Background
Henry Bell was born on April 13, 1808, in North Carolina.
Henry Bell was born on April 13, 1808, in North Carolina.
Henry Bell was appointed a midshipman in the United States Navy August 4, 1823, and was promoted to lieutenant March 3, 1831, commander August 12, 1854, and commodore August 21, 1862. In 1828-1829 he was in the Grampus, clearing the Cuban coast of pirates, and in 1856 he commanded the San Jacinto, flagship of the East India Squadron, taking a prominent part in the capture and destruction of four barrier forts near Canton, China, in November of that year. He was on that occasion in command of one wing of a landing party from the fleet which stormed the first fort, and held it until the following day, when the fleet shelled the remaining forts into submission.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Bell, a Southerner by birth and married to a Virginia lady, was compelled to make the distressing decision between devotion to his native state and loyalty to his flag, under which he had served long and honorably. This decision, however, appears to have caused him little effort, his sense of duty triumphing over all other considerations. His friend, Edward A. Pollard, writes that, though he expected him to go with his state, when the subject was broached, shortly after President Lincoln's proclamation of war, Bell cut the conversation short with the emphatic declaration, "I have made up my mind; I shall stand by the flag. "
Bell’s most conspicuous service in the Civil War was as fleet-captain of the West Gulf Squadron under Farragut, whose chief-of-staff he was during the actions leading to the opening of the Mississippi River in 1862. In the battle between the fleet and Forts Jackson and St. Philip he commanded one of the three naval divisions, consisting of six vessels. When the fleet lay before New Orleans, Bell was chosen by Farragut to carry out the hazardous task of hoisting the flag of the United States over the custom house and hauling down the flag of the State of Louisiana which floated over the city hall, and which the mayor of New Orleans had declined to remove. With a party of sailors and marines, at the risk of his life, he marched through the hostile streets and directed from the roofs of the custom house and the city hall the raising of the one flag and the lowering of the other. The landing party returned to its boats taunted with cries of "Hurrah for Beauregard! Hurrah for Jeff Davis!"
In 1863 Bell was for a time in command of the West Gulf Squadron, and in 1865 was ordered to command the East India Squadron, in which capacity he was active in subduing the pirates infesting the China seas. On July 25, 1866, he became rear admiral; he was placed on the retired list in 1867; but, while awaiting his relief, he was drowned by the capsizing of his barge on a bar in the river near the city of Osaka, Japan, as he was about to pay a visit to the United States minister. He was buried at Hiogo, Japan, the American and British squadrons taking part in the funeral ceremonies.
Henry Bell was an outstanding admiral in the United States Navy who participated in the American Civil War and the Formosan Expedition of 1867. During the Civil War Bell served as Fleet Captain of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron in the series of campaigns that captured New Orleans and gradually opened the Mississippi River for exploitation by Federal forces. After the Civil Was he served as commander of the East India Squadron (1865-1868).
Bell was distinguished by high technical skill in his profession, and an almost fanatical devotion to duty, tempered by great kindliness and a quiet sense of humor.
