Commodore Isaac Mayo (1794 – 18 May 1861) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

naval officer who served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans and Black Indians. It was part of a seri ...

, and Mexican War. Mayo is credited with influencing the location of the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) 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 Secretary of ...

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

and is noted for his controversial resignation and Presidential dismissal from the service at the start of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same 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 polic ...

Life

Isaac Mayo was born in 1794 in Anne Arundel County Maryland. He was the nephew of

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 ...

Admiral Joseph Mayo.Mullins, Caroline, History of Mayo Maryland, Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1996 as summarized at retrieved 5/19/2011 He married Sarah Battaile Fitzhugh Bland, daughter of Theodoric Bland, a

federal judge Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level. United States A US federal judge is appointed by the US President and confirmed by the US Senate in accordance with Article 3 of ...

and

Chancellor of Maryland The Chancellor of Maryland was the highest judicial office in the state of Maryland from before the American Revolution until the state's High Court of Chancery ceased to exist, on June 4, 1854. The High Court of Chancery of Maryland was organized ...

, and Sarah Glen in 1835. They had one daughter, Sarah Warfield, Joshua D., The founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Ann Arrundell County Historical Society, 2002, p.323 The Mayos resided in historic Gresham house at Mayo's Neck plantation, parts of which had formerly been known as Cotter's Desire, Love's Neck, and Selby's Marsh. The plantation had previously been owned by the pirate William Cotter and wife Jane Gassaway, who purchased it two years after the death of Jane's father Colonel

Nicholas Gassaway Colonel Nicholas Gassaway (baptized 11 March 1634 – between 10 and 27 January 1691 Julian Calendar) was a colonial military and political leader and justice in early Maryland. He is the progenitor of the some five and a half thousand Americans ...

(Mysteriously, the Colonel's and his son's gravestones were both found there in different centuries, though both had lived and died at the Love's Neck residence while Gresham house was still owned and occupied by Greshams on rented land).Warfield, Joshua D., The founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Ann Arrundell County Historical Society, 2002, p.171 Commodore Mayo also owned a farm in ElkridgeReed, George E. (editor), Pennsylvania archives, fourth series, William Stanley Ray, State Printer, Harrisburg, PA, 1902, Page 613–615 and Sarah inherited

Blandair Blandair, also known as Blandair Farm, Blandair Park, and Blandair Regional Park, is 300 acres of former slave plantation located in Columbia, Maryland. The Blandair Foundation estate of Mrs. Smith was purchased by Howard County, Maryland in the la ...

from her father in 1846. Commodore Mayo died of a gunshot wound at Gresham house on or before the morning of May 18, 1861, the same day on which he was dismissed from the Navy by order of President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

for his eloquent but aggressive letter of resignation. He is buried beneath a tall stone spire in the Strawberry Hill Cemetery at the

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

. The 2500+ resident community of Mayo, Maryland, as well as Mayo Road (route 214), the Mayo Peninsula, and Mayo School all bear his name.

Military service

Enlistment and War of 1812

Isaac Mayo entered service in the

at the age of 16 in 1809. He was first posted to the ''USS Wasp'' as a midshipman under Captain James Lawrence. He followed the Captain from the Wasp to the brig ''Argus'' and then the ''USS Hornet'' where he served during the

. He was advanced 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 ...

on the 4th of February 1815.Mayo, Isaac, Journal of Isaac Mayo while at Sea from 1809-1819, USS Constitution Museum available at http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/collections/collections/mayo_journal.htm retrieved 24 May 2011 He received a Congressional Medal of Valor for his actions during the war.

Earliest Reference to "Uncle Sam"

A letter dated May 1, 1810 written by 16-year-old Mayo aboard the USS Wasp contains the first extant mention of the term "Uncle Sam" as a reference to the United States. In the letter, held in the USS Constitution Museum, Mayo describes how he coped with seasickness shortly after joining the crew of the Wasp, citing "Uncle Sam" as a possible product of Navy slang: ""Oh could I have got on shore in the h ght of it, I swear that uncle Sam, as they call him, would certainly forever have lost the services of at least one sailor."Mayo, Isaac, Journal of Isaac Mayo while at Sea from 1809-1819, USS Constitution Museum available at https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/collections-history/library-and-manuscript/logs-and-journals/issac-mayos-journal/ retrieved 22 April 2016

Second Seminole war The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans and Black Indians. It was part of a seri ...

In 1840,

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

Isaac Mayo was assigned command of the sidewheel steam gunboat . He later commanded a squadron of gunboats during the campaign in which the Poinsett remained active until August 1842.Wikipedia article

United States Naval Academy

In 1845,

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 ...

