William T. Glassell

William Thornton Glassell (January 15, 1831 – January 28, 1876) was an officer in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. He laid out the city of Orange, California.

Early life and career Glassell was born in Culpeper County, Virginia, was appointed a midshipman in the United States Navy from the state of Alabama (March 15, 1848). When he was still a midshipman, his ship, the St. Laurence was sent to The Great Exhibition (1851 ) in London. Lady Byron (Anne Isabella Byron, Baroness Byron), widow of the famous Lord Byron, visited the ship and invited only Glassell to dine with her the next evening. He accepted and "had a very pleasant interview."

Civil War Promoted to lieutenant in 1855, he was aboard off China when the Civil War broke out. When Hartford reached Philadelphia, Glassell declined to swear an additional oath of allegiance prescribed for Southerners, and was consequently imprisoned at Fort Warren and dropped from the U.S. service (December 6, 1861). Confederate authorities issued him a lieutenant's commission, arranged his exchange, and assigned him to CSS Chicora in the Charleston Squadron. Glassell commanded his ship's forward division during the squadron's attack on the Union blockade (January 31, 1863). Intrigued by the army's experiments with torpedoes and mines, he requested and received assignment to a special command training to attack the blockading fleet's monitors. In 1872 the Richland subdivision was placed on the market. In 1873, when a post office was sought it was discovered that there was a town in Sacramento County by the name of Richland. As an alternative, Orange was chosen, possibly after Orange County, Virginia, where the Glassell family's 'Richland' plantation was located.

Family life William T. Glassell died at the age of 48 in Los Angeles. His great-nephew was George Smith Patton.