How a nine-year-old boy became the first admiral in U.S. Navy history

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: David Farragut entered the U.S. Navy as a boy seaman at age nine. By the time he died sixty years later, he had shattered naval conventions, captured New Orleans, and famously defied a minefield. His career spanned from the War of 1812 to the end of the American Civil War.

Born in 1801 to a Spanish merchant captain, David Farragut was raised by naval officer David Porter after his mother's death. His career began in 1810, and by age 11, he was already serving as a prize master during the War of 1812. This early exposure to naval life set the stage for a career defined by aggressive command and rapid advancement. By 1823, he held his first independent command, and he later oversaw the construction of the Mare Island Navy Yard, the first U.S. base on the Pacific.

Farragut’s most significant contributions occurred during the American Civil War. A Southern Unionist who viewed secession as treason, he led the 1862 capture of New Orleans, a decisive victory that earned him the newly created rank of rear admiral. His leadership was marked by both brilliance and stubbornness; at the siege of Port Hudson in 1863, his unilateral decision to alter the attack schedule led to heavy Union losses. Despite such friction, his tactical boldness remained unmatched, culminating in the 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay.

At Mobile Bay, faced with a heavily mined harbor, Farragut famously ordered his fleet forward with the command, "Damn the torpedoes." To better observe the battle, he famously had himself lashed to the rigging of his flagship, the USS Hartford. Following the war, Congress promoted him to vice admiral in 1864 and finally to full admiral in 1866, making him the first officer in U.S. history to hold that rank. He remained on active duty until his death in 1870 at age 69, leaving a legacy as one of the most decorated and daring figures in American naval history.

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