The New Student's Reference Work/Watson, John Crittenden

Watson, John Crittenden, American naval officer (rear-admiral in command of the Asiatic station, with pennant on United States battleship Oregon), was born at Frankfort, Ky., Aug. 24, 1842, entered the United States Naval Academy in 1856, and graduated in 1860. From 1862 to 1864 he acted as aid to Admiral Farragut on the Hartford, and took part in forcing the Mississippi River and capturing New Orleans; he was wounded at the battle of Mobile Bay. From 1865 to 1867 he served on the Colorado in the European squadron, and was promoted to commander in 1874, to captain in 1887, and to commodore in 1897. In the war with Spain he commanded the blockading squadron on the northern Cuban coast on the Newark. In June, 1898, he was given command of a squadron designed to operate against the coasts of Spain, but the collapse of the war rendered the project unnecessary. In June, 1898, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the eastern squadron.