William Harwar Parker
Encyclopedia
William Harwar Parker was an officer in the United States Navy
and later in the Confederate States Navy
. His auto-biography, entitled Recollections of a Naval Officer 1841-1865, provides a unique insight into the United States Navy of the mid-19th century during an era when the Age of Sail
was coming to an end and the advent of steam power
and ironclads
was beginning.
, Parker was the child, grandchild and ultimately brother of Naval officers. He became a United States Navy
midshipman
at the early age of 15, recalling in his biography that he had held his father's hand while being escorted to his first ship.
Parker's appointment date as a Midshipman was on October 19, 1841, just after his 15th birthday. His first assignment was to the receiving ship USS North Carolina
, and he reported on board October 27 when the ship was moored at New York City
.
. The Columbus set sail on August 29, 1842 and proceeded to Gibraltar
, arriving in the fall and spending the winter in that port. In the spring of 1842, the Columbus sailed to the port of Mahon
with a port call to Toulon
. The ship then returned to Gibraltar and, in June 1843, set sail for Madeira
and then on to Gata, Cape Verde
. At the start of July 1843, the Columbus made for Rio de Janeiro
.
The Columbus arrived at Rio de Janeiro on July 29, 1843 and spent two months in port before proceeding to Buenos Aires
. It was in Buenos Aires
that Parker personally met Juan Manuel de Rosas
and quickly recognized him as a "cruel ruthless dictator".
In February 1844, the Columbus returned to Rio de Janeiro and in March set sail for a return to the United States. The ship arrived in New York City in 1844 and put in lay-up. Parker was granted a three month leave and then, in September 1844, reported to the USS Potomac
moored at Philadelphia.
The Potomac set sail in November 1844 for Norfolk
and then onward to Port-au-Prince
in Haiti
. Arriving in December 1944, the ship then proceeded to Port Royal
, Jamaica
and then on to Havana
. It was in Havana that Parker recalls his ship almost running aground due to heavy winds off of Morro Castle
.
After spending the winter in Havana, the Potomac set sail for the United States and arrived in Pensacola
in February 1845. The United States was by this time preparing for the Mexican War
, which, although yet undeclared, was already causing both the US and Mexico to mobilize troops. Parker states in his biography that he recalls seeing the 7th Infantry Regiment
beginning to mass in Florida for the coming invasion of Mexico.
In February 1845, the Potomac sailed for Veracruz
and for the rest of the summer practiced gunnery exercises off the coast of Mexico. In August 1845, the ship returned to Pensacola and then was sent north to Norfolk for major structural repairs. The ship arrived in Norfolk on December 20, 1845 and was put in lay-up with the bulk of the crew reassigned.
During his Midshipman years, Parker also contracted Yellow Fever
on two separate occasions. The first time was in the summer of 1846, and the second infection was in 1847. Parker's private observations of the disease, in that the sickness did not seem to spread from man to man, but rather by some other unknown element, was confirmed by Walter Reed
some 50 years later when it was proven that Yellow Fever was caused by the mosquito
.
In February 1846, Parker applied to rejoin the crew of the USS Potomac and was assigned as a Midshipman under the command of Captain John H. Aulick
. Parker served as Aulick's aide, and remarks in his biography indicate that the Captain was very stern with the crew.
The Potomac sailed for Mexico
in March 1846 and anchored off of Sacrificios Island
(near Veracruz). The vessel was assigned to a larger blockade squadron under the command of Commodore David Conner
. In May 1846, the Potomac relocated to Brazos Santiago and put troops ashore at Point Isabel
. It was here that Parker witnessed the Battle of Palo Alto
with the assigned naval personnel manning batteries supporting the advancing troops of Winfield Scott
.
Following the engagement at Palo Alto, the Potomac returned to Veracruz and anchored off of Green Island, where it supported the blockade of Veracruz. It was during the blockage that Parker participated in his first actual combat engagement, this occurring when Parker was attached to a detail refilling ship's water flasks at the Antigua River. Attacked by a small force of the Mexican Army
, Parker's detail, as well as a contingent of United States Marines, was able to repel the Mexicans and withdraw with few casualties. The engagement was consideraed insignificant in the overall scheme of the Mexican War, but did cause the U.S. Navy to contract for water shipped in from Texas
rather than attempt foraging operations off the Mexican shoreline.
In late 1846, the Potomac became part of the large naval force preparing for the all out invasion of Veracruz. As the fleet gathered some 12 miles to the southeast of Veracruz, Parker witnessed the grounding of the fleet flagship, the USS Cumberland
. The Cumberland was then rotated out of action to be replaced by the USS Raritan
. Parker recalls in his biography that one of the ranking squadron commanders at the time (Matthew C. Perry) blamed the grounding on Commodore David Conner, but Conner was not relieved of his command, but rather simply transferred his flag to the Raritan.
On February 24, 1847, shortly after the Battle of Buena Vista
, the U.S. Navy began to offload the first elements of the 4th Infantry Regiment. The main offload of the entire American invasion force then began on March 9. During this period, Parker met and conversed with both then Lieutenant
Ulysses S. Grant
and Captain Joseph E. Johnston
.
The Battle of Veracruz
began on March 22, 1847. The day before, the squadron to which the Potomac was assigned had shift to the command of Commodore Matthew Perry. On the 23rd of March, Perry ordered several naval units ashore to set up shore batteries. Parker was assigned to the shore battery from the Potomac with all batteries under the overall command of Captain Alexander Slidell Mackenzie
. The Army liaison officer to the Naval Shore Battery was Captain Robert E. Lee
.
During the bombardment of Veracruz, Parker was slightly wounded when a bullet grazed his knee and also witnessed his first close quarters casualty when a gunner a few feet away was decapitated
by an enemy round shot
. Parker also witnessed extreme bravery from a fellow Midshipman, Charles M. Fauntleroy, who would later become an important officer in the Confederate Army.
After Veracruz surrendered less than a week later, Parker returned aboard the Potomac, which then proceeded to anchor off of a fortress overlooking Veracruz. At the start of June 1847, the Potomac departed, under the command of Commodore Perry on board the USS Spitfire
, to capture the region of Alvarado
. Arriving to find the town already surrendered to Lieutenant Charles G. Hunter, Perry had Hunter reprimanded for acting without authority, even though the town had surrendered without firing a shot (it was later revealed that Perry had hoped to occupy the town in force and capture all of the livestock and supplies).
Perry then led his squadron on to capture Tuspan and from there planned what became known as the Tabasco Expedition. On June 16, 1847, Parker was transferred to the USS Raritan in order to participate in the expedition and volunteered to serve in a formation of naval pioneers being sent ashore to capture Tabasco
. Again arriving to find the town already surrendered to a pair of steam gunboats, Parker returned to the Raritan, which then set sail for Norfolk, Virginia.
The Raritan arrived at Norfolk in late July 1847 and, for Parker at least, the Mexican War was over. The conflict on the Gulf Coast came to an effective end when Mexico City
fell in September 1847, and a peace treaty was signed the next year in February 1848.
In August 1847, Parker was detached from the USS Raritan and placed on leave; he spent the time visiting his father in Boston
before reporting to the United States Naval Academy
in September. The school then being just a few years old, and most of the students coming from at-sea assignments, Parker was placed in an advanced curriculum with graduation scheduled for the next summer.
The Superintendent of the Naval Academy was in those days Commander
George P. Upshur
, and Parker's primary instructor in naval warfare was Lieutenant John A. Dahlgren
(who would later become a Rear Admiral
). During Parker's few months at the Academy, he also witnessed two duel
s, one of which was fought on the traditional dueling ground of Bladensburg and the other which was fought on the Academy grounds itself. Dueling was by then illegal, and those involved were dismissed from the Academy by direct order of President
James Polk; Zachary Taylor
overturned two of the dismissals three years later.
