Scope and Content Note
The papers of the David Dixon Porter family span the years 1799-1899. The collection documents the naval careers of Porter and his father, David Porter, which combined encompassed most of the nineteenth century. The papers contain correspondence, letterbooks, journals, logbooks, orders, reports, photographs and sketches, maps, financial records, and printed matter. They are arranged in four series: Family Papers, David Porter Papers, David D. Porter Papers, and Oversize.
The Family Papers series, the bulk of which is mounted in bound volumes, includes the papers of David D. Porter; his father, David Porter; and his mother, Evelina Anderson Porter. Correspondence and related material dating from 1799 to 1843 largely pertain to David Porter, including his command of the Enterprize (schooner) from 1805 to 1806, the Essex (frigate) during the War of 1812, and the West Indian squadron employed in suppressing piracy in the Caribbean between 1823 and 1825. Porter's numerous letters to Samuel Hambleton between 1808 and 1824 provide a particularly detailed chronicle of his activities during that period. Events relating to Porter's seizure of the town of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, in 1825, as well as his subsequent court martial, his resignation from the American navy, and his command of Mexico's navy are discussed in his correspondence between 1825 and 1829. Letters to his wife and children recount his diplomatic service in Algeria and Turkey from 1830 to 1843.
The David Porter Papers series consists of letterbooks, a logbook from the Enterprize, and unbound correspondence documenting Porter's naval service, especially his early career and the Fajardo incident. A letter from Porter to Oliver Wolcott in 1798 and several letters dated 1824 concerning the West Indian squadron were transferred from the Manuscript Division's Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection. Prominent correspondents in this series and in the Family Papers include Paul Hamilton, Joel Roberts Poinsett, John Rodgers (1773-1838), Thomas Shields,and Samuel L. Southard. Further information on Porter's command of the Mexican navy is available in transcribed documents in the miscellany subgrouping in the David D. Porter Papers series.
The bulk of the collection pertains to David D. Porter. Correspondence and related material includes Porter's letters to his mother recounting his apprentice and journeyman years in the navy. Later correspondence provides information on his service during the Mexican and Civil wars and on his chairmanship of the United States Navy Board of Inspection.and Survey A group of correspondence, photographs, and sketches identified as memorials includes letters written by Porter to Gwinn Harris Heap between 1856 and 1863 which provide detailed and often humorous accounts of his activities during that period. Photographs and watercolor sketches of steamships and several photographs of Porter are also included among the memorials. The Family Papers series contains many of Porter's writings, including a large number of poems and short stories.
Porter's Civil War service is documented through correspondence, reports, writings, financial records, photographs, and sketches and bound journals and letterbooks located in the David D. Porter Papers series. Letters to Porter provide information on many aspects of the Union's naval strategy, while Porter's own account of the war is contained in a journal compiled shortly after the war as well as in his unpublished memoir, reports, and other writings. Correspondence, reports, and miscellaneous writings from the 1870s and 1880s while Porter served as an advisor to the secretary of the navy and chairman of the United States Navy Board of Inspection and Survey record his thoughts on the need for naval reform. Prominent correspondents include Charles A. Boutelle, David Glasgow Farragut, Gustavus Vasa Fox, George M. Robeson, William T. Sherman, and Gideon Welles.