Alexander Colden Rhind (October 31, 1821 – November 8, 1897) was a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, who served during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

and

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Biography

Early career

Rhind was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, the son of Charles Rhind, a prominent shipowner who also served as Minister to Turkey from 1827. His mother, Susan Fell, was a descendant of

Cadwallader Colden Cadwallader Colden (7 February 1688 – 28 September 1776) was a physician, natural scientist, a lieutenant governor and acting Governor for the Province of New York. Early life Colden was born on 7 February 1688 in Ireland, of Scottish pare ...

, the Governor of the colonial

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...

from 1769 to 1771. Rhind was appointed

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

on September 3, 1838, and between 1839 and 1841 he served on the

Mediterranean Station The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a military formation, formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vita ...

aboard the frigate and the sloop . He then served aboard the sloop in the West Indies in 1842-43, then on the frigate off the coast of Africa in 1843-44, before attending the

Philadelphia Naval School The Philadelphia Naval Asylum is a complex of buildings at Gray's Ferry Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Built in 1827 as a hospital, it later housed the Philadelphia Naval School, served as a home for retired sailors for the United States Na ...

in 1844-45. Promoted to passed midshipman on July 2, 1845, Rhind served on the brig on the Coast Survey in 1845-46, which was then attached the Home Squadron on the coast of Mexico during the

, being present at Alvarado and Tabasco. Rhind served on the steamer in 1848, before rejoining the Coast Survey aboard the schooner ''Ewing'' on a voyage to the coast of California in 1849-50. He then served aboard the sloop in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around t ...

in 1850-51, before returning to the Coast Survey, where he remained until 1854, receiving promotion to the rank of master on April 30, 1853. Rhind was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on February 17, 1854, and served on the sloop on the Pacific Station, but in May 1855 was

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

ed after a disagreement with his commander, and left the Navy in September 1855. Eventually reinstated, Rhind served on the sloop , the flagship of the

Africa Squadron The Africa Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy that operated from 1819 to 1861 in the Blockade of Africa to suppress the slave trade along the coast of West Africa. However, the term was often ascribed generally to anti-slavery oper ...

from 1859-61.

Civil War

On December 14, 1861, during the

, Rhind was ordered to take command of the screw steamer ; and, while commanding her, earned the Thanks of the Navy Department in a letter dated September 7, 1864, for the capture and destruction of

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

works commanding the South Edisto, Dawho, and Pon-Pon Rivers, in April 1862, and received promotion to

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

on July 16, 1862. Promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

on January 2, 1863, in that year he participated in the attacks on

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

's defenses as commanding officer of the

ironclad An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...

ram . During the attack on April 7, 1863, ''Keokuk'' was struck over 90 times in 30 minutes, suffering 19 holes at or near her waterline. Retiring, she was kept afloat until the following morning, before finally sinking, by which time the crew had been taken off. Later, after commanding the gunboat and the

screw frigate Steam frigates (including screw frigates) and the smaller steam corvettes, steam sloops, steam gunboats and steam schooners, were steam-powered warships that were not meant to stand in the line of battle. There were some exceptions like for exam ...

, on October 23, 1863, he assumed command of the side-wheel gunboat on the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and earned praise from Rear Admiral

Samuel Phillips Lee Samuel Phillips Lee (February 13, 1812 – June 5, 1897) was an officer of the United States Navy. In the American Civil War, he took part in the New Orleans campaign, before commanding the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, covering the co ...

for the "gallantry and endurance displayed" by himself and his crew during an engagement with three batteries at Deep Bottom on August 13, 1864. In December 1864 he was detailed to command the powder boat , which was loaded with 215 tons of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

, then towed by to a point 250 yards off Fort Fisher. There Commander Rhind and his crew set the fuzes and started a fire before escaping to ''Wilderness''. The blast from the explosion, although loud, did little damage and two days later Rhind returned to close proximity to the fort to plant a marker buoy as near to the fort as possible to allow the fleet to bombard Fort Fisher at close range. Admiral Porter, in his official report to the Navy Department, wrote; : "In conclusion, allow me to draw your attention to Commander Rhind and Lieutenant Preston. They engaged in the most perilous adventure that was, perhaps, ever undertaken. As an incentive to others I beg leave to recommend them for promotion. No one in the squadron considered that their lives would be saved, and Commander Rhind and Lieutenant Preston had made an arrangement to sacrifice themselves in case the vessel was boarded, a thing likely to happen." In 1866 he became a Companion of the First Class of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

(MOLLUS) - a military society composed of the officers of Union armed forces and their descendants. He was assigned MOLLUS insignia number 208.

Post-war career

After the war, Rhind served as the commander of the receiving ship at

, then as commander of the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1869-70, finally receiving promotion to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on March 2, 1870. He commanded the screw sloop from 1872-76 on the

European Station The European Squadron, also known as the European Station, was a part of the United States Navy in the late 19th century and the early 1900s. The squadron was originally named the Mediterranean Squadron and renamed following the American Civil Wa ...

, receiving promotion to commodore on September 30, 1876, then serving as a Lighthouse Inspector until 1879. He was President of the Board of Inspection and Survey from 1880–1882, and then Governor of the

Naval Asylum A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

in 1883. He was promoted to rear admiral on October 30, 1883, the day before his retirement, having reached the mandatory age. In 1890 he became a Veteran Member of the

Aztec Club of 1847 The Aztec Club of 1847 is a military society founded in 1847 by United States Army officers of the Mexican–American War. It exists as a hereditary organization including members who can trace a direct lineal connection to those originally eligib ...

. Rear Admiral Rhind died at New York, on November 8, 1897, and is buried at the Colden Family Cemetery,

Montgomery, New York Montgomery is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 23,322 at the 2020 census. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, a Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 at the Battle of Quebec. The northern town ...

Namesake

The , launched in July 1938, was named for him.

References