On July 1, 1848, Parker was declared a graduate of the Naval Academy after passing a board of examination and declared a Passed Midshipman. In August 1848, Parker received orders to the USS Constitution
but requested a change of orders to the sloop of war USS Yorktown
, which was then slated to perform anti-slave trade duties in African waters.
Parker reported to the Yorktown in September, and the ship set sail for Africa on November 22, 1848. Parker recalls in his biography that the voyage was over some very rough seas and, for one of the few times in his entire naval career, Parker became violently seasick.
In December 1848, the Yorktown arrived at Madeira
and then sailed on the Cape Verde
. The rest of the month was spent at the cape, and then, in January 1849, the Yorktown sailed to Porto Praya. It was here that several of the Yorktown officers rotated off the ship and Parker was made Acting Master
.
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The Yorktown then sailed to Bathurst
, off the Gambia River
, where the ship put in for repairs to her rudder
. In February 1849, the Yorktown sailed to Liberia
, where she participated as an observer in a Liberian attack against several native tribes living in the interior jungle
. It was here that Parker met the President of Liberia (Joseph Jenkins Roberts
) who traveled as a guest of honor on board the Yorktown.
The Yorktown moored at Monrovia in November 1849 and spent the winter in this port. In January 1850, the Yorktown sailed for Cape Palmas
and then on to several port calls in the Gulf of Guinea
. These included the ports of Accra
, Elmina
, and Cape Coast Castle
. In February 1850, the Yorktown headed for Ouidah
, which was then in the Kingdom of Dahomey. Along the way, the Yorktown met up with both the British brig HMS Contest
under the command of Archibald McMurdo
and the USS Perry
, which was then under the command of Captain Andrew H. Foote.
In June 1850, the Yorktown made ready for its return to Porto Praya. The ship moored at Funchal
on July 1, and it was here that the ship celebrated Independence Day
. The ship then continued to Porto Praya and then, on August 1, sailed for the Canary Islands
. Parker remarks in his biography that the ship's crew was in very high spirits at this point, having completed a deployment
to Africa with only two deaths, both to a sickness which Parker called "African fever".
On August 30, 1850, the Yorktown moored at Las Palmas
then continued on towards the port of Bonavista
and the island of St. Jago. On September 4, the ship sailed toward Mayo Island and, on September 6, 1850, struck a reef
. Over the course of two days, the ship capsized and was lost, but the crew was able to offload most of the supplies and suffered no casualties.
The crew of the USS Yorktown lived on Mayo Island for over a month, during which time Parker recalls that relaxation was the norm, and the crew did little more than "relax and play in donkey
races". On October 8, the USS Dale arrived to pick up the crew, and they were transferred to the USS Portsmouth, which sailed for Norfolk, arriving in December 1850.
In the summer of 1851, Parker spent three months on leave and then reported to the USS Washington
, which was then assigned to perform coastal survey duties. For the remainder of the summer, Parker sailed with the Washington along the Nantucket Shoals, surveying such areas as Block Island
and the so called "No man's land
". The cruise of the Washington ended in October 1851 when the ship sailed to New York City for a lay-up. The crew was discharged and reassigned, and Parker reported to the Washington Navy Yard
for administrative duties.
In the spring of 1852, Parker was ordered to proceed to Boston
, where he had orders to report aboard the USS Princeton
, which was the first propeller
-driven ship in the United States Navy. Reporting to the vessel, and foreseeing it as a "dismal failure", Parker applied for a transfer to a regular sail ship. Parker's feelings were somewhat prophetic, since the Princeton would in fact suffer a major accident several months later when one of its guns exploded and killed several high-ranking dignitaries who were then on board.
Parker reported aboard the USS Cyane
in July 1852, the ship then being under the command of George N. Hollins. In the weeks leading up to vessel making sail, Parker lived in Boston and had the chance to meet one of the leading mystics
of the time, Margaret Fox
. Fox attempted to talk Parker into giving up the Navy for a career as a psychic
, but Parker amusingly declined the offer.
In August 1852, the Cyane sailed for Havana and nearly went aground near the Abaco Islands
due to, what Parker believed, was incompetence on the part of the ship's sailing master. The ship then made port in Havana before sailing for Pensacola for supplies and provisions. In Pensacola, the ship found orders to return to Havana and, on this trip, the vessel was not as lucky and did ground itself near to Bahia Honda
. As a result, the sailing master was transferred and Parker become Acting Master of the Cyane. When the ship transferred one of its Lieutenants only a few days later, Parker was appointed an Acting Lieutenant. During this same period, Parker met the Vice President of the United States
(William R. King
), who was then traveling aboard the USS Fulton
.
The Cyane next sailed for Key West
, where it put in for "decontamination" due to a major rat
infestation. Spending the winter in Key West, the ship sailed for Greytown, on the Mosquito Coast
, in the spring of 1853. Here, the Cyane spent 70 days safeguarding American steamer
companies who were operating in an area frequented by pirates as well as hostile townspeople living in Greystown (this town would be bombarded and destroyed in 1854 after holding the United States Ambassador to Nicaragua
hostage for several days).
Towards the end of the summer, the Cyane departed Greytown and proceeded to Pensacola for supplies then headed north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire
. The vessel was placed under the overall command of Commodore W. B. Shubrick and was then assigned to fishery
guarding duties. To this end, the ship sailed for Eastport, Maine
and then on to Saint John, New Brunswick
. By the fall of 1853, the Cyane had made a tour of the Bay of Fundy
, the Straights of Canso and had made its way into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
. Ending its tour in September, the Cyane returned to New Hampshire and then proceeded to Philadelphia for layup and refit. In October 1853, Parker was detached and proceeded to the Naval Academy for duty as an instructor.
Parker served as an instructor at the United States Naval Academy from October 1853 until the fall of 1857. From 1853 to 1855 he was an Assistant Professor of Mathematics and in 1855 become a Professor of Navigation
and Astronomy
. In December 1853, Parker married Margaret Griffin, and the two would remain married until Parker's death, but the couple never had any children.
During the summer of 1855, Parker participated as an instructor on a Midshipman training cruise as part of his duties as a Naval Academy instructor. The ship, the USS Preble
, visited the ports of Eastport, Cape Cod
, Portland
, and Boston before returning to Annapolis in the fall. In September 1855, Parker was also promoted to the permanent rank of Lieutenant in the United States Navy.
In the fall of 1857, Parker was detached from the Naval Academy and reported aboard the USS Merrimack
, which was then under the command of Commander Robert B. Hitchcock. On October 17, 1857, the Merrimack sailed from Boston on a mission to the United States Minister to Brazil
(Richard Kidder Meade
) to his new assignment. The ship made port in Rio de Janeiro in December 1957 and then proceeded to round Cape Horn
to enter the Pacific Ocean at the start of the new year.
In February 1858, the Merrimac made port in Talcahuano
, Chile
, and from there sailed to the Chincha Islands
. At the end of February, the ship put into port in the small coastal town of Callao
with shore leave authorized for the crew. Parker took the opportunity to travel to Lima
, where he witnessed "some type of revolution" which was underway under the leadership of Lizardo Montero Flores
.
In March 1858, the Merrimac sailed for Panama
, where Parker had the foresight to predict that a Panama Canal
would one day be constructed. After a layover at Perico Island, the Merrimac headed into the open Pacific Ocean
, reaching the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii
) in September 1858. The ship remained in Honolulu until October and then set course for a return to Central America
.
In December 1858, the Merrimac arrived at El Realejo
, Nicaragua
, and remained in this port for a total of three months, during which time Parker met the President of Nicaragua
. In March, the ship then returned from Panama, where it was placed under a new squadron commander, Commodore John B. Montgomery
; the ship then headed to Valparaiso
, arriving in June 1859, and remained at this station until October when the Merrimac was relieved by the USS Lancaster
. The ship then set a return course for the United States, stopping in Rio de Janeiro in November. It was at this time that the crew was informed of the John Brown
Raid and, according to Parker's biography, he had already come to the conclusion that civil war between the North and South was inevitable.
