WEAVER, William Augustus, naval officer, born in Dumfries, Virginia, in 1797; died there in 1846. He entered the navy as a midshipman, 4 February, 1811, and made his first cruise in the "Chesapeake," which was captured by the frigate " Shannon" after a short, engagement off Boston, 1 June, 1813. Midshipman Weaver was severely wounded in this battle and was taken to Halifax as a prisoner with the rest of the officers and crew who survived. He was promoted to lieutenant after the war and commanded the schooner " Tom Bowlin" in 1816 and the schooner "Spark" in 1817, in the Mediterranean squadron. He served in the ship "Franklin" in 1818-'24 in the Mediterranean and the Pacific squadrons. By a misunderstanding as to his leave of absence, he was obliged to abandon the naval service, 27 November, 1824, after which he was employed by the government in the state department, where his knowledge of modern languages made his services specially valuable. He was secretary of the commission to adjust the claims of the Spanish citizens, was commissioner to Mexico in 1834, and superintendent of the census of 1840.--His son, Aaron Ward, naval officer, born in the District of Columbia, 1 July. 1832, was appointed a midshipman in the navy, 10 May, 1848, attended the naval academy in 1853-'4, was graduated, and became a passed midshipman, 15 June, 1854. He was commissioned lieutenant, 16 September, 1855. He cruised in the sloop "Marion," on the coast of Africa, in 1858-'9, and came home in the prize slaver "Ardennes " in command. When the civil war opened he was assigned to the steamer "Susquehanna" on the blockade, in which he participated in the bombardment and capture of Fort Hatteras and Fort Clarke at Hatteras inlet, in the battle of Port Royal and capture of Fort Beauregard and Fort Walker, and in operations on the coast in command of the armed boats before the fall of Fort Pulaski. He was present at the engagements with batteries on Sewall's point and at the capture of Norfolk, Virginia He was commissioned lieutenant-commander, 16 July, 1862, and commanded the steam gun-boat "Winona," in the Western Gulf squadron, in 1862-'3. He participated in the engagements at Port Hudson in December, 1862, at Plaquemine, Louisiana, at the defeat of the Confederates when they attacked Donaldsonville, and in the engagements below that place after the capture of Port Hudson. He was highly commended by Admiral Farragut for his services. He had the gunboat "Chippewa," in the North Atlantic blockading squadron, in 1864, in which he took part in the first attack on Fort Fisher. He was transferred to command the monitor " Mahopac," in which he participated in the final attack and capture of Fort Fisher in January, 1865, and was recommended for promotion. He went to Charleston, South Carolina, and was in the advanced picket when the city surrendered and its forts were captured. He next took the "Mahopac" up James river, and was present at the fall of Richmond. After the war he served at the Boston navy-yard. He was promoted and advanced to the grade of commander, 25 July, 1866. He commanded the double-turreted monitor " Terror" in 1870-'1, in which he went to Havana under great difficulties, owing to defective boilers, and arrived in season on the occasion when the Spanish students were executed by order of the government. During the excitement and threatened war with Spain owing to the "Virginius" affair, he was selected to command the sea-going iron-clad "Dictator," then one of the most formidable vessels of the navy, in which he was for some time the senior officer of the forces in the harbor of Havana. He remained in command of the "Dictator" until May, 1877. He was commissioned captain, 8 August, 1876, was equipment-officer at the Norfolk navy-yard in t879-'80, and captain of the yard in 1880-'1. He commanded the steam sloop "Brooklyn," on the South Atlantic station, in 1881-'4. He was a member of the naval examining and retiring board in 1885-'6, was promoted to commodore, 7 October, 1886, and is now president of the retiring-board.