Charles Boarman (December 24, 1795 – September 13, 1879) was a career officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. He entered the naval service shortly before the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and served until 1876, subsequently retiring as a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

. He held a number of important posts, both in peace and wartime, in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

and

Brazil 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 t ...

s and as commandant of the

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York, U.S. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a se ...

. He was also assigned to special duty during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and a member of the U.S. Naval Board at

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

After attending naval school at the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is a ceremonial and administrative center for the United States Navy, located in the federal national capital city of Washington, D.C. (federal District of Columbia). It is the oldest shore establishment / base of ...

, Boarman saw service as a young midshipmen aboard during the War of 1812 and later took part in anti-piracy operations in the early 1820s. He commanded a number of warships between 1827 and 1850, most notably, during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. In 1876, Boarman was promoted to rear admiral on the retired list and died in

Martinsburg, West Virginia Martinsburg is a city in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 18,773 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making Martinsburg the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia a ...

, three years later. He was among several of

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

background, such as John Cassin, Patrick McDonough, and Philemon C. Wederstrandt, to become high-ranking naval officers in the early years of the U.S. Navy. He was also, at the time of his death, the longest serving naval officer on the

Navy Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

with 68 years service. The Boarman family home, the Boarman House, occupied by the family for over a century, is a state historical landmark in West Virginia.

Early life and career

Charles Boarman was born in

Bryantown, Maryland Bryantown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States, adjacent to Maryland Route 5. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 655. Bryantown stands on land known as Boarman's Manor, ...

, on December 24, 1795. He was the son of Mary (née Edelen; c. 1754 – April 23, 1836) and Charles Boarman Sr. (1751 – 1819), a professor at

Georgetown College Georgetown College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains. The college offers over 40 undergraduate degrees and a Mas ...

.Furey, John. "Some Catholic Names In U.S. Navy List". ''Historical Records and Studies''. Vol. VI, No. 1. New York: United States Catholic Historical Society, 1911. (pg. 181-184)Benson, William S., James J. Walsh and Edward J. Hanna, eds. "Catholics in the Navy of the United States". ''Catholic Builders of the Nation: A Symposium on the Catholic Contribution to the Civilization of the United States''. Boston: Continental Press, 1923. (pg. 263-264) The Boarmans were among the oldest families in

colonial Maryland The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America from 1634 until 1776, when the province was one of the Thirteen Colonies that joined in supporting the American Revolution against Great Britain. In 1781, Maryla ...

. Its patriarch, Major William Boarman (1630–1709), was an officer and administrator under Lord Baltimore, first arriving in the colony in 1645, and became a major landholder in present-day

Charles County Charles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. The ...

. Many of Charles Boarman's relatives were in the clergy including his uncle Rev. Sylvester Boarman and distant cousins Rev. Father Edelen and Rev. Cornelius Thomas, the latter a rector of St. Anne's Church in Baltimore. Boarman's aunt Sallie Edelen was a Sister in the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...

in France before having to flee the country during the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

; four of his cousins were among the first women to enter Baltimore's Carmelite Convent. Boarman's father was also, at one time, studying to enter the priesthood. He was educated at the Jesuit College of Liege, Belgium, and was a scholastic of the Society at the time of the

suppression of the Jesuits Suppression may refer to: Laws * Suppression of Communism Act *Suppression order a type of censorship where a court rules that certain information cannot be published * Tohunga Suppression Act 1907, an Act of the Parliament of New Zealand aimed ...

in 1773. As a result, he was released from his vows and returned to Maryland where he met and married his future wife. The Boarman family lived on a farm in Charles County while Charles Boarman Sr. resided at Georgetown University. In 1799, he moved the family to Georgetown, where they lived in a brick house on the university grounds. After Boarman Sr. died, the house was occupied by Mrs. Susan Decatur, widow of Captain

Stephen Decatur Commodore (United States), Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was a United States Navy officer. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County. His father, Ste ...

, until her death in 1860. The property was later sold and the house was torn down; the site is now included in the university's baseball field. The younger Charles Boarman was educated at Georgetown from 1803 to 1808. In 1811, Boarman's father wrote to

Robert Brent Robert Brent (1764 – September 7, 1819) was the first mayor of City of Washington, federal capital of the United States of America. Brent was born into a prominent Catholic family, members of which emigrated to the Maryland colony in the ...

