Richard Lucian Page (December 20, 1807 – August 9, 1901) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

officer who joined the

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

and later became a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the American Civil War.

Early life

Richard L. Page was born in

Clarke County, Virginia Clarke County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,783. Its county seat is Berryville. Clarke County is included in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical ...

on December 20, 1807, to William Byrd Page (1768–1812) and Ann (Lee) Page (b.1776). He has a

maternal ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestat ...

cousin in the future Confederate Full General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

and a

paternal A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

cousin of the poet

Thomas Nelson Page Thomas Nelson Page (April 23, 1853 – November 1, 1922) was an American lawyer, politician, and writer. He served as the U.S. ambassador to Italy from 1913 to 1919 under the administration of President Woodrow Wilson during World War I. In his ...

. Another maternal relative is Charles Lee who was

U.S. Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

during the

Washington Administration The presidency of George Washington began on April 30, 1789, when Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States, and ended on March 4, 1797. Washington took office after the 1788–1789 presidential election, the na ...

and the

John Adams Administration The presidency of John Adams, began on March 4, 1797, when John Adams was inaugurated as the second president of the United States, and ended on March 4, 1801. Adams, who had served as vice president under George Washington, took office as pre ...

. He attended the common schools in Clarke County and in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

Early military service

Richard Lucian Page joined the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

as a midshipman on March 12, 1824, and his first assignment in 1824–1825 was on board of the U.S. Navy West Indies Squadron led by Commodore David Porter. In 1825, he was ordered to and was with the crew when it carried General

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revoluti ...

back to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

under the leadership of U.S. Navy Captain Charles Morris. Now in Europe, Midshipman Page was transferred to where he served with this U.S. Navy Mediterranean Squadron ship until it returned to the port of Boston, Massachusetts on

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...

, 1828. Page's next assignment came on after which he prepared for his naval examination. In 1830–1834, Passed Midshipman and Sailing Master Richard Page served on board with the U.S. Navy Mediterranean Squadron. On March 26, 1834, Richard Page was commissioned a U.S. Navy Lieutenant and was ordered to serve on which was going overseas. He was then transferred to , then transferred back to ''Enterprise'' and then finally landing on which brought him back to the United States in October 1837. After his around-the-world tour of duty, Lieutenant Page was given a two-year leave of absence to visit Europe in 1837–1839. Upon returning to duty in 1839, Page will serve at the

Gosport Navy Yard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...

as an ordnance officer. During this tour of duty at Norfolk, he married a local woman, Alexina Taylor, in 1841; they would have four children. After duty at the navy yard, he then took to the seas again on board for two years. In 1844–1845, he was back with the U.S. Navy Mediterranean Squadron on board . Upon returning to the United States in 1845, he served with the docked at the U.S. Navy Norfolk Naval Ship Yard.

Mexican–American War and afterwards

During the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

of 1846–1848, he served for two years as a lieutenant commander on board . This ship served as the flagship for U.S. Navy Pacific Squadron Commander, Commodore

William Shubrick William Branford Shubrick (October 31, 1790 – May 27, 1874) was an officer in the United States Navy. His active-duty career extended from 1806 to 1861, including service in the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War; he was placed on the ret ...

. After this war, in 1849–1852, he was back doing ordnance duty at the U.S. Navy Norfolk Navy Ship Yard. Then in 1852–1854, Lieutenant Commander Page served as commander of with the U.S. Navy

Africa Squadron The Africa Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy that operated from 1819 to 1861 in the Blockade of Africa to suppress the slave trade along the coast of West Africa. However, the term was often ascribed generally to anti-slavery oper ...

. Upon returning from Africa, Page was back at Norfolk, this time as an executive officer and a Member of the Retiring Board. On September 14, 1855, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Richard Page was promoted to commander in the midst of his 1854–1857 service while at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

. In 1857–1859, Commander Page was with the U.S. Navy

East India Squadron The East India Squadron, or East Indies Squadron, was a squadron of American ships which existed in the nineteenth century, it focused on protecting American interests in the Far East while the Pacific Squadron concentrated on the western coast ...

serving as commander of . Then he returned to Norfolk where serve from 1859 to 1861. As soon as the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United Stat ...

ceded from the Union, U.S. Navy Commander Richard Lucian Page resigned his rank and office while at the Navy Yard.

With the Confederates

Now out of the U.S. Navy, Richard L. Page next served as a naval aide-de-camp to the

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

John Letcher John Letcher (March 29, 1813January 26, 1884) was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress, was the 34th Governor of Virginia during the American Civil War, and later served in ...

with special duties to organize a State of Virginia Navy. While in this Office, Page supervised the building of fortifications at the mouth of the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

as well as those on the

Nansemond River The Nansemond River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the James River in Virginia in the United States. Virginian colonists named the river ...

and on the

Pagan River The Pagan River (Warraskoyak) is a tributary of the James River located in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. The colonial seaport town of Smithfield (and its National Register-listed Smithfield Historic District) sits on the banks of this river. ...

