John McLeod Murphy
Encyclopedia
John McLeod Murphy was an officer in the United States Navy
during the American Civil War
.
, and was appointed midshipman
10 August 1841. He served during the War with Mexico at Vera Cruz
and Tabasco
. He resigned as a passed midshipman 10 May 1852 after his last mission as an assistant on John G. Barnard's survey of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. He went into the private sector, working as a first officer on the Collins' line of steamships, a city surveyor for the city of New York, Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and lastly as State Senator for the 4th District (1860–1861).
in the engineers, forming the 15th New York Regiment of Engineers, serving in the Army of the Potomac
. He was appointed acting lieutenant, USN, 4 December 1862, taking many veterans of his regiment along with fresh volunteers from New York. He took command of gunboat
Carondelet
4 March 1863, skippering that ship during the joint Army‑Navy Expedition in Steele's Bayou
under Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter
, 18 to 24 March, in which he landed with two boat howitzers and 300 men near Rolling Fork to hold that place until the Union ships could cover it with their guns. One of his officers was Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Julius H. Kroehl
.
He next took Carondelet off Vicksburg, Mississippi
engaging batteries
at that Confederate
fortress many times from 18 May to 3 July, being commended by Admiral Porter for energetic attention to orders and ready cooperation with Army corps commanders assaulting the fortress. Acting Lieutenant Murphy relinquished command of the gunboat 1 September 1863 to serve as a recruiter in New York and resigned his commission 30 July 1864. Attempts to re-enter politic office were unsuccessful.
He died in New York City
1 June 1871, and is interred at Calvary Cemetery (Woodside) in New York.
He should not be confused with his nephew, John McLeod Murphy, who served as a New York City fireman and patented the third-rail safety system for electric trolleys.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Biography
Murphy was born in Westchester County, New YorkWestchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, and was appointed midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
10 August 1841. He served during the War with Mexico at Vera Cruz
Siege of Veracruz
The Battle of Veracruz was a 20-day siege of the key Mexican beachhead seaport of Veracruz, during the Mexican-American War. Lasting from 9-29 March 1847, it began with the first large-scale amphibious assault conducted by United States military forces, and ended with the surrender and occupation...
and Tabasco
Battle of Tabasco
The Battle of Tabasco may refer to two battles fought during the Mexican-American War.* First Battle of Tabasco - fought in October, 1846* Second Battle of Tabasco - fought in June, 1847...
. He resigned as a passed midshipman 10 May 1852 after his last mission as an assistant on John G. Barnard's survey of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. He went into the private sector, working as a first officer on the Collins' line of steamships, a city surveyor for the city of New York, Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and lastly as State Senator for the 4th District (1860–1861).
American Civil War
Murphy reentered service at the beginning of the Civil War as a colonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the engineers, forming the 15th New York Regiment of Engineers, serving in the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
. He was appointed acting lieutenant, USN, 4 December 1862, taking many veterans of his regiment along with fresh volunteers from New York. He took command of gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
Carondelet
USS Carondelet (1861)
USS Carondelet was a gunboat constructed for the Union Navy by James B. Eads during the American Civil War...
4 March 1863, skippering that ship during the joint Army‑Navy Expedition in Steele's Bayou
Vicksburg Campaign
The Vicksburg Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi River. The Union Army of the Tennessee under Maj. Gen....
under Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...
, 18 to 24 March, in which he landed with two boat howitzers and 300 men near Rolling Fork to hold that place until the Union ships could cover it with their guns. One of his officers was Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Julius H. Kroehl
Julius H. Kroehl
Julius Hermann Kröhl was a German-born American inventor and engineer. He built the submarine, Sub Marine Explorer, technically advanced for its era, but destined to failure, because of decompression sickness, which may not have been well understood at that time by Kroehl and others...
.
He next took Carondelet off Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
engaging batteries
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
at that Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
fortress many times from 18 May to 3 July, being commended by Admiral Porter for energetic attention to orders and ready cooperation with Army corps commanders assaulting the fortress. Acting Lieutenant Murphy relinquished command of the gunboat 1 September 1863 to serve as a recruiter in New York and resigned his commission 30 July 1864. Attempts to re-enter politic office were unsuccessful.
Personal
He was the son of Thomas Murphy and Maria Warner, and the brother of Augustus Howard Murphy and William Jay Murphy, both of whom were Sandy Hook pilots. He married the former Mary Theresa Mooney in 1848, and had six known children: Walter M., Maria B., Mary Theresa, Joseph D., John K., and Mary Elsie. Mary Elsie was the guest of honor who christened the ship named for her father in 1942.He died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
1 June 1871, and is interred at Calvary Cemetery (Woodside) in New York.
He should not be confused with his nephew, John McLeod Murphy, who served as a New York City fireman and patented the third-rail safety system for electric trolleys.