Samuel Dana Greene

Samuel Dana Greene was born on February 1, 1840, in Cumberland, Maryland. Greene entered the Navy as an "acting midshipman" on September 21, 1855. After graduation in 1859, he was stationed on the steam sloop Hartford, which was sent to China and cruised the seas of the Far East. When the Civil War broke out, the ship was ordered to return home. Greene arrived in Philadelphia on December 2, 1861. After a short leave, he volunteered for duty on the Monitor.

The shortage of junior officers gave Greene, at the age of 20, the chance to serve as executive officer on the Monitor. Among Greene's responsibilities was the assigning of crew to their watches and quarters. He was also gunnery officer and trained the crew on the two Dahlgrens in the turret. During the battle between the Monitor and the Virginia, Greene had command of the turret and personally fired each shot directed at the Virginia.

Following the wounding of Lieutenant Worden, Greene assumed command of the Monitor. Uncertain of the damage done to the Monitor's steering gear, he ordered the action to be broken off and had the Monitor steered into shallow water. After determining that his ship was still able to continue battle, he ordered the Monitor to again pursue the Virginia. But by the time the Monitor returned to action, the Virginia was already steaming toward Norfolk. Greene's orders had been to protect the Minnesota; seeing the Confederates in apparent retreat, he did not pursue them, but returned to the Minnesota.

Greene remained in command of the Monitor from Worden's injury until Thomas Selfridge took command on March 10, 1862. He then returned to the duties of executive officer until the Monitor was lost at sea. At that time he was ordered to the Florida as executive officer and was later transferred to the Iroquois, where he finished the war in the Pacific unsuccessfully tracking the CSS Shenandoah.

Greene remained in the navy, serving as an instructor at the Naval Academy and seeing limited sea duty. His career came to a tragic end in 1884 when, in the depth of "anxiety," he fatally shot himself while on duty in New Hampshire.