Alexander Rhind
Encyclopedia
Alexander Colden Rhind (October 31, 1821 – November 8, 1897) was an rear admiral
in the United States Navy
, who served during the Mexican–American War
and American Civil War
.
, New York
, the son of Charles Rhind, a prominent shipowner who also served as Minister to Turkey from 1827. His mother, Susan Fell, was a descendant of Cadwallader Colden
, the Governor of the colonial Province of New York
from 1769 to 1771.
Rhind was appointed midshipman
on September 3, 1838, and between 1839 and 1841 he served on the Mediterranean Station aboard the frigate and the sloop . He then served aboard the sloop in the West Indies in 1842-43, then on the frigate off the coast of Africa in 1843-44, before attending the Philadelphia Naval School
in 1844-45. Promoted to passed midshipman
on July 2, 1845, Rhind served on the brig on the Coast Survey
in 1845-46, which was then attached the Home Squadron
on the coast of Mexico during the Mexican–American War
, being present at Alvarado
and Tabasco
.
Rhind served on the steamer in 1848, before rejoining the Coast
Survey aboard the schooner Ewing on a voyage to the coast of California in 1849-50. He then served aboard the sloop in the East Indies
in 1850-51, before returning to the Coast Survey, where he remained until 1854, receiving promotion to the rank of master
on April 30, 1853.
Rhind was commissioned as a lieutenant
on February 17, 1854, and served on the sloop on the Pacific Station
, but in May 1855 was court-martial
ed after a disagreement with his commander, and left the Navy in September 1855. Eventually reinstated, Rhind served on the sloop , the flagship of the Africa Squadron
from 1859-61.
, Rhind was ordered to take command of the screw steamer
; and, while commanding her, earned the Thanks of the Navy Department in a letter dated September 7, 1864, for the capture and destruction of Confederate
works commanding the South Edisto, Dawho, and Pon-Pon Rivers, in April 1862, and received promotion to lieutenant commander
on July 16, 1862.
Promoted to commander
on January 2, 1863, in that year he participated in the attacks on Charleston
's defenses as commanding officer of the ironclad
monitor
. During the attack on April 7, 1863, Keokuk was struck 90 times, suffering 19 holes at or near her waterline. Retiring, she was kept afloat until the following morning, before finally sinking, by which time the crew had been taken off.
Later, after commanding the gunboat
and the screw frigate
, on October 23, 1863, he assumed command of the side-wheel gunboat on the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and earned praise from Rear Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee
for the "gallantry and endurance displayed" by himself and his crew during an engagement with three batteries at Deep Bottom on August 13, 1864.
In December 1864 he was detailed to command the powder boat , which was loaded with 215 tons of gunpowder
, then towed by to a point 250 yards off Fort Fisher
. There Commander Rhind and his crew set the fuzes and started a fire before escaping to Wilderness. The blast from the explosion, although loud, did little damage and two days later Rhind returned to close proximity to the fort to plant a marker buoy as near to the fort as possible to allow the fleet to bombard Fort Fisher at close range. Admiral Porter
, in his official report to the Navy Department, wrote;
, then as commander of the Brooklyn Navy Yard
in 1869-70, finally receiving promotion to the rank of captain
on March 2, 1870.
He commanded the screw sloop
from 1872-76 on the European Station
, receiving promotion to commodore on September 30, 1876, then serving as a Lighthouse Inspector
until 1879. He was President of the Board of Inspection and Survey
from 1880–1882, and then Governor of the Naval Asylum
in 1883. He was promoted to rear admiral on October 30, 1883, the day before his retirement, having reached the mandatory age.
Rear Admiral Rhind died at New York, on November 8, 1897, and is buried at the Colden Family Cemetery, Montgomery, New York
.
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 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 Mexican–American War
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
and 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...
.
Early career
Rhind was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, 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...
, the son of Charles Rhind, a prominent shipowner who also served as Minister to Turkey from 1827. His mother, Susan Fell, was a descendant of Cadwallader Colden
Cadwallader Colden
Cadwallader Colden was a physician, farmer, surveyor, botanist, and a lieutenant governor for the Province of New York.-Biography:...
, the Governor of the colonial Province of New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
from 1769 to 1771.
Rhind was appointed 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 September 3, 1838, and between 1839 and 1841 he served on the Mediterranean Station aboard the frigate and the sloop . He then served aboard the sloop in the West Indies in 1842-43, then on the frigate off the coast of Africa in 1843-44, before attending the Philadelphia Naval School
Philadelphia Naval Asylum
The Philadelphia Naval Asylum, later the Naval Home, was a hospital, the Philadelphia Naval School, and a home for retired sailors for the United States Navy from 1834 to 1976, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
in 1844-45. 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 July 2, 1845, Rhind served on the brig on the Coast Survey
U.S. National Geodetic Survey
National Geodetic Survey, formerly called the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey , is a United States federal agency that defines and manages a national coordinate system, providing the foundation for transportation and communication; mapping and charting; and a large number of applications of science...
in 1845-46, which was then attached the Home Squadron
Home Squadron
The Home Squadron was part of the United States Navy in the mid-19th century. Organized as early as 1838, ships were assigned to protect coastal commerce, aid ships in distress, suppress piracy and the slave trade, make coastal surveys, and train ships to relieve others on distant stations...
on the coast of Mexico during the Mexican–American War
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
, being present at Alvarado
Alvarado, Veracruz
Alvarado is a city in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city also serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. It is located 64 km from the city of Veracruz, Veracruz, on Federal Highways 180 and 125...
and Tabasco
First Battle of Tabasco
The First Battle of Tabasco was fought during the Mexican-American War.-Background:The battle was part of the U.S. Home Squadron's efforts to blockade the major Mexican ports on the Gulf of Mexico.-Battle:...