, the mayor of Washington, D.C. and U.S. Army paymaster, asking for a

letter of recommendation A letter of recommendation or recommendation letter, also known as a letter of reference, reference letter, or simply reference, is a document in which the writer assesses the qualities, characteristics, and capabilities of the person being recomme ...

for his son in regards to a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

's commission in the

.McKee, Christopher. ''A Gentlemanly and Honorable Profession: The Creation of the U.S. Naval Officer Corps, 1794–1815''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991. (pg. 40–41) In August of that year, on behalf of Boarman's father, Brent wrote to then

United States Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On Mar ...

Paul Hamilton endorsing the commission. In addition to the father's letter was a personal application from a 16-year-old "Charley" Boarman himself. Hamilton approved Boarman's application a day after receiving the letter. He attended instruction in the

and was under the tuition of Chaplain Andrew Hunter, a

military chaplain A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases, they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term ''cha ...

in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

and mathematics professor in

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, while in Washington. Boarman was assigned to the sloop in Baltimore upon the completion of his training in September 1813. He later served aboard the

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

seeing action on

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

during the

.Hamersly, Lewis R. "Commodore Charles Boarman". ''The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy & Marine Corps''. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1878. (pg. 88)Norris, J. E. ''History of the Lower Shenandoah Valley''. Chicago: A. Warner and Company, Publishers, 1890. (pg. 688-689)''History of Amador County''. Federation of Amador County Women's Clubs, April 1927. (pg. 94-95) He was one of several Georgetown alumni, including Thomas Blackstone, William Ford, Thomas Robinson, John Rogers, and Clement Sewall to participate in the war.

Service in the Mediterranean, West Indies, and Brazil squadrons

Boarman returned to ''Erie'' at the end of the war as part of the Mediterranean Squadron and won promotion to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on March 5, 1817. After a brief time sailing with the West India Squadron on the sloop he was stationed at the

. On March 21, 1820, Boarman was married to Mary Ann "Nancy" Abell, daughter of John Abell and Sarah Forrest, wealthy Virginian landowners, in Jefferson County. He soon went to sea again seeing service on (1823) and (1824) as part of the U.S. Navy's anti-piracy operations in the West Indies. On July 24, 1824, Boarman temporarily took command of the schooner USS ''Weazel'' from Commodore David Porter during which time he was on convoy duty and patrolled for pirates. That summer, Boarman captured a pirate ship off the coast of Crab Island but its crew managed to escape to shore. In September, he escorted three American merchant ships from

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Campeachy, and then carried $65,000 from

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fif ...

which was to be shipped to New York. In July 1825, Boarman was one of several officers of the West Indies Squadron which testified at the

naval court of inquiry Naval Board of Inquiry and Naval Court of Inquiry are two types of investigative court proceedings, conducted by the United States Navy in response to an event that adversely affects the performance, or reputation, of the fleet or one of its ship ...

and

court martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...

of Commodore Porter. Boarman received his first command, USS ''Weazel'' (1827), and then transferred to the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

s (1828) and (1829), both

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

s of the Mediterranean Squadron. In 1830, he was made

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

of the

's flagship . In September, he took temporary command of while Captain John Gallagher left to testify in the court martial of fellow Captain Beekman V. Hoffman of . He went back to ''Hudson'' after Gallagher's return and remained on board until 1836 when he was reassigned to the West India Squadron and given command of the schooner . On February 9, 1837, he was made a full

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

, and in 1840 captained the sloop . It was during this period that Solomon H. Sanborn, master-at-arms of ''Fairfield'' from 1837 to 1839, accused the ship's officers, including Boarman, of complicity in illegal coltings and floggings with

cat o' nine tails The cat o' nine tails, commonly shortened to the cat, is a type of multi-tailed whip or flail. It originated as an implement for physical punishment, particularly in the Royal Navy and British Army, and as a judicial punishment in Britain and ...

by not reporting them in the ship's logbook. He also alleged that Boarman used the discipline tribunal to keep a member of the crew, seaman John Smith, on board past the term of his enlistment with a court martial trial. In 1840, Sanborn published a 40-page pamphlet in New York describing his experiences, however, no charges were ever brought against any officers of ''Fairfield''. Four years later, on March 29, 1844, Boarman won his captain's commission and assumed command of the Brazil Squadron's flagship . Boarman held this command throughout the

and, between 1847 and 1850, embarked on a three-year voyage.

