(This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
https://www.amazon.com/Four-Years-Government-Exploring-Expedition/dp/1164650777?SubscriptionId=AKIAJRRWTH346WSPOAFQ&tag=prabook-20&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1164650777
George Musalas Colvocoresses was born on October 22, 1816 in Chios, Greek Archipelago. He was the son of Constantine and Franka (Grimaldi) Colvocoresses. Brought to Smyrna by the Turks after a massacre on the island in 1822, he was ransomed by relatives and sent with nine other boys in the American brig Margarita to Baltimore. He became the adopted son of Captain Alden Partridge, the founder of the Norwich Academy in Norwich, Vermont.
George entered Norwich Academy, where he gained a good education. He graduated from the Academy in 1831.
Colvocoresses was appointed as midshipman on February 21, 1832. As a passed midshipman he accompanied the Wilkes Exploring Expedition (1838 - 1842) in the South Seas and Antarctic, making also an overland journey from Oregon to San Francisco in connection with the expedition, September-October 1841, and returning by the East Indies. These experiences are described in his Four Years in a Government Exploring Expedition (1852), a popular book at the time, which went to five editions. Commissioned lieutenant, December 7, 1843, he was in the Pacific Squadron during the Mexican War; in the Mediterranean, 1847-1849; on the African Coast, 1851-1852; and then, after two years’ duty in New York, executive of the Levant in the East India Squadron, where he led a landing force in the capture, November 20-22, 1856, of the barrier forts below Canton.
In the Civil War, with the rank of commander on July 1, 1861, he commanded the storeship Supply until 1863, and then the sail-sloop Saratoga. Though the Saratoga was of little value for blockading, Colvocoresses drilled his large crew thoroughly, and when sent to the Georgia coast in the spring of 1864 he led three landing parties, August 3, 16, and 25, breaking up a coast-guard organization meeting on the 3rd and taking twenty-six prisoners, and on the 16th capturing twenty-nine cavalrymen. For these exploits he was thanked in general orders by Admiral Dahlgren, who also protested to the department upon the withdrawal of Colvocoresses in September.
In 1865-1866 he commanded the St. Mary’s on the west coast of South America, and on one occasion by a sharp warning against injury to American property protected Valparaiso from bombardment by a Spanish squadron, he was retired as captain in January 1867. Five years later he was shot and killed by thieves on a street in Bridgeport, Connecticut, while about to take a steamer on a business trip from his home in Litchfield, Connecticut, to New York.
(This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)
Colvocoresses had a quick mind and attractive personality.
On May 17, 1846, Colvocoresses married Eliza Halsey, niece of Commander T. Freelon, U. S. N. , by whom he had three daughters and a son, George Partridge, born at Norwich, Vermont, who entered the navy and rose to rear admiral. On July 19, 1863, after his first wife’s death, he married Adeline Swasey, a sister of Mrs. Alden Partridge.
