Montgomery Sicard

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Rear Admiral Montgomery Sicard (30 September 1836 – 14 September 1900) was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.

Born in New York, Sicard was appointed midshipman on 1 October 1851. After graduation from the Naval Academy in 1855, he served in the Home and East India Squadrons until the outbreak of the Civil War. During the war, he served in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, participating in the capture of New Orleans, Louisiana late in April 1862 and the passage of the Vicksburg batteries in June 1862. Sicard later commanded Seneca during the assaults on Fort Fisher in December 1864 and January 1865.

After the war, command duty afloat alternated with ordnance duty in Washington, D.C. and New York City until he became Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance from 1881 to 1890. In 1897, he was promoted to Rear Admiral and took command of the North Atlantic Squadron but was forced to relinquish his command at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War due to ill health. Upon his partial recovery, he was placed in charge of the Board of Strategy and took an important part in guiding the conduct of the war.

Rear Admiral Sicard retired on 30 September 1898 and died at Westernville, New York, on 14 September 1900.

USS Sicard (DD-346) was named for him.

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