Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 4).djvu/679

Rh Palmer recorded one episode in a poem, the last edition of which is entitled " The Antarctic Mari- ner's Song" (New York, 1868). After the wreck of the " Peacock " at the mouth of Columbia river, 19 July, 1841, he commanded a large shore-party at Astoria. On 27 Oct., 1842, he was commissioned surgeon, and served in the Washington navy-yard, where he had charge of those who were wounded by the explosion on the " Princeton." He served in Mexican waters during the annexation of Texas and the consequent war, and in 1857 he was ordered to the steara-frigate " Niagara " on the first effort to lay the Atlantic cable, and originated a plan for splicing the wire in mid-ocean. He was afterward attached to the naval academy in Annapolis, and when it was transferred to Newport, R. I., during the civil war, he assumed its sole medical charge. He was on the flag-ship " Hartford " as fleet sur- geon at the battle of Mobile Bay. 5 Aug., 1864, was ordered by Farragut to go to all the monitors and tell them to attack the " Termessee," and went around the fleet in the admiral's steam-barge " Loyall " to aid surgeons who had no assistants. Upon his return to the " Hartford," after the bat- tle, he was ordered by Farragut to go on board the enemy's ram "Tennessee," just captured, and to attend Admiral Franklin Buchanan. He saved the leg of this officer, which had been broken dur- ing the engagement, by refusing to resort to ampu- tation, as had been proposed by the surgeon of the Confederate fleet. Dr. Palmer brought about an agreement between Stephen R. Mallory and Ad- miral Farragut to exempt all medical officers and attendants from detention as prisoners of war. He was afterward in charge of the naval hospital in Brooklyn, N. Y., for about four years. On 3 March, 1871, he was commissioned medical director, and on 10 June, 1872, he became surgeon-general of the navy, and was retired on 29 June, 1878. He pub- lished some important professional contributions through the bureau of medicine and surgery. — His brother, John Williamson, author, b. in Balti- more, Md., 4 April, 1825, was graduated at the University of Maryland in 1847, and studied medi- cine in Baltimore. He was the first city physician of San Francisco in 1849-50, and subsequently wrote a series of graphic papers relating to that time for " Putnam's Monthly." In 1851-'2 he was surgeon of the East India company's war-steamer " Phlegethon " in the Burmese war, being the only American that ever held a commission in the East India company's navy. He was Confederate war- correspondent of the " New York Tribune " in 1863-'4, and since that time has been a frequent contributor to journals and magazines. In 1870 he returned from Baltimore to New York, and is now (1888) engaged on the editorial staff of the English dictionary in preparation by the Century company. In addition to many translations, in- cluding Michelet's " L'Amour " (New York, 1860) and " La Femme " (1860), the latter of which he accomplished in seventy-two hours' work, he has compiled a book of " Folk-Songs " (1860) and five volumes of poetry (Boston, 1867). He is the author of " The Golden Dagon, or Up and Down the Irrawaddi " (New York, 1853) ; " The New and the Old, or California and India in Romantic As- pects " (1859) ; " The Beauties and Curiosities of Engraving " (Boston, 1879) ; " A Portfolio of Auto- graph Etchings " (London, Paris, and Boston. 1882) ; and a novel entitled " After His Kind," published under the pen-name of " John Coventry " (New York, 1886). He has also written several poems, including " For Charlie's Sake " and " Stone- wall Jackson's Way." — John Williamson's wife. Henrietta Lee, author, b. in Baltimore, Md., 6 Feb., 1834, was educated at Patapsco institute, El- licott city, Md.. and was married in 1855. She has contributed to several journals, translated "The Lady Tartuffe " for Rachel, the actress, and is the author of " The Stratford Gallery, or The Shake- speare Sisterhood " (New York. 1858). and " Home Life in the Bible" (Boston, 1882).

PALMER, James Shedden, naval officer, b. in New Jersey in 1810 ; d. in St. Thomas. W. I., 7 Dec, 1867. He became midshipman on 1 Jan., 1825, and lieutenant, 17 Dec, 1836, and served on the " Columbia " in the attack on Quallah Battoo andMushie, inthe island of Suma- tra. In the Mexi- can war he was in command of the schooner " Flirt," engaged in block- ading the Mexi- can coast. He was appointed com- mander on 14 Sept., 1855. and at the beginning of the civil war com- manded thesteam- er " Iroquois," of the Mediterrane- an squadron, but was soon afterwai"d attached to the Atlantic blockading fleet under Admiral Samuel F. Du- pont. He became captain on 16 July, 1862, and in that summer led the advance in the passages of the Vicksburg batteries, and was engaged in the fight with the Confederate ram "Arkansas." At the passage of Vicksburg the flag-ship stopped her engines for a few minutes to allow the vessels in the rear to close up. Fancying that some accident had befallen the admiral. Palmer dropped the " Iroquois," which was the leading ship, down to the " Hartford." Not understanding this move- ment, Farragut hailed Palmer through his trumpet, saying : " Captain Palmer, what do you mean by disobeying my orders 1 " Palmer replied : " I thought. Admiral, that you had more fire than you could stand, and I came down to draw off a part of it." This piece of gallantry Farragut never for- got, and he remained Palmei-'s close friend. Palmer was commissioned commodore on 7 Feb., 1863, and at New Orleans and Mobile he was Farragut's flag- captain. He became rear-admiral on 25 July, 1866, and died of yellow fever while in command of the South Atlantic squadron in the West Indies. He was popularly known as " Pie-crust Palmer." Loyall Farragut. in his father's " Life and Letters," says of him : " Under a reserve of manner and dig- nified bearing, which almost amounted to pom- posity, Palmer showed a warm and generous nature. He was brave and cool under fire, and always ready to obey his chief's commands. The writer has seen him going into battle dressed with scrupulous neatness, performing the last part of his toilet in buttoning his kid gloves as though he were about to enter a ball-room."

PALMER, John, English traveller. He sailed from Liverpool on 28 March, 1817, in the ship in which William Cobbett returned to the United States, and travelled through this country and Canada. On his return to England he published his " Journal of Travels in the United States of North America and in Lower Canada " (London,