THE STORY OF UR NAVY YOUNG AMERICANS W.LIS J. ABBOT **-?•■ Copyright N°_ COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. THE STORY OF OUR NAVY FOR YOUNG AMERICANS THE STORY OF OUR NAVY FOR YOUNG AMERICANS From Colonial Days to the Present Time BY WILLIS JOHN ABBOT Author or The Blue Jacket Series, The Battlefield Series, American Merchant Ships and Sailors WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS NEW YORK DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 1910 A' Copyright, iqio, by DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY Published, September, igio THE OUINN « BODEN CO. PRESS RAHWAr, N. J. ©G!,A273i45 NOTE This volume is rather a story, than the history of the United States Navy. Within its compass is not space for all the events, or even for mention of all the figures in America's defence of her honor upon the seas. Rather does it aim to give a running narrative of the course of the development of the United States Navy to its present position as second in the world, and to tell the story of the picturesque features of its early struggles and its later triumphs. The author desires to express his thanks to the Hon. Theodore Sutro, of New York, for permission to use the copyrighted reproductions of certain paintings by the distinguished marine artist Edward Moran. The fine examples represented In this book are chosen from thirteen paintings which typify thirteen chapters in the history of America on the Sea. They are, at this writ- ing, hung in the National Museum at Washington, and it is the hope of many, the writer included, that they may be acquired by the United States Government to at once educate and stimulate American Interest in the achievements of the nation on the oceans. CONTENTS CHAPTER I PAGE The Navy of Colonial Days — Discontent in the Colonies — The Evil of Impressment — Destruction of the " Gaspee " — John Manly, Father of the American Navy — The First Ship's Roster — The Many Flags i CHAPTER n Paul Jones, the First Great American Seafighter, but to the British a Pirate — In Command of the " Ranger " — His In- vasion of England lo CHAPTER HI Career of Paul Jones Continued — His Descent upon the Castle of Lord Selkirk — The Affair of the Plate — The Descent upon Whitehaven — The Battle with the " Drake " . . .18 CHAPTER IV The Career of Paul Jones Continued — His Search for a Ship — Given Command of the " Bon Homme Richard " — Landais and His Character — The Frustrated Mutiny — Landais Quar- rels with Jones — Edinburgh and Leith Threatened — The Dominie's Prayer — The Battle with the " Serapis " . . .29 CHAPTER V Britain's Great Naval Force — Biddle and Tucker — An Envoy in Battle — The Cruise of the " Raleigh " — The Taking of New Providence — The Work of Privateers and Colonial Cruisers — The " Alliance " and Captain Barry 56 CHAPTER VI Work of the Privateers — The " General Hancock " and the " Levant " — Exploit of the " Pickering " — Raiding Nova Scotia — " Congress " and " Savage " — " Hyder Ali " and " General Monk " 81 viii CONTENTS CHAPTER VII PAGE The Barbary Corsairs — America Finally Resists Piracy — Bain- bridge and the " Philadelphia " — Decatur's Daring Exploit — An Attack on the Tripolitan Gunboats — The Fireship at Tripoli 96 CHAPTER VIII The Quasi-war with France — " Constellation " and " Insurgente " —Decatur Once More — "Little Jarvis," a Boy Hero . . 115 CHAPTER IX War of 1812 — British Pressgang Methods — The " Chesapeake " and " Leopard " — The " President " and " Little Belt " — Disparity of the Two Navies — " Constitution " and " Guer- riere " 125 CHAPTER X Three Fierce Naval Duels—" United States " and " Macedonian " — "Wasp" and "Frolic" — "Constitution" and "Java" . 147 CHAPTER XI The War on the Lakes— Building a Fresh Water Navy— Perry at Put-in-Bay— McDonough on Lake Champlain . . .171 CHAPTER XII The " Hornet " and " Peacock "—Escape of the " Constellation " — Cruise of the " President " — " Chesapeake " and " Shan- non " — " Argus " and " Pelican " — " Enterprise " and "Boxer" 202 CHAPTER XIII The Cruise of the " Essex "—A Twelve-Year-Old Captain- War with the Aborigines— A Squadron of Prizes— Trapped in Port— The Loss of the " Essex " 229 CHAPTER XIV " Peacock " and " Epervier "—The Disappearance of the " Wasp "—Bombardment of Stonington— The Capture of Washington— Fort McHenry— Battle of New Orleans . . 248 CONTENTS CHAPTER XV Constitution," " Cyane," and " Levant' '-Loss of the "Presi- dent "—Captain Reid— The "General Armstrong — Pea- cock" and " Nautilus "—Close of the War CHAPTER XVI Peace Again-The Decadence of the Navy-Its Work in the Mexican War-Perry and Japan-The Battle in the Pei Ho —"Blood Thicker than Water" 2»3 CHAPTER XVII The Civil War— Secretary Dix's Stirring Dispatch— the South Destitute of Warships— The Blockade— Burning the Norfolk Navy-Yard— The Escape of the " Sumter "—The Hatteras Forts 294 CHAPTER XVIII A Romance of Commerce and War-The Blockade Runners— What the Trade Paid-How It Was Checked— Nassau s Days of Prosperity ^^^ CHAPTER XIX The Trent Affair— Narrow Escape from War with England— Cushing and His Exploits— Destruction of the ' Albemarle —Loss of the "Harriet Lane" 324 CHAPTER XX On Inland Waters-The River Gunboats-U. S Grant at Bel- mont-Capture of Forts Henry and Donelson-Northern Line of the Confederacy Broken— Stubborn Defense of Island No. 10— A New Channel for the Mighty River- Running the Gauntlet 34i CHAPTER XXI The Expedition to Port Royal-The First Great Ironclad-How the "Merrimac" Changed Naval Architecture-Destruction of the " Congress " and the " Cumberland —Timely Arrival of the " Monitor "—End of the " Merrimac . . . • 35» X CONTENTS CHAPTER XXII Moving up the Mississippi — The Ram " Manassas " — Farragut's Expedition — Porter's Mortar-Boats — Passing the Forts — Capture of New Orleans 380 CHAPTER XXIII Surrender of Forts St. Philip and Jackson — The Navy at Port Hudson — On the Yazoo River — The Ram " Arkansas " — The " Webfooted Gunboats " — In the Bayous — Rescued by the Army — Commodore Porter's Joke — Running the Batteries . 398 CHAPTER XXIV Farragut at Mobile — Loss of the " Tecumseh " — Craven's Gallant Death — Surrender of the " Tennessee " — The Navy at Charleston — Torpedoes and Submarines — Fall of Fort Fisher. 426 CHAPTER XXV The Commerce Destroyers — The " Alabama " — Sinking the " Hatteras " — Battle with the " Kearsarge " — The " Shenan- doah " and Other Cruisers 440 CHAPTER XXVI Close of the War — The Greatest of All Navies — Its Gradual Decadence — The War with Spain — How the Navy Was Re- established — The Destruction of the " Maine " — The Spanish Navy — Dewey at Manila 454 CHAPTER XXVII )n the Atlantic Coast — Mobilizing the American Fleet — The Blockade of Cuba — The " Winslow " at Cardenas — Searching for Cervera — The Race of the " Oregon " — The " Merrimac " at Santiago — Spain's Fleet Destroyed and Spanish Power Ended 472 CHAPTER XXVIII The End of the War — Its Fruit in Territory and New Problems — The International March on Pekin — The Battleship Fleet Goes Around the World — Target Practice at Magdalena Bay — The New United States Navy and Its Relative Rank — The End 504 ILLUSTRATIONS United States SS. " Connecticut " Cover inlay Copyright, 1907, Enrique Muller Return of the Conquerors, September 29, 1899 • • Frontispiece Paul Jones the Pirate as Seen by England . . Facing page 12 From a Prin4 of 1778 The Action Between the " Bon Homme Richard " and the " Serapis," September 23, 1779 . . « " ^8 First Recognition of the American Flag by a Foreign Government " " 62 Heroism of Reuben James " " 98 From a Print of the Time Burning of the Frigate " Philadelphia "... " " 104 Commodore Stephen Decatur " " ii8 The " Constitution " and the " Guerriere " . . " " 140 From a Print of the Time Captain Isaac Hull « « j^ From a Contemporary Portrait The " United States " and " Macedonian " . . " " 158 From a Print of the Time Commodore Perry « « j^,^ Perry's Victory — The Battle of Lake Erie, Sep- tember ID, 1813 « « jgQ Perry's Despatch to the Secretary of the Navy . " " 188 Admiral David Porter i< « 232 The " Constitution," " Levant," and " Cyane " . " " 270 . The Brig "Armstrong" Engaging the British Fleet " "280 Typical Blockade Runner <• « ^96 Landing Drill To-day <» « ^02 Bombardment of Island No. 10 " " 344 . From a Print of the Time Iron versus Wood. Sinking of the "Cumberland" by the "Merrimac" « « ^60 The "Monitor" and "Merrimac" .... «< " ^76 From a Print of the Time Admiral Farragut « «< ^82 Farragut's Fleet Engaging the Enemy Near New Orleans, April 26, 1862 « « ^90 xii ILLUSTRATIONS A Modern Gun Crew Facing page 400 '' Farragut in Action ^ .' ^jg Battle of Mobile Bay " " 434 Opening the Way to New Orleans .... " " ^4 Engagement of the " Kearsarge " and " Alabama," June 19, 1864 " " 448 End of the " Alabama " " "450 " For a Frolic or a Fight " " " 456 Type of Armored Cruiser « « ^^g The " North Dakota " at Full Speed ... « " 462 The Newest Destroyer « « ^g^ The Daily Inspection " " ^53 Shore Liberty at Buenos Ayres " " 470 In the Turret " " 474 In the Turret " " 4/6 Bombardment of San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 13, 1898 " " 480 Admiral Sampson's Fleet off Puerto Rico, in Search of Cervera's Vessels, May i, 1898 . . « " 484 Admiral Cervera's Fleet Approaching Santiago, May, 1898 ^" ]' 484 The Naval Board of Strategy; 1898 .... " " 488 Coaling— Jackies' Dirtiest Work " "492 President Roosevelt and Admiral Evans ... « " 4^5 The Fleet of Admiral Evans " " 498 Battleship of To-day Before Launching ("The Utah") 1' .< ^°^ Admiral Evans' Flagship " " 506 Jack Ashore in Japan Sio " Wisconsin " and " Kearsarge " at Malta . . " " ^14 The New Fighting Masts " " 518 THE STORY OF OUR NAVY FOR YOUNG AMERICANS CHAPTER I The Navy of Colonial Days — Discontent in the Colonies — ^The Evil of Impressment— Destruction of the "Gaspee"— John Manly, Father of the American Navy — The First Ship's Roster — The Many Flags. In this second decade of the Twentieth Century, when the navy of the United States Is conceded by all to be third among the floating fighting forces of the nations, and held by many to be second, the story of Its beginnings seems trivial and hardly worth the tell- ing or the reading. One Is apt to think that, In the face of the present-day voyage of sixteen steel-armored battleships around Cape Horn and the world, the simi- lar voyage of Commodore Porter in the frigate "Essex" In 1 8 12 is of slight Import. And when we have In mind Dewey destroying In one morning's battle all vestige of Spanish power in the Far East, and Schley and Sampson in a few hours ending Spain's rule in the West Indies — the very lands which she was first to discover, to develop, and to exploit — what was done In the earlier days of the navy may seem of little im- portance. But the armies of Washington were puny In com- parison even with those which the nation sent forth for the subjugation of the Philippines. Nevertheless, the " ragged continentals " builded a nation. Paul Jones was proud when he secured command of the " Bon Homme Richard," a ship mounting forty guns, 2 STORY OF OUR NAVY which would have been put out of action by one shell from the secondary battery of any modern American warship. Yet with that one weak ship he changed the story of naval triumphs and won such fame that, after more than a century of oblivion, his body was saved from an obscure resting-place in Paris, brought to the United States in a war vessel, and rests in the monumental chapel at Annapolis as an inspiration to the lads there being educated for the glorious service of the nation afloat. So it may be asserted that even in the light of recent magnificent achievements of the navy, the story of its earliest days is not without im- portance — as it certainly is not without interest. In telling this story, some license must be allowed in the use of terms. There were sharp sea fights in the colonial days, and in the opening years of the Revolu- tion. But there was no navy in the true sense of the word until the Revolution was well advanced. Prior to that time there were ships commissioned by individual colonies, and privateers. Yet what they did on the ocean showed the naval spirit animating the American character — a spirit which, if it lagged be- tween 1815 and 1 86 1, and 1870 and 1890, seems now to have been effectively revived. Much of the discontent in the colonies, which led up to the Revolution, was bred of the aggressions of British men-of-war, and particularly of the practice of impressing American seamen. As early as 1764 the people of Newport seized a shore battery and fired upon a king's ship in the harbor, thus anticipating by twelve years the " embattled farmers " of Concord, who " fired the shot heard around the world." One incident is typical of many which led the seafaring folk of the colonies to be early in revolt. One breezy afternoon, a stanch brig, under full sail, FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 3 came up the bay, and entered the harbor of Newport. Her sides were weather-beaten, and her dingy sails and patched cordage showed that she had just com- pleted her long voyage. Her crew, a fine set of bronzed and hardy sailors, were gathered on her fore- castle, eagerly regarding the cluster of cottages that made up the little town of Newport. In those cottages were many loved ones, wives, mothers, and sweethearts, whom the brave fellows had not seen for long and weary months; for the brig was just returning from a voyage to the western coast of Africa. It is easy to imagine the feelings aroused by the arrival of a ship in port after a long voyage. From the outmost end of the longest wharf the relatives and friends of the sailors eagerly watch the approaching vessel, striving to find in her appearance some token of the safety of the loved ones on board. If a flag hangs at half-mast in the rigging, bitter is the suspense, and fearful the dread, of each anxious watcher, lest her husband or lover or son be the unfortunate one whose death is mourned. And on the deck of the ship the excitement is no less great. Even the hardened breast of the sailor swells with emotion when he first catches sight of his native town, after long months of absence. With eyes sharpened by constant search- ing for objects upon the broad bosom of the ocean, he scans the waiting crowd, striving to distinguish in the distance some well-beloved face. His spirits are light with the happy anticipation of a season in port with his loved ones, and he discharges his last duties before leaving the ship with a blithe heart. So it was with the crew of the home-coming brig. Right merrily they sung out their choruses as they pulled at the ropes, and brought the vessel to anchor. The rumble of the hawser through the hawse-holes was sweet music to their ears; and so intent were they upon 4 STORY OF OUR NAVY the crowd on the dock, that they did not notice two long-boats which had put off from the man-of-war, and were pulHng for the brig. The captain of the merchantman, however, noticed the approach of the boats, and wondered what it meant. " Those fellows think I've smuggled goods aboard," said he. " How- ever, they can spend their time searching if they want. I've nothing in the hold I'm afraid to have seen." The boats were soon alongside; and two or three officers, with a handful of jackies, clambered aboard the brig. " Muster your men aft, captain," said the leader, scorning any response to the captain's salutation. " The king has need of a few fine fellows for his service." " Surely, sir, you are not about to press any of these men," protested the captain. " They are just returning after a long voyage, and have not yet seen their families." "What's that to me, sir?" was the response. " Muster your crew without more words." Sullenly the men came aft, and ranged themselves in line before the boarding-officers. Each feared lest he might be one of those chosen to fill the ship's roll of the " Maidstone "; yet each cherished the hope that he might be spared to go ashore, and see the loved ones whose greeting he had so fondly anticipated. The boarding-officers looked the crew over, and, after consulting together, gruffly ordered the men to go below, and pack up their traps. " Surely you don't propose to take my entire crew? " said the captain of the brig in wondering indig- nation. " I know my business, sir," was the gruff reply, " and I do not propose to suffer any more interference." The crew of the brig soon came on deck, carrying their bags of clothes, and were ordered into the man- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 5 o'-war's boats, which speedily conveyed them to their floating prison. Their fond visions of home had been rudely dispelled. They were now enrolled in His Ma- jesty's service, and subject to the will of a blue-coated tyrant. This was all their welcome home. Newport and the maritime colonies of New England sent thousands of sailors into the war with Great Britain, and dispatched scores of privateers. It was exactly such outrages as the foregoing that made these people spring to arms. Long before the academic question of '' taxation without representation " turned Boston harbor into a teapot the people along Narragan- sett Bay were fighting for their personal rights on water and on land. The affair of the " Gaspee " is the most typical in this conflict, though not the first. The " Gaspee " was an armed vessel stationed In Nar- ragansett Bay to enforce the revenue. She was com- manded by Lieutenant Dudingston of the British navy, and carried eight guns. By pursuing the usual tactics of the British officers stationed on the American coast, Dudingston had made himself hated; and his vessel was marked for destruction. The propitious time arrived one bright June morning In the year 1772, when the " Gaspee " gave chase to a Newport packet which was scudding for Providence, under the command of Captain Thomas LIndsey. The armed vessel was a clean-cut little craft, and, carrying no heavier load than a few light guns of the calibre then in vogue, could overhaul with ease almost any merchantman on the coast. So on this eventful day she was rapidly overhauling the chase, when, by a blunder of the pilot, she was run hard and fast upon a spit of sand running out from Namqult Point, and thus saw her projected prize sail away in triumph. But the escape of her prize was not the greatest disaster that was to befall the " Gaspee " that day. 6 STORY OF OUR NAVY Lindsey, finding himself safe from the clutches of the enemy, continued his course to Providence, and on arriv- ing at that city reported the condition of the " Gaspee " to a prominent citizen, vi^ho straightway determined to organize an expedition for the destruction of the pest of marine traffic. He therefore gave orders to a trusty ship-master to collect eight of the largest long- boats in the harbor, and, having muffled their oars and rowlocks, placed them at Fenner's Wharf, near a noted tavern. That night, soon after sunset, as the tradesmen were shutting up their shops, and the laboring men were standing on the streets talking after their day's work, a man passed down the middle of each street, beating a drum, and crying aloud: " The schooner ' Gaspee ' is ashore on Namquit Point. Who will help destroy her?" All who expressed a desire to join in the enterprise were directed to repair to the Sabin House; and thither, later in the evening, flocked many of the townspeople, carrying guns, powder-flasks, and bullet-pouches. With- in the house all was life and bustle. The great hall was crowded with determined men, discussing the plan of attack. Guns stood in every corner, while down in the kitchen half a dozen men stood about a glow- ing fire busily casting bullets. At last, all being pre- pared, the party crossed the street to the dock, and embarked, — a veteran sea-captain taking the tiller of each boat. On the way down the harbor the boats stopped, and took aboard a number of paving-stones and stout clubs, as weapons for those who had no muskets. After this stoppage the boats continued on their way, until, when within sixty yards of the *' Gaspee," the long- drawn hail, "Who comes there?" rang out over the water. No answer was made, and the lookout quickly FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 7 repeated his hail. Captain Whipple, one of the leaders of the attack, then responded, — " I want to come on board." Dudingston, who was below at the time, rushed on deck, exclaiming, " Stand off. You can't come aboard." As Dudingston stood at the side of the " Gaspee " warning off the assailants, he presented a good mark; and Joseph Bucklin, who pulled an oar in the leading boat, turned to a comrade and said, " Ephe, lend me your gun, and I can kill that fellow." The gun was accordingly handed him, and he fired. Dudingston fell to the deck. Just as the shot was fired, the leader of the assailants cried out : " I am sheriff of the county of Kent. I am come for the commander of this vessel; and have him I will, dead or alive. Men, spring to your oars." In an instant the boats were under the lee of the schooner, and the attacking party was clambering over the side. The first man to attempt to board seized a rope, and was clambering up, when one of the British cut the rope, and let him fall into the water. He quickly recovered himself, and was soon on deck, where he found his comrades driving the crew of the " Gas- pee " below, and meeting with but little resistance. A surgeon who was with the party of Americans led the boarders below, and began the task of tying the hands of the captured crew with strong tarred cord. While thus engaged, he was called on deck. "What is wanted, Mr. Brown?" asked he, calling the name of the person inquiring for him. " Don't call names, but go immediately into the cabin," was the response. " There is one wounded, and will bleed to death." The surgeon went into the captain's cabin, and there found Dudingston, severely wounded, and bleeding freely. Seeing no cloth suitable for bandages, the 8 STORY OF OUR NAVY surgeon opened his vest, and began to tear his own shirt into strips to bind up the wound. With the tenderest care the hurt of the injured officer was at- tended to; and he was gently lowered into a boat, and rowed up the river to Providence. The Americans remained in possession of the cap- tured schooner, and quickly began the work of demoli- tion. In the captain's cabin were a number of bottles of liquor, and for these the men made a rush; but the American surgeon dashed the bottles to pieces with the heels of his heavy boots, so that no scenes of drunk- enness were enacted. After breaking up the furniture and trappings of the craft, her people were bundled over the side into the boats of their captors, and the torch was set to the schooner. The boats lay off a little distance until 'the roaring flames satisfied them that the " Gaspee " would never again annoy American merchantmen. As the schooner's shotted guns went off one after the other, the Americans turned their boats' prows homeward, and soon dispersed quietly to their homes. After the battle of Lexington attacks upon British armed vessels were numerous all along the coast from Maine to the Carolinas. The coastwise waters saw some hard fighting, but it was not naval, except in the sense that it was done afloat and mainly by seafaring men. But it was in the latter part of 1775 that the first suggestion of a true navy was made by General Washington. On his own responsibility he sent out two armed schooners to capture the enemy's ships and secure provisions and munitions of war. They had some success, but when in October of the same year Congress commissioned several small vessels the Amer- ican navy had its true beginning. The first vessel thus commissioned was the " Lee," a small but swift brig, commanded by John Manly, FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 9 who really deserves the title of the " Father of the American Navy." The work of Manly and of the small vessels of which the " Lee " was a type en- couraged Congress to proceed with the organization of a true navy, and by 1776 the building of thirteen war vessels, carrying from twenty-four to thirty-two guns each, had been authorized. But as some naval force was obviously necessary during the construction of this fleet, five old vessels were procured, and the new navy was organized with the following roster of officers : EsEK Hopkins Commander-in-chief Dudley Saltonstall Captain of the "Alfred" Abraham Whipple .... Captain of the " Columbus " Nicholas Biddle . . . Captain of the " Andrea Doria " John B. Hopkins Captain of the " Cabot " A long list of lieutenants was also provided, among whom stands out boldly the name of John Paul Jones. John Manly, whose dashing work in the schooner " Lee " we have already noticed, was left in command of his little craft until the thirty-two-gun ship " Han- cock " was completed, when he was put in command of her. Under flags of various designs — the rattlesnake with the motto, " Don't Tread on Me "; the flag of each colony; the flag first hoisted by Paul Jones, showing a pine tree on a white ground, with " Liberty Tree " and "Appeal to God" displayed; these and other American vessels entered upon a naval war with the nation which even then was the greatest of all sea powers. CHAPTER II Paul Jones, the First Great American Seafighter, but to the British a Pirate— In Command of the "Ranger" — His Invasion of England. With the crowning importance of the later days of the American navy it is possible to pass over hastily its earlier achievements — the triumphs of Ezekiel Hop- kins, Captain Mugford, Captain Wickes, and a host of lesser seafighters of the Colonial navy must be set aside for the more careful description of the naval cruises and actions which had a direct bearing on the fate of the infant nation. That American privateers harried the seas, driving British cruisers to port, had its influence, of course, on the issue of the conflict. But for the important naval operations we must turn to the names of John Paul Jones, Nicholas Biddle, and Isaac Barry. John Paul Jones was a Scotchman, born in July, 1747. By inheritance his name was John Paul, and it was not until 1773 when residing in North Carolina that he added the surname of Jones. Almost from his earliest days a seaman, he was in turn an apprentice, mate of a slaver, commander of merchantmen, until, winning his way upward by sheer pertinacity, he be- came the foremost figure in the naval annals of the American Revolution. His earlier services in this struggle were as a privateersman, or in command of small commissioned vessels. But even thus handi- capped by lacking power to meet and give successful conflict to any armed British vessel, he preyed upon British commerce in a way that struck terror to ship- owners and to shippers, and brought into the United FOR YOUNG AMERICANS ii Colonies supplies of uncounted value to Washington's half-clad and starving army. It was this period of Jones' activity that led the British to dub him " Paul Jones, the pirate," and to publish broadsides ranking him with Tench, Blackbeard, and Captain Kidd. In one brief cruise he captured sixteen vessels; in another he landed on the British territory of Nova Scotia, burned a great transport and a warehouse full of sup- plies, and returned to port with live prizes. Exploits like this caused Congress to call upon him for advice as to the increase and organization of the navy, and on this task he spent six months ashore. It was not until June 14, 1777, that a command was found for him. This was the eighteen-gun ship " Ranger," built to carry a frigate's battery of twenty- six guns. She had been built for the revolutionary government, at Portsmouth, and was a stanch-built, solid craft, though miserably slow and somewhat crank. Jones, though disappointed with the sailing qualities of the ship, was nevertheless vastly delighted to be again in command of a man-of-war, and wasted no time in getting her ready for sea. It so happened that, on the very day Paul Jones received his commission as commander of the " Ran- ger," the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes for the national flag. Jones, anticipating this action, had prepared a flag in accordance with the proposed designs, and, upon hearing of the action of Congress, had it run to the masthead, while the cannon of the " Ranger " thundered out their deep-mouthed greetings to the starry banner destined to wave over the most glorious nation of the earth. Thus it hap- pened that the same hand that had given the pine-tree banner to the winds was the first to fling out to the breezes the bright folds of the Stars and Stripes. Early in October the " Ranger " left Portsmouth, 12 STORY OF OUR NAVY and made for the coast of France. Astute agents of the Americans in that country were having a fleet, pow- erful frigate built there for Jones, which he was to take, leaving the sluggish " Ranger " to be sold. But, on his arrival at Nantes, Jones was grievously dis- appointed to learn that the British Government had so vigorously protested against the building of a vessel- of-war in France for the Americans, that the French Government had been obliged to notify the American agents that their plan must be abandoned. France was at this time at peace with Great Britain, and, though inclined to be friendly with the rebellious col- onies, was not ready to entirely abandon her position as a neutral power. Later, when she took up arms against England, she gave the Americans every right in her ports they could desire. Jones thus found himself in European waters with a vessel too weak to stand against the frigates England could send to take her, and too slow to elude them. But he determined to strike some effective blows for the cause of liberty. Accordingly he planned an enter- prise, which, for audacity of conception and dash in execution, has never been equalled by any naval expedi- tion since. This was nothing less than a virtual invasion of Eng- land. The " Ranger " lay at Brest. Jones planned to dash across the English Channel, and cruise along the coast of England, burning shipping and towns, as a piece of retaliation upon the British for their wanton outrages along the American coast. It was a bold plan. The channel was thronged with the heavy frig- ates of Great Britain, any one of which could have annihilated the audacious Yankee cruiser. Neverthe- less, Jones determined to brave the danger. At the outset, it seemed as though his purpose was to be balked by heavy weather. For days after the AS SEEN BY ENGLAND (From a print of 1778) FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 13 *' Ranger " left Brest, she battled against the chop- seas of the English Channel. The sky was dark, and the light of the sun obscured by gray clouds. The wind whistled through the rigging, and tore at the tightly furled sails. Great green walls of water, capped with snowy foam, beat thunderously against the sides of the " Ranger." Now and then a port would be driven in, and the men between decks drenched by the incoming deluge. The " Ranger " had encountered an equinoctial gale in its worst form. When the gale died away, Jones found himself off the Scilly Islands, in full view of the coast of England. Here he encountered a merchantman, which he took and scuttled, sending the crew ashore to spread the news that an American man-of-war was ravaging the channel. Having alarmed all England, he changed his hunting-ground to St. George's Channel and the Irish Sea, where he captured several ships; sending one, a prize, back to Brest. He was in waters with which he had been familiar from his youth, and he made good use of his knowledge; dashing here and there, lying in wait in the highway of commerce, and then secreting himself in some sequestered cove. All England was aroused by the exploits of the Yankee cruiser. Never since the days of the Invincible Armada had war been so brought home to the people of the tight little island. But Paul Jones showed Great Britain that her boasted power was a bubble. He ravaged the seas within cannon-shot of English headlands. He cap- tured and burned merchantmen, drove the rates of in- surance up to panic prices, paralyzed British shipping- trade, and even made small incursions into British ter- ritory. The reports that reached Jones of British barbarity along the American coast, of the burning of Falmouth, of tribute levied on innumerable seaport towns, — all 14 STORY OF OUR NAVY aroused in him a determination to strike a retaliatory blow. Soon after, he entered the bay of Carrickfergus, on which is situated the Irish commercial city of Bel- fast. The bay was constantly filled with merchant- men; and the " Ranger," with her ports closed, and her warlike character carefully disguised, excited no suspicion aboard a trim, heavy-built craft that lay at anchor a little farther up the bay. This craft was the British man-of-war " Drake," mounting twenty guns. Soon after his arrival in the bay, Jones learned the character of the " Drake," and determined to attempt her capture during the night. Accordingly he dropped anchor near by, and, while carefully concealing the character of his craft, made every preparation for a midnight fight. At ten o'clock, the tramp of men about the capstan gave notice that the anchor was being brought to the catheads. Soon the creaking of cordage, and the snap- ping of the sails, told that the fresh breeze was being caught by the spreading sails. Then the waves rippled about the bow of the ship, and the " Ranger " was fairly under way. It was a pitch-dark night, but the lights on board the " Drake " showed where she was lying. On the " Ranger " all lights were extinguished, and no noise told of her progress towards her enemy. It was the captain's plan to run his vessel across the " Drake's " cable, drop his own anchor, let the *' Ranger " swing alongside the Englishman, and then fight it out at close quarters. But this plan, though well laid, failed of execution. The anchor was not let fall in season; and the " Ranger," instead of bringing up alongside her enemy, came to anchor half a cable-length astern. The swift-flowing tide and the fresh breeze made it im- possible to warp the ship alongside: so Jones ordered the cable cut, and the " Ranger " scudded down the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 15 bay before the ever-freshening gale. It does not ap- pear that the people on the " Drake " were aware of the danger they so narrowly escaped. The wind that had aided the tide in defeating Jones's enterprise blew stronger and stronger, and before morn- ing the sea was tossing before a regular northeast gale. Against it the "Ranger" could make no headway: so Jones gave his ship her head, and scudded before the wind until within the vicinity of Whitehaven, when he determined to again attempt to destroy the shipping in that port. This time he was successful. Bringing the " Ranger " to anchor near the bar, Captain Jones called for volunteers to accompany him on the expedi- tion. He himself was to be their leader; for as a boy he had often sailed in and out of the little harbor, knew where the forts stood, and where the colliers an- chored most thickly. The landing party was divided into two boat-loads; Jones taking command of one, while Lieutenant Wallingford held the tiller of the other boat. With muffled oars the Americans made for the shore, the boats' keels grated upon the pebbly beach, and an instant later the adventurers had scaled the ramparts of the forts, and had made themselves masters of the garrisons. All was done quietly. The guns in the fortifications were spiked; and, leaving the few soldiers on guard gagged and bound, Jones and his followers hastened down to the wharves to set fire to the shipping. In the harbor were not less than two hundred and twenty vessels, large and small. On the north side of the harbor, near the forts, were about one hundred and fifty vessels. These Jones undertook to destroy. The others were left to Lieutenant Wallingford, with his boat's crew of fifteen picked men. When Jones and his followers reached the cluster of merchantmen, they found their torches so far burned i6 STORY OF OUR NAVY out as to be useless. Failure stared them in the face then, when success was almost within their grasp. Jones, however, was not to be balked of his prey. Running his boat ashore, he hastened to a neighboring house, where he demanded candles. With these he returned, led his men aboard a large ship from which the crew fled, and deliberately built a fire in her hold. Lest the fire should go out, he found a barrel of tar, and threw it upon the flames. Then with the great ship roaring and crackling, and surrounded by scores of other vessels in danger from the flames, Jones with- drew, thinking his work complete. Many writers have criticised Paul Jones for not hav- ing stayed longer to complete the destruction of the vessels in the harbor. But, with the gradually bright- ening day, his position, which was at the best very dangerous, was becoming desperate. There were one hundred and fifty vessels in that part of the harbor; the crews averaged ten men to a vessel: so that nearly fifteen hundred men were opposed to the plucky little band of Americans. The roar of the fire aroused the people of the town, and they rushed in crowds to the wharf. In describing the affair Jones writes, " The inhabitants began to appear in thousands, and indi- viduals ran hastily toward us. I stood between them and the ship on fire, with my pistol in my hand, and ordered them to stand, which they did with some pre- cipitation. The sun was a full hour's march above the horizon; and, as sleep no longer ruled the world, it was time to retire. We re-embarked without op- position, having released a number of prisoners, as our boats could not carry them. After all my people had embarked, I stood upon the pier for a considerable space, yet no person advanced. I saw all the eminences round the town covered with the amazed inhabitants." As his boat drew away from the blazing shipping, FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 17 Jones looked anxiously across the harbor to the spot to which Lieutenant Wallingford had been dispatched. But no flames were seen in that quarter; for, WalHng- ford's torches having gone out, he had abandoned the enterprise. And so the Americans, having regained their ship, took their departure, leaving only one of the enemy's vessels burning. A most lame and impotent conclusion it was indeed; but, as Jones said, "What was done is sufficient to show that not all the boasted British navy is sufficient to protect their own coasts, and that the scenes of distress which they have occa- sioned in America may soon be brought home to their own doors." CHAPTER III Career of Paul Jones Continued — His Descent upon the Castle of Lord Selkirk — The Affair of the Plate — The Descent upon Whitehaven — The Battle with the " Drake." We now come to the glorious part of the career of Paul Jones upon the ocean. Heretofore he has been chiefly occupied in the capture of defenceless merchant- men. His work has been that of the privateer, even if not of the pirate that the British have always claimed he was. But the time came when Jones proved that he was ready to fight an adversary of his mettle; was willing to take heavy blows, and deal stunning ones in return. His daring was not confined to dashing expeditions in which the danger was chiefly overcome by spirit and rapid movements. While this class of operations was ever a favorite with the doughty sea- man, he was not at all averse to the deadly naval duel. We shall for a time abandon our account of the general naval incidents of the Revolution, to follow the career of Paul Jones to the end of the war. His career is not only the most interesting, but the most important, feature of the naval operations of that war. He stands out alone, a grand figure in naval history, as does Decatur In the wars with the Barbary pirates, or Farragut in the war for the Union. The war of 1812 affords no such example of single greatness In the navy. There we find Perry, McDonough, and Porter, all equally great. But In '76 there was no one to stand beside Paul Jones. When the " Ranger " left the harbor of Whitehaven, her captain was heavy-hearted. He felt that he had had the opportunity to strike a heavy blow at the British 18 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 19 shipping, but had nevertheless inflicted only a trifling hurt. Angry with himself for not having better planned the adventure, and discontented with his lieu- tenant for not having by presence of mind prevented the fiasco, he felt that peace of mind could only be obtained by some deed of successful daring. He was cruising in seas familiar to him as a sailor. Along the Scottish shores his boyhood hours had been spent. This knowledge he sought to turn to account. From the deck of his ship, he could see the wooded shores of St. Mary's Island, on which were the landed estates of Lord Selkirk, a British noble of ancient lineage and political prominence. On the estate of this nobleman Paul Jones was born, and there he passed the few years of his life that elapsed before he forsook the land for his favorite element. Leaning against the rail on the quarter-deck of the " Ranger," Jones could see through his spy-glass the turrets and spires of Lord Selkirk's castle. As he gazed, there occurred to him the idea, that if he could send a landing party ashore, seize the castle, capture the peer, and bear him off into captivity, he would not only strike terror into the hearts of the British, but would give the Americans a prisoner who would serve as a hostage to secure good treatment for the hapless Americans who had fallen into the hands of the enemy. With Jones, the conception of a plan was followed by its swift execution. Disdaining to wait for night- fall, he chose two boats' crews of tried and trusty men, and landed. The party started up the broad and open highway leading to the castle. They had gone but a few rods, however, when they encountered two coun- trymen, who stared a moment at the force of armed men, and then turned in fear to escape. " Halt! " rang out the clear voice of the leader of 20 STORY OF OUR NAVY the blue-jackets; and the peasants fell upon their faces in abject terror. Jones directed that they be brought to him; and he questioned them kindly, setting their minds at rest, and learning from them much of the castle and its inmates. Lord Selkirk was away from home. This to Jones was bitter news. It seemed as though some evil genius was dogging his footsteps, bringing failure upon his most carefully planned enter- prises. But he was not a man to repine over the in- evitable, and he promptly ordered his men to the right about, and made for the landing-place again. But the sailors were not so unselfish in their motives as their captain. They had come ashore expecting to plunder the castle of the earl, and they now mur- mured loudly over the abandonment of the adventure. They saw the way clear before them. No guards pro- tected the house. The massive ancestral plate, with which all English landed families are well provided, was unprotected by bolts or bars. They felt that, in retreating, they were throwing away a chance to despoil their enemy, and enrich themselves. Jones felt the justice of the complaint of the sailors; but only after a fierce struggle with his personal scruples could he yield the point. The grounds of the Earl of Selkirk had been his early playground. A lodge on the vast estate had been his childhood's home. Lady Selkirk had shown his family many kindnesses. To now come to her house as a robber and pillager, seemed the blackest ingratitude; but, on the other hand, he had no right to permit his personal feelings to interfere with his duty to the crew. The sailors had followed him into danger many a time, and this was their first opportunity for financial reward. With a sigh Jones abandoned his intention of protecting the property of Lady Selkirk, and ordered his lieutenant to proceed to the castle, and capture the family plate. Jones him- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 21 self returned to the ship, resolved to purchase the spoils at open sale, and return them to their former owner. The blue-jackets continued their way up the high- way, and, turning aside where a heavy gate opened Into a stately grove, demanded of an old man who came, wondering, out of the lodge, that he give them Instant admittance. Then, swinging into a trot, they ran along the winding carriage-drive until they came out on the broad lawn that extended in front of the castle. Here for the first time they were seen by the Inmates of the castle; and faint screams of fear, and shouts of astonishment, came from the open windows of the stately pile. The men-servants came rushing out to discover who the lawless crowd that so violated the sanctity of an English earl's private park could be; but their curiosity soon abated when a few stout blue- jackets, cutlass and pistol in hand, surrounded them, and bade them keep quiet. The lieutenant, with two stout seamen at his back, ..then entered the castle, and sought out the mistress, who received him with calm courtesy, with a trace of scorn, but with no sign of fear. Briefly the lieutenant told his errand. The countess gave an order to a butler, and soon a line of stout footmen entered, bearing the plate. Heavy salvers en- graved with the family arms of Lord Selkirk, quaint drinking-cups and flagons curiously carved, ewers, gob- lets, platters, covers, dishes, teapots, and all kinds of table utensils were there, all of exquisitely artistic work- manship, and bearing the stamp of antiquity. When all was ready, the lieutenant called in two of the sailors from the lawn; and soon the whole party, bearing the captured treasure, disappeared in the curves of the road. A few weeks later, the captured plate was put up for sale by the prize agents. Captain Jones, though not a rich man, bought it, and returned It to the count- ess. Lord Selkirk, in acknowledging its receipt, wrote : 22 STORY OF OUR NAVY " And on all occasions, both noiv and formerly, I have done you the justice to tell that you made an offer of returning the plate very soon after your .return to Brest; and although you yourself were not at my house, hut remained at the shore with your boat, that you had your officers and men in such extraordinary good discipline, that your having given them the strict- est orders to behave well, — to do no injury of any kind, to make no search, but only to bring off what plate was given them, — that in reality they did exactly as was ordered; and that not one man offered to stir from his post on. the outside of the house, nor entered the doors, nor said an uncivil word; that the two offi- cers stayed not one-quarter of an hour in the parlor and in the butler* s pantry wJiile the butler got the plate together, behaved politely, and asked for nothing but the plate, and instantly marched their men off in regular order; and that both officers and men behaved in all respects so well, that it would have done credit to the best-disciplined troops whatever." But the British took little notice of the generous reparation made by Captain Jones, and continued to describe him as pirate, ruffian, and murderer. Some weeks before, Jones had tried to destroy the British man-of-war " Drake " in the harbor of Carrick- fergus, but was defeated by an unlucky combination of unfavorable tide and wind. Yet he was determined not to leave those waters without some greater achieve- ment than shore raids and the destruction of merchant- men. So he set forth to find the " Drake," and by a happy coincidence the " Drake " put forth to find him. They met at the mouth of Carrickfergus harbor. The " Drake " promptly sent out a boat to examine the strange craft, and report upon her character. Jones saw her coming, and resolved to throw her off the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 23 scent. Accordingly, by skilful seamanship, he kept the stern of the " Ranger " continually presented to the prying eyes in the British boat. Turn which way they might, be as swift their manoeuvres as they might, the British scouts could see nothing of the " Ranger " but her stern, pierced with two cabin win- dows, as might be the stern of any merchantman. Her sides, dotted with frowning ports, were kept securely hidden from their eyes. Though provided with spy-glasses, the people in the boat were totally deceived. Unsuspectingly they came up under the stern of the " Ranger," and demanded to come on board. As the officer in command clam- bered up a rope, and vaulted the taffrail to the quarter- deck, he saw Paul Jones and his lieutenants, in full uniform, standing before him. "Why, — why, what ship's this?" stammered the astonished officer. " This is the American Continental ship ' Ranger,' and you are my prisoner," responded Jones; and at the words a few sailors, with cutlasses and pistols, called to the men in the boat alongside, to come aboard and give themselves up. From his captives Jones learned that the news of the Whitehaven raid had reached the " Drake " only the night before; and that she had been re-enforcing her crew with volunteers, preparatory to going out in search of the " Ranger." As he stood talking to the captured British naval officer, Jones noticed slender columns of smoke rising from the woods on neighbor- ing highlands, where he knew there were no houses. " What does that mean? " he asked. " Alarm fires, sir," answered the captive; " the news of your descent upon Whitehaven is terrifying the whole country." Soon, however, the attention of the Americans was 24 STORY OF OUR NAVY diverted from the signal-fires to the " Drake." An appearance of life and bustle was observable about the boat. The shrill notes of the boatswain's whistle, and the tramp of men about the capstan, came faintly over the waters. The rigging was full of sailors, and the sails were being quickly spread to catch the fresh breeze. Soon the ship began to move slowly from her anchorage; she heeled a little to one side, and, responsive to her helm, turned down the bay. She was coming out to look after her lost boat. Jones determined to hold his ground, and give battle to the Englishman. At length the " Drake " emerged from the narrow channel of the harbor, and coming within hailing dis- tance of the " Ranger," ran up the flag of England, and hailed: "What ship is that?" Paul Jones, himself standing on the taffrail, made answer: " This is the American Continental ship ' Ranger.' We are waiting for you. The sun is but little more than an hour from setting. It is therefore time to begin." The " Drake " lay with her bow towards the " Ran- ger," and a little astern. As Jones finished speaking, he turned to the man at the wheel, and said, " Put your helm up. Up, I say! " Quickly responsive to her helm, the vessel swung round; and, as her broadside came to bear, she let fly a full broadside of solid shot into the crowded decks and hull of the " Drake." Through timbers and planks, flesh and bone, the iron hail rushed, leaving death, wounds, and destruction in its path. The volun- teers that the " Drake " had added to her crew so crowded the decks, that the execution was fearful. It seemed as though every shot found a human mark. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 25 But the British were not slow to return the fire, and the roar of their broadside was heard before the thunder of the American fire had ceased to reverberate among the hills along the shore. Then followed a desperate naval duel. The tide of victory flowed now this way, and now that. Jones kept his ship at close quarters with the enemy, and stood on the quarter-deck urging on his gunners, now pointing out some vulnerable spot, now applauding a good shot, at one time cheering, and at another swear- ing, watching every movement of his foe, and giving quick but wise orders to his helmsman, his whole mind concentrated upon the course of battle, and with never a thought for his own safety. For more than an hour the battle raged, but the superior gunnery of the Americans soon began to tell. The " Drake " fought under no colors, her ensign hav- ing been shot away early in the action. But the spirited manner in which her guns were worked gave assurance that she had not struck. The American fire had wrought great execution on the deck of the English- man. Her captain was desperately wounded early in the fight; and the first lieutenant, who took his place, was struck down by a musket-ball from the " Ranger's " tops. The cock-pit of the " Drake " was like a butcher's shambles, so bespattered was it with blood. But on the " Ranger " there was little execution. The brave Wallingford, Jones's first lieutenant and right- hand man, was killed early in the action, and one poor fellow accompanied him to his long account; but be- yond this there were no deaths. Six men only were wounded. The sun was just dipping the lower edge of Its great red circle beneath the watery horizon, when the " Drake " began to show signs of failing. First her fire slackened. A few guns would go off at a time, 26 STORY OF OUR NAVY followed by a long silence. That portion of her masts which was visible above the clouds of gunpowder-smoke showed plainly the results of American gunnery. The sails were shot to ribbons. The cordage cut by the flying shot hung loosely down, or was blown out by the breeze. The spars were shattered, and hung out of place. The mainmast canted to leeward, and was in imminent danger of falling. The jib had been shot away entirely, and was trailing In the water alongside the ship. Gradually the fire of the " Drake " slackened, until at last It had ceased altogether. Noticing this, Cap- tain Jones gave orders to cease firing; and soon silence reigned over the bay that had for an hour resounded with the thunder of cannon. As the smoke that en- veloped the two ships cleared away, the people on the " Ranger " could see an ofl'icer standing on the rail of the " Drake " waving a white flag. At the sight a mighty huzza went up from the gallant lads on the Yankee ship, which was, however, quickly checked by Jones. " Have you struck your flag? " he shouted through a speaking-trumpet. " We have, sir," was the response. *' Then lay by until I send a boat aboard," directed Captain Jones; and soon after a cutter put off from the side of the " Ranger," and made for the captured ship. The boardIng-ofl5cer clambered over the bulwarks of the " Drake," and, veteran naval officer as he was, started In amazement at the scene of bloodshed before him. He had left a ship on which were two dead and six wounded men. He had come to a ship on which were forty men either dead or seriously wounded. Two dismounted cannon lay across the deck, one resting on the shattered and bleeding fragments of a man torn FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 27 to pieces by a heavy shot. The deck was slippery with blood. The cock-pit was not large enough to hold all the wounded; and many sufferers lay on the deck crying piteously for aid, and surrounded by the mangled bodies of their dead comrades. The body of the captain, who had died of his wound, lay on the deserted quarter-deck. Hastily the American officer noted the condition of the prize, and returned to his own ship for aid. All the boats of the " Ranger " were then lowered, and in the growing darkness the work of taking possession of the prize began. Most of the prisoners were trans- ferred to the " Ranger." The dead were thrown over- board without burial service or ceremony of any kind, such is the grim earnestness of war. Such of the wounded as could not be taken care of in the sick- bay of the " Drake " were transferred to the " Ran- ger." The decks were scrubbed, holystoned, and sprinkled with hot vinegar to take away the smell of the blood-soaked planks. Cordage was spliced, sails mended, shot-holes plugged up; and, by the time morn- ing came, the two ships were sufficiently repaired to be ready to leave the bay. But, before leaving, Captain Jones set at liberty two fishermen, whom he had captured several days before, and held prisoners lest they should spread the news of his presence in those parts. While the fishermen had been taken on board the " Ranger," and treated with the utmost kindness, their boat had been made fast alongside. Unluckily, however, the stormy weather had torn the boat from its fastenings; and it foundered before the eyes of its luckless owners, who bitterly bewailed their hard fate as they saw their craft disappear. But, when they came to leave the " Ran- ger," their sorrow was turned to joy; for Jones gave them money enough to buy for them a new boat and 28 STORY OF OUR NAVY outfit, — a bit of liberality very characteristic of the man. All Europe now rang with the praises of Paul Jones. Looked at in the calm light of history, his achievements do not appear so very remarkable. But it is none the less true that they have never been paralleled. Before the day of Paul Jones, no hostile vessel had ever swept the English Channel and Irish Sea clear of British merchantmen. And since the day of Paul Jones the exploit has never been repeated, save by the little Amer- ican brig "Argus " in the War of 1812. But neither before nor since the day of Paul Jones has the spectacle of a British ship in an English port, blazing with fire applied by the torches of an enemy, been seen. And no other man than Paul Jones has, for several cen- turies, led an invading force down the level highways, and across the green fields, of England. CHAPTER IV The Career of Paul Jones Continued — His Search for a Ship — Given Command of the " Bon Homme Richard " — Landais and His Character — The Frustrated Mutiny — Landais Quarrels with Jones — Edinburgh and Leith Threatened — The Dominie's Prayer— The Battle with the "Serapis." When Paul Jones arrived at Brest, bringing the cap- tured " Drake," he found the situation of affairs materi- ally altered. France had acknowledged the independence of the American Colonies, and had openly espoused their cause as against that of Great Britain. It was no longer necessary to resort to cunning deceptions to buy a warship or sell a prize in a French port. French vessels, manned by French crews and commanded by French officers, were putting to sea to strike a blow against the British. French troops were being sent to America. The Stars and Stripes waved by the side of the fleur de lys; and Benjamin Franklin, the American envoy, was the lion of French society, and the idol of the Parisian mob. Paul Jones saw in this friendship of France for the struggling colonies his opportunity. Heretofore he had been condemned to command only slow-going, weak ships. He had been hampered by a lack of funds for the payment of his crew and the purchase of provisions. More than once the inability of the impoverished Con- tinental Congress to provide the sinews of war had forced him to go down into his own purse for the nec- essary funds. All this period of penury he now felt was past. He could rely upon the king of France for a proper vessel, and the funds with which to prosecute his work on the seas. 29 30 STORY OF OUR NAVY But the sturdy seaman soon found how vexatious Is the lot of him who depends upon the bounty of mon- archs. Ship after ship was put In commission, but no command was tendered to the distinguished American. The French naval officers had first to be attended to. Jones made earnest appeals to the minister of the marine. He brought every possible influence to bear. His claims were urged by Dr. Franklin, but all to no avail. Five months of waiting and ceaseless solicitation of the authorities still left the sailor, who had won so many victories, stranded in shameful Inactivity. He had shrunk from a personal interview with the king, trusting rather to the efforts of his friends, many of whom were in high favor at Versailles. But one day he happened to light upon an old copy of " Poor Richard's Almanac," that unique publication In which Benjamin Franklin printed so many wise maxims and witty sayings. As Jones listlessly turned its pages, his eye fell upon the maxim: " If you wish to have any business done faithfully and expeditiously, go and do it yourself. Otherwise, send some one." Shutting the book, and dashing it to the floor, Jones sprang to his feet exclaiming, " I will go to Versailles this very day." Before night he set out, and soon reached the royal court. His reputation easily gained him an interview; and his frank, self-reliant way so impressed the monarch, that in five days the American was tendered the command of the ship " Daras," mounting forty guns. Great was the exultation of the American seaman at this happy termination of his labor. Full of grati- tude to the distinguished philosopher whose advice had proved so effective, he wrote to the minister of marine, begging permission to change the name of the vessel FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 31 to the " Poor Richard," or, translated into French, the " Bon Homme Richard." Permission was readily granted; and thereafter the " Bon Homme Richard," with Paul Jones on the quarter-deck, did valiant work for the cause of the young American Republic. While the " Bon Homme Richard " was being made ready for sea, the vessels that were to sail with her as consorts were rtiaking for the rendezvous at I'Orient. These vessels were the " Pallas," " Cerf," " Venge- ance," and " Alliance." The three former were small vessels, built in France, and manned wholly by French- men. The " Alliance " was a powerful, well-built American frigate, carrying an American crew, but com- manded by a French officer — Captain Landais. The choice of Landais to command was unfortunate. American sailors would not ship under a Frenchman. The result was a crew of mixed nationalities, who were barely defeated in an attempt to take the ship by mutiny. But more than that, Landais was jealous, selfish, and eccentric to the point of insanity, as the later course of this narrative will show. The first brief cruise from I'Orient brought nothing but disaster. The " Cerf " did indeed take a small prize, but it was retaken by a British frigate, and after an impotent two months all the vessels returned to I'Orient. Here they lay until the middle of August. More than three months had passed since Jones had been given com- mand of the " Richard." Most of the time had been spent in port. The little cruising that had been done had been unproductive of results. Dissension and jealousy made the squadron absolutely ineffective. As for the '.' Bon Homme Richard," she had proved a failure; being unable to overhaul the enemy that she wished to engage, or escape from the man-of-war she might wish to avoid. Jones saw his reputation fast slipping away from him. Bitterly he bewailed the fate 32 STORY OF OUR NAVY that had put him at the mercy of a lot of quarrel- some Frenchmen. He determined that when once again he got to sea he would ignore his consorts, and fight the battles of his country with his own ship only. It was on the 14th of August that the squadron weighed anchor and left the harbor of I'Orient. The " Richard " was greatly strengthened by the addition to her crew of about one hundred American seamen, who had been sent to France from England in ex- change for a number of English prisoners. With her sailed the same vessels that had previously made up the squadron, together with two French privateers, — the " Monsieur " and the " Granville." Four days after sailing, a large French ship in charge of a British prize-crew was sighted. The whole squadron gave chase; and the "Monsieur," being the swiftest sailer of the fleet, recaptured the prize. Then arose a quar- rel. The privateersmen claimed that the prize was theirs alone. They had captured it, and the regular naval officers had no authority over them. To this Captain Jones vigorously demurred, and, taking the prize from Its captors, sent It to I'Orient to be dis- posed of in accordance with the laws. In high dudgeon, the privateers vowed vengeance, and that night the " Monsieur " left the squadron. She was a fine, fast vessel, mounting forty guns; and her departure greatly weakened the fleet. A few days later a second serious loss was encoun- tered. The fleet was lying off Cape Clear, only a few miles from the shore. The day was perfectly calm. Not a breath of wind ruffled the calm surface of the water. The sails flapped idly against the mast. The sailors lay about the decks, trying to keep cool, and lazily watching the distant shore. Far off in the distance a white sail glimmered on the horizon. It FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 33 showed no sign of motion, and was clearly becalmed. After some deliberation, Captain Jones determined to attempt to capture the stranger by means of boats. The two largest boats, manned with crews of picked men, were sent out to hail the vessel, and, if she proved to be an enemy, to capture her. In this they were successful, and returned next day, bringing the captured craft. But, while the two boats were still out after the enemy's ship, the tide changed; and Captain Jones soon saw that his ship was in danger from a powerful cur- rent, that seemed to be sweeping her on shore. A few hundred yards from the ship, two dangerous reefs, known as the Skallocks and the Blasketts, reared their black heads above the calm surface of the sea. To- ward these rocks the " Bon Homme Richard " was drifting, when Jones, seeing the danger, ordered out two boats to tow the ship to a less perilous position. As the best men of the crew had been sent away to capture the brig, the crews of the two boats were made up of the riff-raff of the crew. Many of them were Englishmen, mere mercenary sailors, who had shipped on the " Richard," secretly intending to desert at the first opportunity. Therefore, when night fell, as they were still In the boats trying to pull the " Richard's " head around, they cut the ropes and made off for the shore. The desertion was discovered Immediately. The night was clear, and by the faint light of the stars the course of the receding boats could be traced. The sailing-master of the " Richard," a Mr. Trent, being the first to discover the treachery, sprang Into a boat with a few armed men, and set out In hot pursuit. The bow-gun of the " Richard " was hastily trained on the deserters, and a few cannon-shot sent after them; but without effect. Before the pursuing boat could 34 STORY OF OUR NAVY overhaul the fugitives, a dense bank of gray fog settled over the water, and pursued and pursuers were hidden from each other and from the gaze of those on the man-of-war. All night long the fog, like a moist, im- penetrable curtain, rested on the ocean. The next day the " Cerf " set out to find the missing boats. As she neared the shore, to avoid raising an alarm, she hoisted British colors. Hardly had she done so when she was seen by Trent and his companions. The fog made the outlines of the cutter indistinct, and magnified her in the eyes of the Americans, so that they mistook her for an English man-of-war. To avoid what they thought would lead to certain capture on the water, they ran their boat ashore, and speedily fell into the hands of the British coast guard. They were at once thrown into prison, where the unfortunate Trent soon died. The rest of the party were exchanged later in the war. The loss of the boats, and capture of Mr. Trent and his followers, were not the only unfortunate results of this incident; for the "Cerf" became lost in the fog, and before she could rejoin the fleet a violent gale sprang up, and she was carried back to the coast of France. She never returned to join the fleet, and Jones found his force again depleted. But the effective force of the squadron under the command of Paul Jones was weakened far more by the eccentric and mutinous actions of Captain Landais of the " Alliance " than by any losses by desertion or capture. When the news of the loss of two boats by desertion reached the " Alliance," Landais straight- way went to the " Richard," and entering the cabin began to upbraid Jones in unmeasured terms for having lost two boats through his folly in sending boats to capture a brig. " It is not true. Captain Landais," answered Jones, FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 35 '* that the boats which are lost are the two which were sent to capture the brig." " Do you tell me I lie? " screamed the Frenchman, white with anger. His officers strove to pacify him, but without avail; and he left the " Richard" vowing that he would challenge Captain Jones, and kill him. Shortly thereafter the " Richard " captured a very valuable prize, — a ship mounting twenty-two guns, and loaded with sails, rigging, anchors, cables, and other essential articles for the navy Great Britain was build- ing on the Lakes. By desertion and other causes, the crew of the " Richard " was greatly depleted, and not enough men could be spared to man the prize. Jones applied to Landais for aid. In response the French- man said: " If it is your wish that I should take charge of the prize, I shall not allow any boat or any individual from the ' Bon Homme Richard ' to go near her." To this absurd stipulation Jones agreed. Landais, having thus assumed complete charge of the prize, showed his incompetence by sending her, together with a prize taken by the " Alliance," to Bergen in Norway. The Danish Government, being on friendly terms with England, immediately surrendered the vessels to the, British ambassador; and the cause of the young republic, was cheated of more than two hundred thousand dol- lars through the insane negligence of the French captain. On the 15th of September, the three vessels lay off the port of Leith, a thriving city, which was then, as now, the seaport for the greater city of Edinburgh, which stands a little farther inland. Jones had come to this point cherishing one of those daring plans of which his mind was so fertile. He had learned that the harbor was full of shipping, and defended only by a single armed vessel of twenty guns. Shore batteries there were none. The people of the town were resting 36 STORY OF OUR NAVY in fancied security, and had no idea that the dreaded Paul Jones was at their very harbor's mouth. It would have been an easy matter for the three cruisers to make a dash into the harbor, take some distinguished pris- oners, demand a huge ransom, fire the shipping, and escape again to the open sea. Had Jones been in reality, as he was in name, the commander of the little fleet, the exploit would have been performed. But the lack of authority which had hampered him through- out his cruise paralyzed him here. By the time he had overcome the timid objections of the captains of the " Vengeance " and the " Pallas," all Leith was aroused. Still Jones persevered. His arrangements were carefully perfected. Troops were to be landed under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Chamillard, who was to lay before the chief magistrate of the town the following letter, written by Jones himself: I do not wish to distress the poor inhabitants. My intention is only to demand your contribution toward the reimbursement which Britain owes to the much injured citizens of America. Savages would blush at the unmanly violation and rapacity that have marked the tracks of British tyranny in America, from which neither virgin innocence nor helpless age has been a plea of protection or pity. Leith and its port now lay at our mercy. And did not the plea of humanity stay the just hand of retaliation, 1 should without advertisement lay it in ashes. Before I proceed to that stern duty as an officer, my duty as a man induces me to propose to you, by means of a reasonable ransom, to prevent such a scene of horror and distress. For this reason, I have authorized Lieutenant-Colonel de Chamillard to agree with you on the terms of ransom, allowing you exactly half an hour's reflection before you finally accept or reject the terms which he shall propose. The landing parties having been chosen, the order of attack mapped out, and part to be taken by each boat's crew accurately defined, the three vessels ad- vanced to the attack. It was a bright Sunday morning. A light breeze blowing on shore wafted the three ves- sels gently along the smooth surface of the bay. It FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 37 Is said that as the Invaders passed the httle town of KIrkaldy, the people were at church, but, seeing the three men-of-war passing, deserted the sacred edifice for the beach, where the gray-haired pastor, surrounded by his flock, offered the following remarkable appeal to the Deity : " Now, dear Lord, dinna ye think It a shame for ye to send this vile pirate to rob our folk o' KIrkaldy? Ye ken that they are puir enow already, and hae nae- thing to spare. The way the wind blaws, he'll be here in a jiffy. And wha kens what he may do? He's nae too good for ony thing. Mickles the mischief he has done already. He'll burn their hooses, take their very claes, and strip them to the very sark. And waes me, wha kens but that the bluldy villain might tak' their lives ! The puir weemin are most frightened out of their wits, and the bairns screeching after them. I canna think of it! I canna think of It! " I hae long been a faithful servant to ye, O Lord. But gin ye dinna turn the wind about, and blaw the scoundrel out of our gate, I'll nae stir a foot, but will just sit here till the tide comes. Sae tak' your will o't." Never was prayer more promptly answered. Hardly had the pastor concluded his prayer, when the wind veered round, and soon a violent gale was blowing off shore. In the teeth of the wind, the ships could make no headway. The gale Increased in violence until it rivalled In fierceness a tornado. The sea was lashed into fury, and great waves arose, on the crests of which the men-of-war were tossed about like fragile shells. The coal-ship which had been captured was so racked and torn by the heavy seas, that her seams opened, and she foundered so speedily, that only by the most active efforts was her crew saved. After several hours' In- effectual battling with the gale, the ships were forced to come about and run out to sea; and Jones suffered 38 STORY OF OUR NAVY the mortification of witnessing the failure of his enter- prise, after having been within gunshot of the town that he had hoped to capture. As for the good people of KIrkaldy, they were convinced that their escape from the daring seamen was wholly due to the personal In- fluence of their pastor with the Deity; and the worthy parson lived long afterward, ever held in most mighty veneration by the people of his flock. Disappointed In this plan, Jones continued his cruise. Soon after he fell in with the " Alliance " and the " Vengeance "; and, while off Flamborough Plead, the little squadron encountered a fleet of forty-one merchant ships, that, at the sight of the dreaded Yankee cruisers, crowded together like a flock of frightened pigeons, and made all sail for the shore; while two stately men- of-war — the " Serapis, forty-four," and the " Countess of Scarborough, twenty-two " — moved forward to give battle to the Americans. Jones now stood upon the threshold of his greatest victory. His bold and chivalric mind had longed for battle, and recoiled from the less glorious pursuit of burning helpless merchantmen, and terrorizing small towns and villages. He now saw before him a chance to meet the enemy in a fair fight, muzzle to muzzle, and with no overpowering odds on either side. Al- though the Americans had six vessels to the English- men's two, the odds were in no wise In their favor. Two of the vessels were pilot-boats, which, of course, kept out of the battle. The " Vengeance," though ordered to render the larger vessels any possible as- sistance, kept out of the fight altogether, and even neglected to make any attempt to overhaul the flying band of merchantmen. As for the " Alliance," under the erratic Landais,, she only entered the conflict at the last moment; and then her broadsides, instead of being delivered into the enemy, crashed through the already FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 39 shattered sides of the " Bon Homme Richard." Thus the actual combatants were the " Richard " with forty guns, against the " Serapis " with forty-four; and the " Pallas " with twenty-two guns, against the " Countess of Scarborough " with twenty-two. It was about seven o'clock In the evening of a clear September day — the twenty-third — that the hostile ves- sels bore down upon each other, making rapid prepara- tions for the Impending battle. The sea was fast turn- ing gray, as the deepening twilight robbed the sky of Its azure hue. A brisk breeze was blowing, that filled out the bellying sails of the ships, and beat the waters into little waves capped with snowy foam. In the west the rosy tints of the autumnal sunset were still warm In the sky. Nature was In one of her most smiling moods, as these men with set faces, and hearts throbbing with the mingled emotions of fear and ex- citement, stood silent at their guns, or worked busily at the ropes of the great warships. As soon as he became convinced of the character of the two English ships, Jones beat his crew to quarters, and signalled his consorts to form in line of battle. The people on the " Richard " went cheerfully to their guns; and though the ship was extremely short-handed, and crowded with prisoners, no voice was raised against giving immediate battle to the enemy. The actions of the other vessels of the American fleet, however, gave little promise of any aid from that quarter. When the enemy was first sighted, the swift-sailing " Alli- ance " dashed forward to reconnoitre. As she passed the " Pallas," Landals cried out, that, if the strange^ proved to be a forty-four, the only course for the Amer- icans was immediate flight. Evidently the result of his investigations convinced him that In flight lay his only hope of safety; for he quickly hauled off, and stood away from the enemy. The " Vengeance," too, 40 STORY OF OUR NAVY ran off to windward, leaving the " Richard " and the " Pallas " to bear the brunt of battle. It was by this time quite dark, and the position of the ships was outlined by the rows of open portholes gleaming with the lurid light of the battle-lanterns. On each ship rested a stillness like that of death itself. The men stood at their guns silent and thoughtful. Sweet memories of home and loved ones mingled with fearful anticipations of death or of mangling wounds In the minds of each. The little lads whose duty in time of action it was to carry cartridges from the maga- zine to the gunners had ceased their boyish chatter, and stood nervously at their stations. Officers walked up and down the decks, speaking words of encourage- ment to the men, glancing sharply at primers and breechings to see that all was ready, and ever and anon stooping to peer through the porthole at the line of slowly moving lights that told of the approach of the enemy. On the quarter-deck, Paul Jones, with his officers about him, stood carefully watching the move- ments of the enemy through a night glass, giving occa- sionally a quiet order to the man at the wheel, and now and then sending an agile midshipman below with orders to the armorer, or aloft with orders for the sharpshooters posted In the tops. As the night came on, the wind died away to a gentle breeze, that hardly ruffled the surface of the water, and urged the ships toward each other but sluggishly. As they came within pistol-shot of each other, bow to bow, and going on opposite tacks, a hoarse cry came from the deck of the " Serapis " : "What ship Is that?" " What Is that you say? " "What ship Is that? Answer Immediately, or I shall fire into you." Instantly with a flash and roar both vessels opened FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 41 fire. The thunder of the broadsides reverberated over the waters; and the bright Hash of the cannon, together with the pale hght of the moon just rising, showed Flamborough Head crowded with multitudes who had come out to witness the grand yet awful spectacle of a naval duel. The very first broadside seemed enough to wreck the fortunes of the " Richard." On her gun-deck were mounted six long eighteens, the only guns she carried that were of sufficient weight to be matched against the heavy ordnance of the " Serapis." At the very first discharge, two of these guns burst with frightful violence. Huge masses of iron were hurled in every direction, cutting through beams and stanchions, crash- ing through floors and bulkheads, and tearing through the agonized bodies of the men who served the guns. Hardly a man who was stationed on the gun-deck escaped unhurt in the storm of iron and splinters. Sev- eral huge blocks of iron crashed through the upper deck, injuring the people on the deck above, and caus- ing the cry to be raised, that the magazine had blown up. This unhappy calamity not only rendered useless the whole battery of eighteen-pounders, thus forcing Jones to fight an eighteen-pounder frigate with a twelve- pounder battery, but it spread a panic among the men, who saw the dangers of explosion added to the peril they were in by reason of the enemy's continued fire. Jones himself left the quarter-deck, and rushed for- ward among the men, cheering them on, and arousing them to renewed activity by his exertions. Now he would lend a hand at training some gun, now pull at a rope, or help a lagging powder-monkey on his way. His pluck and enthusiasm infused new life into the men; and they threw the heavy guns about like play- things, and cheered loudly as each shot told. The two ships were at no time separated by a greater 42 STORY OF OUR NAVY distance than half a pistol-shot, and were continually manoeuvring to cross each other's bows, and get in a raking broadside. In this attempt, they crossed from one to the other side of each other; so that now the port and now the starboard battery would be engaged. From the shore these evolutions were concealed under a dense cloud of smoke, and the spectators could only see the tops of the two vessels moving slowly about before the light breeze; while the lurid flashes of the cannon, and constant thunder of the broadsides, told of the deadly work going on. At a little distance were the " Countess of Scarborough " and the " Pal- las," linked in deadly combat, and adding the roar of their cannon to the general turmoil. It seemed to the watchers on the heights that war was coming very close to England. The " Serapis " first succeeded in getting a raking position; and, as she slowly crossed her antagonist's bow, her guns were fired, loaded again, and again discharged— the heavy bolts crashing into the " Rich- ard's " bow, and ranging aft, tearing the flesh of the brave fellows on the decks, and cutting through timbers and cordage in their frightful course. At this mo- ment, the Americans almost despaired of the termina- tion of the conflict. The " Richard " proved to be old and rotten, and the enemy's shot seemed to tear her timbers to pieces; while the "Serapis" was new, with timbers that withstood the shock of the balls like steel armor. Jones saw that in a battle with great guns he was sure to be the loser. He therefore re- solved to board. Soon the " Richard " made an attempt to cross the bows of the " Serapis," but not having way enough failed; and the "Serapis" ran foul of her, with her long bowsprit projecting over the stern of the Amer- ican ship. Springing from the quarter-deck, Jones FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 43 with his own hands swung grappling-irons into the rig- ging of the enemy, and made the ships fast. As he bent to his work, he was a prominent target for every sharpshooter on the British vessel, and the bullets hummed thick about his ears; but he never flinched. His work done, he clambered back to the quarter-deck, and set about gathering the boarders. The two ves- sels swung alongside each other. The cannonading was redoubled, and the heavy ordnance of the " Serapis " told fearfully upon the " Richard." The American gunners were driven from their guns by the flying cloud of shot and splinters. Each party thought the other was about to board. The darkness and the smoke made all vision impossible; and the boarders on each vessel were crouched behind the bulwarks, ready to give a hot reception to their enemies. This suspense caused a temporary lull in the firing, and Captain Pear- son of the " Serapis " shouted out through the sulphur- ous blackness: " Have you struck your colors? " " I have not yet begun to fight," replied Jones; and again the thunder of the cannon awakened the echoes on the distant shore. As the firing recommenced, the two ships broke away and drifted apart. Again the "Serapis" sought to get a raking position; but by this time Jones had determined that his only hope lay in boarding. Terrible had been the execution on his ship. The cockpit was filled with the wounded. The mangled remains of the dead lay thick about the decks. The timbers of the ship were greatly shattered, and her cordage was so badly cut that skilful manoeuvring was impossible. Many shot-holes were beneath the water- line, and the hold was rapidly filling. Therefore, Jones determined to run down his enemy, and get out his boarders, at any cost. Soon the two vessels were foul again. Captain Pear- 44 STORY OF OUR NAVY son, knowing that his advantage lay in long-distance fighting, strove to break away. Jones bent all his energies to the task of keeping the ships together. Meantime the battle raged fiercely. Jones himself, in his oflicial report of the battle, thus describes the course of the fight: I directed the fire of one of the three cannon against the main- mast with double-headed shot, while the other two were exceedingly well served with grape and canister shot, to silence the enemy's musketry, and clear her decks, which was at last effected. The enemy were, as I have since understood, on the instant for calling for quarter, when the cowardice or treachery of three of my under officers induced them to call to the enemy. The English commodore asked me if I demanded quarter; and I having answered him in the negative, they renewed the battle with double fury. They were unable to stand the deck; but the fury of their cannon, especially the lower battery, which was entirely formed of eighteen-pounders, was incessant. Both ships were set on fire in various places, and the scene was dreadful beyond the reach of language. To account for the timidity of my three under officers (I mean the gunner, the carpenter, and the master-at-arms), I must observe that the two first were slightly wounded ; and as the ship had received various shots under water, and one of the pumps being shot away, the carpenter expressed his fear that she would sink, and the other two concluded that she was sinking, which occasioned the gunner to run aft on the poop, without my knowledge, to strike the colors. Fortunately for me a cannon-ball had done that before by carrying away the ensign staff: he was, therefore, reduced to the necessity of sinking — as he supposed — or of calling for quarter; and he preferred the latter. Indeed, the petty officers were little to be blamed for considering the condition of the " Richard " hopeless. The great guns of the " Serapis," with their muzzles not twenty feet away, were hurling solid shot and grape through the flimsy shell of the American ship. So close together did the two ships come at times, that the rammers were sometimes thrust into the portholes of the opposite ship in loading. When the ships first swung together, the lower ports of the " Serapis " were closed to prevent the Americans boarding through them. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 45 But in the heat of the conflict the ports were quickly blown off, and the iron throats of the great guns again protruded, and dealt out their messages of death. How frightful was the scene ! In the two great ships were more than seven hundred men, their eyes lighted with the fire of hatred, their faces blackened with powder or made ghastly by streaks of blood. Cries of pain, yells of rage, prayers, and curses rose shrill above the thunderous monotone of the cannonade. Both ships were on fire; and the black smoke of the conflagration, mingled with the gray gunpowder smoke, and lighted up by the red flashes of the cannonade, added to the terrible picturesqueness of the scene. The " Richard " seemed like a spectre ship, so shat- tered was her framework. From the main-mast to the stern post, her timbers above the water-line were shot away, a few blackened posts alone preventing the upper deck from falling. Through this ruined shell swept the shot of the " Serapis," finding little to impede their flight save human flesh and bone. Great streams of water were pouring into the hold. The pitiful cries of nearly two hundred prisoners aroused the compassion of an oflicer, who ran below and liberated them. Driven from the hold by the inpouring water, these unhappy men ran to the deck, only to be swept down by the storm of cannon-shot and bullets. Fire, too, encompassed them; and the flames were so fast sweep- ing down upon the magazine, that Captain Jones or- dered the powder-kegs to be brought up and thrown into the sea. At this work, and at the pumps, the prisoners were kept employed until the end of the action. But though the heavy guns of the " Serapis " had it all their own way below, shattering the hull of the " Richard," and driving the Yankee gunners from their quarters, the conflict, viewed from the tops, was 46 STORY OF OUR NAVY not so one-sided. The Americans crowded on the fore- castle and in the tops, where they continued the battle with musketry and hand-grenades, with such murderous effect that the British were driven entirely from the upper deck. Once a party of about one hundred picked men, mustered below by Captain Pearson, rushed to the upper deck of the " Serapis," and thence made a descent upon the deck of the " Richard," firing pistols, brandishing cutlasses, and yelling like demons. But the Yankee tars were ready for them at that game, and gave the boarders so spirited a reception with pikes and cutlasses, that they were ready enough to swarm over the bulwarks, and seek again the comparative safety of their own ship. But all this time, though the Americans were making a brave and desperate defence, the tide of battle was surely going against them. Though they held the deck of the " Richard " secure against all comers, yet the Englishmen were cutting the ship away from beneath them, with continued heavy broadsides. Suddenly the course of battle was changed, and victory took her stand with the Americans, all through the daring and coolness of one man — no officer, but a humble jacky. The rapid and accurate fire of the sharpshooters on the " Richard " had driven all the riflemen of the " Serapis " from their posts in the tops. Seeing this, the Americans swarmed into the rigging of their own ship, and from that elevated station poured down a destructive fire of hand-grenades upon the decks of the enemy. The sailors on the deck of the " Richard " seconded this attack, by throwing the same missiles through the open ports of the enemy. At last one American topman, filling a bucket with grenades, and hanging it on his left arm, clambered out on the yard-arm of the *' Richard," that stretched far out over the deck of the British ship. Cautiously FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 47 the brave fellow crept out on the slender spar. His comrades below watched his progress, while the sharp- shooters kept a wary eye on the enemy, lest some watch- ful rifleman should pick off the adventurous blue-jacket. Little by little the nimble sailor crept out on the yard, until he was over the crowded gun-deck of the " Se- rapls." Then, lying at full length on the spar, and somewhat protected by it, he began to shower his mis- siles upon the enemy's gun-deck. Great was the execu- tion done by each grenade; but at last, one better aimed than the rest fell through the main hatch to the main deck. There was a flash, then a succession of quick explosions; a great sheet of flame gushed up through the hatchway, and a chorus of cries told of some fright- ful tragedy enacted below. It seemed that the powder-boys of the " Serapis " had been too active in bringing powder to the guns, and, instead of bringing cartridges as needed, had kept one charge in advance of the demand; so that behind every gun stood a cartridge, making a line of cartridges on the deck from bow to stern. Several cartridges had been broken, so that much loose powder lay upon the deck. This was fired by the discharge of the hand- grenade, and communicated the fire to the cartridges, which exploded in rapid succession, horribly burning scores of men. More than twenty men were killed in- stantly; and so great was the flame and the force of the explosion, that many of them were left with nothing on but the collars and wristbands of their shirts, and the waistbands of their trousers. Captain Pearson in his official report of the battle, speaking of this occurrence, says: "A hand-grenade being thrown in at one of the lower ports, a cartridge of powder was set on fire, the flames of which running from cartridge to cartridge all the way aft, blew up the whole of the people and officers that were quartered 48 S.TORY OF OUR NAVY abaft the main-mast; from which unfortunate circum- stance those guns were rendered useless for the re- mainder of the action, and I fear that the greater part of the people will lose their lives." This event changed the current of the battle. The English were hemmed between decks by the fire of the American topmen, and they found that not even then were they protected from the fiery hail of hand-gren- ades. The continual pounding of double-headed shot from a gun which Jones had trained upon the main- mast of the enemy had finally cut away that spar; and It fell with a crash upon the deck, bringing down spars and rigging with it. Flames were rising from the tarred cordage, and spreading to the framework of the ship. The Americans saw victory within their grasp. But at this moment a new and most unsuspected enemy appeared upon the scene. The " Alliance," which had stood aloof during the heat of the conflict, now ap- peared, and, after firing a few shots into the " Serapis," ranged slowly down along the " Richard," pouring a murderous fire of grapeshot into the already shattered ship. Jones thus tells the story of this treacherous and wanton assault: I now thought that the battle was at an end. But, to my utter astonishment, he discharged a broadside full into the stern of the " Bon Homme Richard." We called to him for God's sake to for- bear. Yet he passed along the off-side of the ship and continued firing. There was no possibility of his mistaking the enemy's ship for the " Bon Homme Richard," there being the most essential dif- ference in their appearance and construction. Besides, it was then full moonlight ; and the sides of the " Bon Homme Richard " were all black, and the sides of the enemy's ship were yellow. Yet, for the greater security, I showed the signal for our reconnoissance, by putting out three lanterns, — one at the bow, one at the stern, and one at the middle, in a horizontal line. Every one cried that he was firing into the wrong ship, but nothing availed. He passed around, firing into the " Bon Homme FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 49 Richard," head, stern, and broadside, and by one of his volleys killed several of my best men, and mortally wounded a good officer of the forecastle. My situation was truly deplorable. The " Bon Homme Richard " received several shots under the water from the " Alliance." The leak gained on the pumps, and the fire increased much on board both ships. Some officers entreated me to strike, of whose courage and sense 1 entertain a high opinion. I would not, however, give up the point. Fortunately Landais did not persist in his cowardly attack upon his friends in the almost sinking ship, but sailed off, and allowed the " Richard " to continue her life-and-death struggle with her enemy. The struggle was not now of long duration; for Captain Pearson, seeing that his ship was a perfect wreck, and that the fire was gaining headway, hauled down his colors with his own hands, since none of his men could be per- suaded to brave the fire from the tops of the " Rich- ard." As the proud emblem of Great Britain fluttered down, Lieutenant Richard Dale turned to Captain Jones, and asked permission to board the prize. Receiving an affirmative answer, he jumped on the gunwale, seized the mainbrace-pendant, and swung himself upon the quarter-deck of the captured ship. Midshipman May- rant, with a large party of sailors, followed. So great was the confusion on the " Serapis," that few of the Englishmen knew that the ship had been surrendered. x\s Mayrant came aboard, he was mistaken for the leader of a boarding-party, and run through the thigh with a pike. Captain Pearson was found standing alone upon the quarter-deck, contemplating with a sad face the shat- tered condition of his once noble ship, and the dead bodies of his brave fellows lying about the decks. Step- ping up to him. Lieutenant Dale said: " Sir, I have orders to send you on board the ship alongside." 