1889. and remained
on land duty until 1s41. when he was put in COM
inand of the Delaware. Previous to this Mrs. Far
ragut, who had been invalid for sixteen years.
died. His devotion to his suffering wife was SO great
that lady Of Norfolk remarked that "whcn Captain
Farragut dies he should have monument reaching
TO the skies. made by every wife in tho city contrib
uting stone to it." III September 1s41. he was
made commander. II wet my commission with
dozen OF champagne" ho writes. Two years later
he married the daughter of William Loyal of Nor
folk Va. and in tho following year was ordered to
the Pennsylvania. His life for several years
contained little OF an exciting nature. lie lived for
four years on the Pacific coast. and upon returning
East was put in various commands until the break
ing out of the civil war. When war was declared
Farrsgut had just been relieved from command of
tho Brooklyn and placed waiting or
dcrs at Norfolk. The position taken by him
ut this time clear and well-dchned. Al
though q Southern born man ho folt that
he owed his first allegiance to the United States
government. which gave him his professional cdu-
cation. employ ment and rank. Accompanied by his
wife he set ont for the North. and took modest
ittle house ut Hastings-on- e-IIudson, there to
await the wishes of the naval authorities at Wash
ington. He remained there some time and was then
put to duty at tho brooklyn Navy Yard. But ho
wanted active service and made application to the
government to be given command OF fleet vessel
to go IN search of the Sumter the first of the Con-
tederats cruisers to appear in the waters of the
Atlantic. The government. however, selected HIM
to lead an expedition against New Orleans. the
cess of which Is one of the most glowing epochs in
our history just previous to the great fight he
wrote to his wife-
The defeat of our army ut Corinth, which saw in
the rebel papers, will give us much harder tight.
Men are easily elatcd or depressed by victory but
to being prepared for defeat certainly am not
Any man who IL prepared Tor defeat would be half
defeated before he commenced. hope for success.
shall do all in my power to secure 1t and trust to God
for the rest.
After the victory he wrotc:-
APRIL 25, 1862.
MY DEAREST WIFE AND Boy-I am 80 agitated tnat
can scarcely write and shall only toll you that IL
has pleased Almighty God TO preserve my life
through fire such the world has scarcely known
shall return properly my thanks. we'll ~ those
of tho fleet, tor His goodness aud mercy He has