Benjamin Franklin Sands

Background

He was born on February 11, 1812 in Baltimore of an old Maryland family, the son of Benjamin Norris and Rebecca (Hook) Sands. In his infancy the family moved to Louisville, Ky. , where he lived until he was sixteen.

Education

He was schooling in Washington, under the care of his uncle, Maj. J. H. Hook.

Career

He entered the navy as midshipman Apr. 1, 1828. He had a Brazilian cruise in the Vandalia, 1828-31, followed by a year in the West Indies in the St. Louis and then by several months' study at Norfolk, with promotion to passed midshipman, June 14, 1834.

During the next seven years he was employed in coast survey work, chiefly in New Jersey, spending his winters in Washington and summers in field expeditions. In these he was frequently accompanied by his wife. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1840. A Mediterranean cruise in the Columbia, 1842-44, preceded three years in the Bureau of Charts and Instruments at the Naval Observatory.

As executive of the Washington during the last summer of the Mexican War, he participated in operations at Laguna and Tabasco, and thereafter became executive of the Porpoise, African Squadron, which he commanded on the homeward voyage, January to April 1850.

During the next eight years he was again on survey and hydrographic duty, commanding the steamer Walker in the Gulf of Mexico. He was made commander in 1855, and was chief of the Bureau of Construction from 1858 to 1861. In February 1861 he conveyed secret instructions to the ships at Pensacola, Fla. , and in April went with the expedition sent to evacuate the Norfolk, Va. , navy yard, where he had charge of the party that fired the ships and ship-houses.

After a year on the Pacific coast in the survey steamer Active he was made captain in July 1862, returned east in October, and served as senior officer on the Cape Fear River and Wilmington blockade till late in 1864, first in the Dacotah and after December 1863 in the fast side-wheeler Fort Jackson.

He published autobiography, From Reefer to Rear Admiral (copy-right 1899). His division captured some thirty steamers and twenty-three sailing vessels. There were engagements with shore defenses and a raid, Apr. 21, 1864, on salt works near Wilmington which netted a hundred and sixty prisoners.

In October 1864, preparatory to operations against Fort Fisher, his ship was attached to the second division under Capt. Joseph Lanman, but Sands understood he was still in charge of the blockade and disputed vainly the award of $14, 000 prize money to Lanman. His ship was in both attacks on Fort Fisher, Dec. 24-25, 1864, and Jan. 13-15, 1865. Afterward, until July 1865, he commanded the second division, West Gulf Squadron. The surrender of the last Confederate troops occurred on his ship, June 2, and on June 5 he hoisted the flag at Galveston, Tex.

He was made commodore in 1866 and rear admiral in 1871.

After his retirement on July 11, 1871, he lived in Washington, D. C. , where he died. His funeral was in St. Matthew's Catholic Church.

Achievements

• He successfully participated in First Battle of Fort Fisher, Second Battle of Fort Fisher and was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. Sands also claims to have originated the idea of an additional outer line of blockaders. He had charge of the Naval Observatory from. His maintenance of hearty cooperation between officer and civilian personnel did much to assure continued control of the observatory by the navy, and his experience and interest stimulated its progressive development. His scientific bent appears in the invention of a deep-sea sounding apparatus and other devices useful in this work. The "Great Equatorial, " then the largest refracting telescope in the world, was added to the equipment, and expeditions were organized to observe the eclipses, the reports of which appeared under Sands's name. Two ships were named USS Sands for him and his son, James H. Sands.

Works

More photos

• book

  • From Reefer to Rear-Admiral: Reminiscences and Journal Jottings of Nearly Half a Century of Naval Life

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • Reports On Observations Of The Total Solar Eclipse Of December 22, 1870

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

Views

Quotations: Sands says "during the duty I never fully undressed or enjoyed a whole night's sleep, the strain telling severely on my health. "

Connections

He had a wife Henrietta Maria, sister of Gen. William H. French, whom he married in Washington, Nov. 15, 1836. Their son, James H. Sands, also achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in the U. S. Navy and served as Superintendent of the Naval Academy, while another son, George Henry Sands (1855–1920), was a colonel in the US Army and served in Cuba during the Spanish – American War. Two other sons, William F. and Francis P. B. , also served in the Navy. A daughter, Marion, married Rear Admiral Samuel Rhoads Franklin.

Father:

Benjamin Norris

Mother:

Rebecca (Hook) Sands

Spouse:

Henrietta Maria French

nephew:

James Hook Sands

Daughter:

Marion Sands

Son:

George Henry Sands

Son:

William F. Sands

Son:

James H. Sands

Son:

Francis P. B. Sands

eldest brother:

Lewis Hook Sands

Uncle:

Maj. J. H. Hook