 David Glasgow Farragut was a man of the sea from his earliest years. When he was only eight years old, his mother died, and he was made the ward of Navy Captain David Porter. This outstanding naval officer taught the young Farragut the importance of carefully planning a task in advance, the importance of performing each detail with skill and care. And of following through the overall plan with unwavering resolution, factors that were basic reasons for Farragut's becoming one of the greatest leaders and officers in American naval history. When he was only nine and a half, he was given a midshipman's warrant, and his Navy career was launched. When the War of 1812 broke out with Britain, Farragut was aboard the frigate Essex with Captain Porter in command. On August 13th, the Essex fought and defeated the Alert, a 20-gun British sloop. The Alert was the first British man of war to be taken in the War of 1812. The Essex took a large number of British prisoners aboard. Sullen and ugly, they plotted to take over the ship. On the night set for the attack, the watchful 10-year-old Farragut saw the leader, pistol-drawn, pass his hammock. Sensing what was going on, Farragut slipped from his hammock and crept noiselessly to Captain Porter's cabin in hopes of warning him. Thus, Farragut showed at a very early age the coolness and resolute courage that were among his greatest attributes. His brave deed gave Captain Porter the opportunity to arouse his crew, to press the revolt, and save the ship. After a highly successful cruise in the Atlantic, the Essex was ordered into the South Atlantic to join the Constitution and the Hornet in operations against the British fleet. But no rendezvous could be made with these vessels. Captain Porter found himself alone off the coast of Brazil, dangerously low on stores, and with a possibility of attack by overwhelmingly superior British forces and ever present danger. His original orders had been to cruise in the South Atlantic and then proceed to the Pacific. So Porter set sail for Valparaiso, Chile, the nearest friendly port. The Essex was the first U.S. naval vessel to round Cape Horn. She arrived at Valparaiso in March, 1813. The Essex found the whale-rich Pacific waters a profitable hunting ground for British ships. The Essex proceeded to capture over half the entire English whaling fleet. Captain Porter's prizes were so numerous that the 11-year-old Farragut was put in charge of a captured whaler, the Barclay. In his first experience at command, Farragut handled himself with great ability and safely sailed his prize to Valparaiso and then rejoined the Essex. The British eventually caught up with the Essex. The Essex found herself in a hopeless battle with two big British men of war, the Cherub and the Phoebe. As the uneven battle raged, the young Farragut proved himself to be of tremendous value to Captain Porter. In his own words, Farragut later said, During the action, I performed the duties of Captain Sade, water gunner, powder boy, and messenger. In fact, I did everything that was required of me. Although he was but 12, Farragut had learned so much in his few years at sea that he was more valuable to Captain Porter than many adult members of the crew. He contributed much to the excellent account of herself given by the outclassed Essex in her last battle. Farragut served on many ships in the 10 years following the War of 1812. He received his Lieutenant's epaulette in 1825. He was next ordered to the receiving ship at Norfolk. Here, he broke all precedent by establishing a school for uneducated enlisted men. Farragut's own formal schooling was meager. He had educated himself by taking every possible opportunity to read, study, and learn. He wanted his men to have a similar opportunity to educate themselves. He knew the educated man learns more quickly, advances faster, and does an overall superior job. In 1832, he became executive officer of the Natchez, his first big job afloat. As a result of his early training and great zeal, he quickly made his mark as an outstanding executive officer. A fellow officer said of him, Never was a crew of a man of war better disciplined or more content or happy. The moment all hands were called and Farragut took the trumpet, every man under him was alive and eager for duty. On one occasion, he took the Natchez out of the harbor of Rio against a strong headwind. This required superb seamanship since the harbor entrance is quite narrow. There were several foreign men of war in port whose officers and crews were watching closely. Many declared that under these conditions, he could not clear the harbor successfully, but it was done without balk or failure. All hands, officers and men felt the glow of pride and satisfaction from serving with such an accomplished seamen. Farragut was appointed to the rank of commander in 1841. When the war with Mexico broke out, he was on shore duty in Norfolk. One of the great operations planned by the Army and Navy was an amphibious assault on Vera Cruz. With Vera Cruz taken, the way would be open for an assault on Mexico City itself. Farragut had served