Commodore Josiah Tattnall (November 9, 1795 – June 14, 1871) was an officer in the

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 ...

during 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 ...

, the

Second Barbary War The Second Barbary War (1815) or the U.S.–Algerian War was fought between the United States and the North African Barbary Coast states of Tripoli, Tunis, and Algiers. The war ended when the United States Senate ratified Commodore Stephen De ...

and the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico f ...

. He later served in the

Confederate Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the 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 American ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

Schooling and War of 1812

Josiah was the son of

Josiah Tattnall Josiah Tattnall may refer to: *Josiah Tattnall (politician) (1765–1803), American politician * Josiah Tattnall Sr. (1740–1803), British colonist *Josiah Tattnall III Commodore Josiah Tattnall (November 9, 1795 – June 14, 1871) was an off ...

, who was Governor and U.S. Senator from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

. He was born on his father's Bonaventure Plantation, near

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

. After studying in England, he was appointed a

midshipman 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 ...

on January 1, 1812, and attended the Naval academy at Washington, D.C., until 1 August when he was assigned to the frigate ''Constellation''. When his ship tried to slip out to sea, the strong British squadron operating in the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

forced her to put into

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...

. ''Constellation'' remained bottled up in

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...

for the duration of the War of 1812, but Tattnall and his comrades still managed to get into the fray. He was among the 100 or so sailors and

marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (ref ...

assigned to the shore battery on Craney Island. On June 22, 1813, the British attempted to carry the island by storm in preparation for an attack on nearby Norfolk. Tattnall's battery and a force of American boats gave the attackers a sound rebuff that deterred the British from further attempts to take the city. In April 1814, Midshipman Tattnall was detached from ''Constellation'' and, by August 24, was in command of a force of employees from the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. The Yard currently serves as a ceremonial and administra ...

. He led them into the

Battle of Bladensburg The Battle of Bladensburg was a battle of the Chesapeake campaign of the War of 1812, fought on 24 August 1814 at Bladensburg, Maryland, northeast of Washington, D.C. Called "the greatest disgrace ever dealt to American arms," a United Kingdom ...

in an unsuccessful effort to stop the British advance on the American capital. On October 14, he was ordered to

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

for duty on ''Epervier''. In May 1815, that sloop sailed for the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

with Commodore

Stephen Decatur Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was an American naval officer and commodore. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County. His father, Stephen Decatur Sr., was a commodore in the Unit ...

's squadron to engage the Barbary Pirates in Algiers in the

. On June 17, she participated in the capture of the frigate '' Mashouda'' and, two days later, of the

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

''Estedio''. In July, when ''Epervier'' was ordered back to the United States with dispatches, Tattnall remained in the Mediterranean in ''Constellation''. In January 1817, he transferred to ''Ontario'' and returned in her to the United States.

Interwar years, 1818–1845

Promoted to lieutenant on April 1, 1818, Tattnall was assigned to the frigate ''Macedonian'' on June 30, and he sailed in her for the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

in November. He was detached from ''Macedonian'' on August 30, 1820, and returned to the United States. Ordered to Norfolk on December 26, 1822, he joined Commodore David Porter's squadron in

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 ...

''Jackall''. Lieutenant Tattnall served in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...

on an expedition to suppress piracy until he was detached on May 4, 1823. On June 23, 1824, Tattnall was ordered to ''Constitution'' for Mediterranean service. In March 1826, he transferred to ''Brandywine'' and returned home in her in May. On the 15th of that month, he was granted six months leave, which was later extended into 1828. Tattnall served in ''Erie'' from October 1828 to August 1829 and then went on to survey the Tortugas until March 1830. Lt. Tattnall took command of schooner ''Grampus'' on April 15, 1831, and cruised the West Indies and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United S ...

. In August 1832, he captured the Mexican schooner, ''Montezuma'', which had boarded and robbed an American ship on the high seas. He was detached from ''Grampus'' in September 1832 and went on leave awaiting orders for almost four years before being ordered in, July 1836, to recruit men for Captain Thomas ap Catesby Jones' survey and exploration expedition. Tattnall was promoted to commander on February 25, 1836, and, in April, reported for a three-year tour of duty at 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 ...

Mexican–American War

Following service with the

and African squadrons, Commander Tattnall joined the Mosquito Division in the Gulf of Mexico in 1846, commanding the steam gunboat, ''Spitfire''. During the

, he took part in the attacks on

Vera Cruz Veracruz is a state in Mexico. Veracruz or Vera Cruz (literally "True Cross") may also refer to: People * María González Veracruz (born 1979), Spanish politician * Philip Vera Cruz (1904–1994), Filipino American labor leader * Tomé Vera Cruz ...

