The hero to whose memory this window is now unveiled stands eminent among the men who valiantly served our country in her time of greatest peril and preserved to us the institutions that have so nearly realized the dreams and aspirations of poets and philosophers of past ages and are to-day the admiration of all mankind. In that great struggle the name of David Dixon Porter will ever be associated with those of Lincoln, Grant, Sherman and Farragut, whose friend and companion-in-arms he was, and his deeds as a naval commander rank him with the great captains of all times whose fame illumines the pages of history.
The contemplation of his life is a most fitting subject for the young men assembled here, as the model of what a sea-officer and patriot should strive to be. No romance could be more thrilling than the career of this man: Born of a lineage that had played an active part in every war in which our country had been engaged, he accomplished the difficult task of not only maintaining but surpassing the reputation of his fighting ancestors. His early adventures by flood and field in the Mexican navy, with his illustrious father and gallant cousin, possessed all the romantic charm with which novelists have animated the tales of sea life.
The Porter family was of good old Massachusetts stock. The admiral's great-grandfather was a merchant captain who served in the Colonial wars; his grandfather and great-uncle were bred to the sea and both engaged with credit in he Revolutionary War; the former was commissioned a captain in the state navy of Massachusetts and commanded the 10-gun ship Aurora. Upon one of his cruises he was captured by the British and was confined on board the prison-ship Jersey. Effecting his escape he took command of a vessel in the West India trade and resisted a pressgang from a British man-of-war, driving the intruders from his ship with considerable loss. For this spirited conduct he was appointed a sailing master in the Continental Navy.
His son, David Porter, destined to become one of the most distinguished captains in the War of 1812, and father of the future admiral, was born in Boston in 1780. He went to sea with his father at the age of sixteen and was impressed into a British frigate from which he escaped and was subsequently appointed a midshipman in the U.S. Navy, thus commencing that brilliant and adventurous career that marked him as one of the most romantic and heroic figures that adorn the annals of naval history. He served with great bravery under Truxtun in the Constellation at the capture of the French frigate Insurgente. After the action he was sent with Lieutenant Rodgers and twelve seamen as prize crew of the captured frigate; being separated from the Constellation in a gale of wind, these two young officers with their handful of men accomplished the almost unparalleled task of guarding two hundred prisoners and after three sleepless days and nights of superhuman effort succeeded in working their prize safely into port. He performed gallant service in the Tripolitan War and was made prisoner with Bainbridge and the crew of the Philadelphia. In the War of 1812, while in command of the frigate Essex during her eventful cruise in the Pacific, he won undying fame. Commodore Porter was subsequently appointed commander-in-chief of the Mexican navy, then struggling against Spanish oppression.
David Dixon Porter, the subject of this eulogium, was born in Chester, Penna., in 1813 and at an early age accompanied his father to Mexico and commenced his naval career as a midshipman on board the schooner Esmeralda. In the brig Guerrero, commanded by his cousin Lieut. David H. Porter, the future admiral received his baptism of fire in one of the most desperate sea fights ever recorded. This engagement between a 64-gun frigate and a 22-gun brig lasted for an hour and a half, but the skill and valor displayed by Lieutenant Porter and his crew could not prevail against the odds: the Guerrero was reduced to a shattered hulk; even after her flag was hauled down, the Spaniards barbarously continued to fire, and the heroic commander was cut in two by a 24-pound shot. The few survivors with young David were carried prisoners to Havana. He refused parole and remained with his shipmates until events enabled him to return to the United States.
A brief term at school succeeded his return from Mexico and on January 2, 1829 he was appointed a midshipman in the U.S. Navy at the age of sixteen years. His service in this grade was chiefly performed on board vessels of the Mediterranean squadron where his quick and observant mind absorbed such education as the chaplains and instructors in mathematics could impart, supplemented by a few months' study at the so-called naval school at Norfolk where he was prepared for his examination as passed-midshipman. Such was the rough school of experience in which the future admiral learned the lessons of subordination, devotion to duty and self reliance that always characterized his conduct as an officer.
It is the fashion in these days to somewhat under-rate those who have not enjoyed the advantages of regular academic training, but grand halls or learning and sounding literary degrees no more make the great commander than "can storied urn or animated bust, back to its mansion call the fleeting breath."
