Alden, James, Jr., RADM

Civil War Union Naval Officer. He entered the United States Navy as a Midshipman in 1828, and served continuously in the next 33 years, up to the Civil War. Promoted to Lieutenant in 1841, he served in the Charles Wilkes' World Exploration Expedition which lasted from 1838 to 1842. During the Mexican War he served in the squadron that captured the City of Vera Cruz, Turspan and Tabasco. From 1846 until 1860 he was a member of the United States Navy Coast Survey, where in 1855 he was a prominent figure in the conflicts with Native Indians in Puget Sound, Washington. In command of the "USS South Carolina" at the outbreak of the Civil War, he participated in the fortifying of Fort Pickens in Florida for the Union (a move that kept the vital fort in Union hands throughout the War). He commanded his ship in blockading duty in Galveston, Texas before being assigned to command the "USS Richmond" in Admiral David G. Farragut's fleet that was detailed to capture New Orleans, Louisiana. He led his vessel past the New Orleans fort defenses, and subsequently helped secure the capture of the city. In 1863 he supported Union Army-Navy operations on the Mississippi River against Port Hudson and Vicksburg, winning commendations from superior officers. In June 1863 he was promoted to Captain, and was assigned to command the "USS Brooklyn", which he led in the Union Naval capture of Mobile Bay, Alabama in August 1864 and in the combined Army-Navy assault and capture of Fort Fisher, North Carolina in January 1865. Promoted to Commodore in 1866, and Rear-Admiral in 1871, he served as commander of the Mare Island Naval Yard, the Chief of the Naval Navigation, and as commander of the United States Navy's Atlantic Squadron. He died in San Francisco, California in 1877.

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