Theodorus Bailey (naval officer)
Encyclopedia
Theodorus Bailey was a United States Navy
officer
during the American Civil War
.
in the far north-eastern corner of Franklin County
, near the border with Quebec
. He received his early education at Plattsburgh
, before being appointed a midshipman
at the beginning of 1818 at age 12. He saw his first sea duty in the frigate
between 1819 and 1821 when she cruised to the western coast of Africa to protect the new colony of former slaves
recently established by the United States. On the return voyage, he saw service in the campaign to suppress the West Indian pirates
. In 1821, Bailey transferred to the ship of the line
and served in her during her entire cruise as flagship for the Pacific station
, which lasted until 1824. His last tour of duty as a midshipman came between 1824 and 1826 when he voyaged back to the West Indies
in the schooner to protect shipping from pirates again.
In 1827, he moved to duty in the receiving ship at New York. It was while in this assignment that he received his commission as a lieutenant
on 3 March 1827 after almost a decade of service. Next, he served briefly in the sloop
and in the schooner
in 1831, before being assigned to in June 1833 for a three-year cruise around the world in search of shipwrecked and stranded American seamen. Returning to the east coast in June 1836, Bailey saw duty in the ship-of-the-line before going ashore for a two-year tour at the New York Navy Yard from 1838 to 1840. Bailey returned to sea in the frigate between 1840 and 1844. During that period, his ship served an extended tour on the East India station
and carried Bailey on his second circumnavigation of the world. After returning from the East Indies, he went ashore again and spent time in 1845 and 1846 engaged in recruiting duty at the Rendezvous in New York
.
and La Paz, Chile, his ship arrived on the California coast
late in the year. During the closing phase of the war Bailey led his command in a blockade of the coast around San Blas
in Lower California and even made a successful raid on the town in January 1847, capturing several pieces of ordnance in the process.
In October 1848, Bailey left Lexington on the west coast to go ashore on a leave of absence from the service. He remained ashore waiting orders for almost five years, during which time on 6 March 1849, he received his promotion to commander
. Finally, in 1853, he received orders to command the sloop of war then under repair at Philadelphia. In her, Bailey cruised to the eastern and southern Pacific during 1854, 1855, and 1856, receiving his promotion to captain on 15 December 1855. Relieved at Panama on 16 December 1856, Bailey spent the four years immediately preceding the Civil War ashore, first on some unspecified special duty and then awaiting orders.
brought Bailey the orders he sought. On 3 June 1861, he put the steam frigate back in commission at Boston
and set sail a fortnight later to join the Gulf Blockading Squadron. Colorado arrived at Key West
on 9 July and at Fort Pickens
on Santa Rosa Island
off Pensacola
on the 15th. There, Colorado became flagship of the Gulf Blockading Squadron on 16 July when Flag Officer
William Mervine
embarked.
Bailey patrolled the waters off the Florida Panhandle
until mid-November at which time his ship moved to a blockade station off the Mississippi Delta
. Though Bailey technically retained command of Colorado until the beginning of May 1862, he was performing other duties in conjunction with the assault on the defenses of New Orleans by April 1862. When the push to take the city went off on 24 April, Bailey commanded one of the gunboat divisions during the fight to pass Forts Jackson and St. Philip
. Once that feat had been accomplished, he continued on upriver to demand and receive the city's surrender on the 25th.
Bailey relinquished command of Colorado officially on 1 May 1862 and returned north with dispatches. Promoted to commodore on 16 July 1862, Bailey commanded the station at Sackett's Harbor
, New York, through the summer of 1862. Heading south again in November 1862, Bailey relieved Acting Rear Admiral James L. Lardner
as flag officer commanding the East Gulf Blockading Squadron. He held that post until the summer of 1864 when, after a bout of yellow fever
, he was transferred to duty as the commandant
at the Portsmouth Navy Yard
. About halfway through that assignment, he received his promotion to rear admiral
on 25 July 1866. Though placed on the retired list on 10 October 1866, Rear Admiral Bailey served as the commandant at Portsmouth until the latter part of 1867.
Rear Admiral Bailey died at Washington, D. C., on 10 February 1877.
system," the principles of which are still in use today. A pipe could direct water to one side of the ship or another, which caused the ship
to be able to move with more agility in the high seas. Today, ships use this principle in thruster systems
.
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...
officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
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...
.
Early career
Bailey was born at Chateaugay, New YorkChateaugay (town), New York
Chateaugay is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 2,036. The name is derived from a location in France, which was applied to a local land grant....
in the far north-eastern corner of Franklin County
Franklin County, New York
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,599. It is named in honor of American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin...
, near the border with Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. He received his early education at Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh (city), New York
Plattsburgh is a city in and county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 19,989 at the 2010 census. The population of the unincorporated areas within the Town of Plattsburgh was 11,870 as of the 2010 census; making the population for the immediate, urban Plattsburgh,...
, before being appointed 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...
at the beginning of 1818 at age 12. He saw his first sea duty in the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
between 1819 and 1821 when she cruised to the western coast of Africa to protect the new colony of former slaves
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
recently established by the United States. On the return voyage, he saw service in the campaign to suppress the West Indian pirates
Piracy in the Caribbean
] The era of piracy in the Caribbean began in the 16th century and died out in the 1830s after the navies of the nations of Western Europe and North America with colonies in the Caribbean began combating pirates. The period during which pirates were most successful was from the 1690s until the 1720s...
. In 1821, Bailey transferred to the ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
and served in her during her entire cruise as flagship for 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...
, which lasted until 1824. His last tour of duty as a midshipman came between 1824 and 1826 when he voyaged back to the West Indies
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
in the schooner to protect shipping from pirates again.
