Oliver S. Glisson

United States Navy Rear Admiral

Oliver Spencer Glisson (January 18, 1809 – November 20, 1890), was a rear admiral of the United States Navy.After commanding a schooner in the Mexican–American War, he was posted to the East India Squadron and took part in the Japan Expedition when the first treaty with the Japanese was signed by Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853.

Throughout the American Civil War, Glisson served in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, intercepting illegal trade across the Potomac, and patrolling the mouth of the Rappahannock.

Early in the war, Glisson rescued a group of slaves who were being used by the Confederates as a human shield.

Although this rescue contravened the Fugitive Slave Act, it was authorised by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles on humanitarian grounds.

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