Philo McGiffen
Encyclopedia
Philo Norton McGiffin was a late 19th century American naval officer later serving in Chinese service as a naval advisor during the First Sino-Japanese War
. Although primarily skilled as an instructor and administrator, he proved a talented tactician during the Battle of the Yalu as well as the first American to command a modern battleship in wartime.
, McGiffin attended local Washington and Jefferson College before transferring to the U.S. Naval Academy
in 1877. While at Annapolis, he gained a reputation as a practical joker. McGiffin served in the Pacific Squadron
aboard the steam frigates USS Hartford
and USS Pensacola for two years,
following his graduation from the United States Naval Academy
in 1882. After his tour of duty, McGiffin qualified as a passed midshipman (or ensign) but was among several classmates who were discharged with one year's pay when there were no available positions in the body of commissioned officers (in those days, several years of sea duty were required before receiving a commission. In an era of limited U.S. naval spending, only a few commissions were available to each graduating class. Unfortunately for McGiffin, when he took the exam in 1884 he did not score highly enough and so did not obtain one of the few commissions available that year).
under Li Hung-chang in early 1885. In the midst on the Sino-French War
, McGiffin was said to have captured a French gunboat in June before the end of the war that same year. A professor at the Chinese Naval College in Tientsin (Tianjin
) for the next nine years, McGiffin was also said to have served as naval constructor supervising the construction of four ironclad warships in Great Britain before the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War in August 1895.
(which would be partially organized and trained by McGiffin), McGiffin would serve as an executive officer aboard the Chinese battleship Chen Yuen during the Battle of Yalu River (1894)
and, with effective control and skillful maneuvering, he was able to force the Japanese to withdraw on September 17. Severely wounded during the battle however. McGiffin returned to the United States. Suffering from mental instability due to his wounds, McGiffin was eventually committed to the Post Graduate Hospital in New York City where, after tricking hospital orderlies into giving him a revolver from his trunk, he committed suicide on February 11, 1897.
, Philo McGiffen is a folk hero akin to Pecos Bill
or Paul Bunyan
. In the most commonly told tale, McGiffen could not sleep one evening and decided since he could not sleep, no one else should, so he collected all the cannon balls in the Academy yard, hauled them up to the top floor of the quarters (which probably would have been what was then known as the “New Quarters”), and rolled them down the stairs to the bottom floor. Since the heavy iron balls were wreaking havoc, no one could stop him until the Officer of the Watch shinnied up a drainpipe and apprehended him from behind. Only half mythical, according Richard Harding Davidson's biographical sketch of McGiffen quoted in Real Soldiers of Fortune, the cannonballs were already in a pile on the top floor of the quarters. For this prank he was sent to the Santee (an old hulk of a sailing ship that served as the confinement barracks for Midshipmen being disciplined) where he befriended an old man-o-warsman named Mike. When Philo returned to the Regiment of Midshipmen from the Santee, Mike gave him six charges of powder, which he loaded into six of the Mexican War cannons scattered about the Yard and fired a salute on July first, shattering windows all over the Academy.
Another popular Naval Academy urban legend concerns the most exacting inspection at the Academy, the inspection for the members of the oncoming Watch, traditionally held each evening in the Rotunda of Bancroft Hall
. Popular lore has it that McGiffen waited, hidden on the balcony above the Watch Squad, until the very second before the Officer of the Watch left his office to inspect the Squad, at which point he stood up and dumped a bag of flour all over the Watch Squad. This is extremely unlikely as the legends place this action in the Rotunda, which did not exist in Philo’s day and there is no indication that there even was a Watch Squad inspection in the late 1870’s/early 80’s; in fact, given the rather casual attitude toward uniforms prevalent in those days, it was quite unlikely. However, in the late 1960s an event of this nature was rumored to have actually occurred, as well as a bowling ball being rolled down the steps of Memorial Hall and out to the Rotunda where a watch squad inspection was in progress. Similar incidents occurred regularly after then, particularly during the week prior to the Army-Navy football game.
and published in 1997 by the Naval Institute Press. The book tells of the misadventures of a namesake plebe, Philo T. McGiffin, during his first year at the Academy.
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
. Although primarily skilled as an instructor and administrator, he proved a talented tactician during the Battle of the Yalu as well as the first American to command a modern battleship in wartime.
Early life
Born to Civil War officer Colonel Norton McGiffin and Sarah Quail in Washington, PennsylvaniaWashington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
, McGiffin attended local Washington and Jefferson College before transferring to the U.S. Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1877. While at Annapolis, he gained a reputation as a practical joker. McGiffin served in the Pacific Squadron
Pacific Squadron
The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval supplies and purchased food and obtained water from local...
aboard the steam frigates USS Hartford
USS Hartford
Two ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Hartford, named in honor of Hartford, the capital of Connecticut., was a sloop-of-war, commissioned in 1859 and finally disposed of in 1957....
and USS Pensacola for two years,
following his graduation from the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1882. After his tour of duty, McGiffin qualified as a passed midshipman (or ensign) but was among several classmates who were discharged with one year's pay when there were no available positions in the body of commissioned officers (in those days, several years of sea duty were required before receiving a commission. In an era of limited U.S. naval spending, only a few commissions were available to each graduating class. Unfortunately for McGiffin, when he took the exam in 1884 he did not score highly enough and so did not obtain one of the few commissions available that year).
