James Shedden Palmer (October 13, 1810 – December 7, 1867) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Civil War. He was later promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Biography

Palmer was born at Elizabethtown, New Jersey. He entered the United States Navy on August 26, 1824, as Ship's Boy, aboard . Palmer was appointed

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

January 1, 1825. He commanded during the Mexican–American War, and and during the Civil War. He commanded the Naval Station at New Orleans and the

West Gulf Squadron The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederacy from trading. The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required the monitoring of of Atlantic ...

during 1864. Appointed to command the West Indies Squadron in 1865, he was commissioned rear admiral on July 25, 1866, and died at

St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Saint Thomas ( da, Sankt Thomas) is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea which, together with Saint John, Water Island, Hassel Island, and Saint Croix, form a county-equivalent and constituent district of the United States Virgin I ...

Ranks held

* Ship's Boy – August 26, 1824 * Midshipman – January 1, 1825 * Passed Midshipman – June 4, 1831 * Lieutenant – December 17, 1836 * Commander – September 14, 1855 * Captain – July 16, 1862 * Commodore – February 7, 1863 * Rear Admiral – July 25, 1866 Tucker, 2010 p.495

Civil War service

Palmer was commanding officer of ''Iroquois'', which was part of the U.S. Mediterranean Squadron at the time of the attack on Fort Sumter. He returned to the United States in January 1862, where he was on leave, without orders, until March, when he was re-appointed commander of the ''Iroquois''. He saw service as part of Farragut's Western Gulf Blockading Squadron, and was one of the captains present at the attack and capture of New Orleans, and at Farragut's attempt to do the same at Vicksburg in 1862. Promoted to captain for his role in the victory at New Orleans in July of that year, the following month he took command of Farragut's flagship ''Hartford''. On 7 February 1863, Palmer was promoted to Commodore. In January 1864, he was made senior officer of naval forces on the Mississippi in the vicinity of New Orleans and concurrently the commanding officer of until April of that year, when he assumed command of in place of the ''Pensacola''. In August he became commanding officer of the 1st Division of Ironclads, Western Gulf Blockading Squadron, with as his flagship (ironic, as ''Richmond'' was not an ironclad). He held this post until November 1864. He was then acting commander of Farragut's squadron during the latter's absence from November 1864 to February 1865. He then reverted to his previous post, which he held until May 1865. He was promoted to rear admiral on 25 July 1865.

Postbellum career

From May through December 1865, Palmer held administrative posts in Washington, D.C. That December he was appointed commander of the North Atlantic Squadron, with serving as his flagship. On July 25, 1866, he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral. While still commanding the North Atlantic Squadron, Rear Admiral James S. Palmer died of yellow fever at

. He was buried in New York City.

Namesake

The destroyer was named for him.

Bibliography

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References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, James Shedden 1810 births 1867 deaths Deaths from yellow fever United States Navy admirals Union Navy admirals People of New Jersey in the American Civil War Infectious disease deaths in the United States Virgin Islands