PROMINENT PERSONS
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acquaintance of Lord Byron's widow, who
entertained him at her home. As lieutenant,
he was on duty with Commodore Stribling's
fleet in the Chinese seas when the civil war
broke out. When the fleet returned to Bos-
ton, Lieutenant Glassell, with other officers
who would not take the oath of allegiance to
the United States, was imprisoned at Fort
Warren for about eight months, and there
exchanged, as a prisoner of war, on the
James river, Virginia. He was commis-
sioned lieutenant in the Confederate States
navy, to date from August 5, 1862, the time
of his arrest and imprisonment, and was
ordered to the Cliicora. at Charleston, South
Carolina, as deck officer in command of the
first division. He fired the first shot, Janu-
ary 30, 1863, at the Keystone State, in the
attack on the United States fleet, which
killed twenty-one men and wounded fifteen,
and obliged Captain Le Roy to haul down
his colors, but which he subsequently re-
hoisted, and sailed away. At Wilmington,
North Carolina, Lieutenant Glassell equip-
ped the ironclad North Carolina. He was
then sent to Charleston, South Carolina, to
aid in the defense of that city, and to that
end he devised and constructed the torpedo
boat David, and on October 5, 1863, person-
ally exploded his torpedo under the finest
ship of the United States navy, New Iron-
sides, injuring her so greatly that for a time
she was useless. Lieutenant Glassell's
David was so badly damaged that her crew
abandoned her, and he himself was picked
up out of the water by the enemy and con-
fined successively in Forts Warren and
Lafayette. After twelve months' imprison-
ment, he was exchanged, late in 1864. He
was commissioned commander in the Con-
federate States navy, to date from his ex-
ploit against the Nciv Ironsides. He was
sent to the James river, and given command
of the ironclad Fredericksburg, which he blew
up at the time Richmond was evacuated, to
keep her from falling into the hands of the
enemy. He subsequently served with the
artillery under Gen. Johnston, and surren-
dered with him and his army. He was
offered high rank in the Chilian and Peru-
vian navies, but declined to leave America.
In 1866 he removed to California, and died
at Los Angeles, in that state, in 1876.
Fatten, George Smith, born at Fredericks- burg, Virginia, June 26, 1833, son of Hon. John Mercer Patton, (q. v.), statesman and jurist. He graduated at the Virginia Mili- tary Institute, July 4, 1852; studied law, while engaged as a teacher; and on being admitted to the bar, engaged in practice at Charleston, Virginia. In April, 1861, he was commissioned captain in the Confeder- ate States army, and was in time promoted to major and lieutenant-colonel. Twenty- second Virginia Infantry Regiment. At the battle of Scary, in July, 1861, while leading his regiment, he was wounded in the shoul- der, was afterwards taken prisoner, and was subsequently exchanged. In 1863 he was elected colonel of his regiment. He was wounded at the battle of Giles Court House, in 1864; and in the battle of Winchester, in the same year, he was killed while leading his brigade into action. Gen. Jubal A. Early said of him : "He was a most gallant and efficient officer, and his loss was deeply felt." He married, September 8, 1855, Susan Thornton Glassell, daughter of Andrew Glassell and Susanna Thompson Thornton, his wife.
