Ralph Chandler (23 August 1829 – 9 February 1889) 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 ...

. He saw action 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 ...

, and later served as commander of the Asiatic Squadron.

Biography

Chandler was born in

Batavia, New York Batavia is a city in and the county seat of Genesee County, New York, United States. It is near the center of the county, surrounded by the Town of Batavia, which is a separate municipality. Batavia's population as of the 2020 census was 15,6 ...

, the son of Daniel Chandler, a lawyer. He joined the Navy as midshipman on 17 September 1845, and was sent to the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...

. After graduation he was assigned to the

razee A razee or razée is a sailing ship that has been cut down (''razeed'') to reduce the number of decks. The word is derived from the French ''vaisseau rasé'', meaning a razed (in the sense of shaved down) ship. Seventeenth century During the ...

, flagship of 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 ...

. He took part in Pacific-coast operations of the

, being in two engagements near

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 ...

. Chandler served in the sloop from 1849 to 1850, and was promoted to Passed midshipman in 1851. After a tour of duty at the Naval Academy in 1852, he served in the sloop in the Mediterranean Squadron till 1855, in which year he became successively master and lieutenant. Between 1855 and 1859 Chandler was engaged on the coast survey and the survey of the

Paraná River The Paraná River ( es, Río Paraná, links=no , pt, Rio Paraná, gn, Ysyry Parana) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Br ...

, and was serving in the sloop at 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 ...

, seeing action in her at the battle of Port Royal in November 1861. The next year he was assigned to the steam-sloop of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, in which he was present at the engagement with the

Sewell's Point Sewells Point is a peninsula of land in the independent city of Norfolk, Virginia in the United States, located at the mouth of the salt-water port of Hampton Roads. Sewells Point is bordered by water on three sides, with Willoughby Bay to th ...

batteries and the capture of

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

. On 16 July 1862, he was promoted to lieutenant-commander and commanded the screw steamer in the East Gulf Blockading Squadron. Transferred to the steam-gunboat of the North Atlantic Squadron, Chandler fought his ship at the bombardment and fall of Fort Fisher and the capture of Wilmington in early 1865, receiving promotion to commander on 25 July 1866. For two years he commanded the steamer , and was on ordnance duty at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1868. The next year Chandler commanded the steamer . He was promoted to captain in 1874, and then to commodore in 1884, serving as commandant of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. On 6 October 1886, Chandler was commissioned as rear-admiral and was ordered to relieve Rear-Admiral

John L. Davis John Lee Davis (September 3, 1825 – March 12, 1889) was a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy, who served during the American Civil War, and later commanded the Asiatic Squadron. Biography Davis was born in Carlisle, Indiana, one of seven ch ...

in command of the Asiatic Squadron. He died in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

of apoplexy in February 1889, and is buried in Hong Kong Cemetery. He was married to Cornelia Redfield, with whom he had five children, three girls and two boys.

Archives and records

Ralph Chandler journal
at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Ralph 1829 births 1889 deaths United States Navy rear admirals (upper half) People of New York (state) in the American Civil War