Commandant of the Brooklyn Navy Yard

After leaving the Brazil Squadron, Boarman succeeded Captain William D. Salter as commander of the

and remained in charge of the facility from October 14, 1852 to October 1, 1855. In the four-year period he and his family were stationed in Brooklyn one of his daughters, Mary Jane Boarman, began a relationship with William Henry Broome, longtime deputy collector of the

New York Custom House The United States Custom House, sometimes referred to as the New York Custom House, was the place where the United States Customs Service collected federal customs duties on imported goods within New York City. Locations The Custom House ...

; the two may have been introduced through Broome's brother

John L. Broome Lieutenant Colonel John Lloyd Broome, USMC (1824–1898) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps during the American Civil War. Early life Broome was born in New York City on March 8, 1824. He was the son of John Lloyd Broome (1771–18 ...

who was serving as a marine lieutenant at the navy yard. They were married in a modest ceremony at the Commandant's House, officiated by Archbishop

John Hughes John Hughes may refer to: Arts and Entertainment Literature *John Hughes (poet) (1677–1720), English poet *John Hughes (1790–1857), English author *John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–1887), Welsh poet *John Hughes (writer) (born 1961), Australian au ...

, on October 18, 1853; the family regularly attended

Sunday Mass Mass is the main Eucharistic liturgical service in many forms of Western Christianity. The term ''Mass'' is commonly used in the Catholic Church, Western Rite Orthodoxy, Old Catholicism, and Independent Catholicism. The term is also used in many ...

at St. James' Cathedral, in all kinds of weather, where Boarman was a pew holder. Boarman later bought the house and lot that Mary Ann lived at in Brooklyn and, after her husband's death in 1876, left the property to her in his will.Semans, Barbara Broome and Letitia Broome Schwarz. ''John Broome and Rebecca Lloyd: Their Descendants and Related Families, 18th to 21st Centuries''. Vol. 1. New York: Xlibris Corporation, 2009. (pg. 194-196) During his tenure at the navy yard Boarman supervised the fitting out of the Japan expedition under Commodore

Matthew C. Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a United States Navy officer who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War. He led the Perry Expedition that Bakumatsu, ended Japan' ...

. In May 1855, responding to reports by the Pierce Administration of a possible filibustering expedition being headed by Henry L. Kinney, Boarman used the naval forces under his command to form a

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...

around Kinney's ship moored at an

East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...

wharf effectively blocking Kinney and associate Joseph W. Fabens from leaving

New York Harbor New York Harbor is a bay that covers all of the Upper Bay. It is at the mouth of the Hudson River near the East River tidal estuary on the East Coast of the United States. New York Harbor is generally synonymous with Upper New York Bay, ...

; the two were subsequently arrested. Four months after this incident, on September 18, 1855, Boarman was placed on the

reserve list The reserve clause, in North American professional sports, was part of a player contract which stated that the rights to players were retained by the team upon the contract's expiration. Players under these contracts were not free to enter into ano ...

, less than a month before turning over command of the yard to Captain Abraham Bigelow, holding the rank of captain.

