Charles Henry Davis ( – ) was an American rear admiral of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. While working for the

U.S. Coast Survey The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (abbreviated USC&GS), known from 1807 to 1836 as the Survey of the Coast and from 1836 until 1878 as the United States Coast Survey, was the first scientific agency of the United States Government. It ...

, he researched tides and currents, and located an uncharted shoal that had caused wrecks off of the coast of New York. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, he commanded the

Western Gunboat Flotilla The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union brown-water naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War. It was initially created as a part of the Union Army, although it was commanded by naval officers, and w ...

, where he won an important engagement in the

First Battle of Memphis The First Battle of Memphis was a naval battle fought on the Mississippi River immediately North of the city of Memphis, Tennessee on June 6, 1862, during the American Civil War. The engagement was witnessed by many of the citizens of Memphis. ...

before capturing enemy supplies on a successful expedition up the

Yazoo River The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before th ...

Early life

Davis was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

.Eicher, p. 201. He attended the Boston Latin School and entered

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1821, but left after two years when he was appointed as a midshipman in the

on August 12, 1823. Between 1827 and 1828, he served onboard the frigate in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

. In 1829, he was promoted to

passed midshipman A passed midshipman, sometimes called as "midshipman, passed", is a term used historically in the 19th century to describe a midshipman who had passed the lieutenant's exam and was eligible for promotion to lieutenant as soon as there was a vacan ...

. From 1830 to 1833, he served on the sloop . In 1834, he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

and assigned to the . In 1840 to 1841, he served onboard the ship . In 1841, he received an honorary

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree from Harvard; in 1868, he received an honorary

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from the same institution.Memorials of the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, 1890. pg. 193.

Career

From 1846 to 1849, he worked in the United States Coast Survey on board the , where he discovered a previously unknown shoal that had caused shipwrecks off the coast of New York. During his service to the Survey, he was also responsible for researching tides and currents and acted as an inspector on a number of naval shipyards. From 1849 to 1855 he was the first superintendent of American Nautical Almanac Office and produced the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac. In 1854, he was promoted to commander and given the command of the . On April 30, 1857, he mediated with the Central American forces at San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, the capitulation of filibuster William Walker and some 300 men, who departed in the St. Mary's for Panama the next day. In 1859, while commanding the ''St. Mary's'', Davis was ordered to go to

Baker Island Baker Island, formerly known as New Nantucket, is an uninhabited atoll just north of the Equator in the central Pacific Ocean about southwest of Honolulu. The island lies almost halfway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbor is H ...

to obtain samples of guano, becoming perhaps the first American to set foot there since it was annexed by the United States in 1857. The guano was necessary as fertilizer. Commodore

William Mervine William Mervine (14 March 1791 – 15 September 1868) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy, whose career included service in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mervi ...

had previously been sent, but he did not land and believed the island to be inaccessible. (From evidence that was later found on the island, it had been visited prior to 1857 by whalers).

Civil War service

In the

, Davis was appointed to

Blockade Strategy Board The Blockade Strategy Board, also known as the Commission of Conference, or the Du Pont Board, was a strategy group created by the United States Navy Department at outset of the American Civil War to lay out a preliminary strategy for enforcing P ...

in June 1861. On 15 November 1861, he was promoted to captain. He was made acting

flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countries ...

, in command of the

. A day after he took command, the flotilla fought a short battle with Confederate ships on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

at Plum Point Bend on May 10, 1862. Caught unready for battle, two of the Union ships were badly damaged and had to be run into shoal water to keep from sinking. The Confederate vessels escaped with only minor damage. On June 6, his ships fought in the

Battle of Memphis The First Battle of Memphis was a naval battle fought on the Mississippi River immediately North of the city of Memphis, Tennessee on June 6, 1862, during the American Civil War. The engagement was witnessed by many of the citizens of Memphis. ...

, which resulted in the sinking or capture of seven of the eight Confederate ships, compared with damage to only one of the Union vessels. In July, he cooperated with Flag Officer David G. Farragut in an attack on

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vi ...

, but they were forced to withdraw. In August, he proceeded up the Yazoo River and successfully seized Confederate supplies and munitions there. After this excursion, he was made Chief of the

Bureau of Navigation The Bureau of Navigation, later the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection and finally the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation — not to be confused with the United States Navys Bureau of Navigation — was an agency of the United ...

and returned to Washington, D.C.. On February 7, 1863, he was promoted to rear admiral.

