Albert Gleaves

Albert Gleaves was born in Nashville on January 1, 1858, and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1877. He commanded the torpedo boat Cushing in the Spanish-American War, and tests on that boat helped improve torpedo steering and accuracy. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1915 and led the Cruiser and Transport Force in the First World War. He commanded the Asiatic Fleet from 1919 to 1921 and died in Haverford, Pennsylvania, in 1937. The Navy named the lead ship of a destroyer class, USS Gleaves, for him.

What the plaque says

Albert Gleaves Born here Jan. 1. 1858, a graduate of the Naval Academy in 1879, he commanded the USS Cushing in the War with Spain. In 1917 took command of the Cruiser and Transport Force, US Navy, which convoyed Allied troops to France without the loss of a man. In 1919 was commander in chief, Asiatic Fleet. He held the Distinguished Service Medal, Japanese Order of Sacred Treasure, 1st Class, Chinese Order of Wong Hu, 1st Class, and French Legion of Honor. He died Jan. 6. 1937.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• National Museum of African American Music — 0.3 mi
  A downtown Nashville museum, opened in 2021, tracing gospel, blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and hip-hop through Black history from 1619 to 2016.
• Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library — 0.3 mi
  A room in the downtown library with a circular lunch counter, a timeline and oral histories of the 1960 Nashville sit-ins, a few blocks from the stores where they began.
• Ryman Auditorium — 0.4 mi
  The 1892 brick tabernacle in downtown Nashville that was the Grand Ole Opry's home from 1943 to 1974, now a National Historic Landmark and working concert hall.
• Tennessee State Capitol — 0.6 mi
  William Strickland's Greek Revival capitol on Nashville's Capitol Hill, finished in 1859 and built from the bottom up with the labor of enslaved men.

More markers nearby

• Birth of Bluegrass — 0.3 mi
• Immaculate Mother Academy — 0.4 mi
• Downtown Presbyterian Church — 0.4 mi
• War Memorial Auditorium Building — 0.4 mi