David Porter, the Commander in Chief of the Mexican Navy was able to leave with the "Libertad"and "Brabo". Two years ago, Commander Porter, arrived in Mexico to take this position. He brought with him two sons and a nephew. One of the sons, Thomas, soon died of yellow fever. His other son, David Dixon, was in the Mexican brig "Guerrero under the command of his nephew, Captain David Henry Porter. The Captain was killed (Feb 10th)when the brig was capt by the Spanish frigate "Leattad".
David Porter, a hero of the War of 1812, took up with the Mexican Navy after he had commanded the U.S. West Indies Squadron in 1823-25, with an explicit directive to prosecute a war on pirates operating in the region. He was good at it, too, but he did so with considerably more vigor than discretion, and went so far as to occupy the town of Fajardo with 200 sailors and Marines (above), on Puerto Rico's east coast, to demand an apology from the
alcade for an incident involving one of Porter's subordinate officers. Secretary of State John Qunicy Adams called Porter's actions “a direct, hostile invasion of the island, utterly unjustifiable. . . one of the most high-handed acts I ever heard of.”
Porter was relieved of command of the West Indies Squadron, and ordered to return to Washington. Porter found himself facing a court martial, on two counts – first, for disobedience and “conduct unbecoming an officer” for his actions at Fajardo, and second, for “insubordinate conduct” in the form of a letter he had sent to the president and to Secretary Southard. After a five-week trial in the summer of 1825, Porter was convicted on both counts, but – amazingly – the court’s punishment consisted of a six-month suspension from duty
with pay. The court went on to say in its verdict that it was sure that Porter’s actions at Fajardo had been undertaken with the best of intentions and commitment to the naval service. It was the closest thing to the proverbial slap on the wrist as one can imagine.
Nonetheless, Porter felt very much abused by the navy, and the following summer, in 1826, he resigned from the service. Although he later served as ambassador from the United States to both the Barbary Sates and the Ottoman Empire, that was the end of his service with the U.S. Navy.