Person:John Almy (7)

Admiral Almy Dead -- The Old Naval Hero Passes Away At His Home In This City The expected end of Admiral John J. Almy came at a few minutes after 3 o'clock this morning, at his home, 1019 Vermont Avenue. He end was a peaceful one, and was a fitting close to a long and active career.

All through the day the admiral had been sinking, and his family and friends knew that nothing short of a miracle could prolong his life beyond a few hours. Yesterday morning, it was thought the end was near, but he was given strong restoratives and heart tonics, though they all knew that the rally was only artificial and temporary. During the afternoon his mind began to wander, but he did not altogether lose consciousness until a later hour last night. The admiral's last illness was of considerable duration, and for several weeks past he had been confined to his bed. With the admiral when he died were Mrs. Almy, Miss Almy and the eldest son, Mr. Charles G. Almy. Admiral Almy leaves two other sons: Lieut. William E. Almy of the fifth cavalry and Lieut. August C. Almy of the United States ship Husler, and another daughter, Mrs. John T. Haines, wife of Lieut. Haines, also of the fifth cavalry, now stationed at Springfield, Mass.
Funeral Arrangements
There were many callers at the Almy residence on Vermont Avenue today, and more letters and notes of sympathy. A large number of floral remembrances were sent, but the family are particularly desirous that these tokens of friendship be dispensed with. The funeral will be held Saturday afternoon at 4 o'clock at the Church of the Ephiphany and the pastor of the church, Rev. Dr. McKim, will conduct the services. The interment will be made at Congressional Cemetery, instead of at Arlington, as it might have been had the family so elected. The following gentlemen, personal friends of the Admiral, have been asked to act as pallbearers: Admiral Hughes, Admiral Upshur, Admiral Jouett, Admiral Roe, Pay Director Cuswell, Gen. Vincent, Gen. Drum, Judge Hagner and Mr. Chas. Abert. A detachment of sailors will serve as active pallbearers, and a company of Marines will be ordered to accompany the remains. The Military Order of the Royal Legion and the Association of California Fortyniners will be represented at the funeral. The Navy Department had not been officially notified of the death of Admiral Almy this afternoon, so that no action has been taken to provide an official escort. No general order has been issued from the department, as it is not the custom to issue them in the case of retired officers of the Navy.
Admiral Almy's Career
Rear Admiral John J. Almy was born in 1815, in Rhode Island , and in 1829 was appointed a midshipman in the Navy. His first cruise was in the Mediterranean, and later he was on duty in southern waters along the coast of Brazil. Promoted to mast midshipman in 1835, he was attached to the receiving ship New York, and afterward served for three years on the Cyane, in the Mediterranean, as acting master and navigator. In 1841 he was made a lieutenant, and saw considerable duty in the West Indies and on the coast of Africa. He first saw active service of a warlike sort on the Ohio, in 1847, in the Gulf of Mexico and on the Pacific coast during the Mexican War. He took part in the siege and capture of Vera Cruz and in the capture of Tuspan, and in 1848, while the navy was in occupation of Mazatlan, he commanded one of the forts. After the Mexican War, he gave five years service to the coast survey, and was then ordered to the command of the Fulton, during the operations of the navy on the coast of Central Americal, consequent upon the filibustering expedition of Gen. Walker to that region. It was on board of the Fulton, at Nicaragua, that Walker surrendered to Rear Admiral Baulting. The latter officer commended Lieut. Almy highly for his services in this crisis, saying of him: "He performed his part of the work exceedingly well, and is an officer who can be relied upon at all times." Lieut. Almy continued in command of the Fulton during and until after the Paraguay expedition, when he was attached to the New York navy yard. He was commissioned commander in April 1861, just as the civil war broke out, and was constantly in command during the year along the Atlantic coast. While on this duty, in command of the Connecticut, he captured and sent in four noted blockade-running steamers, laden with valuable cargoes, while he ran ashore and destroyed three others.
Being promoted to a captaincy in 1865, he was placed in command of the Juanita, and while cruising on the coast of Brazil, he rescued the Brazilian brig America and her crew from shipwreck, for which he was thanked by Emperor Dom Pedro of Brazil. After receiving his commission as Commodore in 1869 he was stationed here as the chief signal officer of the navy, and served as such for two years. He was made rear admiral in August, 1873, and at once ordered to the command of the naval forces in the Pacific. Two months after receiving this assignment, a serious revolution broke out in Panama, and the city of that name and the railroad crossing the isthmus were in great danger of being destroyed. Admiral Almy only had the Pensacola and Benicia at hand, but he took immediate steps to protect the property and lives of the residents. He landed a force of men and prevented the disturbance of European as well as American citizens, and so well was the railroad communication across the isthmus assured that passengers, freight and specie passed over it during the prevalence of the trouble without interference or molestation. For this Admiral Almy received the thanks of the Panama and the Pacific rail companies as well as of all the consuls and the foreign merchants of Panama. He was retired under the operations of late in April 1877, and two years previous had been presented by King Kalakaua of Hawaii with the order of King Kamehateha I, in recognition of the courtesies shown to the king on the occasion of his visit to the United States.
Admiral Almy had the honor of performing the largest amount of sea service credited to any officer of the navy, having seen twenty-seven years and ten months of his duty, his shore or other duty having been fourteen years and eight months.

Washington Star, May 18, 1895 Funeral of Admiral Almy
Funeral services will be held at the Church of the Epiphany this afternoon at 4 o'clock over the remains of Rear Admiral John Jay Almy, retired, who died this city early Thursday morning. The services will be conducted by Rev. Dr. McKim. rector of the church, and the interment will be at Congressional Cemetery. The pallbearers selected are Admiral Hughes, Admiral Upshur, Admiral Jouett, Admiral Roe, Pay Director Caswell, Gen. Vincent, Gen. Drum, Judge Hagner and Mr. Chas. Abert. A detachment of sailors will serve as body bearers and a company of marines will be at the cemetery to pay the last military tribute to the dead, by firing a volley over the grave and the sounding of "taps" by a bugler, stationed at its head. The military order of the Loyal Legion and the Association of California Forty-niners have arranged to attend the funeral in a body.

http://www.suvcw.org/mollus/pcinc/jjalmy.htm : "The beginning of the Civil War found John Almy on duty at the Navy Yard in New York. He was commissioned Commander U.S. Navy on April 24, 1861 and given command of the U.S.S. South Carolina serving on station with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. He then assumed command of the U.S.S. Connecticut on the same station and it was while on that duty that he had his most exciting encounters on the high seas with the enemy blockade runners. During the 14 months he commanded the Connecticut he captured four steamers; Juno, Scotia, Minnie, and Greyhound. The Admiralty Court adjudged the value of these vessels and cargoes at $1,063,352.49. The Connecticut also drove ashore and destroyed four other blockade runners; Phantom, Herald, Ceres, and Diamond. The success of these operations made Commander Almy and the Connecticut heroes in the North and villains in the South."