, San Juan d'Ulloa, and Tuxpan, and he suffered an arm wound. For his gallantry before Vera Cruz, the state of

presented him with a sword.

Interwar years, 1848–1860

In 1848 and 1849, he returned to shore duty at the Boston Navy Yard. On February 5, 1850, he was commissioned captain and, the following month, was given command of ''Saranac''. Next, he commanded the Pensacola Navy Yard from July 1851 to June 1854. From August 1854 to November 1855, Captain Tattnall was flag captain in ''Independence'' to Commodore William Mervine with the

Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval s ...

. At

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

on January 29, 1858, he relieved Commodore James Armstrong taking command of the

East India Squadron The East India Squadron, or East Indies Squadron, was a squadron of American ships which existed in the nineteenth century, it focused on protecting American interests in the Far East while the Pacific Squadron concentrated on the western coast ...

, breaking his flag in ''San Jacinto''. During his two years in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The te ...

, Commodore Tattnall violated American neutrality while commanding the chartered steamer ''Toey-Wan'', when he came to the assistance of a British and French squadron

under fire Under Fire may refer to: Books * ''Under Fire'' (Barbusse novel) (French: ''Le Feu''), a novel by Henri Barbusse * ''Under Fire'' (Blackwood novel), by Grant Blackwood in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Jr. franchise series * ''Under Fire'' (North book ...

from the

Taku Forts The Taku Forts or Dagu Forts, also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River (Peiho River) estuary in the Binhai New Area, Tianjin, in northeastern China. They are located southeast of the Tianjin urban center. History The ...

at the mouth of the

Pei Ho The Hai River (海河, lit. "Sea River"), also known as the Peiho, ("White River"), or Hai Ho, is a Chinese river connecting Beijing to Tianjin and the Bohai Sea. The Hai River at Tianjin is formed by the confluence of five watercourses: the ...

or Hai River. His explanation of his action, " blood is thicker than water", subsequently became a famous slogan. On his return voyage early in 1860, Tattnall commanded the ''Powhatan'', carrying the first diplomatic embassy from

Tokugawa Japan The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional ''daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characterize ...

to the United States. While stopped at

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the islan ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

along the way, the British residents of that city wrote a letter thanking Tattnall for his "gallant and humane conduct" during the "unfortunate affair at the Pei-ho River". The embassy was safely conveyed to San Francisco and then Panama, where they crossed the isthmus and continued on to Washington, D.C.

American Civil War

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Capt. Tattnall held command of the Sackett's Harbor Station. Though he opposed secession, Tattnall resigned his commission on February 21, 1861. A week later, Governor Joseph E. Brown commissioned Tattnall as the senior flag officer of the Navy of Georgia. On March 26, 1861, he received his commission as a captain in the

. Tattnall commanded Southern naval units during the defense of

Port Royal Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping an ...

until the harbor was captured by Union forces on 7 November 1861. From there, he moved to overall command of the defense of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

's waters early in March 1862. Tattnall, by then a flag officer in the Confederate Navy as well as the Navy of Georgia, directed CSS ''Jamestown'' and other warships in captures of Federal merchantmen off

Sewell's Point Sewells Point is a peninsula of land in the independent city of Norfolk, Virginia in the United States, located at the mouth of the salt-water port of Hampton Roads. Sewells Point is bordered by water on three sides, with Willoughby Bay to the ...

in April 1862. On May 11, 1862, in the face of advancing Federal forces, Flag Officer Tattnall ordered the destruction of 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 ...

, CSS ''Virginia'' (ex-''Merrimack''). He was later acquitted by a court martial of all charges stemming from that action. He resumed command of the naval forces of Georgia on May 29, 1862, and retained it until 31 March 1863, when he turned over command of forces afloat to Comdr. Richard L. Page and concentrated upon the shore defenses of Savannah. When Savannah fell to General

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

's troops, Tattnall became a prisoner of war. He was paroled on May 9, 1865, and, soon thereafter, took up residence once more in Savannah.

Death

Tattnall died in Savannah on June 14, 1871, and was buried in

Bonaventure Cemetery Bonaventure Cemetery is a rural cemetery located on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River, east of Savannah, Georgia. The cemetery became famous when it was featured in the 1994 novel '' Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' by John Beren ...

. He is buried in the Tattnall family plot
section E, lot 1
,Bonaventure Section E
- SavannahGA.gov beside his wife.''Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends''
Lucian Lamar Knight (The Byrd Printing Company, 1914)

Namesakes

* Two ships, USS ''Tattnall'', have been named for him.

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tattnall, Josiah 1794 births 1871 deaths American Civil War prisoners of war United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 Confederate States Navy captains Military personnel from Savannah, Georgia People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Civil War United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War American military personnel of the Second Barbary War People of the Second Opium War