John L. Davis
Encyclopedia
John Lee Davis was a Rear Admiral
of the United States Navy
, who served during the American Civil War
, and later commanded the Asiatic Squadron
.
, on 3 September 1825. He entered the Navy as a midshipman
on 9 January 1841, and was warranted passed midshipman
on 10 August 1847.
While serving as acting
lieutenant
aboard the sloop of the East India Squadron
, he commanded one of the boats that boarded a piratical Chinese junk
off Macao
in November 1849, with another officer and sixteen men, and captured the vessel and crew.
He was commissioned lieutenant on 15 September 1855, and was attached to the Gulf Blockading Squadron in 1861. As executive officer of the gunboat
he took part in engagements with the Confederate ram
at the battle of the Head of Passes
on 12 October 1861.
He was commissioned lieutenant commander
on 16 July 1862, and in command of the gunboat , attacked Fort McAllister
on 19 November. His ship was pierced by a solid shot below water. The leak was stopped temporarily, and after the action the vessel was taken on shore and patched at the falling of the tide. He attacked the fort again on 27 January and 1 February 1863, and on 28 February when the privateer Rattlesnake
was destroyed. On 19 March he sank the blockade-runner when she attempted to enter Charleston harbor
. He was then given command of the ironclad
monitor
and took part in the engagements with Forts Sumter
, Gregg, Moultrie, and Battery Bee, at the beginning of September 1863, and in the attacks on Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie in November 1863.
In 1864-65 he commanded the steamer of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Sassacus towed the powder boat from Norfolk to Fort Fisher
in December, and was engaged during the First
and Second Battles
of Fort Fisher in December 1864 and January 1865. Davis also took part in attacks on Fort Anderson
on the Cape Fear River
on 18 February; and on Fort Strong
on 20 and 21 February. His ship was struck under the waterline, but the leak was kept under control until dark, and then effectually stopped.
He was commissioned commander
on 25 July 1866, and commanded the sloop from 1871 on the North Atlantic Station. Davis was promoted to captain
on 14 February 1873, and was a member of the Lighthouse Board
in 1876, and of the Board of Inspection
in 1882. He was promoted to commodore on 4 February 1882, and commanded the Asiatic Squadron
in 1883, and on 30 October 1885, received his commission as rear admiral
. In November 1886, Davis was relieved of his command of the Asiatic Squadron and placed on the retired list.
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
of the United States Navy
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...
, who served during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and later commanded the Asiatic Squadron
Asiatic Squadron
The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century, it was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded...
.
Biography
Davis was born in Carlisle, IndianaCarlisle, Indiana
Carlisle is a town in Haddon Township, Sullivan County, Indiana, United States. The population was 692 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, on 3 September 1825. He entered the Navy as a 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...
on 9 January 1841, and was warranted passed midshipman
Passed midshipman
A Passed Midshipman, sometimes called as Midshipman, Passed, is an unused and historic term which describes a Midshipman who had passed the Lieutenant exam and was eligible for promotion to Lieutenant as soon as there was a vacancy in that grade....
on 10 August 1847.
While serving as acting
Acting (rank)
An Acting rank, is a military designation allowing an commissioned- or non-commissioned officer to assume a rank—usually higher and usually temporary—with the pay and allowances appropriate to that grade. As such, an officer may be ordered back to the previous grade...
lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
aboard the sloop of the East India Squadron
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 coasts of the Americas and in the South Pacific Ocean...
, he commanded one of the boats that boarded a piratical Chinese junk
Junk (ship)
A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing vessel design still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty and were used as sea-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages...
off Macao
Mação
Mação is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 400.0 km² and a total population of 7,763 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of eight parishes, and is located in the Santarém District....
in November 1849, with another officer and sixteen men, and captured the vessel and crew.
