NOTES ON THE LIFE OF ADMIRAL FOOTE.
BY HIS BROTHER, JOHN A. FOOTE.
T HERE were six boys and no girls in my father’sfamily. I was the eldest and am' the only sur-vivor. The Admiral was next to me in age. Wewere brought up, I think, upon purely patriarchaland Puritan principles, so I was surprised that myfather, on taking me to the law school at Litch-field, should so far unbend as to say to me, “John,I think I have been able to control my familypretty well, all except Andrew—I have never triedto do more than to guide him.” In subsequent lifeI have thought that in that avowal I find thesecret of the Admiral’s unconquerable will and ofhis success as a naval commander. He was verygenial and good-natured, and as a subaltern im-plicitly obedient. His interest in the Christianreligion transformed him by subduing his will.There never was any cant about him, and heseemed to enjoy life and to get much out of it.A younger brother of ours said to me, “ Theworld is a clog to me, but it seems to be a helpto Andrew.” This justly expressed my opinion ofhis very decided and cheerful Christian character.I once visited him when he was stationed at theNaval Asylum at Philadelphia . Asking of the sen-tinel before the door for Lieutenant Foote, I wasanswered that he was in his church, w'hicli provedto be only a large room, at the end of the hall,where I halted to catch his earnest entreaties tohis hearers to become good men. Such meetings,ora Sunday-school, or both, he sustained at all hisstations ashore or afloat. At one time he doubtedwhether he could conscientiously continue in thenavy. My father having asked him if he did notthink a navy necessary, he replied, “ Certainly, theseas must be policed.” Then added my father,“ Should the navy be in charge of good or badmen ? ” “ Of good men,” he replied — and declaredthat this view removed his doubts.
Later in life he got bravely over such doubts.It was enough for him that as an officer of theGovernment he was bound to do and dare every-thing to put down the rebellion. I was trying stillfurther to intensify him, by other reasons, whenhe turned on me and said: “ John, will you fight T”He saw that I hesitated, and at once added: “Iwill fight — my life is in my hand for this cause;and if you won’t fight, don’t talk quite so loud.”
When he began to descend the Mississippi Inoticed that he went very slowly, and lay off at adistance when attacking any position. I informedhim that I thought the people wanted dash andclose fighting — something sharp and decisive.He replied: “ Don’t you know that my boats arethe only protection you have upon your riversagainst the rebel gun-boats — that without my flo-tilla everything on your rivers, your cities andtowns would be at the mercy of the enemy ? Myfirst duty then is to care for my boats, if I am to
protect you. Now when I ran up the Tennessee and the Cumberland, and attacked Fort Henry andFort Donelson, if my boats were rendered un-manageable as my flag-ship was at Donelson, thecurrent took care of me by carrying me awayfrom the enemy’s works. But all this is changedwhen I descend the Mississippi . Then my boats,if they become unmanageable, are carried directlyinto the hands of the enemy.” I saw the pointand had to give in. As to the comparative valueof the two arms of the service — the Army andthe Navy — in clearing the Western rivers of theConfederates, my brother said they werelike bladesof shears — united, invincible ; separated, almostuseless.
About the middle of May, 1862, being muchenfeebled by his wounds received at Fort Donel-son and by illness, he made his home at my housein Cleveland, Ohio , until about midsummer of thatyear. During this time he retained his command,and was in constant receipt of reports from the fleet.
June 17th he wrote to the Navy Department:
“ If it will not he considered premature, I wish fur-ther to remark, that when this rehellion is crushedand a squadron is fitted out to enforce the new treatyfor the suppression of the African slave-trade, I shouldbo pleased to have command. But so long as the re-bellion continues, it will he my highest ambition to heactively employed in aiding its suppression.”
His interest in Africa was intense. His onehook was called “Africa and the American Flag.”
In a message to Congress, dated July 6th, 1862,President Lincoln recommended a vote of thanksto Admiral Foote, which was given. After hisreturn to duty he was for several months at thehead of one of the new bureaus of the Navy De-partment, and notwithstanding the state of hishealth, after the failure of the attack, with mon-itors and iron-clads upon the Charleston defenses,Admiral Foote was appointed, June 4th, 1863, tothe command of the South Atlantic Squadron;but he was stricken down on his way to his com-mand. I was told that Professor Bache — of theMedical Staff at the New York Navy Yard, whereFoote had been stationed at the commencementof the war — said that he dreaded to tell the Ad-miral that his attack was a fatal one, as he thoughthis heart was set upon attempting to take Charles-ton . But, instead of his being affected by thesolemn intelligence, Foote replied that he felt hewas prepared and that he was glad to be throughwith guns and war. He died at the Astor House,in the city of New York, on the 26th of the samemonth. The mother of General Tilghman, who sur-rendered Fort Henry, was at the hotel, and, learningof his illness, tendered her sympathies. His nativecity of New Haven gave a public funeral, whichwas attended by the governor and legislature.
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