Farragut saw Porter's skill as a ship commander and political operator from inside the foster family and aboard ship. Porter's strategic coordination and his defense of his conduct after Valparaiso receive a much less favorable assessment. That proximity gave the younger officer access to both the strengths worth adopting and the faults worth avoiding. Farragut continued to learn selectively from senior officers instead of imitating any one of them.
Notable Point · 10:18-12:45
Learning selectively from David Porter
Watching David Porter at close range taught Farragut to separate a mentor's ship-command and political strengths from weaknesses in higher command and self-justification.