Edward Weston Carpender

Edward Weston Carpender
Bornc. 1796
New York, US
DiedMay 16, 1877
Shrewsbury Township, New Jersey, US
Buried
Christ Church, Shrewsbury, New Jersey, US
Service / branchUnited States Navy
Years of service1813–1865
RankCommodore

Edward Weston Carpender (c. 1796 – May 16, 1877) was a United States Navy officer who served in three wars. At age 17, he was commissioned a midshipman on 10 July 1813 during the War of 1812, was promoted to commander on 8 September 1841 and served in the Mexican-American War, and was promoted to commodore and served in the American Civil War.[1][2][3]

Military career

On January 13, 1825, Carpender was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.[1] In 1827 he was attached to the United States Navy Mediterranean Squadron.[3] From 1829 to 1830 he served as an officer aboard the sloop-of-war USS Falmouth of the West India Squadron.[3] From 1833 to 1834 he was attached to the Naval Rendezvous at Boston.[3] In 1840 he served with the Pacific Squadron on the frigate USS Constitution.[3] In 1841 he was promoted to Commander and in 1845 he was placed in charge of Norfolk Navy Yard as an inspector.[3]

Mexican-American War

In 1846, Carpender participated in the blockade of Tuxpan as commander of the brig USS Truxtun, during which the ship struck a sandbar, resulting in the surrender of the officers and men to the Mexicans and the destruction of the ship.[4] In October 1848, while in command of the steamship USS Iris, in rescuing a French ship, the barque L'Eugènie which had struck a bank and become stranded off the anchorage of Antón Lizardo, his initial detention of the ship and crew developed into a diplomatic incident that ultimately involved United States Secretary of State John M. Clayton and French Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexis de Tocqueville.[5]

American Civil War

Previously retired under the Act of 1855,[2] Carpender returned to duty by 1861, commanding the US Storeship Falmouth, formerly the sloop-of-war USS Falmouth on which he had served from 1829 to 1830.[6] On July 16, 1862, he was promoted to the rank of commodore. He served as prize commissioner at Key West, Florida from 1864 to 1865.[3][2]

Post-service life

Carpender retired to Shrewsbury Township, New Jersey,[3] where he died on May 16, 1877, at the home of his brother-in-law, Col. E. T. Williams.[7][1] His age at death was reported by the local New Jersey and Philadelphia newspapers to be 81, placing his birth at ca. 1796.[7][2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Navy Officers: 1798-1900 (C)". NHHC. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  2. ^ a b c d Obituary | Commodore E. W. Carpender in The Philadelphia Inquirer, issue of Friday, May 18, 1977, p. 4.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Obituary in The Times, published at Philadelphia, Pa., issue of May 18, 1977, p. 2.
  4. ^ Institute, United States Naval (1915). United States Naval Institute Proceedings. U.S. Naval Institute.
  5. ^ Medary, Samuel (1849). The New Constitution. Ohio.
  6. ^ Congressional Serial Set. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1895.
  7. ^ a b Obituary in The Monmouth Democrat, issue of Thursday, May 24, 1877, p. 2.