. On June 10, 1861, Richard Page received a commission as a Confederate States of America Navy Commander.Richard Lucian Page
''NPS'' Prior to the evacuation at

, he served at the shipyard. Upon being promoted to C.S. Navy captain a short time later, Page went on to establish the ordnance and construction depot located at

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, which he would largely manage during the period of 1861–1864. During this time of 1861–1864, however, he would also briefly be in command of C.S. Navy forces at

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

, and would also be active in the

Battle of Port Royal The Battle of Port Royal was one of the earliest amphibious operations of the American Civil War, in which a United States Navy fleet and United States Army expeditionary force captured Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, between Savannah, Geor ...

in November 1861, where he served on under the fleet command of C.S. Navy squadron Flag Officer

Josiah Tattnall III Commodore Josiah Tattnall (November 9, 1795 – June 14, 1871) was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812, the Second Barbary War and the Mexican–American War. He later served in the Confederate Navy during the American C ...

. Then on March 1, 1864, Richard Page left the C.S. Navy to join the C.S. Army; he got a commission as a C.S. Army Brigadier General. He was then assigned to take command of the outer defenses of the C.S. Army held location at

Mobile Bay, Alabama Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The ...

and would set up his headquarters at

Fort Morgan Fort Morgan can apply to any one of several places in the United States: *Fort Morgan (Alabama), a fort at the mouth of Mobile Bay *Fort Morgan, Alabama, a nearby community *Fort Morgan (Colorado), a frontier military post located in present-day Fo ...

. Brigadier General Page was in command of the Confederate garrison that controlled Fort Morgan, Alabama during the Union's attacks on Mobile Bay. Fort Morgan withstood the Union attack on April 5, 1864, but was besieged on April 9. Then on August 8, 1864, a 10,000-man and 200-cannon Union task force arrived to challenge Page's 400-man and 26-cannon Confederate force. Union task force staff summoned Page and told him to surrender; he replied that he would defend the fort to the end. Federal troops then moved their works closer to the outdated fort for the next two weeks. Then on August 22, 1864, heavy Union cannon fire replaced the lighter cannon fire of the previous two weeks. For the next 12 hours, 3,000 Union cannon shells were thrown at the fort. This Union cannon fire started some fires in the fort and threatened to ignite the Confederate powder magazine, and so the defenders put the powder kegs in the cisterns. On August 23 Brigadier General Richard Lucian Page unconditionally surrendered the fort, because his troops had little usable gunpowder. Indignant, he broke his sword over his knee instead of surrendering his sword to the Federals. Page's situation was further worsened when he was suspected of destroying munitions and works within the fort after he had agreed to surrender. He was arrested by the Federal authorities and imprisoned at

Fort Delaware Fort Delaware is a former harbor defense facility, designed by chief engineer Joseph Gilbert Totten and located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River.Dobbs, Kelli W., et al. During the American Civil War, the Union used Fort Delaware as a ...

Pea Patch Island Pea Patch Island is a small island, approximately 1 mi (1.6 km) long, in the U.S. state of Delaware, located in the mid channel of the Delaware River near its entrance into Delaware Bay. It is a low, marshy island, located in New Castle C ...

until September 1865.

Late life

Page returned to Norfolk after the war, eventually becoming superintendent of public schools from 1875 to 1883. He died in

Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania Blue Ridge Summit is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States, southwest of Gettysburg in the central part of the state, adjoining Pennsylvania's southern border with Maryland. It is ...

, on August 9, 1901 and is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery,

Honors

In ''Confederate Military History: Volume 3''

Clement A. Evans Brigadier-General Clement Anselm Evans (February 25, 1833 – July 2, 1911) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Afterwards, he edited a 12-volume work ...

, himself a former C.S. Army Brigadier General, was moved to write the following on the defense of Fort Morgan on August 22–23, 1864, "The defense of Fort Morgan, under the command of (Brigadier) General Page, is one of the most celebrated instances of heroism in the history of the war." , a built for the United States Navy in 1965, was named in his honor.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Evans, Clement A. ''Confederate Military History: Volume 3'' Atlanta, Georgia: Evans' Confederate Publishing Company, 1899. pp. 641–644. * Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. . * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Page, Richard Lucian 1807 births 1901 deaths Confederate States Army brigadier generals People of Virginia in the American Civil War People from Clarke County, Virginia Richard Lucian Page American people of English descent Confederate States Navy captains United States Navy officers