# Alexander Rhind

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Alexander_Rhind
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Alexander_Rhind.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Rhind
> Source revision: 1352852125
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|American Navy admiral (1821–1897)}}
{{about||the Scottish antiquarian and archaeologist|Alexander Henry Rhind|the Scottish footballer|Alex Rhind}}
{{Infobox military person
| name = Alexander Colden Rhind  
| image = Alexander C. Rhind.jpg
| caption = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1821|10|31}} 
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1897|11|8|1821|10|31}}  
| burial_label = Place of burial
| burial_place = Colden Family Cemetery, [Montgomery, New York](/source/Montgomery_(town)%2C_New_York)
| birth_place = [New York City](/source/New_York_City), [New York](/source/New_York_(state))
| death_place = New York City, New York
| burial_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| nickname = 
| allegiance = [United States of America](/source/United_States_of_America)
| branch = 25px [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy)
| service_years = 1838&ndash;1883
| rank =35px [Rear Admiral](/source/Rear_admiral_(United_States))
| unit = 
| commands = {{USS|Crusader|1858|2}}<br/>{{USS|Keokuk|1862|2}}<br/>{{USS|Paul Jones|1862|2}}<br/>{{USS|Wabash|1855|2}}<br/>{{USS|Agawam|1863|2}}<br/>{{USS|Louisiana|1861|2}}<br/>{{USS|Congress|1868|2}}  
| battles =[Mexican–American War](/source/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War)<br/>[American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War)
| awards = 
| relations =  
| other_work = 
}}

'''Alexander Colden Rhind''' (October 31, 1821 &ndash; November 8, 1897) was a [rear admiral](/source/Rear_admiral_(United_States)) in the [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy), who served during the [Mexican–American War](/source/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War) and [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War).

==Biography==

===Early life===

Rhind was born in [New York City](/source/New_York_City), [New York](/source/New_York_(state)), the son of Charles Rhind, a prominent shipowner who became the U.S. [minister](/source/Minister_(diplomacy)) to the [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire) in 1827.<ref name="nytimes">{{Cite web
 |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/11/10/102545776.pdf
 |title=Death of Admiral Rhind 
 |date=10 November 1897
 |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)
 |access-date=26 October 2010
}}</ref> His mother, Susan Fell,<ref>{{Cite web
 |url= https://archive.org/stream/collections01alexgoog/collections01alexgoog_djvu.txt
 |title=The life of William Alexander, Earl of Stirling, Major-General in the Army of the United States during the Revolution
 |work=archive.org
 |access-date=27 October 2010
}}</ref> was a descendant of [Cadwallader Colden](/source/Cadwallader_Colden), the Governor of the colonial [Province of New York](/source/Province_of_New_York) from 1769 to 1771.<ref name="nytimes"/>

===Early career===

Rhind was appointed [midshipman](/source/midshipman) on September 3, 1838,<ref name="DANFS">{{Cite DANFS | title = Rhind | url = https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/r/rhind.html | date=25 September 2005 | accessdate = 26 October 2010 | archiveurl= http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20101208140317/http%3A//www%2Ehistory%2Enavy%2Emil/danfs/r5/rhind%2Ehtm| archivedate= December 8, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> and between 1839 and 1841 he served in the [Mediterranean Squadron](/source/Mediterranean_Squadron_(United_States)) aboard the [frigate](/source/frigate) {{USS|Ohio|1820|2}} and the [sloop-of-war](/source/sloop-of-war) {{USS|Cyane|1837|2}}.<ref name="nytimes"/> He then served aboard the sloop-of-war {{USS|Warren|1827|2}} in the [West Indies](/source/West_Indies) in 1842–1843, then on the frigate {{USS|Macedonian|1836|2}} off the coast of [Africa](/source/Africa) in 1843–1844, before attending the [Philadelphia Naval School](/source/Philadelphia_Naval_Asylum) in 1844–1845. Promoted to [passed midshipman](/source/passed_midshipman) on July 2, 1845, Rhind served on the [brig](/source/brig) {{USS|Washington|1837|2}} in the [United States Coast Survey](/source/United_States_Coast_and_Geodetic_Survey) in 1845–1846, which was then attached the [Home Squadron](/source/Home_Squadron) on the coast of [Mexico](/source/Mexico) during the [Mexican–American War](/source/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War), being present at [Alvarado](/source/Alvarado%2C_Veracruz) and the [First Battle of Tabasco](/source/First_Battle_of_Tabasco).<ref name="recordsofliving">{{Cite web
 |url= https://archive.org/stream/recordsoflivingo00hame/recordsoflivingo00hame_djvu.txt
 |title=The records of living officers of the U.S. Navy & Marine Corps : compiled from official sources
 |work=archive.org
 |year=1878
 |access-date=27 October 2010
}}</ref>

