Daniel Patterson
Encyclopedia
Daniel Todd Patterson was an officer in the United States Navy
during the Quasi-War
with France
, the First Barbary War
and the War of 1812
.
, who was the first Royal Governor of Prince Edward Island
(then named St. John's Island). John and Walter came to America in the 1750s from Ramelton
or Rathmullan
, County Donegal
, Ireland, and served in the British Army in the French and Indian War
. Daniel Patterson's mother, Catherine Livingston, was a daughter of the "Third Lord of the Manor" of Livingston, Robert Livingston (1708–1790) (also see Livingston family
). James Duane
, a respected lawyer, patriot, New York politician, and judge, was Daniel Patterson's uncle (by marriage to Patterson's aunt, his mother's sister Mary Livingston).
As acting midshipman
, he joined sloop
of war , June 11, 1799, to cruise against French privateer
s and warships in the West Indies to August 1800. Appointed Midshipman, U.S. Navy, August 20, 1800 (warrant subsequently altered to take rank from date of his original entry, June 11, 1799). After the war, was one of the Midshipmen retained in the Navy under the Peace Establishment Act, signed by President Adams in one of his last official acts, on March 3, 1801. On close of the Quasi-War with France, he resumed nautical studies, then had blockade duty off Tripoli
in famed and . He fell prisoner upon capture of Philadelphia on October 13, 1803, and remained a captive of the Barbary pirates until the American victory over Tripoli in 1805.
Upon returning home, he spent much of his following years on station
at New Orleans, Louisiana
, where he took command after the outbreak of the War of 1812. On September 16, 1814, Patterson raided the base of the pirate Jean Laffite at Barataria, Louisiana
, capturing six schooner
s and other small craft. In that same month, he refused Andrew Jackson
's request to send his few naval units to Mobile Bay
where Patterson knew they would be bottled up by a superior British
fleet. Foreseeing British designs against New Orleans almost two months before their attack, Patterson, not Jackson, was the first to prepare to defend the city. The victory resulted as much from his foresight and preparations as from Jackson's able fighting. His little fleet delayed the enemy until reinforcements arrived, then gave artillery support in defense of the entrenchments from which Jackson was never driven.
Patterson, highly commended by Jackson, received a note of thanks from Congress
, and was promoted to Captain on February 28, 1815. Patterson remained on the southern stations until 1824 when he became fleet captain and commander of flagship
in Commodore John Rodgers
' Mediterranean Squadron.
Returning home in 1828, he was appointed one of the three Navy commissioners
. He commanded the Mediterranean Squadron from 1832–1836. He then took command of the Washington Navy Yard
in 1836, an office he held until his death at Wilmington, New Jersey
, August 25, 1839. Daniel Todd Patterson and his wife are buried in Congressional Cemetery
, Washington, D.C.
A rare book, The Life of Gould, an Ex-Man-of-War's Man, by Roland Gould (1867), noted on a website of the Navy Department Library at the Washington Navy Yard, purportedly contains a first-person account of the death of Commodore Patterson.
, Thomas H. Patterson
, George Ann Patterson - the wife of David Dixon Porter
, and perhaps others. Patterson's wife, George Ann Pollock of New Orleans, is worth noting because her parents, George Pollock and Catherine Yates, and her maternal grandparents, Richard Yates and Catherine Brass Yates, all had their portraits painted by Gilbert Stuart
in 1793-1794, and all four portraits are in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art
, Washington, D.C. (Richard Yates and his son-in-law George Pollock were successful merchants in New York, the firm Yates & Pollock, until driven out of business around 1800 as their ships and cargoes were seized by French privateers during the Quasi-War
. Pollock moved to New Orleans where his uncle Oliver Pollock
, a financier of patriot operations in the Revolution, had been in business. Commodore Patterson's great-great-great-grandson, Edward Sisson, is currently writing a historical novel focusing on this part of Patterson & Pollock's lives). The portrait of Mrs. Richard Yates (Catherine Brass Yates) is particularly famous.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during the Quasi-War
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and French Republic from 1798 to 1800. In the United States, the conflict was sometimes also referred to as the Franco-American War, the Pirate Wars, or the Half-War.-Background:The Kingdom of France had been a...
