In 1798 anxiety regarding the apparently impending war with France induced the American government to build 20 small armed vessels; and in this year the department of the navy was created, Benjamin Stoddart being its first secretary. Other ships were ordered, and on July 11, 1798, the formation of the marine corps was authorized. Before the close of this year 23 American men-of-war were at sea; and the capture of the French frigate L' Insurgente by the Constellation aroused the greatest enthusiasm: this was the first occasion since the establishment of the federal navy, when a natIonal vessel had subdued one of equal force. In the beginning of 1800 the American government had a navy of 34 men-of-war at sea. Early in the following year peace with France was declared, and at once the government proceeded to sell the greater number of these ships—from a very mistaken theory of necessary economy. Hostilities with Tripoli began soon after the amicable settlement, with France, and a squadron under commodore Dale blockaded Tripoli, and captured several neutrals attempting to enter that port. Hos tilities were not concluded until the summer of 1805, many important captures having been in the meantime effected; the town of Tripoli bombarded nod nearly captured; and good work having been accomplished in awakening the esprit de corps which has char acterized the American navy ever since. From this period until 1812, the duty of American ships-of-war was confined chiefly to guarding the coast. In the latter year broke out the war with England, the American navy then consisting of but 17 efficient vessels, of which only 8 were frigates. The splendid capture of the British frigate Guerriere by the Constitution on Aug. 19, 1812, awakened renewed enthusiasm, however; and this was followed by that of the Frolic by the American sloop 1Vasp, and by the American frigate United States capturing the British frigate most spirited and well-matched encounters. Early in 1813 congress ordered the building of 4 ships of the line and 6 frigates, to be immediately followed by the construction of 6 sloops-of-war; only the sloops, however, were completed iu time to be of service in this war. The general success of the Americans on the sea during the war of 1812 was equaled by the occurrence of splendid victories ou lake Erie and lake Champlain; and the reputation of the American navy was greatly increased, while that of the British was correspondingly diminished. This war was followed by a brief period of hostilities against Algiers; and from that time to the outbreak of the Mexican war, America was at peace with all the world. Meanwhile its navy was kept in a couditiou of efficiency; four squadrons were retained in the Mediterranean, Pacific, on the coast of Brazil, and in the West Indies; and in 1841 a home squadron was created to cruise on the coast of the United States. By this means the dignity of the nation was for a time maintained in every part of the world, and American commerce everywhere protected. The Wilkes government exploring expedition formed an incident of this period, which raised the United States to the front rank among nations which devoted their naval resources in time of peace to scientific investigation.
The war with Mexico, which broke out in 1846, at once proved the value of the more recent system of keeping U. S. squadrons on service in the different waters. The squadron in the gulf proceeded to blockade Vera Cruz; while that in the Pacific was ordered to the California coast and seized Monterey and Los Angeles. At Vera Cruz the navy now kept up an incessant bombardment of the fort of San Juan de Ulloa, which was eventually captured; there was no other important use made of the navy in this war. The Japan expedition under the command of con. Perry, which sent out by the government in 1832, was an important event in connection with opening up the ports of that country to western commerce, and its court to-western diplomacy. The outbreak of the rebellion found the American navy scattered far abroad, and of practically little value had it been attainable, owing to the peculiar nature of the warfare in which the north and south were now about to be engaged. The character of naval warfare had long before this totally changed. The great improvements in ordnance and projectiles
had rendered the old wooden ships useless; and the application of steam power to the navy had been accomplished. But the American steam frigates were incompetent to resist the force of the Whitworth and other modern guns of long range and heavy caliber. The emergency, brought forth the necessary inventive faculty, whose expres sion in the turreted iron-clad was the means of saving tlje north from ignominious fail ure at a most desperate moment. The operations of the U. S. navy during the war of the rebellion will be found fully set forth under the titles REBELLION, UNITED STATES, etc.
The condition of the navy, Dec. 1, 1870, showed 45 vessels in commission; 16 of which could be made ready with slight repairs; and 19 which might be fitted out in an emergency by the proper appropriation-80 vessels in all. Besides these were 4 iron clad monitors to be finished, and 8 tugs, a total of 92 vessels. The active list of the navy includes 1 admiral, 1 vice-admiral, 11 rear-admirals, 23 commodores. 49 captains, 90 com manders, 79 lieut.•commanders. 280 lieutenants, 100 masters, 100 ensigns. 53 midshipmen, 33 cadet-midshipmen, all of whom are officers of the line. Of the staff there arc 1 ceon-gmeral, 15 medical directors, 15 medical inspectors, 50 surgeons, 59 passed assist. surg.nms, 39 assist.-surgeons, 1 pay master general, 13 pay directors, 13 pay inspectors, p.tymasters, 30 passed assistant-paymasters, 20 assist. paymasters, 1 engineer-in-chief, chief engineers, 95 passed assist.-engineers, 41 assist.-engineers, 41 cadet-eugineers, and 104 cadet-engineers on probation at the naval academy, 24 chaplains, 12 professors of mathematics, 1 secretary for the admiral and 1 for the vice-admiral, 1 chief constructor, 11 naval constructors, 5 assistant-constructors, and 9 civil engineers. The active list is composed of 1075 officers of the line; 721 officers of the stall; anal 247 warrant officers —in all 2,043 officers of all grades. There were in 1879 in the service provided for by the navy appropriation act for the fiscal year 1880, 7,500 enlisted men and boys.— The navy-yards of the United States are the Brooklyn navy yard, Brooklyn, L.I.; Charlestown, Boston, Mass. ; Gosport, near Norfolk, Va. ; Kittery, opposite Portsmouth, N. H., League island, 7 in. below Philadelphia; Mare island, near San Francisco, Cal.; New Loudon, New Loudon, Conn.; Pensacola, Pensacola, Fla.; and Washington city, Vashiugton, D.C.
The medical department of the United States navy is by the revised statutes made to consist of 15 medical directors with the relative rank of eapt.; 15 medical inspectors with the relative rank of commander; 50 surgeons with the relative rank of lieut.-com mander and lieut., the numbers of each class depending on circumstances; and 100 assist.-surgeons, with the relative rank of lieut. and of ensign. the numbers of each class depending upon circumstances. On Jan. 1. 1881, there were 72 paSsed assist. surgeons, of whom 29 had the relative rank of iicut., and 43 the relative rank of mas ter; and 19 assist.-surgeons, with the relative rank of ensign. There is a surgeon general with the relative. rank of commodore. The custom is to appoint the surgeon general from the senior officer among the medical directors, but the present surgeon general (1881) was appointed from the list of inspectors. Under ordinary events he will he retired when he vacates the office of surgeon-general, and will return to the list of inspectors and be placed on the retired list. All appointments in the medical corps of the navy are made by the president by and with the advice and consent of the senate, and no person can be appointed an until he has been examined and approved by a board of naval surgeons, designated by the secretary of the navy, nor who is under 21 or over 26 years of age, and no person can be appointed a surgeon until he has served as an assist-surgeon 3 years, nor until he has been examined and approved for such appointment by a board of naval surgeons designated by the secre tary of the navy, when he becomes a passed assist-surgeon. It is not necessary, as in the army, that the applicant shall be a graduate of a medical college.