A Sailor's Story: Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry



Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry was born on April10, 1794 in South Kingston, Rhode Island. 

In 1809, at the age of 15, he enlisted in the US Navy, served above the USS Revenge and the USS President through the War of 1812, and participated in battles with HMS Little Belt and HMS Belvida. He also served aboard the USS United States.

Following the War of 1812, he would head to the Mediterranean for the Second Barbary War before being transferred to the USS Cyane to patrol Liberia and then the West Indies to suppress the international slave trade.

His first command would come in 1821 aboard the USS Shark, and on March 25, 1822, he would physically plant the flag that claimed the Florida Keys for the US.  

Commodore Matthew Perry was on shore duty in South Carolina from 1825 until 1830. He commanded the USS Concord until 1833. After that, he would return to shore duty at the New York Navy Yard until 1837 as the Deputy Commander. Here he would help establish the apprentice system for new seamen entering the US Navy, and he helped develop the curriculum for the Naval Academy. He was also a vocal advocate for modernizing the navy and increasing the use and production of steam-powered ships.

In 1845, at the beginning of the Mexican-American War, he would return to sea as the captain of the USS Mississippi and captured the city of Fonterra. Next, he supported the siege of Tampico and was also part of the siege of Veracruz. Finally, he would lead the July 1847 landing force into San Juan Bautista.

In 1852, President Millard Filmore ordered Commodore Perry to establish trade with Japan.

He sailed into Edo Bay on July 8, 1853. After much back and forth, including a "4th of July Celebration" that involved firing blank rounds from the ship's 73 cannons, Commodore Matthew Perry was allowed to land in Japan and present a letter demanding that Japan open its shores to trade with the United States.

While allowing the Japanese shogunate and emperor time to assemble, Commodore Matthew Perry would explore Thailand, noting that it would be a great place to claim as a US territory (Congress would not act on his advice), before returning to Japan in February of 1854 and after more than a month of negotiations, the Convention of Kanagawa was signed, which opened the ports of Hakodate and Shimoda to American trade.

Congress would award him $20,000 (worth about $549,000 now) for his services. He would use the funds to write his memoir and report of the expedition called "Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan."  It was completed on December 28, 1857.

Commodore Matthew Perry would die on March 4, 1858, from rheumatic fever. He rests at the Island Cemetery in Newport, Rhode Island.

* Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project here*

****************************************

a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to the travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

#TaketheBackRoads


Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors, my webshop, or by buying me a cup of coffee!


Location: South Kingstown, RI, USA

Popular posts from this blog

A Soldier's Story: Lieutenant Sorrell Booke - Korean War

Image
Lieutenant Sorrell Booke was born on January 4, 1930, in Buffalo, New York. Always a performer, he made impressions for the local radio stations while attending Bennet High School, where he graduated class valedictorian in 1948. After high school, Lieutenant Sorrell Booke attended Columbia University, then moved to Yale University to receive his master's degree. However, his college education was briefly interrupted by his enlistment in the US Army during the Korean War, where Lieutenant Booke served as a counterintelligence officer. In 1960, after many years spent on the stage, Lieutenant Sorrell Booke made his way to Hollywood. He took on several roles in film, including one in the movie Black Like Me, before focusing on television roles. Lieutenant Sorrell Booke was nominated for an Emmy for his role in Dr. Kildare. He also appeared on M*A*S*H and All in the Family before landing his most famous role, that of Boss Hogg, in the television series Dukes of Hazzard, a part h
Read more

An Airman's Story: Staff Sergeant Francis Pershing McNamara

Image
Staff Sergeant Francis Pershing McNamara was born on February 19, 1943, in Pollagh, Ireland. He immigrated to the U.S. at one-month-old aboard the USS Baltic and grew up in Parma, Ohio. Staff Sergeant Francis McNamara enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Services on March 19, 1942, in response to World War II and was trained as an ariel gunner. He was assigned to the 11th Bombardment Group and deployed to the Pacific theater. On May 27, 1943, during a rescue mission, the plane he was on, the Green Hornet, crashed into the Pacific. Staff Sergeant Francis McNamara, First Lieutenant Russell Allen Phillips, and First Lieutenant Louis Zamperini were the only survivors and were adrift in the ocean. After 33 days, on June 30, 1943, Staff Sergeant Francis Pershing McNamara succumbed to starvation and exposure and was buried at sea. He is memorialized in the Court of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. * Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project here* ****************************
Read more

A Soldier's Story: Sergeant James Oliver Rigney Jr - Vietnam War

Image
Sergeant James Oliver Rigney Jr was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 17, 1948. After his high school graduation, he attended Clemson University and played collegiate football. Sergeant Rigney left college after one year to enlist in the US Army. Training as a gunner, Sergeant James Oliver Rigney Jr. deployed twice to Vietnam with the 68th Assault Helicopter Squadron.   He returned to the US in 1970 and enrolled at The Citadel, where he studied physics. Sergeant James Oliver Rigney Jr. graduated in 1974 and began working for the US Navy at the Charleston Naval Shipyard.  In 1977, Sergeant James Oliver Rigney fell from a submarine in drydock, severely injuring his leg and requiring the reconstruction of his knee. His recovery process was long and was complicated by blood clots. Sergeant Rigney decided during his convalescence to become a writer. He began writing historical works under Reagan O'Neal before writing Western novels as Jackson O'Reilly. Sergeant James Ol
Read more