.
Rhind served on the steamer in 1848, before rejoining the Coast
Survey aboard the schooner Ewing on a voyage to the coast of California in 1849-50. He then served aboard the sloop in the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
in 1850-51, before returning to the Coast Survey, where he remained until 1854, receiving promotion to the rank of 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 April 30, 1853.
Rhind was commissioned as a 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 February 17, 1854, and served on the sloop on the Pacific Station
Pacific Squadron
The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval supplies and purchased food and obtained water from local...
, but in May 1855 was court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
ed after a disagreement with his commander, and left the Navy in September 1855. Eventually reinstated, Rhind served on the sloop , the flagship of the Africa Squadron
Africa Squadron
The Africa Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy that operated from 1819 to 1861 to suppress the slave trade along the coast of West Africa...
from 1859-61.
Civil War
On December 14, 1861, during the American Civil WarAmerican 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...
, Rhind was ordered to take command of the screw steamer
Screw steamer
A screw steamer or screw steamship is a steamship or steamboat, powered by a steam engine, using one or more propellors, also known as screws, to propel it through the water....
; and, while commanding her, earned the Thanks of the Navy Department in a letter dated September 7, 1864, for the capture and destruction of 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...
works commanding the South Edisto, Dawho, and Pon-Pon Rivers, in April 1862, and received promotion to lieutenant commander
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
on July 16, 1862.
Promoted to commander
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
on January 2, 1863, in that year he participated in the attacks on 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...
's defenses as commanding officer 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...
. During the attack on April 7, 1863, Keokuk was struck 90 times, suffering 19 holes at or near her waterline. Retiring, she was kept afloat until the following morning, before finally sinking, by which time the crew had been taken off.
Later, after commanding 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:...
and the screw frigate
Screw frigate
Steam frigates and the smaller steam corvettes were steam-powered warships.The first vessel that can be considered a steam frigate was the Demologos which was launched in 1815 for the United States Navy....
, on October 23, 1863, he assumed command of the side-wheel gunboat on the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and earned praise from Rear Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee
Samuel Phillips Lee
Samuel Phillips Lee was a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy. He commanded the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron from 4 September 1862 to 12 October 1864. His flagship was Philadelphia.-Life and career:...
for the "gallantry and endurance displayed" by himself and his crew during an engagement with three batteries at Deep Bottom on August 13, 1864.
In December 1864 he was detailed to command the powder boat , which was loaded with 215 tons of gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
, then towed by to a point 250 yards 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....
. There Commander Rhind and his crew set the fuzes and started a fire before escaping to Wilderness. The blast from the explosion, although loud, did little damage and two days later Rhind returned to close proximity to the fort to plant a marker buoy as near to the fort as possible to allow the fleet to bombard Fort Fisher at close range. Admiral 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...
, in his official report to the Navy Department, wrote;
- "In conclusion, allow me to draw your attention to Commander Rhind and Lieutenant Preston. They engaged in the most perilous adventure that was, perhaps, ever undertaken. As an incentive to others I beg leave to recommend them for promotion. No one in the squadron considered that their lives would be saved, and Commander Rhind and Lieutenant Preston had made an arrangement to sacrifice themselves in case the vessel was boarded, a thing likely to happen."
Post-war career
After the war Rhind served as the commander of the receiving ship at New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, then as commander of the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
in 1869-70, finally receiving promotion to the rank of 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 March 2, 1870.
He commanded the screw sloop
Screw sloop
A screw sloop is a propeller-driven sloop-of-war. In the 19th century, during the introduction of the steam engine, ships driven by propellers were differentiated from those driven by paddle-wheels by referring to the ship's screws...
from 1872-76 on the European Station
European Squadron
The European Squadron, also known as the European Station, was a part of the United States Navy in the late 19th century and the early 1900s. The squadron was originally named the Mediterranean Squadron and renamed following the American Civil War...
, receiving promotion to commodore on September 30, 1876, then serving as a Lighthouse Inspector
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...
until 1879. He was President of the Board of Inspection and Survey
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 :...
from 1880–1882, and then Governor of the Naval Asylum
Philadelphia Naval Asylum
The Philadelphia Naval Asylum, later the Naval Home, was a hospital, the Philadelphia Naval School, and a home for retired sailors for the United States Navy from 1834 to 1976, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
in 1883. He was promoted to rear admiral on October 30, 1883, the day before his retirement, having reached the mandatory age.
Rear Admiral Rhind died at New York, on November 8, 1897, and is buried at the Colden Family Cemetery, Montgomery, New York
Montgomery (town), New York
Montgomery is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 20,891 at the 2000 census. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 at the Battle of Quebec....
.