13. Officers of the United States Navy
During the first two decades of the 19th century, the small but effective US Navy participated in three international conflicts. A naval war with revolutionary France saw American victories over their former ally. It was followed by the war with the Barbary Pirates, as they were called, which included the United States Marines landing on the “shores of Tripoli”. Finally came the War of 1812 with Great Britain. In each the new United States Navy acquitted itself well, winning stirring victories in ship-to-ship actions in the Atlantic, wresting control of the Great Lakes from British Canada, and ravaging Britain’s whaling industry in the far Pacific. The young officers of the United States Navy became America’s first action heroes.
Across the nation, the officers were celebrated and honored. Their images appeared in posters and miniatures, on porcelain and in pewter, decorating plates, bowls, drinking vessels, vases, and more. Streets and plazas were renamed in their honor throughout the country. Towns and counties adopted the names of America’s new heroes, including Decatur, Illinois and Decatur county in Indiana, both hundreds of miles away from ocean breezes. Montgomery, Alabama named several streets for early naval heroes, including Hull Street, Decatur Street, Perry Street, McDonough Street, Bainbridge Street, and Lawrence Street. Their celebrity boosted morale and placed the Navy in a favorable light before the public.