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USS Monitor Legacy Program: Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter at The Mariners’ Museum and Park (Newport News)
December 19, 2025 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter
Presenter: John V. Quarstein, Director emeritus of the USS Monitor Center
Son of the War of 1812 naval hero Commodore David Dixon Porter, the younger Porter joined the navy at the age of 10. After a brief service with his father in the Mexican Navy, he joined the US Navy in 1829. Porter fought at Vera Cruz during the Mexican War. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Lt. Porter organized a relief expedition to Pensacola, Florida, which disrupted efforts to reinforce Ft. Sumter. He was then placed in command of the Mortar Boat Flotilla supporting his adoptive brother, David Glasgow Farragut’s capture of New Orleans. Porter was promoted to rear admiral and assumed command of the Mississippi Squadron. After the failed Red River Campaign, the admiral was placed in command of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and helped to capture Ft. Fisher in Wilmington, NC. After the war he was detailed as superintendent of the US Naval Academy. He was promoted to full admiral in 1870 and tried to modernize the navy before his death in 1891.
Advance registration is required whether you attend the lecture in person or online.