Service to Imperial China
Arriving in China soon after and seeking employment, McGiffin was able to earn a commission as a lieutenant in the newly modernizing Imperial Chinese NavyImperial Chinese Navy
The Chinese Imperial Navy came into existence from 1132 during the Song Dynasty to the end of the Qing period in 1912. Prior to 12th century, Chinese naval ships were not organized into a uniform force...
under Li Hung-chang in early 1885. In the midst on the Sino-French War
Sino-French War
The Sino–French War was a limited conflict fought between August 1884 and April 1885 to decide whether France should replace China in control of Tonkin . As the French achieved their war aims, they are usually considered to have won the war...
, McGiffin was said to have captured a French gunboat in June before the end of the war that same year. A professor at the Chinese Naval College in Tientsin (Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
) for the next nine years, McGiffin was also said to have served as naval constructor supervising the construction of four ironclad warships in Great Britain before the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War in August 1895.
Later career
Assigned to Admiral Ting Ju ch'ang's Peiyang or Northern FleetNorthern Fleet
The Red Banner Northern Fleet is a unit of the Russian Navy that has access to the Barents and Norwegian Seas, the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, and is responsible for the defense of northwestern Russia. It was established in 1937 as part of the Soviet Navy...
(which would be partially organized and trained by McGiffin), McGiffin would serve as an executive officer aboard the Chinese battleship Chen Yuen during the Battle of Yalu River (1894)
Battle of Yalu River (1894)
The Battle of the Yalu River , also called simply 'The Battle of Yalu' took place on September 17, 1894. It involved the Japanese and the Chinese navies, and was the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War...
and, with effective control and skillful maneuvering, he was able to force the Japanese to withdraw on September 17. Severely wounded during the battle however. McGiffin returned to the United States. Suffering from mental instability due to his wounds, McGiffin was eventually committed to the Post Graduate Hospital in New York City where, after tricking hospital orderlies into giving him a revolver from his trunk, he committed suicide on February 11, 1897.
Folk Hero
At the United States Naval AcademyUnited States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, Philo McGiffen is a folk hero akin to Pecos Bill
Pecos Bill
Pecos Bill is an American cowboy, apocryphally immortalized in numerous tall tales of the Old West during American westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona. Their stories were probably invented into short stories and book by Edward O'Reilly in the...
or Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue...
. In the most commonly told tale, McGiffen could not sleep one evening and decided since he could not sleep, no one else should, so he collected all the cannon balls in the Academy yard, hauled them up to the top floor of the quarters (which probably would have been what was then known as the “New Quarters”), and rolled them down the stairs to the bottom floor. Since the heavy iron balls were wreaking havoc, no one could stop him until the Officer of the Watch shinnied up a drainpipe and apprehended him from behind. Only half mythical, according Richard Harding Davidson's biographical sketch of McGiffen quoted in Real Soldiers of Fortune, the cannonballs were already in a pile on the top floor of the quarters. For this prank he was sent to the Santee (an old hulk of a sailing ship that served as the confinement barracks for Midshipmen being disciplined) where he befriended an old man-o-warsman named Mike. When Philo returned to the Regiment of Midshipmen from the Santee, Mike gave him six charges of powder, which he loaded into six of the Mexican War cannons scattered about the Yard and fired a salute on July first, shattering windows all over the Academy.
Another popular Naval Academy urban legend concerns the most exacting inspection at the Academy, the inspection for the members of the oncoming Watch, traditionally held each evening in the Rotunda of Bancroft Hall
Bancroft Hall
Bancroft Hall at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is the largest single dormitory in the world. Bancroft Hall, named after former Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft, is home for the entire brigade of 4,000 midshipmen, and contains some 1,700 rooms, of corridors, and of...
. Popular lore has it that McGiffen waited, hidden on the balcony above the Watch Squad, until the very second before the Officer of the Watch left his office to inspect the Squad, at which point he stood up and dumped a bag of flour all over the Watch Squad. This is extremely unlikely as the legends place this action in the Rotunda, which did not exist in Philo’s day and there is no indication that there even was a Watch Squad inspection in the late 1870’s/early 80’s; in fact, given the rather casual attitude toward uniforms prevalent in those days, it was quite unlikely. However, in the late 1960s an event of this nature was rumored to have actually occurred, as well as a bowling ball being rolled down the steps of Memorial Hall and out to the Rotunda where a watch squad inspection was in progress. Similar incidents occurred regularly after then, particularly during the week prior to the Army-Navy football game.
Legacy
In addition to several works which discuss his actual exploits, McGiffin is memorialized in the comic novel The Return of Philo T. McGiffin, written by Naval Academy graduate David PoyerDavid Poyer
David Poyer is an American author and retired naval officer. He was born in DuBois, Pennsylvania in 1949.Poyer graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971...
and published in 1997 by the Naval Institute Press. The book tells of the misadventures of a namesake plebe, Philo T. McGiffin, during his first year at the Academy.
External links
- History of United States Naval Operations: Korea, Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C. - Reference to McGiffin's role in the Sino-Japanese War
- Captain Philo Norton McGiffin - Article by famed 19th century U.S. war correspondent Richard Harding Davis; from On Deck!, the Webzine of the Navy and Marine Living History Association
- Philo Norton McGiffin - Photo and brief biographical data from Western Pennsylvania Old Photos
- Philo McGiffin Home Page on David Poyer's Web site.