with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the First Barbary War
First Barbary War
The First Barbary War , also known as the Barbary Coast War or the Tripolitan War, was the first of two wars fought between the United States and the North African Berber Muslim states known collectively as the Barbary States...
and the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
Biography
Patterson was born on Long Island, New York. His father, John Patterson, was a younger brother of Walter PattersonWalter Patterson
Walter Patterson was the first British colonial Governor of Prince Edward Island.-Birth and life in the military:...
, who was the first Royal Governor of Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
(then named St. John's Island). John and Walter came to America in the 1750s from Ramelton
Ramelton
Ramelton is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its population is 1,088 .Ramelton is situated at the mouth of the River Lennon, 11 km north of Letterkenny and 4 km east of Milford, on the western shores of Lough Swilly. The town is named from Ráth Mealtáin, , an early Gaelic chieftain...
or Rathmullan
Rathmullan
Rathmullan is a small seaside village on the Fanad Peninsula in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. It is situated on the western shore of Lough Swilly, 11 km north-east of Ramelton and 12 km east of Milford...
, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland, and served in the British Army in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. Daniel Patterson's mother, Catherine Livingston, was a daughter of the "Third Lord of the Manor" of Livingston, Robert Livingston (1708–1790) (also see Livingston family
Livingston family
The Livingston family of was a prominent family which migrated from Scotland to the Dutch Republic to the Province of New York in the 17th century. Descended from William, 4th Lord Livingston, its members included signers of the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States...
). James Duane
James Duane
James Duane was an American lawyer, jurist, and Revolutionary leader from New York. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, New York state senator, Mayor of New York, and a U.S...
, a respected lawyer, patriot, New York politician, and judge, was Daniel Patterson's uncle (by marriage to Patterson's aunt, his mother's sister Mary Livingston).
As acting midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
, he joined sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
of war , June 11, 1799, to cruise against French privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s and warships in the West Indies to August 1800. Appointed Midshipman, U.S. Navy, August 20, 1800 (warrant subsequently altered to take rank from date of his original entry, June 11, 1799). After the war, was one of the Midshipmen retained in the Navy under the Peace Establishment Act, signed by President Adams in one of his last official acts, on March 3, 1801. On close of the Quasi-War with France, he resumed nautical studies, then had blockade duty off Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
in famed and . He fell prisoner upon capture of Philadelphia on October 13, 1803, and remained a captive of the Barbary pirates until the American victory over Tripoli in 1805.
Upon returning home, he spent much of his following years on station
New Orleans Squadron
The New Orleans Squadron or the New Orleans Station was a United States Navy squadron raised out of the growing threat the United Kingdom posed to Louisiana during the War of 1812. The first squadron consisted of over a dozen vessels and was mostly defeated during the war...
at New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, where he took command after the outbreak of the War of 1812. On September 16, 1814, Patterson raided the base of the pirate Jean Laffite at Barataria, Louisiana
Barataria, Louisiana
Barataria is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,333 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, capturing six schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
s and other small craft. In that same month, he refused Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
's request to send his few naval units to Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the...
where Patterson knew they would be bottled up by a superior British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
fleet. Foreseeing British designs against New Orleans almost two months before their attack, Patterson, not Jackson, was the first to prepare to defend the city. The victory resulted as much from his foresight and preparations as from Jackson's able fighting. His little fleet delayed the enemy until reinforcements arrived, then gave artillery support in defense of the entrenchments from which Jackson was never driven.