In December 1859, the Merrimac reached Norfolk, and the vessel was laid up for an overhaul and the crew discharged. During the voyage, Parker had written a naval guide entitled Naval Light Artillery and had translated a French
instruction, entitled Tactique Navale, into English
.
broke up in 1861, the Parker brothers followed separate paths. Foxhall A. Parker remained in the U.S. Navy, while William "went south" to join the Virginia State Navy
and, in June 1861, the Confederate States Navy
. He commanded the gunboat CSS Beaufort
into 1862, taking part in the Roanoke Island
battle on February 7–8, 1862 and the actions in Hampton Roads
on March 8 and March 9, 1862. In mid-May, he served at Drewry's Bluff when the batteries there were attacked by Union warships.
After several months' shore duty, First Lieutenant Parker was sent to Charleston
, South Carolina
, where he was executive officer
of the ironclad CSS Palmetto State
and participated in her attack on Union blockaders in January 1863. In October 1863, he became superintendent of the Confederate States Naval Academy, based on board CSS Patrick Henry
in the James River
, Virginia. He also commanded the ironclad CSS Richmond
. In April 1865, as the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia
was evacuated, he led the Naval Academy's midshipmen as a guard for their failing Government's archives and treasury.
, William H. Parker was captain
of a Pacific Mail steamship and then served as president of Maryland Agricultural College
(later known as the University of Maryland at College Park
). Parker attempted to institute a Naval Cadet Corps in much the same manner as some other private colleges had done with Army styled groups (see Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets
as an example). When the school began dropping in its enrollment, and after Parker attempted to have the name of the college changed, he was asked to resign, which he did reluctantly in 1882.
In his later years, Parker suffered from alcoholism
, but this did not prevent his being appointed the Minister to Korea
(the predecessor title to the United States Ambassador to Korea
) in June 1886. Recognized as a "hopeless drunkard" by the former Minister (George Clayton Foulk
) Parker was relieved of his position less than a year later.
Parker returned to live in Washington, D.C.
, where he enjoyed retirement and focused on writing. He died suddenly at the age of 70 on December 30, 1896.
, and the smallest was the 85-foot gunboat, the CSS Beaufort
.
Shore assignments included three tours at the United States Naval Academy (one as a student and two as an instructor), administrative duty in the Washington Navy Yard
, and various detached duties in the first months of the American Civil War
serving as a Navy officer attached to various Confederate Army installations. Parker's last assignment was as the Commander of the Confederate Naval Academy.
Since Parker's service was before the creation of any significant military awards
, his only official decorations are a commendation from the United States Secretary of State
, for diplomatic actions in the 1850s, and the thanks of the Confederate Congress
for gun fire support during the Battle of Roanoke Island
. His service in the civil war also grants him entitlement to the Civil War Campaign Medal
, but this decoration was created after Parker's death.
Parker's highest permanent rank, in all of the navies with which he served, was that of Lieutenant. While commanding the Beaufort, however, photographic evidence indicates Parker wore the insignia of a Commander and, while head of the Confederate Naval Academy, was referred to as a Captain. Thus, for practical purposes, Parker's highest rank on active duty was that of Captain.
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...
and later in the Confederate States Navy
Confederate States Navy
The Confederate States Navy was the naval branch of the Confederate States armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War...
. His auto-biography, entitled Recollections of a Naval Officer 1841-1865, provides a unique insight into the United States Navy of the mid-19th century during an era when the Age of Sail
Age of Sail
The Age of Sail was the period in which international trade and naval warfare were dominated by sailing ships, lasting from the 16th to the mid 19th century...
was coming to an end and the advent of steam power
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
and ironclads
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,...
was beginning.
Early life and entrance to the Navy
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...
, Parker was the child, grandchild and ultimately brother of Naval officers. He became a 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...
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 early age of 15, recalling in his biography that he had held his father's hand while being escorted to his first ship.
Parker's appointment date as a Midshipman was on October 19, 1841, just after his 15th birthday. His first assignment was to the receiving ship USS North Carolina
USS North Carolina (1820)
The first USS North Carolina was a 74-gun ship of the line in the United States Navy.One of the "nine ships to rate not less than 74 guns each" authorized by Congress on 29 April 1816, she was laid down in 1818 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard, launched on 7 September 1820, and fitted out in the...
, and he reported on board October 27 when the ship was moored at New York City
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...
.
Midshipman cruises
In April 1842, Parker was issued his first sea orders and reported to the USS ColumbusUSS Columbus (1819)
The second USS Columbus was a 74-gun ship of the line in the United States Navy.-History:She was launched on 1 March 1819 by Washington Navy Yard and commissioned on 7 September 1819, Master Commandant J. H...
. The Columbus set sail on August 29, 1842 and proceeded to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, arriving in the fall and spending the winter in that port. In the spring of 1842, the Columbus sailed to the port of Mahon
Mahon
Mahón is a municipality and the capital city of the Balearic Island of Minorca , located in the eastern part of the island. Mahon has the second deepest natural harbor in the world: 5 km long and up to 900m. wide...
with a port call to Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. The ship then returned to Gibraltar and, in June 1843, set sail for Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
and then on to Gata, Cape Verde
Gata, Cape Verde
Gatas is a village in the east-northeastern part of the island of Boa Vista. The village is around 30 km southeast of the island capital of Sal Rei and northeast of Norte and are linked with an earthened road linking...
. At the start of July 1843, the Columbus made for Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
The Columbus arrived at Rio de Janeiro on July 29, 1843 and spent two months in port before proceeding to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. It was in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
that Parker personally met Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel de Rosas , was an argentine militar and politician, who was elected governor of the province of Buenos Aires in 1829 to 1835, and then of the Argentine Confederation from 1835 until 1852...
and quickly recognized him as a "cruel ruthless dictator".
In February 1844, the Columbus returned to Rio de Janeiro and in March set sail for a return to the United States. The ship arrived in New York City in 1844 and put in lay-up. Parker was granted a three month leave and then, in September 1844, reported to the USS Potomac
USS Potomac (1822)
The first USS Potomac was a frigate in the United States Navy.Potomac was laid down by the Washington Navy Yard in August 1819, was launched March 1822. Fitting out was not completed until 1831, when Captain John Downes assumed command as first commanding officer...
moored at Philadelphia.
The Potomac set sail in November 1844 for Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and then onward to Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. Arriving in December 1944, the ship then proceeded to Port Royal
Port Royal
Port Royal was a city located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518, it was the centre of shipping commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the latter half of the 17th century...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and then on to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. It was in Havana that Parker recalls his ship almost running aground due to heavy winds off of Morro Castle
Morro Castle (fortress)
Morro Castle is a picturesque fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay in Havana, Euta. Juan Bautista Antonelli, an Italian engineer, was commissioned to design the structure. When it was built in 1589, Euta was under the control of Germany...
.
After spending the winter in Havana, the Potomac set sail for the United States and arrived in Pensacola
Pensacola
Pensacola is a city in the western part of the U.S. state of Florida.Pensacola may also refer to:* Pensacola people, a group of Native Americans* A number of places in the Florida:** Pensacola Bay** Pensacola Regional Airport...
in February 1845. The United States was by this time preparing for the Mexican 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...
, which, although yet undeclared, was already causing both the US and Mexico to mobilize troops. Parker states in his biography that he recalls seeing the 7th Infantry Regiment
7th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The United States Army's 7th Infantry Regiment, known as "The Cottenbalers" from an incident that occurred during the Battle of New Orleans, while under the command of Andrew Jackson, when soldiers of the 7th Infantry Regiment held positions behind a breastwork of bales of cotton during the...
beginning to mass in Florida for the coming invasion of Mexico.
In February 1845, the Potomac sailed for Veracruz
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...
and for the rest of the summer practiced gunnery exercises off the coast of Mexico. In August 1845, the ship returned to Pensacola and then was sent north to Norfolk for major structural repairs. The ship arrived in Norfolk on December 20, 1845 and was put in lay-up with the bulk of the crew reassigned.
