steamer Sumter, through the period of the blockade and at the time of the escape of the Sumter, he was transferred, in January, 1862, to the steamer Quaker City, and was attached to that vessel at the time of the capture of the brig Lilly. He pointed and fired the gun which disabled the steamer Adella and secured its capture. For his judgment and skill in floating the Quaker City from a reef in the North Edisto river, he was highly complimented by the captain. He was commissioned lieutenant in 1862 and was executive officer of the gunboat Conemaugh, of the South Atlantic blockading squadron, 1862-63. In February, 1863, with a small force he captured several men who were removing engines from a blockade runner that had been wrecked at the mouth of the North Santee river. On his return an error of the pilot caused the boat to be swamped in the breakers. By improvised appliances Lieutenant Cromwell floated the boat and returned with his prisoners to his own ship. After the capture of the Confederate ram, Atlanta, he was placed in command and, though the vessel leaked badly, he succeeded in getting it to port at Philadelphia, for which service he was especially commended. Later he took part in the capture of the blockade runners Jupiter and Ruby, and pointed and fired one of the two guns which forced the surrender of the last-named vessel. He was attached to the Brazilian squadron, 1865-66, as executive officer of the Shawmut; was at the United States naval academy as instructor, 1867-69, meanwhile making three summer cruises. In October, 1874, he was commissioned commander. After two years of service as inspector of ordnance at the Philadelphia navy yard, he was in command of the Rio Bravo, in an expedition on the Rio Grande river to prevent cattle raiding. At this time he performed the arduous service of making a chart of the river for a distance of about two hundred miles. From 1878 to 1881 he was in special service in command of the Ticonderoga. The vessel touched at all the principal ports on the west coast of Africa; at Pitcairn Island; sailed up the Persian gulf and Euphrates river, where an American man-of-war had never been; visited China, Japan, and numerous other countries; went in and out of port over fifty times, sailed over fifty thousand miles without accident or any loss of life except from natural causes, and when he reached New York had circumnavigated the globe. For service on this trip he was complimented by the secretary of the navy, who said that its results had been "eminently satisfactory to
