David Glasgow Farragut (July 5, 1801-August 14, 1870) was an Admiral in the U.S. Navy, 1866. He had served as the Navy's first Rear Admiral, a rank he earned in 1862 by capturing New Orleans during the Civil War.
He helped General Ulysses S. Grant capture Vicksburg in 1863, and then took command of a fleet to capture Mobile, Alabama, in 1864.
Through tremendous fire, Farragut bravely forced his way into Mobile Bay, which was filled with mines (torpedoes), roaring his phrase,
<Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!> 1801DF001
In the Life and Letters of Admiral D.G. Farragut, written by his son, Loyall Farragut, Admiral David Glasgow Farragut declared that:
<He never felt so near his Master as he did when in a storm, knowing that on his skill depended the safety of so many lives.> 1801DF002
When David Glasgow Farragut was dangerously ill in Chicago he called for a clergyman to come and pray to the Lord with him, saying:
<He must be my pilot now!> 1801DF003
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
Endnotes:
1801DF001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). David Glasgow Farragut, during the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama, which, during the Civil War, was the Confederacy's last major port open on the Gulf of Mexico. The bay was heavily mined (tethered naval mines were known as torpedoes at the time). Farragut ordered his fleet to charge the bay. When one ship struck a mine the others began to pull back, but Farragut shouted the order, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" The bulk of the fleet succeeded in entering the bay.
1801DF002. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). David Glasgow Farragut. Loyall Farragut, son of Admiral D.C. Farragut, Life and Letters of Admiral D.C. Farragut, p. 548. Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, Oregon: American Heritage Ministries, 1987; Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, Texas), p. 148.
1801DF003. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). David Glasgow Farragut. Loyall Farragut, the son of Admiral D.G. Farragut, Life and Letters of Admiral D.C. Farragut, p. 548. Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, Oregon: American Heritage Ministries, 1987; Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, Texas), p. 148.