Daniel Dobbins (January 5, 1776 – February 29, 1856) was a
sailing master
The master, or sailing master, is a historical rank for a naval officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing vessel. The rank can be equated to a professional seaman and specialist in navigation, rather than as a military ...
in the
United States Navy and
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the
United States Revenue Cutter Service. He fought in the
War of 1812 and was in charge of the building of the ships at
Erie, Pennsylvania that
Oliver Hazard Perry commanded in the
Battle of Lake Erie.
Early life
He was born on January 5, 1776 (date from Dobbins' headstone, Erie Cemetery) in
Mifflin County,
Pennsylvania, near
Lewistown. He traveled to
Erie in 1795 with
Judah Colt
Judah Colt (July 1, 1761 – October 11, 1832) was an early pioneer of Erie County.
Early Life
Colt was born on July 1, 1761, in Lyme, Connecticut. After the death of his father, Colt decided to move west in 1789 and in Albany, New York, jo ...
and a group of surveyors with the
Pennsylvania Population Company. Colt's interest in expanding into lake transportation is what causes Dobbins to eventually become a merchant mariner. In 1809, Dobbins, with
Rufus S. Reed
Rufus is a masculine given name, a surname, an Ancient Roman cognomen and a nickname (from Latin '' rufus'', "red"). Notable people with the name include:
Given name
Politicians
* Rufus Ada George (born 1940), Nigerian politician
* Rufus ...
, purchases the
schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
''Catherine'', which he renamed the ''Salina''.
Dobbins was known as being a man of "remarkable temperament" who was a known prankster. A biographer described one of his pranks: "On one occasion, while anchored by a group of islands near the west end of Lake Erie, Barney decided to explore one of the islands and left in a small boat with his gun and dog. He promised he would be back shortly. Dobbins got tired of waiting, and hoping to frighten his friend a bit, pulled anchor and sailed around the island out of sight of the unsuspecting Barney. He naturally planned to return after his friend had several moments of panic, but a sudden storm arose and forced Dobbins away from the island. Assured that his friend was in no danger, he returned to the port of Erie. Poor Barney remained on the island for three days until the weather cleared and he was rescued."
War of 1812
While in port at
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island ( ; french: Île Mackinac; oj, Mishimikinaak ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ; otw, Michilimackinac) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac an ...
, Dobbins, along with Rufus S. Reed and William W. Reed were captured when the British raided
Fort Michilimackinac on July 17, 1812. They were paroled after they took an oath that they would not "take up arms against the United Kingdom," which Dobbins refused to take. The British ordered that he, along with the other
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
, sail to
Fort Malden
Fort Malden, formally known as Fort Amherstburg, is a defence fortification located in Amherstburg, Ontario. It was built in 1795 by Great Britain in order to ensure the security of British North America against any potential threat of American i ...
. Instead, Dobbins met up with General
William Hull at
Fort Detroit, where Dobbins was again taken prisoner when General Hull surrendered Detroit to the British on August 16, 1812. When it was realized that Dobbins had broken his promise by "taking up arms in the defense of Detroit" and was in danger of being executed, British Colonel Robert Nichols, a friend of Dobbins before the war, granted him safe passage to
Cleveland,
Ohio.
After arriving back in Erie, Dobbins traveled to
Washington, D.C. and briefed the
United States Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton on the surrenders of Fort Michilimackinac and Detroit and the strength of the British navy on Lake Erie. When asked where the best place to build ships, Dobbin "unhesitatingly" said
Presque Isle because "no finer oak grew than was to be found there, close to the water's edge, and in the land-locked harbor the vessels, when built, could ride in security." Before Dobbins left Washington, D.C., he was given the dimensions of a small
gunboat and was made a
sailing master
The master, or sailing master, is a historical rank for a naval officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing vessel. The rank can be equated to a professional seaman and specialist in navigation, rather than as a military ...
in the Navy. After arriving back in Erie, Dobbins set about building a fleet as directed by Secretary Hamilton.
In 1813, upon completion of the fleet, Dobbins was given command of the , a former merchant vessel. On August 17, the fleet departed Erie and headed to
Sandusky, Ohio to wait for the British fleet. On August 22, Dobbins was sent with the USS ''Ohio'' back to Erie to resupply with fresh provisions. In early September, he was again sent back to Erie for resupply. Dobbins returned to Sandusky on September 13, 1813, three days after the battle.
For the rest of the war, Dobbins and the USS ''Ohio'' transported supplies to Detroit for the use during the ground offensives of the war.
Revenue Cutter Service
In 1816, Dobbins navigated the waters of
Green Bay, with Colonel John Miller, to establish a fort at the head of the bay. He resigned his naval commission in 1826.
Dobbins lobbied hard for the establishment of a
United States Revenue Cutter Service, forerunner to the
United States Coast Guard, station at Erie. He was appointed commander of the
USRC ''Benjamin Rush'' in 1829 by
United States President Andrew Jackson after its former commander,
Gilbert Knapp, publicly called Jackson "a cutthroat and a murderer." In 1834, Dobbins was given command of the
USRC ''Erie''. Dobbins, being a
Jackson Democrat, was removed from command and Knapp reinstated when
William Henry Harrison, a
Whig, was elected in 1841. Dobbins was reinstated in 1845 by President
James K. Polk and was put in command of the
USRC ''Taney'' in
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
from 1845 to 1846. Dobbins, who was not pleased with his new command away from Lake Erie, took a leave of absence and was eventually assigned back to the USRC ''Erie'' in 1847. He was removed from command and Knapp reinstated again with the election of
Zachary Taylor in 1848. The Coast Guard maintains a station at Erie to this day.
Dobbins died in Erie on February 29, 1856 and was buried in the
Erie Cemetery.
His papersare in the collection of the
Buffalo History Museum.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobbins, Daniel
1776 births
1856 deaths
United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812
American sailors
People from Erie, Pennsylvania
People from Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
United States Navy officers
United States Revenue Cutter Service officers
War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom