Charles Stewart McCauley
Born(1793-02-03)February 3, 1793
Philadelphia, PA
DiedMay 21, 1869(1869-05-21) (aged 76)
Washington, D.C.
Allegiance United States of America
Union
Service/branch United States Navy
Union Navy
Years of service1809–1861
Rank Commodore
RelationsAdmiral Charles Stewart (uncle)
Signature

Charles Stewart McCauley (February 3, 1793 – May 21, 1869) was an American naval officer in the War of 1812 and the Civil War.

Biography

McCauley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the decade after the American Revolution and educated in the city's schools. He entered the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in 1809 and subsequently fought in the War of 1812. He served on the Constellation in 1813, and took part in the gunboat attack on the British naval frigate Narcissus in Hampton Roads, and in the defense of Craney Island. He served as acting lieutenant of the Jefferson in 1814 on Lake Ontario.[1]

In 1823 he obtained leave of absence and commanded a vessel in the merchant marine until he returned to the Navy in 1825. Rising steadily through the ranks, he became a captain in 1839. In April 1855, McCauley was placed in command of the home squadron. He was directed by the Secretary of the Navy to go to Cuba to protect American interests. For his success in this he was publicly complimented on his return in June by President Franklin Pierce at a dinner at the White House. In 1860 he was ordered to the command of the Gosport Ship Yard.[1]

Upon the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 he destroyed a large number of ships and property there, to prevent its falling into the hands of the Confederate States of America.[2] However, this effort was largely unsuccessful. Nearly 2,000 cannon and several of the scuttled warships, including the USS Merrimack, were captured and returned to service by the Confederates. He was placed on the retired list on December 21, 1861, and promoted to commodore.

Four years after the end of the Civil War, McCauley died at his home in Washington, D.C.[3]

Family

McCauley was a nephew of Admiral Charles Stewart (1778–1869). He was an uncle of Rear Admiral Edward Yorke McCauley (1827–1894).[1]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 p. 78: "MacCauley, Charles Stewart" Wilson & Fiske 1891
  2. ↑ "BURNING OF GOSPORT NAVY-YARD; Eleven Vessels Scuttled and Burned, The Steam Tug Yankee Tows the Cumberland to Sea, Norfolk Not on Fire". The New York Times. New York City. April 24, 1861. Retrieved August 2, 2022. The Government vessels had been scuttled in the afternoon before the Pawnee arrived, to prevent their being seized by the Secessionists… The following are the names of the vessels which were destroyed: Pennsylvania, 74 gun-ship; steam-frigate Merrimac, 44 guns; sloop-of-war Germantown, 22 guns; sloop Plymouth, 22 guns; frigate Raritan, 45 guns; frigate Columbia, 44 guns; Delaware, 74 gun-ship; Columbus, 74 gun-ship; United States, in ordinary [sic, probably 74 gun-ship, New York]; brig Dolphin, 8 guns; and the powder-boat.
  3. ↑ "Death of Commodore McCauley". The National Republican. May 22, 1869. p. 1. Retrieved May 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

References

  • Park, Carl D., Ironclad Down: the USS Merrimack-CS Virginia from construction to destruction

Attribution

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