William Harwar Parker - Naval Service Record

Naval Service Record

Over a career which lasted 24 years, Parker served in three different navies (the United States Navy, Virginia State Navy, and the Confederate Navy) and he performed duty on several different naval vessels of various types and sizes. The largest of these was the 74 gun warship USS North Carolina, and the smallest was the 85-foot gunboat, the CSS Beaufort.

Shore assignments included three tours at the United States Naval Academy (one as a student and two as an instructor), administrative duty in the Washington Navy Yard, and various detached duties in the first months of the American Civil War serving as a Navy officer attached to various Confederate Army installations. Parker's last assignment was as the Commander of the Confederate Naval Academy.

Since Parker's service was before the creation of any significant military awards, his only official decorations are a commendation from the United States Secretary of State, for diplomatic actions in the 1850s, and the thanks of the Confederate Congress for gun fire support during the Battle of Roanoke Island. His service in the civil war also grants him entitlement to the Civil War Campaign Medal, but this decoration was created after Parker's death.

Parker's highest permanent rank, in all of the navies with which he served, was that of Lieutenant. While commanding the Beaufort, however, photographic evidence indicates Parker wore the insignia of a Commander and, while head of the Confederate Naval Academy, was referred to as a Captain. Thus, for practical purposes, Parker's highest rank on active duty was that of Captain.