Joseph Smith (March 30, 1790 – January 17, 1877) 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 ...

of 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

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 ...

, 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

Smith was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and entered the United States Navy 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 ...

on January 16, 1809. He was promoted to lieutenant during the

on July 24, 1813. He was first lieutenant (i.e. second in command) of the 20-gun brig USS ''Eagle'' during the

Battle of Lake Champlain The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final British invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812. An army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévost and a naval squadro ...

on September 11, 1814. Smith was severely wounded during the battle. Along with the other officers who fought in the battle, he received the

Thanks of Congress The Thanks of Congress is a series of formal resolutions passed by the United States Congress originally to extend the government's formal thanks for significant victories or impressive actions by American military commanders and their troops. Altho ...

and a silver commemorative medal. He served on board the famed frigate USS ''Constellation'' in the

Mediterranean Sea 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 ea ...

from 1815 to 1817. He was promoted to the rank of master commandant (equivalent to the modern Navy rank of commander) on March 3, 1827, and to captain on February 9, 1837. From 1838 to 1840 he commanded the 74-gun ship of the line USS ''Ohio''. During this assignment he served as flag captain to the legendary Commodore

Isaac Hull Isaac Hull (March 9, 1773 – February 13, 1843) was a Commodore in the United States Navy. He commanded several famous U.S. naval warships including ("Old Ironsides") and saw service in the undeclared naval Quasi War with the revolutionary Fre ...

while Hull commanded the Mediterranean Squadron. Smith commanded the Mediterranean Squadron from 1843 to 1845 with the frigate USS ''Cumberland'' as his flagship. In 1846 he was assigned as Chief of the

Bureau of Yards and Docks The Bureau of Yards and Docks (abbrev.: BuDocks) was the branch of the United States Navy responsible from 1842 to 1966 for building and maintaining navy yards, drydocks, and other facilities relating to ship construction, maintenance, and repair. ...

and held the position until 1869. He was placed on the Retired List on December 21, 1861, after having served 52 years in the Navy, but continued to serve in an active capacity. During the Civil War Smith was a member of the

Ironclad Board The ''Ironclad Board'' was an advisory board established by the Union in 1861 in response to the construction of the ''CSS Virginia'' by the Confederacy during the US Civil War. The primary goal of the Ironclad Board was to develop more battle-wo ...

which oversaw the planning, development and construction of the USS ''Monitor'', the U.S. Navy's first

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

. Roberts, 1999, p. 5 Smith's son, Lieutenant Joseph B. Smith, was acting commanding officer of the frigate USS ''Congress'' and was killed in action when she was sunk by the Confederate ironclad on March 8, 1862. When Smith head the ''Congress'' was sunk he said, "Then Joe must be dead." His former flagship, the USS ''Cumberland'', was sunk in the same battle on the same day as the loss of his son. He was promoted to rear admiral on the retired list on July 16, 1862. He was among the first group of officers promoted to the rank of rear admiral in the United States Navy. After leaving his position as chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks in the spring of 1869, he served on the board from examining officers for promotion until September 1871, when he was fully retired after 62 years of continuous service in the Navy. Admiral Smith lived his last years in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and died on January 17, 1877. His mausoleum is in Oak Hill Cemetery.

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Joseph 1790 births 1877 deaths United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) Union Navy admirals United States Navy admirals United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War