Andrew Hull Foote
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Andrew Hull Foote (September 12, 1806 – June 26, 1863) was an American naval officer who was noted for his service in the American Civil War and also for his contributions to several naval reforms in the years prior to the war. When the war came, he was appointed to command of the Western Gunboat Flotilla, predecessor of the Mississippi River Squadron. In that position, he led the gunboats in the Battle of Fort Henry. For his services with the Western Gunboat Flotilla, Foote was among the first naval officers to be promoted to the then-new rank of rear admiral.[a]
Early life
Foote was born at New Haven, Connecticut, the son of Senator Samuel A. Foot (or Foote) and Eudocia Hull.[1] As a child Foote was not known as a good student, but showed a keen interest in one day going to sea.[2] His father compromised and had him entered at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.[3] Six months later in 1822, he left West Point and accepted an appointment as a midshipman in the United States Navy.[3]
Between 1822 and 1843, Foote saw service in the
From 1849 to 1851, Foote commanded
Foote was promoted to Commander in 1856, and took command of
Foote returned to the Continental United States in 1858, and took command of the
Personal life and family
As the Civil War began, Foote wrote a letter (see image) to his three youngest children on August 31, 1861. In it he expresses his love for them and the fact that he is going to war and may be killed. He closes with the phrase "God grant that you all may at last rest in heaven my dear children, is the prayer of your affectionate father." 1862 was a time of great personal loss for Foote. Seven months after this letter was written, his son William Leffingwell died March 14, 1862, at the age of 13. Later that year, his daughter Emily Frederica died at age 10 on October 14. Six days later, his youngest daughter Maria Eudocia died at age 7. Foote and his wife Caroline Augusta Street Foote had lost three children in 7 months. When Foote died in 1863, he left behind two sons, Augustus Russell Street (age 16) and John Samuel, and one adult daughter, Josephine, from his first marriage to Caroline Flagg. Caroline Augusta Street died two months after Foote on August 27, 1863. Youngest son John Samuel, nicknamed "Admiral Byng" by Foote, was orphaned at age four.
Civil War and death
When the
Several days later Grant, with three divisions, and Foote with his fleet of ironclads, along with the assistance of Captain
Later in 1862, Foote was promoted to
Namesakes
Three ships were named USS Foote for him. Civil War Fort Foote on the Potomac,[11] now a National Park, was named for him on September 17, 1863.[12]
Foote Street NE (and Foote Place) in Washington, DC is named for him, part of a series of streets named for Civil War generals.
See also
- Bibliography of Naval history of the American Civil War
- Bibliography of American Civil War military leaders
- List of ships captured in the 19th century
- List of ships of the Confederate States Navy
- African Squadron
Notes
- ^ Three others were nominated at the same time as Foote but stood higher on the list submitted to Congress: David G. Farragut, Samuel Francis Du Pont, and Louis M. Goldsborough.
References
- ^ Hoppin, 1874, p. 15
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Davenport & Scudder, 1919, pp. 86–88
- ^ a b Hoppin, 1874, pp. 24–25
- ^ Hoppin, 1874, pp. 58–59
- ^ Hoppin, 1874, p. 122
- ^ "Ulysses S. Grant: The Myth of 'Unconditional Surrender' Begins at Fort Donelson". American Battlefield Trust. April 17, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ Smith, 2001, pp. 138–142
- ^ Eicher, 2002 p. 238
- ^ Hoppin, 1874, p. 379
- ^ Crofut's p. 592
- ^ Hoppin, 1874, p. 209
- ^ General Orders No.313
Bibliography
- Eicher, David j. (2002). Civil War High Commands. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804780353.
- Hoppin, James Mason (1874). Life of Andrew Hull Foote rear-admiral United States Navy. Harper & Brothers, New York.
- Davenport, Charles Benedict; Scudder, Mary Theresa (1919). Naval officers: their heredity and development. Carnegie Institution of Washington.
- Crofut, Florence S. Marcy; "Guide to the history and the historic sites of Connecticut, Volume 2", Yale university press, (1937)
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
Further reading
- Fowler, William M., Under Two Flags: The American Navy in the Civil War, Norton and Company, 1990, ISBN 0-393-02859-3.
- Gott, Kendall D., Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry-Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862, Stackpole Books, 2003, ISBN 0-8117-0049-6.
- Slagle, Jay (1996). Ironclad Captain: Seth Ledyard Phelps & the U.S. Navy, 1841–1864. Kent State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8733-8550-3.
- Tucker, Spencer C., Andrew Foote: Civil War Admiral on Western Waters, Library of Naval Biography, Naval Institute Press, 2000, ISBN 1-55750-820-8.