Charles Stewart McCauley (February 3, 1793 – May 21, 1869) was an American naval officer in the War of 1812 and the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Biography

McCauley was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, in the decade after the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

and educated in the city's schools. He entered the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in 1809 and subsequently fought in the War of 1812. He served on the ''

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'' in 1813, and took part in the gunboat attack on the British naval frigate ''Narcissus'' in Hampton Roads, and in the defense of Craney Island. He served as acting lieutenant of the ''Jefferson'' in 1814 on Lake Ontario.p. 78: "MacCauley, Charles Stewart"
In 1823 he obtained leave of absence and commanded a vessel in the merchant marine until he returned to the Navy in 1825. Rising steadily through the ranks, he became a captain in 1839. In April 1855, McCauley was placed in command of the home squadron. He was directed by the Secretary of the Navy to go to

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to protect American interests. For his success in this he was publicly complimented on his return in June by President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...

at a dinner at the White House. In 1860 he was ordered to the command of the Gosport Ship Yard. Upon the outbreak of 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 ...

in 1861 he destroyed a large number of ships and property there, to prevent its falling into the hands of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

. However, this effort was largely unsuccessful. Nearly 2,000 cannon and several of the scuttled warships, including the USS ''Merrimack'', were captured and returned to service by the Confederates. He was placed on the retired list on December 21, 1861, and promoted to commodore. Four years after the end of the Civil War, McCauley died at his home in Washington, D.C.

Family

McCauley was a nephew of Admiral Charles Stewart (1778–1869). He was an uncle of Rear Admiral Edward Yorke McCauley (1827–1894).

Notes

References

* Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCauley, Charles Stewart Union Navy officers 1793 births 1869 deaths People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War United States Navy commodores