Rear Admiral Bowman Hendry McCalla (June 19, 1844 – May 6, 1910) was an officer 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 was noted for his roles in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

and putting down the Boxer Rebellion.

Biography

Bowman H. McCalla was born in Camden, New Jersey on June 19, 1844. He was appointed midshipman November 30, 1861. McCalla's courage and leadership during his career often earned him great, and due, respect among his fellow officers. In the spring of 1885, during the

Panama crisis of 1885 The Panama Crisis of 1885 was an intervention by the United States in support of a rebellion in Panama, at the time part of Colombia, and an ensuing show of force by Chile. Background The 1846 Mallarino–Bidlack Treaty, signed by Republic of ...

, McCalla led an expeditionary force of 750 seamen and marines which landed at

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

to protect American treaty rights when the revolution there threatened to block transit across the isthmus. As commanding officer of USS ''Marblehead'', September 11, 1897 to September 16, 1898, he took part in the blockade of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and was responsible for the cutting of submarine cables linking Cienfuegos with the outside world, thus isolating the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

garrison there, in May 1898. In June 1898, he led the invasion of Guantánamo Bay. While in command of ''Newark'' during the Boxer Rebellion two years later, he was cited for conspicuous gallantry in battle as he led a force of sailors from

Tientsin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

Peking } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. McCalla's force of 112 men spearheaded an international column, under British Admiral Sir Edward Seymour, which was attempting to fight its way to the aid of foreign legations under siege at Peking. In the course of the battle at Hsiku Arsenal, McCalla, along with 25 of his force, was wounded; five were killed. See Seymour Expedition, China 1900. Commissioned rear admiral October 11, 1903, and entered on the retired list June 19, 1906, McCalla died on May 6, 1910, at

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...

, and was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Awards

Sampson Medal The Sampson Medal was a U.S. Navy campaign medal. The medal was authorized by an Act of Congress in 1901. The medal was awarded to those personnel who served on ships in the fleet of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson during combat operations in ...

Civil War Campaign Medal The Civil War Campaign Medal is considered the first campaign service medal of the United States Armed Forces. The decoration was awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who had served in the American Civil War between 1861 and 186 ...

Spanish Campaign Medal The Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those men of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish–American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish C ...

Philippine Campaign Medal The Philippine Campaign Medal is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created to denote service of U.S. military men in the Philippine–American War between the years of 1899 an ...

China Relief Expedition Medal The China Relief Expedition Medal was a decoration of the United States military which was issued to members of both the United States Navy and the United States Marines for service in the China Relief Expedition between 1900 and 1901 during the ...

Memberships

In 1898 he was elected as a veteran companion of the New York Commandery of the

Military Order of Foreign Wars The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Memb ...

. He was also a veteran companion of the Illinois Commandery 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 ...

, vice president of the

Military Order of the Dragon The Military Order of the Dragon was an exclusive fraternal order founded in 1900 by members of the China Relief Expedition, a U.S. military force that participated in the Boxer Rebellion in Imperial China. Background Following custom, the offi ...

and a member of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

Namesakes

Two US Navy ships were named USS ''McCalla'' in his honor. McCalla Field and McCalla Hill at

Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Guantanamo Bay Naval Base ( es, Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by members of the U.S. military) is a United States military bas ...

are named after him as well.

References

External links

McCalla's Memoirs of a Naval Career, 1910 MS 215
held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy {{DEFAULTSORT:McCalla, Bowman H. 1844 births 1910 deaths American military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Camden, New Jersey People from Santa Barbara, California United States Navy admirals Union Navy officers Military personnel from California Military personnel from New Jersey