Samuel Barron (1765–1810)

Samuel Barron (September 25, 1765 – October 29, 1810) was a United States Navy officer. He was an older brother of Commodore James Barron, also a US Navy officer.

Samuel Barron
Born	(1765-09-25)September 25, 1765 Hampton, Virginia
Died	October 29, 1810(1810-10-29) (aged 45)
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1798–1810
Rank	Commodore (USN)
Commands held	USS Augusta USS President Gosport Shipyard
Battles/wars	Quasi-War First Barbary War

Early life

Samuel Barron was born in Hampton, Virginia, the son of a merchant captain named James Barron who became Commodore of the tiny Virginia State Navy during the American Revolution. Barron studied at William and Mary College, and received his early training at sea from his father. He became a midshipman on the frigate Dragon and served in the Virginia Navy during the latter part of the Revolutionary War. After a number of years as a merchant captain, he joined the fledgling United States Navy.

Military career

In 1798, Barron took part in the Quasi-War with France. He became Captain of the new built brig USS Richmond, originally planned to a merchantman to be called Aurora, in December, 1798. He became Captain of USS Baltimore mid-March 1799.^[1] With the resignation of Capt. Thomas Truxton from the Navy he was notified of becoming Captain of the USS Consellation in a letter from Navy Secretary Benjamin Stoddert dated 2 August, 1799.^[2] During the First Barbary War, he commanded the President and relieved Edward Preble near Tripoli. “Throughout most of the winter of 1804-1805, Barron was prostrated with a painful liver disease, a consequence of yellow fever. For the squadron officers, Barron's health was a subject of continuous concern and frustration…and in early November 1804, he moved ashore - yet he refused to give up command and never stopped hoping that he would recover.” ^[3] In 1805 he turned over command of his squadron to John Rodgers and returned to the United States due to poor health. He was then assigned command of the Gosport Shipyard in Virginia. His health never fully recovered and on 29 October 1810 Lt. Robert Henley, his executive officer, reported to the Secretary of the Navy "I have the painful duty to inform you of the death of Commodore Samuel Barron. In apparent good health, he was attacked while at dinner yesterday in Hampton with an apoplectic fit and expired about 10 o'clock this morning." Commodore Barron was buried at Hampton Virginia age 45.^[4][5]

Samuel Barron's son, Samuel Barron (1809–1888), served with distinction in the United States Navy, until he resigned his commission in April 1861 to join the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War.^[6]

References

1. "Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume 3 Part 2 of 4 Naval Operations November 1798 to March 1799, June, 1799 Pg. 492" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
2. "Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume Part 1 of 3 Naval Operations August 1799 to December 1799 August to September Pg. 34" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
3. Sharp, John G. M. (2019). "Commodore Samuel Barron 1765-1810: First Commandant Gosport Navy Yard". Retrieved 17 May 2019.
4. Sharp Ibid
5. Henley to Secretary of the Navy, Officers' letters to the Secretary of the Navy by officers assigned to ships, stations, and Navy bureaus, Volume: 15 – 16, dated 29 October 1810 NARA RG 45 M148
6. "Welcome to nginx!". Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2008-11-30.

• Rossiter Johnson, ed. (1904). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Vol. I. Boston: The Biographical Society.