Samuel Chester Reid

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Samuel Chester Reid (24 August 1783 – 28 January 1861) was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812.

Reid was born in Norwich, Connecticut and entered the Navy in 1794. He served in Constellation with Commodore Thomas Truxtun and in 1803 became master of the brig Merchant. During the War of 1812 he commanded the privateer General Armstrong and at Fayal, Azores, in 1814 engaged gunboats from British men-of-war en route to Jamaica and New Orleans, Louisiana. Although eventually forced to scuttle and abandon his ship, Reid's action delayed the British squadron and aided General Jackson's defense of New Orleans.

He was appointed master in the Navy in 1844 and died at New York 28 January 1861.

The ships, USS Reid, were named for him.

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.