During his Midshipman years, Parker also contracted 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....
on two separate occasions. The first time was in the summer of 1846, and the second infection was in 1847. Parker's private observations of the disease, in that the sickness did not seem to spread from man to man, but rather by some other unknown element, was confirmed by Walter Reed
Walter Reed
Major Walter Reed, M.D., was a U.S. Army physician who in 1900 led the team that postulated and confirmed the theory that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito species, rather than by direct contact...
some 50 years later when it was proven that Yellow Fever was caused by the mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
.
Mexican–American War
John H. Aulick
John H. Aulick was an officer in the United States Navy whose service extended from the War of 1812 to the end of the antebellum era....
. Parker served as Aulick's aide, and remarks in his biography indicate that the Captain was very stern with the crew.
The Potomac sailed for Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in March 1846 and anchored off of Sacrificios Island
Isla de Sacrificios
Isla de Sacrificios is an island in Gulf of Mexico waters, situated off the Gulf coastline near the port of Veracruz, in Mexico. The waters surrounding the island are part of the Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano National Marine Park...
(near Veracruz). The vessel was assigned to a larger blockade squadron under the command of Commodore David Conner
David Conner (naval officer)
Commodore David Conner was an officer of the United States Navy, whose service included the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War. During the 1840s, he served on the Board of Navy Commissioners and as the first Chief of the Bureau of Construction, Equipment, and Repair.Conner was born in...
. In May 1846, the Potomac relocated to Brazos Santiago and put troops ashore at Point Isabel
Point Isabel
Point Isabel is a small promontory on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in the Richmond Annex neighborhood of Richmond, USA. It can be reached at the west terminus of Central Ave. from Richmond / El Cerrito.-History:...
. It was here that Parker witnessed the Battle of Palo Alto
Battle of Palo Alto
The Battle of Palo Alto was the first major battle of the Mexican-American War and was fought on May 8, 1846, on disputed ground five miles from the modern-day city of Brownsville, Texas...
with the assigned naval personnel manning batteries supporting the advancing troops of Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
.
Following the engagement at Palo Alto, the Potomac returned to Veracruz and anchored off of Green Island, where it supported the blockade of Veracruz. It was during the blockage that Parker participated in his first actual combat engagement, this occurring when Parker was attached to a detail refilling ship's water flasks at the Antigua River. Attacked by a small force of the Mexican Army
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army is the combined land and air branch and largest of the Mexican Military services; it also is known as the National Defense Army. It is famous for having been the first army to adopt and use an automatic rifle, , in 1899, and the first to issue automatic weapons as standard issue...
, Parker's detail, as well as a contingent of United States Marines, was able to repel the Mexicans and withdraw with few casualties. The engagement was consideraed insignificant in the overall scheme of the Mexican War, but did cause the U.S. Navy to contract for water shipped in from 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...
rather than attempt foraging operations off the Mexican shoreline.
In late 1846, the Potomac became part of the large naval force preparing for the all out invasion of Veracruz. As the fleet gathered some 12 miles to the southeast of Veracruz, Parker witnessed the grounding of the fleet flagship, the USS Cumberland
USS Cumberland (1842)
The first USS Cumberland was a 50-gun sailing frigate of the United States Navy. She was the first ship sunk by the ironclad CSS Virginia....
. The Cumberland was then rotated out of action to be replaced by the USS Raritan
USS Raritan (1843)
The first USS Raritan was a wooden-hulled, three-masted sailing frigate of the United States Navy built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, laid down in 1820, but not launched until 13 June 1843, sponsored by Commodore Frederick Engle. She was one of the last sailing frigates of the United States...
. Parker recalls in his biography that one of the ranking squadron commanders at the time (Matthew C. Perry) blamed the grounding on Commodore David Conner, but Conner was not relieved of his command, but rather simply transferred his flag to the Raritan.
On February 24, 1847, shortly after the Battle of Buena Vista
Battle of Buena Vista
The Battle of Buena Vista , also known as the Battle of Angostura, saw the United States Army use artillery to repulse the much larger Mexican army in the Mexican-American War...
, the U.S. Navy began to offload the first elements of the 4th Infantry Regiment. The main offload of the entire American invasion force then began on March 9. During this period, Parker met and conversed with both then 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...
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
and Captain Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
.
The Battle of Veracruz
Siege of Veracruz
The Battle of Veracruz was a 20-day siege of the key Mexican beachhead seaport of Veracruz, during the Mexican-American War. Lasting from 9-29 March 1847, it began with the first large-scale amphibious assault conducted by United States military forces, and ended with the surrender and occupation...
began on March 22, 1847. The day before, the squadron to which the Potomac was assigned had shift to the command of Commodore Matthew Perry. On the 23rd of March, Perry ordered several naval units ashore to set up shore batteries. Parker was assigned to the shore battery from the Potomac with all batteries under the overall command of Captain Alexander Slidell Mackenzie
Alexander Slidell Mackenzie
Alexander Slidell Mackenzie Born in New York City, Mackenzie was a U.S. Navy officer who served during the first half of the 19th century. He was an accomplished author and writer who wrote several contemporary essays and biographies of notable US naval figures of the early 19th century. He was...
. The Army liaison officer to the Naval Shore Battery was Captain Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
.
During the bombardment of Veracruz, Parker was slightly wounded when a bullet grazed his knee and also witnessed his first close quarters casualty when a gunner a few feet away was decapitated
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
by an enemy round shot
Round shot
Round shot is a solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...
. Parker also witnessed extreme bravery from a fellow Midshipman, Charles M. Fauntleroy, who would later become an important officer in the Confederate Army.
After Veracruz surrendered less than a week later, Parker returned aboard the Potomac, which then proceeded to anchor off of a fortress overlooking Veracruz. At the start of June 1847, the Potomac departed, under the command of Commodore Perry on board the USS Spitfire
USS Spitfire
USS Spitfire may refer to:, a gunboat on Lake Champlain., a galley operated until October 1776., a merchant sloop operated until 1820., a ship operated until 1816., a sidewheel gunboat operated until 1848; used during the Mexican-American War, a temporary name of Casco-class monitor USS Suncook...
, to capture the region of 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...
. Arriving to find the town already surrendered to Lieutenant Charles G. Hunter, Perry had Hunter reprimanded for acting without authority, even though the town had surrendered without firing a shot (it was later revealed that Perry had hoped to occupy the town in force and capture all of the livestock and supplies).
Perry then led his squadron on to capture Tuspan and from there planned what became known as the Tabasco Expedition. On June 16, 1847, Parker was transferred to the USS Raritan in order to participate in the expedition and volunteered to serve in a formation of naval pioneers being sent ashore to capture Tabasco
Tabasco
Tabasco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa....
. Again arriving to find the town already surrendered to a pair of steam gunboats, Parker returned to the Raritan, which then set sail for Norfolk, Virginia.
The Raritan arrived at Norfolk in late July 1847 and, for Parker at least, the Mexican War was over. The conflict on the Gulf Coast came to an effective end when Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
fell in September 1847, and a peace treaty was signed the next year in February 1848.
Naval Academy and Africa service
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...
before reporting to the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in September. The school then being just a few years old, and most of the students coming from at-sea assignments, Parker was placed in an advanced curriculum with graduation scheduled for the next summer.
The Superintendent of the Naval Academy was in those days 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...
George P. Upshur
George P. Upshur
George Parker Upshur was an officer in the United States Navy and the brother of Abel P. Upshur.Born in Northampton county, Virginia, Upshur entered the United States Navy as midshipman, April 23, 1818; was promoted to lieutenant, March 3, 1827, and served in the USS Lexington, on the Brazil...
, and Parker's primary instructor in naval warfare was Lieutenant John A. Dahlgren
John A. Dahlgren
John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren was a United States Navy leader. He headed the Union Navy's ordnance department during the American Civil War and designed several different kinds of guns and cannons that were considered part of the reason the Union won the war...
