John M. B. Clitz
John Mellen Brady Clitz (December 1, 1821 – October 9, 1897) was a United States Navy rear admiral who commanded the Asiatic Squadron. He was born in Sackets Harbor, New York, and joined the Navy as a midshipman in 1837. He trained at the Philadelphia Naval School in 1843 and served on several ships around the world, including the Ontario, St. Mary’s, and Falmouth. In the Mexican War, he served on the Hecla and helped in the siege of Veracruz and at Tuxpan.
During the Civil War, he participated in the Union blockade and rose to commander in 1862. He led the Penobscot, then the Juniata, and later the Osceola, fighting in the First and Second Battles of Fort Fisher in 1864–65; Admiral Porter praised him for Fort Fisher.
After the war, Clitz held various commands, including the Pawnee and the California, and was promoted to commodore in 1872 and to rear admiral in 1880. He commanded the Naval Station Port Royal and later led the Asiatic Squadron from 1880 to 1883, retiring in 1883.
He came from a military family; his brother Henry B. Clitz was an Army officer. He married Mary L. Bohrer in 1843 and had three children. He died in Washington, D.C., in 1897 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:45 (CET).