Robley D. Evans (admiral)
Robley Dunglison Evans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Fighting Bob" Evans |
| Born | 18 August 1846 Floyd County, Virginia |
| Died | 3 January 1912 (aged 65) Washington, D.C. |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Service/ | United States Navy Union Navy |
| Years of service | 1864 – circa 1908 |
| Rank |  Rear admiral |
| Unit | commanded the United States Navy's "Great White Fleet" on its world-wide cruise of 1907–1908 |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War Second Battle of Fort Fisher Spanish–American War Battle of Santiago de Cuba |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
Robley Dunglison Evans (18 August 1846 – 3 January 1912), born in
In 1859,
American Civil War service
In the attacks on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher, he exhibited great gallantry under fire on 15 January 1865. He led his landing party of United States Marines through heavy fire to charge the Confederate defenses. Evans continued to fight even after his fourth wound, drawing his pistol and threatening to kill any man who attempted to amputate his leg in surgery when he was evacuated.
"Fighting Bob" Evans
Evans held numerous important sea commands during the 1890s. In 1891 and 1892, commanding
USS Indiana
The United States' first seagoing battleship, USS Indiana, was placed in commission on 20 November 1895, with Captain Evans in command. Former President Benjamin Harrison, with a committee from the state of Indiana, presented a set of silver to Evans for the battleship on 16 September 1896 at Tompkinsville, New York.
Spanish–American War service
During the Spanish–American War, he commanded the battleship USS Iowa (BB-4) in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.
Shore duty
Robley Dunglison Evans was named president of the Board of Inspection and Survey from February 1901 to April 1902.
Prince Henry of Prussia
President
Commander-in-Chief – Asiatic Fleet
Admiral Evans transferred his flag from
Commander-in-Chief – North Atlantic Fleet
On 31 March 1905, a 13-gun salute was fired by the battleship
The
Admiral Evans on the flagship Maine sailed on 7 November 1905 from Annapolis to New York. Admiral Evans stayed on board Maine during repairs from 20 November 1905 to January 1906. After winter quarters in
The Great White Fleet
Rear Admiral Evans commanded the
Admiral Evans retired from the Navy upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 62 on 18 August 1908.
He died in Washington, DC, on 3 January 1912.
Honors
Rear Admiral Evans was entitled to the Civil War Campaign Medal, Sampson Medal, and Spanish Campaign Medal.
Two destroyers, USS Evans (DD-78), launched 30 October 1918, and USS Evans (DD-552), launched 4 October 1942, were named in his honor.
Evans Avenue in San Francisco is named for him.
Dates of rank
- Acting midshipman, 20 September 1860
- Acting ensign, 1 October 1863
- Master, on Retired List, 10 May 1866
- Lieutenant on Retired List, 25 July 1866, Active List, 25 January 1867
- Lieutenant commander, 12 March 1868, Active List
- Commander, 12 July 1878
- Captain, 27 June 1893
- Rear admiral, 11 February 1901
- Retired List, 18 August 1908
Total time in service – 47 years, 10 months, 28 days
Gallery
References
- ^ Parshall, Ardis E. "Utah's First Annapolis Cadet." Keepapitchinin, the Mormon History blog. 15 May 2008.
- ^ "Pastor Rebukes Capt. Evans; Dr. L. Woolsey Bacon, in Open Letter, Accuses Him of Boasting and Objects to His Profanity" (PDF). The New York Times. 11 August 1898. p. 2. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
Further reading
- Evans, Robley D. (1901). A Sailor's Log – Recollections of Forty Years of Naval Life. D. Appleton and Company.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
