Richard Lucian Page
| Richard Lucian Page | |
|---|---|
 Richard Lucian Page | |
| Born |
December 20, 1807 Clarke County, Virginia |
| Died |
August 9, 1901 (aged 93) Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania |
| Buried at |
Cedar Hill Cemetery, Norfolk Virginia |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America Confederate States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy Confederate States Navy Confederate States Army |
| Years of service |
1824–1861 (USN) 1861–1864 (CSN) 1864 (CSA) |
| Rank |
 Commander (USN) Captain (CSN) Brigadier General (CSA) |
| Battles/wars |
American Civil War *Siege of Fort Morgan |
Richard Lucian Page (December 20, 1807 – August 9, 1901) was a United States Navy officer who joined the Confederate States Navy and later became a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was a cousin of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Another cousin was poet Thomas Nelson Page.
Biography
Page was born in Clarke County, Virginia. Page joined the US Navy as a midshipman March 12, 1824. During the American Civil War, Page served as a Naval aide to the Governor of Virginia John Letcher in 1861. Page was in command of the garrison that controlled Fort Morgan, Alabama during the Union's attack on Mobile Bay. Fort Morgan withheld the Union attack on April 5, 1864, but was besieged on April 9. Federal troops moved works closer to the outdated fort for the next two weeks. When Union fire threatened to ignite the Confederate powder magazine, the defenders put the kegs in the cisterns. On August 23 General Page unconditionally surrendered the fort, because his troops had little usable gunpowder. Indignant, he broke his sword over his knee instead of surrendering his sword to the Federals. Page's situation was further worsened when he was suspected of destroying munitions and works within the fort after he had agreed to surrender. For this he was arrested by the Federal authorities and imprisoned once he personally surrendered. He died in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, and is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Norfolk, Virginia.
Namesake
The USS Richard L. Page (DEG-5/FFG-5), a Brooke class frigate in the United States Navy built in 1965, was named in his honor.
References
- Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
External links
- "Richard Lucian Page". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-02-13.