Background
Murphy was born in Westchester County, New York, and was appointed midshipman on August 10, 1841.
Murphy was born in Westchester County, New York, and was appointed midshipman on August 10, 1841.
He served during the War with Mexico at Vera Cruz and Tabasco on board the United States Ship Stromboli. He resigned as a passed midshipman on May 10, 1852 after his last mission as an assistant on John G. Barnard"s survey of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. American Civil War
Murphy reentered service at the beginning of the Civil War as a colonel in the engineers, forming the 15th New York Regiment of Engineers, serving in the Army of the Potomac.
He was appointed acting lieutenant of the United States. Navy on December 4, 1862, taking many veterans of his regiment along with fresh volunteers from New New York
He took command of gunboat Carondelet on March 4, 1863, skippering that ship during the joint Army‑Navy Expedition in Steele"s Bayou under Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter from March 18 to March 24, in which he landed with two boat howitzers and 300 men near Rolling Fork to hold that place until the Union ships could cover it with their guns. One of his officers was Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Julius H. Kroehl.
He next took Carondelet off Vicksburg, Mississippi engaging batteries at that Confederate fortress many times from May 18 to July 3, being commended by Admiral Porter for energetic attention to orders and ready cooperation with Army corps commanders assaulting the fortress. Acting Lieutenant Murphy relinquished command of the gunboat on September 1, 1863, to serve as a recruiter in New York and resigned his commission on July 30, 1864.
Attempts to re-enter politic office were unsuccessful.
He died in New York City on June 1, 1871, and is interred at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New New York United States Ship Murphy (Doctor of Divinity-603) was named for him.
He went into the private sector, working as a first officer on the Collins" line of steamships, a city surveyor for the city of New York, Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and lastly as a member of the New York State Senate (4th Doctorate) in 1860 and 1861.