Albumen CDV three-quarter length portrait of Union Admiral David G. Farragut. New York: C.D. Fredericks & Co., n.d. SIGNED by Farragut to lower recto margin. SIGNED by Farragut with rank to mount verso. C.D. Fredericks & Co. imprint to mount verso.

In this fine studio portrait, Admiral Farragut's countenance appears confident, and the corners of his mouth suggest a slight smile. Farragut’s right hand is placed on his hip, which highlights both his belt and the admiral braids on the cuff of his double-breasted uniform. In his left hand, he holds the hilt of his saber. Farragut’s hat, placed slightly askew upon his head, casts a slight shadow across his left eye. While his body is angled slightly to the left, Farragut’s gaze is aimed directly towards the photographer.

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.

In 1868, Farragut retired from active service, though he remained on active duty until his death on 14 August 1870. Farragut was one of eight U.S. Navy officers who received the Medal of Honor following the end of the Civil War. 

[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]