Thomas Phelps Thomas Stowell Phelps ( Buckfield , Maine , 2 November 1822 – New York City , New York , 10 January 1901 ) was an officer in the United States Navy . He served in the United States Navy from 1840 to 1884 , attaining the rank of Captain in 1871 and Rear Admiral in 1884 . He served in the Mediterranean , the Atlantic , and the Pacific , and commanded the sloop during the critical battle to capture Fort Fisher in January 1865 . Service prior to the Civil War . Phelps was born in Buckfield , Maine . He joined the Navy in 1840 . He served on the Labrador Coast and then with the Mediterranean Squadron from March 1840 to September 1843 . He then served aboard the sloop in the Brazil Squadron . He was assigned to the United States Naval Academy in October 1843 and graduated in February 1846 . He rejoined " Boston " for duty as a member of the Gulf Squadron from October 1846 through February 1847 , and then served aboard the from February to May 1847 . After duty aboard the , the flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron from June 1849 through December 1850 , he transferred to the and served in the Mediterranean Squadron from December 1850 to February 1851 . He then served in the Coast Survey from May 1851 until August 1852 . He served in the Indian War in Washington Territory . While serving on the , he was active at the Battle of Seattle which took place on 26 January 1856 . In 1882 , he wrote " Reminiscences of Seattle : Washington Territory and the U . S . Sloop - of - War " Decatur " During the Indian War of 1855 - 56 " Action during Civil War . When the American Civil War began , Confederate forces destroyed or sabotaged many navigational aids in the Potomac River . Phelps was called on to use his experience conducting coastal surveys to chart the Potomac River . He was part of the expedition sent to relieve Fort Sumter and assisted in secretly surveying and marking the Confederate coast . He later conducted a secret survey of Virginia coastal waters and was recognized by the Secretary of the Navy for his efforts . In September 1861 , he was transferred to command the steamer and surveyed and buoyed Hatteras Inlet in preparation for Union incursions into the inlets and rivers , along with other coastal inlets . His ship engaged the Confederate gunboat in Hatteras Inlet on 14 November 1861 , and skirmished with gunboats in Pamlico Sound . He engaged the Yorktown and Gloucester Point batteries , sunk two Confederate vessels , and prevented Confederate forces from destroying White House Bridge during April and May 1862 . Phelps was promoted to lieutenant commander in July 1862 and was charged with surveying and charting coastal waters for blockades and navigational purposes . He commanded the sloop during the successful attack on Fort Fisher , which had been protecting blockade runners ' vital access to the Confederate port at Wilmington , North Carolina until it was capture by the Union in 15 January 1865 . This was the last supply route open to Robert E . Lee ' s Army of Northern Virginia . During the Battle of West Point on 16 April 1865 in West Point , Georgia , he prevented a large force of Confederate forces from joining with their main army . In 1865 , he was commissioned commander , promoted to captain in 1871 , to commodore in 1879 , and rear admiral in 1884 , and retired in 1885 . Phelps died in the Naval Hospital in New York City on 10 January 1901 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery ( Section 1 grave 504 ) . Family life . He married Margaret Riche Levy . They had one son , Thomas Stowell Phelps , Jr . ( 1848 – 1915 ) , who also attained the rank of rear admiral , and a daughter . Mother , father and son are buried in adjacent plots in Arlington Cemetery . The destroyer was named for him .