Civil War Union Naval Officer. The son of South Carolina Congressman William Drayton, he entered the United States Navy as a midshipman in 1827, and served continuously up to the Civil War, being posted to stations that included the Mediterranean, the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Brazil, Paraguay and at the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC. His older brother, Thomas Fenwick Drayton, was a West Point graduate and a United States Army officer who remained loyal to the South and became a Confederate Brigadier General. When the Civil War began, Percival Drayton was stationed at the Philadelphia Naval Yard, but was soon given command of the warship USS Pocahontas. He commanded the vessel in the successful Union Naval assault on Port Royal, South Carolina in November 1861. In that action, Percival Drayton fired upon troops and positions commanded by his brother Thomas. Promoted Captain, US Navy in July 1862, he was assigned to Admiral David Farragut's West Gulf Squadron, and commanded Farragut's flagship USS Hartford in the celebrated Naval assault and capture of Mobile Bay, Alabama on August 5, 1864. When the war ended he was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, but he died shortly after his appointment. A monument was erected to him inside Trinity Church in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Two United States Navy ships have been named in his honor: the USS Drayton (DD-23), a Paulding-class destroyer that served from 1910 to 1919, and the USS Drayton (DD-366), a Mahan-class destroyer that saw service in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.
Civil War Union Naval Officer. The son of South Carolina Congressman William Drayton, he entered the United States Navy as a midshipman in 1827, and served continuously up to the Civil War, being posted to stations that included the Mediterranean, the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Brazil, Paraguay and at the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC. His older brother, Thomas Fenwick Drayton, was a West Point graduate and a United States Army officer who remained loyal to the South and became a Confederate Brigadier General. When the Civil War began, Percival Drayton was stationed at the Philadelphia Naval Yard, but was soon given command of the warship USS Pocahontas. He commanded the vessel in the successful Union Naval assault on Port Royal, South Carolina in November 1861. In that action, Percival Drayton fired upon troops and positions commanded by his brother Thomas. Promoted Captain, US Navy in July 1862, he was assigned to Admiral David Farragut's West Gulf Squadron, and commanded Farragut's flagship USS Hartford in the celebrated Naval assault and capture of Mobile Bay, Alabama on August 5, 1864. When the war ended he was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, but he died shortly after his appointment. A monument was erected to him inside Trinity Church in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Two United States Navy ships have been named in his honor: the USS Drayton (DD-23), a Paulding-class destroyer that served from 1910 to 1919, and the USS Drayton (DD-366), a Mahan-class destroyer that saw service in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.
Bio by: RPD2
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