At the age of nine David Farragut became the youngest midshipman in the United States Navy. He was still a child when he saw battle action in the War of 1812. He was only twelve when he was made the prize master of the Barclay, a captured British ship. Because of his youth, his authority was questioned, and he knew that the outcome of this incident could affect his future career. He came out the victor, showing such courage and restraint that he won the respect of the enlisted men and officers alike.

David Farragut was not just a first-rate seaman. He was also a brilliant scholar, a fine mathematician, fluent in many languages. When he was seventeen, he was an aide to the United States Consul in Tunis, giving invaluable service as an interpreter in Spanish, French, Italian and Arabic. In 1820 he met his first bitter disappointment. Farragut took the examinations for a naval lieutenancy, but because of personal animosity of the officers conducting the examination, he was failed. The sea was his life and he was determined to make the grade, so he tried again and this time he passed.

The Civil War brought him heartbreak as well as fame. Both Farragut and his wife were Southerners. Relatives and friends openly denounced him when he refused to throw in his lot with the newly formed Confederacy. His first loyalty was to the United States Navy and he had a horror of seeing his country divided. As an officer, he led a Union ship through spectacular battles and in a daring piece of naval strategy, captured Mobile Bay.

David Farragut lived to become the first full admiral of the United States Navy, to know at first hand the adulation of the public, and to be offered the presidential candidacy. But his heart was in the Navy, which he served until his death. Today his name still stands for loyalty and integrity in service.

From the book