Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-19
FIGHTING FAMILIES
Army Annals Have Long
Honor Rolls.
RECORD OF BRAVE DEEDS
PoRTERs CAME IN SERVICE WITH
THE REVOLUTION.
Thirteen Greenes in Civil War-Three
Generations of Caprons on
Battlefelds.
RECORDOF BRAVE DEEDS
Copyright. 1908, by Irving H. King)

Copyright 1908 by Irving II. King)
lyrittcn for The Evening Star by Irving II. King.
In exercising his power of appointment at
large for West Point. the President recent
ly designated as cadets and alternates, to
report at the Military Academy next June,
nineteen young men, of whom seventeen are
sons of army officers and two sons of naval
officers The appointments already made
for both cadets and midshipmen in the yari-
Gus congressional districts also show the
usual number of sons of officers In both the
army and navy.
Only in the allied military services. the
army navy and marine corps is there
found in this country the working of an
hereditary principle. In these services this
''heirship'' is all the stronger because 1t is
not artifcially created by statute or by
recognized class distinctions. but because
1t arises from the natural growth of circum-
stances and environment. In these services
the son-at least one of the subsequently,
follows the profession of his father, and
marries the daughter of one of his fathers
old comrades. or the sister OF one OF ms
own. Thus 1t happens that the navy Is one
great family. allied to a considerable extent
by marriage with that other great family,
the army.
This Is speaking of the officers, though
the hereditary principle Is not wanting. to
some extent among the enlisted men,
Sergeant of marines once boosted on the
witness stand. to the discontinue of great
lawyer now one of our ambassadors abroad,
who sought to question his knowledge OF
the service. that his family for three gen
erations had been enlisted In the United
States service.
In the Army and Navy Register today can
be found the names of many officers who
date back In the service. either through the
male or female line. to the war of the revo-
luton. many who date back In the same
way to the war of 1912, and still others
whose families came into the service with
the civil war. but In which the young en-
sign the young second lieutenant no"
represents the third generation In the serV-
ice
A good example of a service family and
1T happens to be one which has become ia
NOUS. is that of Porter They came into
the service in the war of the revolution
and have remained there ever since David
Porter and his brother Samuel were cap
tured and made prisoners in the OLD Jersey
prison ship. Samuel died but David es
capped to fight some more against England
His son, David. jr., entering the navy in
1913. distinguished himself in the war with
Tripoli and in the var of 1872 David. IF. s,
son William David. became a commodore
in the navy, and his son, David Dixon. be-
came an admiral-the celebrated Admiral
Porter of the civil war David. jr. s, neph-
ew Fitz-John Porter, went to West Point
and fought in the Mexican and civil wars.
Men of the blood and the family name still
continue in the service. BY marriage the
o
Gent service families.
John f. Craven and Thomas Tingey Ora
ven both officers of the navy, represent
family which dates back in continuous
service to the days of the revolutionary
war Among their ancestors they number
Commodore Thomas Tfngey, who distin-
guished himself in the revolution and In
the war with France In 1799, and Commo-
dore Truxton. who captured the French
frigate Insurgent. and who had previously.
IN the war of the revolution, been the hero
of many daring exploits
He Was a Paynaster.
The first Craven in the navy came In as
q paymaster in the early days of the or
ganization of the service. He married into
the service and most of his descendants
have continued in It. One of them was
Captain Thomas Tingey Craven. who COM
mended the Potomac fotilla at the begin
ming of the civil war; and took part IN
many daring cutting-out expeditions IN
those waters. He commanded the Brooklyn
when Farragut forced the passage OF the
mississippi between Forts Jackson and ST.
Philip. The part borne by the BROOKLYN III
the fight can be read in any history book.
and IL Is there recorded now amid the
death and destruction raging around MIN,
t'Captain Craven, calm and collected, STOOD
on the break of the poop-deck, resting ms
hands lightly on the ratltne, intently watch
ing the progress of the battle and giving
his orders in a deep, bass voice, which
When the flagship Hartford got aground
between the forts 1t was Craven who r.
liberately stopped his ship In position 10
divert and intercept the fire or the coh1eo-
crate guns. and who kept that position until
the Hartford out of danger, when he
continued on up the river. At times the
Brooklyn was so near to Fort st. Philip
that the flashes of the confederate guns
scorched the ships gunners.
In the Mexican War.
Captain Craven's brother. Tunis Augustus
Macdonough Craven. distinguished himself
in the Mexican war. and his death at the
battle of Mobile bay Is one of the most
glorious passages OF American naval his
tory In this battle Craven commanded the
ironclad Tecumseh and led the way into
the bay, fearlessly running IN among the
torpedoes and being blown up by one of
them. Craven had placed himself along
side the pilot in the pilot house, the two
being alone there. When the ship began to
sink both men instinctively made for the
narrow opening. through which only one
man could pass at a time. The opening led
from the pilot house TO the turret chamber
below. The ship was plunging to the bot
tom. A seconds hesitation meant death
for both Craven and the pilot. With the
greatness of soul inherited from long line
of distinguished ancestors Craven stepped
aside. saying, You first. pilot" The pilot
escaped and Craven plunged with his ship
and ninety-three of her crew to the bottom
of the bay.
The Stevens family came into the navy
at the outbreak of the war of 1872 uader
the name OF Holden. At the battle of Lake
Erie Lieutenant Thomas Holden then
twenty years of age commanded the little
gunboat Trippe, which carried for her
armament one long thirty-two- pounaer In
the thick of that immortal sea fight young
Holden gave a good account of himself
and. ranging alongside the big British ship
Queen Charlotte, and undismayed by the
fire of her fourteen guns, began to pump
solid shot into her as fast as he could load
and fire his th!rty-two-pounder
The American brig Niagara Master Com
mandant Elliott with two long L. Founders
and eighteen short 80 Founders, came bear
ing down on the unevenly matched con-
testants
Get out of the way and let me at herr
Shouted Elliott through his speaking trum-
pet to Holdup who was between the Nj
agara and the Queen Charlotte.
But the young gamecock held his posi-
ton and kept pouring shot into the British
ship. which lowered above him.
Get out of the way. or / will fire through
YOU" came the hail again.
Fire and be DID," shouted back Holdup.