Percival Drayton

Percival Drayton
Captain Drayton, circa 1864–65
Born	(1812-08-25)August 25, 1812 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	August 4, 1865(1865-08-04) (aged 52) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Buried	Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1827–1865
Rank	Captain
Commands	USS Pocahontas USS Pawnee USS Passaic USS Hartford
Battles / wars	Paraguay expedition American Civil War Battle of Port Royal Battle of Fort McAllister Battle of Mobile Bay

Percival Drayton (August 25, 1812 – August 4, 1865) was a career United States Navy officer. He served in the Brazil Squadron, the Mediterranean Squadron and as a staff officer during the Paraguay Expedition.

During the American Civil War, he commanded naval forces against Confederate forts defended by his brother Thomas F. Drayton in the Battle of Port Royal. He served as Fleet Captain in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron and commanded the sloop-of-war USS Hartford during the Battle of Mobile Bay under Rear Admiral David Farragut. It was to Drayton that Farragut issued his famous command, "Damn the torpedoes! Full steam ahead!"