By: Daniel Nardini
One Hispanic war hero whose name has become legend is David Farragut, a hero of the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865). The first admiral of the U.S. Navy, he was in command of the Union fleet at Mobile Bay against the Confederates, and is best remembered for the command, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” when the Union fleet came under torpedo attack. What is not as well known is that his father, Jorge Farragut, was a hero in the American Revolution (1775-1783), America’s war for independence.
Born on the island of Minorca (under Spanish rule) on September 30, 1755, Jorge Farragut joined the Spanish merchant marine at age 10, and eventually left Minorca for the British colony of South Carolina. While living in South Carolina, Farragut anglicized his first name to “George.” When war broke out between the British and the American revolutionaries, Farragut joined the fledgling South Carolina Navy. Farragut helped lead a warship against the British at the Battle of Savannah (Georgia) in 1779. Although the British held Savannah until they evacuated it in 1782, the British were under siege and could not break out of that city to threaten the southern American colonies. Farragut was captured by the British at the Siege of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1780, but regained his freedom in a prisoner exchange.
Farragut fought in the Battle of Cowpens in 1781, which resulted in a major victory for the American Continental Army against the British. When the war ended, Farragut married an Irish American lady named Elizabeth Shine, and they had many children, among whom would be Union admiral David Farragut (born on July 5, 1801). The family moved at first to what would become the State of Tennessee, and then to New Orleans, Louisiana. Elizabeth would die from yellow fever in 1808, and Jorge would die from natural conditions at age 62 on June 4, 1817. The Farragut family has had a long and distinguished career serving the young American Republic at its very beginning.
American Revolutionary War Hero Jorge Farragut
By: Daniel Nardini
Born on the island of Minorca (under Spanish rule) on September 30, 1755, Jorge Farragut joined the Spanish merchant marine at age 10, and eventually left Minorca for the British colony of South Carolina. While living in South Carolina, Farragut anglicized his first name to “George.” When war broke out between the British and the American revolutionaries, Farragut joined the fledgling South Carolina Navy. Farragut helped lead a warship against the British at the Battle of Savannah (Georgia) in 1779. Although the British held Savannah until they evacuated it in 1782, the British were under siege and could not break out of that city to threaten the southern American colonies. Farragut was captured by the British at the Siege of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1780, but regained his freedom in a prisoner exchange.
Farragut fought in the Battle of Cowpens in 1781, which resulted in a major victory for the American Continental Army against the British. When the war ended, Farragut married an Irish American lady named Elizabeth Shine, and they had many children, among whom would be Union admiral David Farragut (born on July 5, 1801). The family moved at first to what would become the State of Tennessee, and then to New Orleans, Louisiana. Elizabeth would die from yellow fever in 1808, and Jorge would die from natural conditions at age 62 on June 4, 1817. The Farragut family has had a long and distinguished career serving the young American Republic at its very beginning.