Bronx Grave Site Of Civil War Naval Officer Designated National Historic Landmark
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A ceremony was held Thursday at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx to give the rare distinction of National Historic Landmark status to a grave site.
The name Admiral David Glasgow Farragut may not be immediately recognized by many people, but his most famous words from the Civil War have lived on.
"Farragut is a rock star," Rear Admiral Scott Sanders told WCBS 880's Alex Silverman.
Bronx Grave Site Of Civil War Naval Officer Designated National Historic Landmark
"He damned some torpedoes," Naval historian Craig Symonds said.
To most, David Glasgow Farragut is known for a single moment in August of 1864.
Symonds said the Navy's first admiral declared "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead."
"He knew where the mines in the water - called torpedoes back then - were. And he knew if he could just break on through, he would capture Mobile Bay," said Sanders. "He wasn't doing this, throwing caution to the wind."
Farragut was born in Tennessee and raised in Louisiana. Woodlawn historian Susan Olsen said New York became Farragut's adopted home the day the south seceded.
"The fact that his wife wanted him to be at rest in New York city is really of incredible significance," Olsen told Silverman. "First admiral of the United States Navy called New York his home when war was declared is pretty significant."
Nevy veterans and members of the U.S. Color Guard were on hand for the designation ceremony.
A bronze plaque now graces the spot where Farragut is buried, declaring his grave site a National Historic Landmark.
Also Thursday, the U.S. Postal Service issued a Forever stamp honoring the Siege of Vicksburg.
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