Silas Talbot
Silas Talbot (January 11, 1751 – June 30, 1813) was an officer in the Continental Army and in the Continental Navy. Talbot is most famous for commanding the USS Constitution from 1798 to 1801.
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[edit] Biography
Talbot was born in Dighton, Massachusetts. He was commissioned a captain in the Continental Army on July 1, 1775. After participating in the siege of Boston and aiding in the transportation of troops to New York, he obtained command of a fire ship and attempted to use it to set fire to the British warship HMS Asia (1764). The attempt failed, but the daring it displayed won him a promotion to major on October 10, 1777.
After suffering a severe wound while fighting to defend Philadelphia, Talbot returned to active service in the summer of 1778 and fought in Rhode Island. As commander of Pigot, and later Argo, both under the Army, he cruised against Loyalist vessels that were harassing American trade between Long Island and Nantucket and made prisoners of many of them. Because of his success fighting afloat for the Army, Congress made him a captain in the Continental Navy on September 17, 1779. However, since Congress had no suitable warship to entrust to him, Talbot put to sea in command of the privateer General Washington. In it, he took one prize, but soon thereafter ran into the British fleet off New York. After a chase, he struck his colors to Culloden, a 74-gun ship-of-the-line and remained a prisoner until exchanged for a British officer in December 1781.[1]
After the war, Talbot settled in Johnstown, New York, the county seat of Fulton County, where he purchased the former manor house and estate of Sir William Johnson, founder of Johnstown.[2] He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1792 and 1792-93.
In January 1793, Talbot was elected as a Federalist to the 3rd United States Congress, and served from March 4, 1793, to June 5, 1794, when President Washington chose him third in a list of six captains of the newly established United States Navy.[3] He was ordered to superintend the construction of the frigate USS President at New York. In 1797, Talbot supervised the building of the USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides," at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts. He served as commander of the vessel from 1799 until his retirement from the Navy in 1801, sailing it to the West Indies where he protected American commerce from French privateers during the Quasi-War. He commanded the Santo Domingo Station in 1799 and 1800 and was commended by the Secretary of the Navy for protecting American commerce and for laying the foundation of a permanent trade with that country. It is said that Talbot was wounded 13 times and carried 5 bullets in his body.[1]
Captain Talbot resigned from the Navy on September 23, 1801 and died at New York City on June 30, 1813.
[edit] USS Talbot
The first USS Talbot (Torpedo Boat No. 15) was named for Lt. John Gunnell Talbot; the second and third Talbots (Talbot (DD-114) and Talbot (FFG-4), respectively) were named for Captain Silas Talbot.
[edit] References and external links
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- Biographic sketch at U.S. Congress website
- Mystic Seaport: biography of Silas Talbot
- Letter from Silas Talbot to George Washington
- Decker, Lewis G. Images of America: Johnstown. Arcadia Publishing (an imprint of Tempus Publishing, Inc.); Charlestown, SC. 1999. ISBN 0-7385-0174-3.
[edit] Additional sources
Fowler, William M. Silas Talbot: Captain of Old Ironsides. Mystic, Conn.: Mystic Seaport Museum, 1995. ISBN 0-91337-273-0.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b Mystic Seaport
- ^ Decker, p. 31
- ^ Article I, Section 6, of the United States Constitution says "...no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office." Talbot vacated his seat upon his appointment to the Navy. See The Democratic Republicans of New York: The Origins, 1763-1797 by Alfred Fabian Young (1967; page 506) [says that Talbot resigned], but Abridgment of Debates in Congress, 1789 to 1856 (Vol. I) has no entry of a formal resignation. Documented is Talbot listed as voting until the end of May 1794; and after the adjournment, as not taking his seat again in November.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| New district | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 10th congressional district 1793 - 1794 |
Succeeded by William Cooper |
