Goldsborough, Louis Malesherbes [key], 1805–77, American naval officer, b. Washington, D.C. Appointed a midshipman in 1812, he fought in the Mediterranean and in the Mexican War and was superintendent (1853–57) of Annapolis. In the Civil War, Goldsborough, commanding the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, directed the fleet that supported Gen. A. E. Burnside in the successful expedition against the North Carolina coast (1862). His James River Squadron was defeated at Drewrys Bluff in the Peninsular campaign (May, 1862). Goldsborough maintained that he could not take Richmond without supporting successes on land by McClellan. The Dept. of the Navy thought otherwise, and the James River Squadron was given to Charles Wilkes as an independent command. Goldsborough was subsequently relieved at his own request but remained in the navy until 1873.
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