- William Ledyard Rodgers
William Ledyard Rodgers (1860 - 1944) was a
Vice Admiral of theUnited States Navy . His career included service in theSpanish-American War andWorld War I , and a tour as President of theNaval War College . Rodgers was also a noted historian on military and naval topics, particularly relating to ancient naval warfare.He was the third generation in a well-known family of able naval officers. He was the son of
Rear Admiral John Rodgers who fought in theAmerican Civil War and the grandson of CommodoreWilliam L. Rodgers who fought in theAmerican Revolutionary War (a.k.a.,American War of Independence ) and theWar of 1812 .Naval career
William Ledyard Rodgers graduated from the
U.S. Naval Academy in 1878 and fought in theSpanish-American War of 1898. In 1911, he was appointed president of theNaval War College (from November 20, 1911 to December 15, 1913). In 1916, during World War I, Rodgers was promoted toRear Admiral and given command of the supply fleet crossing theAtlantic .In 1920, he was appointed to the
General Board of the Navy Department , after serving briefly as commander of theU.S. Asiatic Fleet . He also was appointed to theAdvisory Commission on the Limitation of Armaments , but retired in 1924 to writemilitary history books.Vice Admiral Rodgers died in 1944 at the age of 84.
= Works on military andnaval history =Vice Adm. Rodgers' most enduring legacy are two classic works of
ancient naval warfare , titled "Greek and Roman Naval Warfare, A Study of Strategy, Tactics and Ship Design from Salamis (480 B.C.) to Actium" (1937), and "Naval Warfare Under Oars, 4th to 16th Centuries, A Study of Strategy, Tactics and Ship Design".Rodgers was primarily a military historian who described
battle s and tactics, but his works also derive principles ofnaval warfare in the ancient world, and contain some detailed descriptions ofarcheological finds, and commentary on the limitations of materials and design of ancient naval vessels.The latter work, "Naval Warfare Under Oars", departs from the classic Greek-Roman world of the
Mediterranean Sea , and contains chapters ofhistory on such rare topics asViking andMedieval naval warfare.William Rodgers also published a book in 1907, titled "A Study of Attacks Upon Fortified Harbors (Artillery Notes)" (Artillery School Press). During his lifetime, he wrote many articles on various historical studies, such as the rate of fire of the English Longbow, which were published in various military journals and magazines of the time. William Rodgers throughout his lifetime, consistently showed an interest in actual hands on testing and physical examination of history.
Undoubtedly, William Rodgers' life experience, combined with his extensive knowledge of ancient naval subjects, organized and preserved for future generations history that would have been lost.
External links
* [http://www.nwc.navy.mil/l1/Past%20Presidents%20of%20College.htm Presidents of the Naval War College]
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