Charles Morris (naval officer)

For other people named Charles Morris, see Charles Morris (disambiguation).

Charles Morris
File:Commodore Charles Morris by Southworth & Hawes, c1850.jpg Commodore Charles Morris by Southworth & Hawes, circa 1850
Born	(1784-07-26)July 26, 1784 Woodstock, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1799 to 1847
Rank	Commodore
Unit	USS Constitution
Commands held	USS Adams
Battles/wars	Quasi-War the First Barbary War and Second Barbary War War of 1812 Constitution vs Guerriere Battle of Hampden

Charles Morris (July 26, 1784 – January 27, 1856) was a United States naval officer and administrator whose service extended through the first half of the 19th century.

Biography

Morris was born in Woodstock, Maine, on July 26, 1784. After being appointed a midshipman in July 1799, he served in the Quasi-War with France, First Barbary War, the Second Barbary War, and the War of 1812. He was promoted to captain in March 1813. He served as a Navy Commissioner from 1823 to 1827, and as the Chief of the Bureau of Construction, Equipment, and Repairs from 1844 to 1847.

In 1812, Morris was appointed executive officer of the USS Constitution under the command of Isaac Hull during her battle with the HMS Guerriere, in which action Morris was severely wounded. He was promoted to captain on March 3, 1813. In 1814, he commanded the USS Adams in raiding expeditions against British commerce. Cornered in the Penobscot River in Maine by a British squadron under Captain Robert Barrie, Morris and his men went ashore with their cannons and, assisted by local militia attempted to hold off the British amphibious force in the Battle of Hampden. The British regulars routed the Americans, however, and Morris and his crew had to burn the ship and escape overland to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

In 1835, his daughter Louise eloped and married William Wilson Corcoran, a banker and philanthropist living in Washington, D.C.

In his later career, Morris commanded the Mediterranean Squadron and served as the chief of the Bureau of Ordnance.

Charles Morris died at his home in Washington, D.C., on January 27, 1856, from a lung ailment. At the time of his death, he was the second highest-ranking officer in the Navy after Charles Stewart. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C., near the large family mausoleum built by his son-in-law, William Wilson Corcoran. Corcoran paid for a large, decorative headstone to be placed at the grave.

Namesakes

Ships in the United States Navy have been named USS Morris and USS Commodore Morris for him.

Charles Morris Court, a street inside the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., is named after him.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.