Rear Admiral French Ensor Chadwick USN (February 29, 1844 – January 27, 1919) was a United States Navy officer who became prominent in the naval reform movement of the post- Civil War era. He was particularly noted for his contributions to naval education, and served as President of the Naval War College from 1900–1903. A native of

Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Monongahela River. The largest city in North-Central West Virginia, Morgantown is best known as th ...

, he attended the United States Naval Academy from 1861 to 1864. During the Civil War years, the academy was relocated from

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, to Newport, Rhode Island, due to concerns about secessionist sympathy in Maryland, a border state. In 1881, Lt Commander Chadwick led the investigation into the fog signals at

Little Gull Island Light Little Gull Island Light is a lighthouse on Little Gull Island, a small island in Long Island Sound, located approximately northeast of Great Gull Island. Both islands are located in the Town of Southold, in Suffolk County, New York, and li ...

in Long Island Sound after the Galatea ran around in the fog during the evening of May 12, 1881.''New York Times'', "Don't Believe your Ears", Feb 22, 1891 Major sea commands included the gunboat , commissioned in 1889. He served in the Spanish–American War, fighting at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. As commander of the South Atlantic Squadron he played a major part in the

Perdicaris incident The Perdicaris affair, also known as the Perdicaris incident, refers to the kidnapping of Greek-American Ion Hanford Perdicaris (1840–1925) and his stepson, Cromwell Varley, a British subject, by Ahmed al-Raisuni and his bandits on 18 May ...

of 1904 in Morocco. He was also a noted historian who wrote several published books, including a noted work on ''The Causes of the Civil War''. In a 1917 speech, he complained that American women were not having enough children compared to immigrants, and that "soon the older American stock will be replaced completely." He also charged that boys were being made effeminate due to exposure of female public-school teachers."American Women Letting Race Die, Says Rear Admiral," New York Herald, Feb. 18, 1917

Portrayal

Chadwick was portrayed by Roy Jenson in the 1975 film '' The Wind and the Lion''.

Awards

Civil War Campaign Medal * Sampson Medal ribbon

Sampson Medal * West Indies Campaign Medal ribbon

West Indies Campaign Medal The West Indies Campaign Medal was a United States military medal of the Navy and Marine Corps issued for service in the West Indies campaign theater of the Spanish–American War. The medal was established on 27 June 1908 and the first recipie ...

Spanish Campaign Medal

References

Together We Served Chadwick, French Ensor, RADM

External links

*
Register of French Ensor Chadwick Papers, Naval War College
- Includes a biographical sketch 1844 births 1919 deaths Military personnel from Morgantown, West Virginia United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy rear admirals (upper half) Presidents of the Naval War College American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Directors of the Office of Naval Intelligence Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters {{US-navy-bio-stub