John Herbert Dent (22 February 1782 – 29 July 1823) 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 ...

during the

Quasi-War The Quasi-War (french: Quasi-guerre) was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States. The ability of Congres ...

, the

First Barbary War The First Barbary War (1801–1805), also known as the Tripolitan War and the Barbary Coast War, was a conflict during the Barbary Wars, in which the United States and Sweden fought against Tripolitania. Tripolitania had declared war against Sw ...

, and the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. He was acting captain on the ''

USS Constitution USS ''Constitution'', also known as ''Old Ironsides'', is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She is the world's oldest ship still afloat. She was launched in 1797, one of six original frigates authorized ...

" (Old Ironsides) during the attacks on

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

in 1804.

Early years

Born in

Charles County Charles County is a county in Southern Maryland. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata, Maryland, La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, Charle ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, Dent was the eldest son of Congressman

George Dent George Dent (1756 – December 2, 1813) was an American planter and politician from Maryland who served in the House of Representatives from 1793 to 1801. Early life Dent was born on his father's estate, "Windsor Castle", on the Mattawoman Cree ...

and Anne (Truman) Dent. His family had arrived in Maryland in the early Colonial days and had a long history of public service. With his parents, we moved to

Columbia County, Georgia Columbia County is a county located in the east central portion of the US state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 124,035. The legal county seat is Appling, but the ''de facto'' seat of county government is Evans.

Navy career

At the age of sixteen he was appointed 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 ...

16 March 1798. The Department of Navy had just been created by Congress in response to increasing attacks on merchant ships. He served on USS ''Constellation'' when she captured the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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 ...

'' Insurgente'' on 1 February 1799, and after serving on USS ''Constitution'' in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

, commanded the

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

s ''Nautilus'' and ''Scourge'' in Preble’s squadron during the

, taking part in the attacks on

. He was in command of ''Hornet'' from 1806 to 1809. During the

, he was senior officer in charge of U.S. Naval affairs in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

Dates of ranks

* Midshipman, 16 March 1798 * Lieutenant, 11 July 1799 * Master commander 5 September 1804 * Captain 29 December 1811

Personal life

On 7 February 1809, Dent married Elizabeth Anne Horry. They had eight children. Captain Dent never returned to Maryland. He took up plantation life in St. Bartholomew’s Parish in South Carolina, where he died on 29 July 1823. He is buried in Jacksonboro, South Carolina in Bethel Cemetery. The destroyer USS ''Dent'' (DD-116) was named for him.

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Dent, John H. 1782 births 1823 deaths United States Navy officers American military personnel of the First Barbary War American military personnel of the Quasi-War United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 People from Charles County, Maryland Military personnel from Charleston, South Carolina

Early years

Navy career

Dates of ranks

Personal life

Further reading

References