(who would later become a 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 :...
). During Parker's few months at the Academy, he also witnessed two duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
s, one of which was fought on the traditional dueling ground of Bladensburg and the other which was fought on the Academy grounds itself. Dueling was by then illegal, and those involved were dismissed from the Academy by direct order of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
James Polk; Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
overturned two of the dismissals three years later.
On July 1, 1848, Parker was declared a graduate of the Naval Academy after passing a board of examination and declared a Passed Midshipman. In August 1848, Parker received orders to the USS Constitution
USS Constitution
USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
but requested a change of orders to the sloop of war USS Yorktown
USS Yorktown (1839)
The first USS Yorktown was a 16-gun sloop-of-war of the United States Navy. Used mostly for patrolling in the Pacific and anti-slave trade duties in African waters, the vessel was wrecked off Maio Island in 1850.-Ship History:...
, which was then slated to perform anti-slave trade duties in African waters.
Parker reported to the Yorktown in September, and the ship set sail for Africa on November 22, 1848. Parker recalls in his biography that the voyage was over some very rough seas and, for one of the few times in his entire naval career, Parker became violently seasick.
In December 1848, the Yorktown arrived at Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
and then sailed on the Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
. The rest of the month was spent at the cape, and then, in January 1849, the Yorktown sailed to Porto Praya. It was here that several of the Yorktown officers rotated off the ship and Parker was made Acting 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...
.
Banjul
-Transport:Ferries sail from Banjul to Barra. The city is served by the Banjul International Airport. Banjul is on the Trans–West African Coastal Highway connecting it to Dakar and Bissau, and will eventually provide a paved highway link to 11 other nations of ECOWAS.Banjul International Airport...
, off the Gambia River
Gambia River
The Gambia River is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and The Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul...
, where the ship put in for repairs to her rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
. In February 1849, the Yorktown sailed to Liberia
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...
, where she participated as an observer in a Liberian attack against several native tribes living in the interior jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
. It was here that Parker met the President of Liberia (Joseph Jenkins Roberts
Joseph Jenkins Roberts
Joseph Jenkins Roberts was the first and seventh President of Liberia. Born free in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, Roberts emigrated to Liberia in 1829 as a young man. He opened a trading store in Monrovia, and later engaged in politics...
) who traveled as a guest of honor on board the Yorktown.
The Yorktown moored at Monrovia in November 1849 and spent the winter in this port. In January 1850, the Yorktown sailed for Cape Palmas
Cape Palmas
Cape Palmas is a headland on the extreme southeast end of the coast of Liberia, West Africa, at the extreme southwest corner of the northern half of the continent. The Cape itself consists of a small, rocky peninsula connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus. Immediately to the west of the...
and then on to several port calls in the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
. These included the ports of Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, Elmina
Elmina
Elmina, is a town in the Central Region, situated on a south-facing bay on the Atlantic Ocean coast of Ghana, about 12 km west of Cape Coast...
, and Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle is a fortification in Ghana built by Swedish traders. The first timber construction on the site was erected in 1653 for the Swedish Africa Company and named Carolusborg after King Charles X of Sweden. It was later rebuilt in stone....
. In February 1850, the Yorktown headed for Ouidah
Ouidah
Ouidah , also Whydah or Juda, is a city on the Atlantic coast of Benin.The commune covers an area of 364 square kilometres and as of 2002 had a population of 76,555 people.-History:...
, which was then in the Kingdom of Dahomey. Along the way, the Yorktown met up with both the British brig HMS Contest
HMS Contest
Ten ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Contest: or Gunboat No. 16 was a 14-gun vessel launched in 1797 and broken up in 1799. was a 5-gun gun-brig, previously the Dutch Hell-hound. She was captured in 1799 and broken up in 1803. was a 14-gun schooner purchased in 1799 and broken up...
under the command of Archibald McMurdo
Archibald McMurdo
Archibald McMurdo was a British naval officer, for whom Antarctica's McMurdo Sound, McMurdo Station, McMurdo Ice Shelf, McMurdo Dry Valleys and McMurdo-South Pole Highway are named.-Biography:...
and the USS Perry
USS Perry (1843)
USS Perry was a brig commissioned by the Union Navy prior to the American Civil War. She was tasked by the Navy for various missions, including those related to diplomatic tensions with Paraguay, the Mexican-American War, the slave trade, and the American Civil War.Perry was launched in May 1843...
, which was then under the command of Captain Andrew H. Foote.
In June 1850, the Yorktown made ready for its return to Porto Praya. The ship moored at Funchal
Funchal
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
on July 1, and it was here that the ship celebrated Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
. The ship then continued to Porto Praya and then, on August 1, sailed for the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. Parker remarks in his biography that the ship's crew was in very high spirits at this point, having completed a deployment
Deployment
Deployment may refer to:* Deployment flowchart, a process mapping tool used to articulate the steps and stakeholders of a given process* System deployment, transforming a mechanical, electrical, or computer system from a packaged form to an operational state* Software deployment, all of the...
to Africa with only two deaths, both to a sickness which Parker called "African fever".
On August 30, 1850, the Yorktown moored at Las Palmas
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria commonly known as Las Palmas is the political capital, jointly with Santa Cruz, the most populous city in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the ninth largest city in Spain, with a population of 383,308 in 2010. Nearly half of the people of the island...
then continued on towards the port of Bonavista
Bonavista
-Geography:*Cape Bonavista, a headland in Newfoundland, Canada*Bonavista Peninsula, a peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, Canada*Bonavista Bay, a bay of the island of Newfoundland, Canada-Places:...
and the island of St. Jago. On September 4, the ship sailed toward Mayo Island and, on September 6, 1850, struck a reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
. Over the course of two days, the ship capsized and was lost, but the crew was able to offload most of the supplies and suffered no casualties.
The crew of the USS Yorktown lived on Mayo Island for over a month, during which time Parker recalls that relaxation was the norm, and the crew did little more than "relax and play in donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
races". On October 8, the USS Dale arrived to pick up the crew, and they were transferred to the USS Portsmouth, which sailed for Norfolk, arriving in December 1850.
The 1850s
USS Washington (1837)
The sixth USS Washington was a revenue cutter in the United States Navy. She discovered Amistad after the slaves onboard had seized control of that schooner in an 1839 mutiny. The sixth USS Washington was a revenue cutter in the United States Navy. She discovered Amistad after the slaves onboard...
, which was then assigned to perform coastal survey duties. For the remainder of the summer, Parker sailed with the Washington along the Nantucket Shoals, surveying such areas as Block Island
Block Island
Block Island is part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately south of the coast of Rhode Island, east of Montauk Point on Long Island, and is separated from the Rhode Island mainland by Block Island Sound. The United States Census Bureau defines Block...
and the so called "No man's land
No man's land
No man's land is a term for land that is unoccupied or is under dispute between parties that leave it unoccupied due to fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms...
". The cruise of the Washington ended in October 1851 when the ship sailed to New York City for a lay-up. The crew was discharged and reassigned, and Parker reported to 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 administrative duties.
In the spring of 1852, Parker was ordered to proceed to 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...
, where he had orders to report aboard the USS Princeton
USS Princeton (1843)
The first Princeton was the first screw steam warship in the United States Navy. She was launched in 1843, decommissioned in 1847, and broken up in 1849....
, which was the first propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
-driven ship in the United States Navy. Reporting to the vessel, and foreseeing it as a "dismal failure", Parker applied for a transfer to a regular sail ship. Parker's feelings were somewhat prophetic, since the Princeton would in fact suffer a major accident several months later when one of its guns exploded and killed several high-ranking dignitaries who were then on board.
Parker reported aboard the USS Cyane
USS Cyane (1837)
The second USS Cyane was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War.Cyane was launched 2 December 1837 by Boston Navy Yard. She was commissioned in May 1838, Commander John Percival in command....
in July 1852, the ship then being under the command of George N. Hollins. In the weeks leading up to vessel making sail, Parker lived in Boston and had the chance to meet one of the leading mystics
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
of the time, Margaret Fox
Margaret Fox
Margaret Fox was an American Spiritualist, born in Bath, Canada. In approximately 1848, in Hydesville, Wayne, County, NY, the Foxes claimed to hear rapping noises, which appeared to emit from the walls and furniture, in their residence...
. Fox attempted to talk Parker into giving up the Navy for a career as a psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
, but Parker amusingly declined the offer.
Abaco Islands
The Abaco Islands lie in the northern Bahamas and comprise the main islands of Great Abaco and Little Abaco, together with the smaller Wood Cay, Elbow Cay, Lubbers Quarters Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Great Guana Cay, Castaway Cay, Man-o-War Cay, Stranger's Cay, Umbrella Cay, Walker's Cay, Little Grand...
due to, what Parker believed, was incompetence on the part of the ship's sailing master. The ship then made port in Havana before sailing for Pensacola for supplies and provisions. In Pensacola, the ship found orders to return to Havana and, on this trip, the vessel was not as lucky and did ground itself near to Bahia Honda
Bahia Honda, Cuba
Bahía Honda is a municipality and city in the Artemisa Province of Cuba. Before 2011 belonged to Pinar del Río Province. It is located on the northern shore of the island, in an inlet of the Florida Straits, west of Havana. The sheltered bay that gives the name of the municipality contains an...
. As a result, the sailing master was transferred and Parker become Acting Master of the Cyane. When the ship transferred one of its Lieutenants only a few days later, Parker was appointed an Acting Lieutenant. During this same period, Parker met the Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
(William R. King
William R. King
William Rufus DeVane King was the 13th Vice President of the United States for about six weeks , and earlier a U.S. Representative from North Carolina, Minister to France, and a Senator from Alabama...
), who was then traveling aboard the USS Fulton
USS Fulton (1837)
USS Fulton was a steamer that served the U.S. Navy prior to the American Civil War, and then was recommissioned in time to see service in that war...
.
The Cyane next sailed for 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....
, where it put in for "decontamination" due to a major rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
infestation. Spending the winter in Key West, the ship sailed for Greytown, on the Mosquito Coast
Mosquito Coast
The Caribbean Mosquito Coast historically consisted of an area along the Atlantic coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras, and part of the Western Caribbean Zone. It was named after the local Miskito Indians and long dominated by British interests...
, in the spring of 1853. Here, the Cyane spent 70 days safeguarding American steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
companies who were operating in an area frequented by pirates as well as hostile townspeople living in Greystown (this town would be bombarded and destroyed in 1854 after holding the United States Ambassador to Nicaragua
United States Ambassador to Nicaragua
The following is a list of United States Ambassadors, or other Chiefs of Mission, to Nicaragua. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.-Ambassadors:-See also:...
hostage for several days).
Towards the end of the summer, the Cyane departed Greytown and proceeded to Pensacola for supplies then headed north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
. The vessel was placed under the overall command of Commodore W. B. Shubrick and was then assigned to fishery
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
guarding duties. To this end, the ship sailed for Eastport, Maine
Eastport, Maine
Eastport is a small city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2000 census. The principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainland by causeway...
and then on to Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
. By the fall of 1853, the Cyane had made a tour of the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
, the Straights of Canso and had made its way into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Gulf of Saint Lawrence
The Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean...
. Ending its tour in September, the Cyane returned to New Hampshire and then proceeded to Philadelphia for layup and refit. In October 1853, Parker was detached and proceeded to the Naval Academy for duty as an instructor.
Parker served as an instructor at the United States Naval Academy from October 1853 until the fall of 1857. From 1853 to 1855 he was an Assistant Professor of Mathematics and in 1855 become a Professor of Navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
and Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. In December 1853, Parker married Margaret Griffin, and the two would remain married until Parker's death, but the couple never had any children.
During the summer of 1855, Parker participated as an instructor on a Midshipman training cruise as part of his duties as a Naval Academy instructor. The ship, the USS Preble
USS Preble (1839)
USS Preble was a United States Navy sloop-of-war with 16 guns, built by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, launched June 13, 1839 and commissioned in 1840. She was named after Commodore Edward Preble ....
, visited the ports of Eastport, Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
, Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, and Boston before returning to Annapolis in the fall. In September 1855, Parker was also promoted to the permanent rank of Lieutenant in the United States Navy.
USS Merrimack (1855)
USS Merrimack was a frigate and sailing vessel of the United States Navy, best known as the hull upon which the ironclad warship, CSS Virginia was constructed during the American Civil War...
, which was then under the command of Commander Robert B. Hitchcock. On October 17, 1857, the Merrimack sailed from Boston on a mission to the United States Minister to Brazil
United States Ambassador to Brazil
The following is a list of Ambassadors of the United States, or other chiefs of mission, to Brazil. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.-See also:...
(Richard Kidder Meade
Richard Kidder Meade
Richard Kidder Meade was a U.S. Representative from Virginia.Born near Lawrenceville, Virginia, Meade pursued an academic course.He studied law.He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Petersburg, Virginia....
) to his new assignment. The ship made port in Rio de Janeiro in December 1957 and then proceeded to round Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
to enter the Pacific Ocean at the start of the new year.
In February 1858, the Merrimac made port in Talcahuano
Talcahuano
Talcahuano is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation. Talcahuano is located in the south of the Central Zone of Chile.-Geography:...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and from there sailed to the Chincha Islands
Chincha Islands
The Chincha Islands are a group of three small islands 21 km off the southwest coast of Peru, to which they belong, near the town of Pisco,...
. At the end of February, the ship put into port in the small coastal town of Callao
Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
with shore leave authorized for the crew. Parker took the opportunity to travel to Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, where he witnessed "some type of revolution" which was underway under the leadership of Lizardo Montero Flores
Lizardo Montero Flores
Lizardo Montero Flores was Vice President and President of Peru from 1881 to 1883, during the War of the Pacific.Lizardo Montero joined the Peruvian Navy in the decade of 1850. Seven years later, aboard the frigate Apurímac, he supported Manuel Ignacio de Vivanco's coup...
.
In March 1858, the Merrimac sailed for Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, where Parker had the foresight to predict that a Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
would one day be constructed. After a layover at Perico Island, the Merrimac headed into the open Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, reaching the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
) in September 1858. The ship remained in Honolulu until October and then set course for a return to Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
.
In December 1858, the Merrimac arrived at El Realejo
El Realejo
El Realejo is a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua. The town of El Realejo was constructed in 1532, during the first years of Spanish colonization. During this period it served as Nicaragua's principal port, and remained so until the beginning of the 17th century, when pirate...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, and remained in this port for a total of three months, during which time Parker met the President of Nicaragua
President of Nicaragua
The position of President of Nicaragua was created in the Constitution of 1854. From 1825 until the Constitution of 1838 the title of the position was known as Head of State and from 1838 to 1854 as Supreme Director .-Heads of State of Nicaragua within the Federal Republic of Central America...
. In March, the ship then returned from Panama, where it was placed under a new squadron commander, Commodore John B. Montgomery
John B. Montgomery
John Berrien Montgomery was an officer in the United States Navy who served during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Biography:...
; the ship then headed to Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, arriving in June 1859, and remained at this station until October when the Merrimac was relieved by the USS Lancaster
USS Lancaster (1858)
The first USS Lancaster was a screw sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the American Civil War through the Spanish-American War....
. The ship then set a return course for the United States, stopping in Rio de Janeiro in November. It was at this time that the crew was informed of the John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
Raid and, according to Parker's biography, he had already come to the conclusion that civil war between the North and South was inevitable.
