Melancthon Brooks Woolsey
Encyclopedia
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 and after 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...
. He was commodore of the South Atlantic Station in the 1870s.
Biography
Woolsey was the first son of Commodore Melancthon Taylor WoolseyMelancthon Taylor Woolsey
Commodore Melancthon Taylor Woolsey was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 and battles on the Great Lakes. He supervised warship construction at Navy Point in Sackets Harbor, New York, and later had a full career in the Navy.-Biography:Woolsey was born near Plattsburgh,...
and Susan C. Treadwell; he was born at Sacketts Harbor, New York. His brother James Treadwell Woolsey was born about 1820. M.B. Woolsey 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 24 September 1832. After duty at sea and a tour at the Naval School, Woolsey became a midshipman on 16 July 1840.
He progressed through the rank of master to that of lieutenant by 1847. He was placed on the reserve list as lieutenant by the retiring board in September 1855. Lt. Woolsey was called back to active duty in 1861 as a result of 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...
.
Assigned initially to the receiving ship at New York, Woolsey assumed command of the steamer Ellen
USS Ellen (1861)
The first USS Ellen was a side-wheel steam gunboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.Ellen was built at New York City in 1853 as a civilian ferryboat, and purchased by the Navy on 10 October 1861 at New York; outfitted by New York Navy Yard; and commissioned 16 October 1861,...
by late 1861 and began patrol duty with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. During that tour, his ship fought Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
forces on three separate occasions. In May 1862, he engaged Fort Pemberton at Wapper Creek, South Carolina. On 1 June, his ship repelled a Confederate cavalry attack at Secessionville. Three days later, he commanded Ellen during the attack on James Island
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...
.
In July 1862, he was promoted to commander and placed in command of the sloop Vandalia
USS Vandalia (1828)
The first Vandalia was an 18-gun sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the Second Seminole War and the American Civil War. She was named for the city of Vandalia, Illinois.-Service history:...
. That duty lasted until early 1863, at which time he was transferred to command of the steamer Princess Royal
USS Princess Royal (1863)
Princess Royal was a cruiser in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Service:Princess Royal was a British blockade runner captured at Charleston, South Carolina on 29 January 1863. She was purchased by the Navy Department from the Philadelphia Prize court 18 March 1863; fitted out...
. That ship was assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron and patrolled the coasts of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. On 28 June 1863, Princess Royal helped to defend the town of Donaldsville, Louisiana, against a determined Southern attack, and Comdr. Woolsey received high commendation from his superiors for his ship's contribution to the successful defense of the town. He remained with the blockade through the end of the war and, by July 1866, saw his name returned to the active list in the rank of captain.
Following the Civil War, Capt. Woolsey commanded the sloop-of-war
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
Pawnee
USS Pawnee (1859)
The first USS Pawnee was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for the Pawnee Indian tribe....
on the South Atlantic Station
South Atlantic Station
The South Atlantic Station was one of the geographical divisions into which the British Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. It was formed from the former Cape of Good Hope Station.-History:...
in 1867 and 1868. In 1869, he took command of the South Atlantic Station 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...
Guerriere
USS Guerriere (1865)
The second USS Guerriere was a frigate in the United States Navy. She was named for the victory of the frigate over during the War of 1812....
. In 1871, Woolsey was promoted to commodore, probably as flag officer in charge of the South Atlantic Station. His last tour of duty came in March 1873, when he took over as commandant of the navy yard at Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
.
Commodore Woolsey received orders detaching him from command of the navy yard in the summer of 1874. At the time, an epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
of yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
raged at Pensacola, and Woolsey deemed it necessary to remain at his post to prevent panic. Woolsey contracted the highly infectious disease and died at Pensacola in the summer of 1874.
Honors
- The first USS Woolsey (Destroyer No. 77)USS Woolsey (DD-77)The first USS Woolsey was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I. She was named for Melancthon Taylor Woolsey.-History:...
was named in honor of his father. - The second USS Woolsey (DD-437)USS Woolsey (DD-437)USS Woolsey , a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the 2nd ship to be named Woolsey in the United States Navy. It is the first to be named for both Commodore Melancthon Brooks Woolsey and his father Commodore Melancthon Taylor Woolsey....
commemorated both him and his father.