Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-12-06
THE DUPONT STATUE.

sided in Philadelphia until he died. In the navy
Admiral Dupont was regarded by the younger
| officers as the ideal officer from professional
| standpoint. He was the author OF treatise on
| the use of floating batteries for coast defense
| which has been republished and highly com.
mended in England.
Admiral Amnen's Reco1lec.iOns.
| TALK WITH AN OFFICER WHO SERVED WIFE
| DUPONT-THE OPERATIONS AT PORT ROYAL
! AND CHARLESTON.
| number of naval officers are still living who
were well acquainted with Admiral DUPONT
! Prominent among these is Admiral Daniel Am.
men, who cherishes Admiral DuPont's memory
| very highly. and who has son named after
| him.
| Every one who knew the admiral well, -" said
Admiral Ammen, in response to questions by a
! STAR reporter the other day, "was attached to
him because of his admirable character and great
! professional ability. l was a mdshipman in
! Lieut. DuPont's watch, on board Of the line
of battle ship Ohio, coming from Port Mahon
| to Boston.
ION the coast of Spain we had head wind
for several days before We reached Gibraltar
The moon was nearly full, the breeze fresh, and
we would stand in close to the high picturesque
coast until we could see the breakers. and then
Lieut.. Dupont would tack ship He was then
In the prime OF life. was thorough seaman, and
heartily enjoyed his active duties.
afterwards, from time to time met him.
He was very instructive and agreeable friend
to young officers. but it was not my good for
tune to be thrown closely with him until the
Port Royal expedition in the fall of 1861 when
was in command Of the gunboat Seneca under
the admiral. whose flagship was the Wabash. All
told, 40 sail let Hampton roads, halt of which
were army transports, having on board Gen.
Sherman's force of IL 600 men.
THE Wabash was off Port Royal early on the
morning of the 18th of November and the adj
miral had the gunbOats sound out the bar, and
crossed in the Wabash the following day at high
tide
son the morning of the 9TH we attacked the
forts On Hilton Head and Bay Point. The adj
mlrals plan Of battle was at once simple and
effective. and fully approved by the ablest Off
GERS. The weaker vessels after passing were to
place themselves in an enfilading position, aud
the main line to pass and repass the forts on
Hilton Head until they were silenced. This was
soon done; the enemy was driven off Hilton
Head and Port Royal islands, and they were &C.
cuped by Gen. Sherman's army. The admiral
afterwards was not idle. He knew how to COM
mand, and could obtain the best services of
every officer under him. He invited their con-
f1dence, and thus had in every commanding Off
Ger an intelligent vidette, who communicated
freely what he saw and what he thought in re-
lation to prospective operations. He soon was
WSit iAiOIulSu III IeidIlOu To All Ol TIE WaIerS
and established thorough blockade, and as
soon as he had ammunition proceeded in person
to attack Fernandina. He found the enemy
evacuating the works, and only secured sixteen
heavy guns. the others having been removed.
more than year then passed before the mon
1tors intended for the attack of the defenses of
Charleston arrived at Port Royal. With his
flag on board the New Ironsides accompanied
by seven monitors and the keokuk, on April
7th. '6S, ne made an unsuccessful attack on
Sumter. The monitors had not the necessary
resistance to the batteries they had to encoun-
ter, and when fully aware of the injuries they
had received and the condition of their bat
teries he reported his belief that they were in
sufficient In force to effect the object. This was
received with great disfavor by the department
In the correspondence that followed the ad-
miral wrote: Il am, however painfully struck
by the tenor and tone Of the Presidents order,
which seems to imply a censure, and have to
request that the department will not hesitate to
relieve me by any officer. who, In It's opinion is
more able to execute that service in which I
have had the misfortune to fail-the capture of
Charleston. No consideration for an individual
officer, whatever his loyalty and length of SER
vice, should weigh an instant if the cause of his
country can be advanced by his removal In
these words he gave his true sentiments of
grand officer, as he was. He was soon after re-
lieved. correspondence occurred between
the department and his himself which was acri-
monious in character and illiberal and unjust in
It's assumptions towards him, the pith of which
was to establish that the monitors were all-suf-
ficient for their purpose. but they did not prove
so, as subsequent events established. The
memory of these unjust and untenable asper-
sions doubtless embittered his after years tor
his whole aim in lite had been to be useful to
his country. and this did not arise from any
mean ambition He retired to his charming
home, on the banks of the Brandywine, where
he died in 1865.
professionally Admiral DUPONT was thoroughly
able. He possessed undaunted courage, energy
and zeal. His education was of high order.
and his character might well serve as model
In every respect. He had the rare ability to
make the best use of the personnel and the
material under his control, and to maintain
over no less than forty harbors, inlets and chan
nel-ways, as vigorous blockade as it was In
the power of man to accomplish with the YES
sells which were at his disposal.
I'm appearance he was distinguished. over six
feet In height, admirably proportioned, grace
full and urbane, with an intelligent expression
and action. 1t will not be considered adula-
tory by those who knew him to say that no off,
Ger in our navy within the past halt century
was gifted with more distinguished appear
ance or exalted character
His father and uncle were the friends of JEFF
fersOn when he was in France, and he suggested
their coming to America, and being men Of
rank the events of the French revolution and
its horrors determined their action. They
sought new home beyond the seas and founded
1t on the Brandywine, where the residences Of
their descendants are scattered along for miles,
as are also the houses for the fabrication OF
powder, and the neat. comfortable cottages Of
the many skilled workmen employed, and there
resides the widow Of the admiral Although