Mayo sat on the 5 member board to determine the location of a permanent naval academy for the

.Riley, Eli S., ''A History of Anne Arundel County Maryland'', Charles G. Feldmeyer publisher, Annapolis, MD, 1905, P.88 Knowing the advantages of the

Fort Severn Fort Severn, in present-day Annapolis, Maryland, was built in 1808 on the same site as an earlier American Revolutionary War fort of 1776. Although intended to guard Annapolis harbor from British attack during the War of 1812, it never saw act ...

location, Mayo is credited with helping steer the board's decision to locate the academy there. He is said to have supported the location from the "first vote to the last". Following the establishment of the academy, Mayo was posted to examine

midshipmen A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Af ...

until, on the eve of the Mexican War, he was assigned command of .National Archives, Abstracts of Service Records of Naval Officers, 1798-1893, M0330

Mexican War

In the 1840s as US

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Scott advanced on

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

, he requested

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieg ...

support from Commodore

Matthew C. Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the ...

and the United States Naval forces nearby.Abbot, Willis J., ''A Naval History of the United States'', Volume 2, PETER FENELON COLLIER, New York, Project Gutenberg transcription 2008 On March 23, Captain Mayo was among those who came ashore with 8" guns from his ship. The naval

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

deployed consisted of three 68-pound shell guns and three thirty-two pounders firing solid shot, and over 200 seamen and others attached to each in order to transport the massive weapons through knee-deep mud. Officers drew lots for the honor of commanding the sand-bagged battery and after the first day under the command of Captain Aulick, it passed to Captain Mayo on the 25th. While under Mayo's command on the 25th, the battery was able to silence the guns of

leading to its unconditional surrender on the 28th. On March 30, 1847, General Scott left Captain Mayo and the naval garrison under his command to hold

Tlacotalpan Tlacotalpan is a city in Tlacotalpan Municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998 primarily for its architecture and colonial-era layout. The town was established in 1550 on what was originally a ...

and Alvarado, of which Mayo was subsequently appointed

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. Commodore Mayo buried cannonballs from Veracruz at his Gresham

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Th ...

as mementos of his victory there.

African Squadron

On December 9, 1852, Mayo was assigned to take command of the US African Squadron engaged in the prevention of US-flagged ships participating in the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. He was assigned USS ''Constitution'' as his

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of 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 the f ...

.Executive Documents, printed by order of the House of Representatives during the Second Session of the Thirty-fifth Congress, 1858-9, James B. Steedman, Printer, Washington DC, 1859 Mayo, a slave holder himself, whose farm in Elkridge South of Baltimore would experience a runaway slave issue as he departed for this duty assignment, had thus been assigned to further US anti-slavery policy. It would be during Mayo's command of the squadron, on November 3, 1853, that ''Constitution'' would capture the last prize vessel taken by her in combat. That was the ''H.N. Gambrill'', a

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 schoo ...

with no slaves aboard. It would be the only action of Mayo's two-year command of the squadron.Long, David Foster, Gold braid and foreign relations, United States Naval Institute, Annapolis, MD. 1988, p.317 On April 17, 1855, he was relieved along with the by Capt. Thomas Crabbe, whose orders were extensive in the detailing of the intent and desire of the United States to thereby suppress the

and prevent any vessel flying the

US flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

from engaging in it. In June, the 61-year-old officer was granted three months leave after two and a half years at sea on an 18th-century frigate, before returning to the examination of

at the academy.

Resignation and dismissal

Following the outbreak of hostilities between the

Confederacy Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

and the United States,

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

Mayo was the oldest and longest-serving of the some 300 Navy officers who chose not to support the union, some 100 of whom resigned their commissions. Mayo wrote to President

: ::"For more than half a century it has been the pride of my life to hold office under the Government of the United States. For twenty-five, I have engaged in active sea-service and have never seen my flag dishonored, or the American arms disgraced by defeat. It was the hope of my old age that I might die, as I had lived, an officer in the Navy of a free Government. This hope has been taken from me. In adopting the policy of coercion, you have denied to millions of freemen the rights of the Constitution and in its stead you have placed the will of a sectional Party. As one of the oldest soldiers of America, I protest--in the name of humanity--against this "war against brethren!" I cannot fight against the Constitution while pretending to fight for it. You will therefore oblige me by accepting my resignation." Lincoln, while granting other such requests, ordered Mayo's dismissal from the Navy effective May 18, 1861. However, Commodore Mayo had died May 10, 1861, of a gunshot wound at Gresham house.

References

External links

* Selby Maryland Community Association http://www.selbyonthebay.org/ * Record of the seizure of the Gambrill http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/war1812/const8.htm * USS Constitution Museum http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/ * Mayo Maryland Website http://www.mayo.md.us/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayo, Isaac 1794 births 1861 deaths United States Navy commodores United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 People from Anne Arundel County, Maryland Deaths by firearm in Maryland United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War