50 STORY OF OUR NAVY At this moment, the first lieutenant of the " Serapis " came up hastily, and inquired: " Has the enemy struck her flag? " " No, sir," answered Dale, " On the contrary, you have struck to us." Turning quickly to his commander, the English lieu- tenant asked: "Have you struck, sir?" " Yes, I have," was the brief reply. " I have nothing more to say," remarked the oflScer, and turning about was in the act of going below, when Lieutenant Dale stopped him, saying: " It is my duty to request you, sir, to accompany Captain Pearson on board the ship alongside." " If you will first permit me to go below," responded the other, " I will silence the firing of the lower deck guns." " This cannot be permitted," was the response; and, silently bowing his head, the lieutenant followed his chief to the victorious ship, while two midshipmen went below to stop the firing. Lieutenant Dale remained in command of the *' Serapis." Seating himself on the binnacle, he or- dered the lashings which had bound the two ships throughout the bloody conflict to be cut. Then the head-sails were braced back, and the wheel put down. But, as the ship had been anchored at the beginning of the battle, she refused to answer either helm or canvas. Vastly astounded at this, Dale leaped from the binnacle; but his legs refused to support him, and he fell heavily to the deck. His followers sprang to his aid; and it was found that the lieutenant had been severely wounded in the leg by a splinter, but had fought out the battle without ever noticing his hurt. So ended this memorable battle. But the feelings FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 51 of pride and exultation so natural to a victor died away in the breast of the American captain as he looked about the scene of wreck and carnage. On all sides lay the mutilated bodies of the gallant fellows who had so bravely stood to their guns amid the storm of death- dealing missiles. There they lay, piled one on top of the other, — some with their agonized writhings caught and fixed by death; others calm and peaceful, as though sleeping. Powder-boys, young and tender, lay by the side of grizzled old seamen. In his journal Captain Jones wrote: A person must have been an eye-witness to form a just idea of the tremendous scene of carnage, wreck, and ruin, that everywhere appeared. Humanity cannot but recoil from the prospect of such finished horror, and lament that war should produce such fatal consequences. But worse than the appearance of the main deck was the scene in the cockpit and along the gun-deck, which had been converted into a temporary hospital. Here lay the wounded, ranged in rows along the deck. Moans and shrieks of agony were heard on every side. The tramp of men on the decks overhead, and the creaking of the timbers of the water-logged ship, added to the cries of the wounded, made a perfect bedlam of the place. It did not take long to discover that the " Bon Homme Richard " was a complete wreck, and in a sinking condition. The gallant old craft had kept afloat while the battle was being fought; but now, that the victory had remained with her, she had given up the struggle against the steadily encroaching waves. The carpenters who had explored the hold came on deck with long faces, and reported that nothing could be done to stop the great holes made by the shot of the " Serapis." Therefore Jones determined to re- 52 STORY OF OUR NAVY move his crew and all the wounded to the " Serapis," and abandon the noble " Richard " to her fate. Ac- cordingly, all available hands were put at the pumps, and the work of transferring the wounded was begun. Slings were rigged over the side; and the poor shat- tered bodies were gently lowered into the boats await- ing them, and, on reaching the " Serapis," were placed tenderly in cots ranged along the main deck. All night the work went on; and by ten o'clock the next morning there were left on the " Richard " only a few sailors, who alternately worked at the pumps, and fought the steadily encroaching flames. For Jones did not intend to desert the good old ship without a struggle to save her, even though both fire and water were warring against her. Not until the morning dawned did the Americans fully appreciate how shattered was the hulk that stood between them and a watery grave. Fenimore Cooper, the pioneer historian of the United States navy, writes : When the day dawned, an examination was made into the situation of the " Richard." Abaft on a line with those guns of the " Serapis " that had not been disabled by the explosion, the timbers were found to be nearly all beaten in, or beaten out, — for in this respect there was little difference between the two sides of the ship, — and it was said that her poop and upper decks would have fallen into the gun-room, but for a few buttocks that had been missed. Indeed, so large was the vacuum, that most of the shot fired from this part of the " Serapis," at the close of the action, must have gone through the " Richard " without touching any thing. The rudder was cut from the stern post, and the transoms were nearly driven out of her. All the after-part of the ship, in particular, that was below the quarter-deck was torn to pieces ; and nothing had saved those stationed on the quarter-deck but ihe impossibility of sufficiently elevating guns that almost touched their object. Despite the terribly shattered condition of the ship, her crew worked manfully to save her. But, after fighting the flames and working the pumps all day, they FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 53 were reluctantly forced to abandon the good ship to her fate. It was about nine o'clock at night that the hopelessness of the task became evident. The " Rich- ard " rolled heavily from side to side. The sea was up to her lower portholes. At each roll the water gushed in and swashed through the hatchways. At ten o'clock, with a last dying surge, the shattered hulk plunged to her final resting-place, carrying with her the bodies of her dead. They had died the noblest of all deaths — the death of a patriot killed in doing battle for his country. They received the grandest of all burials — the burial of a sailor who follows his ship to her grave, on the hard, white sand, in the calm depths of the ocean. How many were there that went down with the ship ? History does not accurately state. Captain Jones him- self was never able to tell how great was the number of dead upon his ship. The most careful estimate puts the number at forty-two. Of the wounded on the American ship, there were about forty. All these were happily removed from the " Richard " before she sunk. On the " Serapis " the loss was much greater; but here, too, history is at fault, in that no official returns of the killed and wounded have been preserved. Cap- tain Jones's estimate, which is probably nearly correct, put the loss of the English ship at about a hundred killed, and an equal number wounded. The sinking of the " Richard " left the " Serapis " crowded with wounded of both nations, prisoners, and the remnant of the crew of the sunken ship. No time was lost in getting the ship in navigable shape, and in clearing away the traces of the battle. The bodies of the dead were thrown overboard. The decks were scrubbed and sprinkled with hot vinegar. The sound of the hammer and the saw was heard on every hand, as the carpenters stopped the leaks, patched the deck, 54 STORY OF OUR NAVY and rigged new spars in place of those shattered by the " Richard's " fire. All three of the masts had gone by the board. Jury masts were rigged; and with small sails stretched on these the ship beat about the ocean, the plaything of the winds. Her consorts had left her. Landais, seeing no chance to rob Jones of the honor of the victory, had taken the " Alliance " to other waters. The " Pallas " had been victorious in her con- test with the " Countess of Scarborough "; and, as soon as the issue of the conflict between the " Bon Homme Richard " and the " Serapis " had become evident, she made off with her prize, intent upon gaining a friendly port. The " Richard," after ten days of drifting, finally ran into Texel, in the north of Holland. The next year was one of comparative inactivity for Jones. He enjoyed for a time the praise of all friends of the revolting colonies. He was the lion of Paris. Then came the investigation into the action of Landais at the time of the great battle. Though his course at that time was one of open treachery. Inspired by his wish to have Jones strilce to the " Serapis," that he might have the honor of capturing both ships, Landais escaped any punishment at the hands of his French compatriots. But he was relieved of the command of the " Alliance," which was given to Jones. Highly incensed at this action, the erratic Frenchman Incited the crew of the " Alliance " to open mutiny, and, tak- ing command of the ship himself, left France and sailed for America, leaving Commodore Jones In the lurch. On his arrival at Philadelphia, Landais strove to justify his action by blackening the character of Jones, but failed in this, and was dismissed the service. His actions should be regarded with some charity, for the man was doubtless of unsound mind. His insanity became even more evident after his dismissal from the navy; and from that time, until the time of his death, FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 55 his eccentricities made him generally regarded as one mentally unsound. Jones is the one great character in the naval history of the Revolution. He is the first heroic figure in ^| American naval annals. Not until years after his death did men begin to know him at his true worth. He was too often looked upon as a man of no patriotism, but wholly mercenary; courageous, but only with the daring of a pirate. Not until he had died a lonely death, estranged from the country he had so nobly served, did men come to know Paul Jones as a model naval officer, high-minded in his patriotism, pure in his life, elevated in his sentiments, and as courageous as a lion. CHAPTER V Britain's Great Naval Force — Biddle and Tucker — An Envoy in Battle — The Cruise of the " Raleigh " — The Taking of New Providence — The Work of Privateers and Colonial Cruisers — The " Alliance " and Captain Barry. In giving this continuous account of the services of John Paul Jones to the American Navy it has been necessary to depart somewhat from the strict order of time. Jones's work ended in 1780. Let us go back to 1777 and take up with that date the story of the war upon the ocean. In the main it was a sputtering warfare, made up of raids upon merchant shipping and battles between small vessels. Yet the effect of such a maritime campaign upon the enemy— particularly an enemy like Great Britain, whose merchant vessels crowded the seas — was not to be despised. It com- pelled the detachment from active service of scores of British war vessels to convoy the fleets of commerce. It ran up the rates of insurance, paralyzed trade, and caused widespread distress. Save for the efforts of Jones, who alone among American commanders oper- ated in European waters, there was little in this period, or indeed during the Revolution, greatly to elate the friends of the American Navy, except as we keep in view the great disparity between the two combatants. Accordingly, for the remainder of this survey of the work of the navy during the Revolution only the most notable actions, or the most picturesque incidents, will be considered. The year 1777 witnessed many notable naval events. Hostilities along the seaboard became more lively. New vessels were put into commission. England dis- .56 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 57 patched a larger naval armament to crush her rebellious colonies. The records of the admiralty show that at the beginning of that year Parliament voted to the navy forty-five thousand men — almost the exact number in our navy in 1909. The Americans were able to ar- ray against this huge force only some four thousand, scattered upon thirteen small vessels-of-war. Among the first vessels to get to sea was the " Ran- dolph," a new frigate commanded by Nicholas Biddle, which sailed from Philadelphia in February. Her cruise was luckless from start to fatal finish. A storm took out her masts; an attempted mutiny on the part of some forty British prisoners failed, but so disorgan- ized the crew that it was determined to put into Charles- ton to refit and get rid of the mutineers. But a few days were spent in port. Getting to sea again, the " Randolph " fell in with the " True Briton," a twenty-gun ship, flying the British colors. Though the captain of the " True Briton " had often boasted of what he would do should he encounter the " Ran- dolph," his courage then failed him, and he fled. The " Randolph " gave chase, and, proving to be a speedy ship, soon overhauled the prize, which struck without waiting for a volley. Three other vessels that had been cruising with the " True Briton " were also cap- tured, and with her rich prizes the " Randolph " re- turned proudly to Charleston. Here her usefulness ceased for a time; for a superior force of British men- of-war appeared off the harbor, and by them the " Ran- dolph " was blockaded for the remainder of the season. On the 7th of March, 1778, the lookouts on the smaller vessels saw a signal thrown out from the mast- head of the " Randolph," which announced a sail in sight. Chase was at once given; and by four o'clock she was near enough for the Americans to see that she was a large ship, and apparently a man-of-war. 58 STORY OF OUR NAVY About eight o'clock the stranger was near enough the squadron for them to make out that she was a heavy frigate. The EngHshman was not slow to suspect the char- acter of the vessels with which he had fallen in, and firing a shot across the bows of the " Moultrie," de- manded her name, " The ' Polly ' of New York," was the response. Leaving the " Moultrie " unmolested, the stranger ranged up alongside the " Randolph," and ordered her to show her colors. This Biddle promptly did; and as the American flag went fluttering to the fore, the ports of the " Randolph " were thrown open, and a broadside poured into the hull of the Englishman. The stranger was not slow in replying, and the action became hot and deadly. Captain Biddle was wounded in the thigh early in the battle. As he fell to the deck, his officers crowded about him, thinking that he was killed; but he encouraged them to return to their posts, and, ordering a chair to be placed on the quarter-deck, re- mained on deck, giving orders, and cheering on his men. It Is said that Captain Biddle was wounded by a shot from the " Moultrie," which flew wide of Its Intended mark. For twenty minutes the battle raged, and there was no sign of weakening on the part of either contestant. Suddenly the sound of the cannonade was deadened by a thunderous roar. The people on the other ships saw a huge column of fire and smoke rise where the " Randolph " had floated. The English vessel was thrown violently on her beam-ends. The sky was dark- ened with flying timbers and splinters, which fell heav- ily into the sea. The " Randolph " had blown up. A spark, a red-hot shot, some fiery object, had pene- trated her magazine, and she was annihilated. The disaster which destroyed the " Randolph " came FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 59 near being the end of the " Yarmouth," her antagonist. The two batthng ships were close together; so close, in fact, that after the explosion Captain Morgan of the " Fair American " hailed the " Yarmouth " to ask how Captain Biddle was. The English ship was fairly covered with bits of the flying wreck. Some heavy pieces of timber falling from the skies badly shattered her main-deck. An American ensign, closely rolled up, fell on her forecastle, not even singed by the fiery ordeal through which it had passed. So died Captain Nicholas Biddle, blown to atoms by the explosion of his ship in the midst of battle. Though but a young officer, not having completed his twenty-seventh year, he left an enduring name in the naval annals of his country. Though his service was short, the fame he won was great. Among the more notable commanders who did good service on the sea was Captain Samuel Tucker, who was put in command of the frigate " Boston " In the latter part of the year 1777. Tucker was an old and tried seaman, and is furthermore one of the most picturesque figures in the naval history of the Revolution. When the Revolution broke out, Samuel Tucker was In London. Being offered by a recruiting officer a com- mission in either the army or navy. If he would consent to serve " his gracious Majesty," Tucker very rashly responded, " Hang his gracious Majesty ! Do you think I would serve against my country?" Soon a hue and cry was out for Tucker. He was charged with treason, and fled Into the country to the house of a tavern-keeper whom he knew, who sheltered him until he could make his escape from England. Hardly had he arrived in America, when General Washington commissioned him captain of the " Frank- lin," and instructed him to proceed directly to sea. In the " Franklin " Captain Tucker did some most 6o STORY OF OUR NAVY efficient work. His name appears constantly in the letters of General Washington, and in the State papers making up the American archives, as having sent in valuable prizes. At one time we read of the capture of a " brigantine from Scotland, worth fifteen thousand pounds sterling"; again, of six gunboats, and of brigs laden with wine and fruit. During the year 1776, he took not less than thirty — and probably a few more — ships, brigs, and smaller vessels. Nor were all these vessels taken without some sharp fighting. Of one battle Tucker himself speaks in one of his letters. First telling how his wife made the colors for his ship, " the field of which was white, and the union was green, made of cloth of her own purchasing, and at her own expense," he goes on to write of one of his battles: Those colors I wore in honor of the country, — which has so nobly rewarded me for my past services, — and the love of their maker, until I fell in with Col. Archibald Campbell in the ship " George," and brig " Arabella," transports with about two hundred and eighty Highland troops on board, of Gen. Frazier's corps. About 10 p.m. a severe conflict ensued, which held about two hours and twenty minutes. I conquered them with great carnage on their side, it being in the night, and my small bark, about seventy tons burden, being very low in the water, I received no damage in loss of men, but lost a complete set of new sails by the passing of their balls ; then the white field and pine-tree union were riddled to atoms. I was then immediately supplied with a new suit of sails, and a new suit of colors, made of canvas and bunting of my own prize-goods. Another time, during the same year. Tucker took two British ships near Marblehead. So near was the scene of action to the house of Captain Tucker, that his wife and her sister, hearing the sound of cannonad- ing, ascended a high hill in the vicinity, and from that point viewed the action through a spy-glass. Captain Tucker kept the sea in the " Franklin " until late in the winter. When finally the cold weather FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 6i and high winds forced him to put his ship out of com- mission, he went to his home at Marblehead. He re- mained there but a short time; for in March, 1777, he was put in command of the " Boston," a frigate of twenty-four guns. In this vessel he cruised during the year with varying success. Early in February, 1778, Captain Tucker was or- dered to carry John Adams to France as United States Envoy. Impressed with the gravity of his charge he chose a course which he hoped would keep him clear of the horde of British cruisers then patrolling the American coast. But in so doing he fell in with a natural enemy, which came near proving fatal. A terrific thunderstorm, gradually growing into a tornado, crossed the path of the ship. The ocean was lashed into waves mountain high. The crash of the thunder rent the sky. A stroke of lightning struck the main- mast, and ripped up the deck, narrowly missing the magazine. The ship sprung a leak; and the grewsome sound of the pumps mingled with the roar of the waves, and the shrieking of the winds. For several days the stormy weather continued. Then followed a period of calm, which the captain well employed in repairing the rigging, and exercising the men with the guns and small arms. Many ships had been sighted, and some, evidently men-of-war, had given chase; but the "Bos- ton " succeeded in showing them all a clean pair of heels. " What would you do," said Mr. Adams one day, as he stood with the captain watching three ships that were making desperate efforts to overhaul the " Bos- ton," " if you could not escape, and they should attack you?" " As the first is far in advance of the others, I should carry her by boarding, leading the boarders myself," was the response. " I should take her; for no doubt 62 STORY OF OUR NAVY a majority of her crew, being pressed men, would turn to and join me. Having taken her, I should be matched, and could fight the other two." Such language as this coming from many men would be considered mere foolhardy boasting. But Tucker was a man not given to brag. Indeed, he was apt to be very laconic in speaking of his exploits. A short time after his escape from the three ships, he fell in with an English armed vessel of no small force, and captured her. His only comment on the action in his journal reads: " I fired a gun, and they returned three; and down went the colors." John Adams, however, told a more graphic story of this capture. Tucker, as soon as he saw an armed vessel in his path, hastily called his crew to order, and bore down upon her. When the roll of the drum, calling the people to quarters, resounded through the ship, Mr. Adams seized a musket, and took his stand with the marines. Captain Tucker, seeing him there, requested him to go below, and upon his desire being disregarded, put his hand upon the envoy's shoulder, and in a tone of authority said: " Mr. Adams, I am commanded by the Continental Congress to deliver you. safe in France, and you must go below." The envoy smilingly complied, and just at that mo- ment the enemy let fly her broadside. The shot flew through the rigging, doing but little damage. Though the guns of the " Boston " were shotted, and the gun- ners stood at their posts with smoking match-stocks. Captain Tucker gave no order to fire, but seemed intent upon the manoeuvres of the ships. The eager blue- jackets begun to murmur, and the chorus of questions and oaths was soon so great that the attention of Tucker was attracted. He looked at the row of eager faces on the gun-deck, and shouted out : 4v FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 63 " Hold on, my men ! I wish to save that egg with- out breaking the shell." Soon after, Tucker brought his broadside to bear on the stern of the enemy, and she struck without more ado. She proved to be an armed ship, the " Martha." After this encounter, nothing more of moment oc- curred on the voyage, and the " Boston " reached Bor- deaux, and landed her distinguished passenger in safety. Two months later she left Bordeaux, in company with a fleet of twenty sail, one of which was the " Ranger," formerly commanded by Paul Jones. With these ves- sels he cruised for a time in European waters, but re- turned to the American coast in the autumn. His services for the rest of that year, and the early part of 1779, we must pass over hastily, though many were the prizes that fell into his clutches. Many anecdotes are told of Tucker. His shrewd- ness, originality, and daring made him a favorite theme for story-tellers. But, unhappily, the anecdotes have generally no proof of their truth. One or two, how- ever, told by Captain Tucker's biographer, Mr. John H. Sheppard, will not be out of place here. In one the story is told that Tucker fell in with a British frigate which he knew to be sent in search of him. Showing the English flag, he sailed boldly to- wards the enemy, and in answer to her hail said he was Captain Gordon of the English navy, out in search of the " Boston," commanded by the rebel Tucker. " I'll carry him to New York, dead or alive," said Tucker. " Have you seen him? " was asked. "Well, I've heard of him," was the response; *' and they say he is a hard customer." All this time Tucker had been manoeuvring to secure a raking position. Behind the closed ports of the " Boston," the men stood at their guns, ready for the 64 STORY. OF OUR NAVY word of command. Just as the American had secured the position desired, a sailor in the tops of the British vessel cried out : " That Is surely Tucker; we shall have a devil of a smell directly." Hearing this, Tucker ordered the American flag hoisted, and the ports thrown open. Hailing his astonished foe, he cried : " The time I proposed talking with you Is ended. This Is the ' Boston,' frigate, 1 am Samuel Tucker, but no rebel. Fire, or strike your flag." The Englishman saw he had no alternative but to strike. This he did without firing a gun. The vessel, though not named in the anecdote, was probably the " Pole," of the capture of which Tucker frequently speaks in his letters. While the Yankee tars on river and harbor duty were thus getting their share of fighting, there was plenty of daring work being done on the high seas. One of the most Important cruises of the year was that of the " Raleigh " and the " Alfred." The " Raleigh " was one of the twelve-pounder frigates built under the naval Act of 1775. With her consort the "Alfred," she left the American coast In the summer of 1777, bound for France, in search of naval stores that were there awaiting transportation to the United States. Both vessels were short-handed. On the 2d of September the two vessels overhauled and captured the snow " Nancy," from England, bound for the West Indies. Her captain reported that he had sailed from the West Indies with a fleet of sixty merchantmen, under the convoy of four small men- of-war, the " Camel," the " Druid," the " Weasel," and the " Grasshopper." The poor sailing qualities of the " Nancy " had forced her to drop behind, and the fleet was then about a day In advance of her. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 65 Crowding on all canvas, the two American ships set out in hot pursuit. From the captain of the " Nancy," Captain Thompson of the " Raleigh " had obtained all the signals in use in the fleet of Indiamen. The next morning the fleet was made out; and the " Ra- leigh " and the " Alfred " exchanged signals, as though they were part of the convoy. They hung about the outskirts of the fleet until dark, planning, when the night should fall, to make a dash into the enemy's midst, and cut out the chief armed vessel. But at nightfall the wind changed, so that the plan of the Americans was defeated. At daylight, how- ever, the wind veered round and freshened, so that the " Raleigh," crowding on more sail, was soon in the very centre of the enemy's fleet. The " Alfred," un- fortunately, being unable to carry so great a spread of canvas, was left behind; and the " Raleigh " remained to carry out alone her daring adventure. The " Raleigh " boldly steered straight into the midst of the British merchantmen, exchanging signals I with some, and hailing others. Her ports were low- ered, and her guns on deck housed, so that there ap- peared about her nothing to indicate her true char- acter. Having cruised about amid the merchantmen, she drew up alongside the nearest man-of-war, and when within pistol-shot, suddenly ran up her flag, threw open her ports, and commanded the enemy to strike. All was confusion on board the British vessel. Her ofiicers had never for a moment suspected the " Ra- leigh " of being other than one of their own fleet. '^ While they stood aghast, not even keeping the vessel II on her course, the " Raleigh " poured in a broadside. The British responded faintly with a few guns. De- liberately the Americans let fly another broadside, which did great execution. The enemy were driven from their guns, but doggedly refused to strike, hold- 66 STORY OF OUR NAVY ing out, doubtless, in the hope that the cannonade might draw to their assistance some of the other armed ships accompanying the fleet. While the unequal combat was raging, a heavy squall came rushing over the water. The driving sheets of rain shut in the combatants, and only by the thunders of the cannonade could the other vessels tell that a battle was being fought in their midst. When the squall had passed by, the affrighted merchantmen were seen scudding in every direction, like a school of flying-fish into whose midst some rapa- cious shark or dolphin has intruded himself. But the three men-of-war, with several armed West-Indiamen in their wake, were fast bearing down upon the com- batants, with the obvious intention of rescuing their comrade, and punishing the audacious Yankee. The odds against Thompson were too great; and after staying by his adversary until the last possible moment, and pouring broadside after broadside into her, he abandoned the fight and rejoined the " Alfred." The two ships hung on the flanks of the fleet for some days, in the hopes of enticing two of the men-of-war out to join in battle. But all was to no avail, and the Americans were forced to content themselves with the scant glory won in the incomplete action of the " Raleigh." Her adversary proved to be the " Druid," twenty, which suffered severely from the " Raleigh's " repeated broadsides, having six killed and twenty-six wounded; of the wounded, five died immediately after the battle. As usual the year's operations were opened by an exploit of one of the smaller cruisers. This was the United States sloop-of-war " Providence," a trig little vessel, mounting only twelve four-pounders, and carry- ing a crew of but fifty men. But she was in command of a daring seaman. Captain Rathburne, and she opened FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 67 the year's hostilities with an exploit worthy of Paul Jones. Oft the southeastern coast of Florida, in that archi- pelago or collection of groups of islands known col- lectively as the West Indies, lies the small island of New Providence. Here in 1778 was a small British colony. The well-protected harbor, and the convenient location of the island, made it a favorite place for the rendezvous of British naval vessels. Indeed, it bid fair to become, what Nassau is to-day, the chief British naval station on the American coast. In 1778 the little seaport had a population of about one thousand people. With his little vessel, and her puny battery of four- pounders. Captain Rathburne determined to undertake the capture of New Providence. Only the highest daring, approaching even recklessness, could have con- ceived such a plan. The harbor was defended by a fort of no mean power. There was always one British armed vessel, and often more, lying at anchor under the guns of the fort. Two hundred of the people of the town were able-bodied men, able to bear arms. How, then, were the Yankees, with their puny force, to hope for success? This query Rathburne answered, " By dash and daring." It was about eleven o'clock on the night of the 27th of January, 1778, that the "Providence" cast anchor In a sheltered cove near the entrance to the harbor of New Providence. Twenty-five of her crew were put ashore, and being reinforced by a few American pris- oners kept upon the island, made a descent upon Fort Nassau from its landward side. The sentries dozing at their posts were easily overpowered, and the garri- son was aroused from its peaceful slumbers by the cheers of the Yankee blue-jackets as they came tumbling in over the ramparts. A rocket sent up from the fort 68 STORY OF OUR NAVY announced the victory to the " Providence," and she came in and cast anchor near the fort. When morning broke, the Americans saw a large sixteen-gun ship lying at anchor in the harbor, together with five sail that looked suspiciously like captured American merchantmen. The proceedings of the night had been quietly carried on, and the crew of the armed vessel had no reason to suspect that the condition of affairs on shore had been changed In any way during the night. But at daybreak a boat carrying four men put off from the shore, and made for the armed ship; and at the same time a flag was flung out from the flag- staff of the fort,— not the familiar scarlet flag of Great Britain, but the almost unknown Stars and Stripes of the United States. The sleepy sailors on the armed vessel rubbed their eyes; and while they were staring at the strange piece of bunting, there came a hail from a boat alongside, and an American officer clambered over the rail. He curtly told the captain of the privateer that the fort was In the hands of the Americans, and called upon him to surrender his vessel forthwith. Resistance was useless; for the heavy guns of Fort Nassau were trained upon the British ship, and could blow her out of the water. The visitor's arguments proved to be unan- swerable; and the captain of the privateer surrendered his vessel, which was taken possession of by the Amer- icans; while her crew of forty-five men was ordered Into confinement in the dungeons of the fort which had so lately held captive Americans. Other boarding par- ties were then sent to the other vessels In the harbor, which proved to be American craft, captured by the British sloop-of-war " Grayton." At sunrise the sleeping town showed signs of reviving life, and a party of the audacious Yankees marched down to the house of the governor. That functionary FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 69 was found in bed, and in profound ignorance of the events of the night. The Americans broke the news to him none too gently, and demanded the keys of the disused fortress on the opposite side of the harbor from Fort Nassau, For a time the governor was inclined to demur; but the determined attitude of the Americans soon persuaded him that he was a prisoner, though in his own house, and he delivered the keys. Thereupon the Americans marched through the streets of the city, around the harbor's edge to the fort, spiked the guns, and carrying with them the powder and small arms, marched back to Fort Nassau. But by this time it was ten o'clock, and the whole town was aroused. The streets were crowded with people eagerly discussing the invasion. The timid ones were busily packing up their goods to fly into the country; while the braver ones were hunting for weapons, and organizing for an attack upon the fort held by the Americans. Fearing an outbreak, Captain Rathburne sent out a flag of truce, making proclama- tion to all the inhabitants of New Providence, that the Americans would do no damage to the persons or property of the people of the island unless compelled so to do in self-defence. This pacified the more tem- perate of the inhabitants; but the hotheads, to the num- ber of about two hundred, assembled before Fort Nas- sau, and threatened to attack it. But, when they sum- moned Rathburne to surrender, that officer leaped upon the parapet, and coolly told the assailants to come on. " We can beat you back easily," said he. " And, by the Eternal, if you fire a gun at us, we'll turn the guns of the fort on your town, and lay it in ruins." This bold defiance disconcerted the enemy; and, after some consultation among themselves, they dispersed. About noon that day, the British sloop-of-war *' Grayton " made her appearance, and stood boldly into 70 STORY OF OUR NAVY the harbor where lay the " Providence." The United States colors were quickly hauled down from the fort flag-staff, and every means was taken to conceal the true state of affairs from the enemy. But the inhabi- tants along the waterside, by means of constant sig- nalling and shouting, at last aroused the suspicion of her officers; and she hastily put about, and scudded for the open sea. The guns at Fort Nassau opened on her as she passed, and the aim of the Yankee gun- ners was accurate enough to make the splinters fly. The exact damage done her has, however, never been ascertained. All that night the daring band of blue-jackets held the fort unmolested. But on the following morning the townspeople again plucked up courage, and to the number of five hundred marched to the fort, and plac- ing several pieces of artillery in battery, summoned the garrison to surrender. The flag of truce that bore the summons carried also the threat that, unless the Americans laid down their arms without resistance, the fort would be stormed, and all therein put to the sword without mercy. For answer to the summons, the Americans nailed their colors to the mast, and swore that while a man of them lived the fort should not be surrendered. By this bold defiance they so awed the enemy that the day passed without the expected assault; and at night the besiegers returned to their homes, without having fired a shot. All that night the Americans worked busily, trans- ferring to the " Providence " all the ammunition and stores in the fort; and the next morning the prizes were manned, the guns of the fort spiked, and the adven- turous Yankees set sail in triumph. For three days they had held possession of the island, though out- numbered tenfold by the inhabitants; they had cap- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 71 tured large quantities of ammunition and naval stores; they had freed their captured countrymen ; they had retaken from the British five captured American ves- sels, and in the whole affair they had lost not a single man. It was an achievement of which a force of triple the number might have been proud. But perhaps the greatest naval event of 1778 in American waters was the arrival of the fleet sent by France to co-operate with the American forces. Not that anything of importance was ever accomplished by this naval force : the French officers seemed to find their greatest satisfaction in manoeuvring, reconnoitring, and performing in the most exact and admirable man- ner all the preliminaries to a battle. Having done this, they would sail away, never firing a gun. The Yankees were prone to disregard the nice points of naval tactics. Their plan was to lay their ships along- side the enemy, and pound away until one side or the other had to yield or sink. But the French allies were strong on tactics, and somewhat weak in dash; and, as a result, there is not one actual combat in which they figured to be recorded. It was a noble fleet that France sent to the aid of the struggling Americans, — twelve ships-of-the-line and three frigates. What dashing Paul Jones would have done, had he ever enjoyed the command of such a fleet, almost passes imagination. Certain it is that he would have wasted little time in formal evolutions. But the fleet was commanded by Count d'Estaing, a French naval officer of honorable reputation. What he ac- complished during his first year's cruise in American waters, can be told in a few words. His intention was to trap Lord Howe's fleet in the Delaware, but he arrived too late. He then followed the British to New York, but was baffled there by the fact that his vessels were too heavy to cross the bar. Thence he 72 STORY OF OUR NAVY went to Newport, where the appearance of his fleet frightened the British into burning four of their frigates, and sinking two sloops-of-war. Lord Howe, hearing of this, plucked up courage, and, gathering together all his ships, sailed from New York to New- port, to give battle to the French. The two fleets were about equally matched. On the loth of August the enemies met in the open sea, off Newport. For two days they kept out of range of each other, manoeu- vring for the weather-gage; that is, the French fleet, being to windward of the British, strove to keep that position, while the British endeavored to take it from them. The third day a gale arose; and when it sub- sided the ships were so crippled, that, after exchanging a few harmless broadsides at long range, they with- drew, and the naval battle was ended. Such was the record of d'Estaing's magnificent fleet during 1778. Certainly the Americans had little to learn from the representatives of the power that had for years contended with England for the mastery of the seas. In observing the course of naval events in 1779, it is noticeable that the most effective work was done by the cruisers sent out by the individual States, or by privateers. The United States navy, proper, did little except what was done in European waters by Paul Jones. Indeed, along the American coast, a few cruises in which no actions of moment occurred, although several prizes were taken, make up the record of naval activity for the year. The first of these cruises was that made in April by the ships " Warren," " Queen of France," and " Ranger." They sailed from Boston, and were out but a few days when they captured a British privateer of fourteen guns. From one of the sailors on this craft it was learned that a large fleet of transports FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 73 and storeships had just sailed from New York, bound for Georgia. Crowding on all sail, the Americans set out in pursuit, and off Cape Henry overhauled the chase. Two fleets were sighted, one to windward num- bering nine sail, and one to leeward made up of ten sail. The pursuers chose the fleet to windward for their prey, and by sharp work succeeded in capturing seven vessels in eight hours. Two of the ships were armed cruisers of twenty-nine and sixteen guns respect- ively, and all the prizes were heavy laden with pro- visions, ammunition, and cavalry accoutrements. All were safely taken into port. In June, another fleet of United States vessels left Boston in search of British game. For a time the cruisers fell in with nothing of importance. But one day about the middle of July, as the three vessels lay hove to off the banks of Newfoundland, in the region of perpetual fog, the dull booming of a signal gun was heard. Nothing was to be seen on any side. From the quarter-deck, and from the cross-trees alike, the eager eyes of the officers and seamen strove in vain to penetrate the dense curtain of gray fog that shut them in. But again the signal gun sounded, then another; and tone and direction alike told that the two reports had not come from the same cannon. Then a bell was heard telling the hour, — another, still an- other; then a whole chorus of bells. Clearly a large fleet was shut in the fog. About eleven o'clock in the morning the fog lifted, and to their intense surprise the crew of the " Queen of France " found themselves close alongside of a large merchant-ship. As the fog cleared away more com- pletely, ships appeared on every side; and the astonished Yankees found themselves in the midst of a fleet of about one hundred and fifty sail under convoy of a British ship-of-the-line, and several frigates and sloops- 74 STORY OF OUR NAVY of-war. Luckily the United States vessels had no colors flying, and nothing about them to betray their nationality: so Captain Rathburn of the "Queen" determined to try a little masquerading. Bearing down upon the nearest merchantman, he hailed her; and the following conversation en- sued : "What fleet is this?" " British merchantmen from Jamaica, bound for London. Who are you? " " His Majesty's ship ' Arethusa,' " answered Rath- burn boldly, " from Halifax on cruise. Have you seen any Yankee privateers?" " Ay, ay, sir," was the response. " Several have been driven out of the fleet." " Come aboard the ' Arethusa,' then. I wish to consult with you." Soon a boat put off from the side of the merchant- man, and a jolly British sea-captain confidently clambered to the deck of the " Queen." Great was his astonishment to be told that he was a prisoner, and to see his boat's crew brought aboard, and their places taken by American jackies. Back went the boat to the British ship ; and soon the Americans were in con- trol of the craft, without in the least alarming the other vessels, that lay almost within hail. The " Queen " then made up to another ship, and captured her in the same manner. But at this juncture Commodore Whipple, in the " Providence," hailed the " Queen," and directed Rath- burn to edge out of the fleet before the British men- of-war should discover his true character. Rathburn protested vigorously, pointing out the two vessels he had captured, and urging Whipple to follow his ex- ample, and capture as many vessels as he could in the same manner. Finally Whipple overcame his fears, FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 75 and adopted Rathburn's methods, with such success that shortly after nightfall the Americans left the fleet, taking with them eleven rich prizes. Eight of these they succeeded in taking safe to Boston, where they were sold for more than a million dollars. The autumn and winter passed without any further exploits on the part of the navy. The number of the regular cruisers had been sadly diminished, and several were kept blockaded in home ports. Along the American coast the British cruisers fairly swarmed; and the only chance for the few Yankee ships afloat was to keep at sea as much as possible, and try to intercept the enemy's privateers, transports, and merchantmen, on their way across the ocean. One United States frigate, and that one a favorite ship in the navy, was ordered abroad in February, 178 1, and on her voyage did some brave work for her country. This vessel was the " Alliance," once under the treacherous command of the eccentric Landais, and since his dismissal commanded by Captain John Barry, of whose plucky fight in the " Raleigh " we have al- ready spoken. The " Alliance " sailed from Boston, carrying an army officer on a mission to France. She made the voyage without sighting an enemy. Having landed her passenger, she set out from I'Orient, with the " Lafayette," forty, in company. The two cruised together for three days, capturing two heavy privateers. They then parted, and the " Alliance " continued her cruise alone. On the 28th of May the lookout reported two sail in sight; and soon the strangers altered their course, and bore down directly upon the American frigate. It was late in the afternoon, and darkness set in before the strangers were near enough for their character to be made out. At dawn all eyes on the " Alliance " scanned the ocean in search of the two vessels, which 76 STORY OF OUR NAVY were then easily seen to be a sloop-of-war and a brig. Over each floated the British colors. A dead calm rested upon the waters. Canvas was spread on all the ships, but flapped idly against the yards. Not the slightest motion could be discerned, and none of the ships had steerage-way. The enemy had evidently determined to fight; for before the sun rose red and glowing from beneath the horizon, sweeps were seen protruding from the sides of the two ships, and they gradually began to lessen the distance be- tween them and the American frigate. Captain Barry had no desire to avoid the conflict; though in a calm, the lighter vessels, being manageable with sweeps, had greatly the advantage of the " Alliance," which could only lie like a log upon the water. Six hours of weary work with the sweeps passed before the enemy came near enough to hail. The usual questions and answers were followed by the roar of the cannon, and the action began. The prospects for the " Alliance " were dreary indeed; for the enemy took positions on the quarters of the helpless ship, and were able to pour In broad- sides, while she could respond only with a few of her aftermost guns. But, though the case looked hopeless, the Americans fought on, hoping that a wind might spring up, that would give the good ship " Alliance " at least a fighting chance. As Barry strode the quarter-deck, watching the prog- ress of the fight, encouraging his men, and looking out anxiously for indications of a wind, a grape-shot struck him in the shoulder, and felled him to the deck. He was on his feet again in an instant; and though weak- ened by the pain, and the rapid flow of blood from the wound, he remained on deck. At last, however, he became too weak to stand, and was carried below. At this moment a flying shot carried away the Amer- ican colors; and, as the fire of the "Alliance" was FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 77 stopped a moment for the loading of the guns, the enemy thought the victory won, and cheered lustily. But their triumph was of short duration; for a new ensign soon took the place of the vanished one, and the fire of the " Alliance " commenced again. The " Alliance " was now getting into sore straits. The fire of the enemy had told heavily upon her, and her fire in return had done but little visible damage. As Captain Barry lay on his berth, enfeebled by the pain of his wound, and waiting for the surgeon's atten- tion, a lieutenant entered. " The ship remains unmanageable, sir," said he. " The rigging is badly cut up, and there is danger that the fore-top-mast may go by the board. The enemy's fire is telling on the hull, and the carpenter reports two leaks. Eight or ten of the people are killed, and several officers wounded. Have we your consent to striking the colors? " " No, sir," roared out Barry, sitting bolt upright. " And, if this ship can't be fought without me, I will be carried on deck." The lieutenant returned with his report; and, when the story became known to the crew, the jackies cheered for their dauntless commander. " We'll stand by the old man, lads," said one of the petty officers. "Ay, ay, that we will! We'll stick to him right manfully," was the hearty response. But now affairs began to look more hopeful for the " Alliance." Far away a gentle rippling of the water rapidly approaching the ship gave promise of wind. The quick eye of an old boatswain caught sight of it. "A breeze, a breeze! " he cried; and the jackies took up the shout, and sprang to their stations at the ropes, ready to take advantage of the coming gust. Soon the breeze arrived, the idly flapping sails filled out, the 78 STORY OF OUR NAVY helmsman felt the responsive pressure of the water as he leaned upon the wheel, the gentle ripple of the water alongside gladdened the ears of the blue-jackets, the ship keeled over to leeward, then swung around re- sponsive to her helm, and the first effective broadside went crashing into the side of the nearest British vessel. After that, the conflict was short. Though the enemy had nearly beaten the " Alliance " in the calm, they were no match for her when she was able to manoeuvre. Their resistance was plucky; but when Captain Barry came on deck, with his wound dressed, he was just in time to see the flags of both vessels come fluttering to the deck. The two prizes proved to be the " Atlanta " sixteen, and the " Trepassy," fourteen. Both were badly cut up, and together had suffered a loss of forty-one men in killed and wounded. On the " Alliance " were eleven dead, and twenty-one wounded. Once more before the cessation of hostilities between Great Britain and the United States threw her out of commission did the " Alliance " exchange shots with a hostile man-of-war. It was in 1782, when the noble frigate was engaged in bringing specie from the West Indies. She had under convoy a vessel loaded with supplies, and the two had hardly left Havana when some of the enemy's ships caught sight of them, and gave chase. While the chase was in progress, a fifty- gun ship hove in sight, and was soon made out to be a French frigate. Feeling that he had an ally at hand, Barry now wore ship, and attacked the leading vessel, and a spirited action followed, until the enemy, finding himself hard pressed, signalled for his consorts, and Barry, seeing that the French ship made no sign of coming to his aid, drew off. Irritated by the failure of the French frigate to come to his assistance, Barry bore down upon her and hailed. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 79 The French captain declared that the manoeuvres of the " AHiance " and her antagonist had made him suspect that the engagement was only a trick to draw him into the power of the British fleet. He had feared that the " Alliance " had been captured, and was being used as a decoy; but now that the matter was made clear to him, he would join the " Alliance " in pursuit of the enemy. This he did; but Barry soon found that the fifty was so slow a sailer, that the " Alliance " might catch up with the British fleet, and be knocked to pieces by their guns, before the Frenchman could get within range. Accordingly he abandoned the chase in disgust, and renewed his homeward course. Some years later, an American gentleman travelling in Europe met the British naval officer who commanded the frigate which Barry had engaged. This officer, then a vice-admiral, declared that he had never before seen a ship so ably fought as was the " Alliance," and acknowledged that the presence of his consorts alone saved him a drubbing. This engagement was the last fought by the " Al- liance " during the Revolution, and with it we practi- cally complete our narrative of the work of the regular navy during that war. One slight disaster to the American cause alone remains to be mentioned. The " Confederacy," a thirty-two-gun frigate built in 1778, was captured by the enemy in 178 1. She was an unlucky ship, having been totally dismasted on her first cruise, and captured by an overwhelming force on her second. Though this chapter completes the story of the regu- lar navy during the Revolution, there remain many important naval events to be described in an ensuing chapter. The work of the ships fitted out by Con- gress was aided greatly by the armed cruisers furnished by individual States, and privateers. Some of the 8o STORY OF OUR NAVY exploits of these crafts and some desultory maritime hostilities we shall describe in the next chapter. And if the story of the United States navy, as told in these few chapters, seems a record of events trivial as com- pared with the gigantic naval struggles of i8i2 and 1 86 1, it must be remembered that not only were naval architecture and ordnance in their infancy in 1776, but that the country was young, and its sailors unused to the ways of war. But that country, young as it was, produced Paul Jones; and It is to be questioned whether any naval war since has brought forth a braver or nobler naval officer, or one more skilled in the handling of a single ship-of-war. CHAPTER VI 1 Work of the Privateers — The " General Hancock " and the " Levant " — Exploit of the " Pickering " — Raiding Nova Scotia — "Congress" and "Savage" — " Hyder Ali " and "General Monk." To chronicle in full the myriad exploits and experiences of the privateers and armed cruisers in the service of individual States during the Revolution, would require a volume thrice the size of this. Moreover, it is diffi- cult and well-nigh impossible to obtain authentic in- formation regarding the movements of this class of armed craft. An immense number of anecdotes of their prowess is current, and some few such narratives will be repeated in this chapter; but, as a rule, they are based only upon tradition, or the imperfect and often incorrect reports in the newspapers of the day. The loss inflicted upon Great Britain by the activity of American privateers was colossal. For the first year of the war the Continental Congress was unwilling to take so belligerent a step as to encourage privateering; but, in the summer of 1776, the issuing of letters of marque and reprisal was begun, and in a short time all New England had gone to privateering. The ocean fairly swarmed with trim Yankee schooners and brigs, and in the two years that followed nearly eight hundred merchantmen were taken. Discipline on the privateers was lax, and the profits of a successful cruise were enormous. Often a new, speedy craft paid her whole cost of construction on her first cruise. The sailors fairly revelled in money at the close of such a cruise; and, like true jack-tars, they made their money fly as soon as they got ashore. A few days would generally suffice to squander all the 82 STORY OF OUR NAVY earnings of a two-months' cruise; and, penniless but happy, Jack would ship for another bout with fortune. A volume could be written dealing with the exploits of the privateers, but for our purpose a few instances of their dash and spirit will be enough. Though the purpose of the privateers was purely mercenary, their chief end and aim being to capture defenceless merchant- men, yet they were always ready to fight when fight- ing was necessary, and more than once made a good showing against stronger and better disciplined naval forces. In many cases audacity and dash more than made up for the lack of strength. In 1777 two American privateers hung about the British Isles, making captures, and sending their prizes Into French ports. The exploits of Paul Jones were equalled by these irregular cruisers. One of them, being in need of provisions, put Into the little Irish port of Beerhaven, and lay at anchor for ten hours, while her crew scoured the town in search of the needed stores. A second privateer boldly entered a harbor on the Island of Guernsey. A castle at the entrance of the harbor opened fire upon her, whereupon she came about, and, keeping out of range of the castle guns, captured a large brig that was making for the port. When night fell, the privateer sent a boat's crew ashore, and took captive two officers of the local militia. In 1778 occurred an action between a private armed ship and a British frigate. In which the privateer was signally successful. On the 19th of September of that year, the " General Hancock," a stout-built, well-armed and manned privateer, fell in with the " Levant," a British frigate of thirty-two guns. The " Hancock " made no attempt to avoid a conflict, and opened with a broadside without answering the enemy's hail. The action was stubbornly contested upon both sides. After FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 83 an hour of fighting, the captain of the Yankee ship, peering through the smoke, saw that the colors no longer waved above his adversary. " Have you struck? " he shouted. " No. Fire away," came the response faintly through the roar of the cannon. Two hours longer the combat raged, with the ships lying yard-arm to yard-arm. A ball struck Captain Hardy of the " Han- cock " in the neck, and he was carried below, while the first lieutenant took command of the ship. A few minutes later there arose a deafening roar and blinding flash; a terrific shock threw the men on the American ship to the deck. Stifling smoke darkened the atmos- phere; and pieces of timber, cordage, and even hor- ribly torn bits of human flesh began to fall upon the decks. When the smoke cleared away, the Americans looked eagerly for their enemy. Where she had floated a minute or two before, was now a shattered, blackened hulk fast sinking beneath the waves. The surface of the sea for yards around was strewn with wreckage, and here and there men could be seen struggling for life. As ready to save life as they had been to destroy it, the Americans lowered their boats and pulled about, picking up the survivors of the explosion. The boat- swain of the ill-fated ship and seventeen of the crew were thus saved, but more than fourscore brave fellows went down with her. The American vessel herself was damaged not a little by the violence of the ex- plosion. This was not the only case during this year in which a British man-of-war met defeat at the guns of a Yankee privateer. The " Hinchinbrooke," sloop-of- war fourteen; the "York," tender twelve; and the " Enterprise," ten guns, — all struck their colors to private armed vessels flying the Stars and Stripes. By 1778 the privateers under the British flag were 84 STORY OF OUR NAVY afloat in no small number. America had no commerce on which they might prey, and they looked forward only to recapturing those British vessels that had been taken by Yankee privateers and sent homeward. That so many British vessels should have found profitable employment in this pursuit is in itself a speaking tribute to the activity of the American private armed navy. During the Revolution, as during the second war with Great Britain in 1812, Salem, Mass., and Balti- more, Md., were the principal points from which priva- teers hailed. In all the early wars of the United States, the term " Salem privateer " carried with it a picture of a fleet schooner, manned with a picked crew of able seamen, commanded by a lanky Yankee skipper who knew the byways of old ocean as well as the high- ways of trade, armed with eight, four, or six pounders, and a heavy " Long Tom " amidships. Scores of such craft sailed from Salem during the Revolution; and hardly a week passed without two or three returning privateers entering the little port and discharging their crews to keep the little village in a turmoil until their prize money was spent, or, to use the sailors' phrase, until " no shot was left in the locker." One of the most successful of the Salem privateers was the " Pickering," a craft carrying a battery of six- teen guns, and a crew of forty-seven men. On one cruise she fought an engagement of an hour and a half with a British cutter of twenty guns; and so roughly did she handle the enemy, that he was glad to sheer off. A day or two later, the " Pickering " overhauled the " Golden Eagle," a large schooner of twenty-two guns and fifty-seven men. The action which followed was ended by the schooner striking her flag. A prize crew was then put aboard the " Golden Eagle," and she was ordered to follow in the wake of her captor. Three days later the British sloop-of-war " Achilles " FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 85 hove in sight, and gave chase to the privateer and her prize. After a fifteen hours' chase the prize was over- hauled; and the sloop-of-war, after taking possession of her, continued in pursuit of the privateer. But while the privateersmen had preferred flight to fighting while nothing was at stake, they did not propose to let their prize be taken from them without a resistance, however great the odds against them. Accordingly they permitted the " Achilles " to overhaul them, and a sharp action followed. The British tried to force the combat by boarding; but the Americans, with pikes and cutlasses, drove them back to their own ship. Then the two vessels separated, and during the rest of the conflict came no nearer each other than the length of a pistol-shot. At this distance they carried on a spirited cannonade for upwards of three hours, when the " Achilles," concluding that she had had enough, sheered off. Thereupon, the " Pickering " coolly ran back to her late prize, took possession of her, captured the lieutenant and prize crew that the " Achilles " had put in charge of her, and continued her cruise. A good example of the Baltimore privateers was the " Revenge," mounting eighteen guns, with a crew of fifty men. In 1780 this vessel was commanded by Captain Alexander Murray of the regular navy. She was engaged by a large number of Baltimore merchants to convoy a fleet of merchantmen, but had hardly started to sea with her charges when she fell in with a fleet of British vessels, anci was forced to retreat up the Patuxent River. While there, the American fleet was strengthened by several privateers and armed merchant-vessels which joined it, so that it was felt safe to try again to get to sea. Accordingly the at- tempt was made; but, though the captains of the fleet had signed a solemn compact to stand together in case of danger, the sudden appearance of a fleet of hostile 86 STORY OF OUR NAVY armed vessels sent all scurrying up the Patuxent again, except one brig and a schooner. The British fleet consisted of a ship of eighteen guns, a brig of sixteen, and three privateer schooners. Leaving the schooners to his two faithful consorts, Murray' threw himself between the two larger vessels and the flying merchantmen. Seeing themselves thus balked of their prey, the enemy turned fiercely upon the " Revenge," but were met with so spirited a resistance, that they hauled off after an hour's fighting. The other Amer- ican vessels behaved equally well, and the discomfiture of the British was complete, Philadelphia, though not looked upon as a centre of privateering activity, furnished one privateer that made a notable record. This was the " Holkar," sixteen guns. In April, 1780, she captured a British schooner of ten guns; and in May of the same year she fought a desperate action with a British privateer brig, the name of which has never been ascertained. Twice the Briton sheered off to escape the telling fire of the American; but the " Holkar" pressed him closely, and only the appearance of a second British armed vessel at the scene of the action saved the Englishman from capture. This battle was one of the most sanguinary ever fought by private armed vessels; for of the crew of the " Holkar " six were killed and sixteen wounded, including the captain and first lieutenant, while of the enemy there were about the same number killed and twenty wounded. Three months later this same priva- teer fell in with the British sixteen-gun cutter " Hypo- crite," and captured her after a sharp conflict. Perhaps the most audacious privateering exploit was that of the privateers " Hero," " Hope," and " Swal- low," in July, 1782. The captains of these craft, meet- ing after an unprofitable season upon the high seas, con- ceived the idea of making a descent upon the Nova FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 87 Scotian town of Lunenberg, some thirty-five miles from Halifax. Little time was wasted in discussion. Priva- teers are not hampered by official red tape. So it happened that early In the month the three privateers appeared off the harbor of the threatened town, having landed a shore party of ninety men. Before the in- vaders the inhabitants retreated rapidly, making some slight resistance. Two block-houses, garrisoned by British regulars, guarded the town. One of these fortresses the Americans burned, whereupon the British established themselves in the second, and prepared to stand a siege. Luckily for the Americans, the block- house was within range of the harbor; so that the three privateers took advantageous positions, and fired a few rounds of solid shot into the enemy's wooden cita- del. The besieged then made haste to raise the white flag, and surrendered themselves prisoners-of-war. When the Yankee ships left the harbor, they took with them a large quantity of merchandise and provisions, and a thousand pounds sterling by way of ransom. One more conflict, In which the Irregular naval forces' of the United States did credit to themselves, must be described before dismissing the subject of privateering. In September, 1781, the British sloop-of-war "Sav- age " was cruising off the southern coast of the United States. Her officers and men were in a particularly good humor, and felt a lively sense of self-satisfaction; for they had just ascended the Potomac, and plundered General Washington's estate, — an exploit which would make them heroes In the eyes of their admiring country- men. Off Charleston the " Savage " encountered the Amer- ican privateer " Congress," of about the same strength as herself, — twenty guns and one hundred and fifty men. In one respect the " Congress " was the weaker; for her crew was composed largely of landsmen, and 88 STORY OF OUR NAVY her marines were a company of militia, most of whom were sadly afflicted with seasickness. Nevertheless, the Yankee craft rushed boldly into action, opening fire with her bow-chasers as soon as she came within range. Like two savage bulldogs, the two ships rushed at each other, disdaining all manoeuvring, and seemingly intent only upon locking in a deadly struggle, yard-arm to yard-arm. At first the " Savage " won a slight ad- vantage. Swinging across the bow of the " Congress," she raked her enemy twice. But soon the two ships lay side by side, and the thunder of the cannon was constant. The militia-marines on the " Congress " did good service. Stationed in the tops, on the forecastle, the quarter-deck, and every elevated place on the ship, they poured down upon the deck of the enemy a mur- derous fire. The jackies at the great guns poured in broadsides so well directed that soon the " Savage " had not a rope left with which to manage the sails. Her quarter-deck was cleared, and not a man was to be seen to serve as a mark for the American gunners. So near lay the two vessels to each other, that the fire from the guns scorched the gunners on the oppo- site ship. The antagonists were inextricably entangled; for the mizzen-mast of the " Savage " had been shot away, and had fallen into the after-rigging of the " Congress." There was no flight for the weaker ves- sel. When she could no longer fight, surrender was her only recourse. Neither vessel showed any colors, for both ensigns had been shot away early in the action. Accordingly, when the boatswain of the " Savage " was seen upon the forecastle wildly waving his arms, it was taken as an evidence of surrender; and the fire slack- ened until his voice could be heard. "Give us quarter," he cried hoarsely; "we are a wreck, and strike our flag." The firing then ceased; but, when the lieutenant of FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 89 the " Congress " ordered a boat lowered in which to board the prize, the old boatswain came back with the report : " Boats all knocked to pieces, sir. Couldn't find one that would float." Accordingly the two vessels had to be slowly drawn together, and the boarding party reached the deck of the prize by clambering over a spar which served as a bridge. When they reached the prize, they found her decks covered with dead and wounded men. The slaughter had been terrible. Twenty-three men were killed, and thirty-one wounded. On the " Congress " were thirty, killed and wounded together. One of the wounded Americans was found lying with his back braced against the foot of the bowsprit, cheering for the victory, and crying : *' If they have broken my legs, my hands and heart are still whole." Throughout this sanguinary action both parties showed the greatest courage and determination. Two vessels of the two most perfectly organized regular navies in the world could not have been better handled, nor could they have more stubbornly contested for the victory. A class of armed vessels outside the limits of the regular navy, but very active and efficient in the service of the country, was the maritime forces of the Indi- vidual States. Before Congress had seen the necessity for a naval force, several of the colonies had been alive to the situation, and fitted out cruisers of their own. Even after the Revolution had developed into a war of the first magnitude, and after the colonies had assumed the title of States, and delegated to Congress the duty of providing for the common defence, they still continued to fit out their own men-of-war to protect their ports and act as convoys for their merchant fleets. Though 90 STORY OF OUR NAVY vessels in this service seldom cruised far from the coast of their home colony, yet occasionally they met the vessels of the enemy, and many sharp actions were fought by them. Of all the actions fought by the State cruisers, the most hotly contested was that between the Pennsyl- vania cruiser " Hyder Ali," and the British sloop-of- war "General Monk." The "Hyder Ali" was a merchantman, bought by the State just as she was about departing on a voyage to the West Indies. She was "in no way calculated for a man-of-war; but the need was pressing, and she was pierced for eight ports on a side, and provided with a battery of six-pounders. The command of this vessel was given to Joshua Bar- ney, a young officer with an extensive experience of Yankee privateers and British prisons. Barney's instructions were, not to go to sea, but to patrol the Delaware River and Bay, and see that no privateer lay in wait for the merchant-vessels that cleared from the port of Philadelphia. In April, 1782, the " Hyder Ali " stood down Delaware Bay at the head of a large fleet of outward-bound merchantmen. When Cape May was reached, strong head-winds sprang up, and the whole fleet anchored to await more favorable weather before putting out to sea. While they lay at anchor, the " Hyder Ali " sighted a trio of British vessels, two ships and a brig, rounding the cape. Instantly Barney signalled his convoy to trip anchor and retreat, a signal which was promptly obeyed by all save one too daring craft, that tried to slip round the cape, and get to sea, but fell into the hands of the enemy. Soon the whole fleet, with the " Hyder Ali " bringing up the rear, fled up the bay. The British followed in hot pursuit. At a point half-way up the bay the pursuers parted; one of the ships, a frigate, cutting through a side chan- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 91 nel in the hope of intercepting the fugitives. The other two pursuers, a privateer brig and a sloop-of- war, continued in the wake of the " Hyder AH." The brig proved herself a clipper, and soon came up with the American vessel, which promptly offered battle. The challenge was declined by the privateer, which fired a harmless broadside, and continued on up the bay. Barney let her pass, for he had determined to risk the dangers of an unequal combat with the sloop-of-war. This vessel came up rapidly; and as she drew near Barney luffed up suddenly, and let fly a broadside. This somewhat staggered the enemy, who had expected only a tame surrender; but she quickly recovered, and came boldly on. At this juncture Barney turned to his helmsman, and said: " Now, when I give the word, pay no attention to my order, but put the helm hard-a-starboard. Pay no heed to the actual command I may give you." The British vessel was then within half pistol-shot, and her forward guns were beginning to bear. From his station on the quarter-deck Barney shouted to his steersman in stentorian tones : " Port your helm. Hard-a-port." The order was clearly heard on board the enemy, and he prepared to manoeuvre his ship accordingly. But the steersman of the " Hyder Ali " remembered his instructions; and before the enemy discovered the ruse, the American ship lay athwart the other's bow, and the bowsprit of the enemy was caught in the " Hyder Ali's " rigging, giving the latter a raking posi- tion. Quickly the Yankee gunners seized the oppor- tunity. Not five miles away was a British frigate ready to rush to the assistance of her consort, and whatever was to be done by the bold lads of Pennsylvania had to be done with expedition. No cheer rose from their ranks; but with grim determination they worked at 92 STORY OF OUR NAVY the great guns, pouring in rapid and effective broad- sides. The explosions of the two batteries were like the deafening peals of thunder echoed and re-echoed in some mountain-gorge. Smoke hid the vessels from sight, and the riflemen in the tops could only occa- sionally catch sight of the figures of the enemy. The enemy had twenty guns to Barney's sixteen; but he was outmanoeuvred at the start, and this disadvantage he never overcame. Half an hour from the time of the opening of the battle, his flag was struck, and the Americans, with lusty cheers, took possession of their prize. There was no time for ceremony. The frigate had seen the conflict from afar, and was bearing down upon the two antagonists. So without even asking the name of the captured vessel, Barney hastily threw a prize crew aboard, ordered her to proceed to Philadel- phia, and himself remained behind to cover the retreat. Some hours later, having escaped the British frigate, the two vessels sailed up to a Philadelphia wharf. The scars of battle had been in no way healed: the tattered sails, the shattered hulls and bulwarks, the cordage hanging loosely from the masts, told the story of battle. The crowd that rushed to the wharf, and peered curi- ously about the decks of the two vessels, saw a ghastly and horrible sight. For the battle had been as san- guinary as it was spirited, and the dead still lay where they fell. On the British vessel, the " General Monk," lay the lifeless bodies of twenty men; while twenty-six wounded, whose blood stained the deck, lay groaning in the cockpit below. On the " Hyder Ali " were four killed and eleven wounded. This action, for steadiness and brilliancy, was not surpassed by any naval duel of the war of the Revolu- tion. By it the name of Joshua Barney was put upon a plane with those of the most eminent commanders in the regular navy; and had not the war speedily ter- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 93 minated, he would have been granted a commission and a ship by the United States. While the chief naval events of the war for independ- ence have now been recounted, there still remain cer- tain incidents connected more or less closely with the war on the water, which deserve a passing mention. One of these is the curious desultory warfare carried on in and about New York Harbor by fishermen and longshoremen in whale-boats, dories, sharpies, and simi- lar small craft. From 1776 until the close of the war. New York City and the region bordering upon the harbor were occupied by the British. Provisions were needed for their support, and were brought from Connecticut and New Jersey in small sailing craft, chiefly whale-boats. These boats the patriots often intercepted, and des- perate encounters upon the water were frequent. Nor did the Yankee boatmen confine their attacks to the provision boats alone. In the summer of 1775 the British transport " Blue Mountain Valley " was cap- tured by a band of hardy Jerseymen, who concealed themselves in the holds of four small sail-boats until fairly alongside the enemy's vessel, when they swarmed out and drove the British from the dock of their vessel. No narrative of the events of the Revolution would be complete without some description of the floating prison-houses in which the British immured the hapless soldiers and sailors who fell into their hands. Of these the chief one was a dismasted hulk known as the " Old Jersey " prison-ship, and moored in Wallabout bay near New York City. No pen can adequately describe the horrors of this prison; but some extracts from the published recollections of men once imprisoned in her noisome hold will give some idea of the miserable fate of those condemned to be imprisoned on her. Thomas Andros, a sailor taken by the British with 94 STORY OF OUR NAVY the privateer *' Fair American," writes of the " Old Jersey " : This was an old sixty-four-gun ship, which, through age, had become unfit for further actual service. She was stripped of every spar and all her rigging. After a battle with a French fleet, her lion figure-head was taken away to repair another ship. No appearance of ornament was left, and nothing remained but an old unsightly rotten hulk; and doubtless no other ship in the British navy ever proved the means of the destruction of so many human beings. It is computed that no less than eleven thousand American seamen perished in her. When I first became an inmate of this abode of suffering, despair, and death, there were about four hundred prisoners on board ; but in a short time they amounted to twelve hundred. In a short time we had two hundred or more sick and dying lodged in the forepart of the lower gun-deck, where all the prisoners were confined at night. Utter derangement was a common symptom of yellow-fever ; and to increase the horror of the darkness that surrounded us (for we were allowed no light between decks), the voice of warning, would be heard, " Take heed to yourselves. There is a madman stalking through the ship with a knife in his hand." I sometimes found the man a corpse in the morning, by whose side I laid myself down at night. In the morning the hatchways were thrown open ; and we were allowed to ascend to the upper deck all at once, and remain on the upper deck all day. But the first object that met our view in the morning was an appalling spectacle, — a boat loaded with dead bodies, conveying them to the Long Island shore, where they were very slightly covered. Ebenezer Fox, another privateersman, has left his recollections of this dreadful prison. His description of the food upon which the unhappy prisoners were forced to subsist is interesting: Our bill of fare was as follows: on Sunday, one pound of biscuit, one pound of pork, and half a pint of pease ; Monday, one pound of biscuit, one pint of oatmeal, and two ounces of butter; Tuesday, one pound of biscuit, and two pounds of salt beef; Wednesday, one and a half pounds of flour, and two ounces of suet; Thursday was a repetition of Sunday's fare; Friday, of Monday's; and Saturday, of Tuesday's. If this food had been of good quality and properly cooked, as we had no labor to perform, it would have kept us comfortable, at least from suffering; but this was not the case. All our food FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 95 appeared to be damaged. As for the pork, we were cheated out of it more than half the time; and when it was obtained, one would have judged from its motley hues, exhibiting the consistence and appearance of variegated fancy soap, that it was the flesh of the porpoise or sea-hog, and had been an inhabitant of the ocean rather than of the stye. The pease were generally damaged, and, from the imperfect manner in which they were cooked, were about as indigestible as grape-shot. The butter the reader will not suppose was the real " Goshen ; " and had it not been for its adhesive properties to hold together the particles of the biscuit, that had been so riddled by the worms as to lose all their attraction of cohesion, we should have considered it no desirable addition to our viands. With this chapter ends the narrative of the naval events of the war of the Revokition. It was not a great naval war, for the belligerent nations were not sufficiently well matched in naval strength. But it brought forth Paul Jones and more than one other brave and able commander. It established a new flag upon the seas, a flag that has ever since held an honor- able position among the insignia of the foremost nations of the earth. And in the war of the Revolution, as in every war in which the United States has taken part since, there was manifested the wonderful ability of the American people to rush into a conflict half-pre- pared, and gain daily in strength until the cause for which they fight is won. In 1776 that cause was lib- erty, and In Its behalf none fought more bravely than the lads who wore the blue jackets of the American navy. CHAPTER VII The Barbary Corsairs — America Finally Resists Piracy — Bainbridge and the " Philadelphia " — Decatur's Daring Exploit — An Attack on the Tripolitan Gunboats — The Fireship at Tripoli. It is a curious fact that after every war, except the recent one with Spain, the navy of the United States has been allowed to languish almost to the point of extinction. Particularly was this true when the Revolu- tion ended. For years thereafter the victorious colonies were loosely bound together in the futile Confederation which was without power to build or even maintain a navy. When the Constitution was adopted, and the United States of America came into being, George Washington in his first message urged the creation of a navy, but Congress permitted the recommendation to go unheeded. The nation was at peace with the world, and that maxim, now hackneyed, " In time of peace prepare for war," was then little observed. Yet there was reason enough for a fleet. Even under the Confederacy American merchant-vessels were mul- tiplying on the seas, flying the Stars and Stripes, which gave them no protection whatsoever. Along the Medi- terranean shore of Africa were ranged the piratical Barbary powers — Tripoli, Algiers, Tunis, Morocco — supported mainly by preying upon the peaceful com- merce of other nations. In 1785 several American vessels were captured and their people sold into slavery. Had this condition persisted until the organization of the Union, President Washington's recommendations might have been heeded, but about that time war broke out between Portugal and Algiers. The former block- aded the Straits of Gibraltar, so that the corsairs could 96 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 97 not escape, and for the time the commerce of the world was secure. But in 1793 peace was declared between the warring powers and the corsairs swarmed forth again. Amer- ican ships fell fast into their clutches. Two hundred American seamen were made slaves. Congress awoke. The frames of two frigates were laid down. And then — a treaty between the United States and the Dey of Algiers. And such a treaty ! It agreed to pay annual tribute for the right to navigate the high seas. Under it in all more than a million dollars was paid- enough in those days to build at least three war-vessels. Moreover, when once the tribute fell into arrears, the obsequious government presented the royal corsair with a fully equipped frigate to allay his wrath. Out of this tribute sprung some picturesque and mor- tifying incidents. Here is one: In May, 1800, it fell to the lot of Captain William Bainbridge, commanding the frigate " George Wash- ington," to carry the annual tribute to Algiers. On arriving there he was treated with contempt by the Dey, who demanded that he put the " Washington " at the service of Algiers, to carry her ambassador to Constantinople. " You pay me tribute, by which you become my slaves," said the Dey; "I have therefore a right to order you as I may think proper." Bain- bridge protested, but to no avail. He had anchored his frigate under the guns of the Dey's castle, and to disobey meant capture and slavery. Accordingly he complied, but dispatched a letter to the authorities at home saying: "I hope I may never again be sent to Algiers with tribute, unless I am authorized to de- liver it from the mouth of our cannon." Of course the other states of the Barbary Coast hungered for their share of the spoils. But in 1801 the patience of the United States was exhausted, and 98 STORY OF OUR NAVY a small fleet was dispatched to the Mediterranean to awe the pirates. Even then the orders were to avoid battle and to take no prizes. But this order was over- ruled in letter if not in spirit by Captain Sterrett of the little schooner " Enterprise," who, being fired upon by a Tripolitan ship, responded fiercely and forced her to strike. He could not take her as a prize, so dis- mantled her, threw cannon, small arms, and cutlasses into the sea, and sent her home with this message : Go tell the Bashaw of Tripoli, and the people of your country that in future they may expect only a tribute of powder and ball from the sailors of the United States. This was the one action in which any of the vessels of the first United States fleet sent to the Barbary Coast engaged. The lesson was not suflicient. Amer- ican white slaves were still bought and sold in the markets of Tripoli and Algiers, and an historian writ- ing in 1795 applauds the United States government for its humanity in providing each of these with a suit of clothes yearly. But the leaven of national pride, the sense of national honor in the young Union was gradually working, and in 1802 a true expedition of war was sent to the Mediterranean. The vessels were the " Chesapeake," thirty-eight; " Constellation," thirty-eight; "New York," thirty-six; "John Adams," twenty-eight; "Adams," twenty-eight; and "Enter- prise," twelve. All were under command of Com- modore Morris, who was later recalled and Commo- dore Preble commissioned in his place. Five more vessels accompanied him. For the first year the service of this fleet was moral rather than militant. There were merchant prizes taken, blockades maintained, and a daring descent made upon the shipping in the port of Tripoli by Lieutenant David D. Porter, first of a famous naval family. But HEROISM OF REUBEN JAMES (From a print of the time) FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 99 for the two great events of the war with the Barbary powers we must look to the ensuing year. It was in October that the " Philadelphia," a ship of thirty-eight guns, under command of Captain Bain- bridge, was blockading the harbor of Tripoli, and in chasing a merchantman ran aground directly under the guns at the fortress. The Americans were then in a most dangerous pre- dicament. The sound of the firing had drawn a swarm of gunboats out of the harbor of Tripoli, and they were fast bearing down upon the helpless frigate. Every possible expedient was tried for the release of the ship, but to no avail. At last the gunboats, dis- covering her helpless condition, crowded so thick about her that there was no course open but to strike. And so, after flooding the magazine, throwing overboard all the small arms, and knocking holes in the bottom of the ship, Bainbridge reluctantly surrendered. Hardly had the flag touched the deck, when the gun- boats were alongside. If the Americans expected civil- ized treatment, they were sadly mistaken, for an un- disciplined rabble came swarming over the taffrail. Lockers and chests were broken open, store-rooms ran- sacked, officers and men stripped of all the articles of finery they were wearing. It was a scene of unbridled pillage, in which the TripoJitan officers were as active as their men. An officer being held fast in the grasp of two of the Tripolitans, a third would ransack his pockets, and strip him of any property they might covet. Swords, watches, jewels, and money were promptly confiscated by the captors; and they even ripped the epaulets from the shoulders of the officers' uniforms. No resistance was made, until one of the pilferers tried to tear from Bainbridge an ivory minia- ture of his young and beautiful wife. Wresting him- self free, the captai)i knocked down the vandal, and loo STORY OF OUR NAVY made so determined a resistance that his despoilers allowed him to keep the picture. When all the portable property was in the hands of the victors, the Americans were loaded into boats, and taken ashore. It was then late at night; but the captives were marched through the streets to the palace of the Bashaw, and exhibited to that functionary. After expressing great satisfaction at the capture, the Bashaw ordered the sailors thrown into prison, while the officers remained that night as his guests. He entertained them with an excellent supper, but the next morning they were shown to the gloomy prison apart- ments that were destined to be their home until the end of the war. A month later news of this disaster reached Preble. At once the Commodore, with his flagship " Constitu- tion " and the little " Enterprise," proceeded to take up the blockade of Tripoli. The vessels of the blockading squadron, from their station outside the bar, could see the captured " Phila- delphia " riding lightly at her moorings under the guns of the Tripolitan batteries. Her captors had care- fully repaired the injuries the Americans had Inflicted upon the vessel before surrendering. Her foremast was again in place, the holes in her bottom were plugged, the scars of battle were effaced, and she rode at anchor as pretty a frigate as ever delighted the eye of a tar. From his captivity Balnbrldge had written letters to Commodore Preble, with postscripts written in lemon- juice, and illegible save when the sheet of paper was exposed to the heat. In these postscripts he urged the destruction of the " Philadelphia." The suggestion appealed to Preble, and after con- sultation with Lieutenant Stephen Decatur this plan was evolved. On the way to the blockading: station FOR YOUNG AMERICANS loi a ketch had been captured laden with female slaves — a gift from the Bashaw to the Sultan. The slaves were set free, but the ketch was held as a prize. The plan now was to convert the captured ketch into a man- of-war, man her with volunteers, and with her attempt the perilous adventure of the destruction of the " Phila- delphia." The project once broached was quickly carried into effect. The ketch was taken into the service, and named the " Intrepid." News of the expedition spread throughout the squadron, and many officers eagerly volunteered their services. When the time was near at hand, Decatur called the crew of the " Enterprise " together, told them of the plan of the proposed ex- pedition, pointed out its dangers, and called for volun- teers. Every man and boy on the vessel stepped for- ward and begged to be taken. Decatur chose sixty- tv/o picked men, and was about to leave the deck, when his steps were arrested by a young boy who beggecl hard to be taken. " Why do you want to go, Jack? " asked the com- modore. " Well, sir," said Jack, " you see, I'd kinder like to see the country." The oddity of the boy's reason struck Decatur's fancy, and he told Jack to report with the rest. On the way, Decatur gave his forces careful instruc- tions as to the method of attack. The Americans were divided Into several boarding parties, each with its own officer and work. One party was to keep pos- session of the upper deck, another was to carry the gun-deck, a third should drive the enemy from the. steerage, and so on. All were to carry pistols in their belts; but the fighting, as far as possible, was to be done with cutlasses, so that no noise might alarm the enemy in the batteries, and the vessels in the port. I02 STORY OF OUR NAVY One party was to hover near the " Philadelphia " m a light boat, and kill all Tripolitans who might try to escape to the shore by swimming. The watchword for the night was " Philadelphia." About noon, the " Intrepid " came in sight of the towers of Tripoli. Both the ketch and the " Siren " had been so disguised that the enemy could not recog- nize them, and they therefore stood boldly for the harbor. As the wind was fresh, Decatur saw that he was likely to make port before night; and he there- fore dragged a cable and a number of buckets astern to lessen his speed, fearing to take in sail, lest the suspicions of the enemy should be aroused. When within about five miles of the town, the " Philadelphia " became visible. She floated lightly at her anchorage under the guns of two heavy bat- teries. Behind her lay moored two Tripolitan cruisers, and near by was a fleet of gunboats. It was a powerful stronghold Into which the Yankee blue-jackets were about to carry the torch. On the decks of the " Intrepid " but twelve men were visible. The rest lay flat on the deck, in the shadow of the bulwarks or weather-boards. Her course was laid straight for the bow of the frigate, which she was to foul. When within a short distance, a hail came from the " Philadelphia." In response, the pilot of the ketch answered, that the ketch was a coaster from Malta, that she had lost her anchors in the late gale, and had been nearly wrecked, and that she now asked permission to ride by the frigate during the night. The people on the frigate were wholly ■deceived, and sent out ropes to the ketch, allowing one of the boats of the " Intrepid " to make a line fast to the frigate. The ends of the ropes on the ketch were passed to the hidden men, who pulled lustily upon them, thus bringing the little craft alongside the frigate. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 103 But, as she came into clearer view, the suspicions of the Tripolitans were aroused; and when at last the anchors of the " Intrepid " were seen hanging in their places at the cat-heads, the Tripolitans cried out that they had been deceived, and warned the strangers to keep off. At the same moment the cry, " Americanos ! Americanos!" rang through the ship, and the alarm was given. By this time the ketch was fast to the frigate. " Fol- low me, lads," cried Decatur, and sprang for the chain- plates of the " Philadelphia." Clinging there, he re- newed his order to board; and the men sprang to their feet, and were soon clambering on board the frigate. Lieutenant Morris first trod the deck of the " Philadel- phia," Decatur followed close after, and then the stream of men over the rail and through the open ports was constant. Complete as was the surprise, the entire absence of any resistance was astonishing. Few of the Turks had weapons in their hands, and those who had fled before the advancing Americans. On all sides the splashing of water told that the affrighted Turks were trying to make their escape that way. In ten minutes Decatur and his men had complete possession of the ship. The combustibles were brought from the ketch, and piled about the frigate, and lighted. So quickly was the work done, and so rapidly did the flames spread, that the people who lit the fires in the store-rooms and cockpit had scarce time to get on deck before their retreat was cut off by the flames. Before the ketch could be cast off from the sides of the frigate, the flames came pouring out of the portholes, and flaming sparks fell aboard the smaller vessel, so that the am- munition which lay piled amidships was in grave danger of being exploded. Axes and cutlasses v/ere swung with a will; and soon the bonds which held the two I04 STORY OF OUR NAVY vessels together were cut, and the ketch was pushed off. Then the blue-jackets bent to their sweeps, and soon the " Intrepid " was under good headway. " Now, lads," cried Decatur, " give them three cheers." And the jackies responded with ringing cheers, that mingled with the roar of the flames that now had the frame of the " Philadelphia " in their control. Then they grasped their sweeps again, and the little vessel glided away through a hail of grape and round shot from the Tripolitan batteries and men-of-war. Though the whistle of the missiles was incessant, and the splash of round-shot striking the water could be heard on every side, no one in the boat was hurt; and the only shot that touched the ketch went harmlessly through her mainsail. As they pulled away, they saw the flames catch the rigging of the " Philadelphia," and run high up the masts. Then the hatchways were burst open, and great gusts of flame leaped out. The shotted guns of the frigate were discharged in quick succession; one battery sending its iron messengers into the streets of Tripoli, while the guns on the other side bore upon Fort English. The angry glare of the flames, and the flash of the cannon, lighted up the bay; while the thunders of the cannonade and the cries of the Tripoli- tans told of the storm that was raging. Not a man had been lost in the whole affair. As the expedition had been perfect in conception, so it was perfect in execution. The adventure became the talk of all Europe. Lord Nelson, England's greatest ad- miral, said of it: " It was the most bold and daring act of the ages." And when the news reached the United States, Decatur, despite his youth, was made a captain. The great name of the war with Tripoli is that of Stephen Decatur. The story of the events with which By courlesy of Hon. Thm. Siitro CoryriKlil, lb9s, by E.UvarJ Alor: BURNING OF THE FRIGATE "PHILADELPHIA" (In the Harbor of Tripoli, February I 6, 1804) FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 105 he was identified, and one other, which will close this chapter, is in effect the story of the whole war. In August, 1804, Preble determined to change the blockade of Tripoli into a spirited attack upon the town and its defences. The attack was ineffective. Wooden ships proved no match for stone walls. There is, therefore, no need to go into detail as to the tactics adopted, but some of the picturesque incidents will be of interest. Decatur's part in the enterprise was to seek to cap- ture nine Tripolitan gunboats that formed part of the defensive force of the harbor. He had under his command four, but this slender force he led directly under the enemy's guns. Fearfully were the Americans outnumbered. They could hope for no help from their friends in the men- of-war in the rear. They were hemmed in on all sides by hostile gunboats, more strongly manned, and heavier in metal, than they. They were outnumbered three to one; for gunboat No. 3, which had belonged to Decatur's division, had drawn out of the fight in obedience to a signal for recall, which had been dis- played by mistake on the " Constitution." Then De- catur displayed his desperate courage. Signalling to his companions to close with their adversaries and board, he laid his vessel alongside the nearest gunboat; and in a trice every American of the crew was swarm- ing over the enemy's bulwarks. Taken by surprise, the Turks retreated. The gunboat was divided down the centre by a long, narrow hatchway; and as the Yankees came tumbling over the bulwarks, the Turks retreated to the farther side. This gave Decatur time to rally his men; and, dividing them into two parties, he sent one party around by the stern of the boat, while he led the others around the bow. The Turks were dazed by the suddenness of the attack, and cowed io6 STORY OF OUR NAVY by the fearful effect of the Americans' last volley before boarding. Their captain lay dead, with fourteen bul- lets in his body. Many of the officers were wounded, and all the survivors were penned into a narrow space by the two parties of blue-jackets. The contest was short. Hampered by lack of room in which to wield their weapons, the Turks were shot down or bayoneted. Many leaped over the gunwale into the sea; many were thrown into the open hatchway; and the remnant, throwing down their arms, pleaded piteously for quar- ter. Decatur had no time to exult in his victory. Has- tily securing his prisoners below decks, and making his prize fast to his own vessel, he bore down upon the Tripolitan next to leeward. Meanwhile Decatur had been informed that his brother had been treacherously shot and killed by the captain of a Tripolitan gunboat after the flag had been struck. Decatur's grief for the death of his brother gave way, for the time, to his anger on account of the base treachery by which the victim met his death. Casting prudence to the winds, he turned his boat's prow to- wards the gunboat of the murderer, and, urging on his rowers, soon laid the enemy aboard. Cutlass in hand, Decatur was first on the deck of the enemy. Behind him followed close Lieutenant Macdonough and nine blue-jackets. Nearly forty Turks were ready to receive the boarders. As the boarders came over the rail, they fired their pistols at the enemy, and then sprang down, cutlass in hand. The Turks outnum- bered them five to one; but the Americans rallied in a bunch, and dealt lusty blows right and left. At last, Decatur singled out a man whom he felt sure was the commander, and the murderer of his brother. He was a man of gigantic frame; his head covered with a scarlet cap, his face half hidden by a bristly black FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 107 beard. He was armed with a heavy boarding-pike, with which he made a fierce lunge at Decatur. The American parried the blow, and made a stroke at the pike, hoping to cut off its point. But the force of the blow injured the Tripolitan's weapon not a whit, while Decatur's cutlass broke short off at the hilt. With a lyell of triumph the Turk lunged again. Decatur threw up his arm, and partially avoided the thrust; so that the pike pierced his breast, but inflicted only a slight wound. Grappling the weapon, Decatur tore it from the wound, wrested it from the Turk, and' made a lunge at him, which he avoided. The combatants then clinched and fell to the deck, fiercely struggling for life and death. About them fought their followers, who strove to aid their respective commanders. Sud- denly a Tripolitan officer, who had fought his way to a place above the heads of the two officers, aimed a blow at the head of Decatur. His victim was power- less to guard himself. One American sailor only was at hand. This was Reuben James, a young man whose desperate fighting had already cost him wounds in both arms, so that he could not lift a hand to save his commander. But, though thus desperately wounded, James had yet one offering to lay before his captain — his life. And he showed himself willing to make this last and greatest sacrifice, by thrusting his head into the path of the descending scimitar, and taking upon his own skull the blow intended for Decatur. The hero fell bleeding to the deck; a pistol-shot from an American ended the career of the Turk, and Decatur was left to struggle with his adversary upon the deck. But by this time the great strength of the Turkish captain was beginning to tell in the death-struggle. His right arm was clasped like an iron band around the American captain, while with his left hand he drew from his belt a short yataghan, which he was about to io8 STORY OF OUR NAVY plunge Into the throat of his foe. Decatur lay on his side, with his eyes fixed upon the face of his foe. He saw the look of triumph flash in the eyes of the Turk; he saw the gleaming steel of the yataghan as It was drawn from Its sheath. Mustering all his strength, he writhed In the grasp of his burly foe. He wrested his left arm clear, and caught the Turk's wrist just as the fatal blow was falling; then with his right hand he drew from his pocket a small pistol. Press- ing this tightly against the back of his enemy, he fired. The ball passed through the body of the Turk, and lodged In Decatur's clothing. A moment later the Tripolltan's hold relaxed, and he fell back dead; while Decatur, covered with his own blood and that of his foe, rose to his feet, and stood amidst the pile of dead and wounded men that had gathered during the struggle around the battling chiefs. The fall of their captain disheartened the Tripoli- tans, and they speedily threw down their arms. The prize was then towed out of the line of battle; and, as by this time the American gunboats were drawing off, Decatur took his prizes Into the shelter of the flagship. When the squadron had made an ofling, Preble hoisted a signal for the commanders to come aboard the flagship, and make their reports. He was sorely disappointed in the outcome of the fray, and little in- clined to recognize the conspicuous Instances of indi- vidual gallantry shown by his oflicers. He had set his heart upon capturing the entire fleet of nine Tripoli- tan gunboats, and the escape of six of them had roused his naturally irascible disposition to fury. As he stalked his quarter-deck, morose and silent, Decatur came aboard. The young officer still wore the bloody, smoke-begrimed uniform In which he had grappled with the Turk, his face was begrimed with powder, his FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 109 hands and breast covered with blood. As he walked to the quarter-deck, he was the centre of observation of all on the flagship. Stepping up to the commodore, he said quietly: " Well, commodore, I have brought you out three of the gunboats." Preble turned upon him fiercely, seized him with both hands by the collar, and shaking him like a school- boy, snarled out: " Ay, sir, why did you not bring me more? " The blood rushed to Decatur's face. The insult was more than he could bear. His hand sought his dagger, but the commodore had left the quarter-deck. Turning on his heel, the outraged officer walked to the side, and called his boat, determined to leave the ship at once. But the officers crowded about him, begging him to be calm, and reminding him of the notoriously quick temper of the commodore. While they talked, there came a cabin steward with a mes- sage : " The commodore wishes to see Captain De- catur below." Decatur hesitated a moment, then obeyed. Some time passed, but he did not reappear on deck. The officers became anxious, and at last, upon some pretext, one sought the commodore's cabin. There he found Preble and Decatur, sitting together, friendly, but both silent, and In tears. The apology had been made and accepted. There is one humble actor in the first attack upon Tripoli whom we cannot abandon without a word. This is Reuben James. That heroic young sailor quickly recovered from the bad wound he received when he interposed his own head to save his commander's life. One day Decatur called him aft, and publicly asked him what could be done to reward him for his unselfish heroism. The sailor was embarrassed and nonplussed. He rolled his quid of tobacco in his no STORY OF OUR NAVY mouth, and scratched his head, without replying. His shipmates were eager with advice. " Double pay, Jack: the old man will refuse you nothing "; "a boatswain's berth " ; "a pocketful of money and shore leave," were among the suggestions. But James put them aside. He had decided. " If you please, sir," said he, " let somebody else hand out the hammocks to the men when they are piped down. That is a sort of business that I don't exactly like." The boon was granted; and ever afterwards, when the crew was piped to stow away hammocks, Reuben James sauntered about the decks with his hands in his pockets, the very personification of elegant leisure. With one last instance of American gallantry on the ocean this survey of the events of the war with Tripoli may be closed. Commodore Preble, and the officers under his command, had about reached the conclusion that Tripoli could not be reduced by bombardment. Accordingly they cast about for some new method of attack. The plan that was finally adopted proved unfortunate in this Instance, just as similar schemes for the reduction of fortresses have proved futile through- out all history. Briefly stated, the plan was to send a fire-ship, or rather a floating mine. Into the harbor, to explode before the walls of the fortress, and in the midst of the enemy's cruisers. The ketch " Intrepid," which had carried Decatur and his daring followers out of the harbor of Tripoli, leaving the " Philadelphia " burning behind them, was still with the fleet. This vessel was chosen, and with all possible speed was converted into an " Infernal," or floating mine. " A small room, or magazine, had been planked up in the hold of the ketch, just forward of her principal mast," writes Fenimore Cooper. " Communicating with this magazine was a trunk, or FOR YOUNG AMERICANS iii tube, that led aft to another room filled with com- bustibles. In the planked room, or magazine, were placed one hundred barrels of gunpowder in bulk; and on the deck, immediately above the powder, were laid fifty thirteen-and-a-half-inch shells, and one hundred nine-inch shells, with a large quantity of shot, pieces of kentledge, and fragments of iron of different sorts. A train was laid in the trunk, or tube, and fuses were attached in the proper manner. In addition to this arrangement, the other small room mentioned was filled with splinters and light wood, which, besides firing the train, were to keep the enemy from boarding, as the flames would be apt to induce them to apprehend an immediate explosion." Such was the engine of death prepared. The plan of operations was simply to put a picked crew on this floating volcano, choose a dark night, take the " infer- nal " into the heart of the enemy's squadron, fire it, and let the crew escape in boats as best they might. The leadership of this desperate enterprise was in- trusted to Lieutenant Richard Somers. Indeed, it is probable that the idea itself originated with him, for a commanding ofiicer would be little likely to assign a subordinate a duty so hazardous. Moreover, there existed between Decatur and Somers a generous rivalry. Each strove to surpass the other; and since Decatur's exploit with the *' Philadelphia," Somers had been seek- ing an opportunity to win equal distinction. It is generally believed, that, having conceived the idea of the " infernal," he suggested it to Preble, and claimed for himself the right to execute it. It was September 4th, the day following the last attack upon Tripoli. The sky was overcast and lower- ing, and gave promise of a dark night. Fully con- vinced that the time for action was at hand, Somers called together the handful of brave fellows who were 112 STORY OF OUR NAVY to follow him, and briefly addressed them. He told them he wished no man to go with him who did not prefer being blown up to being captured. For his part, he would much prefer such a fate, and he wished his followers to agree with him. For answer the brave fellows gave three cheers, and crowded round him, each asking to be selected to apply the match. It was after dusk when the devoted adventurers boarded the powder-laden ketch, as she lay tossing at her anchorage. Shortly after they had taken posses- sion, a boat came alongside with Decatur and Lieu- tenant Stewart in the stern-sheets. The officers greeted their comrades with some emotion. They were all about of an age, followed one loved profession, and each had given proofs of his daring. When the time came for them to part, the leave-taking was serious, but tranquil. Somers took from his finger a ring, and, breaking it into four pieces, gave one to each of his friends. Then with hearty handshakings, and good wishes for success, Decatur and Stewart left their friends. As far as the harbor's mouth, she was accompanied by the " Argus," the " Vixen," and the " Nautilus." There they left her, and she pursued her way alone. It was a calm, foggy night. A few stars could be seen glimmering through the haze, and a light breeze ruffled the water, and wafted the sloop gently along her course. From the three vessels that waited out- side the harbor's mouth, eager watchers with night- glasses kept their gaze riveted upon the spectral form of the ketch, as she slowly receded from their sight. Fainter and fainter grew the outline of her sails, until at last they were lost to sight altogether. Then fitful flashes from the enemy's batteries, and the harsh thun- der of the cannon, told that she had been sighted by the foe. The anxious watchers paced their decks with FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 113 bated breath. 1 hough no enemy was near to hear them, they spoke In Avhispers. The shadow of a great awe, the weight of some great calamity, seemed crush- ing them. "What was that?" All started at the abrupt exclamation. Through the haze a glimmering light had been seen to move rapidly along the surface of the water, as though a lantern were being carried along a deck. Suddenly it dis- appeared, as though dropped down a hatchway. A few seconds passed, — seconds that seemed like hours. Then there shot up into the sky a dazzling jet of fire. A roar like that of a huge volcano shook earth and sea. The vessels trembled at their moorings. The concussion of the air threw men upon the decks. Then the mast of the ketch, with its sail blazing, was seen to rise straight into the air, and fall back. Bombs with burning fuses flew in every direction. The distant sound of heavy bodies falling into the water and on the rocks was heard. Then all was still. Even the Tripolitan batteries were silent. For a moment a great sorrow fell upon the Amer- icans. Then came the thought that Somers and his brave men might have left the ketch before the explo- sion. All listened for approaching oars. Minutes lengthened into hours, and still no sound was heard. Men hung from the sides of the vessels, with their ears to the water, in the hope of catching the sound of the coming boats. But all was in vain. Day broke; the shattered wreck of the " Intrepid " could be seen within the harbor, and near it two injured Tripolitan gunboats. But of Somers and his brave fellows no trace could be seen, nor were they ever again beheld by their companions. It may be said that this episode terminated the war with Tripoli. Thereafter it was but a series of block- 114 STORY OF OUR NAVY ades and diplomatic negotiations. Commodore Barron relieved Preble, and maintained the blockade, without any offensive operations, until peace was signed in June, 1805. The conditions of that peace cannot be too harshly criticised. By it the United States paid sixty thousand dollars for American prisoners in the hands of the Bashaw, thus yielding to demands for ransom which no civilized nation should for a moment have considered. The concession was all the more unnec- essary, because a native force of insurrectionists, re- inforced by a few Americans, was marching upon Tripoli from the rear, and would have soon brought the Bashaw to terms. But it was not the part of the navy to negotiate the treaty. That rested with the civilians. The duty of the blue-jackets had been to fight for their country's honor; and that they had dis- charged this duty well, no reader of these pages can deny. CHAPTER VIII Tlie Quasi-war with France — " Constellation " and " Insurgente " — Decatur Once More — " Little Jarvis," a Boy Hero. There has been no more curious episode in the history of the United States, or perhaps in all history of mod- ern times, than the spluttering war on the sea with the French in the years 1 798-1 800. The two coun- tries were at peace. Their peoples expressed and felt for each other the liveliest friendship, even affection. Franklin had not been forgotten in France, nor La- fayette in America. The two governments were amica- ble. A French minister was at Philadelphia; an Amer- ican at Versailles. And yet on the ocean French and American ships were fighting pitched and sanguinary battles, in which the defeated one, instead of being made a prize, refitted and sailed away to some friendly port while the victor expressed polite regret for the occurrence. It all grew out of the war between France and Eng- land, with the English insistence upon impressing Amer- ican seamen as the irritating cause. That practice, which, as we have seen, had so much to do with bring- ing on the war of the Revolution, had been revived with increased vigor by the British. France thought it saw in this an opportunity to force the young United States to become its ally against the Island Nation. Accordingly an order was issued to all French men- of-war to treat American vessels exactly as the Amer- icans permitted themselves to be treated by the British. So if a British man-of-war pressed three men from an American brig, the first French man-of-war to detect the fact would press three more. Thus between the 115 ii6 STORY OF OUR NAVY upper and nether millstones was the growing commerce of the young nation ground. But in 1799 the patience of the American government was exhausted, and such ships as were in commission were sent to inflict reprisals upon the French privateers. But all the while there was no declaration of war. The war was very real, however, even without any declaration, as may well be judged from the story of some typical actions. The absence of a formal declara- tion of war made many French privateers assume an injured air, on being captured by United States ships. With a Frenchman of this sort, Stephen Decatur the younger had an experience early in his naval career. This occurred in February, 1799. The frigate " United States " was cruising near Martinique in that year, and to her young Decatur was attached as a sub- lieutenant. One morning a French privateer was sighted, and the frigate set out in hot pursuit. The privateer took the alarm quickly, and crowded on all sail, until her long, narrow hull slipped through the waves like a fish. The breeze was fresh, and the chase an exciting one; but gradually the immense spread of the frigate's canvas began to tell, and she rapidly overhauled the fugitive. The French captain was plucky, and even desperate, in his attempt to escape; for, seeing that he was about to be overhauled, he re- sorted to the expedient of a fox chased by hounds, and doubled, turning short to windward, and running right under the guns of the frigate. The move was a bold one, and might well have succeeded, had it not been for the good marksmanship of a gunner on the frigate, who promptly sent a twenty-four-pound shot (the only one fired in the affair) straight through the hull of the privateer, between wind and water. In an instant all was confusion on the French vessel. The water poured into her hold through the hole cut by the shot; and FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 117 the hasty lowering of her sails, and the frantic howls for succor from the crew, told the people of the " United States " that their chase was at an end. The boats of the frigate were quickly lowered, and Decatur went in one as officer in command. When he reached the sinking ship, he found a scene too ludicrous to be pathetic. Along the rail of the vessel, from bow to stern, the Frenchmen were perched like birds. Many had stripped off all their clothes, in order to be pre- pared to swim; and from all arose a medley of plaintive cries for help, and curses on that unlucky shot. By skilful management of the boats, all were saved; and it happened that Decatur pulled into his own boat the captain of the sinking vessel. Brushing the salt water out of his eyes, this worthy expressed great surprise that he had been fired upon by a vessel bearing the United States flag. " Ees eet that that ees a sheep of les Etats-Unis? " he inquired, in the broken English that four years of cruising against Americans had enabled him to pick up. " It is," responded Decatur. " I am indeed sairprised. I had not thought that les Etats-Unis had the war with La Republique Fran- gaise." " No, sir," responded Decatur, thoroughly provoked; " but you knew that the French Republic was at war with the United States, that you were taking our merchant-vessels every day, and crowding our country- men into prison at Basseterre to die like sheep." A later and a fiercer contest occurred between the " Constellation " and the " Insurgente." The Amer- ican ship was cruising in the West Indies and encoun- tered a man-of-war which failed to show her colors. Signals were set, but no answering signal came. At last, after long " jockeying," the stranger showed French colors, and the battle was on ! This, too, when ii8 STORY OF OUR NAVY no war existed between the United States and France. The challenging colors were raised by the Frenchman. On the " Constellation " the challenge aroused uni- versal enthusiasm. For the first time since the Revolu- tion, the gallant defenders of the Stars and Stripes were to have an opportunity to try their strength with a hostile man-of-war. The enemy seemed no less ready for the conflict, and waited gallantly for the " Con- stellation " to come down to closer quarters. From both ships came the roll of the drums and the shrill pipings of the bo's'n's whistle, as the men were called to quarters. Then all became still, and the two frig- ates bore down upon each other. Neither antagonist was hasty about opening fire, and the report of the first gun came from the Yankee when she had come into point-blank range. Then began the thunderous broadsides, that soon enveloped the hulls of the two ships in dense gray smoke; so that, to an observer at a little distance, all that could be seen of the fight was the tapering masts and yard-arms, above the smoke, crowded with sailors repairing damages, and nimble young midshipmen shrilly ordering about the grizzled seamen, and now and again taking a crack at the enemy with pistol or musket, by way of recreation. In the foretop of the " Constellation " was stationed young David Porter, who in that trying moment showed the result of his hard schooling in the merchant-service, of which we have spoken. By the rapid fire of the enemy, the foretopmast was badly cut, and there was great danger that it might go by the board. Porter hailed the deck several times for instructions, but, finding that his voice could not be heard above the roar of battle, determined to act upon his own responsibility, and ac- cordingly cut away the sails, lowered the yards, and, by relieving the injured spar of all strain, prevented its falling. In the meantime the battle raged fiercely COMMODORE STEPHEN DECATUR FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 119 below. The American frigate was more powerful in her armament, and better handled, than the French- man. Her guns were handled with deliberation, and the aim of the gunners was sure and deadly; while the shot from the enemy went hurtling through the rigging of the " Constellation," doing but little damage. The decks of the Frenchman were covered with dead and wounded, and at last two raking broadsides from the American frigate ended the conflict. When the van- quished ship was boarded, she proved to be the " In- surgente," the same frigate that had captured the " Re- taliation " some months before. Her loss in this en- gagement amounted to twenty-nine killed and forty-one wounded, while the cockpit of the " Constellation " was tenanted by but three wounded men ; and but one Amer- ican had lost his life, he having been killed by an officer, for cowardice. Both ships were badly cut up in the engagement. The news of this victory was received with great rejoicing in the United States, and was celebrated with cannon-firing and the ringing of bells. At Boston, the fourth Sunday in March was set for a day of general rejoicing; and on that day huge crowds gathered in State Street, and after salutes had been fired, and the city's bells pealed, the people, at a given signal, joined in three mighty cheers, that fairly shook the surround- ing houses, for Truxton, the " Constellation," the blue- jackets, and the success of the wooden walls of America. Even after the " Insurgente " had struck her flag, the tars of the " Constellation " found they had an elephant on their hands. The work of transferring the prisoners was begun, and actively prosecuted; but, when night fell, there were still nearly two hundred Frenchmen on the prize. The wind was rising fast, and the long rollers of the Atlantic were being lashed into foaming breakers by the rising gale. It was I20 STORY OF OUR NAVY hazardous for the two vessels to continue near each other; and Lieutenant Rodgers, with Midshipman Por- ter and eleven men, was detailed to take charge of the prize, and bring her into port. When the officers boarded the prize, they found that they had indeed a desperate undertaking before them. It was difficult enough for thirteen men to handle the great ship, with- out having to keep in subjection one hundred and sev- enty-three captives. To add to the danger, the grat- ings had been thrown overboard, and there was no way of confining the captives in the hold. A careful search for handcuffs resulted only in failure. But Rodgers was a man of decision, and Porter, though but a boy, was bold and determined; and between them they solved the problem. The prisoners were ordered below; and a sentinel was placed at each hatchway, with orders to shoot the first man who should attempt to come on deck. Howitzers loaded with grape were trained upon the hatchway, for use in case of an organ- ized movement of the prisoners. For three days the officers sustained this fearful strain, without a mo- ment's sleep; but their labors were finally crowned by successfully bringing the ship and prisoners into St. Kitts. In the second pitched battle of the war, the " Con- stellation " was again the American combatant; but this time, though the fight was a glorious one, it did not terminate so fortunately for the American ship. It was on the ist of February, 1800, that the gallant frigate, under the same commander, was cruising about her old hunting-grounds, near Guadaloupe. A sail was sighted, which, after a careful examination through his marine-glass. Commodore Truxton pronounced to be an English merchantman. As an Invitation to the stranger to approach, English colors were hoisted on the " Constellation," but had only the effect of causing FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 121 the stranger to sheer off; for she was, indeed, a French war-vessel. Perplexed by the actions of the mysterious ship, the " Constellation " gave chase, and soon came near enough to see that she had caught a Tartar; for the vessel was the French frigate " La Vengeance," mounting fifty-two guns. Although a more powerful vessel than the American, she continued her flight; while the gallant Truxton, caring nothing for the odds against him, kept on in hot pursuit. All the remainder of that day, and until noon of the next, the chase continued, with but little change in the position of the ships. " A stern chase is a long chase," thought the jackies on the " Constellation "; but they were not dis- couraged, and only crowded on the more sail. On the afternoon of the second day, the American began to gain rapidly; and by eight at night the two ships were within speaking distance of each other. Truxton mounted the rail, and shouted through a speaking-trum- pet, "What ship is that?" The only answer was a shot from the stern-port of the Frenchman, and the fight was opened. It was then growing dark, though the faint glow of the long tropic twilight still lingered on the western horizon. Above the towering masts of the two great frigates, the stars gleamed with a brilliancy seldom seen in more northern latitudes. As the ships rushed through the water, the waves broke against the bows, and fell back in masses of phosphorescent light; while the wakes of the vessels could be traced far back into the darkness, — two parallel paths of light, that glowed and sparkled like the milky way that spanned the starry sky above. Side by side the two frigates ploughed through the water. The creaking of their cordage, and the rush- ing of the wind through the rigging, mingled with the thunder of the cannonade, which, though slow, and 122 STORY OF OUR NAVY made up of single reports, when the " Constellation " was confined to the use of her bow-chasers, soon rose to thunderous broadsides as the two ships came side to side. As the twilight died away, the two contestants were enveloped in almost total darkness, save for the fitful flashes of the cannon, and the red glare of the battle-lanterns that hung from the shrouds. The gun- ners had for a target nothing but a black, shapeless mass, that could be seen rushing through the waves some hundreds of yards away. But this did not pre- vent fearful execution being done on both sides. For five hours the two ships kept up the running fight. The ponderous eighteen and forty-two-pound shot of the enemy crashed into the "Constellation," or swept her decks, doing dreadful damage. The deck was strewn with dead and dying men, and the surgeons down In the cockpit soon had their tables full of moaning suf- ferers. No one could tell what might be the condition of " La Vengeance "; but her regular fire told that she was in no wise disabled. At one o'clock in the morn- ing, the sound of her guns seemed to be more distant; and by the flash of the cannon it was seen that she was drawing out of the fight. The Americans cheered lustily, and Truxton ordered that his ship be braced up in chase. But the fire of the enemy had been rapid and well- directed; and now, at this critical moment, its results were to rob the " Constellation " of her victory. As the ships were brought about, to follow in the track of the flying " Vengeance," an ofiicer came rushing to the quarter-deck, and reported that all the shrouds and braces of the foremast had been shot away, and the mast was in momentary danger of falling. The rig- ging had been so literally cut in pieces by the fire of the enemy, that splicing was out of the question; but Truxton, In the hope of saving his mast, called all FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 123 hands from the guns, and the fire of the " Constella- tion " stopped. Up in the foretop was stationed Midshipman Jarvis, with a dozen or more of jackies, whose duty it was to mend the cordage of the topmast, and to keep up a musketry fire upon the enemy. Long before the officer of the deck had reported the danger of the foremast, one of the topmen had told Jarvis, who was but a lad, that the mast was likely to fall. " Ay, ay, my lad," responded the plucky young officer; "but our place is here, and we must go with it." The sailors on the deck below worked manfully: but, notwithstanding all their efforts, the mast soon went by the board; and Jarvis and his brave comrades were thrown far out into the black water, never to be seen again. The fall of the foremast ended the battle for the " Constellation." Helpless, and cumbered by the wreck, she tossed about on the water, while her foe made good her escape. What might have been the outcome of the conflict, had it continued, it is impossible to tell. " La Vengeance " carried heavier metal and a larger crew than the American frigate; and Truxton, with all his dash, found no mean adversary in Captain Pitot. Yet the condition of the French ship when she came into port at Curaqoa showed that the fire of the Yankee gunners had been rapid and accurate. Fifty of the enemy were killed, and one hundred and ten wounded; while, of the Americans, only thirty-nine ap- peared on the lists of killed and wounded. It was said at the time that Captain Pitot reported having struck his flag three times; hoisting it again, on finding that in the darkness the " Constellation " took no notice of the surrender. But this seems, on the face of it, improbable; and the action can hardly be awarded 124 STORY OF OUR NAVY to either ship, although the gallantry shown on either side was enough to win a victory. It may well be imagined that this brilliant action, together with the capture of " LTnsurgente," made the " Constellation " the most popular ship of the navy; a place which she held until the stirring events of the war with England pushed the " Constitution " so far to the front, that even now, when she lies dismantled and rotting at the Brooklyn navy-yard, Americans still think of " Old Ironsides " as the typical ship of our once glorious navy. Such were the striking incidents of a war that was not a war. In these modern days such a conflict would be impossible. Not merely the law of nations, but the conscience of nations would prevent its repetition. Even more than that, the change in naval armament in the size, power, and cost of ships has changed the whole trend of naval tactics. The quasi-war with the French is a chapter in history that can never be re- peated. CHAPTER IX War of 1812— British Pressgang Methods— The " Chesapeake " and " Leopard " — The " President " and " Little Belt " — Disparity of the Two Navies — " Constitution " and " Guerriere." Perhaps the greatest advantage that came to the young American nation from the half-way war with France lay in the fact that it brought the American warships out of retirement, gave their officers and crews practice in actual warfare, and fitted them for the more serious conflict with Great Britain which soon became inevitable. The struggle, of which we are about to tell the story, grew out of the insistence of the British upon the right (as they called it) of impressing Amer- ican seamen. Curiously enough, although the war ended with all the honors of the ocean won by the blue-jackets of the Union, the treaty finally signed made no mention of the prime issue on which the conflict was waged. But it is a matter of history that wars seldom settle the actual quarrel; often create new and equally puzzling problems. The war between the United States and Spain, for example, left this nation in pos- session of the Philippines — a territory practically un- known to our people before Dewey's victory. The War of 18 12 did not settle the question of impress- ment, except in so far as it demonstrated the ability of the young nation to defend its sailors' rights. Let us recount some instances of the methods em- ployed by the British navy at that time which finally stung Americans into retaliation : In 1807 the United States frigate " Chesapeake," then lying at the navy-yard at Washington, was put in commission, and ordered to the Mediterranean, to 125 126 STORY OF OUR NAVY relieve the " Constitution." Nearly a month was con- sumed in making necessary repairs to hull and cordage, taking in stores, shipping a crew, and attending to the thousand and one details of preparation for sea that a long time out of commission makes necessary to a man-of-war. While the preparations for service were actively proceeding, the British minister informed the naval authorities that three deserters from His British Majesty's ship " Melampus " had joined the crew of the "Chesapeake"; and it was requested that they should be given up. The request was made with due courtesy; and, although there is no principle of inter- national law which directs the surrender of deserters, yet the United States, as a friendly nation, was inclined to grant the request, and an inquiry was made into the case. The facts elicited put the surrender of the men out of the question; for though they frankly confessed to have deserted from the " Melampus," yet they claimed to have been impressed into the British service, and proved conclusively that they were free Americans. This was reported to the British minister; and, as he made no further protests, it was assumed that he was satisfied. Some weeks later the vessel left the navy-yard, and dropped down the river to Hampton Roads. Even with the long period occupied in preparation for sea, the armament of the ship was far from being in order; a fact first discovered as she passed Mount Vernon, as she was unable to fire the salute with which at that time all passing war-vessels did honor to the tomb of Washington. After some days' stay at Hampton Roads, during which time additional guns and stores were taken on, and the crew increased to three hundred and seventy-five men, the ship got under way, and started on her voyage. It was on a breezy morning of June that the " Chesa- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 127 peake " left the broad harbor of Hampton Roads, the scene of so many of our naval glories. From the masthead of the frigate floated the broad pennant of Commodore Barron, who went out in command of the ship. The decks were littered with ropes, lumber, and stores, which had arrived too late to be properly stowed away. Some confusion is but natural on a ship start- ing on a cruise which may continue for years, but the condition of the " Chesapeake " was beyond all excuse; a fact for which the fitting-out officers, not her com- mander, were responsible. As the American ship passed out into the open ocean, there was a great stir on the decks of four English cruisers that lay quietly at anchor in Lynn Haven Bay; and almost immediately one of these vessels hoisted her anchor, set her sails, and started out in the track of the frigate. A stiff head-wind blowing, the American was forced to tack frequently, in order to get ahead; and her officers noticed that the British ship (the " Leop- ard," of fifty guns) tacked at the same time, and was evidently following doggedly in the wake of the " Chesapeake." No suspicion that the pursuer had other than peaceful motives in view entered the minds of the American officers; and the ship kept on her course, while the sailors set about putting the decks In order, and getting the vessel in trim for her long voy- age. While all hands were thus busily engaged, the " Leopard " bore down rapidly, and soon hailed, say- ing that she had a despatch for Commodore Barron. The " Chesapeake " accordingly hove to, and waited for a boat to be sent aboard. The two ships now lay broadside to broadside, and only about a half pistol-shot apart. No idea that the Englishman had any hostile designs seems to have oc- curred to Commodore Barron; but some of the younger officers noticed that the ports of the " Leopard " were 128 STORY OF OUR NAVY triced up, and the tompions taken out of the muzzles of the cannon. The latter fact was of the gravest import, and should have been reported at once to the commander; but it appears that this was not done. In a few moments a boat put off from the " Leop- ard," and pulled to the American ship, where an officer stood waiting at the gangway, and conducted the visitor to Barron's cabin. Here the English lieutenant produced an order, signed by the British Admiral Berkeley, commanding all British ships to watch for the " Chesapeake," and search her for deserters. Com- modore Barron immediately responded, that the " Chesapeake " harbored no deserters, and he could not permit his crew to be mustered by the officer of any foreign power. Hardly had this response been made, when a signal from the " Leopard " recalled the board- ing officer to his ship. The officers of the " Chesapeake " were now fully aroused to the dangers of the situation, and began the attempt to get the ship in readiness for action. Com- modore Barron, coming out of his cabin for the first time, was forcibly struck by the air of preparation for action presented by the " Leopard." Captain Gordon, the second in command, was ordered to hasten the work on the gun-deck, and call the crew to quarters. The drummers began to beat the call to quarters, but hasty orders soon stopped them; and the men went to their places quietly, hoping that the threatening attitude of the *' Leopard " was mere bravado. The most painful suspense was felt by all on board the American ship. The attitude of the " Leopard " left little doubt of her hostile intentions, while a glance about the decks of the " Chesapeake " told how little fitted she was to enter into action. Her crew was a new one, never exercised at the guns, and had been mustered to quarters only three times. On the gun- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 129 deck lay great piles of cumbrous cables, from the coiling of which the men had been summoned by the call to quarters. On the after-deck were piles of furniture, trunks, and some temporary pantries. What little sem- blance of order there was, was due to the efforts of one of the lieutenants, who, suspecting trouble when the " Leopard " first came up, had made great exertions toward getting the ship clear. While the captain stood looking ruefully at the confusion, still more serious troubles were reported. The guns were loaded; but no rammers, powder-flasks, matches, wads, or gun-locks could be found. While search was being made for these necessary articles, a hail came from the " Leop- ard." Commodore Barron shouted back that he did not understand. " Commodore Barron must be aware that the orders of the vice-admiral must be obeyed," came the hail again. Barron again responded that he did not understand. After one or two repetitions, the British determined to waste no more time in talking; and a single shot fired from the bow of the " Leopard " was quickly fol- lowed by a full broadside. The heavy shot crashed into the sides of the " Chesapeake," wounding many of the men, and adding to the confusion on the gun- deck. No answer came from the American frigate; for, though the guns were loaded, there was no way of firing them. Matches, locks, or loggerheads were nowhere to be found. Mad with rage at the helpless condition in which they found themselves, the oflScers made every effort to fire at least one volley. Pokers were heated red-hot in the galley-fire, and carried hastily to the guns, but cooled too rapidly in the rush across the deck. In the meantime, the " Leopard," none too chivalric to take advantage of an unresisting foe, had chosen her position, and was pouring in a deliberate I30 STORY OF OUR NAVY fire. For nearly eighteen minutes the fire was con- tinued, when the flag of the " Chesapeake " was hauled down. Just as it came fluttering from the masthead, Lieutenant Allen, crying, " I'll have one shot at those rascals, anyhow," ran to the galley, picked up a live coal in his fingers, and carried it, regardless of the pain, to the nearest gun, which was successfully dis- charged. This was the only shot that the " Chesa- peake " fired during the affair, — battle it cannot be called. A boat with two British lieutenants and several mid- shipmen on board speedily boarded the " Chesapeake," and the demand for the deserters was renewed. Four seamen were seized, and borne away in triumph; but the British commander refused to receive the ship as a prize, and even went so far as to express his regret at the loss of life, and proffer his aid in repairing the damages. Both sympathy and assistance were indig- nantly rejected; and the disgraced ship went sullenly back to Norfolk, bearing a sorely mortified body of ofiicers and seamen. Of the four kidnapped sailors, it may be stated here, that one was hanged, and the other three forced to enter the British service, in which one died. His comrades, five years later, were restored to the deck of the ship from which they had been taken. The news of this event spread like wildfire over the country, and caused rage and resentment wherever it was known. Cities, towns, and villages called for revenge. The President issued a proclamation, com- plaining of the habitual insolence of British cruisers, and ordering all such vessels to leave American waters forthwith. As in the reduced state of the navy it was impossible to enforce this order, he forbade all citizens of the United States to give aid to, or have any intercourse with, any such vessels or their crews. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 131 War measures were taken both by the Federal and State Governments. As usual, the popular wrath was vented upon the least culpable of the people responsible for the condition of the " Chesapeake." Commodore Barron was tried by court-martial, and sentenced to five years' suspension from the service, without pay. The cool judgment of later years perceives the unjust- ness of this sentence, but its execution cast a deep shadow over the remainder of the unhappy officer's life. Three years passed before the first opportunity for effective retaliation presented itself. On May 7, 181 1, the United States frigate "Presi- dent " was lying quietly at anchor off Fort Severn, Annapolis. Everything betokened a state of perfect peace. The muzzles of the great guns were stopped by tompions. The ports were down. In the rigging of the vessel hung garments drying in the sun. At the side floated half a dozen boats. Many of the crew were ashore on leave. The sailing-master was at Baltimore, and the chaplain and purser were at Wash- ington. From the masthead floated the broad pennant of Commodore Kodgers, but he was with his family at Havre de Grace; and the executive officer. Captain Ludlow, was dining on the sloop-of-war " Argus," lying near at hand. But the captain's dinner was destined to be interrupted that bright May afternoon; for in the midst of the repast a midshipman entered, and re- ported that the commodore's gig was coming up rapidly, with Rodgers himself on board. The dinner party was hastily broken up, and the captain returned to his ship to receive his superior officer. On his arrival. Commodore Rodgers said that he had received orders to chase a frigate that had impressed a sailor from the " Spitfire," and insist upon the man's being liberated, if he could prove his citizenship. This was good news 132 STORY OF OUR NAVY for every man on the frigate. At last, then, the United States was going to protect its sailors. Three days were spent in getting the crew together and preparing for sea; then the stately frigate, with all sails set and colors flying, weighed anchor, and stood down the Chesapeake with the intention of cruis- ing near New York. She had been out on the open ocean only a day, when the lookout, from his perch in the crosstrees, reported a strange sail on the horizon. The two vessels approached each other rapidly; and, as the stranger drew near, Rodgers saw, by the square- ness of her yards and the general trim, symmetrical cut of her sails, that she was a war-vessel. A little after eight in the evening the " President " was within a hundred yards of the chase, which could be seen, a dark mass with bright lights shining through the rows of open ports, rushing through the water directly ahead. Rodgers sprang upon the taffrail, and putting a speaking-trumpet to his lips, shouted, " What ship is that?" A dead silence followed. Those on the "President" listened intently for the answer; but no sound was heard save the sigh of the wind through the cordage, the creaking of the spars, and the rush of the water alongside. Rodgers hailed again; and, before the sound of his words had died away, a quick flash of fire leaped from the stern-ports of the chase, and a shot whizzed through the rigging of the " Presi- dent," doing some slight damage. Rodgers sprang to the deck to order a shot in return; but, before he could do so, a too eager gunner pulled the lanyard of his piece in the second division of the " President's " bat- tery. The enemy promptly answered with three guns, and then let fly a whole broadside, with discharges of musketry from the deck and the tops. This exhausted Rodgers's patience. '^ Equally determined," said he afterwards, " not to be the aggressor, or to suffer FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 133 the flag of my country to be insulted with impunity, I gave a general order to fire." This time there was no defect in the ordnance or the gunnery of the Amer- ican ship. The broadsides rang out at regular inter- vals, and the aim of the gunners was deliberate and deadly. It was too dark to see what effect the fire was having on the enemy, but in five minutes her re- sponses began to come slowly and feebly. Unwilling to continue his attack on a ship evidently much his in- ferior in size and armament, Rodgers ordered the gun- ners to cease firing; but this had hardly been done when the stranger opened again. A second time the guns of the " President " were run out, and again they be- gan their cannonade. The stranger was soon silenced again; and Commodore Rodgers hailed, that he might learn the name of his adversary. In answer came a voice from the other vessel: " We are his Majesty's ship " A gust of wind carried away the name, and Rodgers was still in doubt as to whom he had been fighting. Hoisting a number of bright lights in her rigging, that the stranger might know her whereabouts, the " President " stood off and on during the night, ready to give aid to the disabled ship in case of need. At early dawn every officer was on deck, anxious to learn the fate of their foe of the night before. Far In the distance they could see a ship, whose broken cordage and evident disorder showed her to have been the other party to the fight. A boat from the " Presi- dent " visited the stranger, to learn her name and to proffer aid in repairing the damages received in the action. The ship proved to be the British sloop-of- war "Little Belt"; and her captain stated that she was much damaged in her masts, sails, rigging, and hull, and had been cut several times between wind and water. He declined the proffered aid, however, and 134 STORY OF OUR NAVY sailed away to Halifax, the nearest British naval sta- tion. Commodore Rodgers took the " President " to the nearest American port. Another incident showed that the hatred of the Brit- ish service that prevailed among seamen was a matter of deep-seated conviction. While the United States ship " Essex " was lying in an English port, it became known that one of her crew was a deserter from the British navy, and his surrender was immediately de- manded. Although the man stoutly protested that he was an American, yet no proof could be shown; and, as the ship was in British waters, it was determined to surrender him. A British officer and squad of ma- rines boarded the " Essex " and waited on the deck while the sailor went below to get his kit. Bitterly complaining of the hardness of his fate, the poor fellow went along the gun-decks until he passed the carpenter's bench. His eye fell upon an axe; and after a minute's hesitation he stepped to the bench, seized the axe in his right hand, and with -one blow cut off the left. Carrying the severed member in his hand, he again sought the deck and presented himself, maimed, bleed- ing, and forever useless as a sailor, to the British officer. Astonished and horrified, that worthy left the ship, and the wounded man was sent to the sick-bay. The in- cident was a forcible commentary on the state of the British service at that time, and left a deep impression on the minds of all beholders. In the next contest over deserters, however, the Amer- icans rather secured the best of the argument. The " Constitution " was lying at anchor in Portsmouth roads, when one of the crew slily slipped overboard and swam down with the tide to the British ship " Madagascar " that lay at anchor near by. When he had reached the Englishman, he was too exhausted to speak; and the officers, supposing that he had fallen FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 135 overboard accidentally, sent word to the " Constitu- tion " that her man had been saved, and awaited the orders of his commander. The next morning a boat was sent down to the " Madagascar " to fetch the man back; but, to the astonishment of the visiting offi- cer, he was told that the sailor claimed to be a British subject and wished to escape from the American service. " Have you any evidence," asked the American offi- cer of the British admiral, " beyond the man's own word, that he is an Englishman?" " None whatever, sir," was the response, " but we are obliged to take his declaration to that effect." The American officer returned to his ship, vowing vengeance on the harborers of the deserter. His op- portunity came that very night. In the dead watches of the night, when all was still on deck save the monotonous tramp of the sentries, there suddenly rang out on the still air the sharp crack of a musket. The officer of the deck rushed to see what was the matter, and was shown a dark object floating near the ship, at which a sentry had fired. A boat was lowered and soon came back, bringing in it a sailor who had deserted from the " Madagascar," and reached the " Constitution " by swimming. Captain Hull asked the fellow his nationality. " Sure, Oi'm a 'Merricun, your honor," he answered in a rich brogue that would have branded him as a Paddy in any part of the world. With a twinkle in his eye, Hull sent the Irishman below, and told the sailors to take good care of him. Early in the morning, a boat came from the " Mada- gascar"; and a trim young lieutenant, clambering aboard the American frigate, politely requested that the deserter be given up. With great dignity. Captain Hull responded that the man was a citizen of the United States, and should have protection. The visit- 136 STORY OF OUR NAVY ing officer fairly gasped for breath. " An American ! " he exclaimed. " Why, the man has never been out of Ireland except on a British man-of-war." " Indeed! " responded Hull blandly. " But we have his statement that he is an American, and we are obliged to take his declaration to that effect." And the man was never given up. Such occurrences as these could not fail to bring even friendly nations to open war — and there can be no idea that in these days there was any friendliness between the people of the United States and Great Britain. Yet neither government wished for war, and it was not until actual hostilities had long lasted that the fateful declaration was issued. Of that conflict this may be said: On land the United States forces won^ no glory until the battle of New Orleans, which, curiously enough, was fought by Gen- eral Andrew Jackson after the treaty of peace had been concluded. On the ocean our ships were almost uni- formly successful, the only serious disasters being the loss of the " Chesapeake " to the " Shannon," and the loss of the " Essex " off Valparaiso harbor. For both there were distinct reasons, in nowise discreditable to the American commanders, and which will be set forth in the account of these actions. So far as ocean operations were concerned it was a war of individual ships. The only fleet actions were on inland waters. It will be the simplest way of tell- ing the story to deal with the salt water battles first, taking up Perry on Lake Erie, and McDonough on Lake Champlain in a later chapter. Even on the ocean it appeared at first that the war was to be characterized by official over-caution, if not, indeed, timidity. Per- haps the timidity was to some extent justified. At the moment the naval rolls of Great Britain bore the names of over one thousand ships. Of these no fewer FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 137 than two hundred and fifty-four were ships of the line, mounting seventy-four or more guns each. To oppose this force, at that time the most powerful in the world, the United States had twenty vessels of which the largest rated forty- four, and the majority less than thirty guns. It is small wonder that the national gov- ernment was appalled at the odds, and at first deter- mined to lay the ships up in port, using them as float- ing batteries for the defence of harbors and avoiding all cruises. It is to the eternal credit of the American navy that this determination on the part of President Madison was stoutly opposed by all commanding offi- cers. Had it stood, some of the brightest chapters in American naval annals would have remained un- written. The first notable action of the war was the one that made the name of the gallant frigate " Constitution " a household word in the United States for a century thereafter. After narrowly escaping capture by a fleet of five hostile vessels the " Constitution " was cruising along the New England coast when a Salem privateer was overhauled, the captain of which reported an Eng- lish frigate cruising in the neighborhood; and Captain Hull straightway set out to discover the enemy. The frigate which had been sighted by the Salem privateer, and for which Hull was so eagerly seeking, was the " Guerriere," a thirty-eight-gun ship com- manded by Captain Dacres. With both ship and cap- tain. Captain Hull had previously had some little ex- perience. The " Guerriere " was one of the ships in the squadron from which the " Constitution " had so narrowly escaped a few weeks before, while Captain Dacres was an old acquaintance. A story current at the time relates, that, before the war, the " Guerriere " and the "^Constitution" were lying in the Delaware; and the two captains, happening to meet at some- en- 138 STORY OF OUR NAVY tertainment on shore, fell into a discussion over the merits of their respective navies. Although even then the cloud of war was rising on the horizon, each was pleasant and good-natured; and the discussion assumed no more serious form than lively banter. " Well," said Hull at last, " you may just take good care of that ship of yours, if ever I catch her in the ' Constitution.' " Captain Dacres laughed good-humoredly, and offered to bet a sum of money, that in the event of a conflict his confident friend would find himself the loser. "No," said Hull, " I'll bet no money on it; but I will stake you a hat, that the ' Constitution ' comes out victorious." " Done," responded Dacres; and the bet was made. War was soon declared; and, as it happened, the two friends were pitted against each other early in the hos- tilities. It was not long after the American frigate parted from the privateer when the long-drawn hail of " Sail ho-o-o ! " from the lookout aloft announced the dis- covery of another vessel. The course of the " Constitu- tion " was at once shaped toward the stranger. In half an hour she was made out to be a frigate, and from her actions was evidently anxious to come alongside the American ship. As more than an hour must elapse before the ships could come together, Captain Hull made his preparations for action with the greatest de- liberation. The top-gallant sails were furled, and the lighter spars lowered to the deck. Through their glasses, the officers could see the enemy making simi- lar preparations, and waiting dehberately for the " Constitution " to come down. At five o'clock in the afternoon the two ships were rapidly nearing, and the drums on the American frigate beat to quarters. Then followed the rush of bare- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 139 footed men along the deck, as they ran hastily, but in perfect order, to their stations. As the roll of the drums died away, the shrill voices of the boyish mid- shipmen arose, calling off the quarter-bills, and an- swered by the gruff responses of the men at their posts. Every man, from the cook to the captain, knew his place, and hurried to it. The surgeon, with his as- sistants, descended to the cockpit. The carpenter and his mates made ready their felt-covered plugs, for stopping holes made by the enemy's shot. The top- men clambered to their posts in the rigging, led by the midshipmen who were to command them. The line of powder-passers was formed; and the powder- monkeys gave up skylarking, and began to look sober at the thought of the business in hand. The " Guerriere " was not behindhand in her prepa- rations for action. Captain Dacres had suspected the character of the American vessel, from the first mo- ment she had been sighted. On board the English frigate was Captain William B. Orne, a Marblehead sailor who had been captured by the " Guerriere " some days before. " Captain Dacres seemed anxious to as- certain her character," wrote Captain Orne, shortly after the battle, " and after looking at her for that purpose, handed me his spy-glass, requesting me to give him my opinion of the stranger. I soon saw, from the peculiarity of her sails and her general ap- pearance, that she was without doubt an American frigate, and communicated the same to Captain Dacres. He immediately replied, that he thought she came down too boldly for an American; but soon after added, ' The better he behaves, the more credit we shall gain by taking him.' " The two ships were rapidly approaching each other, when the ' Guerriere ' backed her main topsail, and waited for her opponent to come down and com- I40 STORY OF OUR NAVY mence the action. He then set an English flag at each masthead, beat to quarters, and made ready for the fight. " When the strange frigate came down to within two or three miles distant, he hauled upon the wind, took in all his light sails, reefed his topsails, and de- liberately prepared for action. It was now about five in the afternoon, when he filled away and ran down for the ' Guerriere.' At this moment Captain Dacres said politely to me, ' Captain Orne, as I suppose you do not wish to fight against your own countrymen, you are at liberty to retire below the water-line.' It was not long after this, before I retired from the quar- ter-deck to the cockpit." It may be well here to sup- plement Captain Orne's narrative by the statement that Captain Dacres, with a chivalric sense of justice not common in the British navy of that day, allowed ten American sailors who had been impressed into his crew to leave their quarters and go below, that they might not fight against their country. Though an enemy, he was both gallant and generous. The action was opened by the " Guerriere " with her weather broadside; the shot of which all falling short, she wore around, and let fly her port broadside, sending most of the shot through her enemy's rigging, though two took effect in the hull. In response to this, the " Constitution " yawed a little, and fired two or three of her bow-guns; after which the " Guerriere " again opened with broadsides. In this way the battle continued for about an hour; the American ship saving her fire, and responding to the heavy broadsides with an occasional shot. During this ineffectual firing, the two ships were continually drawing nearer together, and the gunners on the " Constitution " were becoming more and more restive under their inaction. Captain Hull was pac- ^k. X i 5: z „ 2 B H 2 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 141 ing the quarter-deck with short, quick steps, trying to look cool, but inwardly on fire with excitement. As the shot of the enemy began to take effect, and the impatience of the gunners grew more intense, Lieu- tenant Morris, the second in command, asked leave to respond with a broadside. " Not yet," responded Captain Hull with cool deci- sion. Some minutes later, the request was repeated, and met with the same response, while the captain never ceased his pacing of the deck. When within about half pistol-shot, another broadside came from the " Guerriere." Then the smothered excitement in Hull's breast broke out. " Now, boys, pour it into them! " he shouted at the top of his lungs, gesticulating with such violence that the tight breeches of his naval uniform split clear down the side. Lieutenant Morris seconded the captain in cheering on the crew. ** Hull her, boys! Hull her! " he shouted; and the crew, catching up the cry, made the decks ring with shouts of "Hull her!" as they rapidly loaded and let fly again. The effect of their first broadside was terrific. Deep down in the cockpit of the " Guerriere," Captain Orne, who had been listening to the muffled thunder of the cannonade at long range, suddenly " heard a tremen- dous explosion from the opposing frigate. The effect of her shot seemed to make the ' Guerriere ' reel and tremble, as though she had received the shock of an earthquake. Immediately after this, I heard a tre- mendous shock on deck, and was told that the mizzen- mast was shot away. In a few moments afterward, the cockpit was filled with wounded men." Though In his retreat in the cockpit the captive American could hear the roar of the cannon, and see the ghastly effects of the flying missiles, he could form 142 STORY OF OUR NAVY but a small idea of the fury of the conflict which was raging over his head. Stripped to the waist, and covered with the stains of powder and of blood, the gunners on the two ships pulled fiercely at the gun- tackle, and wielded the rammers with frantic energy; then let fly the death-dealing bolt into the hull of an enemy only a few yards distant. The ships were broadside to broadside, when the Englishman's miz- zen-mast was shot away, and fell, throwing the top- men far out into the sea. The force of the great spar falling upon the deck made a great breach in the quarter of the ship; and, while the sailors were clearing away the wreck, the " Constitution " drew slowly ahead, pouring in several destructive broadsides, and then luffed slowly, until she lay right athwart the enemy's bow. While in this position, the long bow- sprit of the " Guerriere " stretched far across the quar- ter-deck of the American ship, and was soon fouled in the mizzen-rigging of the latter vessel. Then the two ships swung helplessly around, so that the bow of the Englishman lay snugly against the port-quarter of the Yankee craft. Instantly, from the deck of each ship rang out the short, sharp blare of the bugle, calling away the boarders, who sprang from their guns, seized their heavy boarding caps and cutlasses, and rushed to the side. But a heavy sea was rolling and tossing the two frigates, so that boarding seemed im- possible; and, as Dacres saw the crowd of men ready to receive his boarders, he called them back to the guns. Although each party stuck to its own ship, the fighting was almost hand to hand. Pistols were freely used; and from the tops rained down a ceaseless hail of leaden missiles, one of which wounded Captain Dacres slightly. So near to each other were the com- batants, that the commands and the cries of rage and pain could be heard above the deep-toned thunder of FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 143 the great guns and the ceaseless rattle of the musketry. The protruding muzzles of the guns often touched the sides of the opposing ship; and when the cannon were drawn in for loading, the sailors on either side thrust muskets and pistols through the ports, and tried to pick off the enemy at his guns. While the fight was thus raging, a cry of " Fire ! " horrified every one on the " Constitution." Flames were seen coming from the windows of the cabin, which lay directly beneath the bow-guns of the " Guerriere." The fire had been set by the flash from the enemy's cannon, so close were the two ships together. By the strenuous exertions of the men on duty in the cabin, the flames were extinguished, and this, the greatest of all dangers, averted. Shortly after, the gun which had caused the trouble was disabled by a skilful shot from one of the Yankee's guns. While the flames in the cabin were being extin- guished, the Americans were making a valiant attempt to board and Lieutenant Morris with his own hands was attempting to lash the two ships together. Abandon- ing this attempt, he leaped upon the taffrail, and called upon his men to follow him. Lieutenant Bush of the marines, and Mr. Alwyn, were soon at the side of the Intrepid officer, when, at a sudden volley of mus- ketry from the British, all three fell back, poor Bush dead, and the two others badly wounded. The ships then drifted asunder; and the " Guerrlere's " foremast was shot away, and dragged down the mainmast with It In Its fall. The shattered ship now lay a shapeless hulk, tossing on the waves, but still keeping a British ensign defiantly flying from the stump of her fallen mizzen-mast. The " Constitution " drew away, firing continually, and soon secured a raking position; seeing which, the British hauled down their colors. Lieutenant Read 144 STORY OF OUR NAVY was sent on board the prize, and, on the appearance of Captain Dacres, said: " Captain Hull presents his compliments, sir, and wishes to know if you have struck your flag." Dacres looked significantly at the shattered masts of his ship, and responded drily: " Well, I don't know. Our mizzen-mast is gone, our main-mast is gone; and I think, on the whole, you may say that we have struck our flag." After looking about the ship, the boarding ofliicer stepped to the side, to return to his own vessel. Be- fore leaving, he said to Captain Dacres : " Would you like the assistance of a surgeon, or surgeon's mate, in caring for your wounded? " Dacres looked surprised, and responded: " Well, I should suppose you had on board your own ship business enough for all your medical officers." " Oh, no ! " answered Read. " We have only seven wounded, and they have been dressed long ago." Dacres was astounded, as well he might be; for on the decks of his ship lay twenty-three dead or mor- tally wounded men, while the surgeons were doing their best to alleviate the sufferings of fifty-six wounded, among whom were several officers. Indeed, the ship looked like a charnel-house. When Captain Orne, freed by the result of the battle, came on deck, he saw a sight that he thus describes: "At about half- past seven o'clock, I went on deck, and there beheld a scene which it would be diflicult to describe. All the ' Guerriere's ' masts were shot away; and, as she had no sails to steady her, she was rolling like a log in the trough of the sea. Many of the men were em- ployed in throwing the dead overboard. The decks were covered with blood, and had the appearance of a ship's slaughter-house. The gun-tackles were not made fast; and several of the guns got loose, and were '•iMIHiiiiirnn'iffiiTi' ii'iilii'iT^ •ISAAf li ri.8. CAPTAIN ISAAC HULL (From a contemporary portrait) FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 145 surging from one side to the other. Some of the petty officers and seamen got liquor, and were intoxicated; and what with the groans of the wounded, the noise and confusion of the enraged survivors on board of the ill-fated ship, rendered the whole scene a perfect hell." For some time after the " Guerriere " had been for- mally taken possession of, it seemed as though the " Constitution " would have to fight a second battle, to keep possession of her prize. A strange sail was seen upon the horizon, bearing down upon the " Con- stitution " in a way that seemed to threaten hostilities. Again the drums beat to quarters, and once again the tired crew went to their stations at the guns. But the strange ship sheered off, and the gallant crew were not forced to fight a second battle. All hands then set to work to remove the prisoners from the " Guer- riere," which was evidently in a sinking condition. In the first boat-load from the sinking ship came Captain Dacres, who was politely shown into Captain Hull's cabin. Unclasping his sword from its place at his hip, the conquered seaman handed it silently to Captain Hull. The victor put it gently back, say- ing: " No, no, captain : I'll not take a sword from one who knows so well how to use it. But I will trouble you for that hat." For a moment a shade of perplexity passed over the brow of the British captain; then he recollected the wager of a year or two before, and all was clear again. Unfortunately, the veracious chronicler who has handed this anecdote down to modern times has failed to state whether the debt was duly paid. When the ship came up the harbor, she was met and surrounded by a great flotilla of gaily decorated boats; while the flags on the surrounding vessels were 146 STORY OF OUR NAVY dipped in salutation as the war-scarred veteran made her stately way to the wharf. Here a volunteer ar- tillery company was assembled; and, as the ship came up, they fired a national salute, which was returned from the guns so lately employed in defending the na- tional honor. Quarters had been prepared for Cap- tain Hull in the city; and, as he landed, he found the streets through which he must pass decked with bright bunting, and crowded with people. His progress was accompanied by a great wave of cheers; for, as the people saw him coming, they set up a shout, which Vk^as not ended until he had passed from sight. At night came a grand banquet to the officers of the ship, at which six hundred sat down to the feast. The freedom of the city was presented to the captain; and at a later date came the news of sword presentations from citizens of New York, plate from the people of Philadelphia, and gold medals from Congress. Amid all the exultation, the rash arrogance of the British writers was not forgotten; and many a bumper was emptied to the success of the frigate described by Brit- ish journalists as " a bunch of pine boards under a bit of striped bunting." CHAPTER X Three Fierce Naval Duels — " United States " and " Macedonian " — " Wasp " and " Frolic " — " Constitution " and " Java." A SECOND notable single ship action followed fast upon Hull's victory over the " Guerriere." In the late fall of 1 8 13 the United States ship "United States," in command of Commodore Stephen Decatur, whom we have read of in connection with the war with Tri- poli, was cruising toward the West Indies when she fell in with H. B. M. ship " Macedonian," Captain Carden. The vessels were not unevenly matched, though the " United States " mounted six more guns than her enemy. Indeed, as was so often the case in those days, the two captains had met in friendly chat long before the war, and each expressed himself as certain of victory should their vessels meet in battle. One of the powder-monkeys, named Samuel Leech, of the British ship, told graphically and simply the story of that day's doings on the " Macedonian": " Sunday (Dec. 25, 18 12) came, and it brought with it a stiff breeze," so runs the powder-monkey's tale. " We usually made a sort of holiday of this sacred day. After breakfast it was common to muster the entire crew on the spar-deck, dressed as the fancy of the captain might dictate, — sometimes in blue jackets and white trousers, or blue jackets and blue trousers; at other times in blue jackets, scarlet vests, and blue or white trousers; with our bright anchor-buttons glanc- ing in the sun, and our black, glossy hats ornamented with black ribbons, and the name of our ship painted on them. After muster we frequently had church- service read by the captain; the rest of the day was 147 148 STORY OF OUR NAVY devoted to idleness. But we were destined to spend the rest of the Sabbath just introduced to the reader in a very different manner. " We had scarcely finished breakfast before the man at the masthead shouted ' Sail, ho! ' " The captain rushed upon deck, exclaiming, ' Mast- head, there ! ' '"Sir?' "'Where away is the sail?' " The precise answer to this question I do not recol- lect; but the captain proceeded to ask, 'What does she look like ? ' " ' A square-rigged vessel, sir,' was the reply of the lookout. " After a few minutes, the captain shouted again, ' Masthead, there ! ' "'Sir?' '"What does she look like?' " ' A large ship, sir, standing toward us.' " By this time, most of the crew were on deck, eagerly straining their eyes to obtain a glimpse of the approaching ship, and murmuring their opinions to each other on her probable character. " Then came the voice of the captain, shouting, ' Keep silence, fore and aft! ' " Silence being secured, he hailed the lookout, who to his question of ' What does she look like? ' replied, ' A large frigate bearing down upon us, sir.' " A whisper ran along the crew, that the stranger ship was a Yankee frigate. The thought was con- firmed by the command of ' All hands clear the ship for action, ahoy ! ' The drum and fife beat to quar- ters, bulkheads were knocked away, the guns were re- leased from their confinement, the whole dread para- phernalia of battle was produced; and, after the lapse of a few minutes of hurry and confusion, every man FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 149 and boy was at his post ready to do his best service for his country, except the band, who, claiming exemp- tion from the affray, safely stowed themselves away in the cable tier. We had only one sick man on the list; and he, at the cry of battle, hurried from his cot, feeble as he was, to take his post of danger. A few of the junior midshipmen were stationed below on the berth- deck, with orders, given in our hearing, to shoot any man who attempted to move from his quarters. " As the approaching ship showed American colors, all doubt of her character was at an end. ' We must fight her,' was the conviction of every breast. Every possible arrangement that could insure success was ac- cordingly made. The guns were shotted, the matches lighted; for, although our guns were all furnished with first-class locks, they were also furnished with matches, attached by lanyards, in case the lock should miss fire. A lieutenant then passed through the ship, directing the marines and boarders — who were furnished with pikes, cutlasses, and pistols — how to proceed if it should be necessary to board the enemy. He was followed by the captain, who exhorted the men to fidelity and courage, urging upon their consideration the well-known motto of the brave Nelson, ' England expects every man to do his duty.' In addition to all these preparations on deck, some men were stationed in the tops with small arms, whose duty it was to attend to trimming the sails, and to use their muskets, provided we came to close action. There were others, also, below, called sail-trimmers, to assist in working the ship, should it be necessary to shift her position during the battle." In the crew of the '* United States " were many young boys, of ages ranging from twelve to fourteen years. At that time many a lad received his warrant as midshipman while still in his tenth year; and young- I50 STORY OF OUR NAVY sters who wished to join the navy as " ship's boys," were always received, although sometimes their extreme youth made it illegal for their names to be formally enrolled upon the roster of the crew. Such was the station of little Jack Creamer, a ten-year-old boy, who had been serving on the ship for some weeks, although under the age at which he could be legally enlisted. When Jack saw the English frigate looming up in the distance, a troubled look came over his face, and he seemed to be revolving some grave problem in his mind. His comrades noticed his look of care, and rallied him on what they supposed to be his fear of the coming conflict. Jack stoutly denied this charge, but said he was anxious to speak to the captain before going into action. An old quartermaster marched him up to the quarter-deck, and stood waiting for Captain Decatur's attention. In a moment the captain noticed the two, and said cheerily: "Well, Jack, what's wanting now?" Touching his hat, the lad replied: " Commodore, will you please to have my name put down on the muster-roll? " "Why, what for, my lad?" " So that I can draw my share of the prize-money, when we take that Britisher, sir." Amused and pleased with the lad's confidence in the success of the " United States " in the coming battle, Decatur gave the necessary order; and Jack went back to his post with a prouder step, for he was now regu- larly enrolled. The two ships were now coming within range of each other, and a slow, long-distance cannonade was begun, with but little effect; for a long ground-swell was on, and the ships were rolling in a manner fatal to the aim of the gunners. After half an hour of this playing at long bowls, the Englishman's mizzen FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 151 top-mast was shot away; and the cannon-balls from the " States " whizzed through the rigging, and splashed into the water about the " Macedonian," in a way that proved the American gunners had the range, and were utilizing it. Captain Carden soon saw that at long range the American gunners were more than a match for his men, and he resolved to throw prudence to the winds; and, disdaining all manoeuvring, bore straight down on the American ship, that lay almost stationary on the water, pouring in rapid and well- aimed broadsides. Though a gallant and dashing movement, this course led to the defeat of the English ship. The fire of the Americans was deadly in its aim, and marvellous In rapidity. So continuous was the flashing of the dis- charges from the broadside ports, that the sailors on the " Macedonian " thought their adversary was on fire, and cheered lustily. But the next instant their exultation was turned to sorrow; for a well-directed shot cut away the mizzen-mast, which fell alongside, suspended by the cordage. "Huzza, Jack!" cried the captain of a gun on the " United States." " We've made a brig of her." " Ay, ay, my lad," said Decatur, who stood near by; " now aim well at the main-mast, and she'll be a sloop soon." A few minutes later, the captain shouted to the near- est gunner, " Aim at the yellow streak. Her spars and rigging are going fast enough. She must have a little more hulling." This order was Immediately passed along the gun- deck, until every gunner was striving his utmost to plant his shot In the hull of the enemy. The effect was terrible. The great missiles crashed through the wooden sides of the English frigate, and swept the 152 STORY OF OUR NAVY decks clear of men. She was coming down on the American bravely, and with manifest intention of boarding; but so skilfully was the "United States" manoeuvred, and so accurate and rapid was her fire, that the " Macedonian " was unable to close, and was fairly cut to pieces, while still more than a pistol-shot distant. The " United States," in the meantime, was almost unscathed. The aim of the English gunners was usually too high, and such shots as took effect were mainly in the rigging. After pounding away at the " Macedonian " until the chocks of the fore- castle guns on that ship were cut away, her boats cut to pieces, and her hull shattered with more than one hundred shot-holes, the American ship drew away slightly. The British thought she was in retreat, and cheered lustily, but were soon undeceived; for, after a little manoeuvring, the " United States " ranged up under her adversary's lee, securing a raking position. Before a broadside could be fired, the British hauled down their flag; and the action was ended, after just an hour and a half of fighting. The slaughter on the British frigate had been ap- palling. From the official accounts, we glean the cold reports of the numbers of the killed and wounded; but for any picture of the scene on the decks of the defeated man-of-war, we must turn to such descriptions as have been left by eye-witnesses. Sailors are not much given to the habit of jotting down the descrip- tions of the many stirring scenes in which they play parts in their adventurous careers; and much that is romantic, much that is picturesque, and much that is of historic value, has thus been lost to history. But of the details of the action between the " Macedonian " and " United States," the sailor-lad already quoted has left an account, probably as trustworthy as should be expected of a witness in his situation. He was sta- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 153 tioned at one of the guns on the maui-deck; and it was his duty, as powder-boy, to run to the magazine for powder for his gun. Before the entrance to the magazine was a heavy wooden screen, pierced with a hole through which the cartridges were passed out to the fleet-footed powder-monkeys, as they rushed up for more powder. Each boy, on getting his cartridge, wrapped it in his jacket, that no stray spark might touch it, and dashed off at full speed for his gun, quickly returning for further supplies. With the men all standing pale and silent at the guns, the " Macedonian " came on doggedly towards her foe. Three guns fired from the larboard side of the gun-deck opened the action; but the fire was quickly stopped by the gruff order from the quarter-deck, "Cease firing: you are throwing away your shot!" Then came the roar of the opening volley from the American frigate. " A strange noise such as I had never heard before next arrested my attention," wrote the English sailor- lad. *' It sounded like the tearing of sails just over our heads. This I soon ascertained to be the wind of the enemy's shot. The firing, after a few minutes' cessation, recommenced. The roaring of cannon could now be heard from all parts of our trembling ship; and, mingling as it did with that of our foes. It made a most hideous noise. By and by I heard the shot strike the sides of our ship. The whole scene grew indescribably confused and horrible. It was like some awfully tremendous thunderstorm, whose deafening roar is attended by incessant streaks of lightning, carry- ing death in every flash, and strewing the ground with the victims of Its wrath; only in our case the scene was rendered more horrible than that by the presence of torrents of blood, which dyed our decks. Though the recital may be painful, yet, as it will reveal the 154 STORY OF OUR NAVY horrors of war, and show at what a fearful price the victory is won or lost, I will present the reader with things as they met my eye during the progress of this dreadful fight. I was busily supplying my gun with powder, when I saw blood suddenly fly from the arm of a man stationed at our gun. I saw nothing strike him: the effect alone was visible; and in an instant the third lieutenant tied his handkerchief round the wounded arm, and sent the poor fellow below to the surgeon. " The cries of the wounded now rang through all parts of the ship. These were carried to the cockpit as fast as they fell, while those more fortunate men who were killed outright were immediately thrown overboard. As I was stationed but a short distance from the main hatchway, I could catch a glance at all who were carried below. A glance was all I could indulge in; for the boys belonging to the guns next to mine were wounded in the early part of the action, and I had to spring with all my might to keep three or four guns supplied with cartridges. I saw two of these lads fall nearly together. One of them was struck in the leg by a large shot; he had to suffer am- putation above the wound. The other had a grape or canister sent through his ankle. A stout Yorkshire- man lifted him in his arms, and hurried with him to the cockpit. He had his foot cut off, and was thus made lame for life. Two of the boys stationed on the quar- ter-deck were killed. They were both Portuguese. A man who saw one killed afterwards told me that his powder caught fire, and burnt the flesh almost off his face. In this pitiable situation the agonized boy lifted up both hands, as if imploring relief, when a passing shot instantly cut him in two." But the narrative of this young sailor, a boy in years, is almost too horrible for reproduction. He tells of FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 155 men struck by three or four missiles at once, and hacked to pieces; of mangled sailors, mortally wounded, but still living, thrown overboard to end their sufferings; of the monotonous drip of the blood on the deck, as desperately wounded men were carried past. The brave seaman who left his bed of sickness for the post of duty had his head carried away by a cannon-ball. The schoolmaster who looked after the education of the midshipmen was killed. Even a poor goat, kept by the officers for her milk, was cut down by a cannon- ball, and, after hobbling piteously about the deck, was mercifully thrown overboard. And this was Sunday, Christmas Day ! The spot amidships where our sailor-lad was sta- tioned must have been the hottest station in the whole ship. Many years later, as Herman Melville, the author of several exciting sea-tales, was walking the deck of a man-of-war with an old negro, " Tawney," who had served on the " Macedonian," the veteran stopped at a point abreast the main-mast. " This part of the ship," said he, " we called the slaughter-house, on board the ' Macedonian.' Here the men fell, five and six at a time. An enemy always directs its shot here, in order to hurl over the mast. If possible. The beams and carlines overhead In the * Macedonian ' slaughter-house were spattered with blood and brains. About the hatchways it looked like a butcher's stall. A shot entering at one of the portholes dashed dead two-thirds of a gun's crew. The captain of the next gun, dropping his lock-string, which he had just pulled, turned over the heap of bodies, to see who they were; when, perceiving an old messmate who had sailed with him in many cruises, he burst Into tears, and taking the corpse up in his arms, and going to the side with it, held it over the water a moment, and eyeing It, cried, 'O God! Tom.'' 156 STORY OF OUR NAVY Hang your prayers over that thing ! Overboard with it, and down to your gun ! ' *' The order was obeyed, and the heart-stricken sailor returned to his post." Amid such scenes of terror, the British tars fought on doggedly, cheering loudly as they worked their guns, but not knowing why they cheered; for the officers, at least, could see how surely the battle was going against them. When the " United States " drew away to repair damages, the British officers held a consulta- tion on the quarter-deck. They could not but see that their position was hopeless; and, knowing all further resistance to be folly, the flag was hauled down. To the pride of the officers the surrender was doubtless a severe blow. But Sam Leech remarks pithily, that to him " it was a pleasing sight; for he had seen fight- ing enough for one Sabbath, — more, indeed, than he wished to see again on a week-day." Decatur at once hailed, to learn the name of his prize, and then sent off a boat with Lieutenant Allen to take possession. He found the decks of the ship in a fearful state. Many of the crew had found liquor, and were drinking heavily. Others were throwing the dead into the sea, carrying the wounded below, and sprinkling the deck with hot vinegar, to remove the stains and odor of blood. The dead numbered forty- three, and sixty-one were wounded. An eye-witness of the terrible spectacle writes of it : " Fragments of the dead were distributed in every direction, the decks covered with blood, — one continued, agonizing yell of the unhappy wounded. A scene so horrible of my fellow-creatures, I assure you, deprived me very much of the pleasure of victory." Yet, with all this terrific destruction and loss of life on the " Macedonian," the "United States" was but little Injured; and her loss amounted to but seven killed, and five wounded. In- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 157 deed, so slight was the damage done to the American ship, that an hour's active work by her sailors put her in trim for a second battle. After the " Macedonian " had been formally taken possession of by Lieutenant Allen, the British officers were removed to the American ship. Some of them were inclined to be very surly over their defeat, and by words and actions showed their contempt for the Americans, whose prisoners they were. In the first boat which went from the prize to the victor was the first lieutenant of the " Macedonian." As he clam- bered down the side of his vessel, he noticed that his baggage had not been put in the boat which was to bear him to the American frigate. Turning to Lieu- tenant Allen, he said surlily: " You do not intend to send me away without my baggage?" " I hope," responded Allen courteously, " that you do not take us for privateersmen." " I am sure I don't know by whom I have been taken," was the rude reply, which so angered Allen that he peremptorily ordered the fellow to take his place in the boat, and be silent. Whatever may have been the demeanor of the Brit- ish captives, they met with nothing but the most con- siderate treatment from the American officers. Cap- tain Carden, on his arrival upon the deck of the vic- torious frigate, was received with the consideration due his rank and the brave defence of his vessel. He was conducted at once to Decatur's cabin, on entering which he took off his sword, and mutely held it out for De- catur's acceptance. Decatur courteously refused to ac- cept it, saying, " Sir, I cannot take the sword of a man who has defended his ship so bravely; but I will take your hand." As long as Carden and his officers remained on the ship, they were treated with the great- 158 STORY OF OUR NAVY est consideration, and were allowed to retain all their personal property. Every attempt was made to take away from them the bitter remembrance of their de- feat. The innate nobility of Decatur's nature is well shown in a letter written to his wife a few days after the action. " One-half of the satisfaction," he says, " arising from this victory is destroyed in seeing the mortification of poor Garden, who deserved success as much as we did who had the good fortune to obtain it." When Garden left the ship, he thanked Decatur for his consideration, and expressed a desire to do like- wise by the Americans, should he ever be able to turn the tables. Amid the heat of battle and the excitement of suc- cess, Decatur did not forget little Jack Greamer, the lately enrolled ship's boy. Shortly after the close of the conflict, he sent for Jack to come to his cabin. Soon a much abashed small boy stood before the captain. " Well, Jack," said the great man, " we did take her, after all." " Yes, your Honor," responded Jack. " I knew we would, before we gave her the first broadside." " And your share of the prize-money," continued Decatur, " may amount to two hundred dollars, if we get her safe into port. Now, what are you going to do with so much money?" Jack's eyes had lighted up at the thought of such great wealth. " Please, sir," he cried, " I'll send half of it to my mother; and the rest will get me a bit of schooling." "Well said. Jack," said Decatur warmly; and the interview closed for the time. But the captain's in- terest in the boy was aroused, and for years he showed an almost fatherly regard for the lad. Jack had his " bit of schooling," then received a midshipman's war- rant, and for years served Decatur, giving promise of - .1 z -£ ^ £ H o FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 159 becoming an able officer. At last, however, his career was ended by the accidental upsetting of a boat when on a pleasure excursion in the Mediterranean. Leaving now, for a time, the story of the frigate battles, let us look at some of the sharp fights fought by the lesser vessels of the United States navy. A typical action of this character was the victory of the United States sloop-of-war " Wasp " over the " Frolic." The " Wasp " was one of the smallest ships of our navy, but well-built, well-found, and well- manned — a veritable bantam. She carried sixteen thirty-two pounder carronades and two " long twelves." Her commander, Jacob Jones, had served in the war with Tripoli and had been a captive among the Bar- barians. It was on a bright fall day in 18 12 that the " Wasp " caught sight of a British fleet of six vessels convoyed by a bluff little brig — the man-of-war *' Frolic " of a rating equal to that of the American. It was half-past eleven in the morning when the action began. The day was an ideal October morning at sea, — cool, clear, and a breeze blowing fresh and constantly stiffening. The two vessels were running on the starboard tack, not sixty yards apart. As they ploughed through the waves, great clouds of spray dashed over the bows; and every now and then a wave would sweep over the forecastle, drenching the jackies as they stood at their quarters. As they sped along, the two ships exchanged broadsides, the " Frolic " fir- ing three to the " Wasp's " two. After every broad- side, the gunners cheered as they saw the damage done by their fire. When the state of the sea is considered, it seems marvellous that the broadsides should have done any execution whatever. The vessels were roll- ing terribly, now wallowing in the trough of the sea, and again tossed high on the crest of some enormous wave. At one instant the muzzles of the guns would i6o STORY OF OUR NAVY be pointed toward the skies, then actually submerged under the waves, from which they rose dripping, to be loaded and fired before another dip should soak the charge. Yet, with all this rolling to spoil their aim, the gunners of both ships pointed their pieces with most destructive effect. Within five minutes from the time of opening fire, the main top-mast of the " Wasp " was shot away, and hung tangled in the rigging, despite the active efforts of the topmen, headed by the nimble midshipmen, to clear away the wreck. This greatly hampered the movements of the American vessel; and when, a few minutes later, the gaff and the main top-gallant mast fell, the chances of the Amer- ican ship seemed poor, indeed. The effects of the " Wasp's " fire were chiefly to be seen in the hull of her antagonist; but the first twenty minutes of the fight seemed to give the Englishman every chance of vic- tory, since his fire had so cut away the rigging of the " Wasp " that she became unmanageable. It Is said that the difference between the execution done by the two batteries was due to the fact that the British fired as their ship was rising on the crest of the wave, while the Americans fired from the trough of the sea, send- ing their shot into the hull of the enemy. While the fight was raging, the two ships were con- stantly drawing nearer together; and just as it seemed as though the destruction wrought in the " Wasp's " rigging would Inevitably lead to her defeat, the two vessels fouled. For an instant they lay yard-arm to yard-arm, and at that very moment the American gun- ners poured in a terrific broadside. So close were the two vessels to each other, that, in loading, the rammers were shoved up against the sides of the *' Frolic." Before the gunners of the " Frolic " could respond to this broadside, their ship swung round so that her bow lay against the "Wasp's" quarter; and FOR YOUNG AMERICANS i6i her bowsprit passed over the heads of Captain Jones and his officers as they stood on the quarter-deck. That was the moment for a raking volley; and with deadly aim the Americans poured it in, and the heavy iron bolts swept the decks of the " Frolic " from stem to stern. This turn in the tide of battle fairly crazed with ex- citement the sailors of the " Wasp." With ringing cheers they applauded the success of the last volley, and, springing into the hammock-nettings, called loudly for their officers to lead them on board the English ship. From the quarter-deck, Captain Jones, with shouts and gestures, strove to hold back the excited men until another broadside could be given the enemy. But the enthusiasm of the sailors was beyond all con- trol. All at once, they saw a sailor from New Jersey, named Jack Lang, spring on a gun, cutlass in hand, ready to board. All were about to follow him, when Captain Jones called him down. Only for a minute did Jack's sense of duty overcome his enthusiasm; and then, remembering that he had once been impressed on the " Frolic," his rage blazed up, and in an Instant he was clambering over the nettings, calling for fol- lowers. Captain Jones saw that the ardor of his crew was beyond all control, and ordered the bugler to call away the boarders. Headed by their officers, the bold tars swarmed over the nettings, and through the tangled rigging, to the deck of the enemy's ship. Each man clutched his cutlass viciously, for he felt that a des- perate conflict was imminent. But when they dropped upon the deck of the " Frolic," a most unexpected spec- tacle met their eyes. The broad deck stretched out before them, unten- anted save by a few wounded officers near the stern, and a grim old British seaman at the wheel. Instead of the host of armed men with whom the boarders i62 STORY OF OUR NAVY expected to dispute the possession of the ship, they saw before them only heaps of dead sailors lying about the guns which they had been serving. On the quar- ter-deck lay Captain Whinyates and Lieutenant Wintle, desperately wounded. All who were unhurt had fled below, to escape the pitiless fire of the American guns, and the unerring aim of the sailors stationed in the " Wasp's " tops. Only the old helmsman stood un- daunted at his post, and held the ship on her course, even while the Americans were swarming over the net- tings and clambering down the bowsprit. The colors were still flying above the ship; but there was no one left, either to defend them or to haul them down, and they were finally lowered by the hands of Lieutenant Biddle, who led the boarding party. No action of the war was so sanguinary as this short conflict between two sloops-of-war. The " Fro- lic " went into action with a crew of one hundred and ten men, fully oflScered. When the colors were hauled down, only twenty men were uninjured. Every ofiicer was wounded, and of the crew thirty lost their lives. They had stood to their guns with the dogged courage of the English sailor at his best, and had been fairly mowed down by the destructive fire of the Americans. On the " Wasp," the loss of life was slight. The shot of the enemy took effect in the rigging chiefly. The three sailors who were killed were topmen at their posts, and the five wounded were almost all stationed in the rigging. The Americans were not destined to enjoy their triumph long. Shattered though the " Frolic " was. Lieutenant Biddle, with a prize-crew, took charge of her, and was in hopes of taking her safely to port; but his plan was rudely shattered by the appearance of an English frigate, only a few hours after the action ceased. For the " Frolic " to escape was out of the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 163 question. Both her masts had gone by the board shortly after her flag was struck; and, when the new enemy hove in sight, the prize-crew was workmg hard to clear from her decks the tangled mass of riggmg, wreckage, and dead bodies, that made the tasks of navigation impossible. The ship was rollmg like a log in the trough of the sea, and was an easy prize for' an enemy of even less strength than the man-ot- war which was then bearing down upon her. One more fierce naval duel ends the record of the year 18 12 upon the ocean. After her famous victory over the " Guerriere " the frigate " Constitution ' had put into Boston to refit. When the ship was again ready for sea Captain Hull voluntarily resigned the command, saying that it was fair to give some other commander a chance for glory. The choice fell upon Captain Bainbridge, whose ill-luck in the war with Tripoli has already been noted. But the time had now come to change his fortune. Sailing from Boston with the sloop "Hornet" for a consort he left that vessel blockading in San Salvador harbor the English man-of-war " Bonne Citoyenne," which had half a mil- lion pounds sterling in her hold. Three days later the American frigate sighted a British vessel, which made no effort to avoid a conflict, but bore boldly down to the attack. This was the ship " Java," a thirty- eight, and therefore outclassed by the " Constitution," but commanded by a gallant sailor, Captain Lambert, who recked little of odds but audaciously offered batde. In the light wind that was blowing, the enemy proved the better sailer, and soon forged ahead. His object was to cross the bows of the American ship, and get in a raking broadside,— the end and aim of most of the naval manoeuvring in those days of wooden ships and heavy batteries. By skilful seamanship, Bainbridge warded off the danger; and the fight con- i64 STORY OF OUR NAVY tinued broadside to broadside. The firing on both sides was rapid and well directed. After half an hour of lighting, the " Constitution " was seriously crippled by a round shot, which carried away her wheel, and wounded Bainbridge by driving a small copper bolt deep into his thigh. For a moment it seemed as though the American ship was lost. Having no con- trol over the rudder, her head fell off, her sails flapped idly against the spars, and the enemy was fast coming into an advantageous position. But, though wounded, the indomitable Yankee captain was equal to the occa- sion. Tackle was rigged upon the rudder-post between decks, and a crew of jackies detailed to work the im- provised helm. The helmsmen were far out of ear- shot of the quarter-deck: so a line of midshipmen was formed from the quarter-deck to the spot where the sailors tugged at the steering-lines. " Hard-a-port ! " Bainbridge would shout from his station on the quarter-deck. " Hard-a-port ! Hard-a-port ! " came the quick re- sponses, as the midshipmen passed the word along. And so the ship was steered; and, notwithstanding the loss of her wheel, fairly out-manoeuvred her antagonist. The first raking broadside was delivered by the " Con- stitution," and did terrible execution along the gun- deck of the English ship. The two ships then ran before the wind, exchanging broadsides at a distance of half pistol-shot. At this game the American was clearly winning: so the Englishman determined to close and board, in the dashing, fearless way that had made the tars of Great Britain the terror of all maritime peoples. The frigate bore down on the " Constitu- tion," and struck her on the quarter; the long jib- boom tearing its way through the rigging of the Amer- ican ship. But, while this movement was being exe- cuted, the American gunners had not been idle; and FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 165 the results of their labors were very evident, in the rigging of the " Java." Her jib-boom and bowsprit were so shattered by shot, that they were on the point of giving way; and, as the ships met, the mizzen-mast fell, crashing through forecastle and main-deck, crush- ing officers and sailors beneath it in the fall, and hurl- ing the topmen into the ocean to drown. The " Con- stitution " shot ahead, but soon wore and lay yard- arm to yard-arm with her foe. For some minutes the battle raged with desperation. A dense sulphurous smoke hung about the hulls of the two ships, making any extended vision impossible. Once in a while a fresher puff of wind, or a change in the position of the ships, would give the jackies a glimpse of their enemy, and show fierce faces glaring from the open ports, as the great guns were drawn in for loading. Then the gray pall of smoke fell, and nothing was to be seen but the carnage near at hand. The officers on the quarter-deck could better judge of the progress of the fray; and, the marines stationed there took ad- vantage of every clear moment to pick off some enemy with a shot from one of their muskets. High up in the tops of the " Constitution " were two small howitzers, with which crews of topmen, under the command of midshipmen, made lively play with grape and canister upon the crowded decks of the enemy. From the cavernous submarine depths of the cockpit and magazine, to the tops of each ship, not an idler was to be found. Chaplains, surgeons, clerks, cooks, and waiters — all were working or fighting for the honor of the flag under which they served. Again the British determined to board; and the quick, sharp notes of the bugle calling up the boarders gave warning of their intentions. The men in the tops of the American frigate, looking down from their lofty station, could see the crowd of boarders and i66 STORY OF OUR NAVY marines gathered on the forecastle and in the gang- ways, and could hear the shrill notes of the boatswain's whistle cheering them on. At that moment, however, the American fire raked the enemy with fearful effect, and the volleys of musketry from the marines and top- men made such havoc among the crowded boarders that the attempt was abandoned. The deadly fire of the Americans was not slackened. Captain Lambert was struck down, mortally wounded; and the com- mand fell upon Lieutenant Chads, who, though him- self badly wounded, continued the fight with true Brit- ish courage. Over the side of the " Java " hung the wreck of her top-hamper, which every broadside set on fire. Yet the British tars fought on, cheering lustily, and not once thinking of surrender, though they saw their fore-mast gone, their mizzen-mast shivered, even the last flag shot away, and the last gun silenced. When affairs had reached this stage, the " Constitu- tion," seeing no flag flying on the enemy, hauled away, and set about repairing her own damages. While thus engaged, the main-mast of the " Java " was seen to go by the board, and the ship lay a hopeless wreck upon the water. After making some slight repairs, Bainbridge returned to take possession of his prize, but, to his surprise, found a jack still floating over the helpless hulk. It was merely a bit of bravado, how- ever; for, as the " Constitution" ranged up alongside, the jack was hauled down. The " Java " proved to be a rich prize. She was one of the best of the English frigates, and had just been especially fitted up for the accommodation of the governor-general of Bombay and his staff, all of whom were then on board. This added to the regular num- ber of officers and crew more than one hundred pris- oners, mostly of high rank in British military and social circles. