William Harwar Parker

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First Lieutenant William Harwar Parker, CSN

William Harwar Parker (October 8, 1826 - December 30, 1896) was an officer in the United States Navy and later in the Confederate States Navy.

[edit] U.S. Navy service

Born in New York City, Parker was the child, grandchild and ultimately brother of Naval officers. He became a U.S. Navy midshipman in 1841, served in the South Atlantic and, during the Mexican-American War, was a participant in operations against Veracruz, Tuxpan and Tabasco.

Parker graduated in the United States Naval Academy class of 1847 and was assigned to the sloop of war USS Yorktown in African waters. In the decade following that ship's loss in 1850, he performed coast survey duties, was an instructor at the Naval Academy, and had sea service aboard USS Cyane in the Caribbean area and in the steam frigates USS Minnesota and USS Merrimack in the Far East and the Pacific. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1855.

[edit] Confederate Navy service

As the United States broke up in 1861, the Parker brothers followed separate paths. Foxhall A. Parker remained in the U.S. Navy, while William "went south" to join the Virginia State Navy and, in June 1861, the Confederate States Navy. He commanded the gunboat CSS Beaufort into 1862, taking part in the Roanoke Island battle on February 7-8, 1862 and the actions in Hampton Roads on March 8 and March 9, 1862. In mid-May, he served at Drewry's Bluff when the batteries there were attacked by Union warships.

After several months' shore duty, First Lieutenant Parker was sent to Charleston, South Carolina where he was executive officer of the ironclad CSS Palmetto State and participated in her attack on Union blockaders in January 1863. In October 1863, he became superintendent of the Confederate States Naval Academy, based on board CSS Patrick Henry in the James River, Virginia. He also commanded the ironclad CSS Richmond. In April 1865, as the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia was evacuated, he led the Naval Academy's midshipmen as a guard for their failing Government's archives and treasury.

[edit] Post-war activities

Following the end of the U.S. Civil War, William H. Parker was captain of a Pacific Mail steamship, served as president of Maryland Agricultural College (later known as the University of Maryland at College Park), and in 1886 was Minister to Korea.

An accomplished author, he also published several works, among them Recollections of a Naval Officer 1841-1865.

Parker died in Washington, D.C..

This article includes information collected from the Naval Historical Center, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.