Porter, David 1780-
Naval officer; born in Boston, Mass., Feb. 1, 1780; was appointed a midshipman, April 16, 1798, and, as lieutenant on the frigate Constellation, fought L'Insurgente in February, 1799, and was promoted soon afterwards. He was wounded in an engagement with a pirate (January, 1800) off Santo Domingo, and was first lieutenant of the Enterprise, which captured a Tripolitan corsair. He afterwards commanded an expedition that destroyed some feluccas, laden with wheat, under the batteries at Tripoli. where he was wounded. In October, 1803, |
| David Porter. |
This cruise was one of the most remarkable recorded in history. He had swept around the southern cape of South America, and up its western coast, and on March 14, 1813, after being enveloped in thick fogs several days, he saw the city and harbor of Valparaiso, the chief seaport town of Chile. There he learned, for the first time, that Chile had become an independent state, and that the Spanish viceroy of Peru had sent out cruisers against the American vessels in that region. Porter's appearance with a strong frigate was very opportune, for American commerce then lay at the mercy of English whale-ships armed as privateers and of Peruvian corsairs. the Essex was cordially welcomed by the Chilean [257] authorities. She put to sea on the 25th; pressed up the coast; and soon overhauled a Peruvian corsair which had captured two American vessels. He took from her all the captured Americans, cast her armament overboard, and sent her into Callao, with a letter to the viceroy, in which he denounced the piratical conduct of her commander. Recapturing one of the American vessels, Porter sailed for the Galapagos Islands, the resort of English whalers. There were over twenty of them in that region, most of them armed, and bearing letters-of-marque. Porter cruised among the islands for nearly a fortnight without meeting a vessel. On April 29 he discovered two or three English whaleships. He first captured the Montezuma. He had made a flotilla of small boats, which he placed under the command of Lieutenant Downes. These pushed forward and captured the Georgiana and Policy. From these Porter procured ample supplies of provisions and naval stores. With the guns of the Policy added to those of the Georgiana, the latter, fitted up as a cruiser, became a worthy consort of the Essex. Her armament now consisted of sixteen guns, and she was placed under the command of Lieutenant Downes. Other English vessels were soon captured and fitted up as cruisers; and at the end of eight months after he sailed from the Delaware in the solitary Essex, Porter found himself in command of a squadron of nine armed vessels, prepared for formidable naval warfare. In July he captured the Seringapatam, an English vessel built for a cruiser for Sultan Tippoo Sahib. She was the most formidable enemy of American ships on the Pacific.
Porter now released a large number of his prisoners on parole, and sent them to Rio Janeiro. With his squadron he then sailed for the Marquesas Islands, capturing other English vessels on the way, and late in October he anchored in the bay of Nooaheevah with his prizes. the Essex was the first vessel that carried the American pennant to these far-distant seas. She was more than 10,000 miles from home, with no friendly port to steer to. She had swept the Pacific of her enemies, and now lay, surrounded by her trophies, in the quiet waters of an almost unfrequented island on the mighty ocean. The Essex had just cast anchor, when a canoe shot out from the shore containing three white men—one an Englishman who had been there twenty years. The other two were Americans—one of them Midshipman John Maury, of the navy. They informed Porter that a war was raging on the island between native tribes, and that, in order to obtain supplies, he would have to take part with the Taeehs, who dwelt in the valley that opened out upon the bay. Porter sent a message to the enemies of the Taeehs that he had a force sufficient to subdue the whole island, and that if they ventured into the valley of the Taeehs while he remained he would punish them severely. He gave them permission to bring hogs and fruit to the ship to sell, and promised them protection while trafficking. In an interview with the king of the Taeehs, Porter agreed to assist him in his wars. With muskets and a cannon, Porter's men drove the enemies of the king from hill to hill, until they made a stand, 4,000 strong, and sent stones and javelins against their assailants. The hostile tribes soon sued for peace, and on Nov. 19, Porter took possession of the island in the name of the United States. One tribe had remained hostile. This Porter subdued. On Dec. 12 he started for home in the Essex, taking with him the three white men. They reached Valparaiso, Feb. 3, 1814. In that harbor the Essex was captured by the British ship Phoebe, and the great conqueror on the Pacific Ocean became a prisoner.
Porter was one of the naval commissioners from 1815 to 1823, and in the latter year made a successful cruise against pirates in the Gulf of Mexico. In consequence of some irregularity, he was suspended from command for six months; and in 1826 he resigned, and entered the Mexican navy as its commander-in-chief. He was appointed United States consul at Algiers in 1829; and when that country fell into the hands of the French he was made charge d'affaires at Constantinople, where he afterwards, as American minister, negotiated several important treaties. He was minister there at the time of his death, March 3, 1843.
