William Harwar Parker (October 8, 1826 – December 30, 1896) was an officer in the United States Navy and later in the Confederate States Navy. His autobiography, entitled Recollections of a Naval Officer 1841–1865, provides a unique insight into the United States Navy of the mid-19th century during an era when the Age of Sail was coming to an end and the advent of steam power and ironclads was beginning.
Early life and entrance to the Navy
He was born in New York City, the son of Commodore Foxhall A. Parker, Sr. and Sarah Jay Bogardus (b. 1794), daughter of Robert Bogardus (1771–1841). Commodore Foxhall A. Parker, Jr., was his brother.
William H. Parker became a United States Navy midshipman at the early age of 15, recalling in his biography that he had held his father's hand while being escorted to his first ship.
Parker's appointment date as a midshipman was on October 19, 1841, just after his 15th birthday. His first assignment was to the receiving ship USS North Carolina, and he reported on board October 27 when the ship was moored at New York City.
Midshipman cruises
In April 1842, Parker was issued his first sea orders and reported to . Columbus set sail on August 29, 1842, and proceeded to Gibraltar, arriving in the fall and spending the winter in that port. In the spring of 1842, Columbus sailed to the port of Mahón with a port call to Toulon. The ship then returned to Gibraltar and, in June 1843, set sail for Madeira and then on to Gata, Cape Verde. At the start of July 1843, Columbus made for Rio de Janeiro.
Columbus arrived at Rio de Janeiro on July 29, 1843, and spent two months in port before proceeding to Buenos Aires. It was in Buenos Aires that Parker personally met Juan Manuel de Rosas and quickly recognized him as a "cruel ruthless dictator".
In February 1844, Columbus returned to Rio de Janeiro and in March set sail for a return to the United States. The ship arrived in New York City in 1844 and put in lay-up. Parker was granted a three-month leave and then, in September 1844, reported to moored at Philadelphia. Potomac set sail in November 1844 for Norfolk and then onward to Port-au-Prince in Haiti. Arriving in December 1944, the ship then proceeded to Port Royal, Jamaica and then on to Havana. It was in Havana that Parker recalls his ship almost running aground due to heavy winds off of Morro Castle.
After spending the winter in Havana, Potomac set sail for the United States and arrived in Pensacola in February 1845. The United States was by this time preparing for the Mexican–American War, which, although yet undeclared, was already causing both the US and Mexico to mobilize troops. Parker states in his biography that he recalls seeing the 7th Infantry Regiment beginning to mass in Florida for the coming invasion of Mexico. In February 1845, Potomac sailed for Veracruz and for the rest of the summer practiced gunnery exercises off the coast of Mexico. In August 1845, the ship returned to Pensacola and then was sent north to Norfolk for major structural repairs. The ship arrived in Norfolk on December 20, 1845, and was put in lay-up with the bulk of the crew reassigned.
During his midshipman years, Parker also contracted yellow fever on two separate occasions. The first time was in the summer of 1846, and the second infection was in 1847. Parker's private observations of yellow fever was caused by the mosquito.
Mexican–American War
In February 1846, Parker applied to rejoin the crew of USS Potomac and was assigned as a midshipman under the command of Captain John H. Aulick. Parker served as Aulick's aide, and remarks in his biography indicate that the Captain was very stern with the crew.
Potomac sailed for Mexico in March 1846 and anchored off of Sacrificios Island (near Veracruz). The vessel was assigned to a larger blockade squadron under the command of Commodore David Conner. In May 1846, Potomac relocated to Brazos Santiago and put troops ashore at Point Isabel. It was here that Parker witnessed the Battle of Palo Alto with the assigned naval personnel manning batteries supporting the advancing troops of Winfield Scott.