The following excerpt from Senate Report No. 1114 of the 54th
Congress, 1st Session of the United States Senate details
the unique case of Robert Platt - master mariner, Civil War hero,
recipient of battle-field commission, Coast Surveyor, and Fisheries
research vessel captain. Robert Platt was also the Nineteenth Century
naval officer who served longest with the Coast Survey - 16 years
of naval service and an additional service period of at least three
years prior to 1863 as a civilian. In 1896 after 33 years of navy
service, at least 3 years prior service with the Coast Survey, and
command of both Coast Survey vessels and the Fish Commission steamer
FISH HAWK, he was still a Lieutenant (Junior Grade), not in line of
promotion, in the United States Navy. This Senate Report attempts
to remedy the injustice of Robert Platt not having received deserved
recognition, promotion, and remuneration for his long years of faithful
and honorable service as an officer in the United States Navy, as
a Coast Surveyor, and as a Fisheries research vessel captain. Although
the Coast and Geodetic Survey hardly did the man justice with the
minuscule obituary published in 1910, it is apparent that Robert Platt
was advanced to the rank of Commander on the retired list, perhaps
the only officer in the history of the United States Navy to have
been advanced through three ranks upon retirement.
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54th Congress SENATE Report
1st Session. No. 1114
IN THE SENATE OF
THE UNITED STATES.
______________________________________
June 3, 1896. -- Ordered
to be printed.
______________________________________
Mr. Perkins from the Committee
on Naval Affairs, submitted the
Following
REPORT
[To accompany S. 3150.]
The Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred
the bill (S.3150) authorizing the President to appoint Lieut. Robert
Platt, United States Navy, to the rank of commander, having had the
same under consideration, beg leave to submit the following report:
The committee recommend the passage of the bill for
the reasons set forth in the following statement of facts:
Robert Platt is borne on the Navy Register as "Lieutenant,
junior grade, not in line of promotion." This case is unique. After
thirty-three years' service in the Navy, which includes service during
the rebellion that gained honorable mention and high commendation
from Admiral Du Pont and other naval officers under whom he served,
Lieutenant Platt stands at the foot of the junior officers of the
grade held by him, the seniors of whom were not born when he was serving
with the fleet of Admiral Du Pont in the attack upon Charleston. Born
in North Carolina in 1835, Lieutenant Platt went to sea at an early
age, and was trained in that maritime school that has given so many
distinguished men to the American merchant and naval marine. Upon
the breaking out of the rebellion Lieutenant Platt was a prosperous
skipper, with thorough knowledge of his business and familiarity with
the Southern coast and harbors. Tempting offers from representatives
of the Confederate States and the appeals of relatives and old associates
were unavailing to induce him to abandon allegiance to the United
States.
For a short time prior to the breaking out of the
rebellion Lieutenant Platt was in the service of the United States
Coast Survey as first master mate and executive officer of the steamer
Bibb. His services with the Coast Survey were of a character to secure
for him the highest commendation of the chief officers thereof, and
the experience acquired by him while on that duty made him a specially
valuable man to the naval forces operating against the harbors and
seaports of the Confederacy.
When hostilities commenced in 1861 the vessels of
the Coast Survey were turned over to the Revenue Marine Service and
became an auxiliary force of the Navy. Appreciating the ability and
loyalty of Lieutenant Platt, his superior officers earnestly recommended
his appointment as lieutenant in the Revenue Marine. The following
letters show the estimation in which Lieutenant Platt was held:
Norfolk, Va., April 9, 1861
SIR: Mr. Robert Platt is deserving of receiving a
commission in the Revenue Service, and I take great pleasure in joining
his friends in recommending him for the place. He served with me as
senior master mate and executive officer of the surveying steamer
BIBB for a number of years, and besides his competency, of which I
can not speak too highly, he is a gentleman in his manner, habits,
and associations; he is also strictly moral, and his appointment would,
in my opinion, secure to that service a ready-made and efficient officer.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
A. Murray,
Lieutenant Commanding, United States Navy
THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
United States Steamer BIBB
Perth Amboy, May 1, 1861.
DEAR SIR: I beg leave to introduce to your favorable
notice Mr. Robert Platt, the chief officer of this vessel, who has
been connected with the Coast Survey for some years, during which
time he has become acquainted with our harbors and coast.
These vessels are now to be turned over to the Revenue
Service, when Mr. Platt must thrown out of employment, should he not
receive what he is desirous of obtaining, "an appointment as lieutenant
in the Revenue Service." Mr. Platt is a native of North Carolina.
"His love of the flag" is stronger than that of the "States-right
doctrine," owing to which he is unable to return to his native State
to battle for the Union.
Under these circumstances, and the fact that he has
such high testimonials as to character and qualifications, I have
been induced to ask that you would be pleased to assist him with your
influence to obtain the desired situation.