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 167 The boarding officer found the ship so badly cut up that to save her was impossible. Her loss in men, including her captain, Henry Lambert, and five mid- shipmen, was forty-eight, together with one hundred and five wounded, among whom were many officers. The " Constitution " had suffered much less severely, having but twelve killed and twenty wounded. The ship herself was but little damaged; her chief injury being the loss of her wheel, which was immediately replaced by that of the " Java." Captain Balnbridge now found himself a great dis- tance from home, with a disabled ship filled with pris- oners, many of whom were wounded. Even had the wreck of the " Java " been less complete, it would have been hazardous to attempt to take her back to the United States through the West India waters that swarmed with British vessels. No course was open save to take the prisoners aboard the " Constitution," and set the torch to the disabled hulk. To do this was a work of no little difficulty. The storm of lead and iron that had swept across the decks of the British frigate had left intact not one of the boats that hung from the davits. The " Constitution " had fared better; but, even with her, the case was desperate, for the British cannonade had left her but two serviceable boats. To transfer from the sinking ship to the victorious frigate nearly five hundred men, over a hundred of whom were wounded, was a serious task when the means of transfer were thus limited. Three days the " Constitution " lay by her defeated enemy, and hour after hour the boats plied between the two ships. The first to be moved were the wounded. Tackle was rigged over the side of the *' Java"; and the mangled sufferers, securely lashed in their ham- mocks, were gently lowered into the waiting boat, and soon found themselves in the sick-bay of the American i68 STORY OF OUR NAVY ship, where they received the gentlest treatment from those who a few hours before sought only to slay them. The transfer of the wounded once accom- plished, the work proceeded with great rapidity: and in the afternoon of the third day the " Constitution " was filled with prisoners; and the "Java," a deserted, shattered hulk, was ready for the last scene in the drama of her career. The last boat left the desolate wreck, and, reaching the " Constitution," was hauled up to the davits. The side of the American frigate next to the abandoned ship was crowded with men, who looked eagerly across the water. Through the open portholes of the " Java," a flickering gleam could be seen, playing fitfully upon the decks and gun-carriages. The light grew brighter, and sharp-tongued flames licked the outside of the hull, and set the tangled cordage in a blaze. With this the whole ship seemed to burst into fire, and lay toss- ing, a huge ball of flame, on the rising sea. When the fire was raging most fiercely, there came a terrific explosion, and the great hull was lifted bodily from the water, falling back shattered to countless bits. Guns, anchors, and ironwork dragged the greater part of the wreckage to the bottom; and when the "Con- stitution," with all sail set, left the spot, the captive Englishmen, looking sadly back, could see only a patch of charred woodwork and cordage floating upon the ocean to mark the burial-place of the sturdy frigate "Java." The " Constitution " made sail for San Salvador, where the prisoners were landed; first giving their paroles not to serve against the " United States " until regularly exchanged. Bainbridge then took his ship to Boston, where she arrived in February, 1813. The substitution of the wheel of the " Java " for that of the " Constitution," shot away in battle, has FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 169 been alluded to. In his biography of Captain Bain- bridge, Fenimore Cooper relates a story of interest regarding this trophy. It was a year or two after peace was made with England, in 18 15, that a British naval officer visited the " Constitution," then lying at the Boston navy-yard. The frigate had been newly fitted out for a cruise to the Mediterranean; and an American officer, with some pride, showed the English- man over the ship, which was then undoubtedly the finest of American naval vessels. After the tour of the ship had been made, the host said, as they stood chat- ting on the quarter-deck: " Well, what do you think of her? " " She is one of the finest frigates, if not the very finest, I ever put my foot aboard of," responded the Englishman; "but, as I must find some fault, I'll just say that your wheel is one of the clumsiest things I ever saw, and is unworthy of the vessel." The American officer laughed. " Well, you see," said he, " when the * Constitution ' took the ' Java,' the former's wheel was shot out of her. The ' Java's ' wheel was fitted on the victorious frigate, to steer by; and, although we think it as ugly as you do, we keep it as a trophy." All criticisms on the wheel ended then and there. The defeat of the " Java " closed the warfare on the ocean during 18 12. The year ended with the honors largely in the possession of the United States navy. The British could boast of the capture of but two armed vessels, — the " Nautilus," whose capture by an overwhelming force we have already noted; and the little brig " Vixen," twelve guns, which Sir James Yeo, with the " Southampton," thirty-two, had over- hauled and captured in the latter part of November. The capture of the " Wasp " by the " Poictiers," when the American sloop-of-war was cut up by her action I70 STORY OF OUR NAVY with the " Frolic," was an occurrence, which, however unfortunate for the Americans, reflected no particular honor upon the British arms. In opposition to this record, the Americans could boast of victory in four hard-fought battles. In no case had they won through any lack of valor on the part of their antagonists; for the Englishmen had not sought to avoid the battle, and had fought with the dogged valor characteristic of their nation. In one or two instances, it is true that the Americans were more powerful than the foe whom they engaged; but, in such cases, the injury inflicted was out of all pro- portion to the disparity in size of the combatants. The four great actions resulting in the defeat of the " Guer- riere," the " Frolic," the " Macedonian," and the " Java," showed conclusively that the American blue- jackets were equal in courage to their British oppo- nents, and far their superiors in coolness, skill, dis- cipline, and self-reliance; and these qualities may be said to have won the laurels for the American navy that were conceded to it by all impartial observers. CHAPTER XI The War on the Lakes — Building a Fresh Water Navy — Perry at Put-in-Bay — McDonough on Lake Champlain. In these days of peace and industry it is difficult to tliink of the picturesque hills of Lake Champlain, or the vine-clad shores of Put-in-Bay reverberating to the sound of cannon, and echoing back the cries of infuriated enemies fighting to the death. But the War of 1 8 12 was scarcely declared when operations upon our fresh water seas began. The British held Canada and the magnificent St. Lawrence waterway to the ocean. Lake Champlain and Lake George offered a temptingly direct route to the very middle of New York. The land all about is mountainous and was then densely wooded, making the progress of an in- vading force by land most difficult. So, too, with Lakes Ontario and Erie. Save for the portage about the Niagara cataract, these lakes afforded a direct water route from the Canadian strongholds to what was then the northwestern frontier of the United States. As a result of these geographical considera- tions two battles were fought afloat on our inland seas which were perhaps of as much effect in determining the outcome of the war as any battle by sea or land. The name of Commodore Perry is writ large in Amer- ican history, while that of Commodore McDonough, who won the equally decisive battle on Lake Cham- plain, deserves to be ranked with it. When war was declared the English were vastly better equipped for its prosecution than the Americans. On Lake Erie the English flag waved over six men- 171 172 STORY OF OUR NAVY of-war with forty-six guns; the United States had but the " Oneida," with sixteen. The British were nearer their base of supphes, with a practically uninterrupted water route to the front, while all American supplies had to be brought by land from the head of naviga- tion on the Hudson. A picturesque incident of the work of thus transporting supplies and ship-building was the carrying of a monster hempen cable, weighing 9,600 pounds, on the shoulders of two hundred men from the last safe point of water carriage through the woods to Sackett's Harbor, where the warships Avere being pushed to completion. Like a colossal centipede or python the great rope with its bearers wound through the circuitous path, hidden from the British ships that blocked the lake, until after thirty-six hours of toil it was thrown down in the street of Sackett's Harbor amid the sighs of relief of its bearers and the cheers of those who were waiting for it. Looking back upon the early days of the war, one is perplexed to understand how the British ever per- mitted the Americans to build a fresh-water navy. They had the force to prevent it, had that force been vigorously used. Perhaps one reason was that the British ships were not officered by practised navy offi- cers, but by merchant captains and militiamen picked up along the Canadian shore. Be that as it may, the only serious attack made on the American naval sta- tions was an attempt to destroy the " Oneida " at Sackett's Harbor. That was on a Sunday morning In July, 1 8 12. At early dawn of the day mentioned, the lookout reported five ships in the offing, and a few minutes later hailed the deck, to report them to be British ships-of-war. The alarm quickly spread over the little town. Puny though the British fleet would have ap- peared upon the ocean, it was of ample power to take FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 173 the ** Oneida " and destroy the village. Before the villagers fairly understood their peril, a small boat came scudding into the harbor before the wind. It bore a message from the British commander, demand- ing that the "Oneida" and the "Lord Nelson" (a captured Canadian vessel) be surrendered. Should the squadron be resisted, he warned the inhabitants that their town should be burned to the ground. Commander Woolsey, who commanded the " Onei- da," was a United States officer of the regular service, and a man of courage and fertility of resource. Un- able to take his vessel out into the lake, he moored her at the entrance of the harbor in such a way that her broadside of nine guns might be brought to bear on the enemy. All hands then set to work getting the other broadside battery ashore; and, by the aid of the villagers, these guns were mounted on a hastily thrown up redoubt on the shore. At the foot of the main street of the village was planted a queerly assorted battery. The great gun, on which the hopes of the Americans centred, was an iron thirty-two-pounder, which had lain for years deeply embedded in the muddy ooze of the lake-shore, gaining thereby the derisive name of the " Old Sow." This redoubtable piece of ordnance was flanked on either side by a brass six- pounder; a pair of cannon that the Yankee sailors had, with infinite pains and indomitable perseverance, dredged up from the sunken hulk of a British war- vessel that had filled a watery grave some years. Two brass nine-pounders completed this novel armament. It was about eight o'clock in the morning when the British vessels came up within range. Alarm guns had been firing from the shore all the morning; and by that time the village was filled with militiamen, who flocked to the scene of action. Woolsey, who had taken charge of the shore-batteries, ordered a shot from the 174 STORY OF OUR NAVY thirty-two pounder. The " Old Sow " spoke out bravely, but the shot missing, only roused the enemy to laughter, which could be heard on shore. The Brit- ish vessels then began a vigorous cannonade, keeping well out of range of the small guns on shore; although so weak were the American defences, that a vigorous onslaught by the enemy would have quickly reduced the town to submission. As it was, a harmless fire was kept up for about two hours. Not a shot took effect, and nothing save the noise and excitement of the can- nonading need have deterred the good people of Sac- kett's Harbor from observing that Sundaay morning in accordance with their usual Sabbath customs. It was reserved for one shot to put an end to this strange engagement. Just as the artillerists who served the iron thirty-two pounder were loading the gun, a can- non-ball struck the ground near the battery. One of the Americans ran, and, picking up the spent ball, brought it into the battery, saying, " I've been playing ball with the redcoats, and have caught them out. Let's see now if they can catch back again." So say- ing, he rammed the missile down the muzzle of the long thirty-two, and sent it back with deadly aim. The captured ball crashed into the stern of the *' Royal George," raked her from stem to stern, killing four- teen men, and wounding eighteen in its course. The marksman, watching the course of his .shot, saw the splinters fly from the deck of the British ship; and the Americans cheered loudly for the " Old Sow " as the British squadron put about, and left the Sackett's Har- bor people to celebrate their easily won victory. One other sharp action occurred before Perry's his- toric victory. Early in the autumn of 1812, Commo- dore Chauncey, a veteran naval officer, in general com- mand on the Great Lakes, had sent Lieutenant Elliott to Lake Erie, with instructions to begin at once the COMMODORE PERRY FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 175 creation of a fleet by building or purchasing vessels. Elliott chose as the site of his improvised navy-yard Black Rock, a point two miles below Buffalo; and there pushed ahead his work in a way that soon con- vinced the enemy that, unless the young officer's energy received a check, British supremacy on Lake Erie would soon be at an end. Accordingly two armed brigs, the " Caledonia " and the " Detroit," recently cap- tured by the British, came down to put an end to the Yankee ship-building. Like most of the enemy's ves- sels on the lakes, these two brigs were manned by Canadians, and had not even the advantage of a regu- lar naval commander. On the morning of the 8th of October, the sentries on the river-side at Black Rock discovered the two British vessels lying at anchor under the guns of Fort Erie, a British work on the opposite side of the Ni- agara River, that there flows placidly along, a stream more than a mile wide. Zealous for distinction, and determined to checkmate the enemy in their design, Elliott resolved to undertake the task of cutting out the two vessels from beneath the guns of the British fort. Fortune favored his enterprise. It happened that on that very day a detachment of sailors from the ocean had arrived at Black Rock. Though wearied by their long overland journey, the jackies were ready for the adventure, but had no weapons. In this di- lemma Elliott was forced to turn for aid to the mili- tary authorities, from whom he obtained pistols, swords, and sabres enough to fit out his sailors for the fray. With the arms came a number of soldiers and a small party of adventurous citizens, all of whom enlisted under the leadership of the adventurous El- liott. In planning the expedition, the great difficulty lay In getting rid of the too numerous volunteers. By nightfall, the preparations for the expedition 176 STORY OF OUR NAVY were completed. In the underbrush that hung over the banks of the river, two large boats were concealed, ready for the embarkation. At midnight fifty men, armed to the teeth, silently took their places in each of the great barges, and pushed out upon the black surface of the river. All along the bank were crowds of eager watchers, who discussed the chances of success with bated breath, lest the merest whisper should alarm the British sentries on the farther shore. With steady strokes of the muffled oars, the two boats made their way toward the two brigs that could just be seen outlined against the sky. Elliott, in the first boat, di- rected the movements of his men, and restrained the too enthusiastic. So stealthy was the approach, that the foremost boat was fairly alongside of the " De- troit " before the British took the alarm. Then the quick hail of the sentry brought an answering pistol- shot from Elliott; and, amid volleys of musketry, the assailants clambered up the sides of the brigs, and with pistol and cutlass drove the startled crew below. So complete was the surprise, that the British made but little resistance; and the cables of the brigs were cut, sails spread, and the vessels under way, before the thunder of a gun from Fort Erie told that the British on shore had taken the alarm. At the report of the first shot fired, the dark line of the American shore suddenly blazed bright with huge beacon fires, while lanterns and torches were waved from commanding points to guide the adven- turous sailors in their navigation of the captured brigs. But the victors were not to escape unscathed with their booty. The noise of the conflict, and the shouts of the Americans on the distant bank of the river, roused the British officers in the fort, and the guns were soon trained on the receding vessels. Some field-batteries galloped along the bank, and soon had their guns in FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 177 a position whence they could pour a deadly fire upon the Americans. Nor did the spectators on the New York side of the river escape unharmed; for the first shot fired by the field-battery missed the brigs, but crossed the river and struck down an American officer. Almost unmanageable in the swift current and light wind, the two brigs seemed for a time in danger of recapture. The " Caledonia " was run ashore under the guns of an American battery; but the " Detroit," after being relieved of the prisoners, and deserted by her captors, was beached at a point within range of the enemy's fire. The British made several determined attempts to recapture her, but were beaten off; and, after a day's fighting around the vessel, she was set on fire and burned to the water's edge. The " Caledonia," however, remained to the Americans, and some months later did good service against her former owners. The decisive battle on the Great Lakes, however, was that fought at Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie, in which the British force was totally destroyed or captured, and British power in that section wholly shattered. The victory was won by a young naval officer altogether unknown to fame and at the outbreak of the war sta- tioned at Newport. It was early in the war that Olivier Hazard Perry wrote to Commodore Chauncey, asking a commission to serve on the lakes. The very request showed the unusual character of the man. Most officers wished to serve on the ocean where were the finest frigates, where captures were many and prize- money generous. With apparently prophetic insight Perry turned to the lakes. Mail travelled but slowly in those days. It was four months before he received an answer from Chauncey. Two months more elapsed before he received orders from the Navy Department. Then in the dead of winter, accompanied only by his 178 STORY OF OUR NAVY brother, a boy in years, he drove from Newport to Sackett's Harbor in a sleigh, the journey, which now could be made in a night, taking twelve days. On his arrival, Perry found that the special service for which he was needed was the command of a naval force on Lake Erie. He stopped but a short time at Sackett's Harbor, and then pressed on to Erie, the base of the naval operations on the lake of the same name. It was late in March when Perry arrived; and the signs of spring already showed that soon the lake would be clear of ice, and the struggle for its control recommence. The young lieutenant was indefatigable in the labor of preparation. He urged on the build- ing of vessels already begun. He arranged for the purchase of merchant schooners, and their conversion into gunboats. He went to Pittsburg for supplies, and made a flying trip to Buffalo to join Chauncey in an attack upon Fort George at the mouth of the Niagara River. All the time, he managed to keep up a con- stant fire of letters to the Secretary of the Navy and to Chauncey, begging for more sailors. By summer- time, he had five vessels ready for service, but no men to man them. The enemy blockaded him, and he dared not accept the challenge. In July he wrote to Chauncey: "The enemy's fleet of six sail are now off the bar of this harbor. What a golden opportunity if we had men! . . . Give me men, sir, and I will acquire both for you and myself honor and glory on this lake, or perish in the attempt." Again he wrote: " For God's sake, and yours and mine, send me men and oflflcers; and I will have them all [the British squadron] in a day or two." When the men finally did arrive, he was much disgusted with their appear- ance, pronouncing them to be *' a motley set, — blacks, soldiers, and boys." Nevertheless, this same motley crew, headed by the critical young oflicer, won a victory FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 179 that effectually crushed the pretensions of the enemy to the control of Lake Erie. His crews having arrived, Perry was anxious to get out upon the lake, and engage the enemy at once. But this course of action was for a long time impossible. The flotilla lay snugly anchored within the harbor of Erie, the entrance to which was closed by a bar. To cross this bar, the ships would have been obliged to send all heavy ordnance ashore; and, as the enemy kept close watch outside the harbor, the American fleet was practically blockaded. For several weeks the Americans were thus kept prisoners, grumbling mightily at their enforced inaction, and longing for a chance to get at the enemy. One morning in August word was brought to Perry that the blockading fleet had dis- appeared. Instantly all was life and bustle in the harbor. The crews of all the vessels were ordered aboard; and the flotilla dropped down to the bar, in- tending to cross early in the morning. At dawn the movement was begun. The schooners and other small craft were easily taken outside; but, when it came to the turn of the two gun-brigs, " Lawrence " and " Ni- agara," it became evident that mechanical assistance was required. Accordingly, a powerful " camel " was hastily improvised, by the aid of which the two vessels were dragged across the bar. Hardly had the second brig made the passage in safety, when the British fleet appeared in the offing. Tradition says that the op- portune absence of the enemy's fleet was caused by a public banquet to which the citizens of Port Dover had invited Commodore Barclay and his officers. While the dinner was going merrily on, the Americans were hard at work, escaping from the trap in which the British had left them. In responding to a toast at the banquet, Barclay said, " I expect to find the Yankee brigs hard and fast on the bar at Erie when I return, i8o STORY OF OUR NAVY in which predicament it will be but a small job to destroy them." His anticipations were not realized; for, on his arrival, he found the entire squadron safely floating in the deep water outside the bar. By night Perry's flotilla was in readiness for cruising, and set out immediately in pursuit of the foe. Barclay seemed to avoid the conflict; and, after some weeks' cruising, the Americans cast anchor at Put-in-Bay, and awaited there the appearance of the enemy. The little flotilla that lay anchored on the placid waters of the picturesque bay consisted of nine vessels, ranging in size from the " Trippe," a puny sloop carry- ing one gun, to the " Lawrence " and " Niagara," brigs carrying each two long twelves and eighteen short thirty-twos. No very formidable armada was that of a handful of pigmy vessels, commanded by a young oflScer who had never heard the thunderous cannonade of a naval battle, or seen the decks of his ships stained with the blood of friends and daily companions. Yet the work of the little squadron saved the United States from invasion, won for the young commander a never- dying fame, and clothed the vine-clad hills, the pebbly beaches, and the crystal waters of Put-in-Bay with a wealth of proud, historical associations. Day after day the vessels lay idly at their anchorage, and the sailors grew restless at the long inactivity. Perry alone was patient; for to him had come the knowledge that the hostile fleet was getting short of supplies, and would soon be starved out of its retreat at Maiden. Knowing this, he spared no pains to get his men into training for the coming conflict. They were exercised daily at the great guns, and put through severe drills in the use of the cutlass, in boarding, and repelling boarders. By constant drill and severe discipline. Perry had made of the motley crew sent him a well-drilled body of seamen, every man of whom } $ ' 't •wm^i^i^st. ■ '-^ Hi-I- J m FOR YOUNG AMERICANS i8i had become fired with the enthusiasm of his com- mander. As the time passed, and the day of battle drew nearer, Perry's confidence in his men increased; and he looked upon the coming conflict as one certain to bring glory to his country. At early dawn the jackies on the ships could see the slender form of their com- mander perched upon the craggy heights of one of the islands, called to this day " Perry's Lookout," eagerly scanning the horizon in the direction of Mai- den. On the night of September 9, 18 13, the com- modore felt convinced that on the next day the British would come out to battle. Accordingly, a conference of captains was called in the cabin of the flagship, and each received directions as to his course of action dur- ing the fight. They were urged to force the fighting to close quarters. Said Perry, " Nelson has expressed my idea in the words, ' If you lay your enemy along- side, you cannot be out of your place.' " As the officers were about to depart. Perry drew from a locker a large, square blue flag, on which appeared, in white letters, the dying words of the gallant Lawrence, " Don't give up the ship." " This," said Perry, "shall be the signal for action; and when it appears at the masthead, remember your instructions." The conference then ended; and the captains returned to their ships across the bay, silvered by the light of the moon, to spend the greater part of the night in prepara- tions for the great danger of the coming day. Morning dawned bright and clear, with a light breeze blowing, that broke into ripples the surface of the land-locked bay. The rosy light of the rising sun was just reddening the eastern horizon, when, from the lookout in the foretop of the " Lawrence," came the long-drawn hail of " Sail, ho! " quickly repeated from the other vessels. i82 STORY OF OUR NAVY Perry was already on deck. " What does it look like?" he shouted to the lookout. " A clump of square-rigged, and fore and afters, sir," was the response. In a few minutes the signals " Enemy in sight," and " Get under way," were flying from the masthead of the flagship; and the merry piping of the boatswains' whistles, and the measured tramp of the sailors around the capstans, told that signals were observed, and were being obeyed. The fleet was soon threading its way through the narrow channels, filled with islands, at the entrance to the bay, and finally came into line on the open lake. Not a cloud was in the sky. The lake was calm, with enough wind blowing to admit of manoeuvring, yet gentle enough to be of advantage to the schooners that made up the greater part of each fleet. For some time the Americans held back, manoeuvring to get the weather-gauge; but Perry's impatience for the fray got the better of his caution, and he deter- mined to close at once. His first officer remonstrated, saying, " Then you'll have to engage the enemy to lee- ward." " I don't care," responded the commodore. " Lee- ward or windward, they shall fight to-day." Then, turning to the quartermaster, he called for the battle- flag, which being brought, he mustered the crew aft, and addressed them briefly, telling them of the task before them, and urging them to fight bravely for the victory. " My brave lads," he concluded, " this flag bears the last words of Captain Lawrence. Shall I hoist it?" "Ay, ay, sir! " cried the jackies, in unison; and, as the flag was swiftly run to the masthead, the cheers of the sailors on the deck of the " Lawrence " were echoed from the neighboring vessels, as the white let- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 183 ters showed boldly against the blue flag, bearing to each commander the exhortation, " Don't give up the ship!" The British came on gallantly. Barclay had lost all his diffidence, and brought up his vessels like a veteran. His ships were kept close together; the ship " Detroit " under short sail, that the pigmy sloop " Lit- tle Belt " might not be left in the rear. The Americans came down in single file, headed by the schooner " Scor- pion." Suddenly through the still air rang out the sharp notes of a bugle-call on the enemy's flagship. It was the signal for action; and, as the last notes died away, the bands struck up " Rule, Britannia." The Americans answered with cheers; and in the midst of the cheering, a jet of smoke and fire spurted from the side of the " Detroit," and a heavy shot splashed into the water near the " Lawrence," while a dull, heavy report came booming over the water. The battle was opened, but five minutes elapsed be- fore a second shot was fired. When it did come, it crashed through the bulwarks of the " Lawrence," and sped across her deck, doing no great damage. " Steady, lads, steady ! " cried Perry, from his post on the quarter- deck, as he saw an uneasy stir among his men, who longed to return the fire. The commodore was deter- mined to fight at close quarters, and hung out signals for each ship to choose its antagonist, and fight the fight out for itself. It was then high noon, and the battle soon became general. The little schooners " Scorpion " and " Ariel " pluckily kept their place in the van of the American line, but the fire of the enemy fell most fiercely upon the flagship " Lawrence." No less than four vessels at one time were grouped about the " Law- rence," pouring in a destructive fire, and bent upon destroying the flagship and her brave commander; then i84 STORY OF OUR NAVY taking the smaller vessels in detail. The " Lawrence " fought bravely, but the odds were too great. The carronades with which she was armed were no match for the long guns of her adversaries. For two hours the unequal combat raged, and no American vessel came to the aid of the sorely smitten flagship. Amid the hail of cannon-balls and bullets, Perry seemed to bear a charmed life. He saw his officers and men fall- ing all about him. John Brooks, the lieutenant of marines, fought by the commodore's side. While speaking cheerfully to the commodore, a cannon-ball struck the young lieutenant on the hip, dashing him across the deck against the bulwark, and mutilating him so, that he plead piteously with Perry, imploring that he might be put out of his misery with a pistol- shot. From this awful spectacle Perry turned to speak to the captain of a gun, when the conversation was abruptly cut short by a shot which killed the seaman instantly. Perry returned to the quarter-deck. The first lieutenant came rushing up, his face bloody, and his nose swelled to an enormous size from a splinter which had perforated it. " All the officers in my divi- sion are killed," he cried. " For God's sake, give me more!" Perry sent some men to his aid; but they soon fell, and the cry for more men arose again. One of the surgeons who served in the cockpit on that dread- ful day states that, in the midst of the roar of battle. Perry's voice was heard calling down the hatchway, and asking any surgeon's mates who could be spared, to come on deck and help work the guns. Several went up; but the appeal was soon repeated, and more responded. When no more men could be obtained, the voice of the commodore took a pleading tone. " Can any of the wounded pull a rope? " said he; and such was his ascendency over the men, that several poor mangled fellows dragged themselves on deck, FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 185 and lent their feeble strength to the working of the guns. Amid all the carnage, the sailors were quick to notice the lighter incidents of the fray. Even the cockpit, filled with the wounded, and reeking with blood that dripped through the cracks in the deck above, once re- sounded with laughter as hearty as ever greeted a middy's after-dinner joke in the steerage. Lieutenant Yarnall received a bad scalp-wound, which fairly drenched his face with blood. As he groped his way towards the cockpit, he passed a lot of hammocks stuffed with " cat-tails " which had been stowed on the bulwarks. The feathery down of the " cat-tails " filled the air, and settled thick upon the head and face of the officer, robbing his countenance of all semblance to a human face. As he descended the ladder to the cockpit, his owl-like air roused the wounded to great shouts of laughter. " The Devil has come among us," they cried. While talking to his little brother. Perry to his hor- ror saw the lad fall at his feet, dashed to the deck by an unseen missile. The commodore's agony may be imagined; but it was soon assuaged, for the boy was only stunned, and was soon fighting again at his post. The second lieutenant was struck by a spent grape-shot, and fell stunned upon the deck. He lay there for a time, unnoticed. Perry raised him up, telling him he was not hurt, as no blood could be seen. The lieu- tenant put his hand to his clothing, at the point where the blow had fallen, and discovered the shot lodged in his coat. Coolly putting it in his pocket, he re- marked, "You are right: I am not hurt. But this is my shot," and forthwith returned to his duty. It was a strange-looking body of men that fought at the guns of the " Lawrence." Lean, angular Yan- kee sailors from the seafaring communities of New i86 STORY OF OUR NAVY England stood by the side of swarthy negroes, who, with their half-naked black bodies, in the dense powder- smoke, seemed like fiends in pandemonium. In the rigging were stationed a number of Kentucky riflemen, who had volunteered to serve during the battle. The buckskin shirts and leggings gave an air of incongruity to their presence on a man-of-war. Their unerring rifles, however, did brave service for the cause of the Stars and Stripes. At the opening of the action, two tall Indians, decked in all the savage finery of war- paint and feathers, strode the deck proudly. But water is not the Indian's element, and the battle had hardly begun when one fled below in terror; the other remained on deck, and was killed early in the action. Courageous and self-confident though the American commander was, the moment came when he could no longer disguise the fact that his gallant flagship was doomed to destruction before the continuous and deadly fire of her adversaries. There was but one course of action open, and upon this he determined at once. He would transfer his flag to the " Niagara," and from the deck of that vessel direct the movements of his fleet. Accordingly, the only uninjured boat of the "Lawrence" was lowered; and Perry sprang into the stern, followed by his little brother. Before the boat pushed off, the battle-flag was thrown into her; and, wrapping it about him. Perry took a standing position in the stern, and ordered the oarsmen to give way. He steered straight for the " Niagara," through the very centre of the fight. The enemy quickly grasped the purpose of the movement, and great guns and mus- kets were trained on the little boat. Shot of all sizes splashed in the water about the boat, splintered the oars, and buried themselves in the gunwale. The crew begged their commander to sit down, and make himself a less conspicuous target for the fire of the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 187 enemy; but Perry paid but little attention to their en- treaties. Suddenly the men rested on the oars, and the boat stopped. Angrily the commodore demanded the cause of the stoppage, and was told that the men refused to row unless he sat down. With a smile he yielded, and soon the boat was alongside the " Ni- agara." Perry sprang to the deck, followed by his boat's crew and a plucky sailor who had swam just behind the boat across the long stretch of water. Hardly a glance did the commodore cast at the ship which he had left, but bent all his faculties to taking the new flagship into the battle. The "Niagara" was practically a fresh ship; for, up to this time, she had held strangely aloof from the battle. Now all was to be changed. The battle-flag went to her masthead; and she plunged into the thick of the fight, striking thunderous blows at every ship she encountered. As she passed the American lines, the sailors greeted with cheers their gallant commander. The crippled " Lawrence," an almost helpless hulk, left far behind, was forced to strike her flag; although her crew protested loudly, crying out, " Sink the ship, and let us go down with her." But the conquered vessel was not destined to fall into the hands of her enemies. Already the sight of their commodore on a fresh vessel stimulated the American tars; so that in half an hour the British line was broken, their ships cut to pieces, and the " Detroit," their flagship, a prize to the " Niagara." A white handkerchief was waved at the end of a pike by one of the crew of the " Princess Charlotte." The firing stopped, the flag was again run up to the masthead of the " Lawrence," while a few feeble cheers came faintly over the water from the remnant of her crew. The dense clouds of smoke blowing away. Perry saw, by the disposition of his squadron, that the victory i88 STORY OF OUR NAVY was secure. Hastily catching off his navy-cap, he laid upon it a sheet of paper torn from an old letter, and wrote to General Harrison the famous dispatch, " We have met the enemy, and they are ours, — two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop." Then, with true chivalry, he determined that to his flagship " Lawrence," that had so stoutly borne the brunt of battle, should belong the honor of receiving the British captains, when they came to surrender their vessels. He returned to the " Lawrence " ; but the scene there was such that even the excitement of victory could raise no feelings of exultation in his breast. He saw on every side the bodies of officers with whom, but the night before, he had dined in perfect health. The decks were red with blood, and from the cockpit arose the groans of the wounded. After the formal surrender, to make which the offi- cers picked their way over the deck covered with slain to the quarter-deck, the work of burying the dead of both squadrons was begun. It was about sundown that the sad ceremonies were held; and, as the deep tones of the chaplains reading the burial-service arose upon the evening air, the dull, mournful splashing of heavy bodies in the water told that the last scene in the great victory was drawing to an end. After this glorious victory the war languished on the lakes; indeed, on Lakes Erie and Ontario it was virtually closed, nothing more occurring except a few raids and some futile challenges to battle between Chauncey and Sir James Yeo. But almost a year to a day after the Battle of Put-in-Bay a second victory was won for the American arms on Lake Champlain — a victory which naval authorities agree was no less notable, no less heroic, than that of Perry. In the northeast corner of New York State, and slightly overlapping the Canada line, lies Lake Cham- I ^ ] c5^' ■^^1^ ^/^V. ^.^n^tr- PERRY'S DISPATCH TO THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 189 plain, — a picturesque sheet of water, narrow, and dotted with wooded islands. From the northern end of the lake flows the Richelieu River, which follows a straight course through Canada to the St. Lawrence, into which it empties. The long, navigable waterway thus open from Canada to the very heart of New York was to the British a most tempting path for an in- vading expedition. By the shore of the lake a road wound along; thus smoothing the way for a land force, whose advance might be protected by the fire of the naval force that should proceed up the lake. Naturally, so admirable an international highway early attracted the attention of the military authorities of both bel- ligerents; and, while the British pressed forward their preparations for an invading expedition, the Americans hastened to make such arrangements as should give them control of the lake. Her European wars, how- ever, made so great a demand for soldiers upon Great Britain, that not until 18 14 could she send to America a sufficient force to undertake the invasion of the United States from the north. In the spring of that year, a force of from ten thousand to fifteen thousand troops, including several thousand veterans who had served under Wellington, were massed at Montreal; and in May a move was made by the British to get control of the lake, before sending their invading forces into New York. The British naval force already in the Richelieu River, and available for service, consisted of a brig, two sloops, and twelve or fourteen gunboats. The American flotilla included a large corvette, a schooner, a small sloop, and ten gunboats, or galleys, propelled with oars. Seeing that the British were preparing for active hostilities, the Americans began to build, with all possible speed, a large brig; a move which the enemy promptly met by pushing forward with equal energy the construction of a frigate. While I90 STORY OF OUR NAVY the new vessels were on the stocks, an Irregular warfare was carried on by those already in commission. At the opening of the season, the American vessels lay in Otter Creek; and, just as they were ready to leave port, the enemy appeared off the mouth of the creek with a force consisting of the brig " Linnet " and eight or ten galleys. The object of the British was to so obstruct the mouth of the creek that the Americans should be unable to come out. With this end in view, they had brought two sloops laden with stones, which they intended to sink in the narrow channel. But, luckily, the Americans had thrown up earthworks at the mouth of the river; and a party of sailors so worked the guns, that, after much manoeuvring, the British were forced to retire without effecting their purpose. About the middle of August, the Americans launched their new brig, the "Eagle"; and the little squadron put out at once into the lake, under command of Cap- tain Thomas Macdonough. Eight days later, the British got their new ship, the " Confiance," into the water. She possessed one feature new to American naval architecture,— a furnace in which to heat cannon- balls. By this time (September, 1814) the invading column of British veterans, eleven thousand strong, had begun its march into New York along the west shore of the lake. Two thousand Americans only could be gath- ered to dispute their progress; and these, under the command of Brigadier-General Macomb, were gath- ered at Plattsburg. To this point, accordingly, Mac- donough took his fleet, and awaited the coming of the enemy; knowing that if he could beat back the fleet of the British, their land forces, however powerful, would be forced to cease their advance. The fleet that he commanded consisted of the flagship " Sara- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 191 toga," carrying eight long twenty-four-poundcrs, six forty-two-pound, and twelve thirty-two-pound carron- ades; the brig " Eagle," carrying eight long eighteens, and twelve thirty-two-pound carronades; schooner " Ti- condcroga," with eight long twelve-pounders, four long eighteen-pounders, and five thirty-two-pound carron- ades; sloop "Preble," with seven long nines; and ten galleys. The commander who ruled over this fleet was a man still in his twenty-ninth year. The success- ful battles of the War of 18 12 were fought by young officers, and the battle of Lake Champlain was no exception to the rule. The British force which came into battle with Mac- donough's fleet was slightly superior. It was headed by the flagship " Confiance," a frigate of the class of the United States ship " Constitution," carrying thirty long twenty-fours, a long twenty-four-poundcr on a pivot, and six thirty-two or forty-two-pound carronades. The other vessels were the " Linnet," a brig mounting sixteen long twelves; and the " Chubb " and " Finch" (captured from the Americans under the names of "Growler" and " Eagle "),— sloops carrying respec- tively ten eighteen-pound carronades and one long six; and six eighteen-pound carronades, four long sixes, and one short eighteen. To these were added twelve gun- boats, with varied armaments, but each slightly heavier than the American craft of the same class. The iith of September had been chosen by the British for the combined land and water attack upon Plattsburg. With the movements of the land forces, this narrative will not deal. The brunt of the conflict fell upon the naval forces, and it was the success of the Americans upon the water that turned the faces of the British invaders back toward Canada. The village of Plattsburg stands upon the shore of a broad bay which communicates with Lake Champlain 192 STORY OF OUR NAVY by an opening a mile and a half wide, bounded upon the north by Cumberland Head, and on the south by Crab Island. In this bay, about two miles from the western shore, Macdonough's fleet lay anchored in double line, stretching north and south. The four large vessels were in the front rank, prepared to meet the brunt of the conflict; while the galleys formed a second line in the rear. The morning of the day of battle dawned clear, with a brisk northeast wind blow- ing. The British were stirring early, and at daybreak weighed anchor and came down the lake. Across the low-lying isthmus that connected Cumberland Head with the mainland, the Americans could see their ad- versaries' top-masts as they came down to do battle. At this sight, Macdonough called his oflicers about him, and, kneeling upon the quarter-deck, besought Divine aid in the conflict so soon to come. When the little group rose from their knees, the leading ship of the enemy was seen swinging round Cumberland Head; and the men went to their quarters to await the fiery trial that all knew was impending. The position of the American squadron was such that the British were forced to attack " bows on," thus exposing themselves to a raking fire. By means of springs on their cables, the Americans were enabled to keep their broadsides to the enemy, and thus improve, to the fullest, the advantage gained by their position. The British came on gallantly, and were greeted by four shots from the long eighteens of the " Eagle," that had no effect. But, at the sound of the cannon, a young game-cock that was running at large on the " Saratoga " flew upon a gun, flapped his wings, and crowed thrice, with so lusty a note that he was heard far over the waters. The American seamen, thus roused from the painful reverie into which the bravest fall before going into action, cheered lustily, and went FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 193 into the fight, encouraged as only sailors could be by the favorable omen. Soon after the defiant game-cock had thus cast down the gage of battle, Macdonough sighted and fired the first shot from one of the long twenty-four-pounders of the " Saratoga." The heavy ball crashed into the bow of the " Confiance," and cut its way aft, killing and wounding several men, and demolishing the wheel. Nothing daunted, the British flagship came on grandly, making no reply, and seeking only to cast anchor along- side the " Saratoga," and fight it out yard-arm to yard- arm. But the fire of the Americans was such that she could not choose her distance; but after having been badly cut up, with both her port anchors shot away, was forced to anchor at a distance of a quarter of a mile. But her anchor had hardly touched bottom, when she suddenly flashed out a sheet of flames, as her rapid broadsides rung out and her red-hot shot sped over the water toward the American flagship. Her first broadside killed or wounded forty of the Amer- icans; while many more were knocked down by the shock, but sustained no further injury. So great was the carnage, that the hatches were opened, and the dead bodies passed below, that the men might have room to work the guns. Among the slain was Mr. Gamble, the first lieutenant, who was on his knees sighting a gun, when a shot entered the port, split the quoin, drove a great piece of metal against his breast, and stretched him dead upon the deck without breaking his skin. By a singular coincidence, fifteen minutes later a shot from one of the " Saratoga's " guns struck the muzzle of a twenty-four on the " Confiance," and, dismounting it, hurled it against Captain Downie's groin, killing him instantly without breaking the skin; a black mark about the size of a small plate was the sole visible injury. 194 STORY OF OUR NAVY In the meantime, the smaller vessels had become en- gaged, and were fighting with no less courage than the flagships. The " Chubb " had early been disabled by a broadside from the " Eagle," and drifted helplessly under the guns of the " Saratoga." After receiving a shot from that vessel, she struck, and was taken pos- session of by Midshipman Piatt, who put off from the flagship in an open boat, boarded the prize, and took her into Plattsburg Bay, near the mouth of the Saranac. More than half her people were killed or wounded during the short time she was in the battle. The " Linnet," in the meantime, had engaged the " Eagle," and poured in her broadsides with such effect that the springs on the cables of the American were cut away, and she could no longer bring her broadsides to bear. Her captain therefore cut his cables, and soon gained a position from which he could bring his guns to bear upon the " Confiance." The " Linnet " thereupon dashed in among the American gunboats, and, driving them off, commenced a raking fire upon the " Sara- toga." The " Finch," meanwhile, had ranged gal- lantly up alongside the " Ticonderoga," but was sent out of the fight by two broadsides from the American. She drifted helplessly before the wind, and soon grounded near Crab Island. On the island was a hospital, and an abandoned battery mounting one six- pound gun. Some of the convalescent patients, seeing the enemy's vessel within range, opened fire upon her from the battery, and soon forced her to haul down her flag. Nearly half her crew were killed or wounded. Almost at the same moment, the United States sloop " Preble " was forced out of the fight by the British gunboats, that pressed so fiercely upon her that she cut her cables and drifted inshore. The " Ticonderoga " fought a gallant fight through- out. After ridding herself of the " Finch," she had FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 195 a number of the British gunboats to contend with; and they pressed forward to the attack with a gallantry that showed them to be conscious of the fact that, if this vessel could be carried, the American line would be turned, and the day won by the English. But the American schooner fought stubbornly. Her gallant commander. Lieutenant Cassin, walked up and down the taffrail, heedless of the grape and musket-balls that whistled past his head, pointing out to the gunners the spot whereon to train the guns, and directing them to load with canister and bags of bullets when the enemy came too near. The gunners of the schooner were terribly hampered in their work by the lack of matches for the guns; for the vessel was new, and the absence of these very essential articles was unnoticed until too late. The guns of one division were fired throughout the fight by Hiram Paulding, a sixteen-year-old-mid- shipman, who flashed his pistol at the priming of the guns as soon as aim was taken. When no gun was ready for his services, he rammed a ball into his weapon and discharged it at the enemy. The onslaught of the British was spirited and determined. Often they pressed up within a boat-hook's length of the schooner, only to be beaten back by her merciless fire. Some- times so few were left alive in the galleys that they could hardly man the oars to pull out of the fight. In this v/ay the " Ticonderoga " kept her enemies at bay while the battle was being decided between the " Saratoga " and the " Confiance." For it was upon the issue of the conflict between these two ships that victory or defeat depended. Each had her ally and satellite. Under the stern of the " Sara- toga " lay the " Linnet," pouring in raking broadsides. The " Confiance," in turn, was suffering from the well- directed fire of the " Eagle." The roar of the ar- tillery was unceasing, and dense clouds of gunpowder- 196 STORY OF OUR NAVY smoke hid the warring ships from the eyes of the eager spectators on shore. The " Confiance " was un- fortunate in losing her gallant captain early in the action, while Macdonough was spared to fight his ship to the end. His gallantry and activity, however, led him to expose himself fearlessly; and twice he nar- rowly escaped death. He worked like a common sailor, loading and firing a favorite twenty-four-pound gun; and once, while on his knees, sighting the piece, a shot from the " Confiance " cut in two the spanker- boom, a great piece of which fell heavily upon the captain's head, stretching him senseless upon the deck. He lay motionless for two or three minutes, and his men mourned him as dead; but suddenly his activity returned, and he leaped to his feet, and was soon again in the thick of the fight. In less than five minutes the cry again, arose, that the captain was killed. He had been standing at the breach of his favorite cannon, when a round shot took off the head of the captain of the gun, and dashed it with terrific force into the face of Macdonough, who was driven across the deck, and hurled against the bulwarks. He lay an instant, cov- ered with the blood of the slain man; but, hearing his men cry that he was killed, he rushed among them, to cheer them on with his presence. And, indeed, at this moment the crew of the " Sara- toga " needed the presence of their captain to cheer them on to further exertion. The red-hot shot of the " Confiance " had twice set fire to the American ship. The raking fire from the " Linnet " had dismounted carronades and long guns one by one, until but a single serviceable gun was left in the starboard battery. A too heavy charge dismounted this piece, and threw it down the hatchway, leaving the frigate without a single gun bearing upon the enemy. In such a plight the hearts of the crew might well fail them. But Mac- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 197 donough was ready for the emergency. He still had his port broadside untouched, and he at once set to work to swing the ship round so that this battery could be brought to bear. An anchor was let fall astern, and the whole ship's company hauled in on the hawser, swinging the ship slowly around. It was a dangerous manceuvre; for, as the ship veered round, her stern was presented to the " Linnet," affording an oppor- tunity for raking, which the gunners on that plucky little vessel immediately improved. But patience and hard pulling carried the day; and gradually the heavy frigate was turned sufficiently for the after gun to bear, and a gun's crew was at once called from the hawsers to open fire. One by one the guns swung into position, and soon the whole broadside opened with a roar. Meanwhile the " Confiance " had attempted the same manoeuvre. But her anchors were badly placed; and, though her people worked gallantly, they failed to get the ship round. She bore for some time the effect- ive fire from the " Saratoga's " fresh broadside, but, finding that she could in no way return the fire, struck her flag, two hours and a quarter after the battle com- menced. Beyond giving a hasty cheer, the people of the " Saratoga " paid little attention to the surrender of their chief enemy, but instantly turned their guns upon the " Linnet." In this combat the " Eagle " could take no part, and the thunder of her guns died away. Farther down the bay, the " Ticonderoga " had just driven away the last of the British galleys; so that the " Linnet " now alone upheld the cause of the enemy. She was terribly outmatched by her heavier foe, but her gallant Captain Pring kept up a desperate defence. Her masts and rigging were hopelessly shat- tered; and no course was open to her, save to surrender, or fight a hopeless fight. Captain Pring sent off a lieutenant, in an open boat, to ascertain the condition 198 STORY OF OUR NAVY of the " Confiance." The officer returned with the report that Captain Downie was killed, and the frigate terribly cut up; and as by this time the water, pouring in the shot-holes in the " Linnet's " hull, had risen a foot above the lower deck, her flag was hauled down, and the battle ended in a decisive triumph for the Americans. Terrible was the carnage, and many and strange the incidents, of this most stubbornly contested naval battle. All of the prizes were in sinking condition. In the hull of the " Confiance " were a hundred and five shot- holes, while the " Saratoga " was pierced by fifty-five. Not a mast that would bear canvas was left standing in the British fleet; those of the flagship were splintered like bundles of matches, and the sails torn to rags. On most of the enemy's vessels, more than half of the crews were killed or wounded. The loss on the British side probably aggregated three hundred. Midship- man William Lee of the " Confiance " wrote home after the battle, " The havoc on both sides was dread- ful. I don't think there are more than five of our men, out of three hundred, but what are killed or wounded. Never was a shower of hail so thick as the shot whistling about our ears. Were you to see my jacket, waistcoat, and trousers, you would be astonished to know how I escaped as I did; for they are literally torn all to rags with shot and splinters. The upper part of my hat was also shot away. There is one of the marines who was in the Trafalgar action with Lord Nelson, who says it was a mere flea-bite in com- parison with this." The Americans, though victorious, had suffered greatly. Their loss amounted to about two hundred men. The " Saratoga " had been cut up beyond the possibility of repair. Her decks were covered with dead and dying. The shot of the enemy wrought ter- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 199 rible havoc In the ranks of the American officers. Lieu- tenant Stansbury of the " Ticonderoga " suddenly dis- appeared In the midst of the action; nor could any trace of him be found, until, two days later, his body, cut nearly in two by a round shot, rose from the waters of the lake. Lieutenant Vallette of the " Saratoga " was knocked down by the head of a sailor, sent flying by a cannon-ball. Some minutes later he was stand- ing on a shot-box giving orders, when a shot took the box from beneath his feet, throwing him heavily upon the deck. Mr. Brum, the master, a veteran man-o'- war's man, was struck by a huge splinter, which knocked him down, and actually stripped every rag of clothing from his body. He was thought to be dead, but soon reappeared at his post, with a strip of canvas about his waist, and fought bravely until the end of the action. Some days before the battle, a gentleman of Oswego gave one of the sailors a glazed tarpaulin hat, of the kind then worn by seamen. A week later the sailor reappeared, and, handing him the hat with a semi- circular cut in the crown and brim, made while it was on his head by a cannon-shot, remarked calmly, " Look here, Mr. Sloane, how the damned John Bulls have spoiled my hat ! " The last British flag having been hauled down, an officer was sent to take possession of the " Confiance." In walking along her gun-deck, he accidentally ran against a ratline, by which one of her starboard guns was discharged. At this sound, the British galleys and gunboats, which had been lying quietly with their en- signs down, got out oars and moved off up the lake. The Americans had no vessels fit for pursuing them, and they were allowed to escape. In the afternoon the British officers came to the American flagship to complete the surrender. Macdonough met them courteously; and, on their offering their swords, put 200 STORY OF OUR NAVY them back, saying, " Gentlemen, your gallant conduct makes you worthy to wear your weapons. Return them to their scabbords." By sundown the surrender was complete, and Macdonough sent off to the Secre- tary of the Navy a dispatch, saying, " Sir, — The Al- mighty has been pleased to grant us a signal victory on Lake Champlain, in the capture of one frigate, one brig, and two sloops-of-war of the enemy." Some days later, the captured ships, being beyond repair, were taken to the head of the lake, and scuttled. Some of the guns were found to be still loaded; and. In drawing the charges, one gun was found with a canvas bag containing two round shot rammed home, and wadded, without any powder; another gun con- tained two cartridges and no shot; and a third had a wad rammed down before the powder, thus effectually preventing the discharge of the piece. The American gunners were not altogether guiltless of carelessness of this sort. Their chief error lay in ramming down so many shot upon the powder that the force of the explosion barely carried the missiles to the enemy. In proof of this, the side of the " Confiance " was thickly dotted with round shot, which had struck into, but failed to penetrate, the wood. The result of this victory was immediate and grati- fying. The land forces of the British, thus deprived of their naval auxiliaries, turned about, and retreated to Canada, abandoning forever their projected invasion. New York was thus saved by Macdonough's skill and bravery. Yet the fame he won by his victory was not nearly proportionate to the naval ability he showed, and the service he had rendered to his country. Before the popular adulation of Perry, Macdonough sinks into second place. One historian only gives him the pre- eminence that is undoubtedly his due. Says Mr. Theo- dore Roosevelt, in his admirable history, " The Naval FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 201 War of 18 12 ": " But Macdonough in this battle won a higher fame than any other commander of the war, British or American. He had a decidedly superior force to contend against, and it was solely owing to his foresight and resource that we won the victory. He forced the British to engage at a disadvantage by his excellent choice of position, and he prepared before- hand for every possible contingency. His personal prowess had already been shown at the cost of the rovers of Tripoli, and in this action he helped fight the guns as ably as the best sailor. His skill, seaman- ship, quick eye, readiness of resource, and indomitable pluck are beyond all praise. Down to the time of the civil war, he is the greatest figure in our naval history. A thoroughly religious man, he was as generous and humane as he was skilful and brave. One of the greatest of our sea captains, he has left a stainless name behind him." CHAPTER XII The " Hornet " and " Peacock " — Escape of the " Constellation " — Cruise of the " President " — " Chesapeake " and " Shannon " — " Argus " and " Pelican " — " Enterprise " and " Boxer." The year 1813 which saw such a decisive victory for the Americans on Lake Erie won for them no glory on the ocean. The war there languished. Such as it was the honors rested with the British. Their fleets were engaged in blockading ports, or raiding and burn- ing villages. In the few battles between the smaller craft of both belligerents the honors were about even, but in the one frigate duel the American ship was de- feated — not disgracefully, but decisively. Before de- scribing the battle between the " Chesapeake " and " Shannon " we may well survey hastily the lesser events of the year — a series of pin-pricks which did much to irritate the American people, but which had little to do with the outcome of the war. Early in the year the " Hornet " was blockading an English treasure-ship at San Salvador. Chased away from this station by a British seventy-four she soon fell in with an enemy's man-of-war, the brig " Peacock," of a weight of metal about equal to her own, mounting ten guns and carrying a crew of two hundred and ten men. The " Hornet " was immediately cleared for action; and the two hostile vessels began manoeuvring for the weather-gage, as two scientific pugilists spar cautiously for an opening. In this contest of seamanship, Cap- tain Lawrence of the "Hornet" proved the victor; and a little after five o'clock in the afternoon, the two enemies stood for each other upon the wind, the " Hor- 202 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 203 net " having the weather-gage. Not a shot was fired until the enemies were dashing past each other, going in opposite directions. The first broadsides were ex- changed at half pistol-shot, with very unequal effects. The shot of the " Hornet " penetrated the hull of her antagonist, doing terrible execution; while the broadside let fly by the *' Peacock " whistled through the rigging of the American ship, cutting away the pennant, and killing a topman, who was struck by a round shot, and dashed from his station in the mizzen-top, to fall mangled and lifeless into the sea. Hardly were the ships clear, when the British cap- tain put his helm hard up, — a manoeuvre executed with the intention of securing a raking position. But the plan was balked by the cool seamanship of Captain Lawrence, who quickly followed up the British vessel, and, getting a position on his quarter, poured in so rapid and accurate a fire that the enemy was fain to haul down his colors and confess defeat. The British ensign had hardly touched the deck, when it was run up again, with the union down, as a token of distress. At this sight the Yankee tars, who had been cheering lustily over their quickly won victory, stopped their rejoicings, and set about assistance to the injured Brit- ons with as hearty good-will as they had lately shown in their vigorous cannonade. With all possible dispatch, a boat was lowered, and Lieutenant Shubrick proceeded on board the prize. He found the " Peacock " a complete wreck. Shortly after the surrender her main-mast had gone by the board, and her hull was fairly honeycombed with shot-holes. Returning to his ship, Shubrick reported the condition of the prize. He was immediately ordered to return to the " Peacock," and make every effort to save her. Accompanied by three boats' crews of American sailors, he again boarded the sinking ship, and bent every 204 STORY OF OUR NAVY energy to the attempt for her salvation. Bulwarks were cut away, and the heavy guns were rolled out of the gaps thus made, and cast Into the sea. Deep down in the hold, and swinging like spiders over the sides of the vessels, sailors tried to stop up with felt-covered blocks of wood the great holes through which the water was pouring. All the time boats were plying between the sinking vessel and the " Hornet," transferring the wounded and the prisoners. Twilight fell before the work was ended, and it became evident to all that the " Peacock " must sink during the night. In one respect the " Peacock " was a model ship. Among naval men she had long been known as " the yacht," on account of the appearance of exquisite neat- ness she always presented. Her decks were as white as lime-juice and constant holystoning could keep them. The brass-work about the cabins and the breeches of the guns was dazzling in its brilliancy. White canvas lined the breechings of the carronades. Her decks everywhere showed signs of constant toil in the cause of cleanliness. The result of the battle, however, seemed to indicate that Captain Peakes had erred, in that, while his ship was perfect, his men were bad marksmen, and poorly disciplined. While their shot were harmlessly passing through the rigging of the " Hornet," the Americans wer6 pouring in well-directed broadsides, that killed and wounded thirty-eight men, and ended the action in fifteen minutes. The Amer- icans lost but one man in the fight, though three more went down in the sinking prize. This American success was offset, however, in the same month by the loss of the brig " Viper," twelve guns, to the British thirty-two " Narcissus." Meanwhile, the British fleets, now much augmented, were blockading the American coast from New England to Chesapeake Bay. Among the men-of-war they FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 205 trapped in port was the " Constellation," one of the three " lucky " ships of the young navy. She was at the opening of the war the favorite ship of the Amer- ican navy; her exploits in the war with France having endeared her to the American people, and won for her among Frenchmen the name of " the Yankee race- horse." Notwithstanding her reputation for speed, she is said to have been very crank, and had an awk- ward way of getting on her beam-ends without much provocation. An almost incredible tale is told of her getting " knocked down " by a squall while chasing a French privateer, and, notwithstanding the delay, finally overhauling and capturing the chase. When war was declared with England, the *' Con- stellation " was so thoroughly dismantled, that some months were occupied in refitting before she was ready to put to sea. In January, 18 13, she dropped anchor in Hampton Roads, expecting to set out on an extended cruise the next morning. Had she been a day earlier, her career in the War of 1812 might have added new lustre to her glorious record in the war with France; but the lack of that day condemned her to inglorious inactivity throughout the war: for on that very night a British squadron of line-of-battle ships and frigates dropped anchor a few miles down the bay, and the " Constellation " was fairly trapped. When, by the gray light of early morning, the look- out on the " Constellation " saw the British fleet lying quietly at their anchorage down the bay, he reported to Captain Stewart; and the latter saw that, for a time, he must be content to remain in port. Stewart's repu- tation for bravery and devotion to his country leaves no doubt that the prospect of prolonged idleness was most distasteful to him. But he had little time to mourn over his disappointment. The position of the frigate was one of great danger. At any moment she 2o6 STORY OF OUR NAVY might be exposed to attack by the hostile fleet. Ac- cordingly, she dropped down abreast of Craney Island, where she was secure from attack by the British vessels, but still open to the assaults of their boats. To meet this danger, Captain Stewart took the most elaborate precautions. His ship was anchored in the middle of the narrow channel; and on either side were anchored seven gunboats, officered and manned by the men of the frigate. Around the gunboats and frigate extended a vast circle of floating logs, linked together by heavy chains, that no boarders might come along- side the vessels. The great frigate towered high above the surrounding gunboats, her black sides unbroken by an open port; for the gun-deck ports were lashed down, and the guns housed. Not a rope's end was permitted to hang over the side; the stern ladders were removed, and the gangway cleats knocked off. An enemy might as well hope to scale the unbroken front of a massive wall of masonry, as that dark, forbidding hull. From the bulwarks rose ©n all sides, to the ends of the yards, a huge net made of ratlin stuff, boiled in pitch until it would turn the edge of a cutlass, and further strength- ened by nail-rods and small chains. The upper part of the netting was weighted with kentledge, the pigs of iron used for ballast; so that, should the hardy as- sailants succeed in coming alongside and scaling the side, a few blows of an axe would let fall the heavily weighted nettings, sweeping the boarders into the sea, and covering boats and men with an impenetrable mesh, under which they would be at the mercy of the sailors on the frigate's decks. The carronades and howitzers were loaded with grape; and the officers and men felt that only bravery on their part was essential to the defeat of any force that Great Britain could send against the ship. Heedless of these formidable preparations for their FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 207 reception, the enemy set under way two expeditions for the capture of the " Constellation." In neither case did the antagonists actually come to blows, for the approach of the British was discovered before they came within pistol-shot; and, as their only chance lay in surprising the Americans, they retired without strik- ing a blow. The coming of the first expedition was known upon the " Constellation " the day before it actually set out. A Portuguese merchantman, trying to beat out of the bay, had been stopped by the British, and anchored a few miles below the American frigate. A guard and lookout from the English fleet were sta- tioned on the Portuguese to watch the " Constellation." In an unguarded moment, these men let fall a hint of the movement under way; and an American passenger on the Portuguese vessel quickly carried the news to Captain Stewart, and volunteered to remain and aid in the defence. The next night was dark and drizzly; and the British, to the number of two thousand, set out in boats for the " Constellation." Hardly were they within gun-shot, when two lanterns gleamed from the side of a watchful guard-boat; and the roll of drums and sound of hurrying feet aboard the frigate told that the alarm was given. The assailants thereupon aban- doned the adventure, and returned to their ship. The next night they returned, but again retreated discom- fited. Several nights later, a third expedition came up. This time the guard-boat was far down the bay; and, seeing the huge procession of boats, the Americans calmly edged in among them, and for some time rowed along, listening to the conversation of the British, who never dreamed that an enemy could be in their midst. Suddenly a sailor, more sharp-eyed than the rest, caught sight of the interlopers; and the cry was raised, "A stranger! " The Americans tugged at their oars, and were soon lost to sight; but, not being pursued, re- 2o8 STORY OF OUR NAVY turned, and accompanied their foes up the bay, and even anchored with the flotilla at a point above the " Constellation." The enemy, finding the Americans constantly on the watch, abandoned their designs on the ship, and vowed that Captain Stewart must be a Scotch- man, as he could never be caught napping. Some days later, an officer, sent with a flag of truce to the British fleet, vastly chagrined the^ officers there by repeating their remarks overheard by the guard-boat officers who joined the British flotilla in the dark. These three escapes confirmed the reputation borne by the " Con- stellation," as a "lucky ship"; and although she re- mained pent up in port throughout the war, doing nothing for her country, her luck was unquestioned in the minds of the sailors. Among the frigates that did get to sea was the " President," Captains Rodgers. Her cruise was hardly glorious, but one incident of it is worth the telling: It was near the last of September that the frigate was flying along before a fresh breeze. Her yards were spread with a cloud of snowy canvas, and the wind sung through the straining cordage a melody sweet to the ears of the sailor homeward bound. Towards evening, a small sail was made out in the distance; and, as time wore on, it was seen that she was rapidly approaching the " President." Rodgers surmised that the stranger might be a British vessel, and determined to lure her within range by strategy. In some way he had obtained knowledge of some of the private sig- nals of the British navy; and in a few minutes from the masthead of the American frigate there fluttered a row of flags which announced her as the British frigate " Sea-Horse." The stranger promptly re- sponded, and was made out to be the schooner " High- flyer," a little craft noted for her sailing qualities. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 209 Unsuspectingly the " Highflyer " came under the stern of the American frigate, and waited for a boat to be sent aboard. Soon the boat came; and one of Rod- gers's lieutenants, clad In British uniform, clambered up the side, and was received with due honor. He was the bearer of a message from Commodore Rod- gers, requesting that the signal-books of the " High- flyer " be sent on board the fictitious " Sea-Horse " for comparison and revision. This the British captain hastened to do, and soon followed his books to the deck of the frigate, where a lieutenant met him, clothed In full British uniform. A file of marines, dressed in the scarlet coats of the British service, stood on the deck; and the duped Englishman greatly admired the appearance of the frigate, remarking to the ofiicer who escorted him to Rodgers's cabin, that so trim a craft could only be found in His Majesty's service. On entering the cabin, the English officer greeted Commodore Rodgers with deference, and proceeded at once to tell of naval matters. " I have here," said he, placing a bundle of papers In the commodore's hands, " a number of dispatches for Admiral Warren, who is on this station. You may not know that one of the principal objects of our squadron cruising here Is the capture of the Yankee frigate ' President,' which has been greatly annoying British commerce." Rodgers was naturally much Interested In this state- ment, and asked the visitor If he knew much about the commander of the " President." " I hear he is an odd fish," was the response; " and certainly he Is devilish hard to catch." Rodgers started. He had hardly expected so frank an expression of opinion. " Sir," said he emphatically, " do you know what vessel you are on board of? " 2IO STORY OF OUR NAVY " Why, certainly, — on board of His Majesty's ship ' Sea-Horse.' " " No, sir, you are mistaken," was the startling re- sponse. " You are on board of the United States frigate ' President,' and I am Commodore Rodgers." The astounded Englishman sprang to his feet, and rushed to the deck. The sight he saw there was still more startling. The quarter-deck was crowded with officers in United States uniform. The scarlet coats of the marines had vanished, and were replaced by Yankee blue. Even as he looked, the British flag came fluttering down, the American ensign went up, and the band struck up " Yankee Doodle." Nothing was left to the Englishman but to submit; and, with the best grace possible, he surrendered his vessel and himself to the " odd fish " who had so cleverly trapped him. Three days later, the " President," with her prize, and crowded with prisoners, dropped anchor in the harbor of Newport, after a cruise of one hundred and forty-eight days. In actual results, the cruise was far from satisfactory, for but eleven vessels had been taken. But the service rendered the country by annoy- ing the enemy's merchantmen, and drawing the British war-vessels away in chase, was vast. At one time more than twenty British men-of-war were searching for the roving American frigate; and the seafaring people of the United States were thus greatly benefited by the " President's " prolonged cruise. But the one great naval event of the year was the duel between the " Chesapeake " and " Shannon," that cost the United States its first frigate lost in the war, and gave the nation its naval maxim, " Don't give up the ship." The " Chesapeake " was one of the ships caught by the blockade. For four months she had been lying FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 211 in harbor at Boston refitting after an exceptionally un- lucky cruise. To her command was appointed Captain James Lawrence, the commander of the " Hornet " in her victorious duel with the " Peacock." On reaching his ship, he found affairs in a desperate condition. The sailors who had sailed on the long and unproductive cruise were firmly convinced that the frigate's bad luck was beyond remedy. The term of enlistment of many had expired, and they were daily leaving the ship. Those who remained were sullen, and smarting under fancied ill-treatment in the matter of the prize-money. To get fresh seamen was no easy task. Great fleets of privateers were being fitted out; and sailors generally preferred to sail in these vessels, in which the discipline was light, and the gains usually great. Some sailors from "the "Constitution" were induced to join the "Chesapeake"; and these, with the remnant of the frigate's old crew, formed the nucleus of a crew which was filled up with merchant-sailors and foreigners of all nations. Before the lists were fairly filled, the ship put to sea, to give battle to an adversary that proved to be her superior. The events leading to the action were simple, and succeeded each other hurriedly. The port of Boston was blockaded by two British frigates, the " Tenedos," thirty-eight, and the " Shannon," thirty-eight. The latter vessel was under the command of Captain Philip Bowes Vere Broke, a naval oflScer of courage, skill, and judgment. His crew was thoroughly disciplined, and his ship a model of efficiency. No officer in the service understood better than he the difference between the discipline of a martinet and the discipline of a prudent and sagacious commander. His ship might not, like the " Peacock," merit the title of " the yacht "; but for active service she was always prepared. James, an English naval historian, turns from his usual occu- 212 STORY OF OUR NAVY pation of explaining the American naval victories by belittling the British ships, and enormously magnifying the power of the victors, to speak as follows of the "Shannon": From the day on which he [Capt. Broke] joined her, the 14th of September, 1806, the " Shannon " began to feel the effect of her captain's proficiency as a gunner, and zeal for the service. The laying of the ship's ordnance so that it may be correctly fired in a horizontal direction is justly deemed a most important operation, as upon it depends, in a great measure, the true aim and destructive effect of the shot ; this was attended to by Capt. Broke in person. By drafts from other ships, and the usual means to which a British man-of-war is obliged to resort, the " Shannon " got together a crew ; and in the course of a year or two, by the paternal care and excellent regulations of Capt. Broke, the ship's company became as pleasant to command as it was dangerous to meet." Moreover, the historian goes on to relate that the ship's guns were carefully sighted, and her ammunition frequently overhauled. Often a cask would be thrown overboard, and a gun's crew suddenly called to sink it as it bobbed about on the waves astern. Practice with the great guns was of daily occurrence. Every day for about an hour and a half in the forenoon, when not prevented by chase or the state of the weather, the men were exercised at training the guns ; and for the same time in the afternoon in the use of the broad-sword, musket, pike, etc. Twice a week the crew fired at targets, both with great guns and musketry ; and Capt. Broke, as an additional stimulus beyond the emulation excited, gave a pound of tobacco to every man that put a shot through the bull's-eye. Such was the vessel that in June appeared alone off the entrance to Boston Harbor, and by her actions seemed to challenge the " Chesapeake " to give her battle. Indeed, Broke's wish to test the strength of the two vessels was so great, that he sent in, by the hands of an American prisoner, a writen challenge, the terms and spirit of which showed the writer to be FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 213 a courageous and chlvalric officer and gentleman. " As the ' Chesapeake ' now appears ready for sea," he wrote, " I request you will do me the honor to meet the ' Shannon ' with her, ship to ship, to try the for- tunes of our respective flags. To an officer of your character, it requires some apology for proceeding to further particulars. Be assured, sir, it is not from any doubt I can entertain of your wishing to close with my proposal, but merely to provide an answer to any objection which might be made, and very reason- ably, upon the chance of our receiving any unfair sup- port." Captain Broke then proceeds to assure Law- rence that the other British ships in the neighborhood would be sent away before the day of combat. To the challenge was appended a careful statement of the strength of the " Shannon," that Lawrence might un- derstand that the ships were fairly matched. But before this challenge reached Boston, Lawrence had set out to seek the enemy. He had seen the "Shannon" lying off the entrance to the port; and, finding out that she was alone, he knew that her pres- ence was in itself a challenge that he could not honor- ably ignore. Nor did he desire to avoid the battle thus offered. He had confidence In his crew, his frig- ate, and himself, and looked for nothing but victory. To the Secretary of the Navy, he wrote: " An English frigate is now in sight from my deck. I have sent a pilot-boat out to reconnoitre; and, should she be alone, I am in hopes to give a good account of her before night. My crew appear to be in fine spirits, and I hope will do their duty." Li truth, however, the condition of this same crew was such that the captain would have been justified In refusing the challenge. An unusual number of foreign sailors were enrolled, among whom was a Portuguese, who, in the ensuing battle, did incalculable injury to 214 STORY OF OUR NAVY the cause of the " Chesapeake." The crew had never drilled together; many of the sailors came on board only a few hours before the ship sailed out to battle. All the old sailors were sullen over the delay In the payment of the prize-money of their last cruise. Law- rence attempted to allay their discontent by giving them checks for the prize-money; but the sense of Injury still lingered In the minds of the men, and they were Ill- fitted to do battle for the honor of the flag. Added to this evil was the fact that the first and second lieu- tenants and two acting lieutenants were away on sick- leave, and the ship was thus left short of officers on the eve of battle. Regardless of the disadvantages under which he labored, Lawrence weighed anchor on the ist of June, and started down the harbor. As he approached the ocean, Lawrence mustered his crew aft, and eloquently urged them to fight bravely, and do their duty to the country, which had entered upon this war In defence of seamen and their rights. Three ensigns were run up; and at the fore was unfurled a broad, white flag, bearing the motto, " Free Trade and Sailors' Rights.'' When Lawrence closed his speech, and pointed out the flag floating at the fore, the men cheered and went forward, leaving the captain convinced that he could depend upon their loyalty. The morning was bright and cool, with a fresh breeze blowing, before which the " Chesapeake " rap- idly bore down upon the foe that awaited her. Follow- ing cautiously In her track came a number of small craft, — pilot-boats, sloops, fishing-smacks, and pleasure- boats, — that had come down the bay to see the outcome of the battle. Hundreds of people of Boston rode along the coast, in hopes of gaining an outlook from which the progress of the fight might be viewed. At noon the ship rounded Boston Light, and made FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 215 out into the open sea. The " Shannon " went ahead, under easy sail, making up the coast toward Salem. Towards five o'clock the " Chesapeake " luffed up for a moment; while the pilot clambered down the side, and put off in a small boat. A gun was then fired, as a signal that the Americans were ready for action. The " Shannon " evidently understood the purport of the signal; for she quickly hove to, and troops of agile jackies clambered up her rigging, and began to take in sail. The " Chesapeake " followed suit, and was soon under only top-sails and jib. She then laid her course straight for the enemy. A ship preparing for action in that day was a scene of hurry and confusion that cannot be equalled in this era of machinery and few guns. At the short, broken, rolling beat of the drums, calling the men to quarters, the hurried rush of hundreds of feet began, as the men came pouring from all parts of the ship to their posts. Some clambered aloft to their stations in the tops; others invaded the sanctity of the quarter-deck and captain's cabin, where several guns are always mounted. But the most stirring scene is on the long gun-deck, where the men gradually fall into their places at the two long rows of great guns that peer through the open ports on either side. All are stripped to the waist ; and at many a gun the fair skin of the American sailor gleams white by the side of some swarthy Spaniard, or still darker negro. All quiet down on reaching their stations; and, five minutes after the drum-beats, no sound is heard, save perhaps the steps of the black boys, taking rations of grog around, that the men may " splice the main brace " before going into the fight. Thus silently did the " Chesapeake " bear down upon her adversary. There was no long-range firing; for the two commanders were veterans, whose chief desire 2i6 STORY OF OUR NAVY was to settle the dispute yard-arm to yard-arm. Gradu- ally the American ship ranged alongside the " Shan- non," at a distance of half pistol-shot; and, as her fore-mast came in a line with the " Shannon's " miz- zen-mast, the latter opened fire with her cabin-guns. For a moment the " Chesapeake " was silent, waiting for her guns to bear; then, with sulphuric flashes and a thunderous roar, she let fly her whole broadside. Then followed a duel with great guns. The two ships, lying side by side, dealt and received staggering blows. The spectators in small boats, who kept a safe distance, and the crowds of eager watchers on the far-off heights of Salem, saw through their spy-glasses the flash of the first broadsides, and the flying splinters that fol- lowed the course of the deadly shot. Then a heavy cloud of yellow smoke settled over the warring levia- thans, and all further incidents of the battle were shut out from view. Only the top-masts of the ships, with the half-furled sails and the opposing ensigns flying, could be seen above the smoke. Under this vaporous pall, the fighting was sharp and desperate. The first broadside of the " Shannon " so swept the decks of the American frigate, that, of one hundred and fifty men quartered on the upper deck, not fifty were upon their legs when the terrible rush of the shot was over. The sailors in the tops of the British frigate, looking down upon the decks of their enemy, could see nothing but a cloud of hammocks, splinters, and wreckage of all kinds, driven fiercely across the deck. Both men at the wheel fell dead, but their places were soon filled; while fresh gunners rushed down to work the guns that had been silenced by the enemy's fearful broadside. In a moment the " Chesapeake " responded with spirit, and for some time broadsides were exchanged with inconceivable rapidity. The men encouraged each other with cheers and friendly cries. