PREBLE
PREBLE
and served as actinfj lieutenant, 1843-45. The
squadron, of which the St. Louis formoil a part,
was intended to support the negotiations of the
Hon. Caleb Gushing, and in the midst of negotia-
tions Lieutenant Preble was sent to Canton in
charge of a party of marines and sailors, to pro-
tect the U.S. consulate and the American resi-
dents. This was the first armed American force
landed in Cliiiia. Upon his return to Norfolk in
1845, he wa.s married, Nov, 18, 1845. to Susan
Zabiah, daughter of John and Thankful Harris
Gore (Cox) of Portland, Maine. On May 30, 1846,
he joined the gunboat Petrel as acting master
and executive officer, and engaged in the war
witii Mexico, but his health again breaking down
he returned home. May 31, 1847. He was pro-
moted master in the line of promotion, July 15,
1847; was commissioned lieutenant, Feb. 5, 1848;
served in the Gulf, 1848-49, but was obliged to
remove entirely from the southern climate. He
was attaciied to the steamer Legree of the U.S.
coast survey as executive officer, April 30, 1849,
and continued on coast survey duty until by his
own request he was ordered to the frigate St.
Lawreuce, Commander Joshua Sands, which con-
veyed the American contributions to the World's
Fair of 1851. and which also made an unsuccess-
ful search for the remains of John Paul Jones.
He served on the Macedonian in the Japan expe-
dition under Commodore Perry, 1853. participa-
ting in the treaty negotiated at Yokohama,
assisting in the surveys of Yeddo and Hakodate
bays, and making a chart of the harbor of Kilung.
Ui>on the return of the Macedonian to China,
Lieutenant Prel)le was given command of the
Queen, and engaged in the extermination of the
pirates in Chinese waters. He returned to Boston,
Mass., Aug. 6. 1856; succeeded Lieut. William B.
Franklin. U.S.A., as inspector of the first light-
house district. 18.50-57; was on duty at Charles-
t<jwn navy yard, 1857-59; was attached to the
U.S. steam sloop Narragansett, 1859-61; com-
manded the steam gunboat Katahdin, and par-
ticipated in the surrender of New Orleans and
in all the river operations as far up as Vicksburg.
Being ordered to command the steam sloop
Oneida. Aug. 4. 1802, he returneil to Baton Rouge
and was promoted commander, July 16, 1862,
joining the blockading fleet off Mobile bay. On
Sept. 4, 1802. while he was in charge of the
blockade, a sail was sighted, steam was made
and chase was given, after some delay caused by
repairs to the boilers. The stranger, the Con-
federate sloop Orefo (which had been renamed
the Florida), Commander .1. N. Maffitt, sailed
into shallow water, where the Oneida could not
follow. When Prebh's first disjiatch. announcing
that the Florida had successfully run the block-
ade and safely entered Mobile harbor, reached
. s.s. pensacola -ia5a.
Washington, he was dismissed from the naval
(Service, Sept. 20, 1862, but upon further investi-
gation the naval committee unanimously restored
him to his old rank. He left New York, April 9,
1863, for Lisbon, Portugal, where he assumed
command of the sailing sloop-of-war, St. Louis.
He was in command of the fleet brigade, designed
to co-opei'ate with General Sherman in his march
to the sea, 1864-65; was transferred to the steamer
State of Georgia, and was at the Boston navy
yard as inspector of supplies, 1865-67; was pro-
moted captain by seniority, March 16, 1867 and
chief-of -staff to Rear-Admiral Craven in 1868;
c o m m a n ded
the U.S. flag-
s\\\\)Pensacola,
1868-70; was
commissioned
as commodore,
Nov. 2, 1871;
was comman-
dant at the
U.S. navy yard
at Philadel-
phia, Pa., 1874-75; was promoted rear-admiral,
Sept. 30, 1876; commanded the South Pacific squad-
ron, 1876-79, and was retired Feb. 25, 1878. After
retirement he was ordered as president of the
board which recommended rebuilding on modern
lines and armament the double-turretted monitor
of the ^mjj/iifr/fe class. He was a member and
vice-president of the Naval Library and Institute
at Charlestown; a member of the Portland Natural
History society, 1852-57, and its vice-president
1856-57; a member of the New England His-
toric Genealogical society, 1866-85, and a corres-
ponding member of the Massachusetts Historical
society. He was a member of the American
Antiquarian society; the historical societies of
Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, New York and Wisconsin, and president
of the Massachusetts order of the Loyal Legion.
He made a collection of naval registers, tracts
and other U.S. naval publications of great rarity
and value, which were placed in the navy depart-
ment at Washington. He is the author of: Chase
of the Rebel Steamer of War ' Oreto' (1862); The
Preble Family in America (1868); First Cruise of
the U.S. Frigate' Essex' (1870); History of the
American Flag (1872); and Steam Navigation
(18^^3). He (lied in Brookline, Mass., March 1, 1885.
PREBLE, William Pitt, jurist, was born at
York, ]\Iaine. Nov, 27, 1783; son of Esaias and
Lydia (Ingraham) Preble; grandson of Samuel
and Sarah (Muchmore) Preble, and of Edward
and Lydia (Holt) Ingraham. and a descendant
of Abraham and Judith Preble. Abraham Preble
emigrated from Kent. England, to Scituate, Mass.,
about 1637, and .settled in York, Maine, in 1642.
