John C. Watson
| John Crittenden Watson | |
|---|---|
Rear-Admiral John C. Watson in 1898
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| Born |
August 24, 1842 Frankfort, Kentucky |
| Died | December 14, 1923 (aged 81) Washington, D.C. |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1860–1904 |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Commands held |
USS Wyoming Governor of the Naval Home at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S. Eastern Fleet U.S. Asiatic Fleet |
| Battles/wars | |
John Crittenden Watson (24 August 1842 – 14 December 1923) was an admiral of the United States Navy.
Watson was born in Frankfort, Kentucky on August 24, 1842, the grandson of renowned Kentucky politician John J. Crittenden. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy on 15 June 1860. After tours in Susquehanna and Richmond, Watson was promoted to master on 19 September 1861 and joined Sabine. He distinguished himself in this ship when she went to the aid of the chartered government transport Governor off the coast of South Carolina on the night of 2–3 November 1861. Watson managed the cables and hawsers which held the two ships together in spite of a violent gale, allowing some 500 men—Marines and crew—to clamber from the foundering Governor to safety in Sabine. His commanding officer, Captain Cadwalader Ringgold, praised Watson for his "indefatigable exertions" and "utmost skill and efficiency" in keeping the two ships lashed together.
Promoted to lieutenant in July 1862, Watson later served as flag lieutenant to Rear Admiral David Farragut, who flew his flag in the steam sloop Hartford, and participated in the Battle of Mobile Bay. He was later wounded by a shell fragment during an engagement with a Confederate battery at Warrington, Florida.
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