command of the , he assumed command of the experimental ironclad in April 1862, operating with distinction in the James River. He commanded the James River Flotilla, including the USS Galena, the ironclad , and the 90-day gunboat in an expedition up the James River in May 1862, which was stopped eight miles shy of Richmond by Confederate fortifications at Drewry's Bluff. The damage that the Galena suffered in the ensuing battle caused him to report, "We demonstrated that she is not shotproof", and made him disdainful of trying experiments in the fires of war. Thereafter he supported General McClellan's Peninsula Campaign with Naval bombardment, preventing Confederate forces from overrunning the Army of the Potomac's position. John Rodgers was promoted to captain July 16, 1862 and took command of the ironclad monitor . After successfully navigating her from Brooklyn to Charleston through the same storm that sank the USS Monitor, he distinguished himself during the attack on Fort Sumter in May 1863, and in capturing the Confederate ram Atlanta on June 17, 1863. The latter service won him the Thanks of Congress and promotion to commodore. Unfortunately, this was his last active service in the Civil War. After recovering from an illness, he took command of the ironclad monitor . Design and construction problems with that vessel kept him occupied for the remainder of the war, though he earnestly desired a more active post. Postbellum career Commodore Rodgers then commanded the Boston Navy Yard until 1869. He was elevated to rear admiral in December 1869 and given command of the Asiatic Squadron. In 1871 he commanded the American squadron in the United States expedition to Korea. Returning to the United States, he assumed command of Mare Island and later served as president of the United States Naval Institute from 1879 to 1881. Rear Admiral Rodgers died in Washington, D.C., on May 5, 1882, while serving as the superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Namesake Rodgers' father was Commodore John Rodgers (1772–1838), and he was the grandfather of pioneering Naval aviator Commander John Rodgers (1881–1926). Six ships of the United States Navy have been named in their honor; either as or . See also Calbraith Perry Rodgers Bibliography of Naval history of the American Civil War References General references Robert Erwin Johnson, Rear Admiral John Rodgers, 1812–1882. Annapolis: Naval Institute