Joshua R . Sands Joshua Ratoon Sands ( May 13 , 1795 – October 2 , 1883 ) was an officer in the United States Navy who rose to the rank of Rear Admiral . He served in the War of 1812 , the Mexican – American War , and the Civil War . Biography . Sands was born in Brooklyn , New York in 1795 , the son of Joshua Sands ( 1757 – 1835 ) , who served as a U . S . Representative and Collector of the Port of New York . His mother , Ann Ayscough Sands ( 1761 – 1851 ) , was the daughter of Richard Ayscough , a surgeon in the British Army . St . Ann ' s Church , the first Episcopal church in Brooklyn , was named in her honor . Sands was preparing to enter Columbia College when the War of 1812 broke out . He entered the United States Navy as acting midshipman in the Lake Ontario squadron under Commodore Isaac Chauncey . He was transferred to the in April 1813 and took part in the capture of Toronto and Fort George . He then served on board the , the , and the in the Mediterranean from 1815 to 1818 . He was commissioned a Lieutenant in 1818 . In 1819 , Sands served on the off the coast of Africa and in the West Indies . From 1821 to 1824 he served on the along the Pacific coast , and from 1828 to 1830 on the off the coast of Brazil . He was on recruiting duty from 1830 to 1840 and was promoted to the rank of Commander in 1841 . As Commander , he was at the New York Navy Yard from 1841 to 1843 , and then commanded the in the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies from 1843 to 1845 . During the Mexican – American War , Sands commanded the . He was involved in the capture of Alvarado , Tabasco , and Laguna , briefly serving as Governor of Laguna . He also aided in the Siege of Veracruz and the capture of Tampico and Tuxpan in 1847 . Sands received various commendations for his role in these engagements . Sands commanded the from 1849 to 1850 and the in 1851 , conveying exhibits to The Great Exhibition in London . He was promoted to Captain in 1854 , and then commanded the , joining the Mediterranean Squadron in 1856 . He was involved with laying the transatlantic telegraph cable in 1857 , as well as the engagement against the filibusters of filibuster at Nicaragua . He commanded the Brazil Squadron on the " Congress " from 1859 to 1861 . In 1861 , Sands was transferred to the retired list , and he was promoted in retirement to Commodore in 1862 and Rear Admiral in 1866 . He continued active duty , serving as Union lighthouse inspector on Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River during the Civil War , and as port admiral at Norfolk , Virginia from 1869 to 1872 . He died in Baltimore , Maryland in 1883 at the age of 88 . At the time of his death he was senior officer of the Navy on the retired list . He was buried at Green - Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn . Family . Sands was first married in 1824 to Mary Stevens ( 1799 – 1825 ) , daughter of the engineer and inventor John Stevens of Hoboken , New Jersey . She bore him one son before her death . In 1830 , he married Mary ' s younger sister , Harriet Stevens ( 1801 – 1844 ) . They had eight children together . In 1847 , he married his third wife , Eleanor Ann Crook ( 1828 – 1882 ) , in Baltimore . They had three children .