This is an authentic image of Union Admiral David Glasgow Farragut (1801-1870). It is a nice clear tobacco card of the admiral in his dress uniform. This card was part of the 1911 series of "Heroes of History" from Royal Bengals little cigars. Farragut was born in Tennessee and entered the U.S. navy when he was only 9 years old in 1810. The next year he went to sea with his guardian, David Porter. It was Porter who gave Farragut his first command at the age of 12 when he sailed a captured ship across the Pacific to Chile. During the Mexican War he served blockade duty off Vera Cruz. In 1855 he made the rank of Captain. Being from Tennessee the Union wasn't sure they believed his service would be true so he didn't get an appointment until January of 1862. He was a key figure in the Union's capture of New Orleans and for that he was promoted to Rear Admiral. He aided Grant in the capture of Vicksburg on the Mississippi. Then he went to New York to a hero's welcome. Not to rest he went back to the Gulf and fought at Mobile. This is where he made his famous statement of "Damn the torpedoes!" that were blocking his ability to take the harbor. The overall size of this image is approximately 2-3/8ths inches by 3-1/2 inches in size. On the back and the bottom of the card it has a brief history of the Admiral. It is a fine original CDV that will make a solid addition to any Civil War collection.
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