Acting Midshipman, 1 October, 1851. Midshipman, 9 June, 1855. Passed Midshipman, 15 April, 1858. Master, 4 November, 1858. Lieutenant, 31 May, 1860. Lieutenant Commander, 16 July, 1862. Commander, 2 March, 1870. Captain, 7 August, 1881. Commodore, 10 July, 1894. Rear Admiral, 6 April, 1897. Retired List, 30 September, 1898. Died 14 September, 1900.
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Article in the Utica Daily Press, Saturday, May 29, 1954, in tribute to Admiral Sicard:

The Press Scrapbook by H. Paul Draheim
Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Following the example of thousands of others who will trek to cemeteries to pay homage to the veterans who served their country, The Daily Press Scrapbook today takes you to a cemetery at Westernville.
It is the burial ground that surrounds the Presbyterian Church. Among Americans whose final resting place is in this peaceful country church yard is Rear Admiral Montgomery Sicard. Also buried there is General William Floyd one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
This is about the Naval commander who was born in New York City on sept 30, 1836, a son of Stephen and Lydia E. Hunt Sicard. His mother was the daughter of Montgomery Hunt of Utica, originally of Hunt's Point, Long Island Sound.
After the death of Stephen Sicard, Mrs. Lydia Sicard and her children, including Montgomery, came to Utica. When Montgomery reached 15, he was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy. He entered Oct. 1, 1851, was graduated in June 1855.
Sicard served as midshipman aboard the frigates Potomac and Wabash until 1857 when he passed the examination for promotion. He again was assigned to the Wabash and served as acting master on a Mediterranean cruise until 1859.
Sicard then was assigned to the steamer Dacotah on the East India station where he remained until the Civil War. The East India squadron was ordered to return home. Sicard was commissioned lieutenant May 31, 1860.
After returning, the first assignment Sicard received was as executive officer on the U.S.S. Oneida. This vessel joined the squadron of Admiral Farragut at the mouth of the Mississippi and took part in bombing Forts Jackson and St. Phillip.
The Oneida also took part in the destruction of confederate flotilla and gunboats. It engaged in the capture of the batteries at Chalmette, La., and the capture of New Orleans.
Henry J. Cookinham, Oneida County historian, noted that during 1862 the Oneida took part in two bombardments of Vicksburg and one of Grand Gulf. At Millikins Bend it was in the engagement with the confederate ironclad Arkansas.
When operations on the MIssissippi closed in 1862, the Oneida was assigned to the blockade of Mobile. Sicard was advanced to lieutenant commander July 16 1862.
He then became executive officer on the Susquehanna. In May 1863 the Susquehanna returned to New York and was taken out of service.
After duty at the Portsmouth, N.H. Navy Yard, Sicard was assigned to the U.S.S. Ticonderoga as executive officer.
In Winter of 1864-65, Sicard was given command of the U.S.S. Seneca, attached to the fleet of Rear Admiral D.D. Porter, then about to attack of Fort Fisher, N.C.
Sicard took part in all the bombardments of the stronghold, and commanded the left wing of the second naval division in the land assault, Jan. 15, 1865.
After the fall of Fort Fisher, the Seneca entered Cape Fear River where the Seneca participated in the bombardment of Fort Anderson, and was subsequently at the occupation of Wilmington, N.C.
After the close of the active naval campaign, Sicard was detached from command of the Seneca and assigned to the Naval Academy where he remained until 1968. He was an instructor in ordnance and gunnery and was the "head of the department". He was a member of the Academic Board.
Sicard then served on a North Pacific cruise until 1870 as first executive of the U.S. flagship.
Pensacola. Later he was in command of the Saginaw.
He was commissioned commander Mar. 2, 1870, and later was on ordnance duty at the Navy Yard in New York. In 1872 he was made inspector of ordnance at the Navy Yard in Washington.
Sicard stayed on this post for four years. He designed and constructed the first steel rifled breech loading guns for the Navy.
Sicard also designed and constructed the carriages for these guns as well as for the long Gatling fun. Sicard then returned to the sea as commander of the USS Swatars (?).
In 1878 he rewrote and compiled the text for a new edition of the "Ordnance Instructions for the Navy" and afterwards was ordered to duty as inspector of ordnance at the Boston Navy Yard.
Recognition of Sicard's ability came in 1880 when he was appointed by the President to the post of Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance in the Department of the Navy with the rank of commodore. He was advanced to the captain on Aug. 7, 1884, and was chief of the Bureau of Ordnance for more than eight years.
He took a leading part in many vital measures connected with the work of building a new Navy. His most outstanding service was the reconstruction of naval ordnance on the basis of modern requirements and the introduction upon the new ships of the system of high power cannon.
This work was committed entirely to Sicard. HIs success is evidenced by the fact that none of the guns on U.S. ships have failed. Sicard directed the entire design and manufacture of Naval cannon.
Sicard introduced the first rapid fire guns into the service, directed and supervised the design of cartridges for them, caused the first torpedo search lights to be made in this country and made many efforts to introduce torpedoes of the "Whitehead" type. This latter result was not accomplished until years later.
Sicard also was interested in the directive qualities of the Howell torpedo. He purchased the first modern armor piercing forged and tempered steel shell.
Other accomplishments included the manufacture of east steel cannon shell and shrapnel. Under Sicard's direction, brown pneumatic(?) powder for high power guns first was successfully manufactured in this county.
Under his supervision and direction the first designs for working heavy naval guns by hydraulic power were made. He also placed on ship the first apparatus for aiming guns by electrical power. Sicard advised the use of steel armor on the new ships, and one of the most important services he gave to his country concerned the introduction of the making of armor steel.
It was under Sicard's direction and immediate supervision that the first book of specifications for the inspection, trials and tests of armor steel and the forged and tempered armor piercing steel shell were drawn up.
The specifications and tests were more severe than any adopted in Europe. During Sicard's duty the ships in the Washington Navy Yard were put into operation. Armament and armor of all ships in the Navy were provided by Sicard.
After eight years as chief of bureau, Sicard was appointed head of the steel Inspection Board. Two years later he was appointed commander of the double turreted ~unreadable~ . ~unreadable~ then the only armored ship with a modern battery. He served until January 1894 when he was named commander of the Navy Yard at Portsmouth, N.H.
After promotion to commodore on July 10, 1894 he was transferred to the New York Navy Yard and station, then the most important in the country. Apr. 6, 1897 found him advanced to rear admiral and as such he was commander in chief of the U.S. North Atlantic Fleet.
Sicard was detached from duty in 1898 because of ill health. At retirement he had served more than 47 years.
Sicard's wife was Elizabeth Floyd, granddaughter of General Floyd. Sicard died September 14, 1900 in Westernville.