Thomas Stowell Phelps (November 2, 1822 – January 10, 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. Early life Phelps was born in Buckfield, Maine on November 2, 1822. He was a son of Stephen Phelps and Elizabeth (née Stowell) Phelps (1785–1832), who was born, and died, in South Paris, Maine. His paternal grandfather, Henry Phelps of Sutton, Massachusetts, was a Corporal of Minutemen in 1775 and a Private in the Massachusetts Militia during the Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1777. He joined the Navy in 1840 and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1846. Career Phelps 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