17 OCTOBER 1858-FEBRUARY 1859 PARAGUAY PUNITIVE EXPEDITION At 1325 the six guns of Fort Guardia Cerritos erupted! USS WATER WITCH was struck ten times. Three of her Dahlgren howitzers answered only once as the fort’s barrage chased her sailors from their Read More
1 FEBRUARY 1855 WATER WITCH INCIDENT Our Navy launched a series of geographical explorations in the 19th century, focusing in part on South and Central America. Here, the US had both strategic interests, in terms of the Monroe Doctrine prohibiting European Read More
26-29 JANUARY 1862 RECONNAISSANCE-IN-FORCE By January 1862, Union MGEN Thomas W. Sherman was ready to attempt to close the Savannah River, isolating the city of Savannah lying 15 miles upstream. But the mouth of that river was guarded by masonry Fort Read More
19 JANUARY-12 MARCH 1854 LT STRAIN’S EXPEDITION (cont.) After six weeks of indescribable tribulation, with his men now unable to continue, LT Strain bedded his party and selected three of the strongest to accompany him further. On they pressed until finally Read More
19 JANUARY-12 MARCH 1854 LT STRAIN’S EXPEDITION In 1513, the Spanish explorer Balboa took 190 well-supplied troops and enlisted the aid of local natives as guides to make his famous march of discovery across Isthmus of Darien. Since, the concept of Read More
15 JANUARY 1865 FIGHTING FATHER AND SON CAPT Benjamin Franklin Sands, USN, came from a military family, having 11 relatives and descendants with military service. His combat tours during the Mexican War were bracketed by duty of a more scientific nature. Read More
12 JANUARY 1910 “JOHNNY” MOORE John Anderson “Johnny” Moore was born on 12 January 1910 in central Texas. By age 18 he was living near Memphis, from whence he was appointed to the US Naval Academy. Here, his thundering right hook Read More
6 JANUARY 1945 CDR GEORGE F. DAVIS Since October 1944, the Allied assault on the 7000 islands of the Philippines had been steadily progressing. Leyte, Samar, and several more of the Visayans had fallen, though the main island of Luzon remained Read More