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 217 They had named the guns of the frigate, and with each telhng shot they cheered the iron-throated monster which had hurled the bolt. " Wilful Murder," " Spit- fire," "Revenge," "Bull Dog," "Mad Anthony," " Defiance," " Raging Eagle," and " Viper " were some of the titles borne by the great guns; and well the weapons bore out the names thus bestowed upon them. The gunnery of the Americans was good, their shot doing much damage to the enemy's rigging. But the effect of the " Shannon's " broadsides was such that no men, however brave, could stand before them. They swept the decks, mowing down brave fellows by the score. Officers fell on every side. At a critical mo- ment the two ships fouled, exposing the " Chesapeake " to a raking broadside, which beat in her stern-ports, and drove the gunners from the after-port. At this moment, Lawrence was wounded in the leg, but re- mained at his post and ordered that the boarders be called up. Unhappily a negro bugler had been de- tailed for the duty usually performed by drummers; and, at this important moment, he could not be found. Midshipmen and lieutenants ran about the ship, striv- ing to call up the boarders by word of mouth. In the confusion, the bugler was found skulking under the stem of the launch, and so paralyzed by fear that he could only give a feeble blast upon his instrument. In the din and confusion of battle, the oral orders of the officers only perplexed the men; and the moment for boarding was lost. At that very moment, the turn- ing point of the conflict, Captain Lawrence was struck by a musket-ball, and fell mortally wounded to the deck. His officers rushed to his side, and, raising him gently, were carrying him below, when in a firm voice he cried: " Tell the men to fire faster, and not give up the ship. Fight her till she sinks." 2i8 STORY OF OUR NAVY With these words on his lips, he was carried to the ward-room. At this moment, the upper deck was left without an officer above the rank of midshipman. The men, seeing their captain carried below, fell into a panic, which was increased by the explosion of an arm-chest, into which a hand-grenade, hurled by a sailor lying out on the yard-arm of the " Shannon," had fallen. Seeing that the fire of the Americans had slackened, Captain Broke left his quarter-deck, and, running hastily forward, gained a position on the bow of his ship from which he could look down upon the decks of the " Chesapeake." His practised eye quickly per- ceived the confusion on the deck of the American frig- ate; and he instantly ordered that the ships be lashed together, and the boarders called up. An old quarter- master, a veteran in the British navy, set about lashing the ships together, and accomplished his task, although his right arm was actually hacked off by the cutlass of an American sailor. The boarders were slow in coming up, and but twenty men followed Broke as he climbed to the deck of the " Chesapeake." Broke led his men straight for the quarter-deck of the frigate. The Americans oft'ered but little resistance. Not an officer was in sight to guide the men, and the newly enhsted sailors and foreigners fled like sheep before the advance of the boarders. The British reached the quarter-deck with hardly the loss of a man. Here stood Mr. Livermore, the chaplain of the " Chesapeake," who had cruised long with Lawrence, and bitterly mourned the captain's fate. Determined to avenge the fallen captain, he fired a pistol at Broke's head, but missed him. Broke sprang forward, and dealt a mighty stroke of his keen cutlass at the chaplain's head, who saved himself by taking the blow on his arm. While the boarders were thus FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 219 traversing the upper deck, the sailors in the tops of the " Chesapeake " were keeping up a well-directed fire, before which many of the Englishmen fell. But this resistance was not of long duration ; for one of the " Shannon's " long nines, loaded with grape, swept clean the " Chesapeake's " tops. With this, the British were in full control of the upper deck. Up to this time, the Americans on the gun-deck had known nothing of the events occurring on the deck above them. When the news of the British assault spread. Lieutenant Budd called upon the men to follow him, and drive the boarders back to their own ship. A number of the marines (who behaved splendidly throughout the fight) and some twenty veteran sailors were all that responded to the call. Broke had in the meantime summoned the marines of the " Shan- non " to his aid; and the British, led by their dashing commander, were pouring in a dense column down the companion-ways to the gun-deck. Budd and his handful of followers attacked them fiercely; and, by the very desperation of the onset, the British were forced back a few paces. Broke threw himself upon the Americans. With his cutlass he cut down the first man who attacked him, and bore down upon the others, dealing deadly blows right and left. His followers came close behind him. The Americans fell on every side, and began to retreat before the overwhelming force of their foes. Up from the ward-room came Lieutenant Ludlow, already suffering from two dan- gerous wounds. He placed himself beside the younger officer, and the two strove in every way to encourage their men. But Ludlow soon fell, with a gaping wound across his forehead. Budd was cut down, and fell through the hatchway to the deck beneath. The sail- ors, seeing both officers fall, gave way in confusion; and the ship was in the hands of the British. A few 220 STORY OF OUR NAVY marines kept up a fire through the hatchway, but soon were silenced. An English officer, Lieutenant Watts, ran to the halliards to haul down the American flag. But it would seem that the good genius which had watched over that starry banner throughout the war was loath to see it disgraced; for the officer had hardly finished his work, when a grape-shot from his own ship struck him, and he fell dead. The noise of the battle had by this time died away, and the fresh breezes soon carried off the smoke that enveloped the combatants. It was an awful scene thus exposed to view. On the " Chesapeake " were sixty- one killed, and eighty-five wounded men. On the " Shannon " were thirty-three dead, and fifty wounded. On a cot in the ward-room lay Captain Lawrence, his mortal wound having mercifully rendered him uncon- scious, so that he knew nothing of the loss of his ship. Broke had been made delirious by the fevered throb- bing of the wound he had so long neglected. Every- where were evidences of carnage and desolation. The British prize-crew took possession of the captured ship, and in a few hours the captor and captive were well on their way toward Halifax. They reached port on the 7th of June; and the sight of the " Shannon," followed by the " Chesapeake " with the British ensign flying proudly over the Stars and Stripes, stirred the little city to the utmost en- thusiasm. As the two ships pursued their stately course up the harbor, the British men-of-war on all sides manned their yards, and fired salutes in honor of the victory. The thunders of the cannon brought the town's-people to the water-side, and their cheers rang out lustily to welcome their conquering countrymen to port. Captain Lawrence had died the day before; and his FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 221 body, wrapped in an American flag, lay on the quarter- deck of his frigate. Three days later, his body, with that of his gallant lieutenant Ludlow, was laid to rest with imposing naval honors, in the churchyard at Hali- fax. But his country, honoring him even in the day of his defeat, was not content that his body should lie in the soil of an enemy's country. Two months after the battle, an American vessel, the " Henry " of Salem, entered the harbor of Halifax, under cover of a flag of truce, and took on board the bodies of Lawrence and Ludlow. They were conveyed first to Salem and later to New York, where they now lie under a massive monument of sandstone, in a corner of Trinity church- yard. A few feet away, the ceaseless tide of human life rolls on its course up and down Broadway; few of the busy men and women pausing to remember that in the ancient churchyard lies the body of the man whose dying words, " Don't give up the ship," were for years the watchword and motto of the United States navy. Many of the stirring events of this year of the war took place in the waters of Chesapeake Bay and Hamp- ton Roads — a region that deserves to be classic in American naval annals. There was gathered a power- ful British fleet under command of Admiral Cockburn — an able and fearless commander, but one who, be- cause of the heartlessness of his methods, was bitterly hated by the peaceful inhabitants along the shore. The little village of Havre de Grace was burned by his orders, for no intelligible reason, and the banks of the surrounding streams ravaged for miles in evei*y direc- tion. Hampton, a more considerable town, was treated in the same way, though in this instance the necessary severities of war were added to by personal barbarities committed by the British in violation of all the tenets of civilized warfare. Indeed, the atrocities of the 222 STORY OF OUR NAVY sack, of Hampton may fairly be said to stand as the last instance of ferocity shown against non-combatants by a civilized people. All the coast, too, was devas- tated, and at last the enemy prepared for an assault upon Norfolk — a rich prize could it have been won. On the 20th of June they moved forward to the assault, — three seventy-four-gun ships, one sixty-four, four frigates, two sloops, and three transports. They were opposed by the American forces stationed on Craney Island, which commands the entrance to Norfolk Har- bor. Here the Americans had thrown up earthworks, mounting two twenty-four, one eighteen, and four six- pound cannon. To work this battery, one hundred sailors from the " Constellation," together with fifty marines, had been sent ashore. A large body of militia and a few soldiers of the regular army were also in camp upon the island. The British set the 22d as the date for the attack; and on the morning of that day, fifteen large boats, filled with sailors, marines, and soldiers to the number of seven hundred, put off from the ships, and dashed toward the batteries. At the same time a larger force tried to move forward by land, but were driven back, to wait until their comrades in the boats should have stormed and silenced the American battery. But that battery was not to be silenced. After checking the advance of the British by land, the Americans waited coolly for the column of boats to come within point- blank range. On they came, bounding over the waves, led by the great barge " Centipede," fifty feet long, and crowded with men. The blue-jackets in the shore battery stood silently at their guns. Suddenly there arose a cry, "Now, boys, are you ready?" "All ready," was the response. " Then fire ! " And the great guns hurled their loads of lead and iron into the advancing boats. The volley was a fearful one; FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 223 but the British still came on doggedly, until the fire of the battery became too terrible to be endured. " The American sailors handled the great guns like rifles," said one of the British officers, speaking of the battle. Before this terrific fire, the advancing column was thrown into confusion. The boats, drifting upon each other, so crowded together that the oarsmen could not make any headway. A huge round shot struck the " Centipede," passing through her diagonally, leaving death and wounds in its track. The shattered craft sunk, and was soon followed by four others. The order for retreat was given; and, leaving their dead and some wounded in the shattered barges that lay in the shallow water, the British fled to their ships. Mid- shipman Tatnall, who, many years later, served In the Confederate navy, waded out with several sailors, and, seizing the " Centipede," drew her ashore. He found several wounded men In her, — one a Frenchman, with both legs shot away. A small terrier dog lay whimper- ing In the bow. His master had brought him along for a run on shore, never once thinking of the possi- bility of the flower of the British navy being beaten back by the Americans. The New England coast, too, was blockaded, but a little ten-gun brig, the " Argus," managed to slip out, and made a swift run to France, whither she carried Mr. Crawford, of Georgia, who had just been ap- pointed minister to that nation. This duty done, her commander took his ship Into the very waters that Paul Jones had ravaged thirty-five years earlier. Prizes were many, but all had to be burned, as there was no port Into which they could be sent. But her end came soon in an action not creditable to the Amer- ican arms. A ship deep-laden with wine had been captured, and the American sailors, besides enjoying the cargo to the full before applying the torch, smuggled 224 STORY OF OUR NAVY -quantities of the liquor on to the " Argus." As luck would have it, the flames attracted the attention of the brig " Pelican," which bore down to investigate. Day was just breaking, and by the gray morning light the British saw an American cruiser making away from the burning hulk of her last prize. The " Peli- can " followed in hot pursuit, and was allowed to come alongside, although the fleet American could easily have left her far astern. But Captain Allen was ready for the conflict; confident of his ship and of his crew, of whose half-intoxicated condition he knew nothing, he felt sure that the coming battle would only add more laurels to the many already won by the " Argus." He had often declared that the " Argus " should never run from any two-master; and now, that the gage of battle was offered, he promptly accepted. At six o'clock in the morning, the " Pelican " came alongside, and opened the conflict with a broadside from her thirty-two-pound carronades. The " Argus " re- plied with spirit, and a sharp cannonade began. Four minutes after the battle opened. Captain Allen was struck by a round shot that cut off his left leg near the thigh. His oflficers rushed to his side, and strove to bear him to his cabin; but he resisted, saying he would stay on deck and fight his ship as long as any life was left him. With his back to a mast, he gave his orders and cheered on his men for a few minutes longer; then, fainting from the terrible gush of blood from his wound, was carried below. To lose their captain so early in the action, was enough to discourage the crew of the " Argus." Yet the oflicers left on duty were brave and skilful. Twice the vessel was swung into a raking position, but the gunners failed to seize the advantage. " They seemed to be nodding over their guns," said one of the ofllicers afterward. The enemy, however, showed no signs of nodding. His fire was FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 225 rapid and well-directed, and his vessel manoeuvred in a way that showed a practised seaman in command. At last he secured a position under the stern of the " Argus," and lay there, pouring in destructive broad- sides, until the Americans struck their flag, — just forty- seven minutes after the opening of the action. The loss on the " Argus " amounted to six killed and seven- teen wounded. However, American pride was somewhat mollified by the little " Enterprise," one of the lucky ships of the war with Tripoli. In the early part of September, 1 8 13, she was cruising near Penguin Point, when she sighted a brig in shore that had the appearance of a hostile war-vessel. The stranger soon settled all doubts as to her character by firing several guns, seem- ingly for the purpose of recalling her boats from the shore. Then, setting sail with the rapidity of a man- of-war, she bore down upon the American vessel. The *' Enterprise," instead of waiting for the enemy, turned out to sea, under easy sail; and her crew were set to work bringing aft a long gun, and mounting it in the cabin, where one of the stern windows had been chopped away to make a port. This action rather alarmed the sailors, who feared that their commander, Lieutenant Burrows, whose character was unknown to them, intended to avoid the enemy, and was rigging the long gun for a stern-chaser. An impromptu meeting was held upon the forecastle; and, after much whis- pered consultation, the people appointed a committee to go aft and tell the commander that the lads were burning to engage the enemy, and were confident of whipping her. The committee started bravely to dis- charge their commission; but their courage failed them before so mighty a potentate as the commander, and they whispered their message to the first lieutenant, who laughed, and sent word forward that Mr. Bur- 226 STORY OF OUR NAVY rows only wanted to get sea-room, and would soon give the jackies all the fighting they desired. The Americans now had leisure to examine, through their marine-glasses, the vessel which was so boldly following them to the place of battle. She was a man- of-war brig, flying the British ensign from both mast- heads and at the peak. Her armament consisted of twelve eighteen-pound carronades and two long sixes, as against the fourteen eighteen-pound carronades and two long nines of the " Enterprise." The English- man carried a crew of sixty-six men, while the quarter- rolls of the American showed a total of one hundred and two. But in the battle which followed the British fought with such desperate bravery as to almost over- come the odds against them. For some time the two vessels fought shy of each other, manoeuvring for a windward position. Towards three o'clock in the afternoon, the Americans gained this advantage, and at once shortened sail, and edged down toward the enemy. As the ships drew near, a sailor was seen to climb into the rigging of the English- man, and nail the colors to the mast, giving the lads of the " Enterprise " a hint as to the character of the reception they might expect. As the vessels came within range, both crews cheered lustily, and continued cheering until within pistol-shot, when the two broad- sides were let fly at almost exactly the same moment. With the first fire, both commanders fell. Captain Blyth of the English vessel was almost cut in two by a round shot as he stood on his quarter-deck. He died instantly. Lieutenant Burrows was struck by a canister-shot, which inflicted a mortal wound. He re- fused to be carried below, and was tenderly laid upon the deck, where he remained during the remainder of the battle, cheering on his men, and crying out that the colors of the " Enterprise " should never be stru(?k. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 227 The conflict was sharp, but short. For ten minutes only the answering broadsides rung out; then the colors of the British ship were hauled down. She proved to be the sloop-of-war " Boxer," and had suffered severely from the broadsides of the " Enterprise." Several shots had taken effect in her hull, her fore-mast was almost shot away, and several guns were dismounted. Three men beside her captain were killed, and seventeen wounded. But she had not suffered these injuries with- out inflicting some in return. The " Enterprise " was much cut up aloft. Her fore-mast and main-mast had each been pierced by an eighteen-pound ball. Her captain lay upon the deck, gasping in the last agonies of death, but stoutly protesting that he would not be carried below until he received the sword of the com- mander of the " Boxer." At last this was brought him; and grasping it he cried, "Now I am satisfied. I die contented." The two shattered brigs were taken into Portland, where the bodies of the two slain commanders were buried with all the honors of war. The " Enterprise " was repaired, and made one more cruise before the close of the war; but the " Boxer" was found to be forever ruined for a vessel of war, and she was sold into the merchant-service. The fact that she was so greatly injured in so short a time led a London paper, in speaking of the battle, to say: "The fact seems to be but too clearly established, that the Americans have some superior mode of firing; and we cannot be too anxiously employed in discovering to what circumstances that superiority is owing." This battle practically closed the year's naval events upon the ocean. The British privateer " Dart " was captured near Newport by some volunteers from the gunboats stationed at that point. But, with this excep- tion, nothing noteworthy in naval circles occurred dur- 228 STORY OF OUR NAVY ing the remainder of the year. Looking back over the annals of the naval operations of 1813, It Is clear that the Americans were the chief sufferers. They had the victories over the " Peacock," " Boxer," and "Highflyer" to boast of; but they had lost the " Chesapeake," " Argus," and " Viper." More than this, they had suffered their coast to be so sealed up by British blockaders that many of their best vessels were left to He Idle at their docks. The blockade, too, was growing stricter daily, and the outlook for the future seemed gloomy; yet, as It turned out. In 18 14 the Americans regained the ground they had lost the year before. CHAPTER XIII The Cruise of the " Essex "—A Twelve-Year-Old Captain— War with the Aborigines— A Squadron of Prizes— Trapped in Port — The Loss of the " Essex." One of the most picturesque cruises of the war began in 1812 and ended in 18 14. It closed in disaster, in dismal, but not dishonorable defeat. But the story of the cruise forms one of the most inspiriting chapters in American naval annals, while the experience and discipline it afforded began the education of a twelve- year-old boy destined to become the foremost naval hero of the United States. The frigate " Essex," rated at thirty-two guns, but mounting only twenty-six, was in the harbor of New York when war was declared. She formed part of the squadron of Commodore Rodgers, but he, being anxious to get to sea before the dreaded orders laying up all ships in port could be delivered, slipped away leaving her to follow. Her commander was Captain David Porter, father of the Civil War admiral of the same name. Among the midshipmen was a twelve- year-old boy whom the captain had adopted — David Glasgow Farragut, whose name shines bright among those of our naval heroes. In those early days mid- shipmen were mere boys, but we shall see in the course of this narrative that they did their duty like men. The early months of the cruise were uneventful. Prizes of peaceful merchantmen were plentiful enough, but the only battle was with a ship so much the Amer- ican's inferior that no great amount of glory attended success. The " Essex " was curiously disguised as a merchant vessel, when on the 13th of August, a small 229 230 STORY OF OUR NAVY British man-of-war bore down on her, gleefully Intent upon taking a prize. Porter continued his bit of deception. Instead of the great crowd of agile sailors that spring into the rigging of a man-of-war, at the order to make sail, only a handful, in obedience to Porter's orders, awkwardly set on the " Essex " all the sail she would carry. Two long, heavy cables dragging in the water astern so retarded the ship, that the stranger, coming down gallantly, thought he had fallen in with a lumbering old American merchant- man, which was making frantic, but futile, efforts to escape. Had the British captain been able to look behind the closed ports of the " Essex," he would have formed a very different idea of the character of his chase. He would have seen a roomy gun-deck, glistening with that whiteness seen only on the decks of well-kept men- of-war. Down either side of the deck stretched a row of heavy carronades, each with its crew of gun- ners grouped about the breech, and each shotted and primed ready for the opening volley. From the maga- zine amidships, to the gun-deck, reached a line of stewards, waiters, and cooks, ready to pass up cart- ridges; for on a man-of-war, in action, no one is an idler. Active boys were skurrying about the deck, barefooted, and stripped to the waist. These were the " powder monkeys," whose duty it would be, when the action opened, to take the cartridges from the line of powder-passers and carry it to the guns. On the spar-deck, only a few sailors and ofHcers were visible to the enemy; but under the taffrail lay crouched scores of blue-uniformed jackies, with smooth-faced middies and veteran lieutenants, ready to spring into the rigging at the word of command, or to swarm over the side and board the enemy, should the gunwales of the vessels touch. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 231 All this preparation, however, was unknown to the " Englishman," who came boldly on, doubting nothing that the " Essex " would that day be added to his list of prizes. As he drew nearer, the American sailors could see that their foe was much their inferior in size and armament; and the old tars who had seen service before growled out their dissatisfaction, that the action should be nothing but a scrimmage after all. In a few minutes, the bold Britons gave three ringing cheers, and let fly a broadside at the " Essex," In an instant the ports of the sham merchantman were knocked out; and, with a war-like thunder, the heavy carronades hurled their ponderous missiles against the side of the assailant. The astonished Englishmen re- plied feebly, but were quickly driven from their posts by the rapidity of the American fire; and, in eight min- utes after the action was opened, the British hauled down their flag. The captured ship proved to be the sloop-of-war " Alert," mounting twenty eighteen- pounder carronades. The boarding officer found her badly cut up, and seven feet of water in the hold. The officers were transferred to the " Essex," and the " Alert " taken in tow. Circumstances, however, forced the Americans to part in a very few days. The chief cause which led to the separation of the two vessels was an incipient mutiny, which was dis- covered by Midshipman Farragut, and was only averted by the perfect discipline of the American crew. An exercise to which the greatest attention was given was the " fire-drill." When the cry of fire was raised on the ship, every man seized his cutlass and blanket, and went to quarters as though the ship were about to go into action. Captain Porter was accustomed, that his men might be well prepared for any emergency, to raise this cry of fire at all hours of the night; and often he caused a slight smoke to be created in the hold, 232 STORY OF OUR NAVY further to try the nerves of his men. Shortly after the " Alert " was captured, and while the " Essex " was crowded with prisoners, some of the captives con- spired to seize the ship, and carry her to England. One night, as Farragut was sleeping in his hammock, a strange feeling of fear came over him; and he opened his eyes to find the coxswain of the captain's gig of the "Alert" standing over him with a pistol in his hand. The boy knew him to be a prisoner, and, see- ing him armed, was convinced that something was wrong. Expecting every moment to be killed, he lay still in his hammock, until the man turned on his heel and walked away. Then Farragut slipped out, and ran to the captain's cabin to report the incident. Por- ter rushed upon the berth-deck in an instant. " Fire! fire! " shouted he at the top of his voice; and in an instant the crew were at their quarters, in perfect order. The mutineers thought that a bad time for their project, and it was abandoned. The next day the prisoners were sent on board the " Alert," and that vessel sent into St. Johns as a cartel. After this exploit Porter turned his ship's prow southward. He hoped to meet, off the coast of Brazil, the " Constitution " and the " Hornet," but before his arrival these two ships had fought the battles described in an earlier chapter, and were on their way home with prizes and prisoners. The " Essex " was alone in waters filled with British men-of-war, and far from a friendly port. In those days the captain was his own board of strategy. There was no wireless telegraph to direct from Washington ships three thousand miles away. Thrown upon his own responsibility, master of his own fate, the old-time navy captain developed a decision and self-reliance which conditions deny to those of to-day. Porter met his situation with char- acteristic boldness. Around the other side of South ADMIRAL DAVID PORTER FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 233 America, in the broad Pacific Ocean, were no British nien-of-war, but large fleets of British whalers. He at once determined to take the " Essex " on the perilous voyage around Cape Horn and seek prizes in those unguarded waters. The voyage was made with little incident, beyond the capture and disarmament of a Peruvian privateer which, though Peru was at peace with the United States, had been taking and burning American whalers. But more important prizes fell fast into the grasp of the *' Essex," so that three months after rounding the Horn, Porter, as he trod the deck of his ship, found himself master of a goodly squadron instead of one stanch frigate. The " Essex," of course, led the list, followed by the " Georgianna," sixteen guns, forty-two men; "Atlantic," six guns, twelve men; "Greenwich," ten guns, fourteen men; "Montezuma," ten guns, two men; "Policy," ten men. Of these the " Georgianna " had already re- ceived her armament and authority as a war-vessel; and the " Atlantic " showed such seaworthy qualities that Porter determined to utilize her in the same way. Shortly after he captured even a larger ship, the " Seringapatam," which he armed with twenty-two guns and made part of his squadron. Other vessels were sent back to the United States, or to neutral ports for sale. One effect of these successes was to put a heavy strain on the officers of the " Essex." Every prize had to be officered and there was only the com- plement on the " Essex " to draw from, and even boyish midshipmen were put in command of ships. Farragut was one of these, and his description of his experience is worth the telling. " I was sent as prize-master to the ' Barclay,' " he writes. "This was an important event in my life; and, when it was decided that I was to take the ship to Valparaiso, I felt no little pride at finding myself 234 STORY OF OUR NAVY in command at twelve years of age. This vessel had been recaptured from a Spanish guarda casta. The captain and his mate were on board; and I was to control the men sent from our frigate, while the cap- tain was to navigate the vessel. Captain Porter, hav- ing failed to dispose of the prizes as it was understood he intended, gave orders for the ' Essex Junior ' and all the prizes to start for Valparaiso. This arrange- ment caused great dissatisfaction on the part of the captain of the ' Barclay,' a violent-tempered old fel- low; and, when the day arrived for our separation from the squadron, he was furious, and very plainly intimated to me that I would ' find myself off New Zealand in the morning,' to which I most decidedly demurred. We were lying still, while the other ships were fast disappearing from view ; the * Commodore ' going north, and the ' Essex Junior ' with her convoy steering to the south for Valparaiso. " I considered that my day of trial had arrived (for I was a little afraid of the old fellow, as every one else was). But the time had come for me at least to play the man: so I mustered up courage, and in- formed the captain that I desired the topsail filled away. He replied that he would shoot any man who dared to touch a rope without his orders; he 'would go his own course, and had no idea of trusting him- self with a d — d nutshell ' ; and then he went below for his pistols. I called my right-hand man of the crew, and told him my situation; I also informed him that I wanted the main topsail filled. He answered with a clear ' Ay, ay, sir ! ' in a manner which was not to be misunderstood, and my confidence was perfectly restored. From that moment I became master of the vessel, and immediately gave all necessary orders for making sail, notifying the captain not to come on deck with his pistols unless he wished to go overboard; for FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 235 I would really have had very little trouble in having such an order obeyed." By the last of September Porter learned authori- tatively that he had captured all of the British whalers in the Pacific save one, and that, furthermore, the British frigate " Phoebe " and the sloops " Raccoon " and " Cherub ■' had been dispatched to those waters to end his career. This was good news to Porter, who was wearying of taking unarmed ships, but as he had been continually at sea for more than a year he deter- mined to seek a quiet harbor in which to refit. To this end he sought the Marquesas Islands, then a true Pacific tropical paradise, peopled by handsome and gentle natives unspoiled as yet by intercourse with white men. Here in the harbor of Nookahevah, Porter brought his ships to anchor and prepared for a two months' stay. Hardly had the ships cast anchor when the water alongside was fairly alive with canoes and swimming natives. They were not allowed to come on board, but were immensely pleased by some fish- hooks and bits of iron let down to them from the decks of the frigate. Not to be outdone in generosity, the islanders threw up to sailors cocoanuts, fruits, and fish. A boat-crew of jackies that went ashore was surrounded by a smiling, chattering throng of men, women, and children, who cried out incessantly, " Taya, taya " (friend, friend), and strove to bargain with them for fruits. They were a handsome, intelligent-looking peo- ple; tall, slender, and well-formed, with handsome faces, and complexion little darker than that of a brunette. The men carried white fans, and wore bracelets of human hair, with necklaces of whales' teeth and shells about their necks, — their sole articles of clothing. Both men and women were tattoed; though the women seemed to content themselves with bands about the neck and arms, while the men were elab- 236 STORY OF OUR NAVY orately decorated from head to foot. Though some carried clubs and lances, they showed no signs of hos- tility, but bore themselves with that simple air of hos- pitality and unconscious innocence common to all sav- age peoples of tropical regions, uncorrupted by asso- ciation with civilized white men. It was not long, however, before the discovery was made that however gentle and childlike in their atti- tude toward the visitors, the natives were warlike among themselves. Three tribes struggled for the mastery of the island, and Porter soon saw that unless he threw his force to the support of one of the tribes all three would unite against him and make his position untenable. Accordingly, the curious spectacle was pre- sented of American tars, ten thousand miles from home, fighting side by side with naked barbarians, armed with spears and war-clubs. Naturally, the Typees, with whom the Americans were allied, were victorious, and with the islanders pacified, the work of refitting went on apace. By the 9th of December the " Essex " and " Essex Junior " were refitted, and stocked with fresh provisions of hogs, cocoanuts, and bananas; the " New Zealander," loaded with oil from the other prizes, was ordered to proceed to New York; while the "Green- wich," " Seringapatam," and " Hammond " were to remain at the islands until the " Essex " should return for them. These arrangements being made, the war- ships made ready to depart. The two war-vessels turned their heads toward Valparaiso, and made the port after an uneventful voyage of fifty-six days. The frigate entered the harbor at once, and cast anchor; while the " Essex Junior " was ordered to cruise about outside, keeping a close watch for the enemy's ships. The friendship of the people of the town seemed as great as during the first visit of the frigate to the port; and a series of entertainments was begun, that cul- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 237 minated in a grand ball upon the " Essex " on the night of the 7th of February, 18 14. For that one night the officers of the " Essex Junior " were absolved from their weary duty of patrolling the sea at the mouth of the harbor. The vessel was anchored at a point that commanded a view of the ocean; and her officers, arrayed in the splendor of full dress, betook themselves on board of the frigate. At midnight, after an evening of dancing and gaiety. Lieutenant Downes left the " Essex," and returned to his vessel, which immediately weighed anchor and put to sea. The festivities on the frigate continued a little time longer; and then, the last ladies having been handed down the gangway, and pulled ashore, the work of clearing away the decorations began. While the ship's decks were still strewn with flags and flowers, while the awnings still stretched from stem to stern, and the hundreds of gay lanterns still hung in the rigging, the " Essex Junior " was seen coming into the harbor with a signal flying. The signal quartermaster rushed for his book, and soon announced that the flags read, " Two enemy's ships in sight." At this moment more than half the crew of the "Essex" were on shore; but a signal set at the ship's side recalled the men, and in an hour and a half the ship was ready for action; while the " Essex Junior " cast anchor in a supporting position. The two strange vessels were the " Cherub " and the " Phoebe," British men-of-war. They rounded into the harbor about eight A.M., and bore down to- wards the American ships. The " Phoebe," the larger of the two Englishmen, drew close to the "Essex"; and her commander. Captain Hillyar, sprang upon the taffrail, and asked after Captain Porter's health. Porter responded courteously; and, noticing that the " Phoebe " was coming closer than the customs of war- vessels in a neutral port permitted, warned the English- 238 STORY OF OUR NAVY man to keep his distance, or trouble would result. Hill- yar protested that he meant no harm, but nevertheless continued his advance until the two ships were almost fouled. Porter called the boarders to the bow; and they crowded forward, armed to the teeth, and stripped for the fight. The " Phoebe " was in such a position that she lay entirely at the mercy of the " Essex," and could not bring a gun to bear in her own defence. Hillyar, from his position on the taffrail, could see the American boarders ready to spring at the word of command, and the muzzles of the cannon ready to blow the ship out of water. There is little doubt that he was astonished to find the " Essex " so well prepared for the fray, for he had been told that more than half her crew had gone ashore. Relying upon this information, he had probably planned to capture the " Essex " at her moorings, regardless of the neu- trality of the port. But he had now brought himself into a dangerous position, and Porter would have been justified in opening fire at once. But the apologies and protestations of the British captain disarmed him, and he unwisely let the " Phoebe " proceed unmolested. In his journal, Farragut thus describes this incident: " We were all at quarters, and cleared for action, waiting with breathless anxiety for the command from Captain Porter to board, when the English captain appeared, standing on the after-gun, in a pea-jacket, and in plain hearing said: " ' Captain Hillyar's compliments to Captain Porter, and hopes he is well.' "Porter replied: 'Very well, I thank you. But I hope you will not come too near, for fear some acci- dent might take place which would be disagreeable to you.' And, with a wave of his trumpet, the kedge- anchors went up to our yard-arms, ready to grapple the enemy. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 239 " Captain Hillyar braced back his yards, and re- marked to Porter, that. If he did fall aboard him, he begged to assure the captain that It would be entirely accidental. " ' Well,' said Porter, ' you have no business where you are. If you touch a rope-yarn of this ship, I shall board Instantly.' " Notwithstanding Porter's forbearance, the incident came near leading to a battle, through the action of one of the crew, who had come off from shore with his brain rather hazy from heavy drinking. This man was standing by a gun, with a lighted brand In his hand, ready to fire the piece, when he thought he saw an Englishman grinning at him through one of the open ports of the " Phoebe." Highly enraged, he shouted out, " My fine fellow, I'll soon stop your mak- ing faces!" and reached out to fire the gun; when a heavy blow from an officer, who saw the action, stretched him on the deck. Had that gun been fired, nothing could have saved the " Phoebe." Porter now wished to get rid of some of the prizes with which he was encumbered. He could not burn them In the harbor, and the British ships kept too close a watch upon him to permit his ships to leave the har- bor for an hour: so he was forced to wait many days for an opportunity. On the 14th of February the opportunity came; and the "Hector" was towed out to sea, and set a-fire. Two weeks later, the " Phoebe " came alone to the mouth of the harbor, and, after show- ing her motto-flag, hove to, and fired a gun to wind- ward. This Porter understood to be a challenge, and he at once put out in the " Essex." But the " Phoebe " had no Intention of entering a fair and equal fight; for she quickly joined her consort, and the two then chased the " Essex " back to port. Much talk and a vast deal of correspondence grew out of this affair, 240 STORY OF OUR NAVY which certainly did not redound to the credit of the British. On the 28th of March the wind blew with such force that the larboard cable of the "Essex" parted; and the ship, drifting before the wind, dragged her starboard cable out to sea. Knowing that the British ships were in waiting outside, Porter lost no time in getting on sail and trying to beat back into the harbor. But, just as the ship was rounding the point, there came up a heavy squall, which carried away the main top- mast, throwing several topmen into the sea. In her disabled state the frigate could not regain the harbor; but she ran into a little cove, and anchored within half pistol-shot of the shore. Here she was in neutral waters; and, had Captain Hillyar been a man of his word, the "Essex" would have been safe: for that officer, on being asked by Porter whether he would respect the neutrality of the port, had replied with much feeling, " You have paid so much respect to the neutrality of the port, that I feel bound in honor to respect it." But he very quickly forgot this respect, when he saw his enemy lying crippled and in his power, although in neutral waters. Hardly had the " Essex " cast anchor, when the two British ships drew near, their actions plainly showing that they intended to attack the crippled frigate. The " Essex " was prepared for action, the guns beat to quarters; and the men went to their places coolly and bravely, though each felt at his heart that he was go- ing into a hopeless fight. The midshipmen had hardly finished calling over the quarter-lists, to see that every man was at his station, when the roar of the cannon ftom the British ships announced the opening of the action. The " Phoebe " had taken up a position under the stern of the American frigate, and pounded away with her long eighteens; while the "Essex" could FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 241 hardly get a gun to bear in return. The " Cherub " tried her fortune on the bow, but was soon driven from that position, and joined her consort. The two kept up a destructive fire, until Porter got three long guns out of the cabin-windows, and drove the enemy away. After repairing damages, the British took up a position just out of range of the " Essex's " carron- ades, and began a rapid and effective fire from their long eighteens. Such an action as this was very trying to the crew of the " Essex." The carronades against which Por- ter had protested when the ship was armed were utterly useless against an enemy who used such cautious tactics. On the deck of the frigate men were falling on every side. One shot entered a port, and killed four men who stood at a gun, taking off the heads of the last two. The crash and roar of the flying shots were in- cessant. As the guns became crippled for lack of men, the junior officers took a hand in all positions. Farra- gut writes : " I performed the duty of captain's aid, quarter-gunner, powder-boy, and, in fact, did every- thing that was required of me. . . . When my serv- ices were not required for other purposes, I generally assisted in working a gun; would run and bring powder from the boys, and send them back for more, until the captain wanted me to carry a message; and this continued to occupy me during the action." Once dur- ing the action a midshipman came running up to Por- ter, and reported that a gunner had deserted his post. Porter's reply was to turn to Farragut (the lad was only twelve years old), and say, " Do your duty, sir." The boy seized a pistol, and ran away to find the cow- ard, and shoot him in his tracks. But the gunner had slipped overboard, and made his way to the shore, and so escaped. After the " Essex " had for some time suffered from 242 STORY OF OUR NAVY the long-range fire of the enemy, Captain Porter deter- mined to make sail, and try to close with his foes. The rigging had been so badly shot away that the flying jib was the only sail that could be properly set. With this, and with the other sails hanging loose from the yards, the " Essex " ran down upon the British, and made such lively play with her carronades, that the " Cherub " was forced to haul off for repairs, and the tide of war seemed to be setting in favor of the Amer- icans. But, though the gallant blue-jackets fought with desperation, their chances for success were small. The decks were strewn with dead, the cockpit was full, and the enemy's shot were constantly adding to the number of dead and dying. Young Farragut, who had been sent below after some gun-primers, was coming up the ladder, when a man standing at the opening of the hatchway was struck full in the face by a cannon-ball, and fell back, carrying the lad with him. The muti- lated body fell upon the boy, who lay for a time un- conscious; then, jumping to his feet, ran, covered with blood, to the quarter-deck. Captain Porter saw him, and asked if he was wounded. " I believe not, sir," answered the midshipman. " Then," said the captain, " Where are the primers? " Farragut remembered his errand, and dashed below to execute it. When he emerged the second time, he saw the captain (his adopted father) fall, and running up asked if he was wounded. " I believe not, my son," was the response; " but I felt a blow on the top of my head." He had probably been knocked down by the wind of a passing shot. But the end of the action was now near. Dreadful havoc had been made in the ranks of both officers and men. The cockpit would hold no more wounded; and the shots were beginning to penetrate its walls, killing the sufferers waiting for the surgeon's knife. Lieuten- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 243 ant McKnight was the only commissioned officer on duty. The ship had been several times on fire, and the magazine was endangered. Finally, the carpenter reported that her bottom was so cut up that she could float but a little while longer. On learning this. Por- ter gave the order for the colors to be hauled down, which was done. The enemy, however, kept up their deadly fire for ten minutes after the " Essex " had struck. David Farragut narrates some interesting incidents of the surrender. He was sent by the captain to find and destroy the signal book before the British should come aboard; and, this having been done, he went to the cockpit to look after his friends. Here he found Lieutenant Cornell terribly wounded. When Farra- gut spoke to him, he said, " O Davy, I fear it's all up with me ! " and died soon after. The doctor said, that, had this officer been operated upon an hour before, his life might have been saved; but when the surgeons proposed to drop another man, and attend to him, he replied, " No, no, doctor, none of that. Fair play's a jewel. One man's life is as dear as another's; I would not cheat any poor fellow out of his turn." Surely history nowhere records more noble generosity. Soon after this, when Farragut was standing on the deck, a little negro boy came running up to inquire about his master. Lieutenant Wilmer, who had been knocked over by a shot. On learning his master's fate, he leaped over the taffrail into the sea, and was drowned. After the " Essex " had been formally surrendered, boats were sent to convey the prisoners to the British ships. In one of these Farragut was carried to the " Phoebe," and there fell into a second battle, in which the victory remained with him. " I was so mortified at our capture that I could not refrain from tears," he 244 STORY OF OUR NAVY writes. " While in this uncomfortable state, I was aroused by hearing a young reefer call out: "'A prize! a prize! Ho, boys, a fine grunter, by Jove.' " I saw at once that he had under his arm a pet pig belonging to our ship, called ' Murphy.' I claimed the animal as my own. " ' Ah,' said he, * but you are a prisoner, and your pig also ! ' " * We always respect private property,' I replied; and, as I had seized hold of ' Murphy,' I determined not to let go unless compelled by superior force. " This was fun for the oldsters, who immediately sung out: " ' Go it, my little Yankee. If you can thrash Shorty you can have your pig.' " ' Agreed,' cried I. " A ring was formed in an open space, and at it we went. I soon found that my antagonist's pugihstic education did not come up to mine. In fact, he was no match for me, and was compelled to give up the pig. So I took Master Murphy under my arm, feel- ing that I had in some degree wiped out the disgrace of the defeat." When the British ships with their prize returned to the quiet waters of the harbor, and began to take ac- count of damages, it was found that the " Essex " had indeed fought a losing fight. On the " Phoebe," but four men were killed, and seven wounded; on the " Cherub," one killed and three wounded, made up the list of casualties. But on the " Essex " were fifty-eight killed, and sixty-six wounded; while an im- mense number of men were missing, who may have escaped to the shore or may have sunk beneath the waves. Certain it is some swimmers reached shore, though sorely wounded. One man had rushed on deck FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 245 with his clothing all aflame, and swam ashore, though scarcely a square inch could be found on his body which was not burned. Another seaman had sixteen or eight- een scales of iron chipped from the muzzle of his gun driven into his legs, yet he reached the shore in safety. After some delay, the " Essex Junior " was disarmed; and the prisoners, having given their paroles, were placed on board her, with a letter of safe-conduct from Captain Hillyar to prevent their capture by any Brit- ish man-of-war in whose path they might fall. But this letter availed them little; for, after an uneventful voyage to the northward, the " Essex Junior " found herself brought to by a shot from the British frigate " Saturn," off Sandy Hook. The boarding-officer took Captain Hillyar's letter to the commander of the " Saturn," who remarked that Hillyar had no authority to make any such agreement, and ordered the " Essex Junior " to remain all night under the lee of the British ship. Captain Porter was highly indignant, and handed his sword to the British officer, saying that he considered himself a prisoner. But the English- man declined the sword, and was about to return to his ship, when Porter said: "Tell the captain that I am his prisoner, and do not consider myself any longer bound by my contract with Captain Hillyar, which he has violated; and I shall act accordingly." By this Porter meant that he now considered himself absolved from his parole, and free to escape honorably if an opportunity should offer. Accordingly, at seven o'clock the following morning, a boat was stealthily lowered from the " Essex Junior"; and Porter, descending into it, started for the shore, leaving a message, that, since British officers showed so little regard for each other's honor, he had no desire to trust himself in their hands. The boat 246 STORY OF OUR NAVY had gone some distance before she was sighted by the lookout on the " Saturn," for the hull of the " Essex Junior " hid her from sight. As soon as the flight was noticed, the frigate made sail in chase, and seemed likely to overhaul the audacious fugitives, when a thick fog set in, under cover of which Porter reached Baby- lon, L. I., nearly sixty miles distant. In the mean- time, the " Essex Junior," finding herself hidden from the frigate by the fog-bank, set sail, and made for the mouth of the harbor. She was running some nine knots an hour when the fog showed signs of lifting; and she came up into the wind, that the suspicion of the British might not be aroused. As it happened, the " Saturn " was close alongside when the fog lifted, and her boat soon came to the American ship. An officer, evidently very irate, bounded upon the deck, and said brusquely: " You must have been drifting very fast. We have been making nine knots an hour, and yet here you are alongside." " So it appears," responded the American lieutenant coolly. " We saw a boat leave you, some time ago," con- tinued the Englishman. " I suppose Captain Porter went in it? " " Yes. You are quite right." " And probably more of you will run away, unless I cut away your boats from the davits." " Perhaps that would be a good plan for you to adopt." " And I would do it very quickly, if the question rested with me." " You infernal puppy," shouted the American officer, now thoroughly aroused, " if you have any duty to do, do it; but, if you insult me further, Pll throw you overboard ! " FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 247 With a few inarticulate sounds, the Englishman stepped into his boat, and was pulled back to the " Sa- turn," whence soon returned a second boat, bearing an apology for the boarding-officer's rudeness. The boarders then searched all parts of the ship, mustered her crew on the plea that it contained British deserters, and finally released her, after having inflicted every possible humiliation upon her officers. The " Essex Junior " then proceeded to New York, where she was soon joined by Captain Porter. The whole country united in doing honor to the officers, overlooking the defeat which closed their cruise, and regarding only the persistent bravery with which they had upheld the cause of the United States in the far-off waters of the Pacific. CHAPTER XIV " Peacock " and " Epervier " — The Disappearance of the " Wasp " — Bombardment of Stonington — The Capture of Washington — Fort McHenry — Battle of New Orleans. The year 1814 Is not glorious In American naval his- tory, for Its record In the main was one of disaster. Its story redounds but little to the honor of the British, for their greatest victories, though gallantly won, were marred by violations of the code of civilized warfare that caused even London journals to cry out In protest and rebuke. It would almost seem that Jackson's vic- tory at New Orleans, fought after the treaty of peace had been signed at Ghent, came as a fateful rebuke to Cockburn and his marauders. First of the notable actions of the war was that of the " Peacock " — new sloop-of-war bearing the name of a British prize — and the " Epervier." Cruising in March off the coast of Florida, the Americans encoun- tered three British merchantmen, with a man-of-war to convoy them. The merchantmen scudded for safety; the sloop-of-war "Epervier," with eighteen guns and one hundred and twenty-eight men, came boldly on to the battle, though much Inferior to the " Peacock." The two ships bore down gallantly upon each other, and at a little after ten In the morning passed, exchang- ing heavy broadsides. The shot of each took effect In the rigging; but the " Peacock" suffered the more, having her foreyard totally disabled, — an Injury that compelled her to run large during the rest of the action, and forego all attempts at manoeuvring. The two vessels having passed each other, the " Epervier " 248 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 249 eased off, and returned to the fight, running on a paral- lel course with the American ship. The Interchange of broadsides then became very rapid; but the British marksmanship was poor, and few of their shot took effect. The " Epervler," on the contrary, suffered severely from the American fire, which took effect In her hull, dismounting several guns, and so injuring the brig that a British naval officer, writing of the action some years later, said: "The most disgraceful part of the affair was that our ship was cut to pieces, and the enemy hardly scratched." The Injury aloft which both vessels sustained caused the battle to take on the character of an action at long range. Under such conditions, the victory was as- sured to the side showing the best gunnery. For a moment only did it seem that the vessels were likely to come to close quarters, and the English captain seized that occasion to call up his boarders. But they refused, saying, " She's too heavy for us." A few minutes later the Englishman hauled down his flag, having lost nine killed or mortally wounded, and four- teen wounded. The Americans had suffered but little; only two men being injured, and these but slightly. The shot of the enemy had passed through the rigging of the " Peacock," while the " Epervler " had been hulled forty-five times. The " Epervler " proved to be a valuable prize. In her hold specie to the amount of one hundred and eighteen thousand dollars was found; and, when the brig was sold to the United States Government, she brought fifty-five thousand dollars: so that the prize- money won by that action kept the sailors in good humor for many months to come. But, before the prize could be safely carried into an American port, she had a gantlet to run, in which she narrowly escaped capture. After the wreck of battle had been cleared 250 STORY OF OUR NAVY away, the brig and her captor made for Savannah, but were sighted and chased by two British frigates. The " Peacock," in the hope of drawing away the pursuers, left her prize, and headed out to sea. One frigate only followed her, and the other pressed on hotly after the " Epervier," which, to avoid capture, was forced to run into shallow water, whither the heavy frigate could not follow her. But she was not to escape so easily; for the boats of the frigate were lowered, filled with armed men, and set out in pursuit of the brig, which moved but slowly before the light breeze then blowing. The boats soon overhauled the fugitive, and escape seemed hopeless; for the "Epervier" was manned by a prize-crew of only sixteen men. But Lieutenant Nicholson, who was in command, deter- mined to try the effect of bluster. Accordingly he leaped upon the taffrail, with a speaking-trumpet in his hand, and shouted out orders as if calling a huge crew to quarters. The British, who were within easy range, stopped their advance, and, fearing a destructive broadside from the brig's guns, turned and fled pre- cipitately. The " Epervier " continued her course, and reached Savannah in safety on the ist of May. The " Peacock " reached the same port four days later. In the very week when the " Peacock " reached port with her prize the new sloop-of-war " Wasp," named after the gallant little brig that had been captured after defeating the " Frolic," slipped through the blockade at Portsmouth and out to sea. At daylight on the 28th of June, the "Wasp" sighted two merchantmen, and straightway gave chase. Soon a third vessel was discovered on the weather- beam; and, abandoning the vessels first sighted, the American bore down upon the stranger. She proved to be the " Reindeer," a British brig-sloop of eighteen guns, carrying a crew of one hundred and eighteen FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 251 men. Although the British vessel was by no means a match in weight of metal for the " Wasp," her captain, William Manners, brought her into action with a cool gallantry which well justified his reputation as one of the bravest men in the British navy. At ten o'clock in the morning the ships were near enough to each other to exchange signals, but several hours were spent in manoeuvring for the weather-gage; so that it was not until after three in the afternoon that the action fairly opened. The day was admirably suitable for a naval battle. Light clouds floated across the sky, and the gentle breeze that was blowing had sufficient strength to propel the ships without careening them. The surface of the ocean was unusually calm for that quarter, in which a rather choppy sea is usually running. Before the light breeze the " Wasp " came down upon her foe, bows on, with her decks cleared for action, and the men at their quarters. On the top-gallant forecastle of the " Reindeer " was mounted a twelve-pound carronade, and the action was opened by the discharge of this piece. In the position she then held the "Wasp" was unable to reply; and her crew had to bear five effective shots from this gun with- out being able to fire a shot in return, — an ordeal that less well-disciplined crews might not have endured. For nine minutes the Americans returned not a shot; but then the " Wasp " luffed up, firing the guns from aft forward as they bore. The two ships were now lying broadside to broadside, not twenty yards apart, and every shot told. For ten minutes this position was held, and the two crews worked like Furies in loading and firing the great guns. The roar of the cannon was incessant, and the recoil of the heavy ex- plosions deadened what little way the ships had on when fire was opened. Captain Manners was too old an officer not to know, that, in an artillery duel of 252 STORY OF OUR NAVY that kind, the victory would surely rest with the side that carried the heaviest guns : so he ran his vessel aboard the " Wasp " on the starboard quarter, intend- ing to board and carry the day with the stubborn, dash- ing gallantry shown by British seamen when once led to an enemy's deck. At the ringing notes of the bugle, calling up the boarders, the British gathered aft, their faces begrimed with gunpowder, their arms bare, and their keen cutlasses firmly clutched in their strong right hands. The Americans took the alarm at once, and crowded forward to repel the enemy. The marines, whose hard duty it Is in long-range fighting to stand with military impassiveness, drawn up in line on deck, while the shot whistle by them, and now and then cut great gaps in their straight lines, — the marines came aft, with their muskets loaded and bayonets fixed. Be- fore them were sailors with sharp-pointed boarding- pikes, ready to receive the enemy should he come aboard; while close under the bulwarks were grouped the boarders, ready with cutlass and pistol to beat back the flood of men that should come pouring over the side. The grating of the ships' sides told that the vessels were touching; and the next instant the burly British seamen, looming up like giants, as they dashed through the dense murkiness of the powder-smoke, were among the Americans, cutting and firing right and left. From the deck of the " Reindeer " the ma- rines kept up a constant fire of musketry, to which the sea-soldiers of the " Wasp " responded vigorously. Marksmen posted in the tops of each vessel picked off men from their enemy's decks, choosing generally the officers. Sharp and bloody though the British attack was, the boarders could make no way against the stubborn stand of the Americans. Captain Manners, seeing his men beaten back, sprang forward to rally them. He FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 253 was desperately wounded. A gun-shot had passed through his thighs, and a grape-shot had cut across the calves of his legs; but, maimed and bleeding to death as he was, he leaped Into the rigging, and, cheer- ing and waving his sword, called to his men to follow him to the decks of the Yankee. The Britons rallied nobly under the encouragement of their brave captain, and again advanced to the assault. But the figure of the daring officer, as he stood thus before his men, waving' his sword and calling on them to come on, caught the eye of one of the men in the " Wasp's " main-top; and the next Instant a ball crashed Into the captain's brain, and he fell heavily to the deck, with his dying eyes turned upwards toward the flag in whose service he had given his life. Seeing the British captain fall and the men waver, Captain Blakely with a cheer called up the boarders of the " Wasp "; and in an instant a stream of shout- ing sailors, cutlass In hand, was pouring over the ham- mock-nettings, and driving the foe backward on his own decks. The British still fought stubbornly; but their numbers were terribly thinned, and their officers had fallen one by one, until now the captain's clerk was the highest officer left. Seeing his men falling back before the resistless torrent of boarders, this gentleman finally struck the flag; and the battle ended, twenty-seven minutes after the " Reindeer " had fired the opening gun, and eighteen after the " Wasp " had responded. The execution and damage done on the " Reindeer " by the " Wasp's " shot were appalling. Of her crew of one hundred and eighteen men, thirty-three were killed or fatally wounded, and thirty-four were wounded. The havoc wrought among her officers has already been mentioned. Evidence of the accuracy and skill of the American gunners was to be seen in 254 STORY OF OUR NAVY the fact that the brig was completely cut to pieces in the line of her ports. Her decks were swept clean of boats, spars, and rigging. Her masts were badly shat- tered, and her fore-mast soon went by the board. The " Wasp " had suffered severely, but was in much bet- ter condition than her captured adversary. Eleven of her crew were killed or mortally wounded, and fifteen were wounded severely or slightly. She had been hulled by six round and many grape-shot, and her fore-mast had been cut by a twenty-four-pound shot. A few hours' work cleared from her decks all trace of the bloody fight, and she was in condition for an- other action. But it would have been folly to try to get the crippled " Reindeer " to port from that region, swarming with British cruisers: so Captain Blakely took the prisoners on the " Wasp," put a few of the wounded on a neutral vessel that happened to pass, and, burning the prize, made his way to the harbor of I'Orient. He had fought a brave fight, and come out victor after a desperate contest. But, though defeated, the plucky British might well boast of the gallant manner in which they engaged an enemy so much their superior in strength. History nowhere records a more gallant death than that of the British captain, who fell leading his men In a dashing but vain attempt to retrieve the day by boarding. In its manoeu- vring, In the courage and discipline of the crews, and in the gallantry of the two captains, the action of the " Wasp " and the " Reindeer " may well go down to history as a model naval duel of the age of sails. After winning this victory the " Wasp " furnished the history of the sea with one of Its most mysterious chapters. Heard from but twice again, she vanished from the face of the waters. No wreckage was left to tell the tale; no survivors, or even floating bodies, were ever found to throw light on her disappearance. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 255 The last heard of her was when in mid-ocean she over- took a peaceful Swedish ship, and took aboard two American passengers who preferred to sail under the Stars and Stripes. Thereafter history knew her no more. Much of the British naval activity in this year of American disaster was centred on the blockade, bom- bardments, and shore raids. The mildness with which the inhabitants of the New England coast had been treated gave way to severity almost equal to that of Cockburn on the " Chesapeake." From Maine to the mouth of the Connecticut River the people were panic- stricken, and hardly a night passed without the flames of some bonfire kindled by the enemy out of American farm-houses. Yet, in the main, these operations were of little effect on the progress of the war. They sorely injured peace- able people, but had little effect on the temper of the nation. Sometimes they ended in ridiculous fiascoes, as in the famous bombardment of Stonington. In August, 18 14, Commodore Hardy appeared off that village with a fleet of several vessels, headed by the seventy-four " Ramillies." Casting anchor near shore, he sent to the mayor and selectmen the follow- ing curt note : " Not wishing to destroy the unoffending inhabitants residing in the town of Stonington, one hour is granted them, from the receipt of this, to re- move out of town." This message naturally caused great consternation; and, while messengers were sent in all directions to call together the militia, the answer was returned to the fleet : " We shall defend the place to the last extremity. Should it be destroyed, we will perish in its ruins." And, having thus defied the enemy, the farmers and fishermen who inhabited the town set about preparing for its defence. The one 256 STORY OF OUR NAVY battery available for service consisted of two eighteen- pounders and a four-pounder, mounted behind earth breastworks. The gunners were put under the com- mand of an old sailor, who had been impressed into the British navy, where he served four years. The skill he thus acquired In gunnery, he now gladly used against his former oppressors. It was near nightfall when the British opened fire; and they kept up a con- stant cannonade with round shot, bombs, Congreve rockets, and carcasses until near midnight, without do- ing the slightest damage. The bursting shells, the fiery rockets, and the carcasses filled with flaming chem- icals, fairly filled the little wooden village with fire; but the exertions of the people prevented the spread of the flames. The fleet ceased firing at midnight, but there was no peace for the villagers. Militiamen were pouring in from the country round about, labor- ers were at work throwing up breastwork, carriers were dashing about In search of ammunition, and all was activity, until, with the first gleam of daylight, the fire of the ships was re-opened. The Americans promptly responded, and soon two eighteen-pound shot hulled the brig " Despatch." For an hour or two a rapid fire was kept up; then, the powder giving out, the Amer- icans spiked their largest gun, and, nailing a flag to the battery flag-staff, went in search of more ammuni- tion. The British did not land; and the Americans, finding six kegs of powder, took the gun to a black- smith, who drilled out the spike, and the action con- tinued. So vigorous and well directed was the fire of the Americans, that the " Despatch " was forced to slip her cables and make off to a place of safety. That afternoon a truce was declared, which continued until eight the next morning. By that time, the Americans had assembled In sufliclent force to defeat any landing party the enemy could send ashore. The bombard- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 257 ment of the town continued; but the aim of the British was so inconceivably poor, that, during the three days' firing, no damage was done by their shot. A more ludicrous fiasco could hardly be imagined, and the Americans were quick to see the comical side of the affair. Before departing, the British fired over fifteen tons of lead and iron into the town. A quantity of this was picked up by the Americans, and offered for sale. In a New York paper appeared the advertise- ment: Just received, and offered for sale, about three tons of round shot, consisting of six, nine, twelve, eighteen, twenty-four, and thirty-two pounds ; very handsome, being a small proportion of those which were fired from His Britannic Majesty's ships on the un- offending inhabitants of Stonington, in the recent brilliant attack on that place. Likewise a few carcasses, in good order, weighing about two hundred pounds each. Apply, etc. A popular bard of the time set forth in rollicking verse the exploits of the British gunners: They killed a goose, they killed a hen, Three hogs they wounded in a pen ; They dashed away, — and pray what then? That was not taking Stonington. The shells were thrown, the rockets flew; But not a shell of all they threw — Though every house was full in view — Could burn a house in .Stonington. But the war along the Southern seaboard had noth- ing farcical about it. The American forces in the Chesapeake and tributary waters consisted of twenty- six gunboats and barges manned by nine hundred men, under the command of Commodore Barney, a veteran of the Revolution. The British had a fleet of ocean- going vessels, varying in numbers from time to time, but always thrice as powerful as Barney's little flotilla. 258 STORY OF OUR NAVY Several attempts were made by Admiral Cockburn to brush the Americans out of his path — for his eyes were fixed on Washington — but the assailants were al- ways beaten back, or tactically outwitted by the Amer- ican commander. At last came a determined effort, which ended in the one disgraceful disaster to the American arms during the whole course of the war. It was in May of 1814 that a British expedition of more than five thousand men — composed of regulars, marines, and a few negroes — was carried up the Pa- tuxent, and landed at Benedict, where an armed brig had been stationed to cover the disembarkation. It was early dawn when the signal to land was given, and the river was covered in an instant with a well- manned and warlike flotilla. It was hard work for the British sailors, for a strong current was running; but by three o'clock in the afternoon the whole army was landed, and encamped in a strong position on a hill overlooking the village. Though no American troops were anywhere in the vicinity, the landing was conducted with the utmost caution. As the prow of each boat grated on the sand, the soldiers leaped on the beach, and instantly drew up in line, ready to repel any attack. After the infantry v/as landed, about a hundred artillerymen followed, and the same number of sailors dragging howitzers. It is easily understood that this powerful force was not organized solely to destroy Barney's pitiful little flotilla. The real purpose of the British commander was to press on into the interior, and capture Wash- ington, which the Americans had foolishly left without any defences whatever. It came to Barney's ears that Admiral Cockburn had boasted that he would destroy the American flotilla, and dine in Washington the fol- lowing Sunday. This news the American commodore sent off to the authorities at the capital, and they then FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 259 began to make futile preparations to repel the invader. In the meantime the British commenced their march up the shores of the Patuxent, meeting with no opposi- tion. Barney, knowing that the defence of the national capital was of far greater importance than the fate of his flotilla, landed with four hundred men, and hastened to the American lines before Washington. He left the barges under the command of the second lieu- tenant, Mr. Frazier, with instructions to set fire to every boat on the appearance of the enemy, and then join the commodore with all the men left under his charge. Accordingly, when the invading column reached Nottingham, Mr. Frazier took the flotilla still higher up the creek, — a move that vastly disconcerted the British, who saw their prey eluding them. " But In the main object of our pursuit we were disappointed," wrote a British officer. " The flotilla which had been stationed opposite to Nottingham retired, on our ap- proach, higher up the stream; and we were conse- quently in the situation of a huntsman who sees his hounds at fault, and has every reason to apprehend that his game will escape." But the game never fell into the hands of the ardent hunters; for the next day Mr. Frazier fulfilled his orders by setting fire to every barge, and, after seeing several of the larger boats blow up, mustered his men, and cut across the country, to join his superior officer. The British naval forces soon after reached Pig Point, the scene of this destruc- tion, and there remained; while the land forces im- mediately turned away from the river, and marched upon Washington. It is not necessary to give In detail the incidents of the series of skirmishes by which the British fought their way to the American capital. They were op- posed by raw militia, and the few sailors and marines under Barney. The former fled with promptitude at 26o STORY OF OUR NAVY the very first fire, but the sailors and marines fought gallantly. The fighting was sharpest at Bladensburg; and here Barney's blue-jackets won praise from every- body, even from the enemy whose advance they dis- puted. Barney himself led the Americans, and sighted a favorite gun of the sailors' battery, until he fell desperately wounded. This battery commanded the road by which the main column of British advanced; and by its hail of grape and canister it beat back the advancing regiments, and for some time checked their further progress. The British thereupon opened with rockets, and sent out sharpshooters to pick off the Yankee gunners. One of these riflemen was ob- served by the Americans to deliberately build for him- self a small redoubt of stones from an old wall; and, lying down behind it, he began a deliberate fire upon the Americans. His first bullet went through the cap of one of the sailors, and the second sent a poor fellow to his long account. The marines answered with their muskets; but the fellow's stone rampart saved him, and he continued his fire. Barney vowed to put an end to that affair, and, carefully sighting one of his cannon, pulled the lanyard. The heavy round shot was seen to strike the sharpshooter's defence, and stone and man disappeared in a cloud of dust. Meantime, the enemy had thrown out flanking parties under cover of the woods, and had nearly surrounded the little band of sailors. A musket-ball struck Barney in the thigh, and he began to grow faint with loss of blood; and, finding that the militia had fled, and the sailors were becoming exhausted, the commodore ordered a retreat. The blue-jackets left the field in good order; but their gallant commander had gone but a few steps, when the pain of his wound forced him to lie down under a tree, and await the coming of the enemy. The Brit- ish soon came up, led by General Ross and Captain FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 261 Wainwright of the navy. After learning Barney's rank, and courteously offering to secure surgical aid, the general turned to his companion, and, speaking of the stubborn resistance made by the battery, said, " I told you it was the flotilla men." — " Yes. You were right, though I could not believe you," was the re- sponse. " They have given us the only fighting we have had." Meanwhile, the British, having routed the Amer- icans at every point, pressed on to Washington. The inhabitants fled before them, and the town was almost deserted when the British marched in with banners fly- ing and bands playing. The enemy held the city for only a day; but in that time they did such deeds of vandalism, that even the people and the press of Lon- don cried out in indignation. The President's house, the Capitol, all the public buildings except the Patent Ofiice, were burned to the ground. The navy-yard, with the uncompleted ships on the stocks, was likewise burned; but in this the enemy only acted in accordance with the rules of war. It was their destruction of the public buildings, the national archives, and the Con- gressional library, that aroused the wrathful indigna- tion of all fair-minded people, whether Americans or Europeans. " Willingly," said one London news- paper, " would we throw a veil of oblivion over our transactions at Washington. The Cossacks spared Paris, but we spared not the capital of America." A second English journal fitly denounced the proceedings as " a return to the times of barbarism." But, if the invaders are rightly to be blamed for the useless vandalism they encouraged, the American authorities are still more culpable for their neglect of the most ordinary precautions of war. That a national capital, close to the sea, should be left virtually un- protected while the enemy was massing his forces only 262 STORY OF OUR NAVY a few miles away, seems almost unbelievable. But so it was with Washington; for five hundred flotilla men were forced to bear the brunt of the attack of five thousand British. True it is that the military authori- ties had massed seven thousand militiamen for the de- fence of the city; but such was the trepidation of these untrained soldiers, that they fled before the main body of the British had come into the fight. That the sail- ors and marines fought bravely, we have the testimony of the British themselves. Mr. Gleig, a subaltern in the attacking army, writes: "Of the sailors, however, it would be injustice not to speak in the terms which their conduct merits. They were employed as gun- ners; and not only did they serve their guns with a quickness and precision which astonished their assail- ants, but they stood till some of them were actually bayoneted with fuses in their hands; nor was it till their leader was wounded and taken, and they saw themselves deserted on all sides by the soldiers, that they quitted the field." Therefore, in the battle of Bladensburg, the blue-jackets won nothing but honor, though the results of the battle were so mortifying to the national pride of the people of the United States. After this success the British redoubled their maraud- ing operations. There was no longer an American naval force on the Chesapeake to oppose them. Soon their ambitions turned to higher things, and they planned the capture of Baltimore. In this high enter- prise they failed, though as the navy had no part in the conflict, the story has no place in this book. The invaders were beaten back by the stubborn de- fence of Fort McHenry, and sailed away after doing no damage, and having given occasion to Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem, " The Star-Spangled Banner." As by this time about all the damage that could be done on the coasts of the Delaware and FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 263 Chesapeake had been accomplished, most of the British force moved southward to take part in the expedition against New Orleans. Early In December the movement of the British upon New Orleans took definite shape. On the 8th of that month, the calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, off the Chandeleur Islands, were the scene of a grand ren- dezvous of British naval and military forces. All the vessels of Cockburn's Chesapeake fleet were there, with other men-of-war, transports, and schooners, to the number of fifty vessels. At the head was the towering two-decker " Tonnant," carrying the Ad- miral's flag. Frigates, corvettes, and sloops-of-war came trooping In the rear; and the transports bore seven thousand men for the capture of the Southern city. The British were in high good-humor as the anchors were let fall and the ships swung round with their heads to the tide. The voyage across the gulf from the rendezvous at Jamaica had been like a holiday trip. The weather had been fine, and the sea smooth ; and the soft air of that semi-tropical region was a never-ending source of delight to sailors who had been suffering the hardships of a Northern station. The point at which the British fleet had come to anchor lay about fifty miles due east of New Orleans. In that day of sailing-vessels, no enemy could breast the waters of the rolling Mississippi and crush the re- sistance of the city's defenders, as did Farragut In 1862. Knowing that they could not hope to take their ships up to the levee of the city, the enemy deter- mined to cast anchor near the entrance of Lake Borgne, and send through a chain of lakes and bayous a mam- moth expedition in barges, to a point within ten miles of the city. But this well-laid plan had been betrayed to the Americans by Lafitte; and a little band of Amer- ican sailors, under the command of Lieutenant Catesby 264 STORY OF OUR NAVY Jones, had taken up a position at the Rigolets, and were prepared to dispute the farther progress of the invading forces. Five gunboats, and one hundred and eighty-five men, constituted the American force, which for a time held the British in check. Finally, the enemy, finding that the swift American cutters could easily evade the lumbering war-vessels, fitted out a fleet of forty-five barges, manned by a thousand vet- eran British sea-dogs, who had seen service in half a dozen naval wars. The Americans had news of the contemplated attack, and made skilful preparations to meet it. The gunboats were moored in a fore and aft line, at a point near the Rigolets. Their broad- sides bore upon the enemy, and the shallowness of the water was such that by no means could they be sur- rounded. The sailors were prepared for a desperate conflict, and spent the night before the battle in tricing up the boarding-nettings, sharpening cutlasses, and get- ting small arms in good trim. In the morning the British came on to the attack. It was a long pull from the fleet to the place of battle : so their com- mander brought his flotilla to anchor just out of range of the American guns; and there the grim old veterans devoured their dinners, and took their rations of grog, with appetites undisturbed by the thought of the com- ing conflict. Dinner over, the enemy weighed anchor, and dashed forward, with long, swift strokes, into the very flashes of the Americans' cannon. The Amer- icans knew that their one chance of victory was to keep the overwhelming forces of their foe out of board- ing distance, and they worked their guns with a rapid- ity born of desperation. Musket-bullets, grape-shot, and canister poured in a murderous fire upon the ad- vancing boats. But the sturdy old British veterans knew that the best way to stop that fire was to get at the base of it; and they pressed on undauntedly, FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 265 responding vigorously, meanwhile, with their bow guns. Soon they were up to the gunwales of the American flotilla, and the grappling-irons were fixed; then, with sharp blows of cutlasses, deadly play of the pikes, and a ceaseless rattle of small arms, they poured upon the decks of the Americans. The boarding-nettings could not long check so furious a foe, and fell before the fierce slash of the cutlasses. The decks once gained, the overpowering numbers of the Englishmen crushed all further resistance; and the flotilla was finally taken, after about one hundred of the enemy and fifty Amer- icans had fallen. The American flotilla being thus shattered, there re- mained no further obstacle to prevent the landing of the invading army. Of the advance of that brilliant body of veteran troops over sands and marshes, and through sluggish bayous and canals half-full of stag- nant water, until they emerged on the bank of the river, nine miles below New Orleans, it is not my purpose to speak further. Nor does an account of General Jackson's vigorous measures of defence and glorious victory come within the province of this narrative. The interesting story of Jackson's creation of an army from leather-shirted Kentucky riflemen, gay Creoles from the Creole Quarter of the Crescent City, swarthy Spaniards and mulattoes, nondescript desperadoes from the old band of Lafitte, and militia and regulars from all the Southern States, forms no part of the naval annals of the war. It is enough to say that the flower of the British army, led by a veteran of the Peninsula, recoiled before that motley crew of untrained soldiers, and were beaten back, leaving their gallant leader and thousands of their brave men dead upon the field. The navy was not without some share in this glorious tri- umph. On the 23d of December the schooner " Caro- lina " dropped down from New Orleans, and opened 266 STORY OF OUR NAVY fire upon the enemy. " Now, then, for the honor of America, give it to them ! " sung out her commander, as the first broadside was fired. The attack, unexpected as it was, created a panic in the British camp. A feeble reply was made with rockets and musketry; but even this was soon discontinued, and the enemy took refuge under the steep bank of the levee, whither the plunging shot could not follow them. All night the " Carolina " kept up her fire; and, when at daybreak she moved away, she left the camp of the enemy in con- fusion. During the day she renewed the attack, and persisted in her fire until the British threw up a heavy battery on the river's bank, and replied. The lads of the " Carolina " promptly accepted the challenge thus offered, and for a time a spirited combat was main- tained. But the battery threw red-hot shot, and the schooner was soon set on fire and destroyed. Mean- while the corvette " Louisiana " had come down to the scene of action, and in the subsequent engagements did some effective work. When the final onslaught of the British was made, on January 7, 18 15, the guns of the " Louisiana " were mounted on the oppo- site bank of the river, and the practised sailors worked them with deadly effect, until the flight of the Amer- ican militia on that side exposed the battery to certain capture. The sailors then spiked their guns, and marched off unmolested. The sailors of the " Caro- lina," on that day of desperate fighting, were in the centre of Jackson's line, between the Creoles and the swarthy Baratarians under Dominique Yon. Here they worked their howitzers, and watched the scarlet lines of the enemy advance and melt away before that deadly blaze; advance and fall back again in hopeless rout. And among the many classes of fighting men whom Jackson had rallied before that British line, none did battle more valiantly for the honor of the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 267 nation and the safety of the flowery city of New Or- leans than did those blue-jackets ashore. It Is a fitting commentary upon the folly of war, that the battle of New Orleans was fought after the two warring nations had signed a treaty of peace. The lives of some hundreds of brave Englishmen and Amer- icans were needlessly sacrificed In a cause already de- cided. Far across the Atlantic Ocean, in the quaint old Dutch city of Ghent, representatives of England and the United States met, and, after some debate, signed the treaty on the 24th of December, 18 14. But there was then no Atlantic cable, no " ocean grey- hounds " to annihilate space and time; and it was months before the news of the treaty reached the scene of war. In the meantime, the hostilities were con- tinued by land and sea. CHAPTER XV " Constitution," " Cyane," and " Levant " — Loss of the " President " — Captain Reid — The "General Armstrong" — "Peacock" and " Nautilus " — Close of the War. Though the treaty of peace had been signed in the last week of 1814, hostilities on the ocean continued for some months. Frigates were cruising far and wide, and no means existed for notifying them of the formal end of the war — indeed, New York and Wash- ington knew nothing of it for more than two months. Among the ships thus cruising, destined to wind up her career with a most glorious victory, was the gallant " Constitution." On the morning of the 20th of February, 18 15, as the ship was running aimlessly before a light wind, in European waters, some inexplicable impulse led Cap- tain Stewart to suddenly alter his course and run off some sixty miles to the southwest. Again the " Con- stitution's " good luck seemed to justify the sailors' belief, for at noon she ran into a group of vessels. The first vessel was sighted on the larboard bow, and, as the frigate overhauled her, proved to be a full-rigged ship. Soon after a second sail, also a ship, was sighted; and a few minutes more sufficed to show that both were men-of-war. The one first sighted was the frig- ate-built corvette " Cyane," of thirty-four guns; and the second was the sloop-of-war " Levant," of twenty- one guns. For either of these vessels singly, the " Con- stitution," with her fifty-two guns and crew of four hundred and fifty men, was more than a match. Yet to attack the two was a bold movement, and this Stew- art determined to undertake. Hardly had the char- 268 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 269 acter of the strangers been made out, when the corvette was seen making signals to the sloop; and the two ves- sels, then about ten miles apart, made all sail to get together before the enemy should overhaul them. This juncture was precisely what Stewart wished to prevent; and in a trice the shrill notes of the boatswain's whistle sent the sailors in swarms into the rigging, and the frigate was as if by magic clothed with a broad ex- panse of canvas. Quickly she felt the effect, and bounded through the water after the distant ships like a dolphin chasing a school of flying-fish. The old tars on the forecastle looked knowingly over the side at the foamy water rushing past, and then cast approv- ing glances aloft where every sail was drawing. But their complacency was shattered by a loud crash aloft, which proved to be the main royal-mast which had given way under the strain. Another spar was rigged speedily, and shipped by the active tars, and soon the snowy clouds aloft showed no signs of the wreck. At sundown the three vessels were so near each other that their colors could be seen. Stewart ran up the Stars and Stripes, to which the strangers responded by setting the British flag at their mastheads. The purpose of the enemy was to delay the opening of the action until night should give him opportunity to manoeuvre unobserved; but the " Constitution," sus- pecting this, pressed forward hotly, and opened fire a few minutes after six o'clock. By skilful seaman- ship Stewart kept the windward gage of both enemies; and the fight opened with the " Cyane " on the port- quarter, and the " Levant " on the port-bow of the American frigate. Fifteen minutes of fierce cannonad- ing followed, the combatants being within musket-shot most of the time. Every gun was engaged; and the heavy broadsides shook the ships, and thundered far over the placid surface of the ocean, which was now 270 STORY OF OUR NAVY faintly illumined by the rising moon. The triangular space between the ships was filled with the dense sul- phurous smoke of the burning powder; so that the gun- ners could see nothing of the enemy at whom they were hurling their ponderous iron bolts. The men in the tops could now and again catch a glimpse of the top hamper of the enemy's ships, but those on the gun- deck were working almost at random. After a few minutes of rapid firing, the fire of the enemy slackened; and Stewart directed his gunners to cease until the smoke should have cleared away. At this command a silence, almost oppressive after the heavy cannonading, ensued, broken only by the occasional report of a gun from the unseen enemy, sounding like minute-guns of distress. Anxiously Stewart waited for the smoke to blow away. When It did so, the " Cyane " was seen luffing up, to come under the frigate's stern, and get in a raking broadside. The movement was discovered just In time to be checked. Stewart gave a heavy broadside to the "Levant"; then, bracing back his topsails, backed his ship down abreast of the " Cyane," pouring In rapid broadsides, before which the fire of the corvette died away. Two raking broadsides that crashed Into the stern of the " Levant " sent that craft out of the action, to refit. The frigate then pressed down upon the " Cyane," and with a few heavy broad- sides forced her to strike. Captain Douglass of the " Levant " then proved his bravery by standing by his captured consort; although he could have escaped easily, while the " Constitution " was taking possession of her prize. No thought of flight seems to have occurred to the gallant Briton, though he must have known that there was but little hope of his coming out of the combat victorious. Still he boldly came back Into the fight, meeting the " Con- stitution " ploughing along on the opposite tack. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 271 Broadsides were exchanged at such close range that the Yankee gunners could hear the ripping of the planks on the enemy's decks as the solid shot crashed through beam and stanchion. Having passed each other, the ships wore, and returned to the attack; but the weight of the American's metal told so severely upon the " Levant " that her flag was hauled down, and, firing a gun to leeward, she gave up the fight. As an exhibition of seamanship, this action is un- rivalled in naval annals. For Stewart to have taken his ship into action with two hostile vessels, and so handle her as not only to escape being raked, but actually rake his enemies, was a triumph of nautical skill. The action was hard fought by both parties. The loss upon the British vessels has never been exactly determined; but it was undoubtedly large, for the hulls were badly cut up by the American's fire. The " Con- stitution " had but three men killed, and twelve wounded. The officers all escaped unhurt. After a few hours' pause to repair damages, Stewart took his prizes into Porto Prayo, in the Cape Verde Islands. There he was discovered by a superior Brit- ish fleet. The " Constitution " and " Cyane " escaped, but the " Levant " remained at anchor, trusting to the neutrality of the pdrt for protection. It was leaning on a broken reed. Not only did the British war-vessel attack instantly, but a hundred or more prisoners who had been paroled and sent ashore, broke their paroles, seized a fort by the harbor side, and turned its guns on the American ship, which was speedily compelled to surrender. It was late in May before the " Constitution " reached New York. Peace had then been declared; but none the less were Stewart and his men feasted and honored. The old frigate had won for herself 272 STORY OF OUR NAVY a name ever to be remembered by the people of the nation, in whose service she had received and dealt so many hard knocks. " Old Ironsides," they called her; and even to-day, when a later war has given to the navy vessels whose sides are literally iron, the '* Constitution " still holds her place in the hearts of the American people, who think of her lovingly by the well-won title of " Old Ironsides." Unluckily for the American arms the honor won by the " Constitution " was offset by the loss of the " President " immediately off New Yor"k harbor. On the night of the 14th of January she started to run the blockade of that harbor. Her cruise was laid to avoid the blockaders, but, as luck would have it, they had been forced from their accustomed positions by heavy weather and she ran into their midst. More- over, she grounded and was seriously injured when the enemy was sighted. Before daylight the lookout re- ported two sail in sight, and at daybreak the ship was fairly surrounded by the enemy's vessels. All at once gave chase to the luckless American; and a few hours were enough to show that her sailing qualities were so seriously injured by her pounding on the bar, that the enemy was rapidly overhauling her. Decatur adopted every known expedient to increase his ship's speed, but to no avail. After she had been lightened by starting the water, cutting away boats and anchors, chopping up and heaving overboard the ponderous cables, to- gether with spars and provisions, the enemy still gained; and the foremost pursuer, a razee, opened fire. The " President " responded with her stern-chasers, but her shot had no effect. " It is said that on this occasion," writes Cooper, " the shot of the American ship were observed to be thrown with a momentum so unusually small, as to have since excited much distrust of the quality of her gunpowder. It is even added, that many FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 273 of these shot were distinctly seen, when clear of the smoke, until they struck." At six o'clock in the even- ing, the frigate " Endymion " led the British squadron in chase, and had gained a position so close upon the American's beam that her broadsides were rapidly crippling the fugitive. Thereupon Decatur determined upon a desperate expedient, that sounds like some of his reckless exploits in the war with Tripoli. His plan was to bring the " President " about, and run boldly alongside the enemy. Everything was to be sacrificed to the end of getting to close quarters. When once the two ships had grappled, the Americans were to board, carry the British ship in a hand-to-hand battle, and then, abandoning the crippled " President," escape in the captured frigate. So desperate a plan needed the cordial co-operation of every man : so it was first presented to the commissioned officers, who gladly em- braced the desperate project. The sailors were then sent aft, and Decatur addressed them from the quarter- deck. " My lads," said he, " that ship is coming up with us. As our ship won't sail, we'll go on board of theirs, every man and boy of us, and carry her into New York. All I ask of you is to follow me. This is a favorite ship of the country. If we allow her to be taken, we shall be deserted by our wives and sweethearts. What, let such a ship as this go for nothing ! 'Twould break the heart of every pretty girl in New York." With hearty cheers, the jackies returned to their guns. All were ready for the coming struggle. Over the main hatch was mounted a howitzer, with its black muzzle peering down into the hold, ready to scuttle the ship when the boarders should spring upon the enemy's deck. The sun, by this time, had sunk below the horizon, and the darkness of night was gathering 274 STORY OF OUR NAVY over the ocean. The two ships surged toward each other, — great black masses, lighted up on either side by rows of open ports, through which gleamed the un- certain light of the battle-lanterns. On the gun-deck the men stood stern and silent; their thoughts fixed upon the coming battle, or perhaps wandering back to the green fields and pleasant homes they had so recently left, perhaps forever. The gray old yeoman of the frigate, with his mates, walked from gun to gun, si- lently placing a well-sharpened cutlass, a dirk, and a heavy leather boarding-cap at each man's side. The marines were drawn up in a line amidships; their erect, soldierly air and rigid alignment contrasting with the careless slouchiness of the sailors. Butts for the sail- ors' ridicule as they were during a cruise, the marines knew that, in hand-to-hand conflicts, their part was as dashing as that of their tormentors of the fore- castle. When the " President " had come within a quarter of a mile of her adversary, Decatur perceived that his enemy was determined to decide the contest at long range. As the " President " hauled down nearer, the *' Endymion " sheered off, keeping up meanwhile a vigorous cannonade. To this the Americans responded in kind; and so much superior was the gunnery of the Yankee tars, that the rigging of the enemy was seen to be fast going to pieces, while her guns were being silenced one by one. But her fire did sad havoc among the men of the " President," and particularly among the officers. The first broadside carried away Decatur's first lieutenant, Mr. Babbitt, who was struck by a thirty-two-pound shot, which cut off his right leg below the knee, and hurled him through the ward-room hatch to the deck below, fracturing his wounded leg in two places. Shortly after, Decatur was knocked to the deck by a heavy splinter. For some time he lay FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 275 unconscious; then opening his eyes, and seeing a throng of anxious seamen about him, he ordered them to their stations, and resumed his duties. The fire of the " Endymion " then slackened; and she lay upon the water, with her sails cut from the yards. At that moment Lieutenant Howell turned to a midshipman standing at his side, and said gaily, " Well, we have whipped that ship, at any rate." A flash from the bow of the Englishman followed; and he added, " No, there she is again." The midshipman turned to reply, and saw Howell stretched dead at his feet, killed by the last shot of the battle. The enemy was now helpless, and it would have been easy enough for the " President " to choose her position and compel her adversary to strike; but the presence of two more Englishmen, rapidly coming up astern, forced the Americans to abandon their prey and continue their flight. It was then late in the even- ing, and the night was dark and starless. Every light was extinguished on the American frigate, in the hope that by so doing she might slip away under cover of the night. But the British lookouts were sharp-eyed; and by eleven o'clock two frigates had closed in on the crippled ship, and a third was rapidly coming up astern. All were pouring in rapid broadsides, and the dark waters were lighted up like a fiery sea by the ceaseless flashing of the guns. Thus surrounded and overpowered, there remained open to the Americans no course but to surrender; and at eleven o'clock at night the " President " made signal that she had struck. Her fate, like that of the " Chesapeake," had accorded with the superstitious sailor's notion that she was an " un- lucky " ship. One other action of this year of war after peace was declared must be passed over with a mere mention. The little " Hornet," always a lucky ship, under com- 276 STORY OF OUR NAVY mand of Captain Biddle, took the brig " Penquin " after a fierce and bloody conflict. This was the last prize of the war. While the operations of the privateers during the War of 1 8 12 were full of daring and of picturesque incident, I have foreborne to tell of it here. That story would be a volume in itself. But one fight of a private armed vessel had so great an influence upon the final outcome of the war that its story becomes pertinent. On the 26th of September, 18 14, the privateer, "Gen- eral Armstrong," Captain Samuel C. Reid, was lying at anchor in the roadstead of Fayal. Over the land that inclosed the snug harbor on three sides waved the flag of Portugal, a neutral power, but unfortunately one of insufficient strength to enforce the rights of neutrality. While the " Armstrong " was thus lying in the port, a British squadron, composed of the *' Plantagenet," seventy-four; the "Rota," thirty-eight; and "Carna- tion," eighteen, hove in sight, and soon swung into the harbor and dropped anchor. Reid watched the movements of the enemy with eager vigilance. He knew well that the protection of Portugal would not aid him in the least should the captain of that seventy- four choose to open fire upon the " Armstrong." The action of the British in coming into the harbor was in itself suspicious, and the American had little doubt that the safety of his vessel was in jeopardy. While he was pacing the deck, and weighing in his mind the probability of an assault by the British, he caught sight of some unusual stir aboard the hostile ships. It was night; but the moon had risen, and by its pale light Reid saw four large barges let fall from the enemy's ships, and, manned by about forty men each, make FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 277 toward his vessel. In an instant every man on the privateer was called to his post. That there was to be an attack was now certain; and the Americans deter- mined not to give up their vessel without at least a vigorous attempt to defend her. Reid's first act was to warp his craft under the guns of a rather dilapidated castle, which was .supposed to uphold the authority of Portugal over the Island and adjacent waters. Hardly had the position been gained, when the foremost of the British boats came within hail, and Captain Reid shouted, "Boat ahoy I What boat's that?" No re- sponse followed the hail; and it was repeated, with the warning, " Answer, or I shall fire into you." Still the British advanced without responding; and Reid, firmly convinced that they purposed to carry his ship with a sudden dash, ordered his gunners to open on the boats with grape. This was done, and at the first volley the British turned and made off. Captain Reid then warped his vessel still nearer shore; and bending springs on her cable, so that her broadside might be kept always toward the enemy, he waited a second at- tack. At midnight the enemy were seen advancing again, this time with fourteen barges and about five hundred men. While the flotilla was still at long range, the Americans opened fire upon them with the heavy " Long Tom " ; and, as they came nearer, the full bat- tery of long nine-pounders took up the fight. The carnage in the advancing boats was terrible; but the plucky Englishmen pushed on, meeting the privateer's fire with volleys of musketry and carronades. Despite the American fire, the British succeeded In getting under the bow and quarter of the " Armstrong," and strove manfully to board; while the Americans fought no less bravely to keep them back. The attack became a furious hand-to-hand battle. From behind the board- ing-nettings the Americans thrust pikes, and fired pistols 278 STORY OF OUR NAVY and muskets, at their assailants, who, mounted on each other's shoulders, were hacking fiercely at the nettings which kept them from gaining the schooner's deck. The few that managed to clamber on the taffrail of the " Armstrong " were thrust through and through with pikes, and hurled, thus horribly impaled, into the sea. The fighting was fiercest and deadliest on the quarter; for there were most of the enemy's boats, and there Captain Reid led the defence in person. So hot was the reception met by the British at this point, that they drew off in dismay, despairing of ever gaining the privateer's deck. Hardly did Reid see the enemy thus foiled on the quarter, when a chorus of British cheers from the forecastle, mingled with yells of rage, told that the enemy had succeeded in effecting a lodgment there. Calling his men about him, the gallant captain dashed forward and was soon in the front rank of the defenders, dealing furious blows with his cutlass, and crying out, " Come on, my lads, and we'll drive them into the sea." The leadership of an officer was all that the sailors needed. The three lieutenants on the forecastle had been killed or disabled, else the enemy had never come aboard. With Reid to cheer them on, the sailors rallied, and with a steady advance drove the British back into their boats. The disheartened enemy did not return to the attack, but returned to their ships, leaving behind two boats captured and two sunk. Their loss in the attack was thirty-four killed and eighty-six wounded. On the privateer were two killed and seven wounded. But the attack was not to end here. Reid was too old a sailor to expect that the British, chagrined as they were by two repulses, were likely to leave the privateer in peace. He well knew that the withdrawal of the barges meant not an abandonment, but merely a short discontinuance, of the attack. Accordingly he FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 279 gave his crew scarcely time to rest, before he set them to work getting the schooner in trim for another battle. The wounded were carried below, and the decks cleared of splinters and wreckage. The boarding-nettings were patched up, and hung again in place. *' Long Tom " had been knocked off his carriage by a carronade shot, and had to be remounted; but all was done quickly, and by morning the vessel was ready for whatever might be in store for her. The third assault was made soon after daybreak. Evidently the enemy despaired of his ability to conquer the privateersmen in a hand-to- hand battle; for this time he moved the brig " Carna- tion " up within range, and opened fire upon the schooner. The man-of-war could fire nine guns at a broadside, while the schooner could reply with but seven; but " Long Tom " proved the salvation of the privateer. The heavy twenty-four-pound shots from this gun did so much damage upon the hull of the brig, that she was forced to draw out of the action; leaving the victory, for the third time, with the Amer- icans. But now Captain Reid decided that it was folly to longer continue the conflict. The overwhelming force of the enemy made any thought of ultimate escape folly. It only remained for the British to move the seventy-four " Plantagenet " into action to seal the doom of the Yankee privateer. The gallant defence already made by the Americans had cost the British nearly three hundred men in killed and wounded; and Reid now determined to destroy his vessel, and escape to the shore. The great pivot-gun was accordingly pointed down the main hatch, and two heavy shots sent crashing through the bottom. Then applying the torch, to make certain the work of destruction, the privateersmen left the ship, giving three cheers for the gallant " General Armstrong," as a burst of flame 28o STORY OF OUR NAVY and a roar told that the flames had reached her magazine. This gallant action won loud plaudits for Captain Reid when the news reached the United States. Cer- tainly no vessel of the regular navy was ever more bravely or skilfully defended than was the " General Armstrong." But, besides the credit won for the American arms, Reid had unknowingly done his coun- try a memorable service. The three vessels that at- tacked him were bound to the Gulf of Mexico, to assist in the attack upon New Orleans. The havoc Reid wrought among their crews, and the damage he in- flicted upon the " Carnation," so delayed the New Orleans expedition, that General Jackson was able to gather those motley troops that fought so well on the plains of Chalmette. Had It not been for the plucky fight of the lads of the " General Armstrong," the British forces would have reached New Orleans ten days earlier, and Packenham's expedition might have ended very differently. The war was now virtually at an end. Its last action was a foolish and a useless one. The sloop " Peacock," returning to New York, fell in with the British brig " Nautilus " and prepared to give it action. The captain of the latter knew of the declaration of peace and shouted the intelligence to Captain Warring- ton of the American ship, who thought it a subterfuge and opened fire. The " Nautilus " was badly cut up, and eight of her crew killed, before she struck. When Warrington boarded he found his foe had told the truth. Of course there were profuse apologies and expressions of regret, but the cruel mischief had been done. When the " Peacock " reached port, the last of the cruisers had returned; and the war was over in fact, as it had long been over technically. It has become the s e FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 281 fashion to say that it was a useless war, that served no purpose, because the treaty by which it was ended contained no reference to the hateful doctrine of the right to search, which, more than anything else, had brought on the conflict. Yet, though the conduct of the war had not led the British formally to renounce their claims in this respect, the exploits of the American navy had shown that the Yankee blue-jackets were pre- pared to, and would, forcibly resent any attempt on the part of the British to put those claims into practice. The British had entered upon the war gaily, never dreaming that the puny American navy would offer any serious resistance to Great Britain's domination upon the ocean. Yet now, looking back over the three years of the war, they saw an array of naval battles, in the majority of which the Americans had been vic- torious; and in all of which the brilliancy of American naval tactics, the skill of the officers, and the courage and discipline of the crews, put the younger combatants on a plane with the older and more famous naval serv- ice. Fenimore Cooper, in his " History of the Navy of the United States," thus sums up the results of this naval war: " The navy came out of this struggle with a vast increase of reputation. The brilliant style in which the ships had been carried into action, the steadi- ness and accuracy with which they had been handled, and the fatal accuracy of their fire on nearly every occa- sion had produced a new era in naval warfare. Most of the frigate actions had been as soon decided as circumstances would at all allow; and in no instance was it found necessary to keep up the fire of a sloop- of-war an hour, when singly engaged. Most of the combats of the latter, indeed, were decided in about half that time. The execution done in these short con- flicts was often equal to that made by the largest vessels of Europe in general actions; and, in some of them, 282 STORY OF OUR NAVY the slain and wounded comprised a very large proper- tlon of their crews. . . • The ablest and bravest cap- tains of the English fleet were ready to admit that a new power was about to appear upon the ocean, and that it was not improbable the battle for the mastery of the seas would have to be fought over again. CHAPTER XVI Peace Again — The Decadence of the Navy — Its Work in the Mexican War — Perry and Japan — The Battle in the Pei Ho — " Blood Thicker than Water." From the close of the War of 1812 to the opening of the Civil War the work of the navy was largely desultory. Exploring expeditions, cruises for the pur- pose of letting foreign peoples know that the United States had still an armed force afloat, kept busy the ships still in commission, until in 1846 the declaration of war against Mexico gave opportunity for real serv- ice. Of course, at that time the navy had fallen to its lowest estate. The thirty years and more of peace had encouraged the opponents of a suitable navy, and no new ships were built, while many of the old ones were laid up to rot in navy-yard anchorages. But when Mexico's growing antagonism, encouraged by specious promises of aid from France and England, menaced not merely the then Republic of Texas, but the United States ownership of California as well, the remnants of the navy were first to hurry to the scene of forthcoming war. It was not a war upon the ocean. While we had but a puny navy, the Mexicans had none at all. But in every considerable land battle the blue-jackets fought side by side with soldiers, though in the newspapers of the day all honor and glory were conceded to the army. Yet one who knows the California of to-day may read in the names of its cities, great streets, and other public places evidence of the part the navy had in winning the Golden State for the Union. No name is more closely identified with California than that of Commodore Robert F. 283 284 STORY OF OUR NAVY Stockton. In July, 1846, he was put in command of the Pacific squadron. Some work had already been done. Isolated vessels of this fleet had begun the work of holding California, but there were no soldiers at the seat of war save a battalion of engineers under command of Mayor John C. Fremont. Some work had already been done by the navy on the coast. Captain Sloat, who preceded Stockton in command, had seized Monterey, taken possession of San Francisco Bay and the surrounding country, and garrisoned Sutter's Fort on the Sacramento River. When Stockton arrived all seaports, of which there are few on the California coast, were in control of the United States navy. His operations, therefore, were conducted inland, and his sailors fought far from the ships. Captain Stockton planned an expedition against Los Angeles before the well-armed Mexican soldiers in the province could be brought together. He landed three hundred and fifty sailors and marines and established a camp at San Pedro. Captain Stockton's biographer says: "There were only about ninety muskets in the whole corps. Some of the men were armed with car- bines, others had only pistols, swords, or boarding- pikes. They presented a motley and peculiar appear- ance, with great variety of costume. Owing to their protracted absence from home the supplies of shoes and clothing had fallen short; and the ragged and diversi- fied colors of their garments, as well as the want of uniformity in their arms and accoutrements, made them altogether a spectacle both singular and amusing." The Mexican forces at Los Angeles outnumbered Captain Stockton's land forces three to one, so he resorted to a stratagem to deceive the enemy as to his force. A flag of truce having appeared on the hills, " he ordered all his men under arms and directed them to march FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 285 three or four abreast, with intervals of considerable space between each squad, directly in the line of vision of the approaching messengers, to the rear of some buildings on the beach, and thence to turn in a circle and continue their march until the strangers had ar- rived. Part of the circle described in the march was concealed from view, so that to the strangers it would appear that a force ten times greater than the actual number was defiling before them. When the two bearers of the flag of truce had arrived he ordered them to be led up to him alongside of the artillery, which consisted of several six-pounders and one thirty-two- pound carronade. The guns were all covered with skins so as to conceal their dimensions except the huge mouth of the thirty-two-pounder at which the captain was stationed to receive his guests. ... As his pur- pose was intimidation he received them with much sternness." They asked for a truce, but Stockton de- manded and secured an immediate and absolute sur- render, as the evident object of the Mexicans was to gain time. Stockton at once began his tedious march to Los Angeles, his men dragging the cannon through the sand. On the 12th of August, he received a mes- sage from the Mexican general, saying " if he marched on the town he would find it the grave of his men." He replied: " Then tell your general to have the bells ready to toll at eight o'clock in the morning. I shall be there at that time." He was as good as his word. The next morning he was joined by Fremont and his men, who had come up from San Diego and they entered Los Angeles unopposed. He organized a civil government for the entire state, with Major Fremont as the head of it, and returning to his ships sailed northward on the 5th of September, 1846. The news of these operations was sent to Washington overland by the famous scout, Kit Carson. 286 STORY OF OUR NAVY Thereafter, until the end of the war, the American sailors were chiefly engaged in defending, and, in some instances, recapturing what they had taken. The Mex- ican troops were superior in number, but much inferior in dash and courage, and the blue-jackets found little difficulty in holding their own. The operations on the eastern, or Gulf coast, of Mexico, engaged a much larger naval force, but had no such effect upon the later history of our country as Stockton's seizure of California. At times we had stationed there as many as twenty-four vessels of war, including steam frigates and sloops then for the first time employed in war. In the main, however, this force was occupied in blockading service — the most tedious, wearing duty that falls to the lot of the navy. Into the details of this service it would be but uninter- esting to go. There was little effort to run the block- ade, and less prize-money for the blockaders. Per- haps the only incident which combined adventure with dash and personal heroism may be quoted from the " Recollections of a Naval Officer," by Captain Wil- liam Harwar Parker. He was telling of the blockade at Vera Cruz in 1846. He says: One of the finest fellows in the service I often met on Green Island. I allude to Passed Midshipman Hynson, of Maryland. He was drowned in the brig " Somers," when she capsized in the fall of this year. At the time of her sinking, Hynson had both of his arms bandaged and in a sling, and was almost helpless. It was said that when the brig sank he managed to get hold of a spar with another man, and finding it would not support two he deliberately let go his hold. It was like him. The way he happened to have his arm in a sling was this : While the " Somers " was maintaining the blockade of Vera Cruz, a vessel managed to slip in — I think she was a Spanish schooner. The Mexicans moored her to the walls of the Castle of San Juan for safety ; but the officers of the " Somers " resolved to cut her out or burn her. Hynson was the leading spirit in the affair, though Lieutenant James Parker, of Pennsylvania, was the senior officer. They took a boat one afternoon and pulled in to visit the officers of an English man-of-war lying under FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 287 Sacrificios Island. It was quite usual to do this. After nightfall they left the British ship and pulled directly for the schooner, which they boarded and carried. This, be it observed, was directly under the guns of the castle and the muskets of its garrison. The crew was secured, and finding the wind would not serve to take the vessel out, it was resolved to burn her. Her captain made some resistance, and the sentinel on the walls called out to know what was the matter. Parker, who spoke Spanish remarkably well, replied that his men were drunk and he was putting them in irons. The party then set fire to the vessel and got safely away with their prisoners. It was in setting fire to the schooner that Hynson got so badly burned. In regard to the personal heroism shown by Hynson and others when the " Somers " went down, Lieutenant Raphael Semmes, in his book, " Service Afloat and Ashore During the Mexican War," said: Those men who could not swim were selected to go into the boat. A large man by the name of Seymour, the ship's cook, having got into her, he was commanded by Lieutenant Parker to come out, in order that he might make room for two smaller men, and he obeyed the order. He was afterward permitted to return to her, however, when it was discovered that he could not swim. Passed Midshipman Hynson, a promising young officer, who had been partially disabled by a bad burn received in firing the " Creole " a few days previously, was particularly implored to go into the boat. A lad by the name of Nutter jumped out of the boat and offered his place to Hynson, and a man by the name of Powers did the same thing. Hynson refusing both offers, these men declared that then others might take their places, as they were resolved to abide in the wreck with him. Hynson and Powers were drowned. Nutter was saved. When the plunge was made into the sea, Sailing-Master Clemson seized a studding-sail boom, in company with five of the seamen. Being a swimmer, and perceiving that the boom was not sufficiently buoyant to support them all, he left it and struck out alone. He perished — the five men were saved. The last notable service of the navy in the Mexican War was in co-operation with the army under General Winfield Scott at the siege and capture of Vera Cruz. General Scott had nearly fifteen thousand men under his command. On the 20th of March, 1847, after the 288 STORY OF OUR NAVY city had refused to surrender, he began Its bombard- ment. Commodore Matthew C. Perry had just been put in command of the fleet, succeeding Commodore Conner, who was invalided home. General Scott soon saw that his guns were not strong enough to batter down the walls of the city, so he requested Commodore Perry to send him some heavy guns. The commodore's gallant reply was: "Cer- tainly, General, but I must fight them." And fight them he did, as we shall see. Six heavy pieces of ordnance were landed, and about two hundred seamen and volunteers were attached to each gun. Three of these were sixty-eight-pounder shell guns and three thirty-two-pounder solid-shot guns. Each of these guns weighed about three tons. Now each of these had to be dragged through the loose sand, almost knee- deep, for something like three miles before it could be put in the position the engineers had assigned to it. This battery, by the way, was protected by bags of sand piled on each other, and this was the first time that this device had been used. When the battery was in position the officers and men of the ships were so anxious to fight it that, to prevent jealousy, the officers first to be assigned drew lots for the honor. The first day Captain Aulick commanded, and the next day Captain Mayo. The naval battery fired with such precision that they did amazing damage to the enemy's works, and on the second day the guns in Vera Cruz were silenced. Then began a parley as to terms, but on the 28th there was an unconditional surrender. Now Scott had a foothold in the part of Mexico which counted for something, and he was able to begin his masterly march through the Valley of Mexico and on to the capital of the country. But he never could have obtained this foothold without the assistance of the navy. The country did not recognize this at once, and FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 289 the newspapers being printed by landsmen, all of the immediate glory was bestowed on General Scott. Thereafter, there was little work for the navy in the Mexican War. The fighting was far inland, and though fierce in some instances — as at the Castle of Chapultepec — was uniformly in favor of the forces of the United States. Yet it was an unpopular war from the start — denounced in our northeastern States as un- just and piratical. To-day, when we see that it added to our domain California, Texas, and the line of south- western States and Territories, leaving Mexico coher- ent, prosperous, and safe under the protection of her big northern brother, we may feel that contemporary judgments of the merits of a war are not always to be trusted. Fourteen years of peace now settled over the navy. Again it was cut down to the smallest possible size. The few vessels left in commission were engaged in exploration — as in the case of the two expeditions sent to the Arctic to search for Sir John Franklin, — in the suppression of the slave trade, and in suppressing piracy in Asiatic waters. Doubtless the service rendered dur- ing this period which had the most far-reaching in- fluence, not only upon our own country, but upon the civilized world, was that of Commodore M. C. Perry in opening Japan to trade and intercourse with the world. The early fifties were an era of exploring ex- peditions for the navy. There were trips up the rivers into unknown regions of South America and Africa. The Isthmus of Darien was explored, and an ambitious scheme to cut a ship-channel through was found to be impracticable. It was very natural, during this activity in penetrating little-known parts of the world, that attention should have been given to Japan, which was a land of mystery to the world at large because of 290 STORY OF OUR NAVY the exclusion of foreigners from that country. In 1852, Captain Perry was assigned the command of the squadron cruising in the East Indies, and was em- powered, in addition to his ordinary duties, to make a display of force in the waters of Japan in order to obtain better treatment for American seamen cast upon Japanese shores, and to gain entry into Japanese ports for vessels seeking supplies. He bore a letter, more- over, from the President of the United States to the Emperor of Japan, written with a view to obtaining a treaty providing for friendly intercourse and com- merce with the haughty island kingdom. On the 8th of July, the squadron, comprising the frigates " Mis- sissippi," "Susquehanna," and "Powhatan"; the cor- vette " Macedonian "; the sloops-of-war " Plymouth," "Saratoga," and "Vandalia"; and the store-ships " Supply," " Southampton," and " Lexington," an- chored off the city of Uraga, in the Bay of Jeddo, Japan. Captain Perry decided that the proper course to pursue with the Japanese was to assume a very lofty and commanding tone and bearing. He therefore or- dered away from the sides of his vessel the boats which swarmed around it, and allowed none but government officials of high rank to come on board. He himself remained in seclusion in his cabin, treating with the Japanese through intermediaries. He moved his squadron nearer the capital than was allowable, and then demanded that a special commission, composed of men of the highest rank, be appointed to convey his letter from the President to the Emperor. The close proximity of the ships-of-war to the capital, and Captain Perry's peremptory demand, were not at all to the liking of the Japanese; but they were greatly impressed with his apparent dignity and power, and at last consented to receive and consider the letter. Fear- ing treachery. Captain Perry moved his ships up so FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 291 that their guns would command the buildhig prepared for his reception, and on the 14th of July went ashore with an escort of four hundred officers and men, who found themselves, on landing, surrounded by about six thousand Japanese soldiers under arms. Three months were given to the Japanese officials to reply to the letter, and Captain Perry sailed with his squadron for the coast of China. He returned after an interval of three months, and anchored his ships beyond Uraga, where the previous conference had been held, and nearer the capital, despite the fact that a place twenty miles below had been appointed for the second meeting. The Japanese demurred at this, be- ing so exclusive that they did not wish their capital nor their country even to be seen by foreigners. Instead of respecting these wishes, Captain Perry approached still nearer, until he was only eight miles from Tokio. This high-handed policy had the desired effect. Five special Japanese commissioners met Captain Perry, and in a building within range of the ships' guns, negotia- tions were carried on. They resulted, on March 31st, in the signing of a treaty by the Japanese, in which they promised to open two of their ports to American vessels seeking supplies; to give aid to seamen of the United States wrecked upon their shores; to allow American citizens temporarily residing in their ports to enter, within prescribed limits, the surrounding coun- try; to permit consuls of the United States to reside in one of the open ports; and, in general, to show a peaceful and friendly spirit toward our government and citizens. This treaty is important, because it opened the door for the peoples of the world to a country which has since proved to be possessed of vast wealth and resources. Captain Perry received high praise for his firmness and diplomacy in the conduct of the difficult negotiations. 292 STORY OF OUR NAVY One vessel of Captain Perry's fleet, the " Plymouth," had remained at Shanghai when the squadron returned to Japanese waters, and she played a very active though brief part in the troubles which then existed in China. Imperial and revolutionary troops were fighting for supremacy, and the former showed a hostile disposition to the American and English residents of Shanghai. An American pilot was captured by an Imperial man- of-war, but was retaken in a most spirited manner from the Chinese by Lieutenant Guest, and a boat's crew from the " Plymouth." The Chinese manifestations of hostility toward foreign residents continued, and on the 4th of April, 1854, about ninety men from the " Plymouth " and American merchant-ships, under the leadership of Commander Kelly, went ashore, and in conjunction with one hundred and fifty men from a British man-of-war, began an attack up the Imperial camp. The Americans had two field-pieces and a twelve-pound boat-howitzer, which, together with the muskets, were used so effectively that, after ten min- utes of sharp fighting, the Chinese fled in great dis- order, leaving a number of dead and wounded upon the field. The American loss was two killed and four wounded. Piracy was rampant in the China seas during this period, and so bold and ferocious were the Chinese desperadoes that their junks were a great terror to merchant vessels, and seriously interfered with com- merce. The " Powhatan," another of Captain Perry's squadron, and the English sloop " Rattler," joined forces against a fleet of piratical junks off Khulan, in. 1855, and completely destroyed them, killing many of the pirates in the attack and taking a large number of prisoners. In Happy Valley, Hong-Kong, a monu- ment was erected to commemorate the eight English and American sailors who were killed in the conflict. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 293 One impetuous act by an American commander dur- ing the period of troubles along the Chinese coast gave world-wide currency to a phrase of Anglo-Saxon amity, and did much to establish the friendship between the United States and Great Britain which has so long continued. In 1859 an English expedition was trying to remove some obstructions in the Peiho River when they were suddenly fired upon from Chinese forts on the bank. A desperate conflict followed in which sev- eral hundred of the English were killed. Captain Tat- nall commanded the chartered steamer " Toey-Wan," which was in the harbor. He forgot his neutrality as he watched the scene. With the exclamation, " Blood is thicker than water! " he jumped into his launch and steamed for the British flagship. The boat was struck with a ball, and before its trip was ended sunk, the coxswain being killed and Lieutenant Trenchart severely wounded. The others who had manned her were rescued, and they helped the English at the guns. Captain Tatnall afterward used the " Toey-Wan " to tow up and bring into action the British reserves. His action was a clear violation of the treaty and the neu- trality law. He received but slight punishment, how- ever, and gained great popularity in great Britain. So in rather inconspicuous and not particularly ex- hilarating service the men of the navy passed fourteen years. We shall see that when the great guns roared again in wrath they were directed against other Amer- icans in the most bloody civil war of all history. CHAPTER XVII The Civil War — Secretary Dix's Stirring Dispatch — The South Destitute of Warships — The Blockade — Burning the Norfolk Navy -Yard — The Escape of the "Sumter" — The Hatteras Forts. When the long-smouldering hostility between the Northern and Southern States of the Union blazed out Into civil war the United States Government had at its disposal sixty-nine men-of-war, of which twenty-seven were laid up, or sailors would say " out of commission." Many of those in active service were on missions to the East Indies, Africa, and other distant quarters of the globe. Though immediately upon the inaugura- tion of President Lincoln, March 4, 1861, all were ordered home, none arrived until the middle of June, and some not until the following winter. Many v/ere old-fashioned sailing frigates — almost useless even in that early day of steam. But how swiftly the navy was rehabilitated, how vital its expansion was consid- ered to the maintenance of national unity, may be judged from the fact that at the end of Lincoln's first term the navy numbered six hundred and seventy-one vessels — many iron-plated, for the duel between the " Monitor " and the " Merrimac " had taught the world that lesson. All this had been accomplished by a people grappling in deadly strife with an enemy in their very dwellings. History records no more won- derful story of energy and invention. But at the outbreak of the war the States of the South were even more destitute of warships. In fact, they had not one. While many officers of the United States navy felt it their duty to resign their national 294 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 295 commissions and serve their native States, not one United States war-vessel was surrendered to the Con- federacy. Some revenue cutters were, indeed, thus lost to the service. A suspicion that Captain Breshwood, commander of the cutter " McClelland," was about to take such action led to the historic dispatch from John A. Dix, Secretary of the Treasury: "Tell Lieutenant Caldwell to arrest Captain Breshwood, assume com- mand of the cutter, and obey my orders through you. If Captain Breshwood after arrest attempts to inter- fere with the command of the cutter, tell Lieutenant Caldwell to consider him a mutineer and treat him accordingly. // any man attempts to haul down the American flag shoot him on the spot." Not only was the South destitute of ships, it was almost without the means of building them. It was an agricultural and exporting country, but the wealth of cotton, resin, and turpentine it shipped abroad was carried in vessels built in New England shipyards. About the only craft built in the South were the river steamers, and we shall presently see how cleverly these flimsy fabrics were converted into formidable ironclads. Nor could many vessels be obtained abroad. The rules of neutrality forbade it. The alert and tactful Con- federate agent in London, Mr. Bulloch, did indeed get three ships to sea — the *' Florida," " Shenandoah," and " Alabama." But thereafter British shipyards were closed against Confederate agents, and years later Great Britain paid a penalty of fifteen million dollars for its temerity in permitting the " Alabama " to escape. This great disparity of force afloat had much to do with the outcome of the war. The blockade of Southern ports, early established, was tight as an iron band. The South could neither export its cotton, nor import arms, munitions of war, medicines, cloth, and 296 STORY OF OUR NAVY other articles not manufactured in the Confederacy. Quinine, for example, of almost universal use in Southern climates, was rigidly excluded, and the small quantities that dribbled through the blockade brought prodigious prices. In addition to the blockade, the navy was of inestimable advantage in expediting the movement of troops. The South is prolific of harbors and navigable streams. The United States navy bat- tered down the forts that guarded the harbors and en- abled troops to land at a score of places and to pro- ceed by water to the heart of the enemy's country. It has been the habit to underestimate the navy's work in contemplating the more colossal operations of the armies. But the two branches of the service were in- deed united, and there was glory enough for both. The South well understood at the very outset the heavy handicap imposed by lack of sea-power. The first effort to secure fighting ships was an attempt to seize the historic frigate " Constitution," which was at anchor near Annapolis. This was balked by the troops under command of General Benjamin F. Butler, who were encamped near by. But the second effort to acquire some of the naval resources of the Federal Government was more successful. The United States navy-yard at Norfolk was one of the most valuable of all the governmental possessions. In the great yard was government property amounting to more than twenty millions of dollars. Machine-shops, foundries, dwellings for officers, and a massive granite dry-dock made it one of the most complete navy-yards in the world. An enormous quantity of cannon, cannon-balls, powder, and small-arms packed the huge storehouses. In the magnificent harbor were lying some of the most formidable vessels of the United States navy, includ- ing the steam frigate " Merrimac," of which we shall hear much hereafter. Small wonder was it, that the z z D s5 w < CJ O J CO J < FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 297 people of Virginia, about to secede from the Union, looked with covetous eyes upon this vast stock of munitions of war lying apparently within their grasp. The first thing to be done was to entrap the ships so that they should be unable to get out of the harbor. Accordingly, on the i6th of April, three large stone- vessels were sunk directly in the channel, apparently barring the exit of the frigates most effectually. In- deed, so confident of success were the plotters, that in a dispatch to Richmond, announcing the successful sinking of the stone-ships, they said: "Thus have we secured for Virginia three of the best ships of the navy." But later events showed, that, in boasting so proudly, the Virginians were committing the old error of counting chickens before they were hatched. At seven o'clock on the night of April 21, the United States steamer " Pawnee," which had been lying under the guns of Fortress Monroe, hoisted anchor, and headed up the bay, on an errand of destruction. It was too late to save the navy-yard with its precious stores. The only thing to be done was to burn, break, and destroy everything that might be of service to an enemy. The decks of the " Pawnee " were black with men, — soldiers to guard the gates, and complete the work of destruction within the yard; blue-jacketed tars to do what might be done to drag the entrapped vessels from the snare set them by the Virginians. It was a bright moonlight night. The massive hull of the shlp- of-war, black in the cold, white rays of the moon, passed rapidly up the Elizabeth River. The sunken wrecks were reached, and successfully avoided; and about nine o'clock the " Pawnee " steamed Into the anchorage of the navy-yard, to be greeted with cheers from the tars of the " Cumber- land " and " Pennsylvania," who expected her arrival. The townspeople seeing the war-vessel, with ports 298 STORY OF OUR NAVY thrown open, and black muzzles of the guns protrud- ing, took to their houses, fearing she would open fire on the town. Quickly the " Pawnee " steamed to her moorings. The marines were hurriedly disembarked, and hastened to guard the entrances to the navy-yard. Howitzers were planted so as to rake every street lead- ing to the yard. Thus secure against attack, the work of the night began. Nearly two thousand willing hands were set hard at work, cannon were dismounted and spiked, rifles and muskets dashed to pieces; great quantities of combustibles were piled up in the mam- moth buildings, ready to be fired at a given signal. In the meantime, the blue-jackets were not idle. It was quickly decided, that, of all the magnificent vessels an- chored in the harbor, the " Cumberland " was the only one that could be towed past the obstructions in the river. All hands were set to work removing every- thing of value from the doomed vessels to the " Cum- berland." Gunpowder and combustibles were then arranged so as to completely destroy the vessels when ignited. When the moon went down at twelve o'clock, the preparations were complete. All the men were then taken on board the " Cumberland " and " Paw- nee," save a few who were left to fire the trains. As the two vessels started from the moorings, the barracks were fired, the lurid light casting a fearful gleam upon the crowded yards and shrouds of the towering frigate. A little way out in the stream a rocket was sent up from the " Pawnee." This was the signal for the firing of the trains. The scene that followed is thus described by an eye-witness : The rocket sped high in air, paused a second, and burst in showers of many colored lights; and, as it did so, the well-set trains at the ship-houses, and on the decks of the fated vessels left behind, went off as if lit simultaneously by the rocket. One of the ship-houses contained the old " New York," a ship thirty years on the stocks, FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 299 and yet unfinished ; the other was vacant. But both houses, and the old " New York/' burned like tinder. The vessels fired were the " Pennsylvania," the " Merrimac," the " Germantown," the " Plymouth," the " Raritan," the " Columbia," and the " Dolphin." The old " Delaware " and " Columbus," worn-out and disabled seventy-fours, were scuttled, and sunk at the upper docks on Friday. I need not try to picture the scene of the grand conflagration that now burst like the day of judgment on the startled citizens of Nor- folk, Portsmouth, and all the surrounding country. Any one who has seen a ship burn, and knows how like a fiery serpent the flame leaps from pitchy deck to smoking shrouds, and writhes to their very top around the masts that stand like martyrs doomed, can form some idea of the wonderful display that followed. It was not thirty minutes from the time the trains were fired, till the conflagration roared like a hurricane, and the flames from land and water swayed and met and mingled together, and darted high, and fell, and leaped up again, and by their very motion showed their sympathy with the crackling, crashing war of destruction beneath. But in all this magnificent scene the old ship " Pennsylvania " was the centre-piece. She was a very giant in death, as she had been in life. She was a sea of flame; and when the iron had entered her soul, and her bowels were consuming, then did she spout forth from every porthole of every deck torrents and cataracts of fire, that to the mind of Milton would have represented her a frigate of hell pouring out unending broadsides of infernal fire. Several of her guns were left loaded, but not shotted ; and as the fire reached them they sent out on the startled morning air minute-guns of fearful peal, that added greatly to the alarm that the light of the fire had spread through the country round about. The " Penn- sylvania " burned like a volcano for five hours and a half before her mainmast fell. I stood watching the proud but perishing old leviathan as this emblem of her majesty was about to come down. At precisely half-past nine o'clock the tall tree that stood in her centre tottered and fell, and crushed deep into her burning sides. During this scene the people of the little town, and the Virginia militiamen who had been summoned to take possession of the navy-yard, were no idle spec- tators. Hardly had the " Pawnee " steamed out into the stream, when the great gates were battered down, and crowds of men rushed in, eager to save whatever arms were uninjured. Throughout the fire they worked like beavers, and succeeded in saving a large quantity 300 STORY OF OUR NAVY of munitions of war to be used by the Confederacy. The ships that had been fired all burned to the water's edge. One was raised, and reappeared as the formida- ble " Merrimac," called by the Confederates the " Vir- ginia," that at one time threatened the destruction of the whole Union navy. A great amount of valuable property was saved for the Virginians by the coolness of a young boy, the son of one of the citizens of the town. This lad was within the gates of the navy-yard when the troops from the ships rushed in, and closed and barricaded them against the townspeople. He was frightened, and hid himself behind a quantity of boards and rubbish, and lay there a silent and immensely frightened spectator of the work of destruction. An officer passed near him directing the movements of two sailors, who were laying a train of gunpowder to an immense pile of explosives and combustibles in the huge granite dry-dock. The train passed over a broad board; and the boy, hardly know- ing what he did, drew away this board, leaving a gap of eight inches in the train. When all the trains were fired, this was of course stopped at the gap; the dry- dock was saved, and still remains in the Norfolk navy- yard. The first regularly commissioned Confederate man- of-war to take the sea was the " Sumter," an old merchant steamer, remodelled and armed with five guns. Only five hundred tons register, smaller than the aver- age millionaire's pleasure yacht to-day, this ship ranged the seas for a year, capturing eighteen vessels, only to be blockaded at Gibraltar and there finally sold and abandoned. It was on the ist of June, 1861, that the " Sumter " cast loose from the levee at New Orleans, and started down the Mississippi on her way to the open sea. The great levee of the Crescent City was crowded with FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 301 people that day. Now and again the roll of the drum, or the stirring notes of " Dixie," would be heard, as some volunteer company marched down to the river to witness the departure of the entire Confederate navy. Slowly the vessel dropped down the river, and, round- ing the English turn, boomed out with her great gun a parting salute to the city she was never more to see. Ten miles from the mouth of the river she stopped; for anchored off the bar below lay the powerful United States steamer, " Brooklyn," with three other men-of- war. But the blockaders were eluded after several days' delay, and the ship was soon lost to its foes. When four days out, the " Sumter " captured her first prize. She was a fine ship, the " Golden Rocket " of Maine, six hundred and ninety tons. With the United States flag fluttering at the peak, she came sail- ing proudly towards her unsuspected enemy, from whose peak the red flag of England was displayed as a snare. When the two vessels came within a mile of each other, the wondering crew of the merchantman saw the English flag come tumbling down, while a ball of bunting rose quickly to the peak of the mys- terious stranger, and, catching the breeze, floated out, showing a strange flag, — the Stars and Bars of the Confederacy. At the same minute a puff of smoke from the " Long Tom " amidships was followed by a solid shot ricochetting along the water before the dis- mayed merchantman, and conveying a forcible, but not at all polite, invitation to stop. The situation dawned on the astonished skipper of the ship, — he was in the hands of "the Rebels"; and with a sigh he brought his vessel up into the wind, and awaited the outcome of the adventure. And bad enough the outcome was for him; for Captain Semmes, unwilling to spare a crew to man the prize, determined to set her on fire. 302 STORY OF OUR NAVY It was about sunset when the first boat put off from the " Sumter " to visit the captured ship. The two vessels were lying a hundred yards apart, rising and falling in unison on the slow-rolling swells of the tropic seas. The day was bright and warm, and in the west the sun was slowly sinking to the meeting line of sky and ocean. All was quiet and peaceful, as only a summer afternoon in Southern seas can be. Yet in the midst of all that peace and quiet, a scene in the great drama of war was being enacted. Nature was peace- ful, man violent. For a time nothing was heard save the measured thump of the oars in the rowlocks, as the boats plied to and fro between the two ships, transporting the cap- tured crew of the " Sumter." Finally the last trip was made, and the boat hoisted to the davits. Then all eyes were turned toward the " Golden Rocket." She lay almost motionless, a dark mass on the black ocean. The sun had long since sunk beneath the hori- zon ; and the darkness of the night was only relieved by the brilliancy of the stars, which in those latitudes shine with wondrous brightness. Soon the watches on the " Sumter " caught a hasty breath. A faint gleam was seen about the companionway of the " Rocket." Another instant, and with a roar and crackle, a great mass of flame shot up from the hatch, as from the crater of a volcano. Instantly the well-tarred rigging caught, and the flame ran up the shrouds as a ladder of fire, and the whole ship was a towering mass of flame. The little band of men on the " Sumter " looked on the terrific scene with bated breath. Though they fully believed in the justice of their cause, they could not look on the destruction they had wrought without feelings of sadness. It was their first act of war. One of the oflicers of the "Sumter" writes: " Few, few on board can forget the spectacle, — a ship FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 303 set fire to at sea. It would seem that man was almost warring with his Maker. Her helpless condition, the red flames licking the rigging as they climbed aloft, the sparks and pieces of burning rope taken off by the wind, and flying miles to leeward, the ghastly glare thrown upon the dark sea as far as the eye could reach, and then the deathlike stillness of the scene, — all these combined to place the " Golden Rocket " on the tablet of our memories forever." But it was not long before the crew of the " Sumter " could fire a vessel, and sail away indifferently, with hardly a glance at their terrible handiwork. When the " Sumter " was finally abandoned her cap- tain, Rafael Semmes, and the crew went to England to take over a mysterious craft just built and called " The 290." Of this ship we shall hear much in time. The early services of the men of the United States navy in the Civil War were monotonous in the ex- treme. The blockade along the coast was supple- mented by a patrol of the Potomac from Washington to its mouth, to prevent smuggling and check as far as possible the erection of hostile batteries on the Vir- ginia shore. Not until the last of August, 1861, did a real naval expedition plough the blue Atlantic, From Cape Henry, at the mouth of the James River, the coast of Virginia and North Carolina sweeps grandly out to the eastward, like a mammoth bow, with its lower end at Beaufort, two hundred miles south. Along this coast-line the great surges of mighty ocean, rolling with unbroken course from the far-off shore of Europe, trip and fall with unceasing roar upon an almost uninterrupted beach of snowy sand, a hundred and more miles long. Near the southern end of this expanse of sand stands a lighthouse, towering solitary above the surrounding plain of sea and sand. No 304 STORY OF OUR NAVY inviting beacon giving notice to the weary mariner of safe haven is this steady light that pierces the darl<:ness night after night. It tells of treacherous shoals and roaring breakers; of the loss of many a good ship, whose ribs, half buried in the drifting sand, lie rotting in the salt air; of skies ever treacherous, and waters ever turbulent. It is the light of Hatteras. Some twenty miles below Cape Hatteras light occurs the first great opening in the stretch of sand that extends south from Cape Henry. Once he has passed through this opening, the mariner finds himself in the most peaceful waters. The waves of the Atlantic spend themselves on the sandy fringe outside, while within are the quiet waters of Pamlico and Albemarle sounds, dotted with fertile islands, and bordering a coast rich in harbors. The wary blockade-runner, eluding the watchfulness of the United States blockaders cruising outside, had but to pass the portals of Hatteras Inlet, to unload at his leisure his precious cargo, and load up with the cotton which grew in great abundance on the islands and fertile shores of the sound. Recognizing the importance of this harbor, the Con- federates had early in the war fortified the point north of Hatteras Inlet. Shortly after the fall of Fort Sumter, a Yankee skipper, Daniel Campbell, in- cautiously running his schooner the " Lydia Francis " too near the stormy cape, was wrecked, and sought shelter among the people at the inlet. When, some days after, he proposed to leave, he was astounded to find that he had been delivered from the sea only to fall a prey to the fortunes of war. He was kept a prisoner for three months; and on his release, going directly to Fortress Monroe, he proved that he had kept his eyes open to some purpose. He reported to flag-officer Stringham that the Confederates had two batteries, — one of ten, the other of five guns, — known FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 305 as Fort Hatteras and Fort Clark. With these two forts the Confederates claimed that they could control the entrance to Albemarle Sound. Immediately upon receipt of this intelligence prepara- tions were made for a joint military and naval expedi- tion against the forts. Two transports carried eight hundred soldiers from General Butler's command. Five men-of-war constituted the naval force. As it turned out, the success of the expedition depended upon the navy, for a heavy tempest made the landing of troops in sufficient numbers to storm the forts im- possible. But two days' bombardment by the fleet silenced the forts and drove their defenders to the bomb-proofs and then to surrender. But it was not a sanguinary battle. Neither side was composed of veterans. The Confederate gun-practice was poor, and the Confederate loss was so trivial that a year later not one of the men engaged wouki have thought of surrender. As for the assailants, when Commodore Barron went off to the fleet to formally surrender the forts and the eight hundred men of his command, he turned to flag-officer Stringham, and asked if the loss of life on the ships had been very large. " Not a man has been injured," was the response. " Wonder- ful ! " exclaimed the questioner. " No one could have imagined that this position could have been captured without sacrificing thousands of men." But so it was. Without the loss of a man, had fallen a most important post, together with cannon, provisions, and nearly seven hundred men. That long, surf-washed, sandy coast of North Caro- lina made plenty of trouble for the United States mili- tary and naval authorities throughout the war. Well supplied with harbors, or with narrow inlets into such shallow and peaceful waters as Albemarle and Pam- lico sounds, it was equally useful as an invitation to 3o6 STORY OF OUR NAVY blockade-runners and shelters for small privateers that could dash out into the Atlantic, capture a few coast- ers, and vanish in the maze of bays and rivers shel- tered by the sandbars of Hatteras. It was therefore early determined to reduce all this region to subjection to Federal authority. The work demanded the serv- ices of both army and navy; the campaigns were de- cidedly amphibious — by sea, by land, and in the swamps composed of both. There was little warlike adventure in any of these operations. The chief forces to con- tend with were those of nature, as strikingly shown in the expedition of January, 1862, against Roanoke Island. This point controlled the entrance to Pam- lico Sound, from which many navigable rivers and bays stretch far into the interior. To attack it the expedi- tion had to pass through Hatteras Inlet, past the forts, the capture of which has just been described. Early in January, 1862, a joint military and naval expedition was fitted out for operation against the Con- federate works and steamers in these inland waters. The flotilla was one of those heterogeneous collections of remodelled excursion-steamers, tugs, ferry-boats, and even canal-boats, which at that time was dignified with the title of " the fleet." In fitting out this expedition two very conflicting requirements were followed. In the most favorable circumstances, the channel at Hat- teras Inlet is seldom over seven and a half feet: con- sequently the vessels must be of light draught. But the Confederate steamers in the sounds carried heavy rifled cannon, and the armament of the forts on Roa- noke Island was of the heaviest: therefore, the vessels must carry heavy guns to be able to cope with the enemy. This attempt to put a heavy armament on the gun-deck made the vessels roll so heavily as to be almost unseaworthy. In addition to the armed vessels belonging to the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 307 navy, a number of transports accompanied the expedi- tion, bearing the army corps under the command of General Burnside; and the whole number of craft finally assembled for the subjugation of the North Carolina sounds was one hundred and twenty. This heterogeneous assemblage of vessels was sent on a voy- age in the dead of winter, down a dangerous coast, to one of the stormiest points known to the mariner. Hatteras was true to its reputation; and, when the squadron reached the inlet, a furious northeaster was blowing, sending the gray clouds scudding across the sky, and making the heavy rollers break on the beach and the bar in a way that foretold certain destruction, should any hardy pilot attempt to run his ship into the narrow and crooked inlet. Outside there was no safe anchorage, and the situation of the entire squadron was most precarious. For two days this gale continued. The outlook for the fleet seemed hopeless. The inner bar of the harbor was absolutely impassable. Between the outer bar and the inner were packed seventy vessels. The space, though called a harbor, was almost unsheltered. Crowded with vessels as it was, it made an anchorage only less dangerous than that outside. Although the vessels were anchored, bow and stern, the violence of the sea was such that they frequently crashed into each other, breaking bulwarks, spars, and wheel-houses, and tearing away standing-rigging. A schooner break- ing from its anchorage went tossing and twirling through the fleet, crashing into vessel after vessel, until finally, getting foul of a small steamer, dragged it from its moorings; and the two began a waltz in the crowded harbor, to the great detriment of the sur- rounding craft. At last the two runaways went aground on a shoal, and pounded away there until every seam was open, and the holds filled with water. 3o8 STORY OF OUR NAVY A strange mishap was that which befell the gunboat " Zouave." She was riding safely at anchor, remote from other ships, taking the seas nobly, and apparently in no possible danger. Her crew occupied themselves in going to the assistance of those in the distressed vessels, feeling that their own was perfectly safe. But during the night, the tide being out, the vessel was driven against one of the flukes of her own anchor; and as each wave lifted her up and dropped her heavily on the sharp iron, a hole was stove in her bottom, sinking her so quickly that the crew took to the boats, saving nothing. But the most serious disaster was the total wreck of the " City of New York," a large transport, with a cargo of ordnance stores valued at two hundred thou- sand dollars. Unable to enter the Inlet, she tried to ride out the gale outside. The tremendous sea, and the wind blowing furiously on shore, caused her to drag her anchors; and those on board saw certain death staring them in the face, as hour by hour the ship drifted nearer and nearer to the tumbling mass of mighty breakers, that with an unceasing roar, and white foam gleaming like the teeth of an enraged lion, broke heavily on the sand. She struck on Monday afternoon, and soon swung around, broadside to the sea, so as to be helpless and at the mercy of the breakers. Every wave broke over her decks. The conditions of her crew was frightful. In the dead of winter, the wind keen as a razor, and the waves of icy coldness, the body soon became benumbed; and It was with the greatest effort that the men could cling to the rigging. So great was the fury of the wind and waves, that no assistance could be given her. For a boat to venture into that seething caldron of breakers would have been throwing away lives. So the crew of the doomed ship were left to save themselves as best they might. The FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 309 night passed away, and Tuesday morning saw the gale still blowing with unabated force. Hoping to lessen the strain on the hull, they cut away the foremast. In falling, it tore away the pipes, and the vessel became a perfect wreck. Numbed with cold, and faint for lack of food, the crew lashed themselves to the bul- warks and rigging; and so, drenched by the icy spray, and chilled through by the wind, they spent another fearful night. The next day the fury of the storm seemed to have somewhat abated. The sea was still running high, and breaking over the almost unrecog- nizable hulk stranded on the beach. With the aid of a glass, sailors on the other ships could see the in- animate forms of the crew lashed to the rigging. It was determined to make a vigorous attempt to save them. The first boat sent out on the errand of mercy was watched eagerly from all the vessels. Now it would be seen raised high on the top of some tremen- dous wave, then, plunging into the trough, it would be lost from the view of the anxious watchers. All went well until the boat reached the outermost line of the breakers, when suddenly a towering wave, rushing re- sistlessly along, broke directly over the stern, swamp- ing the boat, and drowning seven of the crew. Again the last hope seemed lost to the exhausted men on the wreck. But later in the day, the sea having gone down somewhat, a steam-tug succeeded in reaching the wreck and rescuing the crew. The second engineer was the last man to leave the ship. He remained lashed to the mast until all were taken on the tug. Then, climbing to the top-mast, he cut down the flag that had waved during those two wild days and nights, and bore it safely away. Two weeks were consumed in refitting and preparing for the attack upon the three formidable forts the Confederates were known to have on Roanoke Island. 3IO STORY OF OUR NAVY When the expedition moved nearly one hundred vessels were in the three columns that moved slowly toward the enemy's position. It was five in the afternoon of a short February day that the fleet came in sight of the forts. Signals were made for the squadron to form in a circle about the flagship. The early dark- ness of winter had fallen upon the scene. The waters of the sound were smooth as a mill-pond. From the white cottages on the shore gleamed lights, and bril- liant signal-lanterns hung in the rigging of the ships. Through the fleet pulled swift gigs bearing the com- manders of the different vessels. The morning dawned dark and rainy. At first it was thought that the fog and mist would prevent the bombardment, but all doubt was put at an end by the signal, " Prepare for action," from the flagship. The fleet got under way, and stood up the channel almost to the point where the obstructions were planted. Beyond these were the gunboats of the enemy. The cannonade was begun without loss of time. A por- tion of the fleet began a vigorous fire upon the Con- federate gunboats, while the others attacked the forts. The gunboats were soon driven away, and then the forts received the entire fire. The water was calm, and the aim of the gunners was admirable. The forts could hardly respond to the fire, since the great shells, plunging by hundreds into the trenches, drove the men from their guns into the bomb-proof casemates. The ofl[icers of the ships could watch with their glasses the effect of every shell, and by their directions the aim of the gunners was made nearly perfect. While the bombarding was going on. General Burn- side set about landing his troops near the southern end of the island. The first boat was fired upon by soldiers concealed in the woods. The " Delaware " instantly pitched a few shells into the woods from which the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 311 firing proceeded, and in a few minutes the enemy could be seen running out like rats from a burning granary. The landing then went on unimpeded. The boats were unable to get up to the bank, owing to shoal water; and the soldiers were obliged to wade ashore in the icy water, waist-deep, and sinking a foot more in the soft mud of the bottom. The bombardment was continued for some hours after nightfall. A night bombardment is a stirring scene. The passionate and spiteful glare of the can- non-flashes; the unceasing roar of the explosions; the demoniac shriek of the shells in the air, followed by their explosion with a lightning flash, and crash like thunder; the volumes of gray smoke rising upon the dark air, — make up a wonderful and memorable sight. In the morning the bombardment was recommenced, and the work of landing troops went on. Eight gun- boats were sent to tear away the obstructions in the channel; and there beneath the guns of the enemy's fleet, and the frowning cannon of the forts, the sailors worked with axe and ketch until the barricade was broken, and the eight ships passed to the sound above the forts. In the meantime, the troops on the island began to march against the forts. There were few paths, and they groped their way through woods and undergrowth, wading through morasses, and tearing their way through tangled thickets to get at the enemy's front. The advance was slow, but steady, until the open field before the forts was reached; then a charge was ordered, led by the famous Hawkins Zouaves, who rushed madly upon the fort, shouting their war cry of Zou, zou, zoii! Like a resistless flood the attackers poured over the earthworks, and the frightened de- fenders fled. Before five o'clock the entire island was in the hands of the troops, and the fleet had passed the barricade. During the bombardment the vessels 312 STORY OF OUR NAVY sustained severe injuries. An act of heroism which made the hero celebrated was that of John Davis, gun- ner's mate on board the " Valley City." A shell en- tered the magazine of that ship, and exploded, setting the wood-work on fire. An open barrel of gunpowder stood in the midst of the flames, with sparks dropping about it. At any moment an explosion might occur which would shatter the vessel to fragments. Men shrank back, expecting every moment to be their last. With wonderful presence of mind Davis threw him- self across the open end of the barrel, and with his body covered the dangerous explosive until the fire was put out. As soon as the Stars and Stripes were hoisted on the flagstaffs of the forts, the Confederate fleet, which had been maintaining a desultory fire, fled up the sound, after setting fire to one schooner which had become hopelessly crippled in the battle. She blazed away far on into the night, and finally, when the flames reached her magazine, blew up with a tremendous re- port, seeming like a final involuntary salute paid by the defeated enemy to the prowess of the Union arms. When quiet finally settled down upon the scene, and General Burnside and Commander Goldsborough counted up their gains, they found that six forts, twenty- five hundred prisoners, and forty-two great guns had fallen into the hands of the victors. The Union loss was forty killed and two hundred wounded. CHAPTER XVIII A Romance of Commerce and War— The Blockade Runners— What the Trade Paid— How It Was Checked — Nassau's Days of Prosperity. It is an ill wind, the proverb has it, that blows nobody good. The maxim is peculiarly applicable to the blockade which gradually starved the South into help- lessness. But on the Southern plantations were piled hundreds of thousands of bales of cotton worth its weight in gold in Manchester and Birmingham, where the great mills were shutting down, and their operatives starving, for lack of America's greatest staple. And in England were stores of medicines, woolen goods, salt, and munitions of war, all salable for prodigious prices if once landed on Southern soil. Out of this situation sprung the business of running the blockade — an adventurous pursuit which throve mightily not- withstanding its perils. From the very first the Federal Government con- centrated its attention upon the blockade. It was no mere " paper blockade," made up of edicts and procla- mations without ships to enforce it. By the end of 1 86 1 there was not a port, inlet, or river's mouth south of the Potomac not guarded by two or three armed vessels of the United States. Nor were they a menace only — they did things. At the end of 1863 the Secretary of the Navy reported, one thousand and forty- five vessels captured, classified as follows: schooners, five hundred and forty-seven; steamers, one hundred and seventy-nine; sloops, one hundred and seventeen; brigs, thirty; barks, twenty-six; ships, fifteen; yachts and boats, one hundred and seventeen. Nevertheless, 313 314 STORY OF OUR NAVY the trade prospered; swift steamers were built especially for it, fortunes were made by the owners of the ships, and even by their sailors. One thousand dollars for the ordinary sailor, and eight or nine thou- sand for a captain, was no unusual return for one brief voyage. When the business was systematized by the early part of '62 the method was to send great cargoes of merchandise from J^ngland to Nassau or Matamoras — neutral ports, so that thus far the goods were exempt from capture. Thence they were shipped through the lines into the Confederacy, in danger of confiscation every moment they were afloat. Matamoras was well suited for a blockade-runners' rendezvous. It is on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River, about forty miles above its mouth. Goods once landed could be shipped in barges and lighters across the river in abso- lute safety, since heavy batteries prevented the cruisers of the gulf-squadron from entering the river. As a result of this trade, Matamoras became a thriving place. Hundreds of vessels lay in its harbor, where now it is unusual to see five at a time. For four years its streets were crowded with heavy freight vans, while stores and hotels reaped a rich harvest from the sailors of the vessels engaged in the contraband traflic. Now it is as quiet and sleepy a little town as can be found in all the drowsy land of Mexico. But Nassau was the prime favorite of the blockade- runners. Under protection of the British flag, five hundred miles from Charleston, and but little further from Wilmington, with a harbor well suited for merchantmen, but surrounding waters too shallow for heavy men-of-war, it soon became the chief centre of the illicit trade. Early in the war the Confederates established a consulate in the little town, and the Stars and Stripes FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 315 and the Stars and Bars waved within a few rods of each other. Then great shipping-houses of Liverpool sent over agents, and estabhshed branch houses. Great warehouses and wharves were built. Soon huge ocean ships and steamers began unloading their cargoes at these wharves. Then swift, rakish schooners began to drop into the harbor, and after discharging heavy loads of cotton would take on cargoes of English goods, and slip out at nightfall to begin the stealthy dash past the watching gunboats. As the war went on, and the profits of the trade increased with its dangers, a new style of craft began to appear in the little harbor. These were the Clyde built blockade-runners, on which the workmen of the Clyde shipyards had been labor- ing day and night to get them ready before the war should end. They were long, low, piratical looking craft, with two smoke-stacks raking aft, and with one or two masts for showing signals, for they never hoisted a sail. I'wo huge paddle-boxes towered above the deck amidships, the wheels being of enormous size. No structure of any kind encumbered the deck. Even the steersman stood unsheltered at the wheel in the bow. They were painted dark gray, and at night could slip unseen along the water with'm a stone's- throw of the most watchful lookout on a man-of-war. They burned great quantities of a kind of coal that gave out no smoke, and when steaming at night not a light was allowed on board. Sometimes returning agents of the Confederacy from Europe would make the run through the blockading-fleet; so that the block- ade-runners were seldom without two or three passen- gers, poor though their accommodations might be. For the voyage from Nassau to Wilmington, three hundred dollars passage money was charged, or more than fifty cents a mile. To guard against treachery, passage could only be obtained through the Confederate consul. 3i6 STORY OF OUR NAVY who carefully investigated the proofs of each appli- cant's identity before issuing to him a ticket. A sol- dier going to enlist in one of the Confederate cavalry regiments thus tells the story of his evasion of the blockade. *' After a favorable voyage we reached the desired point off Wilmington at the proper time. A brief stoppage was made, when soon the final preparations were completed for running the gauntlet of the Federal blockaders, who would become visible shortly, as we approached nearer shore. All the lights in the steamer were extinguished, and all passengers ordered below, only the officers and crew being permitted to remain on deck. The furnaces were replenished with care- fully selected coal, which would give the greatest amount of heat and the least smoke. The last orders were given, and every man was at his appointed place. Presently the boilers hissed, and the paddle-wheels be- gan to revolve faster and faster, as the fleet little steamer rose higher and higher in the water from the immense force of the rapid strokes; she actually felt like a horse gathering himself up under you for a great leap. After a little while, the few faint sounds from the deck which we could hitherto faintly catch in the cabin ceased altogether, and there was the still- ness of death except for the sounds necessarily made by the movements of the machinery. Then we real- ized that we were running for our lives past the line of cruisers, and that at any moment a big shell might come crashing through our cabin, disagreeably lighting up the darkness in which we were sitting. Our suspense was prolonged for some minutes longer, when the speed was slackened, and finally we stopped altogether. Even then we did not know whether we were safely through the lines, or whether we had been brought to under the guns of a hostile ship, for we could dis- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 317 tinguish nothing whatever through the portholes. However, we were soon released from the cabin, and walked on deck, to find ourselves safely through the blockade. In the offing could be descried several of the now harmless blockaders, and near at hand lay the coast of North Carolina. Soon the gray dawn was succeeded by a brilliant, lovely sunrise, which lighted up cheerfully the low-lying shores and earthworks brist- ling with artillery, while from a fort near by floated the Southern Cross, the symbol of the glorious cause for which we had come to fight." One of the most brilliant captures of the war was that of the blockade-runner " Young Republic," by the United States gunboat " Grand Gulf." The " Young Republic " succeeded in evading the watchfulness of the blockading-squadron about the mouth of the Cape Fear River, and under cover of the night ran in safely to the anchorage under the guns of the Confederate forts. The baffled blockaders saw her moving slowly up the river, while the cannon of the forts on either side thundered out salutes to the daring vessel that brought precious supplies to the Confederacy. But the blockading-squadron, though defeated for the time, de- termined to wait and catch her when she came out. Accordingly the " Grand Gulf," one of the fastest of the United States vessels, was stationed at the mouth of the river, with orders to watch for the " Young Republic." A week passed, and there was no sign of her. At last, one bright day, the lookout in the tops saw the mast and funnel of a steamer moving along above the forest which lined the river's bank. Soon the hull of the vessel came into view; and with a rattle of hawse-chains, her anchors were let fall, and she swung to beneath the protecting guns of the fort. It was clear that she was going to wait there until a dark or foggy night gave her a good chance to slip past 3i8 STORY OF OUR NAVY the gunboat that watched the river's mouth as a cat watches the mouth of a mouse-hole. With their marine glasses the officers on the gunboat could see the decks of the " Young Republic " piled high with brown bales of cotton, worth immense sums of money. They thought of the huge value of the prize, and the grand distribution of prize-money, and determined to use every effort to make a capture. Strategy was deter- mined upon, and it was decided to give the blockade- runner the chance to get out of the river that she was awaiting. Accordingly the gunboat steamed away up the coast a few miles, leaving the mouth of the river clear. When hidden by a projecting headland, she stopped and waited for the blockade-runner to come out. The stokers were kept hard at work making the great fires roar, until the steam-gauge showed the high- est pressure the boilers could bear. The sailors got out additional sails, clewed up cordage and rigging, and put the ship in order for a fast run. When enough time had elapsed, she steamed out to see if the " Young Republic" had taken the bait. Officers and crew crowded forward to catch the first sight around the headland. The great man-of-war sped through the water. The headland was rounded, and a cheer went up from the crowd of jackies; for there, in the offing, was the blockade-runner, gliding through the water like a dolphin, and steaming for dear life to Nassau. Then the chase began in earnest. The " Young Re- public " was one of those long, sharp steamers built on the Clyde expressly for running the blockade. Her crew knew that a long holiday in port, with plenty of money, would follow a successful cruise; and they worked untiringly to keep up the fires, and set every sail so that it would draw. On the cruiser the jackies saw visions of a prize worth a million and a half of dollars; and the thought of so much prize-money to FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 319 spend, or to send home, spurred them on. For several hours the chase seemed likely to be a long, stern one; but then the freshening wind filled the sails of the gunboat, and she began to overhaul the fugitive. When within a mile or two, she began firing great shells with her pivot-gun. Then the flying blockade-runner began to show signs of fear; and with a good glass the crew could be seen throwing over bale after bale of the precious cotton, to lighten the vessel. In the last thirty miles of the chase the sea was fairly covered with cotton-bales. More than three hundred were passed floating in the water; and the jackies gnashed their teeth, and growled gruffly, at the sight of so much wealth slipping through their fingers. On the high paddle-wheel box of the blockade-runner, the captain could be seen coolly directing his crew, and now and again turning to take a look through his glass at the pursuer. As the chase continued, the certainty of cap- ture became more and more evident. Then the fugi- tives began throwing overboard or destroying every- thing of value : furniture, silverware, chronometers, the fittings of the cabin, everything that could benefit their captors, the chagrined blockade-runners destroyed. The officers of the gunboat saw that if they wished to gain anything by their capture, they must make haste. At the risk of an explosion, more steam was crowded on; and the gunboat was soon alongside the "Young Republic," and in a position to give her an enormous broadside. The blockade-runner saw that he was caught and must submit. For lack of a white flag, a pil- low-case was run up to the masthead, and the beating of the great wheels stopped. The davits amidships of the " Grand Gulf " are swung out, and a boat's crew, with a lieutenant and dapper midshipman, climb in. A quick order, " Let fall there," and the boat drops into the water, and is headed for the prize. Another mo- 320 STORY OF OUR NAVY ment, and the Stars and Stripes supplant the pillow- case waving from the masthead of the " Young Re- public." An officer who went into the boiler-room found that the captured crew had planned to blow up the vessel by tying down the safety-valve, so that an enormous pressure of steam strained the boilers almost to bursting. A quick blow of a hatchet, and that danger was done away with. Then, with a prize- crew on board, the " Young Republic " started on her voyage to New York; while the "Grand Gulf" re- turned to Wilmington to hunt for fresh game. A curious capture was that of the British schooner " Francis," which was running between Nassau and the coast of Florida. On her last trip she was nearing the coast, when she fell in with a fishing-smack, and was warned that a Federal gunboat was not far away. Still she kept on her course until sundown, when the breeze went down, and she lay becalmed. The gun- boat had been steaming into inlets and lagoons all day, and had not sighted the schooner. When night came on, she steamed out into the open sea, within a quarter of a mile of the blockade-runner, and, putting out all lights, lay to for the night. Those on the schooner could see the gunboat, but the lookout on the cruiser did not see the blockade-runner. Soon a heavy fog came up, and entirely hid the vessels from each other. The blockade-runners could only hope that a breeze might spring up, and enable them to escape. But now a curious thing occurred. It almost seems as if two vessels on the ocean exercise a magnetic attraction for each other, so often do collisions occur where there seems room for all the navies of the world to pass in review. So it was this night. The anxious men on the schooner soon found that the two vessels were drift- ing together, and they were absolutely powerless to prevent it. At midnight, though they could see noth- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 321 ing, they could hear the men on the gunboat talking. Two hours after, the schooner nestled gently up by the side of the gunboat; and a slight jar gave its crew their first intimation that a prize was there, simply wait- ing to be taken. All they had to do was to climb over the railing. This was promptly done, and the dis- gusted blockade-runners were sent below as prisoners. Half an hour later came a breeze that would have carried them safely to port. Sometimes runners were captured through apparently the most trivial accidents. One ship, heavily laden with army supplies, and carrying a large number of passen- gers, was running through the blockading fleet, and seemed sure of escape. All lights were out, the pas- sengers were in the cabin, not a word was to be heard on deck, even the commands of the officers being de- livered in whispers. Suddenly a prolonged cock-crow rent the air, and, with the silence of everything sur- rounding, sounded like a clarion peal from a trumpet. The deck-hands rushed for a box of poultry on the deck, and dragged out bird after bird, wringing their necks. The true offender was almost the last to be caught, and avenged the deaths of his brothers by crowing vigorously all the time. The noise was enough to alarm the blockaders; and in a moment the hail, *' Surrender, or we'll blow you out of water! " brought the unlucky runner to a standstill, — a prisoner. The " Southern Cross " narrowly escaped capture on account of the stupidity of an Irish deck-hand, whose craving for tobacco proved too strong for his discretion. The ship was steaming slyly by two cruisers, and in the darkness would have escaped unseen, when the deck- hand, who had been without a smoke as long as he could stand it, lit a match and puffed away at his pipe. The tiny flame was enough for the cruisers, and they began a spirited cannonade. The " Southern 322 STORY OF OUR NAVY Cross " ran for her life. The shooting was guess- work, but the gunners on the cruisers showed all the proverbial Yankee skill at guessing. The first ball carried away the roof of the pilot-house, and the second ripped away the railing along the deck for thirty feet. But the captain was plucky, and made a run for it. He was forced to pass within a hundred feet of one of the cruisers; and as he saw the muzzles of the great guns bearing on his ships, he heard the command, *' Heave to, or I'll sink you." But he took his chances, and escaped with only the damage caused by a solid shot crashing through the hull. One of the strangest experiences of all was that of the captain of a blockade-runner putting in to Wilming- ton one bitter cold night, when the snow was blowing in clouds, and the fingers of the men at the wheel and the sailors on watch were frostbitten. The runner had reached the harbor safely; but there in channel lay a blockader in such a position that any ship coming in must pass within a hundred feet of her. The Con- federate had a light-draught vessel, and tried to squeeze through. When he passed the gunboat, only twelve feet of space separated the two vessels; and he saw a lookout, with his arms on the rail, looking right at the passing vessel. The Confederate expected an im- mediate alarm, but it did not come. Wondering at the cause, but happy in his luck, he sped on, and gained the harbor safely. Some days after, he learned that the lookout was a dead man, frozen at his post of duty. It will readily be understood that the inducements offered to blockade-runners must have been immense to persuade men to run such risks. The officers and sailors made money easily, and spent it royally when they reached Nassau. " I never expect to see such flush times again in my life," said a blockade-running FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 323 captain, speaking of Nassau. " Money was as plenti- ful as dirt, I have seen a man toss up a twenty-dollar gold piece on ' heads or tails,' and it would be followed by a score of the yellow boys in five seconds. There were times when the bank-vaults could not hold all the gold, and the coins were dumped down by the bushel, and guarded by soldiers. Men wagered, gambled, drank, and seemed crazy to get rid of their money. I once saw two captains bet five hundred dollars each on the length of a certain porch. Again I saw a wager of eight hundred dollars a side as to how many would be at the dinner-table of a certain hotel. The Confederates were paying the English big prices for goods, but multiplying the figures by five, seven, and ten as soon as the goods were landed in Charleston. Ten dollars invested in quinine in Nassau would bring from four hundred to six hundred dollars in Charleston. A pair of four-dollar boots would bring from fourteen to sixteen dollars; a two-dollar hat would bring eight dollars, and so on through all the list of goods brought in. Every successful captain might have made a for- tune in a year; but it is not believed that five out of the whole number had a thousand dollars on hand when the war closed. It was come easy, go easy." CHAPTER XIX The Trent Afifair — Narrow Escape from War with England — Gushing and His Exploits — Destruction of the " Albemarle " — Loss of the "Harriet Lane." During the course of the Civil War many incidents occurred, some semi-pohtical and others purely political, widely separated in point of time or place, and bearing no relation one to the other. But each had a dis- tinct influence on the progress of the war, and all may be most conveniently described together in a single chapter. Early in the war the rash, though well-intended act of a navy officer, Captain Wilkes, brought Great Britain to the very point of interference as an ally of the Confederate States — an event which would have made the ultimate triumph of the Northern arms more than doubtful. The Confederates always seeking rec- ognition abroad as a belligerent nation, which they never won, were sending to London two diplomatic en- voys, Messrs. Mason and Slidell. These gentlemen having reached Havana on a blockade runner, talked freely there about their mission while waiting for a British steamer. In the harbor was the United States man-of-war " San Jacinto," whose commander, Captain Wilkes, determined to board the British steamer and take from it by force the two envoys. Such an act was clearly a violation of international law, and an affront to the rights and dignity of the British flag. Nevertheless, the British mail steamer " Trent " was intercepted in the Bahama Channel by the United States warship which fired a blank cartridge as a signal to heave to. The commander of the " Trent " ran the 324 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 325 British flag to the peak, and continued, feehng secure under the emblem of neutraHty. Then came a more peremptory summons in the shape of a solid shot across the bows; and, as the incredulous captain of the " Trent " still continued his course, a six-inch shell was dropped within about one hundred feet of his vessel. Then he stopped. A boat put off from the " San Ja- cinto," and made for the " Trent." Up the side of the merchant-vessel clambered a spruce lieutenant, and demanded the immediate surrender of the two commis- sioners. The captain protested, pointed to the flag with the cross of St. George waving above his head, and invoked the power of her Britannic majesty, — all to no avail. The two commissioners had retired to their cabins, and refused to come out without being compelled by actual force. The boat was sent back to the " San Jacinto," and soon returned with a file of marines, who were drawn up with their muskets on the deck of the " Trent." Every British ship which carries mails carries a regularly commissioned officer of the navy, who is responsible for them. This officer on the " Trent " was somewhat of a martinet, and his protests at this violation of the rights of a neutral ves- sel were very vigorous. When the first gun was fired, he rushed below, and soon reappeared in all the re- splendent glory of gold lace and brass buttons which go to make up a naval uniform. He danced about the deck in an ecstasy of rage, and made the most fearful threats of the wrath of the British people. The pas- sengers too became excited, and protested loudly. Everything possible was done by the people of the *' Trent " to put themselves on record as formally pro- testing. Nevertheless, the commissioners were taken away, carried to New York, and from there sent into confinement at Fort Warren. When the news of this achievement became known, 326 STORY OF OUR NAVY Wilkes was made the lion of the hour. Unthinking people met and passed resolutions of commendation. He was tendered banquets by cities. He was elected a member of learned societies In all parts of the coun- try, and was generally eulogized. Even the Secretary of the Navy, who should have recognized the grave troubles likely to grow out of this violation of the principles of neutrality, wrote a letter to Captain Wilkes, warmly indorsing his course, and only regret- ting that he had not captured the steamer as well as the two commissioners. But fortunately we had wiser heads In the other executive departments of the government. President Lincoln and Secretary Seward quickly disavowed all responsibility for Wilkes's action. Letters were writ- ten to the United States minister In England, Charles Francis Adams, alluding to the proceeding as one for which Captain Wilkes as an Individual was alone re- sponsible. And well It was that this attitude was taken : for hardly had the news reached England, when with one voice the people cried for war. Sympathizing with the South as the governing classes undoubtedly did. It needed but this insult to the British flag to rouse the war spirit of the nation. Transports loaded with troops were immediately ordered to Canada ; the re- serves were called out; the ordnance factories were set running day and night; while the press of the nation, and the British minister at Washington, demanded the immediate release of the captives, and a full apology from the United States. The matter was conducted on this side with the utmost diplomacy. We were undoubtedly in the wrong, and the only thing was to come out with as little sacrifice of national dignity as possible. The long time necessary for letters to pass between this country and England was an Important factor In calming the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 327 people. Minister Adams said, that, had the Atlantic cable then been in operation, nothing could have pre- vented a war. In the end the demands of Great Britain were acceded to, and the commissioners pro- ceeded on their way. The last note of the diplomatic correspondence was a courteous letter from President Lincoln to the British minister, offering to allow the British troops en route for Canada to land at Port- land, Me., and thus avoid the long winter's march through New Brunswick. The peaceful settlement of the affair chagrined the Confederates not a little, as they had hoped to gain Great Britain as a powerful ally in their fight against the United States. The blockade and occupation of the North Carolina sounds, to which extended reference has already been made, developed early in the war a naval hero whose name became almost a household word. Debarred any very high rank because of his early death, the dash and recklessness of Lieutenant W. B. Cushing made him for a time the most talked of man in the navy. He entered the service when about nineteen years old, a tall, dark, slim, smooth-faced stripling. He must have distinguished himself early, for in 1862 he was in command of the steamer " Ellis " at New River Inlet. Here, to relieve the monotony of the blockade, he made frequent raids into the Confederate territory, usually seeking to find and destroy salt works, for the scarcity of salt due to the rigidity of the blockade was already one of the chief hardships of the Southern people. In one of these he lost his ship and narrowly escaped losing his crew as well. The " Ellis " had made a raid on Jacksonville, a little town thirty-five miles up a narrow stream, flowing through well-popu- lated Confederate territory. No salt works were found, but some arms were seized and a blockade-runner laden with cotton and turpentine burned. Another schooner 328 STORY OF OUR NAVY was seized, and with it in tow the " Ellis " started back. But now the neighboring Confederates were roused, sharpshooters lined the bank, and at one point a small battery opened fire, but the Confederates were quickly driven from their guns. A night was spent at anchor, lanterns flashing on shore, and signals showing that the enemy were preparing to " bag " the beleaguered Yan- kees in the morning. And that morning brought the crowning stroke of bad luck. Soon after daylight, the pilot, mistaking the chan- nel, ran the ship so solidly aground that there was clearly no hope of extricating her. All this time she had been towing one of the captured schooners; and Cushing, with quick decisiveness, ordered that every- thing should be removed from the " Ellis " to the schooner. This was quickly done, leaving nothing but the great pivot-gun aboard. But even when so greatly lightened, the ship would not float, and Cushing saw that all was lost. As a final expedient he sent a boat's crew back after the cannon that the enemy had abandoned the day before, intending to construct a land-battery with them, and so keep his ship. But the Confederates had already re- moved the guns, so this forlorn hope failed. Orders were then given for the crew to take the schooner, and drop down the river for a mile or two. The young captain expressed his intention of remaining aboard his craft, and asked for six volunteers to help him fight the pivot-gun. They were quickly found; and, while the remainder of the crew dropped down the river in the schooner, the devoted little band calmly awaited the beginning of the attack. They did not have long to wait. Soon a cannon boomed from the bank, and a heavy shell whizzed over their heads. Then an- other, from another direction, and a third, and a fourth, each from a distinct battery. They were hopeless odds, FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 329 yet Gushing and his command fought on until the gun- ners, getting the range, dropped shot after shot into the doomed vessel. Then fire broke out in three or four places. This was too much; and the seven dar- ing men took to a small boat, and rowed to the schooner. First, however, they loaded the long gun, and turned it on the enemy, in order, as Gushing said, " that she might fight for herself when we could do so no longer." Once in the schooner, they sailed rapidly down the river; and just as they reached the sound a deep boom announced that the fire had reached the magazine, and the " Ellis " was blown into a mil- lion pieces. Daring as this adventure was. Gushing was much distressed at its termination; and in his offi.