Ka cika wannan jumla: An haifi Palmer ne a Buffalo, New York. Innis ya shiga matsayin mawaƙa a cocinsa na gida har sai ya shiga soja. Ya shiga Jami'ar Sojojin Amurka a 1842. Ya kammala karatunsa a cikin aji na 1846 kuma an nada shi a matsayin mai ba da izini na biyu a cikin 2nd US Mounted Rifles. Ya shiga cikin Yakin Mexico-Amurka a matsayin babban jami'in kuma an ambaci shi don jaruntaka da kuma aikin da ya dace a yakin Contreras da
Churubusco. (Yar'uwa) Ƙarfinsa da aka nuna a yakin Chapultepec ya ba shi damar samun ci gaba zuwa matsayi na kyaftin. A watan Maris na shekara ta 1855 Palmer ya ci gaba da zama babban kyaftin a cikin Rundunar Sojan Amurka ta 2.