Later career

Boarman was recalled to duty upon the start of the

. Although he was born a southerner, and a longtime resident of Martinsburg, Virginia, he remained with the Union and supported the secession of West Virginia from Virginia proper. Two of his sons-in-law, Robert P. Bryarly and Jeremiah Harris, the latter a member of the famed Ashby's Cavalry, both served in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

. In a letter to one of his sons, written at the start of the war, Boarman "declared his steadfast allegiance to the flag of his country, which he had sworn to defend". Technically a slave owner through marriage to his wife, Boarman immediately freed his slaves and "faced bravely the financial hardship that followed this act". Boarman was detained on special duty throughout the war, his "rare executive capacities peculiarly fitting him for such service", and in 1863 was appointed to the U.S. Naval Board in Washington, DC. On March 12, 1867, he was promoted to the rank of commodore. Boarman retired at the rank of rear admiral nine years later. Boarman eventually returned to Martinsburg where he and his wife spent their final years. Charles and Mary Ann Boarman had originally lived in Maryland before moving to Martinsburg to raise their family; they had 13 children together, however, only 10 survived to adulthood. In March 1870, the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Mary Ann Boarman died on September 26, 1875. Mary Ann, who converted to Catholicism to marry her husband, was an active member of the local diocese, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, and spent much of her time involved in charities to help the sick and the poor while Charles Boarman was away at sea. Her loss was mourned by the townspeople with one writing: "In her death we lose one of our most charitable citizens; she will be missed by very many of the poor of Martinsburg; she was always seeking the sick and administering to their wants. She was truly an angel of mercy and charity and a strict and consistent member of the church". Boarman was also involved in church activities and, when their children were younger, wrote to a local convent asking the Mother Superior for

Nuns A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of Evangelical counsels, poverty, chastity, and obedience in the Enclosed religious orders, enclosure of a monastery or convent.' ...

to teach the Catholic children of Martinsburg. Boarman died in Martinsburg on September 13, 1879. Boarman was survived by ten children, four sons and six daughters, including frontier physician Dr. Charles Boarman (1828–1880), who was among the first pioneers to settle in present-day

Amador County, California Amador County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,474. The county seat is Jackson. Amador County, located within California's Gold Country, is known as "Th ...

. Two of his daughters also married into prominent families; Susan Martha Boarman married Virginia landowner Jeremiah Harris and Mary Jane Boarman became the wife of William Henry Broome, deputy collector of the

. His grandson Dr.

Charles Boarman Harris Dr. Charles Boarman Harris (November 6, 1857 – January 2, 1942) was an American physician and surgeon. The grandson of Rear Admiral Charles Boarman, he was among the original settlers in Pembina, the first settlement in the Dakota Territory. ...

(1857–1942), a well known pioneer physician in northwestern

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

and the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

, helped establish the oldest settlement in the state

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

. Andrew "Andy" F. Boarman (1910–1999), a popular banjo and bluegrass musician, was the great-grandson of Charles Boarman. At the time of his death Boarman had been the longest serving officer in the U.S. Navy Register, with over 68 years of service, and the U.S. Naval Department issued a special

general order A general order, in military and paramilitary organizations, is a published directive, originated by a commander and binding upon all personnel under his or her command. Its purpose is to enforce a policy or procedure that is not otherwise addres ...

to recognize his passing.

Boarman House

The Boarman family home, commonly known as the Boarman House, is an historical landmark in the state of West Virginia. It is one of the oldest brick buildings in downtown Martinsburg and part of the city's walking tour of Civil War landmarks. Originally built by Philip Nadenbousch, it was purchased by Lieutenant Charles Boarman in 1832 and remained in the Boarman family for over a century before being sold to the King's Daughters Circle in December 1943, and then to the Sisters of the Holy Ghost in 1953; the building was used for apartments and various offices, including an employment office for returning World War II servicemen, during this time. It was purchased in 1980 by West Virginia nonprofit corporation Associates for Community Development and, after extensive restorations, housed the Boarman Arts Center and the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Convention and Visitors Bureau from 1987 to 2001; the building featured Boarman's navigator's log and two portraits, one when he bought the house as a young lieutenant and the other as an older officer. In October 2005, the house was sold to a

Leesburg, Virginia Leesburg is a town in and the county seat of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. It is part of both the Northern Virginia region of the state and the Washington metropolitan area, including Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. European se ...

, couple, Chester and Jeanne Martin, who planned to turn it into the city's first

bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boarman, Charles 1795 births 1879 deaths People from Bryantown, Maryland Military personnel from Martinsburg, West Virginia 19th-century American people United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War Union Navy officers United States Navy rear admirals (upper half) Boarman family Catholics from West Virginia Catholics from Maryland