John P. Bankhead
Encyclopedia
John Payne Bankhead was an officer in the United States Navy
who served during the American Civil War
, and was in command of the ironclad USS Monitor
when it sank in 1862.
. His father was General James Bankhead, a brigadier general
who distinguished himself in the Mexican-American War. Bankhead entered the navy in August 1838 at the age of 17. His first ship was the frigate USS Macedonian
, and his early career was spent with the Coast Survey in the Carolinas. He was promoted to passed midshipman
on 20 May 1844. While in Vera Cruz
during the Mexican-American War, Bankhead served under his father. He was later promoted to master
on 8 May 1851 and lieutenant
on 7 April 1852.
During the Civil War, Bankhead was stationed on the USS Pembina
and was sent to Charleston, South Carolina, for blockade duty, where his years with the coast survey were put to good use. Bankhead was promoted to commander
on July 16, 1862, and in the middle of August the Pembina was ordered to New York
for repairs. Flag Officer
DuPont
wrote a letter on Bankhead's behalf to Captain
Gustavus Fox
, Assistant Secretary of the Navy
, requesting that he be transferred to an ironclad vessel. Bankhead was given the USS Monitor
and took command from Thomas Stevens
on September 10, 1862.
Shortly after Bankhead took command the Monitor's boilers and engines were condemned, and on October 3, 1862, the ironclad arrived at the Washington Navy Yard
for repairs. By November the ship was repaired and returned to Hampton Roads
.
Orders were issued on December 24, 1862, for the Monitor to move to Beaufort, North Carolina
. There the ship would join the blockade off Charleston
. On Christmas Day the Monitor was ready for sea, but bad weather delayed departure until December 29. On December 31, 1862, a storm hit seas off Cape Hatteras
, and the Monitor, under tow by the USS Rhode Island, foundered and sank with the loss of four officers and 16 men. Bankhead survived but suffered from exposure. After his recovery he was given command of the side wheeler USS Florida
and participated in blockade duty off Fort Fisher
, North Carolina
. In 1864, Bankhead was transferred to the USS Otsego
, but was eventually relieved of command due to poor health. Bankhead ended the war in command of the USS Wyoming
, which was stationed in the Pacific searching for the CSS Shenandoah
.
The Wyoming was transferred to the Asiatic Squadron
, and Bankhead was promoted to captain
in 1866 and remained in command until 1867, when due to poor health he requested to be relieved of duty. He died on April 27, 1867 off Aden on the Bengal steamer Simla, on his way home to the United States.
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 was in command of the ironclad USS Monitor
USS Monitor
USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She is most famous for her participation in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, the first-ever battle fought between two ironclads...
when it sank in 1862.
Biography
John Payne Bankhead was born on August 3, 1821, at Fort Johnson on James Island (South Carolina)James Island (South Carolina)
James Island is one of South Carolina's most urban Sea Islands. The island is separated from peninsular downtown Charleston by the Ashley River, from the mainland by Wappoo Creek and the Wappoo Cut, and from Johns Island by the Stono River...
. His father was General James Bankhead, a brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
who distinguished himself in the Mexican-American War. Bankhead entered the navy in August 1838 at the age of 17. His first ship was the frigate USS Macedonian
USS Macedonian (1836)
The second USS Macedonian, was a three-masted, wooden-hulled sailing frigate bearing 36-guns of the US Navy and was rebuilt from the keel of the first at Gosport Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, beginning in 1832; and was launched and placed in service in 1836, Capt...
, and his early career was spent with the Coast Survey in the Carolinas. He was promoted to 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 20 May 1844. While in Vera Cruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
during the Mexican-American War, Bankhead served under his father. He was later promoted to master
Master (naval)
The master, or sailing master, was a historic term for a naval officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing vessel...
on 8 May 1851 and 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...
on 7 April 1852.
During the Civil War, Bankhead was stationed on the USS Pembina
USS Pembina (1861)
USS Pembina was a built for the United States Navy during the American Civil War.She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.- Constructed in New York City in 1861 :...
and was sent to Charleston, South Carolina, for blockade duty, where his years with the coast survey were put to good use. Bankhead was promoted to 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 July 16, 1862, and in the middle of August the Pembina was ordered to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for repairs. Flag Officer
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
DuPont
Samuel Francis du Pont
Samuel Francis Du Pont was an American naval officer who achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, and a member of the prominent Du Pont family; he was the only member of his generation to use a capital D...
wrote a letter on Bankhead's behalf 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....
Gustavus Fox
Gustavus Fox
Gustavus Vasa Fox was an officer of the United States Navy, who served during the Mexican-American War, and as Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the Civil War.-Biography:...
, Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Assistant Secretary of the Navy is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy....
, requesting that he be transferred to an ironclad vessel. Bankhead was given the USS Monitor
USS Monitor
USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She is most famous for her participation in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, the first-ever battle fought between two ironclads...
and took command from Thomas Stevens
Thomas H. Stevens, Jr.
Thomas Holdup Stevens, Jr. was an admiral of the United States Navy who fought in the American Civil War.-Early life and commission:...
on September 10, 1862.
Shortly after Bankhead took command the Monitor's boilers and engines were condemned, and on October 3, 1862, the ironclad arrived at 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...
for repairs. By November the ship was repaired and returned to Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
.
Orders were issued on December 24, 1862, for the Monitor to move to Beaufort, North Carolina
Beaufort, North Carolina
Beaufort is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1709, it is the third-oldest town in North Carolina.The population was 4,189 at the 2008 census and it is the county seat of Carteret County...
. There the ship would join the blockade off Charleston
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...
. On Christmas Day the Monitor was ready for sea, but bad weather delayed departure until December 29. On December 31, 1862, a storm hit seas off Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic coast of North America...
, and the Monitor, under tow by the USS Rhode Island, foundered and sank with the loss of four officers and 16 men. Bankhead survived but suffered from exposure. After his recovery he was given command of the side wheeler USS Florida
USS Florida (1861)
The second USS Florida was a sidewheel steamer in the United States Navy.Florida was purchased and commissioned on 5 October 1861, with Lieutenant J. R. Goldsborough in command....
and participated in blockade duty off 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....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. In 1864, Bankhead was transferred to the USS Otsego
USS Otsego (1863)
USS Otsego was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....
, but was eventually relieved of command due to poor health. Bankhead ended the war in command of the USS Wyoming
USS Wyoming (1859)
The first USS Wyoming of the United States Navy was a wooden-hulled screw sloop that fought on the Union side during the American Civil War. Sent to the Pacific Ocean to search for the CSS Alabama, Wyoming eventually came upon the shores of Japan and engaged Japanese land and sea forces...
, which was stationed in the Pacific searching for the CSS Shenandoah
CSS Shenandoah
CSS Shenandoah, formerly Sea King, was an iron-framed, teak-planked, full rigged ship, with auxiliary steam power, captained by Commander James Waddell, Confederate States Navy, a North Carolinian with twenty years' service in the United States Navy.During 12½ months of 1864–1865 the ship...
.
The Wyoming was transferred to 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...
, and Bankhead 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....
in 1866 and remained in command until 1867, when due to poor health he requested to be relieved of duty. He died on April 27, 1867 off Aden on the Bengal steamer Simla, on his way home to the United States.