BUNCE, Francis Marvin, American naval officer: b. Hartford, Conn., 25 Dec. 1836; d. there 19 Oct. 1901. He entered the naval serv ice in 1851 and was graduated from the Naval Academy in 1857. In 1862 as executive officer of the Penobscot he took part in the engage ment with the rebel batteries at Yorktown, Va. Assigned to temporary duty with the army, he had charge of the disembarkation of the heavy artillery and mortars for use in the investment of Yorktown by General McClellan, April 1862. He commanded a successful expedition up Lit tle River, between North and South Carolina, destroying several schooners and large quan tities of cotton, turpentine and resin, together with extensive salt works. With the monitor Patapsco in 1863 he took part in all the actions in which she was engaged during the siege of Charleston, and was wounded by the pre mature explosion of a cartridge. Later he was
chief of scouts on the staff of Admiral Dahl gren. On 5 Sept. 1865 he was placed in com mand of the monitor Monadnock and took that vessel from Philadelphia to San Francisco, the first extended sea voyage ever made by a moni tor. On 1 March 1895 he was selected to com mand the North Atlantic squadron, with the rank of active rear-admiral. On I May 1897 he went to the Brooklyn navy yard and there superintended the conversion of many fast ships and yachts for war service. It is said that the government's policy of furnishing the navy with abundant ammunition for target practice and giving prizes for the best shots, a policy which produced such admirable results in the Spanish-American War, was due to the efforts of Admiral Bunce. He was commissioned rear admiral 6 Feb. 1898, and retired from active service 25 Dec. 1898.