Charles Stewart (1778-1869)
| Charles Stewart | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
28 July 1778 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | 6 November 1869 (aged 91) Bordentown, New Jersey |
| Buried at | Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1798 – 1861 |
| Rank |
 rear admiral
|
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Congressional Gold Medal |
| Other work | Naval Commissioner |
Mediterranean squadron Philadelphia Navy Yard
Charles Stewart (28 July 1778 – 6 November 1869) was an officer in the United States Navy who commanded a number of US Navy ships, including USS Constitution. He saw service during the Quasi War and both Barbary Wars in Mediterranean along North Africa and the War of 1812. He later commanded the navy yard in Philadelphia and was the promoted to become the Navy's first flag officer shortly before retiring. He was promoted to rear admiral after he retired from the Navy. He lived a long life and was the last surviving Navy captain who had served in the War of 1812.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 28 July 1778, only a month after the British evacuated the city, Stewart's parents were Ulster-Scots who had emigrated from Belfast to Philadelphia. His father died in 1780, leaving his mother little means to support him and his three siblings. She later remarried a former bodyguard of General Washington. Stewart attended Dr. Abercrombie's Episcopal Academy in Philadelphia where he met Stephen Decatur and Richard Somers. He went to sea at the age of thirteen as a cabin boy and rose through the grades to become master of a merchantman.
During the Quasi-War with France, Stewart was one of the first officers in the rebirth of the United States Navy. At the age of nineteen, he was commissioned a lieutenant on 9 March 1798 and joined the frigate USS United States, under the command of John Barry, as fourth lieutenant for a cruise in the West Indies to restrain French privateers. Stewart was in charge of the ship's outfitting and recruiting of crew.
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