I would not presume to ask this was I not confident
that the Government would in this, her time of need, obtain a most
valuable servant.
N.C. BLAKE,
Lieutenant Commanding, United States Navy
HON. W. V. BRADY
Lieutenant Platt remained with the revenue-marine
steamer BIBB [the vessel remained attached to the Coast Survey for
the duration of the war] as executive officer until March, 1863, when
he was appointed acting ensign in the Navy by Admiral Du Pont for
reasons that are set forth in the following letter:
[Dispatch No. 153, 1863.]
FLAGSHIP WABASH
Port Royal Harbor, S.C., March 26, 1863.
SIR: I have the honor to inform the Department that
I have appointed Robert Platt, at present executive officer of the
United States Coast Survey steamer BIBB, as acting ensign in the United
States Navy from the 1st of March, this being the highest
appointment I can offer.
I would, however, recommend that the Department should
give him the appointment of acting master from the same date. Mr.
Platt has been of great service in this squadron, is an educated and
thorough seaman and is, moreover, to pilot the fleet into Charleston
Harbor, as I have reason to believe that his knowledge of the channel
exceeds that of any of the pilots we have here, and for which perilous
service he has patriotically volunteered.
I may add that there are two other pilots in the
squadron holding the position of acting master which is a further
reason for making the appointment.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
S. F. Du Pont,
Rear-Admiral, Commanding South Atlantic Blockading
Squadron.
HON. GIDEON WELLES,
Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D.C.
Lieutenant Platt led Admiral Du Pont's fleet into
the harbor of Charleston on April 1, 1863, his vessel leading the
fleet and under the fire of the enemy's shore batteries. For his skill,
coolness, and intrepidity, Lieutenant Platt was specially commended
by Admiral Du Pont. In acknowledgment of his services upon that occasion,
Mr. Platt was advanced to the grade of acting master, his appointment
coming from Admiral Du Pont with the following letter:
FLAGSHIP WABASH
Port Royal Harbor, S.C., March 26, 1863.
SIR: I have the pleasure to inclose your appointment
as acting master in the United States Navy, and you will report to
Captain Boutelle in that capacity and continue your previous duties
on the BIBB.
I avail myself of the occasion to express my commendation
of your pilotage of the WEEHAWKEN, the leading ship in the attack
on the Charleston ports, on the 1st of April, under my
own observation, and which has been alluded to by Capt. J. Rodgers
in the most favorable terms in his official report.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
S. F. Du Pont,
Rear-Admiral, Commanding South Atlantic Blockading
Squadron.
Acting Master ROBERT PLATT,
U.S.S. BIBB, Port Royal, S.C.
The following extract from the official report of
Captain Rodgers, to which reference is made in the foregoing letter
of Admiral Du Pont, shows the value of the Lieutenant Platt's services
upon the occasion referred to:
INSIDE OF CHARLESTON BAR, S.C., April 8, 1863.
… All the officers and men behaved so admirably that
I am unable to select one for especial commendation. I am much indebted
to Mr. Robert Platt, of the United States Coast Survey Steamer BIBB,
for his cool and efficient pilotage of the vessel, which he continued
to direct after a ball touching the pilot house immediately over his
head had given him a severe concussion….
I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
JOHN RODGERS, CAPTAIN
Rear-Admiral S.F. DU PONT,
Commanding South Atlantic Blockading Squadron
Mr. Platt remained on duty with the blockading fleet
until the termination of the war, performing such service as was assigned
him. When the war closed Mr. Platt, upon the application of Carlisle
Patterson, then chief of the Coast Survey [sic, Patterson was then
hydrographic inspector. He became Superintendent in 1874.] was assigned
to that service. He remained with the Coast Survey for several years,
being continued in the Navy as a volunteer officer. June 15, 1878,
an act was passed by Congress making Mr. Platt master in the Navy,
not in the line of promotion. By the act of March 3, 1883, the grade
of master was abolished and the grade of junior lieutenant established.
Although there was no specific reference to Master Platt in that act,
he was continued on the Navy Register as "Lieutenant, junior grade,
not in line of promotion." It is a question whether, by the act of
March 3, 1883, Mr. Platt did not become a lieutenant, junior grade,
without limitation.
During all these years Mr. Platt has continued to
serve the Government with efficiency and fidelity. For some time past
he has been in command of the United States Fish Commission steamer
FISH HAWK, and has performed valuable service in connection with the
propagation of food-fish and in obtaining information touching their
nature and habits. With thirty-three years' service in the Navy, of
which over twenty years have been sea service, and three of which
were during the war, he is still a junior lieutenant. He asks, in
view of his long and faithful service and of the fact that he will
reach the age of 62 in March, 1897, the age at which officers above
the grade of lieutenant are retired, that Congress pass an act authorizing
his appointment to the grade of commander, not in the line of promotion,
to the end that he may, upon reaching the age of 62, be retired with
that grade.
It may be urged that this is an unusual request,
but it can be truthfully said that this is not only an unusual case
but one without precedent, and one which is not likely to again be
presented. Mr. Platt was granted admission to the Navy with a limitation
as to promotion which had to be acquiesced in order to overcome the
opposition of those who would be affected by his full admission. Had
he been admitted without limitation he would have attained the grade
of commander before reaching the age of retirement, and in the intervening
years would have been in the enjoyment of the additional pay that
attaches to the grades above that which has been continually held
by him. Lieutenant Platt's long and faithful services justify him
in asking Congress to give him the measure of relief asked for, and
the fact that Lieutenant Platt remained loyal to the Government at
a time when men of his abilities and special equipment were offered
liberal inducements to accept service from the Confederacy; that he
abandoned his home and severed the bonds which united him to kindred
and friends and voluntarily offered his services to maintain the integrity
of the Union, should be given consideration in this connection.
The sacrifices made by those men of Southern birth
who remained loyal to the Government have been frequently recognized
by Congress and the Executive in individual cases. Special recognition
was given this class of citizens by Congress in the act of August
15, 1876, by which it was provided that commodores in the Navy "who,
being at the outbreak of the late rebellion citizens of any State
which engaged in such rebellion, exhibited marked fidelity to the
Union in adhering to the flag of the United States," should, upon
retirement, be retired with the grade of rear-admiral. If special
recognition should be the reward of naval officers under the conditions
described in the act above quoted, surely the citizen under like conditions,
who was free from the moral and legal obligations resting upon the
naval officer to remain loyal to his flag, is deserving of equal recognition
from Congress.
The advancement of Lieutenant Platt to the grade
of commander, not in the line of promotion, would not affect any officer
on the Naval Register and would involve to the Government a comparatively
trifling expenditure, and that only for a very limited period. It
would be a fitting recognition of long and faithful services and would
enable an old and faithful officer, whose life has been passed in
the public service, to maintain himself and family during the few
years that remain to him.
__________________
MARINE BARRACKS
Navy-Yard, Boston, Mass., April 21, 1896.
This is to certify that Mr. Robert Platt (now Lieut.
Robert Platt, United States Navy) and I served together on coast-survey
duty on the coast of Maine in 1861, just after the outbreak of the
war. Mr. Platt was then the sailing master of the schooner Arago,
which vessel was temporarily detached from coast-survey duty and armed
by orders of the Government at Washington, with orders to cruise off
that coast, prevent arms and munitions of war being sent by sea to
the rebels, and one especial order was to cruise for and capture four
rebel vessels which were reported to have run the blockade at New
Orleans. The names of these vessels were Alice Ball, Orozimbo,
Express, and Peter Marcy. Through the active efforts
and good judgment of Captain Platt, three of these ships were captured.
Captain Platt himself brought the Alice Ball into Eastport
(Maine) Harbor with the rebel flag union down and our flag above it.
A large party in Eastport was at that time unfriendly to the Government,
and often threats were made that they would take the three captured
ships (Alice Ball, Express, and Orozimbo) from us,
but Captain Platt's vigilance and the excellent discipline he had
in force in his command prevented any such action on the part of the
citizens of the town, and the vessels were retained until delivered
to other officials of the Government.
ROBT. L. MEADE
Major, United States Marine Corps
The excerpt below is from: Hamersly, Lewis Randolph.
1894. The Records of Living Officers of the U. S. Navy and Marine
Corps , p. 255. L. R. Hamersly & Co., Philadelphia.
Not in line of promotion.
Robert Platt - Born in District of
Columbia. Acting Master, March 3, 1863, previous to which he had held
a temporary appointment as Acting Ensign at the time he piloted the
iron-clad fleet into Charleston, so that in case he should be taken
prisoner he would not be treated as a spy, as he was well known in
Charleston, S. C. After the fight, Admiral Dupont sent his appointment
as Acting Master, dated March 1, 1863; he was wounded in that fight
by a bolt being knocked through the top of the pilot-house by a shot
from Fort Sumter; was on board of the monitor "Weehawkin," Captain
John Rodgers. He did not leave the pilot-house after being wounded,
but was held up to the sight slots by Captain Rodgers, and continued
to pilot the fleet through the whole fight. He has commanded, since
the war, steamers "Bibb," "Corwin," "Bache," and schooner "Drift"
on Coast Survey duty. Promoted Lieutenant (junior grade), March 3,
1883.
Obituary of Robert Platt
Commander Robert Platt, U. S. N., connected with the
Coast and Geodetic Survey for many years, died at his home in Washington
on December 7, 1910. News Bulletin of the Coast and Geodetic Survey,
p. 615, No. 91. December 7, 1910.
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