Vignetted studio bust portrait albumen CDV. Washington, D.C.: Mathew Brady, ca. 1862-1864. Photographer's imprint to mount recto and verso. SIGNED by Farragut with rank to mount recto. 

An exquisite studio portrait of Navy Admiral David G. Farragut. He can be seen in uniform with his shoulder board, just barely discernible from the vignette, confirming his rank. Both his body and his line of sight are slightly to the right of the photographer, giving the image a sense of determination. 

Born in 1801 near Knoxville, Tennessee, Farragut was the youngest person commissioned into the U.S. Navy. A midshipman at the age of nine, Farragut was also the U.S. Navy’s first Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, and Admiral. During his nearly 60-year military career, Farragut served during the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and the Civil War. During the Civil War, Farragut commanded the Gulf Blockading Squadron from 20 January 1862 to 29 November 1864. On 29 April 1862, Farragut and the Gulf Blockading Squadron captured the port of New Orleans following their bombardments of Fort Jackson, Fort St. Phillip, and the Chalmette batteries earlier in the month.

Farragut’s most famous victory came on 5 August 1864 during the Battle of Mobile Bay. Situated on the Gulf of Mexico, Alabama’s Mobile Bay was the Confederacy’s final remaining port of major significance. During the battle, Farragut and his flotilla succeeded against the tethered naval mines known as torpedoes and Admiral Franklin Buchanan’s Confederate forces. In response to attacking Confederate vessels and the threat of naval mines, Farragut famously declared, “Damn the torpedoes!” Farragut and the Union naval victory in Mobile Bay ended the Confederate Navy’s presence in the Gulf of Mexico. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Navy, Naval History, Brown Water Navy, David Glasgow Farragut, David Dixon Porter, Battle of Mobile Bay, Battle of New Orleans, Blockade, Confederate Blockade]

Corners of mount verso peeled from adhesive being removed.