Thomas Turner (23 December 1807 – 24 March 1883) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

. He served as commander of the

Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron of the United States Navy, established c. 1821 and disbanded in 1907, was a naval squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Developing from a small force protecting United States commerc ...

from 1869 to 1870. Turner fought in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

and, though a Virginian, served in the Union Navy during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Biography

Turner was born at the Marengo plantation in

King George County, Virginia King George County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 26,723. Its county seat is the census designated place of King George. The county's largest employer is the U.S. Naval S ...

in 1807 and raised at the Kinloch plantation in

Fauquier County Fauquier County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton. Fauquier County is in Northern Virginia and is a part of the Washington metropolitan area. History ...

. He was appointed to the U.S. Navy as a midshipman on 21 April 1825. Turner received his training at sea attached to the Mediterranean Squadron, joining the frigate in 1827 and the sloop-of-war in 1830. He became a passed midshipman on 4 June 1831. Remaining with the Mediterranean Squadron, Turner rejoined the ''Constellation'' in 1834 and then was reassigned to the frigate in 1835. He was promoted to lieutenant on 22 December 1835. From 1837 to 1838, Turner served aboard the frigate in the West Indies Squadron. From 1838 to 1841, he was assigned to the frigate in the

East India Squadron The East India Squadron, or East Indies Squadron, was a Squadron (naval), squadron of American ships that existed in the nineteenth century. It focused on protecting American interests in the Far East, while the Pacific Squadron concentrated on ...

, participating in the

Second Sumatran expedition The Second Sumatran expedition was a punitive expedition by the United States United States Navy, Navy against inhabitants of the island of Sumatra. After Malay Peninsula, Malay warriors or pirates had massacred the crew of the American merchant ...

. In 1843, Turner was assigned to the receiving ship at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. During the Mexican–American War, he was deployed with the

Home Squadron The Home Squadron was part of the United States Navy in the mid-19th century. Organized as early as 1838, ships were assigned to protect coastal commerce, aid ships in distress, suppress piracy and the Atlantic slave trade, make coastal surveys ...

. In April 1847, Turner commanded the schooner during the

First Battle of Tuxpan The First Battle of Tuxpan was the only major battle fought during the Mexican–American War at Tuxpan, Mexico. Background Commodore Matthew C. Perry's Home Squadron extended its blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventin ...

. From June to October 1847, he commanded the stores ship . Turner was then reassigned to the sloop-of-war . In 1850, he returned to the receiving ship at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. From 1851 to 1853, Turner served aboard the frigate in the

Brazil Squadron The Brazil Squadron, the Brazil Station, or the South Atlantic Squadron was an overseas military station established by the United States in 1826 to protect American commerce in the South Atlantic during a war between Brazil and Argentina. When t ...

. On 14 September 1855, he was promoted to commander. From 1858 to 1860, Turner served as the commanding officer of the sloop-of-war . In March 1860, he participated in the Battle of Antón Lizardo at Veracruz, capturing the steamers ''Marques de Habana'' and ''General Miramón''. Though born and raised in Virginia and a first cousin once removed of

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

, Turner remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War. He was promoted to captain on 16 July 1862 and then to commodore on 13 December 1862. Turner was given command of the armored frigate and commended by Rear Adm. Samuel F. Du Pont for his actions during the

First Battle of Charleston Harbor The First Battle of Charleston Harbor was an engagement near Charleston, South Carolina that took place April 7, 1863, during the American Civil War. The striking force was a fleet of nine ironclad warships of the Union Navy, including seven m ...

in April 1863. He was assigned to special duty at

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1864 and then at

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1866.

Turner was promoted to rear admiral effective 27 May 1868. He served as commander of the South Pacific Squadron from 1868 to 1869. Turner's ships provided aid after the August 1868 Arica, Peru earthquake in present-day Chile. In June 1869, he assumed full command of the entire

. Turner retired from active duty on 21 April 1870 after forty-five years of military service.

Personal

Turner was the son of Thomas Turner IV and Elizabeth Carter "Eliza" (Randolph) Turner. His father was a planter who served in the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

. His mother was a first cousin of Robert E. Lee. Thomas and his sister Marietta served as groomsman and bridesmaid at Lee's June 1831 wedding. Thomas Turner's younger brother Henry Smith Turner (1 April 1811 – 16 December 1881) was an 1834 graduate of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

. He accompanied and helped document Stephen W. Kearny's 1845–1847 expedition to the Rocky Mountains, California and New Mexico. Capt. Henry S. Turner was wounded at the

Battle of San Pasqual The Battle of San Pasqual, also spelled San Pascual, was a military encounter that occurred during the Mexican–American War in what is now the San Pasqual Valley, San Diego, California, San Pasqual Valley community in the county of San Diego, ...

in December 1846 and brevetted major for gallant and meritorious conduct at the Battles of San Pasqual, Río San Gabriel and La Mesa. He left military service in July 1848 and settled in Missouri, becoming a banker and serving in the state

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

(1858–1859) and on the

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

common council. On 1 June 1836, Thomas Turner married Frances Hales "Fanny" Palmer in Philadelphia. The officiant at the ceremony was Episcopal bishop William White. His wife's older brother was naval officer James Shedden Palmer. Turner and his wife had eight children. After his retirement, Turner and his wife settled in Philadelphia. They later moved to nearby

Glen Mills, Pennsylvania Glen Mills is an unincorporated community in Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, located approximately 27 miles west of Philadelphia. The ZIP Code for Glen Mills is 19342. History The area around Glen Mills was ...

, where he died in 1883. His remains were interred at the Evergreen Cemetery in Union County, New Jersey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Thomas 1807 births 1883 deaths People from King George County, Virginia People from Fauquier County, Virginia Military personnel from Virginia United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War People of Virginia in the American Civil War Union Navy officers United States Navy admirals Military personnel from Philadelphia Military personnel from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Hillside, New Jersey)