John Henry Upshur (5 December 1823 – 30 May 1917) was an admiral 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 ...

Early life

Upshur—born John Henry Nottingham in Northampton County, Virginia December 5, 1823 changed his name at the request of his mother to her maiden name ''Upshur'' gratifying her wish, as the Upshur family was conspicuous in naval annals. 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 ...

on 4 November 1841 and initially served at sea with the Mediterranean Squadron. During the war with Mexico, Upshur was assigned to ''St. Mary's'' as that

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

participated in operations against

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth ...

. He also served ashore with the naval battery during the attacks against Vera Cruz in March 1847. In the years preceding the Civil War, Upshur carried out assignments in the Mediterranean, the

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...

, and the

African Squadron The Africa Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy that operated from 1819 to 1861 in the Blockade of Africa to suppress the slave trade along the coast of West Africa. However, the term was often ascribed generally to anti-slavery oper ...

s. He also performed brief tours of duty at 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 ...

and at the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. The Yard currently serves as a ceremonial and administrativ ...

as an ordnance officer. From 1853 to 1856, Upshur served in ''Supply'' during Commodore

Matthew Calbraith Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the op ...

's expeditions to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

which opened that nation to the west.

Civil War

Unlike cousin

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

Upshur stayed with the Union military during the

, resisting much family pressure to choose the Confederacy. He was assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and participated in the capture of the Southern forts at Hatteras Inlet 1861 which opened the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

to Union forces. Upshur was executive officer of ''Wabash'' during the expedition which wrested Port Royal, South Carolina, from

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

hands. He also commanded four boats in Commander C. R. P Rodgers's expedition in the inland coast waters in the vicinity of Port Royal and Beaufort, South Carolina. Later on, Upshur served in the

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

in charge of the steamer during operations against

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

. He returned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron in time for the abortive joint expedition against Fort Fisher late in December 1864. Upshur was in the expedition which finally carried the Southern works guarding Wilmington in mid-January 1865.

Post Civil War

After the Civil War, Upshur served in a succession of sea and shore billets, promoted to commander, 25 July 1866, and given the USS ''Frolic'', on the Mediterranean station, in 1865–1867. Promoted to captain, 31 January 1872, he served as a member of the board of inspectors in 1877–1880. He had a leave of absence, during which he visited Europe, in 1880, and upon his return was a member of the board of examiners. Ending his service as commander 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 ...

from 1882 to 1885. Rear Admiral Upshur retired on 1 June 1885 and died 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, ...

He commissioned the building in 1884, with design by architect Frederick C. Withers, a Queen Anne home, later known as United States Daughters of 1812, National Headquarters. and

Namesake

USS ''Upshur'' (DD-144) was named for him. The second USS ''Upshur'' (T-AP-198) was named for Major General William Peterkin Upshur,

USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Upshur, John Henry 1823 births 1917 deaths Union Navy officers United States Navy admirals United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War People of Virginia in the American Civil War People from Northampton County, Virginia