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{{Infobox Biography | {{Infobox Biography | ||
| subject_name =Stephen Russell Mallory | | subject_name =Stephen Russell Mallory | ||
| image_name =StephenMallory.jpg | | image_name =StephenMallory.jpg | ||
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| date_of_birth =1812 | | date_of_birth =1812 | ||
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| occupation =Confederate Secretary of the Navy, politician, lawyer | | occupation =Confederate Secretary of the Navy, politician, lawyer | ||
| spouse =[[Angela Moreno]] | | spouse =[[Angela Moreno]] | ||
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}} | }} | ||
| − | '''Stephen Russell Mallory''' ([[ | + | {{wikipedia}} |
| + | '''Stephen Russell Mallory''' ([[1813]] – [[November 9]], [[1873]]) was a United States politician and the Confederate Secretary of the Navy during the American Civil War. Mallory was considered one of President Jefferson Davis's ablest Cabinet officers. He was the father of [[Stephen Mallory II]], a U.S. Representative and Senator from Florida. | ||
==Early life and career== | ==Early life and career== | ||
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After the 1860 Election of Abraham Lincoln, Mallory urged conciliation (as did many other eventual prominent Southern politicians, including Jefferson Davis). However, like many others, his loyalties lay with the South, and when Florida seceded, he followed. Because of his friendship with President Davis, the need of a Floridian cabinet member, and his extremely useful and vast knowledge of naval affairs, he was appointed Secretary of the Navy. | After the 1860 Election of Abraham Lincoln, Mallory urged conciliation (as did many other eventual prominent Southern politicians, including Jefferson Davis). However, like many others, his loyalties lay with the South, and when Florida seceded, he followed. Because of his friendship with President Davis, the need of a Floridian cabinet member, and his extremely useful and vast knowledge of naval affairs, he was appointed Secretary of the Navy. | ||
| − | [[Image:ConfederateCabinet.jpg|thumb| | + | [[Image:ConfederateCabinet.jpg|thumb|right|330px|The original Confederate Cabinet. L-R: Judah P. Benjamin, Stephen Mallory, Christopher Memminger, Alexander Stephens, LeRoy Pope Walker, Jefferson Davis, John H. Reagan and Robert Toombs.]] |
| − | At the start of the war, though, the Confederacy barely owned fifteen warships and very few naval officers had seceded. Also, the Confederate War Department did not cooperate very efficiently, and naval funding was very limited. However, Mallory was somewhat effective in finding some European ships, mainly from Great Britain. Arguably his most important British acquisition was the C.S.S. ''Alabama'', which was captained by Raphael Semmes, and was arguably the most famous Confederate raider. These raiders would mainly be used to attack merchant shipping, possibly diverting some blockade ships and ruining the Union blockade (which was slowly choking the South). Also, his vision of creating many ironclad warships to destroy the mainly wooden warships of the Union blockades was not fulfilled, mainly because of the main Southern disadvantage: a lack of funds and materiel. In a related sense, his most important "failure" was not being able to persuade the other government officials to allot enough funding toward the navy. | + | At the start of the war, though, the Confederacy barely owned fifteen warships and very few naval officers had seceded. Also, the Confederate War Department did not cooperate very efficiently, and naval funding was very limited. However, Mallory was somewhat effective in finding some European ships, mainly from Great Britain. Arguably his most important British acquisition was the C.S.S. ''Alabama'', which was captained by Raphael Semmes, and was arguably the most famous Confederate raider. These raiders would mainly be used to attack merchant shipping, possibly diverting some blockade ships and ruining the Union blockade (which was slowly choking the South). Also, his vision of creating many ironclad warships to destroy the mainly wooden warships of the Union blockades was not fulfilled, mainly because of the main Southern disadvantage: a lack of funds and [[materiel]]. In a related sense, his most important "failure" was not being able to persuade the other government officials to allot enough funding toward the navy. |
Also, Mallory was extremely innovative. Even though the Southern industrial plants did not even rival the Northern plants, and added by the loss of Nashville, New Orleans, Memphis, and Norfolk in the early war (these being important plants and ports), the C.S. Navy was able to produce 22 ironclads during the war, an ingenious accomplishment. Also, experimental weapons and tactics were explored, including torpedoes, submarines, and secret amphibious raids, although these were generally ineffective. | Also, Mallory was extremely innovative. Even though the Southern industrial plants did not even rival the Northern plants, and added by the loss of Nashville, New Orleans, Memphis, and Norfolk in the early war (these being important plants and ports), the C.S. Navy was able to produce 22 ironclads during the war, an ingenious accomplishment. Also, experimental weapons and tactics were explored, including torpedoes, submarines, and secret amphibious raids, although these were generally ineffective. | ||
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He moved back to his law practice, while opposing the use of the military in Reconstruction and opposing black suffrage. He died in 1873, with his contemporaries partly blaming him for the Confederate defeat. Historians are much more complimentary of Mallory than his own contemporaries, realizing that persuading the other, more land-oriented members of the Confederate government into allotting badly-needed funds to a navy that was almost certainly defeated from the start was almost impossible, even for the most persuasive politician. | He moved back to his law practice, while opposing the use of the military in Reconstruction and opposing black suffrage. He died in 1873, with his contemporaries partly blaming him for the Confederate defeat. Historians are much more complimentary of Mallory than his own contemporaries, realizing that persuading the other, more land-oriented members of the Confederate government into allotting badly-needed funds to a navy that was almost certainly defeated from the start was almost impossible, even for the most persuasive politician. | ||
| + | [[Image:StephenMalloryGrave.jpg|thumb|right|Mallory's grave in [[St. Michael's Cemetery]]]] | ||
==Remembered in Pensacola== | ==Remembered in Pensacola== | ||
| − | + | Mallory is honored with [[Mallory Street|a street]] in Pensacola, and [[Lee Square]] is partly dedicated to him. He is buried at [[St. Michael's Cemetery]]. | |
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
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{{bio-stub}} | {{bio-stub}} | ||
| − | + | [[Category:People buried in St. Michael's Cemetery]] | |
