Franklin Buchanan (September 17, 1800 – May 11, 1874) was an officer in the United States Navy who became the only full admiral in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. He also commanded the ironclad CSS Virginia.

Early life

Franklin Buchanan was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 13, 1800. He was the fifth child and third son of Laetitia (née McKean) and George Buchanan, a physician. The Buchanan side of his family arrived in the United States from Scotland. His paternal grandfather was a general with the Maryland Militia during the Revolutionary War while his maternal grandfather Thomas McKean was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

left|thumb|Captain Franklin Buchanan, USN (circa 1855–1861)

He joined the U.S. Navy on January 28, 1815, and became a midshipman; he was promoted to lieutenant on January 13, 1825, commander on September 8, 1841, and then captain on September 14, 1855. He climbed to the top deck of Virginia and began furiously firing toward shore with a carbine as was shelled. He soon was brought down by a sharpshooter's minie ball to the thigh. He would eventually recover from his leg wound. He did not get to command Virginia against . That honor went to Catesby ap Roger Jones.

thumb|Franklin Buchanan & [[Josiah Tattnall III, another flag officer, CSN]]

In August 1862, Buchanan was promoted to the rank of full admiral – the only officer so honored in the Confederate Navy – and was sent to take command of Confederate naval forces stationed at Mobile Bay, Alabama. He oversaw the construction of the ironclad , of which the keel was laid in October 1862. He was on board Tennessee during the Battle of Mobile Bay with Rear Admiral David Glasgow Farragut's Union fleet on August 5, 1864. Wounded and taken prisoner, Buchanan was not exchanged until February 1865. On May 1, 2023, it was announced the Superintendent's quarters will be renamed Farragut House to honor Admiral David Glasgow Farragut.

See also

  • List of superintendents of the United States Naval Academy

References

Bibliography

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  • Online
  • Photos of Buchanan – from the Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C.
  • Franklin Buchanan Naval Papers, 1796–1847 (bulk 1817–1847) MS 1 held by Special Collections & Archives , Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy