David Glasgow Farragut /ˈfærəɡət/ (also spelled Glascoe; July 5,
1801 â€" August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy
during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice
admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. He is remembered for
his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay usually paraphrased as "Damn the
torpedoes, full speed ahead" in U.S. Navy tradition.Born near
Knoxville, Tennessee, Farragut was fostered by naval officer David
Porter after the death of his mother. Despite his young age, Farragut
served in the War of 1812 under the command of his adoptive father. He
received his first command in 1824 and participated in anti-piracy
operations in the Caribbean Sea. He served in the Mexicanâ€"American
War under the command of Matthew C. Perry, participating in the
blockade of Tuxpan. After the war, he oversaw the construction of the
Mare Island Naval Shipyard, the first U.S. Navy base established on
the Pacific Ocean.Though Farragut resided in Norfolk, Virginia prior
to the Civil War, he was a Southern Unionist who strongly opposed
Southern secession and remained loyal to the Union after the outbreak
of the Civil War. Despite some doubts about Farragut's loyalty,
Farragut was assigned command of an attack on the important
Confederate port city of New Orleans. After fighting past Fort St.
Philip and Fort Jackson, Farragut captured New Orleans in April 1862.
He was promoted to rear admiral after the battle and helped extend
Union control up along the Mississippi River, participating in the
Siege of Port Hudson. With the Union in control of the Mississippi,
Farragut led a successful attack on Mobile Bay, home to the last major
Confederate port on the Gulf of Mexico. Farragut was promoted to
admiral following the end of the Civil War and remained on active duty
until his death in 1870.Farragut was born in 1801 to Jordi (George)
Farragut, a native of Menorca, Spain, and his wife Elizabeth (née
Shine, 1765â€"1808), of North Carolina Scotch-Irish American descent,
at Lowe's Ferry on the Holston River in Tennessee. It was a few miles
southeast of Campbell's Station, near Knoxville. David Farragut Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter