Benjamin F. Sands | |
---|---|
Born | Baltimore, Maryland | February 11, 1811
Died | June 30, 1883 Washington, D.C. | (aged 72)
Place of burial | |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/ | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1828–1874 |
Rank | Rear Admiral |
Unit | Various |
Commands held | USS Porpoise (1836), USS Dacotah, USS Fort Jackson |
Battles/wars | Mexican-American War |
Rear Admiral Benjamin Franklin Sands (February 11, 1811 – June 30, 1883) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.
Rear Admiral Sands belonged to a prominent military family. His uncle, Lt. Col. James Harvey Hook (1791–1841), served in War of 1812 and was later Assistant Commissary General of the U.S. Army. In 1836, Sands married Henrietta French (1817–1893),[1] the sister of General William H. French. Their son, James H. Sands, also achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy and served as Superintendent of the Naval Academy, while another son, George Henry Sands (1855–1920), was a colonel in the US Army and served in Cuba during the Spanish–American War. Two other sons, William F. and Francis P. B., also served in the Navy. A daughter, Marion, married Rear Admiral Samuel Rhoads Franklin. Sands' eldest brother, Lewis Hook Sands (born 1805), was a colonel in the US Army and served as an Indian agent in the Midwest. A nephew, James Hook Sands, was a captain in the Indiana Cavalry during the Civil War who later served in the regular army during the Indian Wars. A grandson, Alfred Lawrence Pearson Sands (1882–1960), the son of George Henry, was a colonel in the Army while another grandson, William Franklin Sands (1874–1946), was a U.S. diplomat who served in Korea, Japan, Central America and Russia. Admiral Sands' uncle, Maj. Richard Martin Sands (1791–1836), died during the Seminole War, and his cousin, Robert Martin Sands (1825–1903), was a lieutenant colonel in the 3rd Alabama Reg., Army of Northern Virginia, CSA. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia.[2]
Two ships were named USS Sands for him and his son, James H. Sands: