Foxhall Alexander Parker Jr. (August 5, 1821 – June 10, 1879) was an 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 ...

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 became one of the founders of the

United States Naval Institute The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds s ...

Biography

He was born in New York on August 5, 1821, the son of Foxhall A. Parker Sr. and Sarah Jay Bogardus (born 1794), daughter of

Robert Bogardus Robert Bogardus (May 22, 1771 "Possession House", St. John's Park, New York City – September 12, 1841 New York City) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was a lineal descendant of Dominie Everardus Bogardus. Life He was th ...

(1771–1841). Parker was appointed a midshipman March 11, 1837. He was attached to the West Indian Squadron, then transferred to the

Philadelphia Naval School Naval Square is a gated community within the Graduate Hospital neighborhood of Philadelphia that served as the first United States Naval Academy from 1834 to 1845, when the Naval Academy formed in Annapolis. It continued as a retirement home fo ...

, graduating in 1843. In 1842, he served under his father, Foxhall A. Parker Sr., in ''

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

''. He also served under his father in '' Brandywine''. On September 21, 1850, he was commissioned lieutenant. He served against the Florida Indians, on the Great Lakes, the Mediterranean, the Pacific, and on various coast surveys. From 1861 to 1862, he was executive officer of the navy yard 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 ...

During the Civil War, he cooperated with the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

, protecting

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, after the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

. His capable manipulation of the forces at his command went far toward restoring order and confidence at Washington. He built Fort Dahlgren, and drilled 2,000 seamen in the exercise of artillery and small arms, thereby promoting the success of Admiral

Andrew H. Foote Andrew Hull Foote (September 12, 1806 – June 26, 1863) was an American naval officer who was noted for his service in the American Civil War and also for his contributions to several naval reforms in the years prior to the war. When the war cam ...

's operations with the Mississippi Flotilla. He became commander on July 16, 1862, had charge of the steam gunboat '' Mahaska'' in active service off Wilmington and Yorktown, and of the gunboat '' Wabash'' off Charleston from June to September 1863. He commanded a naval battery at the bombardment of

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a historical Coastal defense and fortification#Sea forts, sea fort located near Charleston, South Carolina. Constructed on an artificial island at the entrance of Charleston Harbor in 1829, the fort was built in response to the W ...

. Later, until the close of the war, he commanded the

Potomac Flotilla The Potomac Flotilla, also called the Potomac Squadron, was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to secure Union communications in the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River and their tributaries, and to ...

, which consisted at one time of 42 vessels, and frequently engaged Confederate forces. In 1866, he received the rank of captain. In 1872, as commodore and chief of staff of the

North Atlantic Fleet The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European Squadron, European and South Atlantic Squadron, South Atlantic squadr ...

, he drew up a code of signals for steam tactics. In 1877/8 he was in charge of the

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

. He became superintendent of the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

in 1878 and was one of the founders of the

. Parker died at

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

and was interred at the

United States Naval Academy Cemetery The United States Naval Academy Cemetery and Columbarium is a cemetery at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. History In 1868 the Naval Academy purchased a 67-acre piece of land called Strawberry Hill as part of their effort ...

. His brother was

William Harwar Parker William Harwar Parker (October 8, 1826 – December 30, 1896) was an officer in the United States Navy and later in the Confederate States Navy. His autobiography, entitled ''Recollections of a Naval Officer 1841–1865'', provides a unique insigh ...

, who served in the U.S. Navy and in the

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

Writings

Textbooks for the U.S. Naval Academy: * ''Fleet Tactics Under Steam'' (1863) * ''Squadron Tactics under Steam'' (1863) * ''The Naval Howitzer Afloat'' (1865) * ''The Naval Howitzer Ashore'' (1865) History: * ''The Fleets of the World: the Galley Period'' (1876) * ''The Battle of Mobile Bay'' (1878)

Namesakes

Two ships have been named USS ''Parker'' for him.

Notes

References

* * * *
Photo of Parker

External links