James H . Ward Commander James Harmon Ward ( 25 September 1806 – 27 June 1861 ) was the first officer of the United States Navy killed during the American Civil War . Biography . Born at Hartford , Connecticut , Ward received his early educational training in Connecticut common schools before attending the American Literary Scientific and Military Academy at Norwich , Vermont . After graduating in 1823 , Ward accepted an appointment as a midshipman in the Navy on 4 March 1823 . Subsequently , he served on the frigate " Constitution " during a four - year Mediterranean cruise and then received a year ' s leave of absence for scientific studies at Washington College , Hartford , Connecticut ( now Trinity College ) . When Ward returned to sea , he served once more in the Mediterranean and then saw duty off the African coast in interdicting the slave trade . He next served in the West Indies , helping to prevent a resurgence of piracy . Upon his return to the United States , he taught courses in ordnance and gunnery at the Naval School at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . These courses were later published as " An Elementary Course of Instruction in Ordnance and Gunnery " . On October 10 , 1845 , the new Naval Academy opened at Annapolis , Maryland ; and Lt . Ward was a member of the faculty — one of the first line officers to pass along the benefits of his own experience to young midshipmen . One of the most scholarly officers of the Navy of his day , Ward held the office of executive officer ( a post which later became that of the Commandant of Midshipmen ) , with collateral duties as instructor of gunnery and steam engineering . The advent of the war with Mexico prompted many naval officers and men to seek assignments on ships serving in Mexican waters . Detached from the Academy , Ward took command of " Cumberland " in 1847 and served in that capacity for the duration of the war . After a period spent waiting for orders , he was given command of the steamer " Vixen " in 1848 and remained on her through 1850 . After intermittent periods awaiting orders and serving at the Washington and Philadelphia Navy Yard s , Ward took command of " Jamestown " and took her to the African coast to hunt slave ships . During this time , in his off - duty hours , he proceeded to work on another textbook — " A Manual of Naval Tactics " — a scholarly work which would run to four editions after its initial publication in 1859 . In 1860 , Ward served at the New York Navy Yard , where he wrote a popular treatise on steam engineering , entitled " Steam for the Million " . In the spring of 1861 , with the Southern states leaving the Union and Confederate forces mounting a siege at Fort Sumter , South Carolina , Gideon Welles summoned Ward to Washington to plan for a relief expedition for Sumter . Ward volunteered to lead it , but opposition , notably from General Winfield Scott ( who perceived it as being futile ) , forced cancellation of the plans . Ward pressed for front line service , proposing that a " flying squadron " be established in the Chesapeake Bay for use against Confederate naval and land forces threatening that area south of the Union capital . The idea was acceptable , and the squadron took shape . With the steamer " Thomas Freeborn " serving as Ward ' s flagship , the steamers " Freelance " , " Alliance " plus three coastal survey ships made up his flotilla . The newly composed unit — later known as the Potomac Flotilla — saw its first action on 1 June , when guns from Ward ' s ships silenced Confederate shore batteries at Aquia Creek , Virginia . On 27 June , at the Battle of Mathias Point , Ward sent a landing party ashore to dislodge Southern forces from another battery at Mathias Point , in King George County , Virginia , but it encountered heavy resistance . The Federals gave up the attack and retired under heavy sniper and cannon fire to their ships . Ward brought his flotilla in close to the shoreline to provide gunfire support for the retreating landing party . As he was sighting the bow gun in his flagship , " Thomas Freeborn " , Ward was struck by a bullet in his abdomen and fell to the deck , mortally wounded . He died within an hour . He is the great - grandfather of actor Andy Devine . Namesakes . USS " Ward " ( DD - 139 ) was named for him , as was Fort Ward , one of the defenses of Washington during the American Civil War .