in the Gulf of Mexico on several tours of duty. He'd also been in command of the Sloup Gehry and present on the scene when Ulloa, the chief defense of Vera Cruz was captured by the French. He was in the castle a few minutes after its surrender and made a most careful study of the fort and its defenses. With the foresight of a dedicated officer, he felt such information might well be valuable to the United States Navy at some time in the future. Thus, at the start of the Mexican War, few naval officers knew Vera Cruz or the Mexican coast better than he did. Because of this unusual knowledge, Farragut was extremely eager to participate in the Mexican campaign and wrote several letters to the Secretary of the Navy requesting a command. In 1847, he was given command of the USS Saratoga with orders to proceed to the Vera Cruz area. Because of a shortage of enlisted men, he was forced to sail for Mexico with his crew 10% short and largely untrained. With his typical efficiency, Farragut carefully trained his men on the voyage south and by the time he arrived off Vera Cruz, the ship and the crew were ready for action. But the castle of San Juan de Ulloa, as well as Vera Cruz, had already surrendered. Soon after this, the disappointed Farragut was given the monotonous duty of blockading the coast. This was his uninspiring task until the war ended. In the following years, Farragut served as executive officer of the USS Pennsylvania, found at the Maryland Navy Yard and, while there, was commissioned captain in 1856. He took command of the USS Brooklyn in 1859. In 1861, he returned to Norfolk to await orders. Tension between the north and the south was becoming daily more acute. This put Farragut in a peculiarly embarrassing position, for Farragut's family and wife were all from the south. On the day Virginia ceded from the Union, Farragut was discussing the situation with friends. In my opinion, President Lincoln is fully justified in mobilizing the federal troops. A person with such sentiment, sir, cannot live in Norfolk. Without hesitation, Farragut courageously made up his mind to leave Norfolk and join the northern cause. That night, he and his wife and son left for New York, where he reported for duty. Thus did Farragut make the extremely difficult decision to fulfill his oath to defend his country, come what might. Farragut's next great adventure was to be the capture of the city of New Orleans. New Orleans, largest city in the Confederacy, was a vital link in the system of trade between the south and the countries abroad. Europe needed the cotton raised in the south, and its sale gave the south the wealth it needed to carry on the war. In addition, the city was an important manufacturing center and a big supply area for the Confederate forces. So the capture of the city would be a great loss to the south. But three great obstacles made its capture extremely hazardous. The first was the Mississippi River. New Orleans was about 100 miles upstream. To reach the city from the Gulf, an expedition would have to penetrate one of the five river mouths, all silt-filled and much too shallow for the large heavy-gunned ships that would be needed. The second barrier consisted of two very powerful forts, Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip. The third was the Confederate fleet. Despite these great odds, the Secretary of the Navy set up a committee to look for a man to head the assault. Farragut was 57 in seniority among the Navy's captains, but his service reputation was outstanding, and Secretary of the Navy Wells was impressed by his decision to support the Northern cause. The committee, noting his enthusiasm and self-confidence, recommended that he be promoted to flag officer and given command of the operation. In February 1862, he arrived at Ship Island in his flagship, the Hartford, and set up headquarters. Farragut was famous for his careful preparations and weeks of planning followed. In a letter to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Fox, Farragut requested more medical officers and medical supplies. He wrote, My greatest anxiety now is to have proper comforts for the sick and wounded, for somebody will be hurt. During the weeks of planning, Farragut worked closely with General Butler, who was in command of the Army troops in the operation. In fact, Butler provided much-needed fuel for the ships when it was extremely difficult for Farragut to obtain it. In preparation for taking his ships over the sandbars and into the Mississippi, Farragut had all excess weight removed. Even so, most of the ships had to be dragged over the bars, a back-breaking operation that took nearly a month. Each ship was then individually prepared for the assault. Extra spars and rigging were sent ashore. The vulnerable propulsion machinery was protected with anchor chains and sandbags. The exteriors of the ships were camouflaged with mud. While decks and gun carriages were whitewashed to make them more visible to the crew during a night action. Matting was rigged to protect the men from falling spars and splinters. Tubbs of water and sand were placed on