Named midshipman in 1815, he served in European waters, the West Indies, along the South American coast and in the Mediterranean. In the Mexican War, he operated along the Pacific coast and later in the Far East, before being put in command of the Philadelphia Navy Yard as captain in 1860. In 1861, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles recognized Du Pont's impressive record by naming him head of the Blockade Strategy Board, which organized the blockade against the Confederacy, and planned amphibious operations in the southern coast.
On September 18, 1861, Du Pont took command of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and prepared to move against strategically important Port Royal, South Carolina. There on November 7, the Union navy won an impressive victory, which resulted in Du Pont receiving the Thanks of Congress and his promotion to rear admiral on July 30, 1862. Du Pont then moved against Beaufort and with its capture, tightened the blockade of the Broad River. The squadron contributed to other victories during 1862, by capturing Cumberland Island, St. Mary's and Fort Pulaski, Georgia and Amelia Island, Fernandina and Fort Clinch, Florida.
On April 7, 1863, Du Pont moved against Charleston with a squadron of seven monitors, an armored gunboat and the New Ironsides, which served as flag ship. After almost two hours of heavy action and unable to continue, he ordered a withdrawal. Five vessels were damaged, one sinking the following day. Du Pont had been skeptical about the effectiveness of monitors against the strong Charleston defenses and was convinced that his defeat was due to their unfitness. He wanted the facts made public, but Welles refused. Considering himself censured by Lincoln and Welles, Du Pont asked to be relieved of command. On July 6, 1863, he was replaced by Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren.
Du Pont returned to his home near Wilmington, Delaware. In failing health, he served on boards and commissions for the remainder of the war. He died during a visit to Philadelphia on June 23, 1865.
Confederate Naval Officer Sydney Smith Lee
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