Charles Henry Baldwin (September 3, 1822 – November 17, 1888) 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 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 the

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

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 ...

, he joined the Navy on April 24, 1839, and served as a

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 ...

aboard the frigate (1839–40) and the sloop (1840–43) in the Mediterranean Squadron, before returning to the U.S. aboard the sloop in 1843 to attend the

Naval School 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 ...

at Philadelphia, graduating with the rank of passed midshipman on July 2, 1845. He served through the

on the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

in the

Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval s ...

, serving on operations around

Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding ''municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of ...

, during the time that it was occupied by U.S. naval forces between November 1847 to June 1848. He received his commission as

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 ...

in November 1853, but left the Navy on February 28, 1854. Baldwin re-entered the naval service in 1861, on the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, with the rank of

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

. In February 1862 he commissioned the steamer , and sailed from New York to

Ship Island Ship Island is a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands. Hurricane Camille split the island into two separate islands (West Ship Island and East Ship Island) in 1969. In early 2019, t ...

for duty with the Mortar Flotilla of the

West Gulf Blockading Squadron The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederate States of America, Confederacy from trading. The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required ...

. In April, during the

Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip The Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip (April 18–28, 1862) was the decisive battle for possession of New Orleans in the American Civil War. The two Confederate forts on the Mississippi River south of the city were attacked by a Union Navy ...

, ''Clifton'' towed 21 mortar schooners into the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, and supported them as they bombarded the fortifications below

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. The next month, after the capture of the city, the ship sailed upriver to

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...

, where it was damaged by enemy gunfire. Baldwin was 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. ...

in November 1862, given command of the steamer in early 1863 and ordered to hunt down the notorious Confederate commerce raider . Over the next year Baldwin took his ship to the West Indies, the eastern coast of South America, the Cape of Good Hope, St. Helena, Cape Verde, the Canary Islands, Spain and Portugal, but his quarry always eluded him, sometimes only by a few hours. During the voyage ''Vanderbilt'' also served as the flagship of Commodore Charles Wilkes Flying Squadron in the West Indies, and captured several British

blockade runner A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usuall ...

s, including the . Baldwin eventually returned to New York in January 1864 without ever having sighted the Confederate vessel. He was then assigned to ordnance duty, serving at the Mare Island Navy Yard in California until 1867. He returned to sea as the

Fleet Captain Fleet captain is a historic military title that was bestowed upon a naval officer who served as chief of staff to a flag officer. Historical background In the Royal Navy, during the 18th and 19th centuries, an admiral's flagship might have a "c ...

of the

North Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval s ...

in 1868–1869, and received 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 ...

in 1869. He then served as the Inspector of Ordnance at Mare Island from 1869 to 1871, and commanded the frigate ,

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the Asiatic Squadron in 1871–1873. He was commander of the Naval Rendezvous (recruitment station) at San Francisco in 1873, and was commissioned as commodore on August 8, 1876, serving as a Member of the Board of Examiners from 1876 to 1879. In early 1883 Baldwin was promoted to

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 ...

, and assumed command of the European Squadron on 10 March. He then sailed to Kronstadt in his flagship , and on 27 May he and his staff attended the coronation of Tsar Alexander III in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Personal life

Charles Henry Baldwin was married to a Caroline Permelia Tolfree (1835–1873), by whom he had two children: Charles Adolphe Baldwin (1861–1934) and Florence Baldwin (1859–1918). In 1875, Baldwin married Mary H. Morgan (died 1924). His daughter Florence married

Edward Parker Deacon Edward Parker Deacon (October 2, 1844 – July 5, 1901) was an American heir known for killing his wife's lover in her apartments at Cannes, France. Early life Deacon was born in Paris on October 2, 1844, the "descendant of an old and once disting ...

in 1879. Their eldest daughter, Gladys Marie Deacon, married Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill (1871–1934), the 9th Duke of Marlborough in 1921 who then became the Duchess of Marlborough.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, Charles H. 1822 births 1888 deaths Union Navy officers United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War United States Navy rear admirals (upper half) People of New York (state) in the American Civil War

Biography

Personal life

See also

References