This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2010) |
Samuel Francis Du Pont | |
---|---|
![]() Samuel Francis Du Pont by Daniel Huntington, 1867–68, oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. | |
Born | Bayonne, New Jersey | September 27, 1803
Died | June 23, 1865 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | (aged 61)
Place of burial | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() Union Navy |
Years of service | 1815–1865 |
Rank | ![]() |
Commands | Warren Grampus Perry Congress Cyane Minnesota South Atlantic Blockading Squadron |
Battles/wars | Mexican–American War American Civil War |
Relations | Du Pont family |
Signature | ![]() |
Samuel Francis Du Pont (September 27, 1803 – June 23, 1865) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy, and a member of the prominent Du Pont family. In the Mexican–American War, Du Pont captured San Diego, and was made commander of the California naval blockade. Through the 1850s, he promoted engineering studies at the United States Naval Academy, to enable more mobile and aggressive operations. In the American Civil War, he played a major role in making the Union blockade effective, but was controversially blamed for the failed attack on Charleston, South Carolina in April 1863.