Porter, like the naval officers of his time, had but few of the privileges of education and training that a liberal government now so generously bestows upon its midshipmen. He was in the best sense of the term a self-made man, a gentleman by birth and breeding first: on this foundation, by study and experience, he built up a strong character and became proficient in every accomplishment that adorns the naval profession. His ardor ever urged him to prepare for great emergencies, and this at a time of much discouragement when our navy was in a state of stagnation and there seemed no hope of promotion. He remained in the grade of lieutenant for over twenty years and during that time was afforded but one brief opportunity for the display of those military qualities with which he was so amply endowed. This was in the Mexican War where he bore a gallant part in the bombardment of Vera Cruz and the capture of the fortifications at Tuspan and Tabasco while executive officer of the little gunboat Spitfire.
Well I remember him at the Portsmouth, N.H., Navy Yard in the years 1859-60. He was then in the prime of manhood, able, energetic and unceasingly occupied in matters pertaining to the improvement of his profession. He had already perfected himself in scientific work by long service in the Coast Survey and at the Naval Observatory and as a captain of ocean steamers early gained the habits of command. Nor was he wanting in lesser accomplishments; he excelled in all manly sports and manly exercises, used the pencil with considerable skill and was master of a clear and forceful style of language. When, therefore, the stress and strain of war time came it found him ready.
It was no accident of birth or influence that placed David Dixon Porter in the fore-front of battle; nor was it fickle Fortune that gave him the highest naval reward that the nation can bestow. Lieutenant Porter's first interview with the President so impressed Mr. Lincoln with his masterly grasp of the situation and force of character that he was given the command of the Powhatan for the relief of Fort Pickens and from that time he continued to be one of the most trusted naval advisers of the President. Porter's keen professional instincts saw the overwhelming strategic importance of the possession of New Orleans and the advantages that would follow in gaining control of the Mississippi river. His plan for so doing was laid before the President, who grasped its full significance, and more than once referred to it as "Breaking the back-bone of the Rebellion." At Porter's suggestion the expedition was organized and to him was assigned the preparation of the mortar fleet. Out of the crudest material and under circumstances that would have paralyzed a less energetic and zealous man he created a force that most materially aided the winning of the brilliant victories of New Orleans, Vicksburg and Fort Fisher, victories that rendered the suppression of the Rebellion possible, a fact that is too often lost sight of by the historians of those times. Soon after the completion of Porter's efficient services at New Orleans he was given an independent command. In his subsequent operations on the upper Mississippi, in the Yazoo Delta and on the Red River his deeds find no parallel in the history of maritime warfare, and he is entitled to equal credit with General Grant for the timely capture of Vicksburg. At Fort Fisher he again succeeded in accomplishing some of the most novel and difficult tasks that ever fell to the lot of a naval commander.
To dwell upon his masterly achievements in the Civil War would be a grateful task did time permit on this occasion, to do so would be to epitomize the history of that great conflict. His reputation as a commander has been thus summarized by General Grant: "Among naval officers," said the General, "I have always placed Porter in the highest rank. I believe Porter to be as great an admiral as Lord Nelson. Some of his achievements during the war were wonderful. He was always ready for every emergency and every responsibility." At the close of the war Porter had attained the rank of rear-admiral and enjoyed the proud distinction of having received the repeated thanks of Congress.
In his habits the admiral was very temperate and simple. In private life he was a devoted husband and indulgent father. In social intercourse his manners were free from affectation and his conversation sparkled with shrewd observations on men and things, expressed with a frankness and keen sense of humor that sometimes carried him beyond the bounds of prudence. The generous spirit in which he gave commendation and credit to his subordinates endeared him to all with whom he had official relations. Although not a large man, his presence was dignified and commanding; the impression conveyed by his countenance was that of great power and energy. There was always in his eye a suggestion of good humor, but it was a twinkle that it was never safe to trifle with as those midshipmen found who sometimes thought to get the better of him.
To this still young and vigorous man, pre-eminently gifted with the qualities required for his office, was assigned the administration of the United States Naval Academy in August, 1865. From that time commenced a new era in the history of this institution and much that he planned and organized continues to this day. His hardy indomitable spirit still dwells with us and it is most fitting that this tribute to the memory of David D. Porter should be placed within these walls. It is equally appropriate that this memorial should be contributed by the Class of '69, the one that began and completed the full academic course under his superintendency "His boys," as he lovingly called us who remember with pride and affection the great sailor under whom we had the honor to learn our first duties as officers of the navy.
Young gentlemen of the Naval Academy, sentiment may seem to you old fashioned, and the words of gray-haired men of other times but little worthy of your attention; but I beg you to remember this occasion for it is inspired not alone by sentiment, but by a principle, without which the navy and this academy would be like the body without the soul! May it awaken in you a desire to emulate the bright example of the man who is honored here to-day and so to live that like him you may be worthy of the respect and admiration of the men of a future generation:
It is splendid to live so grandly
That long after you are gone
The things you did are recounted under the sun.