In 1827, he moved to duty in the receiving ship at New York. It was while in this assignment that he received his commission 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 3 March 1827 after almost a decade of service. Next, he served briefly in the sloop
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...
and in the 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....
in 1831, before being assigned to in June 1833 for a three-year cruise around the world in search of shipwrecked and stranded American seamen. Returning to the east coast in June 1836, Bailey saw duty in the ship-of-the-line before going ashore for a two-year tour at the New York Navy Yard from 1838 to 1840. Bailey returned to sea in the frigate between 1840 and 1844. During that period, his ship served an extended tour on the East India station
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...
and carried Bailey on his second circumnavigation of the world. After returning from the East Indies, he went ashore again and spent time in 1845 and 1846 engaged in recruiting duty at the Rendezvous in New York
New 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...
.
Mexican-American War
After the Mexican War broke out in the spring of 1846, Bailey assumed his first command, the sloop , that summer. He embarked an artillery company at New York and set sail for the Pacific coast. Sailing by way of Cape HornCape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
and La Paz, Chile, his ship arrived on the California coast
Las Californias
The Californias, or in — - was the name given by the Spanish to their northwestern territory of New Spain, comprising the present day states of Baja California and Baja California Sur on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico; and the present day U.S. state of California in the United States of...
late in the year. During the closing phase of the war Bailey led his command in a blockade of the coast around San Blas
San Blas, Baja California Sur
San Blas is a small rural community located in the municipality of La Paz in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur .Every year, the community has a celebration to hail the return of gray whales to its waters on 24 and 25 February. Another community that celebrates the whales' arrival yearly is...
in Lower California and even made a successful raid on the town in January 1847, capturing several pieces of ordnance in the process.
In October 1848, Bailey left Lexington on the west coast to go ashore on a leave of absence from the service. He remained ashore waiting orders for almost five years, during which time on 6 March 1849, he received his promotion 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...
. Finally, in 1853, he received orders to command the sloop of war then under repair at Philadelphia. In her, Bailey cruised to the eastern and southern Pacific during 1854, 1855, and 1856, receiving his promotion to captain on 15 December 1855. Relieved at Panama on 16 December 1856, Bailey spent the four years immediately preceding the Civil War ashore, first on some unspecified special duty and then awaiting orders.
American Civil War
The outbreak of the War Between the StatesAmerican 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...
brought Bailey the orders he sought. On 3 June 1861, he put the steam frigate back in commission at Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and set sail a fortnight later to join the Gulf Blockading Squadron. Colorado arrived at Key West
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
on 9 July and at Fort Pickens
Fort Pickens
Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834 and remained in use until 1947...
on Santa Rosa Island
Santa Rosa Island, Florida
Santa Rosa Island[p] is a 40-mile barrier island located in the U.S. state of Florida, thirty miles east of the Alabama state border...
off Pensacola
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...
on the 15th. There, Colorado became flagship of the Gulf Blockading Squadron on 16 July when 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...
William Mervine
William Mervine
William Mervine was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, whose career included service in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Biography:...
embarked.
Bailey patrolled the waters off the Florida Panhandle
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
until mid-November at which time his ship moved to a blockade station off the Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
. Though Bailey technically retained command of Colorado until the beginning of May 1862, he was performing other duties in conjunction with the assault on the defenses of New Orleans by April 1862. When the push to take the city went off on 24 April, Bailey commanded one of the gunboat divisions during the fight to pass Forts Jackson and St. Philip
Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip
The Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip was the decisive battle for possession of New Orleans in the American Civil War. The two Confederate forts on the Mississippi River south of the city were attacked by a Union Navy fleet...
. Once that feat had been accomplished, he continued on upriver to demand and receive the city's surrender on the 25th.
Bailey relinquished command of Colorado officially on 1 May 1862 and returned north with dispatches. Promoted to commodore on 16 July 1862, Bailey commanded the station at Sackett's Harbor
Sackets Harbor, New York
Sackets Harbor is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,386 at the 2000 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augustus Sackett, who founded it in the early 19th century.The Village of Sackets Harbor is within the western part of the...
, New York, through the summer of 1862. Heading south again in November 1862, Bailey relieved Acting Rear Admiral James L. Lardner
James L. Lardner
James Lawrence Lardner was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
as flag officer commanding the East Gulf Blockading Squadron. He held that post until the summer of 1864 when, after a bout 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....
, he was transferred to duty as the commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
at the Portsmouth Navy Yard
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard , often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard located in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is used for remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships...
. About halfway through that assignment, he received his promotion to 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 :...
on 25 July 1866. Though placed on the retired list on 10 October 1866, Rear Admiral Bailey served as the commandant at Portsmouth until the latter part of 1867.
Rear Admiral Bailey died at Washington, D. C., on 10 February 1877.
Other work
Bailey was instrumental in developing a primitive "thrusterMarine propulsion
Marine propulsion is the mechanism or system used to generate thrust to move a ship or boat across water. While paddles and sails are still used on some smaller boats, most modern ships are propelled by mechanical systems consisting a motor or engine turning a propeller, or less frequently, in jet...
system," the principles of which are still in use today. A pipe could direct water to one side of the ship or another, which caused the ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
to be able to move with more agility in the high seas. Today, ships use this principle in thruster systems
Bow thruster
A bow thruster is a transversal propulsion device built into, or mounted to, the bow of a ship or boat to make it more maneuverable. Bow thrusters make docking easier, since they allow the captain to turn the vessel to port or starboard without using the main propulsion mechanism which requires...
.