In December 1859, the Merrimac reached Norfolk, and the vessel was laid up for an overhaul and the crew discharged. During the voyage, Parker had written a naval guide entitled Naval Light Artillery and had translated a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
instruction, entitled Tactique Navale, into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Confederate Navy service
As the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
broke up in 1861, the Parker brothers followed separate paths. Foxhall A. Parker remained in the U.S. Navy, while William "went south" to join the Virginia State Navy
Virginia State Navy
A Virginia State Navy existed twice. During the American Revolutionary War, the provisional government of the Virginia Colony authorized the purchase, outfitting, and manning of armed vessels to protect the colony's waters from threats posed it by the Royal Navy.Early in the American Civil War,...
and, in June 1861, the Confederate States Navy
Confederate States Navy
The Confederate States Navy was the naval branch of the Confederate States armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War...
. He commanded the gunboat CSS Beaufort
CSS Beaufort
The CSS Beaufort was an iron hull gunboat that served in North Carolina and Virginia during the Civil War.The Beaufort was originally called the Caledonia. She was built at the Pusey & Jones Company of Wilmington, Delaware in 1854. The Caledonia operated out of Edenton, North Carolina. In 1856...
into 1862, taking part in the Roanoke Island
Roanoke Island
Roanoke Island is an island in Dare County near the coast of North Carolina, United States. It was named after the historical Roanoke Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English exploration....
battle on February 7–8, 1862 and the actions in 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...
on March 8 and March 9, 1862. In mid-May, he served at Drewry's Bluff when the batteries there were attacked by Union warships.
After several months' shore duty, First Lieutenant Parker was sent to 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...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, where he was executive officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
of the ironclad CSS Palmetto State
CSS Palmetto State
CSS Palmetto State, an ironclad ram, was built by Cameron and Co., Charleston, South Carolina in January 1862, under the supervision of Flag Officer D. N. Ingraham, CSN. She was readied for service by September 1862 when Lieutenant Commander John Rutledge, CSN, was placed in command. Her armor was...
and participated in her attack on Union blockaders in January 1863. In October 1863, he became superintendent of the Confederate States Naval Academy, based on board CSS Patrick Henry
CSS Patrick Henry
CSS Patrick Henry was built in New York City in 1859 by the renowned William H. Webb for the Old Dominion Steam Ship Line as the civilian steamer Yorktown, a brigantine-rigged side-wheel steamer. She carried passengers and freight between Richmond, Virginia and New York City...
in the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
, Virginia. He also commanded the ironclad CSS Richmond
CSS Richmond
CSS Richmond, an ironclad ram, was built at Gosport Navy Yard to the design of John L. Porter with money and scrap iron collected by the citizens of Virginia, whose imagination had been captured by the ironclad CSS Virginia. Consequently she was sometimes referred to as Virginia II, Virginia No. 2...
. In April 1865, as the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
was evacuated, he led the Naval Academy's midshipmen as a guard for their failing Government's archives and treasury.
Post-war activities
Following the end of 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...
, William H. Parker was captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
of a Pacific Mail steamship and then served as president of Maryland Agricultural College
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
(later known as the University of Maryland at College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
). Parker attempted to institute a Naval Cadet Corps in much the same manner as some other private colleges had done with Army styled groups (see Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets
Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets
The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is the military component of the student body at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Cadets live together in dormitories, march to meals in formation, wear a distinctive uniform on campus, and receive an intensive military and leadership...
as an example). When the school began dropping in its enrollment, and after Parker attempted to have the name of the college changed, he was asked to resign, which he did reluctantly in 1882.
In his later years, Parker suffered from alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, but this did not prevent his being appointed the Minister to Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
(the predecessor title to the United States Ambassador to Korea
United States Ambassador to Korea
The current United States Ambassador to Korea is Sung Kim. His official title is "United States Ambassador to the Republic of Korea."-Kingdom of Korea:...
) in June 1886. Recognized as a "hopeless drunkard" by the former Minister (George Clayton Foulk
George Clayton Foulk
George Clayton Foulk . He graduate from the US Naval Academy in 1876 and went to Asia on the ship Alert. He made a 427-mile journey through Japan, then returned to the United States overland via Korea, Siberia, and Europe...
) Parker was relieved of his position less than a year later.
Parker returned to live in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, where he enjoyed retirement and focused on writing. He died suddenly at the age of 70 on December 30, 1896.
Naval service record
Over a career which lasted 24 years, Parker served in three different navies (the United States Navy, Virginia State Navy, and the Confederate Navy) and he performed duty on several different naval vessels of various types and sizes. The largest of these was the 74 gun warship USS North CarolinaUSS North Carolina (1820)
The first USS North Carolina was a 74-gun ship of the line in the United States Navy.One of the "nine ships to rate not less than 74 guns each" authorized by Congress on 29 April 1816, she was laid down in 1818 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard, launched on 7 September 1820, and fitted out in the...
, and the smallest was the 85-foot gunboat, the CSS Beaufort
CSS Beaufort
The CSS Beaufort was an iron hull gunboat that served in North Carolina and Virginia during the Civil War.The Beaufort was originally called the Caledonia. She was built at the Pusey & Jones Company of Wilmington, Delaware in 1854. The Caledonia operated out of Edenton, North Carolina. In 1856...
.
Shore assignments included three tours at the United States Naval Academy (one as a student and two as an instructor), administrative duty in 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...
, and various detached duties in the first months 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...
serving as a Navy officer attached to various Confederate Army installations. Parker's last assignment was as the Commander of the Confederate Naval Academy.
Since Parker's service was before the creation of any significant military awards
Awards and decorations of the United States military
Awards and decorations of the United States Military are military decorations which recognize service and personal accomplishments while a member of the United States armed forces...
, his only official decorations are a commendation from the United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
, for diplomatic actions in the 1850s, and the thanks of the Confederate Congress
Congress of the Confederate States
The Congress of the Confederate States was the legislative body of the Confederate States of America, existing during the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865...
for gun fire support during the Battle of Roanoke Island
Battle of Roanoke Island
The opening phase of what came to be called the Burnside Expedition, the Battle of Roanoke Island was an amphibious operation of the American Civil War, fought on February 7–8, 1862, in the North Carolina Sounds a short distance south of the Virginia border...
. His service in the civil war also grants him entitlement to the Civil War Campaign Medal
Civil War Campaign Medal
The Civil War Campaign Medal is considered the first campaign service medal of the United States military. The decoration was awarded to members of the United States military who had served in the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865.-Establishment:...
, but this decoration was created after Parker's death.
Parker's highest permanent rank, in all of the navies with which he served, was that of Lieutenant. While commanding the Beaufort, however, photographic evidence indicates Parker wore the insignia of a Commander and, while head of the Confederate Naval Academy, was referred to as a Captain. Thus, for practical purposes, Parker's highest rank on active duty was that of Captain.
