Renshaw entered the Navy as a midshipman on January 26, 1838, and was commissioned acting master September 10, 1851.

Resigning June 29, 1852, Renshaw reentered the Navy at the beginning of the Civil War as a lieutenant on May 13, 1861.

He served in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron commanding side-wheel gunboat Louisiana during the war, winning promotion to commander on September 22, 1862.

Renshaw stayed in the Navy following the Civil War.

This article about a person of the American Civil War is a stub.