Rhind served on the [steamer](/source/Steamship) {{USS|Water Witch|1847|2}} in 1848, before rejoining the U.S. Coast Survey aboard the schooner ''Ewing'' on a voyage to the coast of [California](/source/California) in 1849–1850. He then served aboard the sloop-of-war {{USS|St. Mary's|1844|2}} in the [East Indies](/source/East_Indies) in 1850–1851, before returning to the U.S. Coast Survey, where he remained until 1854,<ref name="recordsofliving"/> receiving promotion to the rank of [master](/source/Master_(naval)) on April 30, 1853.<ref name="callahan">{{Cite web
 |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/books/callahan/reg-usn-r.htm 
 |title=US Navy Officers, 1775-1900 (R) 
 |work=history.navy.mil 
 |access-date=26 October 2010 
 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20101205164221/http%3A//www%2Ehistory%2Enavy%2Emil/books/callahan/reg%2Dusn%2Dr%2Ehtm 
 |archive-date=December 5, 2010 
 |url-status=dead 
}}</ref>

Rhind was commissioned as a [lieutenant](/source/Lieutenant_(naval)) on February 17, 1854,<ref name="callahan"/> and served on the sloop-of-war {{USS|John Adams|1799|2}} in the [Pacific Squadron](/source/Pacific_Squadron),<ref name="nytimes"/> but in May 1855<ref>{{Cite web
 |url= https://www.amazon.com/Trial-Lieut-before-martial-Pacific/dp/B0008AXXQA/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1288133425&sr=8-15
 |title=Trial of Lieut. A.C. Rhind, before a naval court martial in the Pacific Ocean, in May, 1855
 |work=amazon.com
 |access-date=26 October 2010
}}</ref> was [court-martial](/source/court-martial)ed after a disagreement with his [commanding officer](/source/commanding_officer), and left the Navy in September 1855.<ref>{{Cite web
 |url= http://www.tfoenander.com/burials.html
 |title=Burial Sites of Union Navy Veterans 
 |author=Terry Foenander
 |work=tfoenander.com
 |access-date=26 October 2010
}}</ref> Eventually reinstated, Rhind served on the sloop-of-war {{USS|Constellation|1854|2}}, the flagship of the [Africa Squadron](/source/Africa_Squadron), from 1859 to 1861.<ref name="recordsofliving"/>

===American Civil War===
The [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War) broke out in April 1861. On December 14, 1861, Rhind was ordered to take command of the [screw steamer](/source/screw_steamer) {{USS|Crusader|1858|2}} and, while commanding her,<ref name="DANFS"/> took part in the capture and destruction of [Confederate](/source/Confederate_States_of_America) works commanding the [South Edisto](/source/South_Edisto_River), [Dawho](/source/Dawho_River), and [Pon-Pon River](/source/Pon-Pon_River)s, in April 1862,<ref name="DANFS"/> for which he later earned the thanks of the [United States Department of the Navy](/source/United_States_Department_of_the_Navy) in a letter dated September 7, 1864.<ref name="recordsofliving"/> He received promotion to [lieutenant commander](/source/Lieutenant_commander_(United_States)) on July 16, 1862.<ref name="callahan"/>

Promoted to [commander](/source/Commander_(United_States)) on January 2, 1863,<ref name="callahan"/> he participated in 1863 in the attacks on [Charleston](/source/Charleston%2C_South_Carolina), [South Carolina](/source/South_Carolina)'s defenses as commanding officer of the [ironclad](/source/Ironclad_warship) [ram](/source/Naval_ram) {{USS|Keokuk|1862|2}}. During the attack on April 7, 1863, ''Keokuk'' was struck over 90 times in 30 minutes, suffering 19 holes at or near her [waterline](/source/waterline). Retiring, she was stayed afloat until the following morning before finally sinking, by which time the crew had been taken off.<ref name="DANFS"/>

Later, after commanding the [gunboat](/source/gunboat) {{USS|Paul Jones|1862|2}} and the [screw frigate](/source/screw_frigate) {{USS|Wabash|1855|2}}, he assumed command of the [sidewheel](/source/Paddle-steamer) gunboat {{USS|Agawam|1863|2}} in the [North Atlantic Blockading Squadron](/source/North_Atlantic_Blockading_Squadron) on October 23, 1863, and earned praise from Rear Admiral [Samuel Phillips Lee](/source/Samuel_Phillips_Lee) for the "gallantry and endurance displayed" by hiss crew and him during an engagement with three Confederate [artillery batteries](/source/Artillery_battery) at Deep Bottom on August 13, 1864.<ref name="DANFS"/>

