John Rodgers (American National Biography)

After a brief tour in command of the Water Witch (1858-1859), Rodgers was assigned to the Japan Expedition Office in Washington, D.C., where he was serving when the secession of Virginia on 17 April 1861 led navy authorities to dispatch him to Norfolk the next day to help ensure that the navy facilities there did not fall into rebel hands. Rodgers was in the last boat to depart the Norfolk Navy Yard after it was set afire, and as a result, he was captured by Virginia forces. Since Virginia had not yet joined the Confederacy, however, he was released and allowed to return to Washington by train.