Background
Edward Phelps Lullwas born on February 20, 1836 at Windsor, Vermont, United States, the youngest of the six children of Martin Lull. When Edward was nine his widowed mother moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Edward Phelps Lullwas born on February 20, 1836 at Windsor, Vermont, United States, the youngest of the six children of Martin Lull. When Edward was nine his widowed mother moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Lull had a brief schooling and then he was apprenticed to learn printing. Later he studied at the Naval Academy and graduated in June 1855.
On October 7, 1851, Lull entered the navy, through the favor of a former governor of Wisconsin. In 1855 he was ordered in the rank of midshipman to the Congress of the Mediterranean Squadron. In April 1858 he joined the Colorado; and later in that year the Roanoke, a few months before he was warranted master. His studious habits led to his appointment in September 1860 as assistant professor of ethics and English at Annapolis, to the duties of which position were shortly added those of teacher of fencing, as he was an excellent swordsman. He was promoted lieutenant from October 30, 1860.
Desiring active duties he was on May 23, 1861, ordered to the Roanoke and on that vessel took part in the engagement at Hatteras Inlet. In September, against his own wishes and at the request of the superintendent of the academy, he returned to that institution as assistant to the commandant of midshipmen in charge of the Constitution and later was promoted commandant. On July 16, 1862, he was commissioned lieutenant commander and in June 1863 he took part as commander of the John Adams in the search off the Atlantic Coast for the privateer Tacony. In December he became executive officer of the Brooklyn and in that capacity participated in the battle of Mobile Bay. He remained in active service until the end of the war, commanding the captured ironclad Tennessee, the Seminole when she was blockading Galveston, and for a time the third division of the Mississippi Squadron.
After a period of service with the Swatara of the West India Squadron, Lull from 1866 to 1869 was attached to the Naval Academy, first as an instructor in mathematics, and later in Spanish. Following his promotion to the grade of commander on June 10, 1870, he had a varied experience as an explorer and surveyor. In 1870-1871 he was in charge of the Guard of the Darien Surveying Expedition. In 1872-1873 he commanded the Nicaragua Exploring Expedition and received the thanks of the department for the energetic manner in which he performed a laborious task. After serving on the Interoceanic Ship Canal Commission, and commanding the Panama Surveying Expedition, he was from 1875 to 1880 hydrographic inspector in the Coast and Geodetic Survey and was frequently employed in active surveying duties. When he left the survey he was highly commended by the superintendent.
In 1880-1881 he commanded the Wachusett of the Pacific Squadron and received the thanks of the department for his efficient services. On October 1, 1881, he was promoted captain. In the following year he visited Nicaragua in the interest of the Provisional Interoceanic Canal Society and on his return was made equipment officer of the Boston Navy Yard. His last duty was as commandant of the navy yard at Pensacola. The results of Lull's survey of Nicaragua were published in 1874; and those of his survey of Panama in 1879. He was the author of a History of the United States Navy-Yard at Gosport, Virginia (1874), and joint-author of Methods and Results: Table of Depths for Harbors on the Coasts of the United States (1883).
About 1863 Lull was married to Elizabeth F. Burton. His second wife, Emma Gillingham Terry, to whom he was married on November 5, 1873, was a sister of Commodore Edward Terry.