Samuel Dana Greene Sr. (February 11, 1839 – December 11, 1884) 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 ...

, mostly noted for his service aboard the during the

Battle of Hampton Roads The Battle of Hampton Roads, also referred to as the Battle of the ''Monitor'' and ''Merrimack'' or the Battle of Ironclads, was a naval battle during the American Civil War. The battle was fought over two days, March 8 and 9, 1862, in Hampton ...

Biography

Early life and career

Greene was born in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, the son of future

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

General George S. Greene. He entered 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 ...

on September 21, 1855, and graduated on June 9, 1859, with the rank of midshipman. He was stationed on the steam sloop , which transported

John Elliott Ward John Elliott Ward (October 2, 1814 – November 30, 1902) was an American politician and diplomat. Biography John Elliott Ward was born in Sunbury, Georgia on October 2, 1814. He served as United States Attorney for Georgia, mayor of Savanna ...

, the American ambassador to various cities in China to settle American claims.

Civil War

When the Civil War broke out, the ''Hartford'' was ordered to return home. Greene, having been promoted to lieutenant on August 31, 1861, arrived in Philadelphia on December 2, 1861. After a short leave, he volunteered for duty on the ''Monitor''. Greene was appointed executive officer, serving under Commander Lieutenant John L. Worden during its historic four-hour battle at Hampton Roads, Virginia, with the Confederate

ironclad An ironclad was a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by iron armour, steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or ince ...

warship on March 9, 1862. During the battle he assumed full command of ''Monitor'' when Worden was temporarily blinded by shell fragments from an explosion from one of ''Virginia''s broadsides. After the subsequent retreat and assessment of all damage Greene ordered the return to battle and continued engaging the ''Virginia'' to a standoff. Greene continued to command the ''Monitor'' until Thomas O. Selfridge Jr. took command on March 10, 1862. From April to May 1862 Greene continued to serve as executive officer on ''Monitor'' during the

Battle of Drewry's Bluff The Battle of Drewry's Bluff, also known as the Battle of Fort Darling, or Fort Drewry, took place on May 15, 1862, in Chesterfield County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Four Union Navy warships, includ ...

on 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 ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and later provided naval support for General McClellan's forces on land along that river. Greene was aboard the ship when it foundered in a gale 20 miles off

Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. As a temperate barrier island, the landscape has been shaped by wind, waves, and storms. There are long stretches of beach ...

on December 31 – January 1, 1863, which Greene survived after being pulled into a lifeboat by the ship's surgeon, Dr. Grenville M. Weeks. In 1863 Greene served aboard the gunboat on the blockade of North Carolina, then in 1864–1865 aboard the sloop , under the command of Christopher R. P. Rodgers, sailing around South America and across the Pacific to Singapore in search of the Confederate raider .

Post-war career

Greene was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on August 11, 1865, and served as instructor of

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

at the Naval Academy from 1866 to 1868. From 1868 to 1871 he served in the

Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron of the United States Navy, established c. 1821 and disbanded in 1907, was a naval squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Developing from a small force protecting United States commerc ...

, aboard the sloops and , and the screw steamer . He served as the head of the department of astronomy, navigation and surveying at the Naval Academy from 1871 to 1875, receiving promotion to Commander on December 12, 1872. Greene commanded the and between 1875 and 1878, was assistant superintendent of the academy from 1878 to 1882, then commanded the in 1883–1884. Greene was serving as the executive officer of the

Portsmouth Navy Yard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard on Seavey's Island in Kittery, Maine, bordering Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The naval yard lies along the southern boundary of Maine on ...

when on December 11, 1884, at the age of 45, he committed suicide at

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on ...

, and was buried in the Juniper Hill Cemetery in

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States, as well as the county seat. The population of Bristol was 22,493 at the 2020 census. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. Major industries include boat buil ...

. Davis, 1981, p. 168

Personal life

Greene was married twice. First to Mary Willis Dearth (1839-1874) and second to Mary Abby Babbitt (1839-1926). Mary Abby Babbitt was the daughter of Major Jacob Babbitt (1809-1862) of the 7th Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, who was killed in action at the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...

. Greene had three children by his first wife - Samuel Dana Greene Jr. (1864-1900), who graduated from the

in 1883, Mary Richmond (Greene) Conover (1867-?) and Charles de Boketon Greene (1871-?).

Namesake

The destroyer (1919–1945) was named for him.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Samuel American educators 1839 births 1884 deaths Union Navy officers United States Navy officers Military personnel from Cumberland, Maryland Suicides in New Hampshire United States Naval Academy alumni American expatriates in China Greene family (Rhode Island) Burials at Juniper Hill Cemetery