William Ledyard Rodgers
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William Ledyard Rodgers (1860 - 1944) was a Vice Admiral of the United States Navy. His career included service in the Spanish-American War and World War I, and a tour as President of the Naval War College. Rodgers was also a noted historian on military and naval topics, particularly relating to ancient naval warfare.
He was the third generation in a well-known family of able naval officers. He was the son of Rear Admiral John Rodgers who fought in the American Civil War and the grandson of Commodore William L. Rodgers who fought in the American Revolutionary War (a.k.a., American War of Independence) and the War of 1812.
[edit] Naval career
William Ledyard Rodgers graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1878 and fought in the Spanish-American War of 1898. In 1911, he was appointed president of the Naval War College (from November 20, 1911 to December 15, 1913). In 1916, during World War I, Rodgers was promoted to Rear Admiral and given command of the supply fleet crossing the Atlantic.
In 1920, he was appointed to the General Board of the Navy Department, after serving briefly as commander of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet. He also was appointed to the Advisory Commission on the Limitation of Armaments, but retired in 1924 to write military history books.
Vice Admiral Rodgers died in 1944 at the age of 84.
[edit] Works on military and naval history
Vice Adm. Rodgers' most enduring legacy are two classic works of ancient naval warfare, titled Greek and Roman Naval Warfare, A Study of Strategy, Tactics and Ship Design from Salamis (480 B.C.) to Actium (1937), and Naval Warfare Under Oars, 4th to 16th Centuries, A Study of Strategy, Tactics and Ship Design.
Rodgers was primarily a military historian who described battles and tactics, but his works also derive principles of naval warfare in the ancient world, and contain some detailed descriptions of archeological finds, and commentary on the limitations of materials and design of ancient naval vessels.
The latter work, Naval Warfare Under Oars, departs from the classic Greek-Roman world of the Mediterranean Sea, and contains chapters of history on such rare topics as Viking and Medieval naval warfare.
William Rodgers also published a book in 1907, titled A Study of Attacks Upon Fortified Harbors (Artillery Notes) (Artillery School Press). During his lifetime, he wrote many articles on various historical studies, such as the rate of fire of the English Longbow, which were published in various military journals and magazines of the time. William Rodgers throughout his lifetime, consistently showed an interest in actual hands on testing and physical examination of history.
Undoubtedly, William Rodgers' life experience, combined with his extensive knowledge of ancient naval subjects, organized and preserved for future generations history that would have been lost.