He was commissioned lieutenant on 15 September 1855, and was attached to the Gulf Blockading Squadron in 1861. As executive officer of the gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
he took part in engagements with the Confederate ram
Naval ram
A naval ram was a weapon carried by varied types of ships, dating back to antiquity. The weapon consisted of an underwater prolongation of the bow of the ship to form an armoured beak, usually between six and twelve feet in length...
at the battle of the Head of Passes
Battle of the Head of Passes
The Battle of the Head of Passes was a bloodless naval battle of the American Civil War. It was a naval raid made by the Confederate river defense fleet, also known as the “mosquito fleet” in the local media, on ships of the Union Blockade squadron anchored at the Head of Passes...
on 12 October 1861.
He was commissioned lieutenant commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
on 16 July 1862, and in command of the gunboat , attacked Fort McAllister
Fort McAllister Historic Park
Fort McAllister Historic Park is a Georgia state park located near Keller and Richmond Hill in South Bryan County, Georgia and on the south bank of the Ogeechee River . The park is home to the best preserved earthwork fortification of the Confederacy...
on 19 November. His ship was pierced by a solid shot below water. The leak was stopped temporarily, and after the action the vessel was taken on shore and patched at the falling of the tide. He attacked the fort again on 27 January and 1 February 1863, and on 28 February when the privateer Rattlesnake
CSS Nashville (1861)
Originally a United States Mail Service ship, the USMS Nashville, was a brig-rigged, side-paddle-wheel passenger steamer built at Greenpoint, Brooklyn in 1853. Between 1853 and 1861 she was engaged in running between New York City and Charleston, South Carolina...
was destroyed. On 19 March he sank the blockade-runner when she attempted to enter Charleston harbor
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. He was then given command of the ironclad
Ironclad warship
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...
monitor
Monitor (warship)
A monitor was a class of relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s until the end of World War II, and saw their final use by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.The monitors...
and took part in the engagements with Forts Sumter
Second Battle of Fort Sumter
-References:*...
, Gregg, Moultrie, and Battery Bee, at the beginning of September 1863, and in the attacks on Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie in November 1863.
In 1864-65 he commanded the steamer of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Sassacus towed the powder boat from Norfolk to Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865....
in December, and was engaged during the First
First Battle of Fort Fisher
The First Battle of Fort Fisher, was a siege fought from December 23 to December 27, 1864, was a failed attempt by Union forces to capture the fort guarding Wilmington, North Carolina, the South's last major port on the Atlantic Ocean...
and Second Battles
Second Battle of Fort Fisher
The Second Battle of Fort Fisher was a joint assault by Union Army and naval forces against Fort Fisher, outside Wilmington, North Carolina, near the end of the American Civil War...
of Fort Fisher in December 1864 and January 1865. Davis also took part in attacks on Fort Anderson
Fort Anderson (North Carolina)
Fort Anderson was an early fort in the lower Cape Fear Region of North Carolina, at Brunswick Town in Brunswick County. It was used as a Confederate Fort during the American Civil War. The fort was pivotal in protecting the Cape Fear River inlets and Wilmington upstream. Earthen batteries...
on the Cape Fear River
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
on 18 February; and on Fort Strong
Fort Strong
Fort Strong is located on Long Island in Boston Harbor.It was originally named Long Island Military Reservation until 1899.Camp Wightman, a Civil War training camp, was located on the island in 1861....
on 20 and 21 February. His ship was struck under the waterline, but the leak was kept under control until dark, and then effectually stopped.
He was commissioned commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
on 25 July 1866, and commanded the sloop from 1871 on the North Atlantic Station. Davis was promoted to captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
on 14 February 1873, and was a member of the Lighthouse Board
United States Lighthouse Board
The United States Lighthouse Board was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States...
in 1876, and of the Board of Inspection
Board of Inspection and Survey
The Board of Inspection and Survey is a U.S. Navy organization whose purpose is to inspect and assess material condition of Naval vessels.The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia.- INSURV teams :...
in 1882. He was promoted to commodore on 4 February 1882, and commanded the Asiatic Squadron
Asiatic Squadron
The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century, it was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded...
in 1883, and on 30 October 1885, received his commission as rear admiral
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
. In November 1886, Davis was relieved of his command of the Asiatic Squadron and placed on the retired list.