Patterson, highly commended by Jackson, received a note of thanks from Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, and was promoted to Captain on February 28, 1815. Patterson remained on the southern stations until 1824 when he became fleet captain and commander of flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
in Commodore John Rodgers
John Rodgers (naval officer, War of 1812)
John Rodgers was a senior naval officer in the United States Navy who served under six Presidents for nearly four decades during its formative years in the 1790s through the late 1830s, committing the greater bulk of his adult life to his country...
' Mediterranean Squadron.
Returning home in 1828, he was appointed one of the three Navy commissioners
Board of Navy Commissioners
The Board of Naval Commissioners was a United States Navy administrative body in existence from 1815 to 1842, with responsibility for the Navy's material support. The three-member Board was created as part of an expansion of the U.S. Navy Department at the end of the War of 1812. The system was...
. He commanded the Mediterranean Squadron from 1832–1836. He then took command of the Washington Navy Yard
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard 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...
in 1836, an office he held until his death at Wilmington, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, August 25, 1839. Daniel Todd Patterson and his wife are buried in Congressional Cemetery
Congressional Cemetery
The Congressional Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the final resting place of thousands of individuals who helped form the nation and the city of Washington in the early 19th century. Many members of...
, Washington, D.C.
A rare book, The Life of Gould, an Ex-Man-of-War's Man, by Roland Gould (1867), noted on a website of the Navy Department Library at the Washington Navy Yard, purportedly contains a first-person account of the death of Commodore Patterson.
Rank
Although Patterson is properly called a "Commodore", during his years in the Navy this was not one of the hierarchical "line" ranks. Instead, "Commodore" applied to any officer in command of a fleet of two or more ships, regardless of the officer's "line" rank at the time, and regardless of whether the officer also held the dual role of commanding officer of one of the ships in the fleet. Thus Patterson was a Commodore at the time of the Battle of New Orleans because he commanded a fleet of ships, even though he was not promoted to the "line" rank of Captain until after the battle. He again became a Commodore when in command of the Mediterranean Squadron. Patterson was never an Admiral because in his day the highest "line" rank in the US Navy was Captain; the title Admiral was felt to smack of aristocracy and royalty, and did not become a "line" rank in the US Navy until the Civil War.Descendants
His children include Carlile Pollock PattersonCarlile Pollock Patterson
Carlile Pollock Patterson was an American civil engineer, superintendent of the United States Coast Survey...
, Thomas H. Patterson
Thomas H. Patterson
Thomas Harmon Patterson was a rear admiral in the United States Navy.-Early life and career:Patterson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the second son of Commodore Daniel Todd Patterson, a War of 1812 U.S. Navy hero, and George Ann Pollock. Patterson saw action in the American Civil War and...
, George Ann Patterson - the wife of David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...
, and perhaps others. Patterson's wife, George Ann Pollock of New Orleans, is worth noting because her parents, George Pollock and Catherine Yates, and her maternal grandparents, Richard Yates and Catherine Brass Yates, all had their portraits painted by Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Charles Stuart was an American painter from Rhode Island.Gilbert Stuart is widely considered to be one of America's foremost portraitists...
in 1793-1794, and all four portraits are in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
, Washington, D.C. (Richard Yates and his son-in-law George Pollock were successful merchants in New York, the firm Yates & Pollock, until driven out of business around 1800 as their ships and cargoes were seized by French privateers during the Quasi-War
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and French Republic from 1798 to 1800. In the United States, the conflict was sometimes also referred to as the Franco-American War, the Pirate Wars, or the Half-War.-Background:The Kingdom of France had been a...
. Pollock moved to New Orleans where his uncle Oliver Pollock
Oliver Pollock
Oliver Pollock was a merchant and financier of the American Revolutionary War, of which he has long been considered a historically undervalued figure...
, a financier of patriot operations in the Revolution, had been in business. Commodore Patterson's great-great-great-grandson, Edward Sisson, is currently writing a historical novel focusing on this part of Patterson & Pollock's lives). The portrait of Mrs. Richard Yates (Catherine Brass Yates) is particularly famous.