This 1881 Statue of Admiral Farragut by Vinnie Ream standing on its granite base dominates Farragut Square in Washington, DC.
“Although he was a southerner, born in Tennessee in 1801, Admiral David G. Farragut fought for the Union during the Civil War and was victorious in his effort to capture New Orleans and open up the Mississippi River to the Union forces. In August 1864, Farragut successfully destroyed the Confederate fleet at Mobile Bay. It was at Mobile Bay, that Farragut uttered his most famous line, ‘Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!’ as he led his ship, the U.S.S. Hartford, through the minefields guarding Mobile Bay. In 1866 he received the commission of admiral, the first awarded in the United States Navy.
The sculpture, authorized by Congress on April 16, 1872, and four chopped mortars on the base were cast of bronze from the propeller of Admiral Farragut's ship, the U.S.S. Hartford. The plaster model for the sculpture was made by a Frenchman named Stinach. The model for the piece was made in five sections, but the piece was sand cast in six sections --head and shoulders; each arm separately; lower torso, legs and plinth; sword; and marine glass. It took the artist six years to create the sculpture and nine months to cast the work. The base is made of granite from Rockland, Maine. The base contains a box with documents relating to Farragut's career, the history of the sculpture, a copy of the ‘Army and Navy Register,’ and a miniature bronze model of the propeller.” -- SIRIS
Farragut at Mobile Bay "Damn the Torpedoes"
The Smithsonian tells the tale this way:
“No sooner had crusty Civil War hero Adm. David ‘Damn the Torpedoes!’ Farragut died in August 1870 than efforts to raise a monument to his memory sprang up. The nation's most famous sculptors entered a fierce competition to determine who would win the prestigious commission to sculpt America's first admiral. After the marble dust cleared, the winner was not one of the old lions of American sculpture but an obscure, beautiful 26-year-old woman named Vinnie Ream.
To her supporters, Ream was just a simple girl from the Wisconsin wilderness. To her detractors, she was a shameless flirt who used her feminine wiles to win commissions her mediocre talent didn't merit.
No one suggested that Vinnie Ream lacked ambition. At 19, her supporters convinced President Lincoln to sit for her while she created his bust in clay. She later won a commission to create a full-length statue of the President, which now stands in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Her first salvo in the Farragut commission battle was a letter signed by President Johnson, 31 senators, and 110 current and former representatives. Speculation was rampant about the nature of her friendship with her most powerful advocate, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman.
Finally, after many twists and turns, Ream won the commission. It stands today in downtown Washington, D.C.'s Farragut Square.” -- SIRIS
“Vinnie Ream Hoxie, a young female sculptor, carefully researched the life of Farragut and produced Washington D.C.'s first statue of a Civil War Hero. The statue was dedicated on April 25, 1881, the nineteenth anniversary of Farragut's capture of New Orleans. The Ten-foot figure and the four mortars were cast from the propeller of the Admiral's flagship, USS Hartford.”
Vinnie Ream, Sculptor
Cast by the Department of Steam
Engineering U.S. Navy Yard Washington D.C.
From the Bronze Propeller of
The Hartford the Flag Ship of
Farragut A.D. 1880
Mary Clemmer (Ames) described the April 25, 1881 dedication ceremony in her May 5 column in the Independent.
Admiral Farragut is often portrayed “Lashed to the Shrouds” directing the battle of Mobile bay.
This 1917 Navy recruiting poster uses the same theme to inspire enlistment.
Lashed to the Shrouds
Farragut Passing the Forts at Mobile, in his flagship Hartford
by L. Prang & Co. c 1870-1
Library of Congress
This 1917 Navy recruiting poster uses the same theme to inspire enlistment.
Damn the Torpedoes
Go ahead!
Library of Congress
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