Charles C . Carpenter ( admiral ) Rear Admiral Charles Carroll Carpenter ( February 27 , 1834 – April 1 , 1899 ) was an officer in the United States Navy . He participated in the African Slave Trade Patrol , fought in the American Civil War , served as Commander of the Asiatic Squadron , and was recalled to duty briefly during the Spanish - American War . Naval career . Carpenter was born in Leyden , Massachusetts , on February 27 , 1834 , the son of David N . Carpenter and the former Maria P . Newcomb . Appointed a midshipman from Massachusetts on October 1 , 1850 , he was attached to the sloop - of - war in the Pacific Squadron from 1851 to 1855 . He attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis , Maryland , from 1855 to 1856 and , upon completing his studies , was promoted to passed midshipman on June 20 , 1856 . Carpenter was in the Home Squadron and in special service between 1856 and 1858 , serving consecutively aboard the steam frigate s , , and and the brig ; he was aboard " Dolphin " on August 21 , 1858 when she captured a slave ship , the brig " Echo " , with 300 African slaves on board . He was promoted to lieutenant on January 23 , 1858 . Carpenters next duty was aboard a receiving ship at Boston , Massachusetts , in 1858 and 1859 , and he was promoted to master on January 22 , 1858 and to lieutenant the next day . He reported for duty aboard the screw steamer in 1859 . " Mohawk " cruised off the coast of Cuba in 1859 and 1860 and captured the slave ship " Wildfire " on April 20 , 1860 , freeing 530 African slaves . She later guarded Naval Station Key West , in Key West , Florida , from armed groups seeking to seize it from the United States Government in the months prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War . Civil War . Carpenter was still aboard " Mohawk " when the Civil War broke out in April 1861 . He served aboard her that year in the Gulf of Mexico in the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America , both off Texas and in the East Gulf Blockading Squadron . In 1862 he was aboard the screw steamer in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron , participating in the capture of two blockade runner s , the steamers " Anglia " and " Emily " , and being promoted to lieutenant commander on July 16 , 1862 . In 1863 he transferred to the monitor , also in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron , and participated in attacks on the Confederate defenses of Charleston , South Carolina , on April 7 , July 10 , and August 17 , 1863 . Later in 1863 he was assigned to the staff of the U . S . Naval Academy , where he remained through the end of the war in 1865 . Post Civil War . After service aboard the flagship of the Asiatic Squadron , the screw sloop - of - war , from 1866 to 1867 , Carpenter became commanding officer of the screw sloop - of - war in the same squadron in 1868 . He then performed duty at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery , Maine , from 1868 to 1870 and was promoted to commander on February 10 , 1869 . After another short assignment at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in 1871 , he returned to sea as commanding officer of the screw steamer in the North Atlantic Squadron from 1871 to 1872 . He was back at the Portsmouth Navy Yard from 1872 to 1875 on equipment duty . Carpenter was commanding officer of the gunboat in the North Atlantic Squadron from 1875 to 1876 , before another tour at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in 1878 . Promoted to captain on March 25 , 1880 , Carpenter was on equipment duty at the Boston Navy Yard in Boston , Massachusetts , from 1880 to 1882 , then returned to USS " Hartford " as her commanding officer from 1882 to 1884 ; during his tour , " Hartford " carried a team of American and British scientists from Callao , Peru , to the Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean to observe the total solar eclipse of May 6 , 1883 . He commanded the receiving ship at the Boston Navy Yard from 1888 to June 1890 Carpenter was commandant of the Portsmouth Navy Yard from June 1890 to January 15 , 1894 , and was promoted to commodore on May 15 , 1893 . He became commander of the Asiatic Squadron on September 1 , 1894 and was promoted to rear admiral on November 11 , 1894 ; the Sino - Japanese War of 1894 - 1895 was a major concern of his tour as squadron commander . Retirement . Carpenter relinquished command of the Asiatic Squadron on December 21 , 1895 and retired from the Navy upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 62 on February 28 , 1896 . He resided in Portsmouth , New Hampshire , during his retirement . Recall to active duty . Carpenter was recalled to active duty during the Spanish - American War of 1898 , returning to the Portsmouth Navy Yard to serve as its commandant from April to August 1898 . He then returned to retirement . Death . Carpenter had begun to suffer from severe nervous disorder s during the final years of his naval career and sought medical treatment soon after his retirement . His condition improved , but around mid - February 1899 his health went into decline again , and he spent six weeks in the Adams Nervine Asylum in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston , Massachusetts , for treatment . Although his condition again showed signs of improvement , he committed suicide at the asylum by shooting himself in the head on the morning of April 1 , 1899 . He was survived by his wife , three sons , and two daughters . Carpenter is buried at Proprietors Burying Ground in Portsmouth , New Hampshire .