John Taylor Wood
 |
John Taylor Wood |
John Taylor Wood (
August 13,
1830 –
July 19,
1904) was an officer in the
U.S. Navy who became a
captain in the
Confederate Navy during the
American Civil War.
The son of an
Army surgeon, Wood was born in
Minnesota on August 13, 1830. He became a U.S. Navy
Midshipman in
1847 and graduated from the
U.S. Naval Academy in
1853. He served at sea during the last part of the
Mexican-American War, off the coast of
Africa and in the
Mediterranean, as well as performing shore duty as a Naval Academy officer. In April
1861,
Lieutenant Wood's southern sympathies led him to resign from the Navy and take up farming near
Annapolis, Maryland. Fearing arrest, he later went to
Virginia and, in October
1861, received a commission as a Confederate Navy
First Lieutenant.
Following service with shore
batteries on the
Potomac, he became an officer in the newly-converted
ironclad Virginia, participating in her actions with
Union forces in the
Hampton Roads area. In May
1862, after
Virginia was destroyed, he assisted with the defense of
Drewry's Bluff, on the
James River. During the next two years, Wood led several successful raids against
Federal ships and also served as naval aide to
Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Promoted to
Commander in May
1863, he simultaneously held the rank of
Colonel in the
cavalry. These dual ranks, with his reputation for extraordinary daring and his family connections to Confederate leaders, allowed him to play an important liaison role between the South's army, navy and civil government.
In August
1864, Wood commanded
CSS Tallahassee during her very fruitful cruise against U.S. shipping off the
Atlantic coast. He received the rank of
Captain in February
1865. A few months later, as the Confederacy was disintegrating, he took part in President Davis' attempts to evade capture. Though briefly taken prisoner, Wood was able to make his way to
Cuba. He subsequently went to
Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he became a businessman. John Taylor Wood died there on July 19, 1904.
*
U.S. Naval Historical Center*
Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