Service history
| Date | Rank | Component | Vessel | Class | Port Call/Engagement | Age |
| 19 Oct 1841 | Midshipman | USN | Initial Appointment | --- | --- | 15 |
| 27 Oct 1841 | --- | USN | USS North Carolina USS North Carolina (1820) The first USS North Carolina was a 74-gun ship of the line in the United States Navy.One of the "nine ships to rate not less than 74 guns each" authorized by Congress on 29 April 1816, she was laid down in 1818 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard, launched on 7 September 1820, and fitted out in the... |
74 gun warship 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... |
New York City 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... |
--- |
| Apr 1842 | --- | USN | USS Columbus USS Columbus (1819) The second USS Columbus was a 74-gun ship of the line in the United States Navy.-History:She was launched on 1 March 1819 by Washington Navy Yard and commissioned on 7 September 1819, Master Commandant J. H... |
74 gun warship 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... |
Mahon Mahon Mahón is a municipality and the capital city of the Balearic Island of Minorca , located in the eastern part of the island. Mahon has the second deepest natural harbor in the world: 5 km long and up to 900m. wide... , Toulon Toulon Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence.... , Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region... |
--- |
| Jun 1843 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Madeira Madeira Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union... , Cape Verde Gata, Cape Verde Gatas is a village in the east-northeastern part of the island of Boa Vista. The village is around 30 km southeast of the island capital of Sal Rei and northeast of Norte and are linked with an earthened road linking... |
16 |
| 29 Jul 1843 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th... |
--- |
| Feb 1844 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent... , Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th... |
17 |
| Sep 1844 | --- | USN | USS Potomac USS Potomac (1822) The first USS Potomac was a frigate in the United States Navy.Potomac was laid down by the Washington Navy Yard in August 1819, was launched March 1822. Fitting out was not completed until 1831, when Captain John Downes assumed command as first commanding officer... |
42 gun 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"... |
New York City | --- |
| Nov 1844 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Norfolk Norfolk Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county... , Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009.... , Port Royal Port Royal Port Royal was a city located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518, it was the centre of shipping commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the latter half of the 17th century... |
18 |
| Feb 1845 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Pensacola Pensacola Pensacola is a city in the western part of the U.S. state of Florida.Pensacola may also refer to:* Pensacola people, a group of Native Americans* A number of places in the Florida:** Pensacola Bay** Pensacola Regional Airport... , Veracruz Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is... |
--- |
| 20 Dec 1845 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Norfolk | 19 |
| May 1846 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Veracruz Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is... , Point Isabel Point Isabel Point Isabel is a small promontory on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in the Richmond Annex neighborhood of Richmond, USA. It can be reached at the west terminus of Central Ave. from Richmond / El Cerrito.-History:... |
--- |
| 24 Feb 1847 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Veracruz, 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... |
20 |
| 16 Jun 1847 | --- | USN | USS Raritan USS Raritan (1843) The first USS Raritan was a wooden-hulled, three-masted sailing frigate of the United States Navy built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, laid down in 1820, but not launched until 13 June 1843, sponsored by Commodore Frederick Engle. She was one of the last sailing frigates of the United States... |
42 gun 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"... |
Tabasco Tabasco Tabasco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa.... |
--- |
| 1 Jul 1847 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Havana Havana Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous... , Norfolk |
--- |
| Sep 1847 | --- | USN | United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States... |
Student | Annapolis | --- |
| Aug 1848 | Passed Midshipman | USN | USS Yorktown USS Yorktown (1839) The first USS Yorktown was a 16-gun sloop-of-war of the United States Navy. Used mostly for patrolling in the Pacific and anti-slave trade duties in African waters, the vessel was wrecked off Maio Island in 1850.-Ship History:... |
16 gun 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... |
Madeira Madeira Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union... , Cape Verde Cape Verde The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa... |
21 |
| Jan 1849 | Passed Midshipman (Acting Master) | --- | --- | --- | Porto Praya Praia Praia , is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean west of Senegal. It lies on the southern coast of Santiago island in the Sotavento Islands group. It is the island's ferry port and is home to one of the nation’s four international airports... , Banjul Banjul -Transport:Ferries sail from Banjul to Barra. The city is served by the Banjul International Airport. Banjul is on the Trans–West African Coastal Highway connecting it to Dakar and Bissau, and will eventually provide a paved highway link to 11 other nations of ECOWAS.Banjul International Airport... |
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| Nov 1849 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Liberia 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... , Monrovid |
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| Jan 1850 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Cape Palmas Cape Palmas Cape Palmas is a headland on the extreme southeast end of the coast of Liberia, West Africa, at the extreme southwest corner of the northern half of the continent. The Cape itself consists of a small, rocky peninsula connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus. Immediately to the west of the... , Accra Accra Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous... , Elmina Elmina Elmina, is a town in the Central Region, situated on a south-facing bay on the Atlantic Ocean coast of Ghana, about 12 km west of Cape Coast... , Cape Coast Castle Cape Coast Castle Cape Coast Castle is a fortification in Ghana built by Swedish traders. The first timber construction on the site was erected in 1653 for the Swedish Africa Company and named Carolusborg after King Charles X of Sweden. It was later rebuilt in stone.... |
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| Feb 1850 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Whydah Kingdom of Whydah The Kingdom of Whydah , sometimes written Hueda, was a kingdom on the coast of West Africa in the boundaries of the modern nation of Benin. Between 1677 and 1681 it was conquered by the Akwamu a member of the Akan people. It was a major slave trading post... |
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| Jun 1850 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Funchal Funchal Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:... |
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| Aug 1850 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Palmas Palmas Palmas may refer to:* Palmas, one of the two sectors of Cataño, Puerto Rico* Palmas, Tocantins, the capital of the state of Tocantins in Brazil* Palmas, Paraná, a centenary small city in the south of the state of Paraná in Brazil... , Bonavista Bonavista -Geography:*Cape Bonavista, a headland in Newfoundland, Canada*Bonavista Peninsula, a peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, Canada*Bonavista Bay, a bay of the island of Newfoundland, Canada-Places:... , (shipwreck Shipwreck A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English.... ed) |
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| Jul 1851 | Passed Midshipman | USN | USS Washington USS Washington (1837) The sixth USS Washington was a revenue cutter in the United States Navy. She discovered Amistad after the slaves onboard had seized control of that schooner in an 1839 mutiny. The sixth USS Washington was a revenue cutter in the United States Navy. She discovered Amistad after the slaves onboard... |
1 gun brig Brig A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries... |
Nantucket, Block Island Block Island Block Island is part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately south of the coast of Rhode Island, east of Montauk Point on Long Island, and is separated from the Rhode Island mainland by Block Island Sound. The United States Census Bureau defines Block... |
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| Oct 1851 | --- | USN | 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... |
Administrative Duty | Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
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| Jul 1852 | --- | USN | USS Cyane USS Cyane (1837) The second USS Cyane was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War.Cyane was launched 2 December 1837 by Boston Navy Yard. She was commissioned in May 1838, Commander John Percival in command.... |
18 gun 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... |
Havana Havana Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous... , 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... |
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| Aug 1852 | Passed Midshipman (Acting Lieutenant) | --- | --- | --- | Havana, 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.... |
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| Apr 1853 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Greytown | 26 |
| Aug 1853 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Portsmouth Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census... , Eastport Eastport, Maine Eastport is a small city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2000 census. The principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainland by causeway... , St. John Saint John, New Brunswick City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043... |
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| Sep 1853 | --- | --- | --- | --- | Bay of Fundy Bay of Fundy The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine... , Gulf of Saint Lawrence Gulf of Saint Lawrence The Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean... |
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| Oct 1853 | Passed Midshipman | USN | United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States... |
Instructor | Annapolis | 27 |
| Jun 1855 | --- | USN | USS Preble USS Preble (1839) USS Preble was a United States Navy sloop-of-war with 16 guns, built by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, launched June 13, 1839 and commissioned in 1840. She was named after Commodore Edward Preble .... |
16 gun 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... |
Eastport Eastport, Maine Eastport is a small city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2000 census. The principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainland by causeway... Portland Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000... , Cape Cod Cape Cod Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States... , 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... |
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| Sep 1855 | Lieutenant | USN | United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States... |
Instructor | Annapolis | --- |
| Sep 1857 | --- | USN | USS Merrimack USS Merrimack (1855) USS Merrimack was a frigate and sailing vessel of the United States Navy, best known as the hull upon which the ironclad warship, CSS Virginia was constructed during the American Civil War... |
40 gun 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"... |
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th... , Talcahuano Talcahuano Talcahuano is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation. Talcahuano is located in the south of the Central Zone of Chile.-Geography:... , Chincha Islands Chincha Islands The Chincha Islands are a group of three small islands 21 km off the southwest coast of Peru, to which they belong, near the town of Pisco,... , Callao Callao Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost... , Sandwich Islands Hawaii Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of... , Panama Panama Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The... , El Realejo El Realejo El Realejo is a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua. The town of El Realejo was constructed in 1532, during the first years of Spanish colonization. During this period it served as Nicaragua's principal port, and remained so until the beginning of the 17th century, when pirate... , Valparaíso Valparaíso Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region... |
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| Dec 1859 | --- | USN | United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States... |
Instructor | Annapolis | 32 |