John Downes, USN-- Part 5: Around the World in the USS Potomac and End of His Career

Along the around the globe voyage, the USS Potomac became the first U.S. Navy ship to host sitting royalty, when the king and queesn of Hawaii came aboard.

When Downes arrived in Valparasio Chile, Jeremiah N. Reynolds came aboard.  He was an American explorer and author and served as Downes' personal secretary for the trip and wrote a book about his experience, "The Voyage of the United  States Frigate Potomac."

Downes'  sea service ended with this cruise.

On returning home, Downes was severely criticized for his actions in Sumatra, but President Jackson defended his actions, saying that what he did there would deter future aggression by the Malays.  However, that didn't come to pass because in August 1838, another American merchant ship, the  Eclipse, was attacked.  The United States responded with what is called the Second Sumatran  Expedition.

From 1837 to 1842, and again from1850-1852, he commanded  the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston Harbor.  He died there on August 11, 1854.

--Brock-Perry

John Downes, USN-- Part 4: A Questionable Period and Making Sumatra Pay

Downes took command of the USS Macedonian in 1818 and set out on a three year show of American power to South America and beyond.  On this trip he decided to make some money giving protection, passage and banking to pirates, privateers and others.  He became quite rich from this.  I am surprised he was able to keep his rank in the Navy for doing this.

Regardles of this other stuff, John Downes became commodore of the Mediterranean Squadron and from 1828-1829, commanded the USS Java.

From 1832-1834, he commanded the Pacific Squadron.  In 1832, he went to the coast of Sumatra in the USS Potomac to avenge the attack on the American merchantman Friendship, of Salem, Massachusetts.  He attacked four Malay forts, killing all their defenders and then bombarded a village until it caught fire.

He then took the Potomac on an around the world voyage, becoming the second American vessel to circumnavigate the globe.  (The first was the USS Vincinnes, commanded by William B. Finch.)

--Brock-Perry

John Gwinn Also Commanded the Frigate USS Potomac

Last month I spent a lot of time writing about this naval officer's career.  He was a War of 1812 veteran and was commanding the frigate USS Constitution at the time of his death in 1849.

He also commanded the frigate USS Potomac from 1844 to 1845.

The frigate USS Potomac was constructed at the Washington Navy Yard between 1819 and 1822 and entered active service in 1831.  During the 1830s and early 1840s, the Potomac sailed to Asia where it participated in the shelling of  Qualla Battoo, Sumatra.

After its return to Boston in 1844. the ship traveled twice to Brazil

Captain John Gwinn of Maryland commanded the ship  between October 1844 and December 1845 as the Potomac sailed along the U.S. Atlantic coast and to ports om the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

During the Mexican War, the Potomac landed troops at Port Isabel, Texas, and in the Siege of Vera Cruz.

From 1855 to 1856, it was the flagship of the Home Squadron and was part of the Union blockade of the Gulf Coast during the Civil War.

It remained in the service of the U.S. Navy until 1877 when it was sold.

--Brock-Perry

Timeline of Capt. Gwinn's Life-- Part 2: A Varied Career

1823-1825   Duty at United States Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts

1826   Duty on the USS Macedonian (frigate)

1829-1832  Executive Officer, United States Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1837   Commanded USS Vandalia (sloop of war) Home Squadron

1839-1842   Master Commandant,  United States Navy Yard, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania.

1839   USS Dale (sloop of war) launched and commissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard.  I saw no reference that he commanded the ship as shown in the USS Dale (1839)  entry in Wikipedia, but probably got his name as commander because he was in charge of the overall Navy Yard.

1842    Promoted to Captain

1844-1845   Commanded USS Potomac (frigate)   Home Squadron

1848   Commanded USS Constitution (frigate),  Mediterranean Squadron.

1849  , September 4    Died Palermo, Italy

--Brock-Perry

John Gwinn Papers-- Part 3: Rising Through the Ranks

1823-1825  Duty at  United States Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts.

1826   Duty on USS Macedonian (frigate) Brazil Station

1829-1832   Executive Officer, United States Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1837  Commanded USS Vandalia (sloop-of-war), Home Squadron

1839-1842  Master Commandant , United States Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1842  Promoted to captain. 1844-1845  Commanded USS Potomac (frigate), Home Squadron

1848  Commanded USS Constitution (frigate), Mediterranean Squadron

1849,  September 4  Died , Palermo, Sicily

--Brock-Perry

The John Gwinn Papers-- Part 1

The John Gwinn papers are at the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division.

Spans dates  1815 to 1864 with most dates from 1825 to 1849.

It includes 900 items.

Official correspondence includes  orders to duty, general orders, circulars, regulations,  as well as letters received and drafts of letters sent.

The letters document the Navy's peacetime mission of protecting American commerce and interests at home and overseas.

Gwinn commanded the Vandalia (sloop-of-war),  and Potomac (frigate), Home Squadron and the Pensacola, Fl., Navy Base, 

At home he protected American commerce from aggression and piratical acts.  Abroad, he commanded the USS Constitution, the Mediterranean Squadron and, again protected American interests.  Because of political unrest in Italy,  the American consul wrote him asking for  protection of American citizens and their interests.

--Brock-Perry

John Gwinn-- Part 6: War of 1812 and Beyond

John Gwinn was later ordered to Boston for the commissioning of the sloop-of-war USS Frolic.  Unfortunately Gwinn and the crew were captured on the ship's very first  cruise by the frigate HMS Orpheus and schooner HMS Shelburne on 20 April 1814.   The crew remained prisoners until the end of the war.

After release, Gwinn was promoted to lieutenant in 1816 and in the following decade made two deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and a voyage to northern Europe in three different ships.

Between 1828 and 1848, he spent a total of ten years commanding the Philadelphia Navy Yard, three years on leave and five "awaiting orders."  The remaining two years was divided between commanding the sloop-of-war Vandalia and the frigate Potomac.

He was promoted to captain in 1842.

--Brock-Perry