Robert Harris Wyman

Background

Robert H. Wyman was born on July 12, 1822, at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Career

On March 11, 1837, he was appointed a midshipman in the Navy. He was assigned to the Independence in the Brazil Squadron, was transferred to the Fairfield, and in 1838 joined the sloop John Adams, commanded by his father, and sailed to the East Indies on a voyage lasting two years. The journal kept by him on these three ships is preserved at the library of the United States Naval Academy. On his return he entered the Philadelphia Naval School, where he studied one year, and in 1843 he was promoted to passed midshipman. In the Mexican War he served in the Home Squadron under Commodore Conner, took part in the expedition against Tampico in November 1846, and participated in the bombardment and capture of Vera Cruz and the Castle of San Juan d'Ulloa in March 1847. When the Civil War broke out he was in command of the steamer Richmond, but in July 1861 was transferred to the Yankee and in September to the Pocahontas, in the Potomac Flotilla, a squadron of small fast steamers organized to keep open communications on the Potomac River, and to cut off rebel intercourse with Maryland. A month later he was transferred to the steamer Pawnee, joined Admiral Du Pont's squadron, and participated in the capture of Port Royal, S. C. , with its protecting forts. After the battle he was sent back to the Potomac and given command of the flotilla. In April 1862 he made an expedition up the Rappahannock River as far as Fredericksburg, capturing nine vessels, burning forty small schooners, and destroying bridges. In July 1862 he was made commander and ordered to the gunboat Sonoma for duty on the James River, but was soon transferred to the West India Squadron. Here in 1863 he captured two blockade runners, the Britannia and the Lizzie. The last two years of the war he served in the Navy Department on special duty. After the war he commanded successively the Colorado and the Ticonderoga in the European Squadron. He was detailed in 1871 to the Hydrographic Office, at Washington, D. C. , was given charge of that office, and during a period of eight years did notably constructive work. Wyman was the author of several writings : Coasts of Chile, Bolivia, and Peru (1876); The Marshall Group (1870); Winds, Currents, and Navigation of the Gulf of Cadiz (1870); Sailing Directions, English Channel (1872); Navigation of Coasts and Islands in the Mediterranean Sea (1872); and Revised Instructions for Keeping Ship's Log-book (1877). His translations include: General Examination of the Atlantic Ocean , from the French of Capt. Philippe de Kerhallet, of the French Navy (1870, Hydrographic Office Publication, 22); General Examination of the Indian Ocean , also from Kerhallet (1870, Hydrographic Office Publication, 24); General Examination of the Mediterranean Sea , from the French of Capt. A. Le Gras, of the French Navy (1870, Hydrographic Office Publication, 25); and Hurricanes , from the French of Captain de Kerhallet and M. Keller (1872). Wyman was commissioned rear-admiral on April 26, 1878, and given command of the North Atlantic Squadron. He also was chairman of the Lighthouse Board with offices in Washington.

Robert Harris Wyman died on December 2, 1882, in Washington, D. C.

Achievements

• Robert Harris Wyman was a noted naval officer, whose total sea service was 20 years and 5 months; total shore and special duty 22 years. The United States Navy ship USNS Wyman, launched on 30 October 1969, was named in his honor.

Works

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• book

  • General Examination of the Indian Ocean

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • Winds, Currents, And Navigation Of The Gulf Of Cadiz, The Western Coast Of The Spanish Peninsula, And The Strait Of Gibraltar (1870)

    (This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)

Connections

On September 27, 1847, Robert H. Wyman married Emily Madeline Dallas, the daughter of Alexander J. Dallas. They had a daughter and two sons, one of whom died in infancy.

Father:

Thomas White Wyman

Mother:

Sarah Sherburne Langdon Wyman (Harris)

Sister:

Sarah Sherburne Langdon Harris Wyman

Wife:

Emily Madeline Wyman (Dallas)

Daughter:

Roberta Harris Wyman

Son:

Thomas White Wyman

References

• A Short History of the United States: From the Arrival of Native American Tribes to the Obama Presidency