Post-war service

After the war he joined the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

(MOLLUS). He was a member of the New York Commandery and received insignia number 1022. From 1865 to 1867, he was the Superintendent of the

United States Naval Observatory United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is a scientific and military facility that produces geopositioning, navigation and timekeeping data for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense. Established in 1830 as the Depo ...

. In 1867, he was given command of the

South Atlantic Squadron The Brazil Squadron, the Brazil Station, or the South Atlantic Squadron was an overseas military station established by the United States in 1826 to protect American commerce in the South Atlantic during a war between Brazil and Argentina. When th ...

and was given the as his flagship. In 1869, he returned home and served both on the Lighthouse Board as well as in the

Naval Observatory United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is a scientific and military facility that produces geopositioning, navigation and timekeeping data for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense. Established in 1830 as the Depo ...

. Davis died in Washington, D.C., and is buried in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

Personal life

He married Harriette Blake Mills, the daughter of U.S. Senator Elijah Hunt Mills. Together, they were the parents of: * Constant Davis, an 1864 graduate of Harvard who died of tuberculosis in 1869. * Anna Cabot Mills Davis, who married U.S. Senator

Henry Cabot Lodge Henry Cabot Lodge (May 12, 1850 November 9, 1924) was an American Republican politician, historian, and statesman from Massachusetts. He served in the United States Senate from 1893 to 1924 and is best known for his positions on foreign policy. ...

. * Evelyn Davis, who married

Brooks Adams Peter Chardon Brooks Adams (June 24, 1848 – February 13, 1927) was an American attorney, historian, political scientist and a critic of capitalism. Early life and education Adams was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, on June 24, 1848, son of ...

, son of Charles Francis Adams Sr., grandson of President

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...

, and great-grandson of President

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...

. Brooks and Evelyn were the last of the Adams families to live at

Peacefield Peacefield, also called Peace field or Old House, is a historic home formerly owned by the Adams family of Quincy, Massachusetts. It was the home of United States Founding Father and U.S. president John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams, and o ...

, which was home to three previous generations of Adamses. * Charles Henry Davis, Jr., a Commander of the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

served as Chief Intelligence Officer of the

Office of Naval Intelligence The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is the military intelligence agency of the United States Navy. Established in 1882 primarily to advance the Navy's modernization efforts, it is the oldest member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and serve ...

from September 1889 to August 1892. In 1843 he became a member of the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati in succession to his grandfather Colonel Constant Freeman (1757–1824). Davis was elected as a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in 1852. Davis died in Washington, D.C. on February 18, 1877

Namesake

Several ships of the United States Navy are also named in his honor: the torpedo boat , the destroyers and , and the oceanographic research ship A species of sea anemone native to the coasts of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

and

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, the ''Rhodactis davisii'', is named for Davis.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, . *"Navy." ''The Military and Naval Magazine of the United States''. Washington: Mar 1835. Vol.5, Iss. 1; pg. 78, 3 pgs *"The ''Independence''." ''The Naval Magazine''. New York: May 1837. Vol.2, Iss. 3; pg. 290, 2 pgs *"American Guano." ''The New England Farmer; a Monthly Journal''. Boston: Jun 1859. Vol.11, Iss. 6; pg. 265, 2 pgs *"The American Guano Islands." ''National Era''. Washington: Jun 16, 1859. Vol.VOL. XIII., Iss. No. 650.; pg. 94, 1 pgs *"The Aquarial Gardens." ''Friends' Intelligencer''. Philadelphia: Aug 6, 1859. Vol.16, Iss. 21; pg. 333, 3 pgs *"Another Naval Victory." ''New York Times''. New York, N.Y.: May 12, 1862. pg. 8, 1 pgs *"Current Events." ''The New-England Historical and Genealogical Register''. Boston: 1862. pg. 299, 3 pgs *"Rear Admiral Charles H. Davis." ''New York Times''. New York, N.Y.: Feb 19, 1877. pg. 5, 1 pgs

External links

Memoir of Charles Henry Davis (1807–1877)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Charles Henry 1807 births 1877 deaths United States Navy rear admirals (upper half) Union Navy admirals People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War People from Boston Members of the American Philosophical Society Harvard College alumni Boston Latin School alumni