Admiral David Glasgow Farragut

David Glasgow Farragut (1801–1870) was the premier naval hero of the American Civil War and the first officer in United States history to hold the ranks of Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, and full Admiral. Appointed a midshipman at just nine years old, Farragut fought in the War of 1812 under Captain David Porter aboard USS Essex, taking command of a captured prize vessel at age twelve.

Though born in Tennessee, Farragut remained steadfastly loyal to the Union in 1861. In April 1862, he ran his wooden fleet past Forts Jackson and St. Philip under heavy Confederate cannon fire to capture New Orleans, the Confederacy's largest seaport and banking capital. In August 1864, at the Battle of Mobile Bay, when USS Tecumseh was sunk by tethered naval mines ('torpedoes') and his line faltered, Farragut climbed into the rigging of his flagship USS Hartford, famously bellowing: 'Damn the torpedoes! Four bells, Captain Drayton, go ahead!' He pushed his fleet through the minefield to victory.