PORTER, DAVID DIXON (1813-91). A dis tinguished American admiral. Ile was a son of Commodore David Porter, and was born in Ches ter, Pa., June 8, 1813. In 1824 he accompanied his father on his expedition against the West Indian pirates, and when his father became Ad miral of the Mexican navy lie entered the same service as a midshipman. While serving under his cousin, Captain David H. Porter, who was in command of a Mexican vessel cruising against Spanish commerce, young Porter took part in a desperate engagement with a much stiperior Span ish frigate. The vessel on which he was serving was captured. and he was for a short time con fined in the guard-ship at Havana. Soon after his release he was commissioned a midshipman in the United States navy, and served until 1835 on the European station. In 1846 he was sent by the Secretary of War on a secret mission to llaiti, and then served with distinction in the Mexican 'War as a lieutenant and afterwards as commanding officer of the Spittirc. After the close of that struggle he obtained a furlough, and for some years commanded private passenger steamers.
The Civil War gave Porter the opportunity to distinguish himself. The beginning of that strug gle found him a lieutenant on shore duty; in a little more than two years he was a rear-admiral in command of a squadron. His first service in the war was to assist as commander of the Pow haton in the relief of Fort Pickens. Shortly afterwards he was advanced to the rank of com mander. A little later, largely through his recom mendation, Farragut was given command of the Western Gulf Blockading Squadron which was to operate against New Orleans, and Porter was put in charge of the fleet of bomb-vessels under him. By Farragut's order, Porter in April, 1862, began a bombardment of Forts Jackson and Saint Philip, which guarded the way up the Missis sippi, and after six days and nights, in the course of which he threw into them more than 16,000 shells, he reduced them to such a condition that Farragut's fleet was able to pass theta and ture New Orleans. Four days later the forts themselves surrendered to Porter. During the next few months he served with great credit in the operations between New Orleans and Vicks burg. In September. 1S62, he was put in charge
of the Mississippi Squadron as acting rear-ad miral. He improvised a navy-yard at Mound City, and soon increased his squadron of about a dozen effective vessels to more than 120 by con verting ordinary river steamers into gunboats. With a part of this fleet he, in January, 1863, assisted the army in the capture of Arkansas Post, and next succeeded in running past the batteries of and reducing the Confeder ate forts at Grand Gulf. He then coiiperated \Vali General Grant in the siege of Vicksburg, and upon the surrender of that place received the thanks of Congress and a commission as rear admiral. In the spring of 1864 lie assisted Gen eral Banks in the disastrous expedition up the Red River, and it was only by the greatest exer tions that he succeeded in saving his vessels. (See BAILEY, JOSEI01. ) In the same year he was put in command of the North Atlantic Blockad ing Squadron. While in this command his most important service was in cooperating in the cap ture of Fort Fisher, which was taken by assault on the 15th of January. 1865, after a long and destructive bombardment by his fleet. For this service he again received the thanks of Congress.
After peace came, he served from 1865 to 1869 as superintendent of the Naval Academy at An napolis, and did much to increase the efficiency of that institution. In 1866 he was promoted to be Nice-admiral, and in 1S70, upon the death of Fai rag,ut, was advanced to the highest of all naval ranks, that of admiral. He died in Wash ington in 1891.
Admiral Porter wrote a life of his father, Com modore David Porter (1875) ; Incidents and An ecdotes of the Civil War (18:45) ; history 0/ the Nary in. the War of the Rebellion (1887) ; two novels, Allan Dale and Robert le Diable (1885) and Harry Marline (1886) : a posthumous novel ette, A Romance of Gettysburg, which appeared in the Criterion for 1903; and articles for various publications.
Consult: Soley, Admiral Porter (New York, 1903), in the'"Great Commanders Series;" Ches ney's Essays in. Military Biography (New York, 1874) ; and Johnson and Buel (eds.), Battles and Leaders of the Civil War (New York, 1887).