FARRAGUT, DAVID GLASGOW (1801-1870), Ameri can admiral, was born on July 5, 18o1, near Knoxville, Tenn. At New Orleans he formed a close friendship with Capt. David Porter of the Navy, the result of which was that Porter adopted his young namesake, and put him in the Navy in 181o. He went to sea the next year on board the U.S.S. "Essex" with Porter, who took every opportunity to throw responsibility on the boy. Farragut commanded a prize with ability when only 12 years old, served with credit in the "Essex's" desperate fight with H.M.S. "Phoebe," and returned to the United States to go to school. The next few years were devoted alternately to service afloat and to school. He learned French, Italian and Arabic. Before he was 20 he was already a most accomplished officer. In 1823 the Navy department placed Comm. Porter in command of a squad ron to destroy the pirate strongholds in the West Indies. Farragut accompanied Porter, and very active service ashore and afloat may be said to have completed Farragut's education. He had even had practice in handling a steamer and went home in 1824 in command of the U.S.S. "Ferret." Routine service followed for many years. As he entered his 6oth year the Civil War was at hand, in which his brilliant record was to give him enduring fame. He had had the most varied experience and was a practical seaman who found pleasure in the responsibilities of command. Yet he had never failed to maintain professional and cultural studies. Somewhat under the middle height, he was of very un usual physical strength, still agile and athletic and a skilled swords man. Kindly and gentle in his demeanour and of a cheerful and humorous disposition, he was highly successful in making his ship's company both efficient and contented. He was easily approach able, yet in his bearing there was dignity without stiffness. In every way he reached the traditional naval standard of the "officer and gentleman." Withal, he was a highly religious man, who was accustomed in times of stress to draw strength and confidence from reliance upon the Almighty. To all these minor virtues of a great captain he added the supreme combatant qualities of a great reliance on his own abilities; a confidence that the enemy's difficulties, if not identical, were probably no less than his own; a firm resolution and readiness to attack, and finally a steadfast belief that "the best protection against the enemy's fire is a well-directed fire from our own guns." The Civil War opened in the spring of 1861, and in Dec. i 861 he was assigned to command the West Gulf Blockading squadron, with orders to enter the Mississippi river and capture New Orleans. The strategic plan of the Administration for the re duction of the seceding States assigned a great role to the Navy. While the armies in the field were to oppose the Southern forces, the task of the Navy was to cut the hostile armies from their sources of supply over seas, for which they expected to pay by exporting cotton. The first step of the Navy was to establish a blockade of the coast from the Chesapeake to the Rio Grande. By the end of 1861 this blockade was becoming fairly effective, but munitions of war landed in Mexico were finding their way along the Red river and the Mississippi to Southern armies. The second great strategic operation of the Navy was to seize control of the Mississippi and stop the supply of foodstuffs and munitions coming from the South-west. An army in conjunction with a flotilla of river craft undertook this task from the North, while Farragut with the same purpose moved from the open sea against New Orleans, the metropolis of the South, where success would secure him a most valuable base for subsequent advance. The War department believed that the forts on the river below the city should be reduced by mortar fire before attempting to thrust wooden ships past them, but Farragut carried out his own bolder plan of running by them in the dark and was completely successful on April 24, 1862. His position above the forts cut them off from the city. Troops from the transports outside could land almost under his protecting batteries and the result was the surrender of the forts and the city. Against Farragut's opinion the department insisted on his proceeding further up the river, but the time was inopportune and nothing important was then accomplished. But the following year, when Grant's army was occupied before Vicksburg, Farragut greatly aided him by pass ing the heavy works at Port Hudson below the Red river and stopping traffic along that stream. Vicksburg fell in July 1863 and the Mississippi was soon in Federal control to the great loss of the Southern armies fighting in Tennessee and Virginia. Farragut now turned his attention to entering Mobile bay, where he expected an army from the North to meet him and so to cut off another great slice from the Confederacy, but the troops were employed elsewhere. Mobile bay was formed by a long sandspit enclosing a large inlet. It was defended by several forts, of which the strongest was Ft. Morgan at the end of the spit close to the channel. A line of mines obliged ships to pass close to Ft. Morgan, and besides the heavy ironclad "Tennessee" covered the ap proaches. Farragut had to wait till he had monitors to pit against the "Tennessee" and on Aug. 5, 1864, he entered in two columns, the monitors leading and the wooden frigates following each with a gunboat lashed to her port side. Farragut in the "Hart ford" held the second place in his column. The leading monitor, "Tecumseh," in her anxiety to engage the "Tennessee," crossed the mine-field and was blown out of the water. The "Brooklyn," leading the wooden column, stopped: her head fell away; the line drifted in confusion while the tide swept all upon the fort. This was the great moment of Farragut's life. Disaster was imminent. With instant decision he shouted "Damn the torpedoes" to the hesitating "Brooklyn," and swung his own ship clear of her and headed across the mines which had just been fatal to the monitor. The mine cases rattled against the bottom but none exploded and the fleet followed on and anchored triumphantly above the fort. Then the "Tennessee" came out from the shelter of the fort and after a hard fight, in which the wooden ships repeatedly rammed her, she was reduced to impotence and surrendered. The forts were now isolated and surrendered one by one, Ft. Morgan waiting till the troops lying outside in transports had landed their siege guns and brought them into action. Farragut's health now forbade further active service. His work was over. He had been made rear-admiral in 1862, vice-admiral in 1864, and admiral in 1866. In 1867 he went to Europe on board the U.S.S. "Franklin" and paid a round of ceremonial visits to the seaports of the Great Powers to accept on behalf of the United States their congratulations on the conclusion of the Civil War. He died at Portsmouth, N.H., on Aug. 14, 1870. (W. L. R.)