Joseph Tarbell (16 September 1773 – 24 November 1815) 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

First Barbary War The First Barbary War (1801–1805), also known as the Tripolitan War and the Barbary Coast War, was a conflict during the 1801–1815 Barbary Wars, in which the United States fought against Ottoman Tripolitania. Tripolitania had declared war ...

and 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 ...

Early life

Tarbell was born in

Groton, Massachusetts Groton is a town in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, within the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The population was 11,315 at the 2020 census. An affluent bedroom community roughly 45 miles from Boston, Groton has a ...

on 16 September 1773.COMMODORE JOHN CASSIN, U. S. N". ''Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia'', vol. 22, no. 2, 1911, pp. 103–105. ''JSTOR'', www.jstor.org/stable/44208155. Accessed 10 April 2020. He was married to Elizabeth Ann Cassin, daughter of Commodore

John Cassin John Cassin (September 6, 1813 – January 10, 1869) was an American ornithology, ornithologist from Pennsylvania. He worked as curator and vice president at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and focused on the systemic classification ...

and sister of

Stephen Cassin Stephen Cassin (16 February 1783 – 29 August 1857) was an officer in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. Early life and military career Born in Philadelphia, the son of naval officer John Cassin, Cassin en ...

Military career

Tarbell was appointed

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 ...

on board of USS ''Constitution'' in the United States Navy on 5 December 1798. Tarbel became an officer in the rank of

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 25 August 1800.

First Barbary War

He served in ''Constitution'' and other ships of the Mediterranean Squadron from 1800 to 1804, at the height of America's war with Tripoli. Under Commodore Edward Preble's command, he took part in the 1804 blockade of Tripoli and was among those honored by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

for services rendered during that action.

Between the wars

On 3 March 1805 Tarbell was promoted to master commandant. In 1808, he married Elizabeth Ann Cassin, who was Commodore John Cassin's daughter and

's sister. After the war, in 1806, Tarbell was appointed master of the

Washington Naval 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 ...

. In 1811-1812 (maybe even until 1813), he was commanding the controversial repair of USS ''John Adams''.

War of 1812

In 1813, Tarbell temporarily was appointed to command USS ''Constellation''. He also was the commanding officer of the Gosport gunboat flotilla. From 19 to 23 June 1813 Tarbell commanded a boat expedition against the British squadron off Craney Island and in the

James River The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...

. On the 20th his flotilla of fifteen gunboats had a 45-minute engagement with the British frigate ''Junon''. The other British frigates joined the engagement forcing the American gunboats to retire. The British and American accounts of this particular engagement differ greatly. On 22 June 1813, Tarbell commanded USS ''Constellation'' in the

battle of Craney Island The Battle of Craney Island was fought on June 22, 1813 during the War of 1812. British forces under George Cockburn and John Borlase Warren attempted an amphibious landing on Craney Island, Virginia but were repulsed by defending American ...

, which was won by the Americans. He was commended by his superior, Commodore

, and by the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

officers ashore (Lt Col Henry Beatty) for his gallantry and assistance in the defense of Craney Island. On 23 July 1813, James Madison nominated Tarbell for the rank of captain effective 24 July 1813.

Death and legacy

Captain Tarbell died at Norfolk or Washington D.C., on 24 November 1815 and is buried at the Catholic burying ground of St. Patrick's Church. USS ''Tarbell'' (DD-142) was named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarbell, Joseph 1773 births 1815 deaths United States Navy officers American military personnel of the First Barbary War United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 Military personnel from Norfolk, Virginia