In December 1864 Rhind was detailed to command the steamer {{USS|Louisiana|1861|2}},<ref name="DANFS"/> which was loaded with 215 [ton](/source/ton)s of [gunpowder](/source/gunpowder) for use as a "powder boat,"<ref>{{Cite web
 |url=http://www.nchistoricsites.org/fisher/powder-vessel.htm
 |title=Fort Fisher - The Powder Vessel
 |work=nchistoricsites.org
 |access-date=27 October 2010
 |archive-date=22 May 2011
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522122352/http://www.nchistoricsites.org/fisher/powder-vessel.htm
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref> then towed by the sidewheel [paddle steamer](/source/paddle_steamer) {{USS|Wilderness|1864|2}} to a point {{convert|250|yd|m|sigfig=2}} off [Fort Fisher](/source/Fort_Fisher). There Rhind and his crew set the [fuses](/source/Fuse_(explosives)) and started a fire before escaping to ''Wilderness''. The blast from the explosion, although loud, did little damage to the fort, and two days later Rhind returned to plant a marker [buoy](/source/buoy) as near to Fort Fisher as possible to allow the fleet to bombard the fort at close range.<ref name="DANFS"/> Rear Admiral [David Dixon Porter](/source/David_Dixon_Porter), in his official report to the Navy Department, wrote;
: "In conclusion, allow me to draw your attention to Commander Rhind and Lieutenant Preston. They engaged in the most perilous adventure that was, perhaps, ever undertaken. As an incentive to others I beg leave to recommend them for promotion. No one in the [squadron](/source/Squadron_(naval)) considered that their lives would be saved, and Commander Rhind and Lieutenant Preston had made an arrangement to sacrifice themselves in case the vessel was boarded, a thing likely to happen."<ref name="recordsofliving"/>

The American Civil War ended in April 1865. In 1866 Rhind became a Companion of the First Class of the [Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States](/source/Military_Order_of_the_Loyal_Legion_of_the_United_States) (MOLLUS), a military society composed of the officers of [Union](/source/Union_(American_Civil_War)) [armed forces](/source/Armed_Forces_of_the_United_States) and their descendants. He was assigned MOLLUS insignia number 208.

===Post-war career===
After the war, Rhind served as the commanding officer of the [receiving ship](/source/receiving_ship) {{USS|Vermont|1848|2}} at [New York City](/source/New_York_City), then as commanding officer of the [New York Navy Yard](/source/New_York_Navy_Yard) in [Brooklyn](/source/Brooklyn), [New York](/source/New_York_(state)) in 1869–1870, receiving promotion to the rank of [captain](/source/Captain_(United_States_O-6)) on March 2, 1870.<ref name="callahan"/>

Rhind commanded the [screw sloop](/source/screw_sloop) {{USS|Congress|1868|2}} in the [European Squadron](/source/European_Squadron) from 1872 to 1876 , receiving promotion to [commodore](/source/Commodore_(United_States)) on September 30, 1876, then serving as a [lighthouse](/source/lighthouse) inspector for the [United States Lighthouse Board](/source/United_States_Lighthouse_Board) until 1879. He was president of the [Board of Inspection and Survey](/source/Board_of_Inspection_and_Survey) from 1880 to 1882, and then Governor of the [Philadelphia Naval Asylum](/source/Philadelphia_Naval_Asylum) in 1883. He was promoted to rear admiral on October 30, 1883, the day before his retirement, having reached the [mandatory age](/source/Mandatory_retirement) of 62.<ref name="nytimes"/>

===Later life===

In 1890 Rhind became a Veteran Member of the [Aztec Club of 1847](/source/Aztec_Club_of_1847).

Rhind died at New York City on November 8, 1897.<ref name="DANFS"/> He is buried at the Colden Family Cemetery in [Montgomery](/source/Montgomery_(town)%2C_New_York), New York.<ref>{{Cite web
 |url=http://www.interment.net/data/us/ny/orange/colden/index.htm 
 |title=Colden Family Cemetery, Orange County, New York 
 |work=interment.net 
 |access-date=26 October 2010 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615180704/http://interment.net/data/us/ny/orange/colden/index.htm 
 |archive-date=15 June 2010 
}}</ref>

==Namesake==
The {{Sclass|Benham|destroyer}} {{USS|Rhind|DD-404}}, launched in July 1938, was named for Rhind.<ref name="DANFS"/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|American Civil War}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/r5/rhind.htm}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhind, Alexander Colden}}
Category:1821 births
Category:1897 deaths
Category:American military personnel of the Mexican–American War
Category:Members of the Aztec Club of 1847
Category:United States Navy admirals
Category:People of New York (state) in the American Civil War

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alexander Rhind](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Rhind) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Rhind?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.