John Rodgers (1812-82)

John Rodgers 1812-82, American naval officer, b. Harford co., Md.; son of John Rodgers. He became (1828) a midshipman and saw varied service. He conducted (1852-56) exploring expeditions in the N Pacific, off the coast of China, and in the Arctic. In the Civil War he served on the Atlantic coast, taking part in the bombardment of Fort Darling (1862), the attack on Fort Sumter (1863), and the capture of the ironclad Atlanta. He commanded the Asiatic fleet (1870-72). Later he was in charge of the Mare Island navy yard (1873-77) and superintendent of the U.S. Naval Observatory (1877-82).

Bibliography: See biography by R. E. Johnson (1967).

Rodgers, John (1812–82) Union naval officer. A native of Maryland, Rodgers entered the navy at sixteen. He served along the Florida coast in the Second Seminole War. Rodgers was captured by Confederate troops in 1861, during the evacuation of the Norfolk Navy Yard at the outbreak of the Civil War, but he was quickly released, since Virginia had not yet joined the Confederacy. He helped outfit a squadron of gunboats for service on the Ohio and Mississippi; then, back at sea, he participated in the capture of Port Royal, South Carolina, and the blockade of Savannah. He commanded an ironclad, the Galena, a poorly designed ship whose crew took heavy casualties. His next ironclad, Weehawken, did better, defeating the Confederate ironclad Atlanta in 1863. After the war, Rodgers commanded the Boston Navy Yard, served in Asia, and was superintendent of the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.