deck for fighting fires. And special lightweight ladders were built to help the carpenters go over the side to repair shell damage to the hulls. Then as a prelude to the assault, Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip were bombarded for a full six days. At 2 a.m. on April 24th, 1862, Farragut hoisted two red lights in his flagship, Hartford. The bold plan to fight past the forts and capture New Orleans was underway. The ships were in three divisions with the center division led by the Hartford. Despite the early bombardment, the fire from the forts was very heavy. Even though resistance was fierce, 13 of the original 17 ships got past the forts. After a spirited engagement above the forts, they defeated the 11 ships of the Confederate Navy. And the next day anchored off New Orleans. During the next two years, Farragut participated in the campaign against Vicksburg. But his main effort was blockading the south's remaining Gulf Coast ports. During this period, he had been made a rear admiral, the first officer in the U.S. Navy to hold this newly created rank. He paid special attention to the Mobile Bay blockade. The fall of New Orleans had made Mobile the major cotton exporting city of the Gulf Coast. From it, fast blockade runners were getting out important quantities of cotton despite the northern blockade. Because of its strategic location and its importance to the blockade runners, the south had armed it to the teeth. Its fall would be of great significance in the overall strategy of the war. Two very powerful forts guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay and made the passage of attacking ships extremely hazardous. The narrow channel past the forts was also guarded by 200 torpedoes or mines as we would call them today. The mines were placed so that any ships passing through the channel had to move within very close range of Fort Morgan, the larger of the two forts. In addition, a powerful ironclad that Tennessee patrolled Mobile Bay with three other ships. Nevertheless, Farragut intended to take his available forces and capture Mobile Bay. Farragut's plan for the assault was three-fold. Troops were to land to the rear of the forts with naval forces furnishing fire support for the assault. The four monitors were to enter the channel first, pass close to Fort Morgan, and thereby attract most of its fire. Seven pairs of wooden warships, lashed together, would make the run past the forts during daylight. The larger ships would shield the smaller ones from the fire from Fort Morgan. When the ships entered the bay, the monitors were to engage the Tennessee. In his usual thorough manner, Farragut ordered the ships stripped for action, camouflaged, and made ready as they had been at New Orleans. After weeks of preparation, Farragut gave the order to start the assault on August 5th, 1864. Farragut climbed into the rigging of the Hartford to get a better view of the operation. The ships entered the channel in two columns as planned. Difficulties developed almost immediately. As the fleet neared the narrow channel under Fort Morgan, the enemy ironclad Tennessee moved into a position to attack. The leading Union monitor, Tecumseh, somewhat in advance of the column of wooden ships, hit a mine and sank almost immediately. Farragut ordered a gunboat to lower a boat and pick up survivors. At this point, the Brooklyn, the leading vessel in the column of heavies, fearful of entering the minefield, reversed its engines and stopped. The captain of the Brooklyn shouted a warning about the mines to Farragut. Farragut realized that the situation was critical and could quickly become disastrous unless he acted. The Brooklyn was still motionless and there was the imminent danger of the ships' astern in the narrow passage, being forced to stop, drifting into each other and becoming perfect targets for the defending gunners. It seemed almost impossible for the Hartford to lead the column past the Brooklyn. The tactical situation was such that Farragut was faced with but two alternatives. The first was to lead the column of heavies through the treacherous torpedo field, for his monitors were already in the regular channel. The second was to retreat. Farragut had to decide in seconds whether to proceed or attempt to reverse course and withdraw from Mobile Bay, making the operation a complete failure. Later, he said, it was the supreme moment of my life. Farragut made a split-second prayer for divine guidance and inner voice seemed to reply, go on. Thus, amidst the smoke and flame of battle on that desperate August day, came the ringing words of one of the bravest orders in military history. Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead! Once underway, the column of ships straightened out in a disciplined manner. Farragut took his ships down the port side of the immobile Brooklyn and through the torpedo field. He reasoned that his own ship would explode many of these mines and others would be defective. Thus, enough ships would get through to dominate Mobile Bay. The plan worked. No more ships were lost and the column steamed triumphantly into the bay. One major threat remained, the iron-clad Tennessee. The Tennessee had rifled guns that were of greater range than any guns in Farragut's force. Tactically, the Tennessee, under the protection of Fort Morgan's guns, should have engaged Farragut's ships at a distance. Instead, it attacked head-on. After a short desperate fight, the Tennessee surrendered. Soon after, the forts guarding Mobile Bay surrendered to the attacking army forces. Mobile Bay capped Farragut's naval career. Shortly after the war, he retired as America's first admiral. Many valuable lessons in leadership can be learned from studying the career of this outstanding officer. Farragut had, first of all, a cool, unruffled courage, as was demonstrated when he helped to save the Essex. Even a sea-toughened youngster might have been frightened enough to remain quiet when the desperate men tried to seize the Essex. Instead, Farragut, without hesitation, put his life on the line to save his ship. In his scale of values, duty came above self. There is no substitute for true devotion to duty. It is one of the great traditions of the Navy that every man and officer must do everything in his power to carry on. Another important character trait was Farragut's desire to learn. He wanted to know everything about his own job and the jobs of others as well. This made him extremely confident in emergencies. He was able to command the Barclay when not quite 12 years old, and he carried out his duties with the ability of a full-grown man during the final battle of the Essex. Of course, his wealth of knowledge and experience played an important role in overcoming the tremendous odds at New Orleans and Mobile Bay. The more you know about your duties, the more valuable you are to your men, your ship, and your Navy, and the more effective leader you can be. A zeal for knowledge and a thirst to learn are characteristics of every outstanding naval leader. Throughout his career, Farragut was deeply concerned for the welfare of his men and grasped every opportunity to help them become better trained and educated. In battle two, their safety was uppermost in his mind. A successful leader is personally concerned with the character and welfare of his men. His victory in battle or in peacetime, the performance of his unit depends upon the loyalty and respect of his subordinates. This loyalty and respect reflects the leader's devotion to duty and his sincere realization that his subordinates are equally vital to his success. Another important feature of Farragut's character was the mature objective view he took of events. For example, he had every reason to be deeply disappointed at his minor role in the Mexican War, considering how much he knew about the Mexican coast and its defenses and how laboriously the knowledge had been gained. But he accepted his assignment to blockade duty with quiet patience and full understanding of the necessity of the mission. The leader with self-confidence in his ability does not have to be continually in the thick of things. He accepts routine assignments with the same devotion to duty as spectacular ones. No naval leader had a greater sense of personal responsibility than Farragut. This helped him in making many crucial decisions. One such example was his decision to support the northern cause during the Civil War. His home was in the south, his wife was a southerner, and the social and political pressure to join forces with the Confederacy was enormous. But instead, he deliberately chose the hard road because to him, honor demanded that he follow the dictates of his own conscience. The Navy man throughout his career finds his sense of personal responsibility put to the test many times. Leadership demands that he never hesitate to do what duty demands, rather than what is expedient or what he would like to do. Integrity that never swerves or weakens, even under the most trying conditions, is a basic prerequisite of true leadership. Another clue to Farragut's success was his extremely careful planning. He believed in working out a plan of action in the greatest detail and then painstakingly preparing ships and crew to put the plan into action. When time was available, he used it to the utmost, but every bit of preparation paid off handsomely. True leadership is based on the willingness to take the time and trouble to plan carefully, prepare meticulously, and train thoroughly. Perhaps the greatest tribute of all that can be paid to Farragut was the way he inspired others. Thus years later, Dewey faced seemingly overwhelming odds at Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. At this highly critical moment, he asked himself the question, what would Farragut do? The answer was go on. Dewey did go on to a great and decisive victory. Thus was Farragut, like all exceptional leaders, an inspiration to the Navy men of his own time and the generations that followed. By following Farragut's example, the Navy man of today can keep alive the great traditions of the past and develop a self-discipline that keeps in proper perspective performance, integrity, self, and country.