John McLeod Murphy
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John McLeod Murphy (14 February 1827 – 1884) was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.
Murphy was born in Westchester County, New York, and was appointed midshipman 10 August 1841. Resigning as a passed midshipman 10 May 1852, Murphy reentered service at the beginning of the Civil War as a colonel in the engineers. He was appointed acting lieutenant, USN, 4 December 1862 and took command of gunboat Carondelet 4 March 1863, skippering that ship during the joint Army‑Navy Expedition in Steele’s Bayou under Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter, 18 to 24 March, in which he landed with two boat howitzers and 300 men near Rolling Fork to hold that place until the Union ships could cover it with their guns.
He next took Carondelet off Vicksburg, Mississippi engaging batteries at that Confederate fortress many times from 18 May to 3 July, being commended by Admiral Porter for energetic attention to orders and ready cooperation with Army corps commanders assaulting the fortress. Acting Lieutenant Murphy relinquished command of the gunboat 1 September and resigned his commission 30 July 1864.
He died in New York City in 1884.
USS Murphy (DD-603) was named for him.
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
