Register of the Commissioned, Warrant, and Volunteer Officers

BOUND FOR A DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN ADMIRAL

[SMITH, Rear Admiral Jospeh]. [UNITED STATES NAVY]. Register of the Commissioned, Warrant, and Volunteer Officers of the Navy of the United States, including Officers of the Marine Corps and others, to January 1, 1865. 8vo, full navy blue morocco, decorative gold rolled borders, gold lettered and decoarated spine, stamped in gold in front cover: "Navy Register 1865. Rear Adm'l Joseph Smith. Chief of Bureau, Yards & Docks," pp. 335, marbled edges, with eleven (11) navy blue gold lettered morocco tabs for various ranks of officers from admiral to midshipman, Marine and volunteer. Washington: GPO, 1865.

Joseph Smith (1790-1877) entered the navy in 1809, and served with distinction throughtout a career that spanned 62 years of continuous naval service. He was severely wounded during the Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812; served on the USS Constellation in the Mediterranean, 1815-1817; commanded the USS Ohio; commanded the Mediterranean Squadron from 1843 to 1845, and in 1846 was assigned as Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, a position he held until 1869, after which he was on the boards for examining officers for promotion until 1871. During the Civil War he was a member of the Ironclad Board which oversaw the planning, development and construction of the USS Monitor, the U. S. Navy's first ironclad warship. He was among the first group of officers promoted to the rank of rear admiral in the US Navy. A few scuffs and minor corner wear, else fine. 84399