Captain Thomas Holdup Stevens, USN (February 22, 1795 – January 21, 1841) was an American

naval A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operatio ...

commander in 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 ...

. Born in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, Thomas Holdup was orphaned at an early age and was adopted by General Daniel Stevens. On February 8, 1809, he 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 ''Hornet''. From then until 1812, he served successively in ''Constitution'', ''President'', and ''John Adams''. Late in 1812, he was assigned to duty with Commodore

Isaac Chauncey Isaac Chauncey (February 20, 1772 – January 27, 1840) was a United States Navy officer who served in the Quasi-War, the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. In the latter part of his naval career he was President of the Board of Navy Commiss ...

and distinguished himself in the attack on Black Rock on November 28. Commodore Chauncey appointed him acting lieutenant in January 1813 and his permanent commission in that rank, to date from July 24, was confirmed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on August 3. On September 10, he again distinguished himself as captain of the sloop, ''Trippe'', during the

Battle of Lake Erie The Battle of Lake Erie, also known as the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie off the shores of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the British ...

. In 1815, an Act of the Legislature of South Carolina enabled him to add General Stevens' surname to his own. Following the War of 1812, Stevens held many posts, both ashore and afloat, including tours of duty at the

Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility ...

and the

Washington Navy 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 ...

. He was promoted to Master Commandant on March 3, 1825 and, in 1829, he embarked on a two-year tour as commanding officer of ''Ontario'', serving in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. In 1832, he was assigned to the Navy Yard at

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

and in 1836 he was appointed captain, to date from January 27, 1836. After waiting two years for orders, he was appointed to command of the

on February 29, 1840. He served in that capacity until his death there early on the morning of January 21, 1841. The first ''Stevens'' (Destroyer No. 86) was named for the first Thomas Holdup Stevens and the second ''Stevens'' (DD-479) honored both him and his son, Rear Admiral Thomas Holdup Stevens, Jr. Originally buried at the

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street in Washington, D.C., in the Hill East neighborhood on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American ...

in Washington, his remains were moved to

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

in June 1905 to rest beside those of his son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Thomas Holdup 1795 births 1841 deaths Military personnel from Charleston, South Carolina United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 Burials at the Congressional Cemetery Burials at Arlington National Cemetery