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Civil War Illustrations

Portrait of Flag-Officer Louis M. Goldsborough

Portrait of Flag-Officer Goldsborough in uniform clad with epaulettes, goatee, and winged hair

Caption: [Head-and-shoulders portrait of] Flag-Officer [Louis M.] Goldsborough. From a photograph – (See page 135 [for related story])

Source: Illustration and text (below) from Harper's Weekly, March 1, 1862, pages 135-136.

Flag-Officer Goldsborough.

Flag-Officer Louis M. Goldsborough, commander of the naval part of the Burnside Expedition, was born in the District of Columbia. He is a citizen of the State of Maryland, but received his appointment in the United States Navy from the District of Columbia.

His first entrance into the navy bears date June 13, 1812. He has consequently been nearly fitly years in the United States service, over eighteen of which he has passed at sea in the various grades of the navaI service. Among others, he commanded the Marion, 88 guns, in 1842, at the time she was attached to the squadron of Commodores Ridgely and Morris at Brazil. In 1841 he commanded the Ohio, 74 guns, and afterward commanded the Cumberland, 44 guns, and the Levant, 18 guns, at the time those vessels were attached to the squadron of Commodore Silas H. Stringham in the Mediterranean. The Cumberland was the flag-ship while under his command. His time of service on shore is about twelve years, and he has been off active duty about eighteen years.

The date of his present commission is September 14, 1855. He lately commanded the United States frigate Congress, from which position he was appointed to command one half of the Atlantic Blockading Squadron, superseding Commodore Stringham, who was formerly in command.  His flag-ship was the Minnesota, and his station for some time was Fortress Monroe. Although the late act relative to officers in the navy places him nominally on the retired list, having been over forty-five years in the service of his country, yet Commodore Goldsborough, like many other old officers in the navy, is a man of too much experience and energy to be allowed to retire upon his laurels, as his brilliant performance at Roanoke Island abundantly testifies.

Another portrait of Goldsborough appeared in the March 1, 1962 issue of Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.