- cial report he asks for a general court of inquiry, to determine whether he had properly upheld the honor of the nation's flag. But the crowning achievement of Gushing's career — his lesser adventures would fill a respectable volume — was in the late years of the war. Early in the spring of 1863 it became evident to the officers of the Union squadron in the sounds, that the Confederates were making arrangements to drive the Yankee ships from those waters, and to reopen the coasting-trade to the people of North Carolina. The chief source of alarm to the fleet was a heavy iron- clad which was reported to be building on the Roanoke River above Plymouth. Full descriptions of this vessel were in the hands of the Union officers; and they saw clearly that, should she be completed, no vessel of the sound squadron, nor perhaps the entire navy, would be able to do battle against her successfully. The river was too shallow for the war-vessels to go up to the point where the ram was being built, and the channel at Hatteras Inlet was not deep enough for iron-clads to be brought in to compete with the enemy when 330 STORY OF OUR NAVY finished. The naval authorities repeatedly urged the army to send an expedition to burn the boat; but Major- General Foster, in command of the department of North Carolina, declared it was of no importance, as the Confederates would never put it to any use. Time showed a very different state of affairs. In April, 1864, the ram was completed, and named the "Albe- marle," Her first work was to co-operate with ten thousand Confederate troops in the recapture of Ply- mouth, which was accomplished with very little diffi- culty. Lieutenant Flusser was at Plymouth with four small gunboats, and remained bravely at his post as he saw the powerful ram bearing down upon him. It was half-past three in the morning, and the chill, gray dawn was just breaking over the earth. Above the river hung a mist, through which the great body of the ram could be seen coming doggedly down to the conflict. The " Miami " and " Southfield " were lashed together; and, at the order of Commander Flus- ser, they started to meet the iron-clad, firing quickly and with good aim. The " Albemarle " came on si- lently, disdaining to fire a gun. With a crash she struck the " Miami " a glancing blow on the port-bow, gouging off two great planks. Sliding past the wounded craft, she plunged into the " Southfield," crushing completely through her side, so that she began to settle at once. The lashings between the gunboats parted, and the " Southfield " sank rapidly, carrying part of her crew with her. As the " Albemarle " crashed into the two vessels, she fired her bow-gun several times, killing and wounding many of the Union sailors, and killing Lieutenant Flusser. When she turned and made a second dash for the " Miami," the latter fled down the stream, knowing that to dare the power of the enemy was mere madness. The " Albemarle " steamed back to Plymouth, and by FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 331 her aid the town was easily recaptured by the Confed- erates. The squadron in the sounds was now in a state of the greatest anxiety. At any moment the impregnable monster might descend the river and destroy the frail wooden gunboats at her leisure. Preparations were made for a desperate battle when the time should come. Captains were instructed to bring their ships to close quarters with the enemy and to endeavor to throw pow- der or shells down her smoke-stack. Every possible means by which a wooden steamer might cope with an iron-clad was provided. On the 5th of May the ram put in an appearance, steaming down the river. Deliberately she approached within easy range, then let fly a shot at the " Matta- besett " which knocked her launch to pieces and wounded several men. The " Mattabesett " ran up to within one hundred and fifty yards of the " Albe- marle," and gave her a broadside of solid shot from nine-inch Dahlgrens and one-hundred-pounder rifles. When these shot struck a sloping place on the ram's armor, they glanced off. Those that struck full on t'he plating simply crumbled to pieces, leaving no dent to tell of the blow. One beautifully aimed shot struck the muzzle of one of the cannon on the ram and broke it. The gun was used throughout the fight, however, as the " Albemarle " carried but two and could not spare one of them. The " Sassacus " followed in line of battle. She delivered her broadside in passing. The ram rushed madly at her, but was evaded by good steering. Then the " Sassacus " in turn rushed at the ram at full speed, thinking to run her down. She struck amidships at right angles, and with the crash of the collision came a hundred-pound shot from the ram, that passed through the wooden ship from end to end. Still the engines of the " Sassacus " were kept 332 STORY OF OUR NAVY going, in the hope of pushing the " Albemarle " be- neath the water. The iron-clad careened slowly, the water washed over her after-deck; the crew of the " Sassacus," far out on the bow, tried vainly to drop shells and packages of powder down the ram's smoking chimneys. It was a moment of intense excitement. But the ram was too much for her assailant. Recover- ing from the shock of the collision, she slowly swung around until her bow-gun could be brought to bear on her tormenter, when she let fly a ponderous bolt. It crashed through the side of the steamer and plunged into her boiler. In an instant hot, scalding steam filled the engine-room and spread over the whole ship. Cries of agony arose on every side. Twenty-one of the crew were terribly scalded. Nothing remained but re- treat; and the "Sassacus" steamed away from her enemy, after making one of the bravest fights in naval history. In the meantime the other gunboats were pounding away at the ram. The " Miami " was try- ing in vain to get an opportunity to discharge a large torpedo. Two other vessels were spreading nets about the great ship, trying to foul the propeller. The action continued until dark, when the ram withdrew, uninjured and without losing a man. She had fought alone for three hours against six ships, and had seri- ously damaged every one of her adversaries. It must also be remembered that she carried but two guns. The " Albemarle " lay for a long time idle at her moorings in Roanoke River, feeling sure that at her own pleasure she could go into the sounds, and com- plete the destruction of the fleet. Lieutenant Gushing, then twenty-one years old, begged permission to attempt to destroy her. The authority was gladly granted by the navy department, and Gushing began making his plans for the adventure. His first plan was to take a squad of men, with two steam-launches, up the Roan- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 333 oke, and blow the ram up by means of a torpedo. The launches were sent from New York, but one was swamped while crossing Delaware Bay. Gushing, however, was not the man to be balked by an accident : so, cutting down his force one-half, he prepared for the start. Thirteen officers and men made up the little party which seemed bound to certain death. The spirit which animated the blue-jackets during the war may be imagined from the fact that many sailors tried to purchase the privilege of going on this perilous expedition, by offering their month's pay to those who had been selected. To understand what a forlorn hope the little boat-load of men were cherishing, we must understand what were the defences of the " Albe- marle." She lay at a broad wharf, on which was en- camped a large guard of soldiers as well as her crew. Above and below her, great fires were kept burning on the shores, to prevent any boat approaching unseen. She was surrounded by a boom, or " water-fence," of floating logs, about thirty feet from her hull, to keep off any torpedo-boats. From the mouth of the Roanoke to her moorings was about eight miles; the shores being lined on either side by pickets, and a large picket-station being established in mid-stream about one mile below Plymouth. To attempt to penetrate this network of defences seemed to be foolhardy. Yet Cushing's record for dash and courage, and his enthusiasm, inspired his com- rades with confidence; and they set out feeling certain of success. On the night of the 27th of October, the daring band, in their pygmy steamer, steamed rapidly up the river. No word was spoken aboard. The machinery was oiled until it ran noiselessly; and not a light shone from the little craft, save when the fur- nace-door was hastily opened to fire up. The Con- federate sentries on the bank saw nothing of the party ; 334 STORY OF OUR NAVY and, even when they passed the picket schooners near the wreck of the " Southfield," they were unchallenged, although they could see the schooners, and hear the voices of the men, not more than twenty yards away. Not until they came into the fitful glare of the firelight were they seen, and then quick hails came from the sentries on the wharf and the " Albemarle's " decks. But the light on the shore aided the adventurers by showing them the position of the ram. They dashed up alongside, amid a shower of bullets that seemed to fill the air. On the decks of the ram all was confusion, the alarm rattles were sprung, the bell rung violently. The launch running alongside came into contact with the row of logs, and sheered off to make a dash over it. Gushing, who on these dangerous expeditions was like a schoolboy on a holiday, answered with ridicule all hails. " Go ashore for your lives," " Surrender your- selves, or I shall sink you," he cried, as the gunners on the ram trained a heavy gun on the little launch. Now she was headed straight for the ram, and had a run of thirty yards before striking the boom. She reached, and dashed over. Gushing, standing in the stern, held in one hand the tiller ropes, in the other the lanyard of the torpedo. He looked up, saw the muzzle of a heavy gun trained directly on his boat : one convulsive pull of the rope, and with a roar the torpedo exploded under the hull of the " Albemarle," just as a hundred-pound shot crashed through the bot- tom of his boat. In a second the launch had dis- appeared; her crew were struggling in the waves, or lying dead beneath them, and the " Albemarle," with a mortal wound, was sinking to the bottom. Gushing swam to the middle of the river, and headed down stream. Most of his companions were killed, captured, or drowned. In the middle of the stream he met Woodman, who had followed him on previous FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 335 expeditions. Woodman was almost exhausted. Gush- ing supported him as long as he was able, but was forced to leave him, and the sailor sank to the bottom. The young lieutenant floated down the river until at last he reached the shore, exhausted and faint from a wound in his wrist. He lay half-covered with water in a swamp until daylight. While there he heard two Confederate officers who passed say that the " Albe- marle " was a total wreck. That news gave him new energy, and he set about getting safely away. Through the thick undergrowth of the swamp he crawled for some hours, until he found a negro who gave him shelter and food. Then he plunged again into the swamp, and walked on until he captured a skiff from a Rebel picket; and with this he safely reached the fleet, — the only one of the thirteen who set out two days before. While such individual exploits were being performed on the Atlantic Coast, the Gulf was the scene of some notable deeds of high daring by both Union and Con- federate sailors. One was done at Pensacola by sail- ors of the United States frigate " Colorado," which was blockading that port. From the decks of the ship officers with glasses could see a small schooner lying near the navy-yard, evidently being fitted out as a privateer. They determined to cut her out, or at least destroy her. It was not an adventure to be under- taken lightly. One thousand men were in the navy- yard ready to spring to the schooner's defence. A ten-inch columbiad and a twelve-pounder field piece were so mounted on the dock as to sweep her decks should an enemy gain them. Fort Pensacola not far distant was full of Confederate troops. Nevertheless, the Union officers determined upon the attempt. Accordingly, on the first dark night, four boats, con- taining one hundred officers, sailors, and marines, put 336 STORY OF OUR NAVY off from the side of the " Colorado," and headed for the town. All was done with the most perfect silence. The tholes of the oars were wrapped In cloth to deaden their rattle in the rowlocks. No lights were carried. Not a word was spoken after the officers in muffled tones had given the order, " Give way." Through the darkness of the night the heavy boats glide on. Every man aboard has his work laid out for him, and each knows what he is to do. While the main body are to be engaged in beating back the guards, some are to spike the guns, and others to fire the schooner in several places. When within a hundred yards of the schooner, they are discovered by the sentry. As his ringing hail comes over the water, the sailors make no reply, but bend to the oars, and the boats fairly leap toward the wharf. Bang! goes the sentry's rifle; and the men in the hold of the schooner come rushing up just as the two boats dash against her side, and the sailors spring like cats over the bulwarks. One man was found guarding the guns on the wharf, and was shot down. Little time is needed to spike the guns, and then those on the wharf turn in to help their com- rades on the schooner. Here the fighting is sharp and hand to hand. Nearly a hundred men are crowded on the deck, and deal pistol-shots and cutlass-blows right and left. Several of the crew of the schooner have climbed into the tops, and from that point of vantage pour down on the attacking party a murderous fire. Horrid yells go up from the enraged combatants, and the roar of the musketry is deafening. The crew of the schooner are forced backward, step by step, until at last they are driven off the vessel altogether, and stand on the wharf delivering a rapid fire. The men from the navy-yard are beginning to pour down to the wharf to take a hand in the fight. But now a column of smoke begins to arise from the open com- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 337 panionway; and the blue-jackets see that their work, is done, and tumble over the side into their boats. It is high time for them to leave, for the Confederates are on the wharf in overwhelming force. As they stand there, crowded together, the retiring sailors open on them with canister from two howitzers in the boats. Six rounds of this sort of firing sends the Confederates looking for shelter; and the sailors pull off through the darkness to their ship, there to watch the burning vessel, until, with a sudden burst of flame, she is blown to pieces. Considering the dashing nature of this exploit, the loss of life was wonderfully small. Lieutenant Blake, who commanded one of the boats, was saved by one of those strange accidents so common in war. As he was going over the side of the " Colorado," some one handed him a metal flask filled with brandy, to be used for the wounded. He dropped it into the lower pocket of his overcoat, but finding it uncomfortable there, changed it to the side pocket of his coat, immediately over his heart. When the boats touched the side of the schooner, Blake was one of the first to spring into the chains and clamber aboard. Just as he was spring- ing over the gunwale, a Confederate sailor pointed a pistol at his heart, and fired it just as Blake cut him down with a savage cutlass-stroke. The bullet sped true to its mark, but struck the flask, and had just enough force to perforate it, without doing any injury to the lieutenant. A Gulf city that had been in the hands of the Union forces since the early days of the war was Galveston, Texas. The people of the town and of the surround- ing country were strong secessionists, and the three regiments of infantry stationed there would have been quite inadequate to hold the town had it not been for the three gunboats anchored in the harbor, whose big 338 STORY OF OUR NAVY guns had a quieting effect on the discontented citizens. But it had long been rumored that a determined effort would be made to destroy or drive away the ships and retake Galveston for the Confederacy. Accordingly, when, on January i, 1863, the lookout on the "Har- riet Lane," one of the Union ships, saw a black cloud of smoke coming down the river he instantly suspected an attack and gave the alarm. In a moment the roll of the drums made the sailors below spring from their hammocks, and, hastily throw- ing on their clothes, rush on deck. The drums beat to quarters, and the crew were soon at their guns. Over the water came the roll of the drums from the other ships, and from the troops on shore, now all aroused and in arms. For thirty hours the Federals had been expecting this attack, and now they were fully pre- pared for it. The attacking vessels came nearer, and the men on the Union ships strained their eyes to see by the faint starlight what manner of craft they had to meet. They proved to be two large river-steamships, piled high with cotton-bales, crowded with armed men, and pro- vided with a few field pieces. Clearly they were only dangerous at close quarters, and the " Lane " at once began a rapid fire to beat them back. But the bad light spoiled her gunners' aim, and she determined to rush upon the enemy, and run him down. The Con- federate captain managed his helm skilfully, and the " Lane " struck only a glancing blow. Then, in her turn, the " Lane " was rammed by the Confederate steamer, which plunged into her with a crash and a shock which seemed almost to lift the ships out of water. The two vessels drifted apart, the " Lane " hardly injured, but the Confederate with a gaping wound in his bow which sent him to the bottom in fifteen minutes. But now the other Confederate came FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 339 bearing down under a full head of steam, and crashed into the " Lane." Evidently the Confederates wanted to fight in the old style; for they threw out grappling- irons, lashed the two ships side to side, and began pour- ing on to the deck of the Federal ship for a hand-to- hand conflict. Cries of anger and pain, pistol-shots, cutlass blows, and occasional roars from the howitzers rose on the night air, and were answered by the sounds of battle from the shore, where the Confederates had attacked the slender Union garrison. The sinking steamer took up a position near the " Lane," and poured broadside after broadside upon the struggling Union ship. But where were the other three Union vessels all this time? It seemed as though their com- manders had lost all their coolness; for they ran their vessels here and there, now trying to do something to help their friends on shore, now making an ineffectual attempt to aid the " Harriet Lane." But on board that vessel matters were going badly for the Federals. The Confederates in great numbers kept pouring over the bulwarks, and were rapidly driving the crew from the deck. Captain Wainwright lay dead at the door of the cabin. Across his body stood his young son, his eyes blazing, his hair waving in the wind. He held in his right hand a huge revolver, which he was firing without aim into the tossing mass of struggling men before him, while he called on his dead father to rise and help him. A stray bullet cut off two of his fingers, and the pain was too much for the little hero only ten years old; and, dropping the pistol, he burst into tears, crying, " Do you want to kill me?" The blue-jackets began to look anxiously for help toward the other vessels. But, even while they looked, they saw all hope of help cut oft; for with a crash and a burst of flame the " Westfield " blew up. It turned out later, that, finding his ship aground, the captain of the 340 STORY OF OUR NAVY " Westfield " had determined to abandon her, and fire the magazine; but in fixing his train he made a fatal error, and the ship blew up, hurling captain and crew into the air. The men on the " Harriet Lane " saw that all hope was gone, and surrendered their ship. When the captains of the two remaining gunboats saw the Stars and Stripes fall from the peak, they turned their vessels' prows toward the sea, and scudded out of danger of capture. At the same moment, cheers from the gray-coats on shore told that the Confederates had been successful both by land and sea, and the Stars and Bars once more floated over Galveston. CHAPTER XX On Inland Waters — The River Gunboats — U. S. Grant at Belmont — Capture of Forts Henry and Donelson — Northern Line of the Confederacy Broken — Stubborn Defense of Island No. lo — A New Channel for the Mighty River — Running the Gauntlet. No more effective service was rendered by the United States navy than on the inland rivers, and the gallantry and dash of the Southern people was nowhere more strikingly shown than on those great waterways which they had come to look upon as peculiarly their own. In the Eastern States the rivers were usually a hindrance to the progress of the Northern arms, for flowing as they do from west to east, they had to be crossed by the armies making southward. But in the West the rolling Mississippi furnished a royal pathway for the Union troops in their invasion of Southern terri- tory, while such of its tributaries as the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Red Rivers afforded opportunity to take troops expeditiously into the heart of the Con- federacy, and to keep them supplied with munitions of war. The Confederates were not blind to the peril involved in the topography of their country, and had early begun the fortification of their rivers. The Union naval and military base was at Cairo, Illinois, situated at the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. South of that point every river was lined with Confederate batteries, supported by gunboats, for only on the inland waters did the Confederate naval force in any way compare with that of the Union. At the mouth of the Mississippi, Forts Jackson and St. Philip long held back the wistful blue-jackets eager to steam up to the rich prize, New Orleans. Thousands of 341 342 STORY OF OUR NAVY miles to the northward, almost at the line of the Ohio River, were heavy batteries at Columbus and at Bel- mont on the western side of the river. Further down was Island No. lo, in the centre of the rushing, turbid flood, where some of the most powerful defensive works then known to military science had been erected. The Cumberland River was guarded by Fort Donelson; the Tennessee by Fort Henry. Fort Pillow frowned above the city of Memphis. The works at Vicksburg equalled those with which Sebastopol so long defied the allied armies of Europe. All the way from Cairo to New Orleans were batteries, earthworks, and watchful gunboats. Naturally, the first task of the navy authorities was the creation of a fleet. Its beginnings were small, but before the end of the war no less than one hundred Union gunboats floated on the Mississippi and its tribu- taries. At first they were mere remodelled river steam- ers, flimsy, unarmored, with bulwarks that would hardly stop a rifle bullet. But early in July, 1861, contracts for seven iron-clad gunboats were let to James B. Eads, the distinguished engineer, who later built the jetties at the mouth of the Mississippi and the great bridge at St. Louis. The craft were to carry fifteen guns; to be protected by two and one-half-inch iron plating and draw not more than six feet of water. All were to be completed within sixty-five days. It was no light task, but was completed in time. Squat, ugly, dark within and dismal without, the vessels seemed to look the part they had to play — that of malign mon- sters breathing forth smoke and flame and spreading destruction and death over land and water. The first service of the inland navy after a few in- significant skirmishes was a useful, if not particularly notable one. A small force of Union troops under General U. S. Grant, then unknown to fame, made a FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 343 river expedition from Cairo to destroy the Confederate battery at Belmont, on the Missouri side of the river. The enemy's camp was not fortified, and was speedily in the hands of the assailants, who begun its destruction and disarmament. But the commotion attracted the attention of the commander of the heavier Confederate works across the river, who at once turned his guns on the victors. They were quickly thrown Into confusion, and the Confederates who had fled in the first surprise reformed and made a determined attempt to recapture their battery and prevent the escape of Grant's force. But now came the turn of the gunboats. Their shells and shrapnel ploughed through the lines of the enemy, while the rifles and light field artillery of the foe had no effect on the iron plating of the vessels. Under cover of this fire the Union troops retreated to their transports and were soon safe In Cairo. A disaster that would have discouraged the Western forces in the very first days of the war was averted. In surveying the work of the navy on inland waters It must be kept in mind that it was almost Invariably conducted In connection with the army. The gun- boats were reducing batteries that transports might pass safely; engaging forts while a land attack was in prog- ress, or keeping rivers open that the distributing of rations and munitions of war might be uninterrupted. The work of the armies is a long story in itself, and must be Ignored here, except in so far as reference to it is necessary to make Intelligible the work of the men afloat. In February, 1862, General Grant determined to strike the first blow for the opening of the Confederacy by capturing, or destroying. Fort Henry on the Ten- nessee River. The moment was propitious. The earthworks forming the fort had been planned on a formidable scale, but were only half completed and 344 STORY OF OUR NAVY less than half armed. At many points It was wide open to artillery fire from the river or from the oppo- site bank. Grant's plan Involved a frontal attack from the river by Commodore A. H. Foote and seven gun- boats, four armored, while the troops should be landed below the fort and attack It from the rear. Foote on hearing the plan quietly remarked that the fort would surrender to his guns before the troops could reach It, which proved to be the case. General Tllghman, in command of the defenders realized the hopelessness of his situation when he heard of the Federal advance and sent four-fifths of his garrison across country to Fort Donelson, desiring to expose as few men as possible to the risk of capture. At daybreak on a chill February morning the Union troops took up their march through the dripping woods, while the gunboats cast off and steamed up the river. The four Iron-clads led, steaming abreast. About a mile in the rear, came the three wooden vessels. The fort was soon in range; but both parties seemed anxious for a determined conflict, and no shot was fired on either side as the gunboats came sullenly on. How different must have been the feelings of the two com- batants! Tilghman, with his handful of men, hardly able to work eight of the eleven guns mounted in his fort, and knowing that his defeat was a mere question of time; Foote, with his iron-clads and supporting gun- boats, his seventy-two guns, and his knowledge that six thousand men were marching upon the rear of the Confederate works. On the one side, all was absolute certainty of defeat; on the other, calm confidence of victory. When the flotilla was within a third of a mile of the fort, the fire began. The gunners on the ships could see the muzzles of the Confederate guns, the piles of shells and cannon-balls, and the men at their r '^ Z rt « £ < PQ s o FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 345 work. The firing on both sides was deliberate and deadly. The Confederates were new to the work, but they proved themselves good marksmen. The first shot was fired from the shore, and, missing the " Essex " by but a few feet, plumped into the water, so near the next ship in line as to throw water over her decks. Within five minutes, the " Essex " and the " Cincin- nati " were both hit. The armor of the gunboats proved no match for the shots of the Confederates, and in many cases it was penetrated. In some in- stances, shells, entering through the portholes, did deadly damage. On the shore, the shells from the gunboats were doing terrible work. Banks of solid earth, eight feet thick, were blown away by the explosions. One, burst- ing in front of a ten-inch columbiad, filled that power- ful gun with mud almost to the muzzle, disabling it for the remainder of the fight. A shot from the "Essex" struck the muzzle of a great gun, ripped off a splinter of iron three feet long, and crushed a gun- ner to pulp. The gun was just about to be fired, and burst, killing or wounding every man of the crew. At the same moment a shell crashed through the side of the "Essex," killing men right and left: took off the head of a sailor standing by Captain Porter, wounded the captain, and plunged into the boiler. In an instant the ship was filled with scalding steam. The men in the pilot-house were suffocated. Twenty men and ofli- cers were killed or scalded. The ship was disabled, and drifted out of the fight. While withdrawing, she received two more shots, making twenty in all that had fallen to her share in this hot engagement. But by this time the fort was very thoroughly knocked to pieces. The big twenty-four-pounder was dismounted, and five of its crew killed. Gun after gun was keeled over, and man after man carried bleeding to the bomb- 346 STORY OF OUR NAVY proofs, until General Tilghman himself dropped coat and sword, and pulled away at a gun by the side of his soldiers. Receiving ten shots while they could only fire one, this little band held out for two long hours; and only when the crew of the last remaining piece threw themselves exhausted on the ground, did the flag come fluttering down. General Tilghman went to the fleet and surrendered the fort to Commodore Foote, and Grant's army came up more than an hour after the battle was over. To the navy belongs the honor of taking Fort Henry, while to General Tilghman and his plucky soldiers belongs the honor of making one of the most desperate fights under the most unfavor- able circumstances recorded in the history of the Civil War. The fall of Fort Henry opened the way for the Union advance to Fort Donelson, and marked the first step of the United States Government toward regain- ing control of the Mississippi. It broke the northern battle-line of the Confederacy, and never again was that line re-established. Within a few hours after the fall of Fort Henry three of Foote's gunboats were steaming up the Ten- nessee to examine the surrounding country. A rail- road bridge with shattered draw delayed them for a time, but was finally passed by the " Conestoga " and " Lexington," Their advance spread panic among the Confederates. Two steamers loaded with munitions of war were deserted by their crews and burned. An almost completed iron-clad ram, the " Eastport," was captured and made part of the Union fleet, and great quantities of lumber and ship-timber were seized. When the head of navigation was reached the invaders put about and returned to Cairo, to find Grant and Foote about ready to proceed against Fort Donelson. This fortification was one strongly relied upon by the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 347 Confederates for the maintenance of their northern line of battle. It was on the bank of the Cumberland River, nearly opposite the site of Fort Henry on the Tennessee, A garrison of at least fifteen thousand men manned the works, and were commanded by no less than three generals; and the fact that there were three generals in command had much to do with the fall of the fort. Its strength was rather on its river-front. Here the river winds about between abrupt hillsides, and on the front of one of these hills stood Fort Donel- son. The water-batteries were made up of heavy guns, so mounted as to command the river for miles. On the landward side were heavy earthworks, abatis, and sharp pointed chevaux-de-frise. Against this fortress Grant led an army of eighteen thousand men, and Foote directed his flotilla of gun- boats. But the honors this time were destined to fall to the army, the riverside batteries of the fort proving impregnable. It was the 13th of April when the gun- boat " Carondelet " opened the attack. This vessel had reached the scene of action before the rest of the flotilla, and by order of the army commander tested the strength of the fort by a day's cannonade. She stationed herself about a mile from the batteries, at a spot where she would be somewhat protected by a jutting point, and began a deliberate cannonade with her bow-guns. One hundred and thirty shots went whizzing from her batteries against the front of the Confederate batteries, without doing any serious dam- age. Then came an iron ball weighing one hundred and twenty pounds, fired from a heavy gun, which burst through one of her portholes, and scattered men bleeding and mangled in every direction over the gun- deck. She withdrew a short distance for repairs, but soon returned, and continued the fire the remainder of the day. When evening fell, she had sent one hun- 348 STORY OF OUR NAVY dred and eighty shells at the fort, with the result of killing one man. This was not promising. The next day the attack was taken up by all the gunboats. The distance chosen this time was four hundred yards, and the fight was kept up most stub- bornly. It was St. Valentine's Day; and as the swarthy sailors, stripped to the waist, begrimed with powder, and stained with blood, rammed huge iron balls down the muzzles of the guns, they said with grim pleasantry, " There's a valentine for the gray-coats." And right speedily did the gray-coats return the gift. Shot and shell from the batteries came in volleys against the sides of the gunboats. In the fort the condition of affairs was not serious. The shells chiefly fell in the soft earth of the hilltop above, and embedded themselves harmlessly in the mud. One of the gunners after the fight said: "We were more bothered by flying mud than anything else. A shell bursting up there would throw out great clots of clay, that blocked up the touch-holes of our guns, spoiled the priming of our shells, and plastered up the faces of our men. Of course, now and then a bit of shell would knock some poor fellow over; but, though we were all green hands at war, we expected to see lots more blood and carnage than the Yankee gunboats dealt out to us." The gunboats, however, had put themselves in a hot place. Twenty heavy guns on the hillside high above were hurling solid shot down on the little fleet. The sailors stuck to their work well ; and though the vessels were in a fair way of being riddled, they succeeded in driving the enemy from his lower battery. But the upper battery was impregnable; and the gunners there, having got the correct range, were shooting with un- pleasant precision. Two of the vessels were disabled by being struck in the steering-chains. On the " Caron- delet " a piece burst, hurling its crew bleeding on the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 349 deck. No vessel escaped with less than twenty wounds, while the flagship was hit fifty-nine times. Commodore Foote was wounded in the foot by a heavy spHnter; a wound from which he never fully recovered, and which for some years debarred him from service afloat. That afternoon's bombardment showed clearly that Fort Donelson could never be taken by the navy. When Foote ordered his gunboats to cease firing and drop back out of position, the Confederates swarmed back into the lower battery that they had abandoned; and, after a few hours' work, the fort was as strong as before the fight. The fort surrendered two days later because its close investment by the Union army made its subjection to starvation only a matter of brief time. Thus far the work of driving southward the Con- federate line of defence had proceeded with hardly a check. The next enterprise, however, went less smoothly. Some sixty miles below Cairo the rushing tawny current of the mighty Mississippi turns suddenly northward, sweeping back, apparently, toward its source, in a great bend eight or ten miles long. At the point where the swift current sweeps around the bend was then a low-lying island, about a mile long and half a mile wide. This is known as Island No. 10; and at the opening of the war it was supposed to hold the key to the navigation of the Mississippi River. Here the Confederates had thrown up powerful earth- works, the heavy guns in which effectually commanded the river, both up and down stream. The works were protected against a land bombardment by the fact that the only tenable bit of land. New Madrid, was held by Confederate troops. The Missouri shore is low and swampy. In 1 8 1 1 an earthquake-shock rent the land asunder. Great tracts were sunk beneath the water-level of the river. Trees were thrown down, 350 STORY OF OUR NAVY and lie rotting in the black and miasmatic water. Other portions of the land were thrown up, rugged, and cov- ered with rank vegetation, making hills that serve only as places of refuge for water-moccasons and other noxious reptiles. Around this dreary waste of mud and water, the river rushes in an abrupt bend, making a peninsula ten miles long and three wide. Below this peninsula is New Madrid, a little village in the least settled part of Missouri; here the Confederates had established an army-post, and thrown up strong intrenchments. It was not, however, upon the intrench- ments that they relied, but rather upon the impassable morasses by which they were surrounded on every side. In New Madrid were posted five or six thousand men; a small fleet of Confederate gunboats lay in the stream off the village; and higher up the river was Island No. lo, with its frowning bastions and rows of heavy siege-guns, prepared to beat back all advances of the Union troops. In planning for the attack of this stronghold, the first difficulty found by Commodore Foote lay in the fact that his gunboats were above the batteries. In fighting down stream in that manner, the ships must be kept at long range: for, should a shot from the enemy injure the engine or boiler of a gunboat, the vessel is doomed; the rapid current will rush her down under the enemy's guns, and her capture is certain. But the peril of running the batteries so as to carry on the fight from below seemed too great to be ventured upon; and besides, even with Island No. lo passed, there would still be the batteries of New Madrid to cope with, and the gunboats of the Confederates to take the ships in the rear. So it was determined that the navy should begin a bombardment of the Con- federate works, while the army under General Pope should attend to New Madrid. Accordingly, on FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 351 March 15, the whiz of a rifled shell from the flagship " Benton " announced to the Confederates that the North wanted the Mississippi opened for travel. In this engagement use was made for the first time of a new style of vessel known as mortar-boats, which in later conflicts on the rivers did great service. These boats were simple floats, heavily built, and calculated to stand the most terrible shocks. On the float was raised a sort of sheet-iron fort or wall, about five feet high; and in the centre stood one thirteen-inch mortar. The mortar is the earliest of all forms of cannon, and was in use in Europe in 1435. Its name is derived from its resemblance to an ordinary druggist's mortar. The great thirteen-inch mortars used in the Civil War weighed seventeen thousand pounds, and threw a shell thirteen inches in diameter. These shells were so heavy that it took two men to bring them up to the cannon's mouth. In the river-service, the mortar-boats were moored to the bank, and a derrick was set up in such a position that the shells could be hoisted up, and let fall into the yawning iron pot below. Foote had fourteen of these monsters pounding away at the Confederates, and the roar was deafening. A correspondent of the Chicago Times, who was with the fleet at the time of the bombardment, thus describes the manner of using these immense cannon: " The operation of firing the mortars, which was con- ducted when we were near by, is rather stunning. The charge is from fifteen to twenty-two pounds. The shell weighs two hundred and thirty pounds. For a familiar illustration, it is about the size of a large soup-plate. So your readers may imagine, when they sit down to dinner, the emotions they would experience if they happened to see a ball of iron of those dimensions com- ing toward them at the rate of a thousand miles a minute. The boat is moored alongside the shore, so 352 STORY OF OUR NAVY as to withstand the shock firmly, and the men go ashore when the mortar is fired. A pull of the string does the work, and the whole vicinity is shaken with the con- cussion. The report is deafening, and the most en- thusiastic person gets enough of it with two or three discharges. There is no sound from the shell at this point of observation, and no indication to mark the course it is taking; but in a few seconds the attentive observer with a good glass will see the cloud of smoke that follows its explosion, and then the report comes back with a dull boom. If it has done execution, the enemy may be seen carrying off their killed and wounded." And so from mortar-boats and gunboats, the iron hail was poured upon the little island, but without effect. When Foote with his flotilla first opened fire, he thought that the Confederate works would be swept away in a day or two. His ordnance was the heaviest ever seen on the Mississippi, and in number his guns were enough to have battered down a mountain. But his days grew to weeks, and still the flag of the Confed- eracy floated above Island No. lo. General Beau- regard telegraphed to Richmond, that the Yankees had " thrown three thousand shells, and burned fifty tons of gunpowder," without injuring his batteries in the least. Some strange freaks are recorded of the shells. One fell on a cannon, around which eight or ten men were lying. The gun-carriage was blown to pieces, but not a man was hurt. Another fell full on the head of a man who was walking about distributing rations, and not so much as a button from his uniform was ever found. Meantime, the army had marched around Island No. lO, fallen upon New Madrid, and captured it. Then the situation seemed like a deadlock. The character FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 353 of the country prevented any military attack on the island. Foote's bombardment was doing no serious damage, and that officer thought the batteries too strong for a dash past them by the fleet to be risked. Then the device was suggested of cutting a canal across the peninsula so that the transports and lighter vessels might be taken below the island without braving its fire. With incredible labor the project was accom- plished. A channel forty feet wide must be made. First gangs of men with axes and saws, working in three feet of water, went ahead, cutting down the rank vegetation. As fast as a little space was cleared, a small steamer went in, and with dredge and steam- capstan hauled out the obstructions. In some places the surveyed channel was so filled with driftwood, fallen trees, and tangled roots, that the labor of a thou- sand men for a day seemed to make no impression. When the canal was pretty well blocked out, the levee was cut; and the rush of the waters from the great river undermined trees, and piled up new obstacles for the steamers to tow away. Amid the foulest vapors the men worked, and more than a thousand were sent to the hospital with chills and fever, and rheumatism. The most venomous snakes lurked in the dark recesses of the swamp; on cypress-stumps or floating logs the deadly water-moccason lay stretched out, ready to bite without warning. Wherever there was a bit of dry ground, the workers were sure to hear the rattle of the rattlesnake. Sometimes whole nests of these reptiles would be uncovered. The work was continued day and night. When the failing daylight ceased to make its way through the thickly Intwined branches of trees and climbing vines, great torches would be lighted, and by their fitful glare the soldiers and sailors worked on in the water and mud. The light glared from the furnaces of the steam- 354 STORY OF OUR NAVY ers, lighting up the half-naked forms of the stokers. Now and then some dry vine or tree would catch a spark from a torch, and in an instant would be trans- formed into a pillar of fire. After eight days of work the canal was finished. The work done, and such vessels as the canal would accommodate dispatched through it, Foote began preparations to run the batteries. First, he tried to cripple them as much as possible. A party of one hundred men was landed from boats under cover of darkness and began the work of spiking the guns. Quickly discovered, they were speedily driven off after doing slight damage. The next day the " Carondelet " was made ready to dash past the batteries at night to determine if the trip was practicable. All day the sailors on the " Carondelet " had been working busily, getting their vessel in trim for the trip. Heavy planks were laid along the deck, to ward off plunging shot. Chain cables were coiled about all weak points, cord-wood was piled around the boilers, and the pilot-house was wrapped round and about with heavy hawsers. On the side toward the battery was tied a large barge, piled high with cotton-bales. When the time for starting drew nigh, all lights were ex- tinguished. The guns were run in, and the ports closed. The sailors, heavily armed, were sent to their stations. Muskets, revolvers, and sabres were in the racks. Down in the boiler-room the stokers were throwing coal upon the roaring fires; and in the engine- room the engineer stood with his hand on the throttle, waiting for the signal to get under way. Towards eleven o'clock the time seemed propitious for starting. The storm was at its height, and the roll of the thunder would drown the beat of the steam- er's paddles. The word was given; and the " Caron- delet," with her two protecting barges, passed out of FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 355 sight of the flotilla, and down towards the cannon of the enemy. For the first half-mile all went well. The vessel sped along silently and unseen. The men on the gun-deck, unable to see about, sat breathlessly, expecting that at any moment a cannon-ball might come crashing through the side into their midst. Suddenly from the towering smoke-stacks, burst out sheets of flame five feet high, caused by the burning soot inside, and lighting up the river all about. Quickly extin- guished, they quickly broke out again; and now from the camp of the alarmed enemy came the roll of the drum, and the ringing notes of the bugle sounding the alarm. A gunboat was bearing down on the works, and the Confederates sprang to their guns with a will. The men on the " Carondelet " knew what to expect, and soon it came. Five signal rockets rushed up into the sky, and in an instant thereafter came the roar of a great gun from one of the batteries. Then all joined in, and the din became terrible. With volley after volley the Confederates hurled cannon-balls, shells, mus- ket, and even pistol-bullets at the flying ship, that could only be seen an instant at a time by the fitful flashes of the lightning. On the " Carondelet " all was still as death. The men knew the deadly peril they were in, and realized how impossible it was for them to make any fight. In the black night, threading the crooked and ever-changing channel of the Mississippi River, it was impossible to go more than half-speed. In the bow men were stationed casting the lead, and calling out the soundings to the brave old Captain Hoel, who stood on the upper deck unprotected from the storm of bullets, and repeated the soundings to Captain Walker. So through the darkness, through the storm of shot and shell, the " Carondelet " kept on her way. Past the land-batteries, past the rows of cannon on the island, and past the formidable floating battery, she 356 STORY OF OUR NAVY swept uninjured. Heavy and continuous as was the fire of the Confederates, it was mainly without aim. The hay-barge was hit three times, but not a scar was on the gunboat when she stopped before the water- front of New Madrid after twenty minutes' run through that dreadful fire. To eager listeners far up the river the measured boom of six great guns from the triumphant ship bore the news of success. It was the death-knell of the power of Island No. lo. The next night another gunboat came down, and the two set to work carrying the troops across the river, protecting artillerymen engaged in erecting bat- teries, and generally completing the investment of the island. In two days every loophole of escape for the Confederates is closed, — gunboats above and below them, batteries peering down from every bluff, and regiments of infantry, all prepared to move upon the works. They made one or two ineffectual but plucky attempts to ward off capture. One private soldier swam ashore, skulked past the Union pickets, and made his way to one of the Union mortar-boats. He suc- ceeded in getting to the mortar, and successfully spiked it, thus terminating its usefulness. A second Con- federate succeeded in reaching the deck of the mortar- boat, but while making his way across the deck tripped and fell. The rat-tail file he was carrying was driven into his side, making a wound from which he died in two hours. A third man, reckless of life, set out in a canoe to blow up a gunboat. He carried with him a fifty-pound keg of gunpowder, which he pro- posed to strap on the rudder-post of the vessel. He succeeded in getting under the stern of the vessel; but the gleam of his lighted match alarmed the sentry, who fired, hitting him in the shoulder. The Con- federate went overboard, and managed to get ashore; FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 357 while his keg of powder, with the fuse lighted, went drifting down stream. Soon It exploded, throwing up an immense column of water, and showing that it would have sent the stoutest vessel to the bottom had It been properly placed. But such struggles as these could not long avert the Impending disaster. The Confederates were hemmed In on every side. It was true that they had a strong position, and could make a desperate resistance; but they were separated from their friends, and their final downfall was but a question of time. Appreciating this fact, they surrendered two days after the " Caron- delet " had passed the batteries; and Foote made his second step (this time one of sixty miles) toward the conquest of the Mississippi. To-day nothing remains of the once extensive island, save a small sandbank In the middle of the great river. The rushing current of the Father of Waters has done its work, and Island No. 10 is now a mere tradition. CHAPTER XXI The Expedition to Port Royal — The First Great Ironclad — How the " Merrimac " Changed Naval Architecture — Destruction of the " Congress " and the " Cumberland " — Timely Arrival of the " Monitor " — End of the " Merrimac." Before taking up in detail the story of the work of the navy on the Gulf Coast and the great rivers of the Mississippi River — the one place where the Confed- erates had at all an adequate force to cope with their assailants — the narrative of the events of the first two years of the war on the Atlantic seaboard may properly be concluded. Shortly after the capture of the Hatteras Forts, the navy, department saw the need of a harbor and base of naval operations farther south. Charleston, with its powerful defences, was deemed impregnable at that time; and elaborate descriptions of the Southern coast were prepared, setting forth the advantages and dis- advantages of available Southern ports. Port Royal is the general name given to a broad body of water formed by the confluence of the Broad and Beaufort Rivers, and opening into the Atlantic Ocean on the South Carolina coast, about midway between Charles- ton and Savannah. No more beautiful region is to be found in the world. Far enough south to escape the rigors of the Northern winters, and far enough north to be free from the enervating heat of the tropics; honeycombed by broad, salt-water lagoons, giving mois- ture and mildness to the air, — the country about Port Royal is like a great garden; and even to-day, ravaged though It was by the storms of war, it shows many traces of Its former beauty. It Is in this region that 358 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 359 are found the famous Sea Islands, on which grows cotton so much more fleecy and fine of fibre than the product of the interior, that it is known the world over as Sea Island cotton, and sells at the highest price in the markets of England. In '61 the islands bore the great hospitable manor-houses of the Southern planters; broad of rooms and wide of piazzas, and always open for the entertainment of travellers, were they friends or strangers. The planters living there were among the wealthiest in the South, at a time when all planters were wealthy. They numbered their slaves by thou- sands. Standing on the broad piazza of one of these Southern homes, one could see the rows of rough huts that made up the negro quarters, and hear faintly the sound of the banjo and rude negro melodies, mingling with the music of piano or harp within the parlor of the mansion-house. Refined by education and travel, the planters of the region about Port Royal made up a courtly society, until war burst upon them, and re- duced their estates to wildernesses, and themselves to beggary. It was late in October, 1861, when the final deter- mination to attack the forts at Port Royal was reached, and a fleet of fifty war-vessels and transports was gath- ered at Hampton Roads under command of Admiral Du Pont in the flagship " Wabash." The utmost se- crecy was maintained as to its destination, and when the fleet passed out between the Chesapeake capes October 29th, only the admiral knew whither it was bound. The Confederates were better informed, and were strengthening their defensive works at Hilton Head in preparation for the attack. For the first day all went well. The promise of fair weather given by the beautiful day of starting seemed about to be fulfilled. But on the second night, as they came near the terrible region of Cape Hatteras, 36o STORY OF OUR NAVY the wind began to freshen, and continued increasing in fierceness until it fairly blew a gale. The night was pitchy dark, and the crews on the vessels could hardly see the craft by which they were surrounded. Great as was the danger of being cast on the treach- erous shoals of Hatteras, the peril of instant destruc- tion by collision was even more imminent. Fifty ves- sels, heavily freighted with human lives, were pitching and tossing within a few rods of each other, and within a few miles of a lee shore. It seemed that the destruc- tion of a large number of the vessels was unavoidable; and the sailors may be pardoned, if, remembering the mishaps of the Burnside expedition, they conceived Hat- teras to be tenanted by an evil spirit, determined to prevent the invasion of Confederate territory. To add to the danger, the Confederates had extinguished the warning light at the C-ape, and the navigators of the fleet had nothing to guide them in their course. When morning came, the fleet was pretty well scattered, al- though still many vessels were near enough together to be in no small danger. The transport " Winfield Scott," which carried four hundred and fifty soldiers, besides a large crew, was observed to be rolling heavily, and flying signals of distress. From the decks of the " Bienville," the nearest steamer, the officers with their glasses could see the crew of the distressed vessel work- ing like beavers, throwing overboard everything of weight to lighten the ship. Notwithstanding all their efforts, she was clearly water-logged, and sunk so low in the water that wave after wave broke over her decks, every now and then sweeping a man away to sure death in the raging sea. It seemed folly to at- tempt to launch lifeboats in such a furious sea, but the captain of the " Bienville " determined to make the attempt to save the men on the doomed " Winfield Scott." The crew was piped to quarters, and the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 361 captain asked for volunteers to go to the rescue. Man after man stepped forward, until enough had been se- cured to man three boats with ten men each. Care- fully the boats were dropped into the sea, and man after man swung into them; then they put off and started for the sinking ship. But while these prepara- tions were being made, the two ships had been drifting closer and closer together. Soon it was seen that a collision was inevitable. Fortunately the boats were broadside on, so that the cutting effect of a blow from the bow was avoided. They were presently so near each other that the men began jumping from the deck of the " Winfield Scott " upon that of the " Bienville." The leap, though a perilous one, was made in safety by over thirty men. Suddenly a great wave lifted the ships up and dashed them together. Three poor wretches, just about to jump, were caught between the vessels and crushed to death. A few sharp cries of agony, and all was over; and the vessels, drifting apart, let their bodies, crushed beyond recognition, fall into the water. By this time the small boats, with their determined crews on board, had succeeded in getting around to the lee side of the sinking ship, and the work of getting the soldiers and sailors over the side was begun. By the most strenuous efforts all were saved, and the " Bienville " steamed away, leaving the " Winfield Scott " to her fate. It was on Monday morning, November 4, that the flagship *' Wabash " cast anchor off Port Royal. In the offing were a few more sail headed for the same point, and during the day some twenty-five vessels of the scattered squadron came up. For the next day ships were constantly arriving, and by Tuesday night the whole squadron lay safely anchored in the broad harbor. The defences which the Confederates had erected 362 STORY OF OUR NAVY upon Hilton Head, a lofty bluff overlooking the har- bor, were powerfully designed earthworks, poorly armed and manned. The forts were two in number, placed on a commanding elevation, and might have been made impregnable had the Confederates taken advantage of the warning sent them by their spies in Washington. Fort Walker had fourteen guns which could bear on an attacking fleet, and Fort Beauregard had twenty. When the fight began, the gunners found that most of their ammunition was either too large or too small for the guns. Thursday morning dawned bright and mild as a morning in June. The shores of the beautiful bay were covered with woods, out of which rung the clear notes of Southern song-birds. The scene from the ships was one of the most charming imaginable. The placid bay, the luxuriant shores, the ocean showing across the low-lying ridge of white sand, the forts frowning from the steep headland, the fleet of ma- jestic frigates mustered for the attack, and in the dis- tance the flotilla of defenceless transports, safely out of range, their decks and rigging crowded with fifteen thousand men — all this presented a panorama of life and beauty which few eyes have ever beheld. Du Pont, in the majestic " Wabash," moved down the bay, and, as he came in range of Fort Walker, sent a shell shrieking from a bow-gun, as signal that the action was begun. The old frigate moved on slowly, making play with the bow-guns until abreast of the fort, when with a crash she let fly her whole broadside. On she went for a few yards, then turning in a grand circle came back, giving the other broadside to the forts as she passed. The other ships fell in behind; and round and round before the forts the fiery circle revolved, spitting out fire and ponder- ous iron bolts, and making the peaceful shores of FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 363 the bay tremble with the deep reverberations of the cannon. . The Confederates, for their part, went into the action with the utmost coolness. They had been as- sured that their position was impregnable, and had been cautioned to be deliberate and determined in their de- fence. For a time their artillery service was admirable. But soon they found certain discouraging features about the affair. Their guns were too light to have any effect on the fleet, and their powder was of such bad quality that many of their shots fell short. Two great guns dismounted themselves, seriously injuring the men who were handling them, and the very first broadside from the fleet dismounted several more. Then it was found that the shells for the great Parrott guns were too large, and that the shells from other cannon failed to explode, owing to defective fuses. Soon the fleet found a point of fire from which it could enfilade the forts, and thereafter a perfect hai of shell and grape-shot fell in the trenches. One shell disabled eleven men. A solid shot struck a gun thought to be perfectly protected, and hurled it, with the men serving it, over the parapet. Every twenty minutes a gun was dismounted in Fort Walker, and at the end of the conflict Fort Beauregard had but nine serviceable guns. For about four hours there was no cessation of hre on the part of the fleet. Round and round the circle the vessels steamed, giving one fort a broadside on the way up, and the other a broadside on the way down. The bombs rose from them in a majestic sweep through the air, and plunged into the fort, exploding with a roar equal to that of a cannon. One ship was commanded by Captain Drayton, who rained shot and shell mercilessly against the forts, although one of them was in command of his own brother. 364 STORY OF OUR NAVY At half-past one Fort Walker was found untenable, and the work of abandoning it was begun. The evacua- tion was completed in great haste, many valuables were left behind, and not even the guns were spiked. Still the entire garrison escaped to mainland, although the Federals had three thousand troops who might have made them all prisoners. Not long thereafter. Fort Beauregard also yielded to fate, and the day was won by the Federals. Hilton Head was then converted Into a great base for the storage of naval supplies, and held by the Union forces until the end of the war. It will be remembered that when the navy-yard at Norfolk was burned and abandoned they set the torch to the frigate " Merrimac," a ship of thirty-five hun- dred tons, mounting forty guns. The flames did their work well. The vessel was burned to the edge of her copper sheathing and the hull then sank in the harbor. Months afterward Lieutenant George M. Brooke of the Confederate navy conceived the idea of raising the wreck and converting it into an iron-clad — the first practical one of which history bears record. His plans were immediately accepted and the work pushed to completion. When the hulk had been raised and placed in the dry-dock, the first thing done was to cut it down to the level of the berth-deck; that is, to the level of the deck below the gun-deck in the old rig. Then both ends of the ship were decked over for a distance of seventy feet; while the midship section was covered by a sort of roof, or pent-house, one hundred and seventy feet long, and extending about seven feet above the gun-deck. This roof was of pitch pine and oak, twen- ty-four inches thick, and covered with iron plates two inches thick. The upper part of the roof, being flat, FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 365 was railed in, making a kind of promenade deck. In the great chamber formed by this roof were mounted ten guns, two of which, the bow and stern guns, were seven-inch rifles, and fairly powerful guns for those days. A strange feature of this ship, and one that was not discovered until she was launched, was that the weight of the iron-plating and the heavy guns she carried sunk her so deep in the water that the low deck forward and aft of the gun-room was always under water; so much so that the commander of an- other ship in the Confederate navy writes that he was obliged always to give the " Merrimac " a wide berth, lest he should run his ship on some part of the ram which lay unseen beneath the surface of the water. She had no longer the appearance of a ship, but seemed like a house afloat; the tradition says that the old salt on the " Cumberland," who first sighted her, reported gravely to the oflicer of the deck, " Quaker meetin'- house floating down the bay, sir." This curious vessel, destined to play her part in the most epoch-making naval duel of history was put under command of Captain Franklin Buchanan, a former United States navy oflficer to whom the Naval Academy at Annapolis owes its site and its early growth. Her crew were mainly landsmen, ill-disciplined and unused to war afloat, but still accustomed to handling great guns ashore. With faulty engines, a rudder and screw exposed to the enemy's fire, the novel craft set forth on what was intended to be a trial trip, but which ended in one of the bloodiest naval battles of the Civil War. Let one of her surviving foes, an officer on the " Congress," tell the story: One bell had struck some time, when the attention of the quarter- master on watch was drawn to an unusual appearance against the fringe of woods away over in the Norfolk Channel. After gazing intently some time, he approached the officer of the deck, and 366 STORY OF OUR NAVY presenting him the glass said, " I believe that thing is a-comin' down at last, sir." Sure enough! There was a huge black roof, with a smokestack emerging from it, creeping down towards Sewall's Point. Three or four satellites, in the shape of small steamers and tugs, sur- rounded and preceded her. Owing to the intervening land, they could not be seen from Hampton Roads until some time after we had made them out ; but, when they did show themselves clear of the point, there was a great stir among the shipping. But they turned up into the James River channel instead of down towards the fort, approaching our anchorage with ominous silence and deliberation. The officers were by this time all gathered on the poop, looking at the strange craft, and hazarding all sorts of conjectures about her ; and when it was plain that she was coming to attack us, or to force the passage, we beat to quarters, the " Cumberland's " drum answering ours. By a little after four bells, or two o'clock, the strange monster was close enough for us to make out her plating and ports; and we tried her with a solid shot from one of our stern-guns, the projectile glancing off her forward casemate like a drop of water from a duck's back. This opened our eyes. Instantly she threw aside the screen from one of her forward ports, and answered us with grape, killing and wounding quite a number. She then passed us, receiving our broadside and giving one in return, at a distance of less than two hundred yards. Our shot had apparently no effect upon her, but the result of her broadside on our ship was simply terrible. One of her shells dismounted an eight-inch gun, and either killed or wounded every one of the gun's crew, while the slaughter at the other guns was fearful. There were comparatively few wounded, the fragments of the huge shells she threw killing outright as a general thing. Our clean and handsome gun-deck was in an instant changed into a slaughter-pen, with lopped-off legs and arms, and bleeding, blackened bodies, scattered about by the shells ; while blood and brains actually dripped from the beams. One poor fellow had his chest transfixed by a splinter of oak as thick as the wrist; but the shell-wounds were even worse. The quartermaster, who had first discovered the approach of the iron-clad, — an old man-of-war's man, named John Leroy, — was taken below with both legs off. The gallant fellow died in a few minutes, but cheered and exhorted the men to stand by the ship, almost with his last breath. The " Merrimac " had, in the mean time, passed up stream ; and our poor fellows, thinking she had had enough of it, and was for getting away, actually began to cheer. For many of them it was the last cheer they were ever to give. We soon saw what her object was; for standing up abreast of the bow of the " Cumberland," and putting her helm aport, she FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 367 ran her ram right into that vessel. The gallant frigate kept up her splendid and deliberate, but ineffectual fire, until she filled and sank, which she did in a very few minutes. Seeing the fate of the " Cumberland," which sank in very deep water, we set our top- sails and jib, and slipped the chains, under a sharp fire from the gunboats, which killed and wounded many. With the help of the sails, and the tug " Zouave," the ship was now run on the flats which make off from Newport News Point. Here the vessel keeled over as the tide continued to fall, leaving us only two guns which could be fought, — those in the stern ports. Two large steam- frigates and a sailing-frigate, towed by tugs, had started up from Hampton Roads to our assistance. They all got aground before they had achieved half the distance; and it was fortunate that they did so, for they would probably have met the fate of the " Cumber- land," in which case the lives of the twelve or thirteen hundred men comprising their crews would have been uselessly jeopardized. After the " Merrimac " had sunk the " Cumberland," she came down the channel and attacked us again. Taking up a position about one hundred and fifty yards astern of us, she deliberately raked us with eighty-pounder shell ; while the steamers we had so long kept up the river, and those which had come out with the iron-clad from Norfolk, all concentrated the fire of their small rifled guns upon us. At this time we lost two officers, both elderly men. One was an acting master, who was killed on the quarter-deck by a small rifle-bolt which struck him between the shoulders, and went right through him. The other was our old coast pilot, who was mortally wounded by a fragment of shell. We kept up as strong a fire as we could from our two stern-guns; but the men were repeatedly swept away from them, and at last both pieces were disabled, one having the muzzle knocked off, and the other being dismounted. Rifles and carbines were also used by some of our people to try to pick off the " Merrimac's " crew when her ports were opened to fire, but of course the effect of the small-arms was not apparent to us. It is useless to attempt to describe the condition of our decks by this time. No one who has not seen it can appreciate the effect of such a fire in a confined space. Men were being killed and maimed every minute, those faring best whose duty kept them on the spar deck. Just before our stern-guns were disabled, there were repeated calls for powder from them, and, none appearing, I took a look on the berth-deck to learn the cause. After my eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, and the sharp smoke from burning oak, I saw that the line of cooks and wardroom servants stationed to pass full boxes had been raked by a shell, and the whole of them either killed or wounded, — a sufficient reason why there was a delay with the powder. (I may mention here that the officer who commanded our powder division was a brother of the 368 STORY OF OUR NAVY captain of the " Merrimac") The shells searched the vessel every- where. A man previously wounded was killed in the cock-pit where he had been taken for surgical aid. The deck of the cock-pit had to be kept sluiced with water from the pumps, to extinguish the fire from the shells, although dreadfully wounded men were lying on this deck, and the water was icy cold ; but the shell-room hatch opened out of the cock-pit, and fire must be kept out of there at all hazards, or the whole of us would go into the air together. In the wardroom and steerage, the bulkheads were all knocked down by the shells, and by the axe-men making way for the hose, forming a scene of perfect ruin and desolation. Clothing, books, glass, china, photographs, chairs, bedding, and tables, were all mixed in one confusing heap. Some time before this, our commanding officer, a fine young man, had been instantly killed by a fragment of shell which struck him in the chest. His watch, and one of his shoulder-straps (the other being gone), were after- wards sent safely to his father, a veteran naval officer. We had now borne this fire for nearly an hour, and there was no prospect of assistance from any quarter, while we were being slaughtered without being able to return a shot. Seeing this, the officer who had succeeded to the command of the ship, upon con- sultation with our former captain (who was on board as a guest), ordered our flag to be struck. It is not a pleasant thing to have to strike your flag; but I did not see then, and do not see now, what else we were to do. Left alone by the foe which had turned its attention to the " Cumberland," the people of the " Congress " busied themselves in getting their wounded ashore. The dead were left to their noble funeral pyre, for the ship was by this time fast breaking into flame at every point. All night the wreck blazed, but at two o'clock the culmination of the spectacle occurred. *' The masts and rigging were still standing, apparently in- tact," wrote a survivor, " when a monstrous sheet of flame rose from the vessel to an immense height. The ship was rent in twain by the tremendous flash. Blaz- ing fragments seemed to fill the air; and, after a long interval, a deep, deafening report announced the ex- plosion of the ship's powder-magazine. When the blinding glare had subsided, I supposed that every vestige of the vessel would have disappeared; but ap- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 369 parently all the force of the explosion had been up- ward. The rigging had vanished entirely, but the hull seemed hardly shattered; the only apparent change in It was that in two or three places several of the port- holes had been blown into one great gap." The " Merrimac " now slowly approached the " Cumberland " — her lack of speed due to faulty en- gines, was her weakest point. The men of the doomed United States frigate had seen the outcome of the first broadsides fired by the " Congress " and viewed the oncoming monster with natural apprehension, but with undaunted courage. For them was no chance of escape, for a dead calm lay upon the waters. At half- past two their heaviest guns opened on the enemy and officers, and men watched breathlessly the course of their shot, and cried aloud with rage, or groaned with despair, as they saw them fall harmlessly from the iron ship. Still they had no thought of surrender. The fire of the " Cumberland " was received silently by the " Merrimac," and she came straight on, her sharp prow cutting viciously through the water, and pointed straight for her victim. A second broadside, at point- blank range, had no effect on her. One solid shot was seen to strike her armored sides, and, glancing up- ward, fly high Into the air, as a baseball glances from the bat of the batsman; then, falling, it struck the roof of the pilot-house, and fell harmlessly into the sea. In another instant the Iron ram crashed Into the side of the " Cumberland," cutting through oaken timbers, decks, and cabins. At the same time all the guns that could be brought to bear on the Northern frigate were discharged; and shells crashed through her timbers, and exploded upon her decks, piling splin- ters, guns, gun-carriages, and men in one confused wreck. Had not the engines of the ram been reversed just before striking the frigate, her headway would 370 STORY OF OUR NAVY have carried her clear to the opposite side of the doomed ship, and the " Cumberland," in sinking, would have carried her destroyer to the bottom with her. As it was, the " Merrimac," with a powerful wrench, drew out of the wreck she had made, loosen- ing her iron prow, and springing a serious leak in the operation. She drew off a short distance, paused to examine the work she had done, and then, as if satis- fied, started to complete the destruction of the " Con- gress." And well might the men of the " Merrimac " be satisfied with their hour's work. The " Cumberland " was a hopeless wreck, rapidly sinking. Her decks were blood-stained, and covered with dead men, and scattered arms and legs, torn off by the exploding shells. And yet her brave crew stuck to their guns, and fought with cool valor, and without a vestige of confusion. They had had but a few moments to pre- pare for action; and the long rows of clothes, drying in the rigging, told how peaceful had been their occu- pation before the " Merrimac " appeared upon the scene. Yet now that the storm of battle had burst, and its issue was clearly against them, these men stood to their guns, although they could feel the deck sinking beneath them. Every man was at his post; and even when the waters were pouring in on the gun-deck, the guns were loaded and fired. Indeed, the last shot was fired from a gun half buried in the waves. Then the grand old frigate settled to the bottom, carrying half her crew with her, but still flying the Stars and Stripes at the fore. The " Congress " and the " Cumberland " thus dis- posed of, the iron-clad turned at first toward the " Min- nesota." But that frigate was aground in water too shallow for the ram to approach, and the Confederates accordingly made their way back to Norfolk content FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 371 with the day's doings. No fatal hurt had been sus- tained by any one on the " Merrimac," nor was the structure of the ckimsy vessel injured in any degree. The ram had been wrenched loose in withdrawing from the " Cumberland," and every bit of construction out- side the armored structure was swept away. But the vitals of the ship were as stout as ever, and by day- break the next morning she was again ready for the fray. It can easily be understood that the news of the engagement caused the most intense excitement through- out this country, and indeed throughout the whole world. In the South, all was rejoicing over this signal success of the Confederate ship. Bells were rung, and jubilees held, in all the Southern cities. An officer of the " Merrimac," who was dispatched post-haste to Richmond with reports of the engagement, was met at every station by excited crowds, who demanded that he tell the story of the fight over and over again. At last the starving people of the Confederacy saw the way clear for the sweeping away of the remorseless blockade. In the North, the excitement was that of fear. The people of seaboard cities imagined every moment the irresistible iron ship steaming into their harbors, and mowing down their buildings with her terrible shells. The Secretary of War said, at a hastily called cabinet meeting in Washington : " The ' Merrimac ' will change the whole character of the war: she will destroy every naval vessel; she will lay all the seaboard cities under contribution. Not unlikely we may have a shell or cannon-ball from one of her guns, in the White House, before we leave this room." That neither the joyous anticipations of the South nor the gloomy forebodings of the North were ful- filled was due to a succession of circumstances, so 372 STORY, OF OUR NA.VX strangely apt, so phenomenally timely as to almost sug- gest a special intervention of Providence. For almost a year a Swedish inventor, John Ericsson, had been trying to interest the Navy Department in a novel type of war-vessel, but had been turned away with ridicule and contempt. The utmost concession he could obtain was an agreement that, if he would build his vessel at his own expense, the Government would man and test it. If it failed to stand the trial, he should be paid nothing. On these hard terms, Ericsson, with the financial aid of C. S. Bushnell of New Haven, Conn., built the first " Monitor." It was this curious vessel, unpaid for, as thoroughly private property as any steam yacht in New York harbor, that put an end to the " Merrimac's " depredations and revolutionized naval architecture. The monitor type of warship has long been familiar to residents of Atlantic seaports, though it has now been abandoned for the towering battleship. Yet a brief description of the first of the type will not be amiss. She was a strange-looking craft. All that was to be seen of her above water was a low deck about a foot above the water, bearing in the centre a large round iron turret pierced with two great port- holes. Besides the turret, the smooth surface of the deck was broken by two other elevations, — a small iron pilot-house forward, made of Iron plates about ten inches thick, and with iron gratings in front; aft of the turret was a low smoke-stack. Beneath the water-line this vessel had some strange features. The upper part of her hull, forming the deck, projected beyond her hull proper about four feet on every side. This projection was known as the " overhang," and was designed as a protection against rams. It was made of white oak and iron, and was impenetrable by any cannon of that day; although now, when steel rifled cannon are built FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 373 that will send a ball through twenty inches of wrought iron, the original " Monitor " would be a very weak, vessel. The turret in this little vessel, which held the two guns that she mounted, was so arranged as to revolve on a central pivot, thus enabling the gunners to keep their guns continually pointed at the enemy, whatever might be the position of the vessel. How strange, how miraculous the coincidence that on the very night of the " Merrimac's " first victories this new and untried monster of war should have steamed into Hampton Roads! She had not been summoned — no news of the disaster had reached her officers. Their first knowledge of the heavy blow to the Union cause came from the sight of the blazing *' Congress " and the sunken " Cumberland." But that spectacle gave them a foretaste of the morrow, and they, like the men on the " Merrimac," spent the night making ready for battle. It was Sunday morning, and the sun rose in a cloud- less blue sky. A light breeze stirred the surface of the water, and played lazily with the long streaming pennants of the men-of-war. The batteries on both sides of the bay were crowded with men waiting for the great naval battle of the day. Up at Norfolk a gay holiday party was embarking on steam-tugs, to accompany the Confederate ship and witness the total destruction of the Union fleet. No thought of defeat ever entered the minds of the proud believers in the new iron-clad of the Confederacy. At the first sign of life on board the " Merrimac," the " Monitor " began her preparations for the battle. In fifteen minutes she was in battle trim. The iron hatches were closed, the dead-light covers put on, and obstructions removed from the main deck, so as to present a smooth surface only twenty-four inches above 374 STORY OF OUR NAVY the water, unbroken, save by the turret and pilot-house. In the pilot-house was Lieutenant Worden, who was to command the " Monitor " in this her first battle. Leisurely the " Merrimac " came down the bay, fol- lowed by her attendant tugs; and, as she came within range, she opened fire on the " Minnesota," which was still aground. The frigate responded with a mighty broadside, which, however, rattled off the mailed sides of the ram like so many peas. Clearly, everything de- pended upon the "Monitor"; and that little craft steamed boldly out from behind the " Minnesota," and sent two huge iron balls, weighing one hundred and seventy pounds each, against the side of the " Merri- mac." The shot produced no effect beyond showing the men of the " Merrimac " that they had met a foe- man worthy of their steel. The " Merrimac " slowed up her engines, as though to survey the strange an- tagonist thus braving her power. The " Monitor " soon came up, and a cautious fight began; each vessel sailing round the other, advancing, backing, making quick dashes here and there, like two pugilists sparring for an opening. The two shots of the " Monitor " would come banging one after the other against the " Merrimac's " armor, like the " one, two " of a skilled boxer. In this dancing battle the *' Monitor " had an enormous advantage, on account of her smaller size, greater speed, and the way in which she answered her helm. The " Merrimac " was like a huge hawk being chased and baited by a little sparrow. Her heavy broadsides found nothing to hit in the almost sub- merged hull of the " Monitor." When a ball struck the turret, it glanced off, unless striking fair In the centre, when it fell in fragments, doing no greater dam- age than to dent the iron plates, and sometimes knock- ing down the men at the guns inside. The first manoeuvre tried by the *' Merrimac " was to run down FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 375 her little antagonist; and she did strike her with a force that dented the iron overhang of the " Monitor," and dashed the men in the " Merrimac " to the deck, with blood streaming from their nostrils. For a moment it seemed as though the " Monitor " must go under; but gradually the terrible ram glanced off, and the little vessel, righting, sent again her terrible two shots at her enemy. In the action of the day before, shot and shell had beaten against the sides of the ram so rapidly that one could not count the concussions. Now it was a series of tremendous blows about a minute apart; and, if the men had not been working away at their guns, they could have heard the oak timbers sphntering be- hind the iron-plating. At a critical moment in the fight the "Merrimac" ran aground; and the "Monitor" steamed around her several times, seeking for weak places in which to plant a shot. Once Worden dashed at his adversary's screw, hoping to disable it, but missed by perhaps two feet. Two shots from the " Monitor " struck the muzzles of two cannon protruding from the portholes of the " Merrimac," and broke them off, throwing huge splinters of iron among the gunners in- side. And so the battle continued until about noon : gun answered gun with thunderous reports, that echoed back from the batteries on shore in rolling reverbera- tions. The pleasure-seeking tugs from Norfolk had scuttled back again out of the way of the great cannon- balls that were skipping along the water in every direc- tion. Neither of the combatants had received any serious injury. On board the " Monitor " the only hurt was received by a gunner, who was leaning against the iron wall of the turret just as a shot struck out- side; he was carried below, disabled. But at last one lucky shot fired from one of the disabled guns of the " Merrimac" ended this gigantic contest; sending each contestant to her moorings, without an actual victory 376 STORY OF OUR NAVY for either side. This shot struck full and fair against the gratings of the pilot-house, through which Lieu- tenant Worden was looking as he directed the course of his ship. The concussion knocked him senseless. Flakes of iron and powder were driven into his eyes and face, blinding him completely for the time. He fell back from the wheel, and the *' Monitor " was left for a moment without her guiding spirit. All was confusion J but in a few moments Worden recovered, and gave the order to sheer off. The *' Monitor " then drew away, while Worden was moved to the cabin, and the second officer sent to his station in the turret. Lying on a sofa in the cabin, his eyes bandaged, and the horror of life-long blindness upon him, Worden asked faintly, " Have I saved the ' Minnesota ' ? " — " Yes," answered the surgeon. *' Then," said he, " I die happy." While these scenes were transpiring on the " Moni- tor," the " Merrimac " lay quietly awaiting her return. The Confederate officers say that she waited an hour, and then, concluding that the " Monitor " had aban- doned the fight, withdrew to Norfolk. The Northern officers and historians say that the " Merrimac " was in full retreat when the decisive shot was fired. It is hard to decide, from such conflicting statements, to which side the victory belonged. Certain it is, that not a man on the " Merrimac " was injured, and that all damages she sustained in the fight were remedied before sunrise the next day. Later, as we shall see, she challenged the Union fleet to a new battle, without response. But with all these facts in view, it must be borne in mind that the purpose of the " Merrimac," that bright March Sunday, was to destroy the frigate "Minnesota": in that purpose she was foiled by the " Monitor," and to that extent at least the " Monitor " was the victor. S .1 ? i o FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 377 Lieutenant Worden, after the fight, went directly to Washington. President Lincoln was at a cabinet meet- ing when he heard of Worden's arrival in the city, and hastily rising said, " Gentlemen, I must go to that fellow." Worden was lying on a sofa, his head swathed in bandages, when the President entered. " Mr. President," said he, " you do me great honor by this visit." — " Sir," replied Mr. Lincoln, while the tears ran down his cheeks, " I am the one who is hon- ored in this interview." It has long been a matter of controversy which ves- sel was the victor in this duel. Neither was seriously injured — ^the " Merrimac " even less so than in the battle of the day before. Captain Worden's injury was the most serious sustained on either ship. But the " Merrimac " had come out to destroy the " Minne- sota " and returned without accomplishing it. To that extent the day had gone against her. Yet the subse- quent attitude of the Confederate officers was not that of the vanquished. Repeatedly they challenged the " Monitor " to new battle, but to no avail. On the nth of April she steamed into the Roads, and ex- changed a few shots with the Union batteries at the rip-raps; but the " Monitor," and other Union vessels, remained below Fortress Monroe, in Chesapeake Bay, out of the reach of the Confederate vessel. Again, a few days later, the " Merrimac " went to Hampton Roads, and tried to lure the *' Monitor" to battle; but the challenge passed unanswered. It is probable that the Federal naval authorities did not care to imperil the only vessel that stood between them and destruc- tion, out of mere bravado. Had the " Monitor " come out, an attempt would have been made to carry her by boarding. The crew of the " Merrimac " were prepared for the attack; and four gunboats accom- panying her were crowded with men, divided into 378 STORY OF OUR NAVY squads, each with its specified duty. Some were to try and wedge the turret, some were to cover the pilot- house and all the openings with tarpaulin, others were to try to throw shells and gunpowder down the smoke- stack. But all these preparations proved useless, as the ** Monitor " still remained quietly at her anchorage. On May 8 a third trip was made by the " Merrimac." When she came down the bay, she found the Union fleet, including the " Monitor," hard at work shelling the Confederate batteries at Sewall's Point. As she came towards them, they ceased their cannonade, and retired again to the shelter of Fortress Monroe. The " Merrimac " steamed up and down the Roads for some hours; and finally Commodore Tatnall, in deep disgust, gave the order, " Mr. Jones, fire a gun to windward, and take the ship back to her buoy." Back to Norfolk she went, never again to leave that harbor. On the 9th of May the officers of the " Merri- mac " noticed that the Confederate flag was no longer floating over the shore-batteries. A reconnoissance proved that the land forces had abandoned Norfolk, and it was necessary to get the ship away before the Union troops arrived and hemmed her in. Her pilots declared that if the ship was lightened they could take her up the James River; and accordingly all hands threw overboard ballast and trappings, until she was lightened three feet. Then the pilots claimed that with the prevalent wind they could not handle her. It was now useless to try to run her through the Union fleet, for the lightening process had exposed three feet of her unarmed hull to the fire of the enemy. It was accordingly determined that she should be destroyed. She was run ashore on Craney Island, and trains of powder laid all over her, and fired. Every gun was loaded, and the doors of the magazine were left open. Her crew then started on the march for the interior. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 379 It v/as just in the gray of the morning that a rumbling of the earth was felt, followed by a shock that made all stagger. A column of smoke and flame shot into the air; huge cannon were hurled high above the tree- tops, discharging in mid-air. One shot fell in the woods some distance ahead of the marching crew, and all knew that it marked the end of the mighty " Merrimac." CHAPTER XXII Moving up the Mississippi — The Ram " Manassas " — Farragut's Expedition — Porter's Mortar-Boats — Passing the Forts — Capture of New Orleans. While Foote and his gunboats were doggedly opening the Father of Waters from the north, the greatest of all our American admirals was sturdily pushing north- ward from the great river's mouth. From the earliest days of the war the " Passes," as the several outlets of the river are called had been rigidly blockaded. The task was an easy one, for at that time, prior to the construction of the jetties, the channel was so narrow and tortuous that the chance of an outgoing vessel grounding was great enough even when she had not to elude the vigilance and the cannon-balls of an enemy. The people of New Orleans made many efforts to break this blockade, for, shut off from all foreign trade, the roar of commerce in their streets was stilled and grass grew on the once crowded levee. One plan narrowly failed of success. It was at four o'clock one October morning that the watch on the sloop-of-war " Richmond " suddenly saw a huge dark mass so close to the ship that it seemed fairly to have sprung from the water, and sweeping down rapidly. The alarm was quickly given, and the crew beat to quarters. Over the water from the other ships, now fully alarmed, came the roll of the drums beating the men to their guns. The dark object came on swiftly, and the word was passed from man to man, " It's a Confederate ram." And indeed it was the ram " Manassas," which the Confederates had been hard at work building in the New Orleans ship-yards, 380 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 381 and on which they relied to drive the blockading squad- ron from the river. As she came rushing towards the " Richmond," two great lights higher up the river told of fire-rafts bearing down upon the fleet, and by the fitful glare three smaller gunboats were seen coming to the assistance of the " Manassas." Clearly the Con- federates were attacking in force. The first volley from the fleet rattled harmlessly from the iron-clad sides of the " Manassas"; and, not heeding it, she swept on and plunged into the side of the " Richmond." The great iron prow cut deep into the wooden sides of the Union vessel. Heavy oaken timbers were splintered like laths, and the men were violently hurled to the deck. As the ram drew away, the blue-jackets sprang to their guns and gave her a volley. Some of the shots must have penetrated her armor, for she became unmanageable. But the dark- ness prevented the ofiicers of the " Richmond " from seeing how much damage they had done, and they did not follow up their advantage. The strange panic that the sight of a ram so often brought upon sailors of the old school fell on the officers of this squadron, and they began hastily getting their ships out of the river. By this time four more Confederate steamers had come to the aid of the ram, and were cannonading the Northern fleet at long range. In their hurried at- tempt to escape, the " Richmond " and the " Vin- cennes " had run aground. The captain of the latter vessel, fearing capture, determined to fire his vessel and escape with his crew to the " Richmond." Accord- ingly he laid a slow-match to the magazine, lighted it, and then, wrapping his ship's colors about his waist in the most theatrical manner, abandoned his ship. But the plan was not altogether a success. As he left the ship, he was followed by a grizzled old sailor, who had seen too much fighting to believe in blowing up 382 STORY OF OUR NAVY his own ship; and, when he saw the smoking slow- match, he hastily broke off the lighted end, and without saying a word threw It Into the water. No one ob- served the action, and the crew of the " VIncennes " watched mournfully for their good ship to go up In a cloud of smoke and flame. After they had watched nearly an hour, they concluded something was wrong, and returned to their old quarters. By this time the enemy had given up the conflict, and the United States navy was one ship ahead for the old sailor's act of in- subordination. The Confederate flotilla returned to New Orleans, and reported that they had driven the blockaders away. There was great rejoicing in the city : windows were illuminated, and receptions were tendered to the officers of the Confederate fleet. But, while the rejoicing was still going on, the Union ships came quietly back to their old position, and the great river was as securely closed as ever. The National Government, however, was not going to content itself with beggaring the trade of New Or- leans, and on the 2d of February, 1862 — the very day Grant struck at Fort Henry — Admiral David G. Far- ragut sailed in the " Hartford " from Hampton Roads to take charge of an expedition against the Crescent City. The place of rendezvous was Ship Island, a barren sandbar off the coast of Mississippi. The task before the admiral was no easy one. His greatest obstacle was the river itself — Its current was swift, its channel tortuous, Its mouth so obstructed by sandbars that all the ships had to be lightened to cross them, and one frigate, the " Colorado," could not pass at all. The entrance to the river proper, above the " Passes," was blocked by two great forts, St. Philip and Jackson, the latter named after the hero of the Battle of New Orleans. It was a huge star of stone and mortar. In its massive walls were great cavernous bomb-proofs ADMIRAL FARRAGUT FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 383 in which the soldiers were secure from bursting shells. It stood back about a hundred yards from the levee, and its casemates just rose above the dike that keeps the Mississippi in its proper channel. When the river was high from the spring floods of the north, a steamer floating on its swift tide towered high above the bas- tions of the fort. In the casemates and on the para- pets were mounted seventy-five guns of all calibres. By its peculiar shape and situation on a jutting point of land, the fort was able to bring its guns to bear upon the river in three directions. When the storm of civil war burst upon the country, the Confederates of New Orleans were prompt to seize this and Fort St. Philip, that stood on the other side of the river. They found Fort Jackson in the state of general decay into which most army posts fall in times of peace, and they set at work at once to strengthen it. All over the parapet, bomb-proofs, and weak points bags of sand were piled five or six feet deep, making the strongest defence known in war. Steamers plied up and down the river, bringing provi- sion, ammunition, and new cannon, and soon the fort was ready to stand the most determined siege. Fort St. Philip, across the river, though not so imposing a military work, was more powerful. It was built of masonry, and heavily sodded over all points exposed to fire. It was more irregular in shape than Fort Jackson, and with its guns seemed to command every point on the river. Both were amply protected from storming by wide, deep moats always filled with water. With his fleet once over the bar Admiral Farragut found himself well established in the lower Mississippi, with a force of twenty-five men-of-war, and twenty mortar-schooners; one of the most powerful armadas ever dispatched against an enemy. He was one day 384 STORY OF OUR NAVY visited by some French and English naval officers, who had carefully examined the defences of the Confed- erates, and came to warn him that to attack the forts with wooden vessels, such as made up his fleet, was sheer madness, and would only result in defeat. " You may be right," answered the brave old sailor, " but I was sent here to make the attempt. I came here to reduce or pass the forts, and to take New Orleans, and I shall try it on." The foreigners remarked that he was going to certain destruction, and politely with- drew. In the meantime, the tars on the mortar-fleet were working industriously to get their ships in fighting-trim. The top-masts were stripped of their sails, and lowered; the loose and standing rigging strapped to the masts; the spars, forebooms, and gaffs unshipped, and secured to the outside of the vessels to avert the danger from splinters, which, in naval actions, is often greater than from the shots themselves. From the main-deck every- thing was removed that could obstruct the easy handling of the tremendous mortars; and the men were drilled to skill and alertness in firing the huge engines of death. The work was hastened on the mortar-schooners, be- cause the plan was to rush them into position, and let them harass the Confederates with a steady bombard- ment, while the ships-of-war were preparing for their part in the coming fight. The mortar-fleet was under command of Admiral Porter, an able and energetic oflicer. He soon had his ships ready, and began moving them Into position along the banks of the river, out of sight of the forts. To further conceal them from the gunners in the forts, he had the masts and rigging wrapped with green foli- age; so that, lying against the dense thickets of willows that skirt that part of the river, they were invisible. Other boats that were in more exposed positions had FOR YOUNG AMERFCANS 385 their hulls covered with grass and reeds, until they seemed a part of the swamp that bordered the river. After the line of fire had been obtained by a careful mathematical survey, Porter got all his mortar-boats into position, and began his bombardment. The gun- ners on the mortar-boats could not see the forts; but the range had been calculated for them, and they merely fired mechanically. A lookout, perched on the mast- head, could see over the low willow-forest, and watch the course of the shells as they rushed high into the air, and then, falling with a graceful curve, plunged into the forts. The firing was begun on the i6th of April, and was kept up with a will. The twenty huge mortars keeping up a constant fire, made a deafening roar that shook the earth, and could be heard far up the river at New Orleans, where the people poured out into the streets, and gaily predicted defeat for any enemy who should attack " the boys in the forts." The forts were not slow in returning the fire; but as the mortar- vessels were hidden, and did not offer very large marks, their fire was rather ineffective. Parties of Confed- erates, old swamp-hunters, and skilled riflemen, stole down through the dense thickets, to pick off the crews of the mortar-schooners. They managed to kill a few gunners in this way, but were soon driven away by the point-blank fire of the supporting gunboats. But all this time the shells were falling thick and fast, driving the soldiers to the bomb-proofs, and tearing to pieces everything unprotected. One shell set fire to some wooden structures that stood on the parade- ground in Fort Jackson; and, as the smoke and flames rose in the air, the gunners down the river thought that the fort was burning, and cheered and fired with renewed vigor. The shells that burst upon the levee soon cut great trenches in it, so that the mighty Mis- sissippi broke through with a rush, and flooded the 386 STORY OF OUR NAVY country all about. But the forts seemed as strong and unconquered as ever. While the soldiers were crowded together in the bomb-proofs to escape the flying bits of shell, the sail- ors on the little fleet of Confederate vessels anchored above them were busily engaged in getting ready a fire-raft which was to float down the river, and make havoc among the vessels of the Union fleet. Two such rafts were prepared; one of which, an immense affair, carrying cords of blazing pine-wood, was sent down in the early morning at a time when the vessels were utterly unprepared to defend themselves. Luck- ily it grounded on a sandbar, and burned and crackled away harmlessly until it was consumed. This warned Commander Porter of the danger in which his mortar- vessels were of a second attack of the same nature; and accordingly he put in readiness one hundred and fifty small boats with picked crews, and well supplied with axes and grapnels, whose duty it was to grapple any future rafts, and tow them into a harmless position. They did not have long to wait. At sundown that night. Commander Porter reviewed his little squadron of row-boats as they lay drawn up in line along the low marshy shores of the mighty river. The sun sank a glowing red ball beneath the line at which the blue waters of the gulf and the blue arch of heaven seemed to meet. The long southern twilight gradually deep- ened into a black, moonless night. The cries of frogs and seabirds, and the little flashes of the fireflies, were silenced and blotted out by the incessant roar and flash of the tremendous mortars that kept up their deadly work. Suddenly in the distance the sky grows red and lurid. "The fort is burning I " cry the men at the guns; but from the masthead comes the response, " No, the fire is on the river. It is another fire-raft." The alarm was instantly given to all the vessels of FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 387 the fleet. Bright colored signal-hghts blazed on the decks, and the dark, slender cordage stood out against the brilliant red and green fires that flickered strangely upon the dark wooded banks of the river. Rockets rushed high into the air, and, bursting, let fall a shower of party-colored lights that told the watchers far down the river that danger was to be expected. Then the signal-lights went out, and all was dark and silent save where the lurid glare of the great mass of fire could be seen floating in the great curves of the tortuous river toward the crowded ships. It was a time of intense suspense. The little flotilla of fire-boats, or- ganized by Commander Porter that day, was on the alert; and the blue-jackets bent to their oars with a will, and soon had their boats ranged along a bend far above the fleet. Here they waited to catch the fiery monster, and save the ships. The danger came nearer fast. Rapidly the flames increased in volume, until the whole surrounding region was lighted up by the glare; while from the floating fire, a huge black column of smoke arose, and blended with the clouds that glowed as though they themselves were on fire. When the raft came into view around a point, it was seen to be too big for the boats to handle unaided, and two gunboats slipped their cables, and started for the thing of terror. From every side the row-boats dashed at the raft. Some grappled it, and the sailors tugged lustily at their oars, seeking to drag the mass of flames toward the shore. Then the " Westfield," under full head of steam, dashed furiously against the raft, crashing in the timbers and sending great clouds of sparks flying high in the air. From her hose-pipes she poured floods of water on the crackling, roaring, blazing mass; while all the time, with her powerful engines, she was pushing it toward the shore. In the meantime, the sailors from the fleet of small 388 STORY OF OUR NAVY boats were swarming upon the raft wherever they could find a foothold free from flame. Some carrying buck- ets dashed water upon the flames, some with axes cut loose flying timbers, and let them float harmlessly down the river. It was a fight in which all the men were on one side; but it was a grand sight, and was eagerly watched by those on the imperilled vessels. The im- mediate arena of the conflict was bright as day, but all around was gloom. At last the pluck and deter- mination of the men triumph over the flames. The raft, flaming, smouldering, broken, is towed out of the channel, and left to end its life in fitful flashes on a sandy point. Hardly had the gray dawn begun to appear, when the roll of the drums on the decks of the ships was heard; and, soon after, the roar of the opening gun was heard from one of the mortar-schooners. Again the bombardment was opened. The twenty boats in the mortar-fleet were divided into three divisions, each of which fired for two hours in succession, and then stopped for a time to allow the great cannon to cool. Thus a continuous bombardment was kept up, and the soldiers in the forts were given no time to repair the damages caused by the bursting shells. Every mortar was fired once in five minutes; so that one shell was hurled towards the fort about every minute, while sometimes three shells would be seen sweeping with majestic curves through the air at the same time. The shells weighed two hundred and fifteen pounds; and when they were hurled into the air by the explosion of twenty pounds of powder, the boat bearing the mor- tar was driven down into the water six or eight inches, and the light railings and woodwork of buildings at the Balize, thirty miles away, were shattered by the concussion. The shells rose high in the air, with an unearthly shriek, and after a curve of a mile and a FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 389 half fell Into or near the forts, and, bursting, threw their deadly fragments in all directions. Day after day, and night after night, this went on. If the men on the mortar-schooners showed bravery and endurance in keeping up so exhausting a fire so steadily, what shall we say for the men in the forts who bore up against it so nobly? Before noon of the first day of the bombardment, the soldiers of Fort Jackson saw their barracks burned, with their clothing, bedding, and several days' rations. Shells were pouring in upon them from vessels that they could not see. The smooth- bore guns mounted in the embrasures would hardly send a shot to the nearest of the hostile gunboats. Then the river broke through its banks, and half the fort was transformed into a morass. An officer in Fort Jackson said, after the surrender, that in two hours over one hundred shells had fallen upon the parade-ground of that work, tearing it up terribly. For six days this terrible fire was endured; and during the latter half of the bombardment the water stood knee-deep on the gun-platforms, and the gunners worked at their guns until their shoes, soaked for days and days, fairly fell from their feet. For bed and bedding they had the wet earth, for rations raw meat and mouldy bread. If there were glory and victory for the Union sailors, let there at least be honor and credit granted the soldiers of the gray for the dogged courage with which they bore the terrible bombard- ment from Porter's flotilla. While the mortars were pounding away through those six long days and nights, Farragut was getting ready to take his ships past the forts. Union scouts and spies had travelled over every foot of land and water about the forts; and the exact strength of the Confederates, and the difficulties to be overcome, were clearly known to the Federal admiral. One of the 390 STORY OF OUR NAVY chief obstructions was a chain of rafts and old hulks that stretched across the channel by which the fleet would be obliged to ascend the river. Under cover of a tremendous fire from all the mortars, two gun- boats were sent up to remove this obstruction. The night was dark and favorable to the enterprise, and the vessels reached the chain before they were dis- covered. Then, under a fierce cannonade from the forts, Lieutenant Caldwell put off in a row-boat from his vessel, boarded one of the hulks, and managed to break the chain. The string of hulks was quickly swept ashore by the swift current, and the channel was open for the ascent of the Union fleet. On the 23d of April, Farragut determined that his fleet should make the attempt to get past the forts the following day. He knew that the enemy must be exhausted with the terrible strain of Porter's bom- bardment, and he felt that the opportunity had arrived for him to make a successful dash for the upper river. The fleet was all prepared for a desperate struggle. Many of the captains had daubed the sides of their vessels with the river mud, that they might be less prominent marks for the Confederate gunners. The chain cables of all the vessels were colled about vul- nerable parts, or draped over the sides amidships to protect the boilers. Knowing that it was to be a night action, the gun-decks had been whitewashed; so that even by the dim, uncertain light of the battle lanterns, the gunners could see plainly all objects about them. Hammocks and nettings were stretched above the decks to catch flying splinters from the spars overhead. Late at night the admiral in his long-boat was pulled from ship to ship to view the preparations made, and see that each captain fully understood his orders. It was two o'clock on the morning of the 24th of April, when the Confederates on the parapets of their FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 391 forts might have heard the shrill notes of fifes, the steady tramp of men, the sharp clicking of capstans, and the grating of chain cables passing through the hawse-holes on the ships below. Indeed, it is probable that these sounds were heard at the forts, and were understood, for the Confederates were on the alert when the ships came steaming up the river. They formed in a stately line of battle, headed by the " Cayuga." As they came up the stream, the gun- ners in the forts could see the mastheads over the low willow thickets that bordered the banks of the stream. The line of obstructions was reached and passed, and then the whole furious fire of both forts fell upon the advancing ships. Gallantly they kept on their way, firing thunderous broadsides from each side. And, while the ships were under the direct fire of the forts, the enemy's fleet came dashing down the river to dis- pute the way. This was more to the taste of Farra- gut and his boys in blue. They were tired of fighting stone walls. In the van of the Confederate squadron was the ram " Manassas," that had created such a panic among the blockading squadron a month before. She plunged desperately into the fight. The great frigate " Brooklyn " was a prominent vessel in the Union line, and at her the ram dashed. The bold hearts on the grand old frigate did not seek to avoid the conflict, and the two vessels rushed together. The ram struck the " Brooklyn" a glancing blow; and the shot from her one gun was returned by a hail of can- non-balls from the frigate's tremendous broadside, many of which broke through the iron plating. Noth- ing daunted, the ram backed off and rushed at the frigate again. This time she struck full on the frig- ate's side. The shock was terrible. Men on the gun-deck of the ram were hurled to the deck, with the blood streaming from their nostrils. The frigate 392 STORY OF OUR NAVY keeled over farther and farther, until all thought that she would be borne beneath the water by the pressure of the ram. All the time the spiteful bow-gun of the iron monster was hurling its bolts into her hull. But the blow of the ram had done no damage, for she had struck one of the coils of chain that had been hung down the " Brooklyn's " side. The two vessels slowly swung apart; and, after a final broadside from the " Brooklyn," the " Manassas " drifted away in the pitchy darkness to seek for new adversaries. She was not long in finding one; for as the gray dawn was breaking she suddenly found herself under the very bows of the " Mississippi," which was bearing down upon her and seemed sure to run her down. The captain of the " Manassas " was an able steersman, and neatly dodged the blow; but in this quick move- ment he ran his vessel ashore, and she lay there under the guns of the " Mississippi," and unable to bring any of her own guns to bear. The captain of the frigate was not slow in taking advantage of this chance to be revenged for all the trouble she had given the Union fleet; and he took up a good position, and pounded away with his heavy guns at the iron monster. The heavy shots crashed through the iron plating and came plunging in the portholes, seeking every nook and cranny about the vessel. It was too much for men to stand, and the crew of the " Manassas " fled to the woods; while their vessel was soon set on fire with red-hot shots, and blew up with a tremendous report soon after. In the meantime, the ships of the Union fleet were doing daring work, and meeting a determined resist- ance. The flagship " Hartford " was met by a tug which pushed a huge burning fire-raft against her sides. There the flaming thing lay right up against the port- holes, the flames catching the tarred rigging, and run- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 393 ning up the masts. Farragut walked his quarter-deck as coolly as though the ship was on parade. " Don't flinch from that fire, boys," he sang out, as the flames rushed in the portholes, and drove the men from their guns. " There's a hotter fire than that for those who don't do their duty. Give that rascally little tug a shot, and don't let her go off with a whole coat." But the tug did get away, after all; and no one can feel sorry that men plucky enough to take an unarmed tug into a terrible fight of frigates and iron-clads should escape with their lives. The men on the " Hartford " fought the flames with hose and buckets, and at last got rid of their dangerous neighbor. Then they saw a steamer crowded with men rushing toward the flag- ship without firing a shot, and evidently intending to board. Captain Broome, with a crew of marines, was working a bow-gun on the " Hartford." Care- fully he trained the huge piece upon the approaching steamer. He stepped back, stooped for a last glance along the sights, then with a quick pull of the lanyard the great gun went off with a roar, followed instantly by a louder explosion from the attacking steamer. When the smoke cleared away, all looked eagerly for the enemy; but she had vanished as if by magic. That single shot, striking her magazine, had blown her up with all on board. Much of the hardest fighting was done by the smaller vessels on either side. The little Confederate " cotton- clad " " Governor Moore " made a desperate fight, dashing through the Union fleet, taking and giving broadsides in every direction. The Union vessel " Varuna " also did daring work, and naturally these two ships met in desperate conflict. After exchanging broadsides, the " Governor Moore " rammed her ad- versary, and, while bearing down on her, received a severe raking fire from the " Varuna." The *' Gover- 394 STORY OF OUR NAVY nor Moore " was in such a position that none of her guns could be brought to bear; but her captain sud- denly depressed the muzzle of his bow-gun, and sent a shot crashing through his own deck and side, and deep into the hull of the " Varuna," The vessels soon parted, but the " Varuna " had received her death- wound, and sank in shallow water. The " Governor Moore " kept on her way, but was knocked to pieces by the fire from the heavy guns of the frigates shortly after. And so the battle raged for five hours. To recount in full the deeds of valor done, would be to tell the story of each ship engaged, and would require volumes. Witnesses who saw the fight from the start were deeply impressed by the majesty of the scene. It was like a grand panorama. " From almost perfect silence, — the steamers moving through the water like phantom ships, — one incessant roar of heavy cannon commenced, the Confederate forts and gunboats opening together on the head of our line as it came within range. The Union vessels returned the fire as they came up, and soon the hundred and seventy guns of our fleet joined in the thunder which seemed to shake the very earth. A lurid glare was thrown over the scene by the burn- ing rafts; and, as the bombshells crossed each other and exploded in the air, it seemed as if a battle were taking place in the heavens as well as on the earth. It all ended as suddenly as it commenced." While this gigantic contest was going on in the river abreast of the forts, the people of New Orleans were thronging the streets, listening to the unceasing roar of the great guns, and discussing, with pale faces and anxious hearts, the outcome of the fight. " Farragut can never pass our forts. His wooden ships will be blown to pieces by their fire, or dashed into atoms by the ' Manassas,' " people said. But many listened FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 395 in silence : they had husbands, sons, or brothers in that fearful fight, and who could tell that they would re- turn alive? By and by the firing ceased. Only an occasional shot broke the stillness of the morning. Then came the suspense. Had the fleet been beaten back, or was it above the forts, and even now sullenly steaming up to the city? Everybody rushed for the housetops to look to the southward, over the low land through which the Mississippi winds. An hour's wait- ing, and they see curls of smoke rising above the trees, then slender dark lines moving along above the tree- tops. "Are they our ships?" every one cries; and no one answers until the dark lines are seen to be crossed by others at right angles. They are masts with yard- arms, masts of sea-going vessels, the masts of the in- vader's fleet. A cry of grief, of fear, of rage, goes up from the housetops. " To the levee ! " cry the men, and soon the streets resound with the rush of many feet toward the river. " The river is crooked, and its cur- rent swift. It will be hours before the Yankees can arrive: let us burn, destroy, that they may find no booty." Let one who was in the sorrowful city that terrible April day tell the story: I went to the river-side. There, until far into the night, I saw hundreds of drays carrying cotton out of the presses and yards to the wharves, where it was fired. The glare of those sinuous miles of flame set men and women weeping and wailing thirty miles away, on the farther shore of Lake Pontchartrain. But the next day was the day of terrors. During the night, fear, wrath, and sense of betrayal, had run through the people as the fire had run through the cotton. You have seen, perhaps, a family fleeing, with lamentations and wringing of hands, out of a burning house ; multiply it by thousands upon thousands : that was New Orleans, though the houses were not burning. The firemen were out ; but they cast fire on the waters, putting the torch to the empty ships and cutting them loose to float down the river. Whoever could go was going. The great mass that had no place to go to, or means to go with, was beside itself. " Betrayed ! betrayed ! " it cried, and ran in throngs from street to street, seeking 396 STORY OF OUR NAVY some vent, some victim for its virrath. I saw a crowd catch a poor fellow at the corner of Magazine and Common Streets, whose crime was that he looked like a stranger and might be a spy. He was the palest living man I ever saw. They swung him to a neighboring lamp-post ; but the Foreign Legion was patrolling the town in strong squads, and one of its lieutenants, all green and gold, leaped with drawn sword, cut the rope, and saved the man. This was one occurrence; there were many like it. I stood in the rear door of our store. Canal Street, soon after re-opening it. The junior of the firm was within. I called him to look toward the river. The masts of the cutter " Washington " were slowly tipping, declining, sinking — down she went. The gunboat moored next her began to smoke all over and then to blaze. My employers lifted up their heels and left the city, left their goods and their affairs in the hands of one mere lad — no stranger would have thought I had reached fourteen — and one big German porter. I closed the doors, sent the porter to his place in the Foreign Legion, and ran to the levee to see the sights. What a gathering! — the riff-raff of the wharves, the town, the gutters. Such women! such wrecks of women! and all the juvenile rag-tag. The lower steamboat-landing, well covered with sugar, rice, and molasses, was being rifled. The men smashed ; the women scooped up the smashings. The river was overflowing the top of the levee. A rain-storm began to threaten. " Are the Yankee ships in sight?" I asked of an idler. He pointed out the tops of their naked masts as they showed up across the huge bend of the river. They were engaging the batteries at Camp Chalmette, the old field of Jackson's renown. Presently that was over. Ah, me ! I see them now as they come slowly round Slaughterhouse Point, into full view ; silent, so grim and terrible, black with men, heavy with deadly portent, the long banished Stars and Stripes flying against the frowning sky. Oh for the " Mississippi," the " Missis- sippi ! " Just then she came down upon them. But how? Drifting helplessly, a mass of flames. The crowds on the levee howled and screamed with rage. The swarming decks answered never a word ; but one old tar on the " Hartford," standing with lanyard in hand, beside a great pivot- gun, so plain to view that you could see him smile, silently patted its big black breech and blandly grinned. As the masts of the fleet came up the river, a young man stepped out upon the roof of the City Hall, and swiftly hoisted the flag of the State of Louisiana. iWhen the ships came up, two ofl^cers were sent ashore to demand the surrender of the city; and shoulder to FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 397 shoulder the two old sailors marched through a howl- ing, cursing mob to the City Hall. The mayor re- fused to surrender the city, saying that Farragut al- ready had captured it. The officers went back to their ships, and the flag still floated. Two days later the officers, with a hundred sailors and marines, returned and demanded that the flag be hauled down. No one in the city would tear it down, and the Federals went up to the roof to lower it themselves. The street and surrounding housetops were crowded with a hostile peo- ple, all armed. No one could tell that the fall of the flag would not be followed by a volley from the undisciplined populace. The marines in front of the building stood grouped about two loaded howitzers that bore upon the darkly muttering crowd. Violence was in the air. As the two officers rose to go to the roof, the mayor, a young Creole, left the room and descended the stairs. Quietly he stepped out into the street, and without a word stood before one of the howitzers, his arms folded, eying the gunner, who stood with lan- yard in hand, ready to fire at the word of command. Th^ flag fell slowly from the staff. Not a sound arose from the crowd. All were watching the mayor, who stood coldly looking on death. The Federal officers came down carrying the flag. A few sharp commands, and the marines tramped away down the street, with the howitzers clanking behind them. The crowd cheered for Mayor Monroe and dispersed, and New Orleans became again a city of the United States. CHAPTER XXIII Surrender of Forts St. Philip and Jackson — The Navy at Port Hudson — On the Yazoo River — The Ram " Arkansas " — The "Webfooted Gunboats" — In the Bayous — Rescued by the Army — Commodore Porter's Joke — Running the Batteries. When the Confederate flag had been hauled down at New Orleans under the guns of Farragut's fleet, Porter with his mortar-boats and a gunboat or two was still beleaguering the forts at the mouth of the Mississippi. The Union fleet had not silenced or captured these works, but had merely run past them. So Porter took up again the work of bombardment and pushed it with such vigor that on the 28th of April the Confederate commander announced his willingness to surrender. On the following day Porter proceeded upstream with his squadron, and anchored off the fort. A boat, manned by six trim sailors in dress uniforms, put off, and soon returned, bringing the commander of the defeated forces and two or three officers. They were received on the " Harriet Lane," and Commodore Porter had made great preparations for the meeting. The crews of all the vessels were dressed in snow-white mustering- suits, and the officers in brass-buttoned blue coats and white trousers. The decks were scrubbed, and all traces of the fight cleared away. As the Confederate officers came up to the fleet, one of them, a former lieutenant in the Union navy, said, " Look at the old navy. I feel proud when I see them. There are no half-breeds there : they are the simon-pure." As the Confederates came over the side. Porter stood, with his officers, ready to receive them. The greatest polite- ness was observed on either side; and Porter writes: 398 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 399 " Their bearing was that of men who had gained a victory, instead of undergoing defeat." While the papers of capitulation were being signed, a message came from the deck that the huge Confederate iron- clad " Louisiana " wa^ drifting down upon them, a mass of flames, and there was great danger that she would blow up in the midst of the Union fleet. " This is sharp practice, gentlemen," said Porter, ** and some of us will perhaps be blown up; but I know what to do. If you can stand what is coming, we can; but I will make it lively for those people if anybody in the flotilla is injured." " I told Lieutenant Wainwright to hail the steamer next him," writes Captain Porter, " and tell her cap- tain to pass the word for the others to veer out all their riding-chains to the bitter end, and stand by to sheer clear of the burning iron-clad as she drifted down. I then sat down to the table, and said, * Gentle- men, we will proceed to sign the capitulation.' I handed the paper to General Duncan, and looked at the Confederate officers to see how they would behave under the circumstances of a great iron-clad dropping down on them, all in flames, with twenty thousand pounds of powder in her magazines. For myself, I hoped the fire would not reach the powder until the ship had drifted some distance below us. My greatest fear was that she would run foul of some of the steamers. " While I was thinking this over, the officers were sitting as coolly as if at tea-table among their friends. " Just then there was a stir on deck, a kind of sway- ing of the vessel to and fro, a rumbling in the air, then an explosion which seemed to shake the heavens. The ' Harriet Lane ' was thrown two streaks over, and everything in the cabin was jostled from side to side; 400 STORY OF OUR NAVY but not a man left his seat, or showed any intention of doing so. " I was glad that I had signed before the explosion took place, as I would not have liked to have my auto- graph look shaky." With Union garrisons In charge of both forts the great river was open from New Orleans to the gulf, and Porter made haste to join Farragut In New Or- leans. Arrived there he found the indomitable ad- miral had already gone up river to clear away the batteries between that point and Vicksburg. This was no light task, and indeed proved beyond the ability of the navy to perform without aid. The little field batteries along the shore were readily silenced or driven away, but speedily returned or sought another post. But the hard nut the navy had to crack was the Con- federate position at Port Hudson, Mississippi. These batteries were perched on a high bluff that overlooks one of those abrupt curves around which the current of the Mississippi River sweeps with such terrific force. The heavy guns bore down upon a point at which the ships would almost inevitably be swept out of their course by the swift stream, and where the river was filled with treacherous shifting shoals. Naval officers all agreed that to pass those batteries was a more diffi- cult task than had been the passage of the forts below New Orleans; yet Farragut, eager to get at the strong- hold of the foe In Vicksburg, determined to make the attempt. The mortar-vessels were stationed below to drive the enemy from his guns with well-directed bombs; while the fleet, led by the stanch old "Hart- ford," should make a bold dash up the river. Night fell upon the scene; and the ships weighed anchor, and started upon their perilous voyage. To the side of each man-of-war was bound a gunboat to tow the larger vessel out of danger in case of disaster. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 401 Silently the long string of vessels swept upward to- wards the batteries; but, as the " Hartford " came into range, the watchful Confederates gave the alarm, and the nearest battery at once opened fire. Then from Porter's mortar-schooners far down the river came an answering roar; and, as ship after ship came up into range, she opened with shot and shell upon the works. On the dark river-banks great alarm fires were kindled, lighting up the water with a lurid glare, and making the ships clearly visible to the Confederate gunners. But soon the smoke of battle settled down over all; and gunners, whether on shore or on the ships, fired at random. The " Hartford " led the way, and picked out the course; and the other vessels followed carefully in her wake. In the mizzen-top of the flagship was stationed a cool old river pilot, who had guided many a huge river steamer, freighted with precious lives, through the mazy channels of the Mississippi. There, high above the battle-smoke, heedless of the grape- shot and bits of flying shell whistling around him, he stood at his post, calmly giving his orders through a speaking-tube that led to the wheel-room. Now and then the admiral on the deck below would call up, asking about the pilot's safety, and was always answered with a cheery hail. But though the " Hartford " went by the batteries, heedless of the storm and lead poured upon her, she found herself alone, when, after firing a last gun, she swept into the clear air and tranquil water out of range of the enemy's guns. The night wore on, and all on board were consumed with anxiety for the fate of the vessels that had dropped behind. The lookout in the tops reported that he could see far down the river a bright red light that could only be caused by a burning vessel. It proved to be the steamer " Mississippi," that had grounded under the guns of the batteries, and had been fired and aban- 402 STORY OF OUR NAVY doned by her crew. But of this the admiral knew nothing; and when, after an hour or two, he heard the dull, heavy boom of an explosion, he went sadly to his cabin, fearing that the lives of many valiant sailors had been sacrificed. There was no way to communicate with the fleet below, and it was not until days afterward that the admiral learned how his fleet had been beaten back, by the heavy guns of the Con- federates and the swift current of the river. The " Richmond " grounded at a point within easy range of the batteries, and her crew fought desperately while shell after shell went crashing through her hull. They saw the other vessels of the fleet go drifting by help- less in the mighty current of the river, but they faltered not in their brave defence until they saw their ship a wreck and in flames. Then leaving their dead com- rades with the " Richmond " for a funeral pyre, they escaped to the shore, and threaded their way through miles of morasses and dense thickets until they came to the mortar-boats, where they found refuge and rest. And so that first attack on Port Hudson ended with Farragut above the batteries, and his ships below. It had only served to prove, that, safe in their heavy earthworks, the Confederates could defy any attack by ships alone. This fact was clear to the Union authorities, and they began massing troops about the hostile works. But the assaults of the troops proved equally in- effective. Harassed on the landward side, and sub- jected to constant bombardment from the river, the garrison of Port Hudson hung on gallantly. One of the Confederate soldiers said, some time after the war: *' One can get used to almost anything. After the first two or three days, we took the bombardment as part of the regular routine. Pieces of shell were con- tinually flying about, and it was the regular thing for FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 403; a bomb to drop down among us at intervals. I have seen them come down within fifty feet of a sentinel, and throw up a wagon-load of dirt, without his even turning his head. We had but few men hurt by the artillery-fire. I do not believe we averaged one man hit for every thousand pounds of metal thrown. I remember that one day I counted thirteen shells and bombs hurled at the spot where I was posted before we had a man hurt, and he was only slightly wounded." Naturally, such work as this could not drive the Con- federates from their trenches; and the fleet soon con- cluded to leave the army to capture Port Hudson, while the ships steamed on up the river toward Vicks- burg. The army kept up the siege for weeks, until the Confederates, hearing of the fall of Vicksburg, surrendered. Meantime, far up the Yazoo River, In Mississippi, the Confederates were building a powerful iron-clad ram, which it was fondly hoped would drive Farragut and Porter from the river and save Vicksburg. For a time it seemed as though their hopes were destined to be realized, but the ill-luck that attended the most powerful Confederate ships — the " Merrimac," the " Manassas," the " Albemarle," for example — over- took her and cut her career short. When at last the carpenters' clatter had ceased, and the ram, ready for action, lay in the little river, the crew were mustered on the deck, and told that the new boat had been built to clear the Union vessels from the Mississippi, and that purpose should be carried out. No white flag was to flutter from that flag-staff; and she should sink with all her crew before she would sur- render. Any sailor who feared to enter upon such a service might leave the ship at once. No one left; and the " Arkansas " started down the river to look for an enemy. She was not long in finding one. At 404 STORY OF OUR NAVY the mouth of the Yazoo floated three Union gunboats, —the " Carondelet," the " Tyler," and the " Queen of the West." As the ram came down into sight, her men heard the roll of the drums on the decks of the hostile vessels. The gunboats quickly opened fire, which was as promptly returned by the "Arkansas"; and, as she came swiftly rushing down the stream, the three vessels fled before her. The men on the ram were all new recruits, and made awkward work of the firing; but as she came to close quarters she sent her shells crashing into the Union ships, while the shot she received in return rattled harmlessly off her steel-mailed sides. The " Carondelet " was the first vessel to come to grief. She had hardly fired four shots when a heavy solid shot crashed through her side, and rattled against the most delicate part of the en- gine. She w^as helpless at once; and hardly had this damage been reported when a second shot came with a burst into an open port, killed five men, and broke its way out the other side. In ten minutes her decks were slippery with blood, and thick strewn with wounded and dead men. The current of the river drifted her upon a sandbar; and she lay there helplessly, now and again answering the galling fire of her foe with a feeble shot. Pouring in a last broadside, the *' Arkansas " steamed past her, and, disregarding the other two vessels, headed for Vicksburg, where she knew her aid was sorely needed. The news of her coming preceded her; and, when she came within sight of the steeples of the city, at least ten thousand people were watching her progress, and wondering whether she could pass by the Federal batteries and through the Federal fleet. The Federal fleet was all ready for her, and prepared such a gaunt- let for the " Arkansas " as had never been run by any vessel. As she came within range, every Union gun FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 405 that could be brought to bear opened; and shot and shell rained from shore-batteries and marine guns upon the tough hide of the ram. As she sped by the vessels, they gave her their broadsides, and the effect was tre- mendous. As the huge iron balls struck the ship, she keeled far over; and to her crew inside, it seemed as though she was being lifted bodily out of the water. Not a shot broke through the armor; but the terrible concussions knocked men down, and made blood come pouring from their nostrils. For new men, her crew fought well and bravely; though two fell flat on their faces, afraid to lift their heads, lest they be taken off by a shell. When it was seen that the " Arkansas " was likely to pass through the lines unscathed, the Federals tried to blockade her way; but she deviated not an inch from her path. The vessel that stood before her had to move aside, or take the chances of a blow from her terrible iron beak. She came straight to the centre of the fleet before opening fire; and when her port- holes were opened, and the big guns peered out, they found plenty of targets. Her first volley knocked a gunboat to pieces; and in another minute she had crashed into the side of a Union ram, sending that un- lucky craft ashore for repairs. But the storm of solid shot was too much for her; and she was forced to seek shelter under the bluffs, where the heavy guns of the Confederate shore-batteries compelled the Union ships to keep a respectful distance. Here she lay for several weeks, beating off every assault of the Federals, and making a valuable addition to the defences of the city. But, in an evil hour, the Confederate authorities de- cided to send her down the river to recapture Baton Rouge. When her journey was but half completed she was pounced upon by several United States vessels, with the *' Essex " in the lead. Her engines breaking 4o6 STORY OF OUR NAVY down, she drifted upon a sand-bank; and the attacking ships pounded her at their leisure, until, with the fire bursting from her portholes, she was abandoned by her crew, and blazed away until her career was ended by the explosion of her magazine. She had given the Federal fleet some hard tussles, but beyond that had done nothing of the work the Confederates so fondly hoped of her. There now began for the fleet on the Mississippi, particularly the gunboats under Porter's command, a curious campaign in mud and water that led Lincoln to call them " webfooted gunboats," and earned them among the soldiers the title of mud-turtles. The coun- try about Vicksburg is cut up by little rivers and bayous, not often wide enough for two boats to pass, but deep enough to offer practicable pathways to the interior. Into these water-lanes the gunboats plunged, now to reduce some Confederate fort or the interior, again to destroy a Confederate ship-yard. Porter himself led the largest of the expeditions in the hopes of find- ing a way around the batteries at Vicksburg, and nar- rowly escaped leaving the bones of his boats in the forests into which he had taken them. An early expedition was one of three gunboats up the White River in search of a Confederate fort. Within twelve hours from the start, the sailors learned from a ragged negro, whom they captured on the shore, that the Confederates had powerful batteries only five miles farther up, and that the river channel was ob- structed by sunken vessels. Anchor was cast for the night; and in the morning the troops accompanying the expedition were landed, and plunged into the forest with the plan of taking the fort by a rush from the rear. The gunboats began a slow advance up the river, throwing shells into the woods ahead of them. The blue-jackets kept carefully under cover; for, though FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 407 they could see no foe, yet the constant singing of rifle- bullets about the ships proved that somewhere in those bushes were concealed sharpshooters whose powder was good and whose aim was true. The " Mound City " was leading the gunboats, and had advanced within six hundred yards of the enemy's guns, when a single shot, fired from a masked battery high up the bluffs, rang out sharply amid the rattle of small arms. It was the first cannon-shot fired by the Confederates in that en- gagement, and it was probably the most horribly deadly shot fired in the war. It entered the port-casemate for- ward, killed three men standing at the gun, and plunged into the boiler. In an instant the scalding steam came hissing out, filling the ship from stem to stern, and horribly scalding every one upon the gun-deck. The deck was covered with writhing forms, and screams of agony rang out above the harsh noise of the escaping steam and the roar of battle outside. Many were blown overboard; more crawled out of the portholes, and dropped into the river to escape the scalding steam, and struggling in the water were killed by rifle-balls or the fragments of the shells that were bursting all around. The helpless gunboat turned round and round in the stream, and drifted away, carrying a crew of dead and dying men. So great was the horror of the scene, that one of the officers, himself unhurt, who saw his comrades thus tortured all about him, went insane. While this scene was going on before the fort, the Union troops had come up behind it, and with a cheer rushed over the breastworks, and drove the garrison to surrender. The Confederate banner fell from the staff, and the Stars and Stripes went up in its place. But how great was the price that the Federals had to pay for that victory ! That night, with muffled drums, and arms reversed, the blue-jackets carried to the grave fifty-nine of their comrades, who twelve hours before 4o8 STORY OF OUR NAVY were active men. With three volleys of musketry the simple rites over the sailors' graves were ended; and those who were left alive, only said with a sigh, " It is the fortune of war." Meanwhile Porter was putting to the test his favorite theory that the bayous and creeks would furnish a safe, if not an easy, route around Vicksburg. His men first cut the levees, and let the mighty tide of the Mis- sissippi sweep in, filling the bayous to the brim, and flooding all the country round about. Then the gun- boats plunged in, and were borne along on the rushing tide until they brought up, all standing, against the trunks of trees, or had their smoke-stacks caught by overhanging branches. Then came the tug of war; and the axemen were called to the front, and set to work. They chopped their way along for some distance; the rapid current from the river banging the vessels against the trees and stumps, until all the standing rigging and light cabins were swept away. After a good deal of work they saw before them a broad river, wide enough for two vessels to steam abreast. Soon they drifted out into it, and the commanding officer sang out cheerily, " On to Vicksburg, boys, and no more trees to saw." And so they steamed on, thinking how neatly they should take the " gray-coats " in the rear, when sud- denly a bend in the river showed them, just ahead, a fort in the middle of the river, with the channel blocked on either side. That was a surprise. The works were new, and the water was still muddy about the sunken steamers. Clearly the wily Pemberton, in command at Vicksburg, had heard of this inland naval expedi- tion, and was determined to check it effectually. The gunboats backed water, and crowded in con- fused groups. The gunners in the fort took hurried aim, and pulled the lanyards of their cannon, forgetting FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 409 that those pieces were not loaded. It was hard to tell which party was the more excited at the unexpected meeting. This gave the blue-jackets a chance to collect their thoughts, and in a minute or two the gunboats opened fire; but they were soon convinced that the fort was too much for them, and they turned and crawled back through the woods to the fleet. But, even while this expedition was working its way back to the station of the vessels on the Mississippi, Porter was starting another through a second chain of water-courses that he had discovered. This time he was so sure of getting into the rear of Vicksburg, that he took four of his big iron-clads, and two light mortar- boats built especially for work in the woods. General Sherman with a strong army-force, marched overland, keeping up with the gunboats. Admiral Porter, in his Memoirs, gives a graphic picture of this expedition. Back of Vicksburg the country is low, and intersected in every direction by narrow, tortuous bayous, lined on either side by gloomy morasses or majestic forests. Into these little-known water-courses Porter boldly led his ponderous iron-clads; while Sherman, with a de- tachment of troops, advanced along the shore, keeping as near the flotilla as possible. Seldom have naval vessels been detailed upon so strange a service. For days they steamed on under the spreading branches of trees, that often spanned the bayous in a mighty arch overhead, shutting out all sunlight. For a time this navigation of placid, shady waterways was pleasant enough; but, as they penetrated farther into the in- terior, the jackies sighed for the blue waters of the ocean, or even for the turbid current of the Mississippi. The heavy foliage that gave so grateful a shade also harbored all sorts of animals; and coons, rats, mice, and wildcats, that had been driven to the trees for shelter during the prevailing high water, peered down 4IO STORY OF OUR NAVY upon the sailors, and often dropped sociably down upon the decks of the vessels gliding beneath. At some portions of the voyage the flotilla seemed to be steaming through the primeval forest. The bayou was but a few feet wider than the gunboats, and its banks were lined by gnarled and knotted old vet- erans of the forest, — live oaks, sycamore, and tupelo gum trees that had stood in majestic dignity on the banks of the dark and sullen stream for centuries. Sometimes majestic vistas would open; broad avenues carpeted with velvet turf, and walled in by the massive tree trunks, extending from the banks of the stream far back into the country. Again, the stately forests would be replaced by fields of waving corn or rice, with the tops of a row of negro cabins or the columned front of a planter's house showing in the distance. Then, as the flotilla steamed on, this fair prospect would disappear, and be replaced by noisome cypress brakes, hung thick with the funereal Spanish moss, and harboring beneath the black water many a noxious reptile. So through the ever-changing scenery the gunboats moved along, making but little progress, but meeting with no serious obstacle, until one morning there ap- peared on a bit of high ground, some yards in advance of the leading gunboat, an army officer mounted on an old white horse. It was General Sherman, and his troops were in camp near by. He greeted the naval forces cheerily, and, rallying Porter on the amphibious service into which his gunboats had been forced, warned him that he would soon have not a smoke-stack stand- ing, nor a boat left at the davits. " So much the better," said the undaunted admiral. " All I want is an engine, guns, and a hull to float them. As to boats, they are very much in the way." Soon after leaving Sherman, Porter saw that the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 411 difficulties he had thus far met and conquered were as nothing to those which he had yet to encounter. The comparatively broad stream up which he had been steaming came to an end, and his further progress must be through Cypress Bayou, a canal just forty-six feet wide. The broadest gunboat was forty-two feet wide, and to enter that narrow stream made retreat out of the question : there could be no turning round to fly. The levees rose on either side of the narrow canal high above the decks of the iron-clads, so that the cannon could not be sufficiently elevated to do effective work in case of an attack. But there were nine feet of water in the great ditch; and that was enough for Porter, who pressed boldly on. The country into which the combined military and naval expedition was advancing was in truth the gran- ary of Vicksburg. On all other sides of the belea- guered city, the Federal lines were drawn so closely that the wagons laden with farm produce could not hope to pass. But here, back of the city, and far from the camps of Grant's legions, the work of raising pro- duce for the gallant people of Vicksburg was prose- cuted with the most untiring vigor. The sight, then, of the advancing gunboats aroused the greatest con- sternation. From the deck of his vessel Porter could see the people striving to save their property from the advancing enemy. Great droves of cattle were being driven away far into the interior; negroes were skurry- ing in all directions, driving poultry and pigs to the safe concealment of the forest; wagons groaning under the weight of farm and garden produce could be seen disappearing in the distance. What the inhabitants could not save they destroyed, in order that it might not profit the invaders. A short distance from the mouth of the bayou were six thousand bales of cotton piled up on opposite sides of the stream, ready to be 412 STORY OF OUR NAVY taken aboard a steamer when the war should end. As the gunboats advanced slowly, making little headway against the two-knot current of the bayou, Porter saw two men carrying lighted pine-knots, dash up to the cotton, and begin to set it afire. The admiral looked on in disgust. "'What fools these mortals be!'" said he to an officer standing at his side; "but I sup- pose those men have a right to burn their own cotton, especially as we have no way of preventing them." " I can send a howitzer shell at them, sir," said the officer, " and drive them away." But to this Porter demurred, saying that he had no desire to kill the men, and that they might do as they liked with their own. Accordingly the officers quietly watched the vandals, until, after twenty minutes' work, the cotton was blazing, and a dense mass of smoke cut off all vision ahead, and rose high in the air. Then Porter began to suspect that he had made a mistake. The difficulties of navigation in the bayou were great enough, without having smoke and fire added to them. Yet to wait for the cotton to burn up might cause a serious delay. On the high bank of the bayou stood a negro begging the sailors to take him aboard. " Hallo, there. Sambo ! " sung out Porter, " how long will it take this cotton to burn up? " "Two day, massa," responded the contraband; " p'raps tree." That ended the debate. " Ring the bell to go ahead fast," said the admiral to the pilot; and away went the flotilla at full speed, plunging into the smoke and fire. It was a hot experience for the sailors. The heavy iron-clads made but slow progress, and were scorched and blistered with the heat. The ports were all shut down, and the crews called to fire-quarters, buckets in hand. To remain on deck was impossible. Porter and his captain made the trial, but had hardly FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 413 entered the smoke when the scorching heat drove both into the shelter of an iron-covered deck-house. The pilot standing at the wheel seized a flag, and, wrapping it about his face and body, was able to stay at his post. As the flames grew hotter, the sailors below opened the main hatch, and, thrusting up a hose, deluged the deck with floods of water. So, without a man in sight, the huge iron ship moved along between the walls of flame. Suddenly came an enormous crash. The gunboat shivered, and for a moment stood still; then, gathering headway, moved on again, though with much ominous grating beneath her keel. Soon after she passed out of the smoke and heat, and all hands rushed on deck for a whiff of the fresh, cool air. Their first thought was of the cause of the collision; and, looking eagerly astern, they saw a heavy bridge, about fifty feet of which had been demolished by the tremen- dous power of the ram. This gave Porter a hint as to the force he had at his command; and thereafter bridges were rammed as a matter of course whenever they impeded the progress of the iron-clads. The astonishment of the people along the shore may well be imagined. The great and formidable obstacles that stood in the path of the squadron were, as a rule, overcome by the exertion of the great powers of the steam-driven, iron-plated vessels; but at last there came a check, that, though it seemed at first insignificant, terminated the sylvan manoeuvres of the iron-clad navy. After running the gauntlet of the burning cotton, butting down trees, and smashing through bridges, the column en- tered a stretch of smooth water that seemed to promise fair and unobstructed sailing. But toward the end of this expanse of water a kind of green scum was evident, extending right across the bayou, from bank to bank. Porter's keen eye caught sight of this; and, 414 STORY OF OUR NAVY turning to one of the negroes who had taken refuge on the gunboat, he asked what it was. " It's nuffin' but willows, sah," he replied. " When de water's out of de bayou, den we cuts de willows to make baskets with. You kin go troo dat like a eel." Satisfied with this explanation, the admiral ordered the tug which led the column to go ahead. Under a full head of steam, the tug dashed into the willows, but began to slow up, until, after going about thirty yards, she stopped, unable to go forward or back. Undaunted by this unexpected resistance. Porter cried out that the " Cincinnati " would push the tug along; and the heavy gunboat, withdrawing a short distance to gain headway, hurled herself forward, and dashed into the willows with a force that would have carried her through any bridge ever built. But the old fable of the lion bound down by the silken net was here re-enacted. The gunboat did not even reach the tug. The slender willow-shoots trailed along the sides, caught in the rough ends of the iron overhang, and held the vessel immovable. Abandoning the attempt to advance, the gunboat strove to back out, but to no avail. Then hooks were rigged over the side to break away the withes, and men slung in ropes alongside vigorously wielded sharp cutlasses and saws; but still the willows retained their grip. Matters were now getting serious; and, to add to Porter's perplexity, re- ports came in that Confederate troops were coming down upon him. Then he began to lose confidence in his iron-clads, and wish right heartily for Sherman and his soldiers, of whose whereabouts he could gain no knowledge. The enemy did not leave him long in doubts as to their intention, and soon began a vigorous fire of shells from the woods. Porter stopped that promptly by manning his mortars and firing a few shells at a range measured by the sound of the enemy's FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 415 cannon. The immediate silence of the hostile batteries proved the accuracy of the admiral's calculations, and gave him time to devise means for escaping from his perilous position. How to do it without aid from Sherman's troops was a difficult question; and in his perplexity he ex- claimed aloud: "Why don't Sherman come on? I'd give ten dollars to get a telegram to him." The ad- miral was standing at the moment on the bank of the bayou, near a group of negroes; and an athletic-looking contraband stepped forward, and, announcing himself as a " telegram-wire," offered to carry the note " to kingdum kum for half a dollar." After sharply cross- questioning the volunteer. Porter wrote on a scrap of paper: "Dear Sherman, — Hurry up, for Heaven's sake. I never knew how helpless an Iron-clad could be, steaming around through the woods without an army to back her." " Where will you carry this? " asked Porter, handing the dispatch to the negro. " In my calabash kiver, massa," responded the mes- senger with a grin; and, stowing the paper away in his woolly hair, he darted away. The telegram being thus dispatched, Porter again turned his attention to the willows; and, a fortunate rise in the water having occurred, he was able to ex- tricate his vessels and begin his retreat down the bayou. The difficulties of the retreat were no less great than those of the advance, with the intermittent attacks of the enemy added. The work of removing heavy, soggy logs, half submerged beneath the black waters of the bayou, clearing away standing trees, and break- ing up and removing Red-river rafts, wearied the sail- ors, and left them little spirit to meet the enemy's attacks. The faint sounds of wood-chopping in the distance told too well of the additional impediments 4i6 STORY OF OUR NAVY yet in store for the adventurous mariners. Scouts sent out reported that the enemy had impressed great gangs of negroes, and were forcing them to do the work of felling the trees that were to hem in Uncle Sam's gun- boats, for the benefit of the C. S. A. But the plans of the Confederates to this end were easily defeated. Porter had not only many willing arms at his com- mand, but the powerful aid of steam. When the gun- boats came to a tree lying across the bayou, a landing party went ashore and fastened large pulleys to a tree on the bank. Then a rope was passed through the block; and one end having been made fast to the fallen tree, the other was taken aboard a gunboat. The word was then given, "Back the iron-clad hard"; and the fallen monarch of the forest was soon dragged across the bayou and out of the way. So expert did the jackies become in this work, that they were soon able to clear away the trees faster than the enemy could fell them. The tug then went ahead, and for a time put an end to further tree-chopping, and captured several of the negro axemen. But while this slow and painful retreat was in prog- ress the Confederates were mustering by thousands. A few field batteries were brought into play, and the sharpshooters were becoming perniciously active. The narrowness of the bayous made the danger of capture by a rush of boarders from the shore ever present, and it was one of Porter's gravest fears. He began to think wistfully of Sherman, until one day when the bullets were flying with murderous effect upon those in the boats, a line of blue-clad soldiers burst from the woods and put the Confederates to flight. Sherman had come. From behind his shield. Porter looked out anxiously at the forces by which he was beleaguered. He could see clearly that the Confederates were increasing in FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 417 numbers; and, when at last he saw a long gray column come sweeping out of the woods, his heart failed him, and for a moment he thought that the fate of his flotilla was sealed. But at that very moment deliver- ance was at hand. The Confederates were seen to fall into confusion, waver, and give way before a thin blue line, — the advance guard of Sherman's troops. The negro " telegram-wire " had proved faithful, and Sherman had come on to the rescue. That ended the difficulties of the flotilla. The enemy, once brought face to face with Sherman's men, departed abruptly; and soon the doughty general, mounted on an old gray horse, came riding down to the edge of the bayou, for a word with Porter. See- ing the admiral on the deck of his gunboat, he shouted out, " Hallo ! Porter, what did you get into such an ugly scrape for? So much for you navy fellows get- ting out of your element. Better send for the soldiers always. My boys will put you through. Here's your little nigger. He came through all right, and I started at once. Your gunboats are enough to scare the crows : they look as if you had got a terrible hammering." In a few days Porter and his webfooted gunboats were again with Grant and the army — still above Vicks- burg. By this time the General — always for the direct way of gaining an end, even though it involved risk and certain bloodshed — was tired of planning to evade the batteries and announced his determination to run boldly by them. But before undertaking this enter- prise seriously Porter thought he would test the perils of the trip. He took a large flatboat, and built it up with logs and lumber until it looked like a powerful ram. Two huge wheel-houses towered amidships, on each of which was painted, in great, staring letters, " Deluded Rebels, cave in." From the open ports, the muzzles of what 4i8 STORY OF OUR NAVY appeared to be heavy rifles protruded; though the guns that seemed so formidable were really only logs of wood. Two high smoke-stacks, built of empty pork- barrels, rose from the centre of this strange craft; and at the bottom of each stack was an iron pot, in which was a heap of tar and oakum that sent forth volumes of black smoke when lighted. One dark night the fires in this sham monster were lighted, and she was towed down to the Confederate batteries, and set drift- ing down the river. She was quickly discovered, and the batteries on the bluffs opened on her with a roar. There was nothing about the dummy to be hurt, how- ever; and it was impossible to sink her. So she sailed majestically through the plunging hail of solid shot, and past the terrible batteries that were thought to be a match for anything afloat. The Confederates in the trenches looked at each other in astonishment and dis- may. Word was sent to General Pemberton that a powerful Yankee iron-clad had passed the batteries un- hurt, and was speeding down the stream. The Gen- eral's first thought was of a gunboat, the " Indianola," lately captured from the Federals, and now being con- verted into an iron-clad ram. She must be saved from recapture, even if it should be necessary to destroy her. Word was hurriedly sent down the river that a formida- ble ram was bearing down upon the " Indianola "; and, if the latter vessel was not in condition to do battle, she should be blown up. Accordingly, while the dummy ram, caught in an eddy of the river, was whirl- ing helplessly around just below Vicksburg, the Con- federates put the torch to their new war-vessel, and she was soon a heap of ashes. Porter's little joke was a good one for the United States. Work was then begun to get the transports and gun- boats ready to run the gauntlet. But, though Grant could have starved the city into FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 419 subjection by simply sitting and waiting, he grew tired of this, and determined to force matters to an issue. The first thing to be done was to get the gunboats and transports past the batteries. The transports were put into shape to stand a cannonade by having their weaker parts covered with cotton-bales; and on one dark night in June, the flotilla started down the river, with the iron-clad gunboats in advance. Admiral Por- ter led in the " Benton." At eleven o'clock the fleet got under way; and, as the "Benton" came abreast of the first batteries, the alarm was given in the Con- federate camp, and a fierce cannonade began. Huge fires were lighted on the shores to light up the river, and make the gunboats visible to the Confederate can- noneers. The warships swung grandly around the bend, responding with rapid broadsides to the fire of the forts. All the vessels were hit once or oftener. The heavy smoke that accompanies such fierce cannon- ading hung over the river, cutting off all view of the surroundings from the sailors. The eddying currents of the river caught the steamers, swinging them now this way, now that, until the perplexed pilots knew not which way their vessels were headed. The blue-jack- ets at the guns worked away cheerily, knowing that enemies were on every side of them, and that, no mat- ter which way their missiles sped, an enemy was to be found. More than one vessel turned completely around; and once, when the rising breeze cleared away the smoke, the pilot of the " Benton " found that he was taking his ship up-stream again, and was in im- minent danger of running down a friendly gunboat. But they all passed on without receiving any severe injuries, and at five o'clock in the morning lay anchored far below the city. The heavy batteries at Grand Gulf, called " the key to Vicksburg," were the next targets of the fleet, 420 STORY OF OUR NAVY but the hardest pounding failed to produce any effect upon them. Indeed, it may be admitted that the whole work of the navy on the Mississippi was of Httle use, and would have been wholly ineffective save for the presence of the troops. Island No. lo fell to the army, not the navy. The batteries at Grand Gulf and Port Hudson defied all attacks from the water-side, and over them the Stars and Bars waved defiantly until Grant's long and patient siege starved Vicksburg into surrender. With the fall of that stronghold the others capitulated without awaiting further attack. When the fall of Vicksburg had thus left the river clear. Admiral Porter was ordered to take his fleet up the Red River, and clear away any Confederate works that he might find on the banks of that stream. Gen- eral A. J. Smith, with a strong body of troops, accom- panied him; while General Banks was to march his troops overland from Texas, and join the expedition at Shreveport. For several days the gunboats pressed forward up the crooked stream, meeting with no op- position, save from the sharpshooters who lined the banks on either side, and kept up a constant fire of small arms. Shreveport was reached in safety; and, after a short halt, the flotilla started again on their voyage up the river. They had proceeded but a short distance when a courier came galloping down the river's bank, waving a dispatch, which he handed to Admiral Porter. " The dispatch read, ' General Banks badly de- feated; return.' Here was a dilemma to be placed in, — a victorious army between us and our own forces; a long, winding, shallow river wherein the vessels were continually grounding; a long string of empty trans- ports, with many doubtful captains, who were con- stantly m.aking excuses to lie by or to land (in other words, who were trying to put their vessels into the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 421 power of the Confederates) ; and a thousand points on the river where we could be attacked with great ad- vantage by the enemy; and the banks lined with sharp- shooters, by whom every incautious soldier who showed himself was shot." But, though the admiral clearly saw all the dangers he was exposed to, and which he recounts in the fore- going paragraph, he did not propose to return, but pressed forward. He soon reached the scene of battle, and with the big guns of his boats covered the retreat of the troops; then, having done all there was to be done, started down the river. But now came the great trouble of the whole ex- pedition. Those Southern rivers are accustomed in summer to fall rapidly until they become mere dry ditches, with a narrow rivulet, hardly deep enough to float a row-boat, flowing down the centre. This was the summer season, and the Red River was falling fast. The banks swarmed with gray-coated soldiery, anxious to be on hand to capture the ships. At Grand Ecore the " Eastport " became unmanageable, and was blown up. The fleet continued on its way quietly, until a serious obstacle was met. Admiral Porter writes : One of the " Cricket's " guns was mounted on the upper deck forward, to command the banks ; and a crew of six men were kept stationed at it, ready to fire at any thing hostile. We went along at a moderate pace, to keep within supporting distance of each other. I was sitting on the upper deck, reading, with one eye on the book and the other on the bushes, when I saw men's heads, and sang out to the commanding officer, Gor- ringe, " Give those fellows in the bushes a two-second shell." A moment after the shell burst in the midst of the people on the bank. " Give them another dose," I said, when, to my astonishment, there came on board a shower of projectiles that fairly made the little "Cricket" stagger. Nineteen shells burst on board our vessel at the first volley. It was the gun-battery of which our prisoner had told us. We were going along at this time about six knots an hour; and, before we could fire another gun, we were 422 STORY OF OUR NAVY right under the battery and turning the point, presenting the " Cricket's " stern to the enemy. They gave us nine shells when we were not more than twenty yards distant from the bank, all of which burst inside of us; and, as the vessel's stern was presented, they poured in ten more shots, which raked us fore and aft. Then came the roar of three thousand muskets, which seemed to strike every spot in the vessel. Fortunately her sides were musket- proof. The " Cricket " stopped. I had been expecting it. How, thought I, could all these shells go through a vessel without disabling the machinery? The Rebels gave three cheers, and let us drift on: they were determined to have the whole of us. They opened their guns on the two pump-boats, and sunk them at the first discharge. The poor negroes that could swim tried to reach the shore ; but the musketeers picked off those that were in the water or clinging to the wrecks. It was a dreadful spectacle to witness, with no power to prevent it; but it turned out to be the salvation of the " Cricket." All this took place in less than five minutes. The moment the " Cricket " received the first discharge of artillery, I went on deck to the pilot-house, saluted by a volley of musketry as I passed along; and, as I opened the pilot-house door, I saw that the pilot, Mr. Drening, had his head cut open by a piece of shell, and the blood was streaming down his cheeks. He still held on to the wheel. " I am all right, sir," he said : " I won't give up the wheel." Gorringe was perfectly cool, and was ringing the engine-room bell to go ahead. In front of the wheel-house, the bodies of the men who manned the howitzer were piled up. A shell had struck the gun, and, exploding, had killed all the crew, — a glorious death for them. Porter now found himself in a bad fix. His guns could not be elevated enough to bear on the batteries that stood on the crest of the high bluffs. There was nothing to do but to run by at the best possible rate of speed. Suddenly the engine stopped, and the vessel floated helplessly down the stream. Porter rushed below to discover the trouble. In the engine-room stood the engineer leaning heavily against the throttle. Porter shouted at him, but received no reply; then, putting his hand on the man's shoulder, found him dead. The admiral threw the body aside, pulled open the throttle, and the " Cricket " glided along past the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 423 batteries to a safe refuge downstream. The other ships came down safely, although more or less cut up; and the flotilla continued its retreat down the stream. For a day or two all went smoothly as a holiday ex- cursion; then came a sudden reverse, that, for a time, seemed to make certain the loss of the entire fleet. At Alexandria the Red River bottom is full of great rocks that make it impassable except at the highest water. When Porter's gunboats arrived, they found themselves caught in a trap from which there seemed to be no hope of escape. The army was encamped along the banks of the river, and the soldiers began again their jokes upon Porter's habit of taking gunboats for an overland journey. The army generals began to get impatient, and advised Porter to blow up his ships, as the troops must soon march on and leave him. Porter was sick in bed, but this suggestion aroused him. " Burn my gunboats ! " he cried, springing to his feet. "Never! Pll wait here for high water if I have to wait two years." And, indeed, it began to look as though he would be forced to wait nearly that long. In this time of suspense, there arose a man equal to the emergency. A certain Lieutenant-Colonel Bailey, who had been a Wisconsin lumberman, came to Porter, and suggested that a dam should be built to raise the water fourteen feet above the falls. Porter jumped at the suggestion, and eight thousand men were set to work. " It will take too much time to enter into the details of this truly wonderful work," writes Admiral Porter. " Suflfice it to say that the dam had nearly reached completion in eight days' working-time, and the water had risen sufficiently on the upper falls to allow the ' Fort Hindman,' ' Osage,' and ' Neosho ' to get down and be ready to pass the dam. In another day it would 424 STORY OF OUR NAVY have been high enough to enable all the other vessels to pass the upper falls. Unfortunately, on the morning of the 9th instant the pressure of water became so great that it swept away two of the stone barges which swung in below the dam on one side. Seeing this unfortunate accident, I jumped on a horse, and rode up to where the upper vessels were anchored, and ordered the ' Lex- ington ' to pass the upper falls if possible, and im- mediately attempt to go through the dam. I thought I might be able to save the four vessels below, not know- ing whether the persons employed on the work would ever have the heart to renew their enterprise. " The ' Lexington ' succeeded in getting over the upper falls just in time, the water rapidly falling as she was passing over. She then steered directly for the opening in the dam, through which the water was rushing so furiously that It seemed as if nothing but destruction awaited her. Thousands of beating hearts looked on, anxious for the result. The silence was so great as the ' Lexington ' approached the dam, that a pin might almost be heard to fall. She entered the gap with a full head of steam on, pitched down the roaring torrent, made two or three spasmodic rolls, hung for a moment on the rocks below, was then swept into deep water by the current, and rounded to safely into the bank. Thirty thousand voices rose in one deafening cheer, and universal joy seemed to pervade the face of every man present." After the dam was repaired, the rest of the fleet passed down safely. With the escape of the Red River flotilla, the career of Admiral Porter on the rivers ended. Indeed, there was but little work for the river navy remaining. The Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers were opened; and the Confederate works on the smaller streams were unimportant, and could be left to fall with FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 425 the fall of the Confederacy, which was near at hand. There was work for fighting sea-captains along the At- lantic coast, and thither Admiral Porter was ordered. He will reappear at the bombardment of Fort Fisher. CHAPTER XXIV Farragut at Mobile — Loss of the " Tecumseh " — Craven's Gallant Death — Surrender of the " Tennessee " — The Navy at Charles- ton — Torpedoes and Submarines — Fall of Fort Fisher. When the operations of the navy on the Mississippi were completed the two commanders were ordered to new fields of activity — Porter to the Atlantic Coast, where we shall find him aiding in the subjugation of the last Confederate stronghold on that seaboard; Farra- gut to Mobile, which was the last port of any im- portance held by the Confederacy along the Mexican Gulf. It was on a bright August morning in 1864 that Admiral Farragut stood on the deck of his stanch frigate, the " Hartford," that had borne him through so many desperate battles. Around the flagship were clustered the vessels of the Gulf squadron. There was the battered old " Brooklyn," scarred with the wounds of a dozen fights; the "Richmond" and the " Itasca," that received their baptism of fire at the fight below New Orleans. In all there were fourteen wooden vessels and four iron-clad monitors assembled in front of the strongest combination of harbor de- fences that warships ever yet dared attack. Yet Far- ragut was there that bright summer morning to enter that bay, and batter the forts of the enemy into sub- jection. To capture the city was not his purpose, — that he left to the army,— but the harbor forts and the great ram " Tennessee " must strike their colors to the navy. Before arranging for the attack, the admiral made a reconnoissance, the results of which are thus told by 426 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 427 one of his officers: "On the afternoon of the day of our arrival, Admiral Farragut, with the commanding officers of the different vessels, made a reconnoissance on the steam-tender ' Cowslip,' running inside of Sand Island, where the monitors were anchored, and near enough to get a good view of both forts. On the left, some two miles distant, was Fort Gaines, a small brick- and-earth work, mounting a few heavy guns, but too far away from the ship-channel to cause much uneasi- ness to the fleet. Fort Morgan was on the right, one of the strongest of the old stone forts, and greatly strengthened by immense piles of sand-bags covering every portion of the exposed front. The fort was well equipped with three tiers of heavy guns, some of them of the best English make, imported by the Confederates. In addition, there was in front a battery of eleven powerful guns, at the water's edge on the beach. All the guns, of both fort and water battery, were within point-blank range of the only channel through which the fleet could pass. The Rebels considered the works impregnable, but they did not depend solely upon them. Just around the point of land, behind Fort Morgan, we could see that afternoon three saucy-looking gun- boats and the famous ram ' Tennessee.' The latter was then considered the strongest and most powerful iron-clad ever put afloat; looking like a great turtle, with sloping sides covered with iron plates six inches in thickness, thoroughly riveted together, and having a formidable iron beak projecting under the water. Her armament consisted of six heavy guns of English make, sending a solid shot weighing one hundred and ten pounds, — a small affair compared with the heavy guns at the present time, but irresistible then against every- thing but the turrets of the monitors. In addition to these means of resistance, the narrow channel in front of the fort had been lined with torpedoes. These 428 STORY OF OUR NAVY were under the water, anchored to the bottom, and were chiefly in the shape of beer-kegs filled with pow- der, from the sides of which projected numerous little tubes containing fulminate, which it was expected would be exploded by contact with the passing vessels. When the reconnoissance was completed, the admiral called a council of his captains in the ward-room of the " Hartford," and announced that the attack would be made early the following morning. The council over, each commander returned to his ship, there to make ready for the dread business of the morrow. The same writer whom we have before quoted tells how the night before a battle is spent by brave men not afraid of death: At sunset the last order had been issued. Every commanding officer knew his duty, and unusual quiet prevailed in the fleet. The waters of the Gulf rested for a time from their customary tumult, a gentle breeze relieved the midsummer heat, and the evening closed upon us as peacefully as if we had been on board a yatching squadron at Newport. During the early part of the night, the stillness was almost oppressive. The officers of the " Hartford " gathered around the capacious ward-room table, writing what they knew might be their last letters to loved ones far away, or giving to friends messages and instructions in case of death. There were no signs of fear; but, like brave and intelligent men, they recognized the stern possibilities of the morrow, and acted accordingly. But this occupied but little time ; and then, business over, there followed an hour of unrestrained jollity. Many an old story was retold, and ancient conundrum repeated. Old officers forgot for the moment their customary dignity, and it was evident that all were exhilarated and stimulated by the knowledge of the coming struggle. Captain Heywood of the marines proposed a final " walk- around;" Tyson solemnly requested information as to "Which would you rather do or go by Fort Morgan ? " and all agreed they would prefer to " do." La Rue Adams repeated the benediction with which the French instructor at the naval academy was wont to greet his boys as they were going into examination : " Veil, fellows, I hope ve vill do as veil as I hope ve vill do." Finally, Chief Engineer Williamson suggested an adjournment to the fore- castle for a smoke, and the smoking club went forward ; but somehow smoke had lost its customary flavor, and, after a few whiffs, all hands turned in, to enjoy what sleep would come. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 429 When the morning dawned, the men were called to quarters, and the advance upon the forts was begun at once. It was a foggy morning, and the ships looked like phantom vessels as they moved forward In line of battle, with the " Brooklyn " In the van. Second came the " Hartford," with the admiral high up In the rigging, where he could overlook the whole scene. Nearly every man had his watch in his hand, and waited for the first shot. To us, ignorant of everything going on above, every minute seemed an hour; and there was a feeHng of great rehef when the boom of the first gun was heard. This was from the monitor " Tecumseh," at forty-seven minutes past six o'clock. Presently one or two of our forward guns opened, and we could hear the distant sound of the guns of the fort in reply. Soon the cannon-balls began to crash through the deck above us, and then the thunder of our whole broadside of twelve Dahlgren guns kept the vessel in a quiver. But as yet no wounded were sent down, and we knew we were still at comparatively long range. In the intense excitement of the occasion, it seemed that hours had passed; but it was just twenty minutes from the time we went below when an officer shouted down the hatchway : " Send up an army signal- officer immediately : the ' Brooklyn ' is signaling." In a moment the writer was on deck, where he found the situation as follows : The " Brooklyn," directly in front of us, had stopped, and was backing and signaling ; the tide was with us, setting strongly through the channel, and the stopping of the " Brooklyn " threatened to bring the whole fleet into collision and confusion; the advance vessels of the line were trying to back to prevent a catastrophe, but were apparently not able to overcome the force of the current ; and there was danger not only of collision, but of being drifted on shore. While the fleet was thus embarrassed and hampered, the gunners In the forts were pouring In their shot thick and fast. On the decks of the ships the most terrible scenes of death were visible. Along the port side the bodies of the dead were ranged In long rows, while the wounded were carried below, until the sur- geon's room was filled to Its last corner. One poor fellow on the " Hartford " lost both legs by a cannon- ball, and, falling, threw up both arms just in time to 430 STORY OF OUR NAVY have them carried away also. Strange to say, he re- covered from these fearful wounds. Just as the fight was at its hottest, and the vessels were nearing the line, the passage of which meant victory, there went up a cry from the whole fleet, " The ' Tecumseh ! ' Look at the ' Tecumseh ! ' " All eyes were turned on the monitor, and every one saw that she was sinking. She staggered for a moment, and went down with a rush, carrying her brave commander and over a hundred of her crew. A few escaped, the last of whom was the pilot. As the pilot was rush- ing for the hatchway that led to the open air and to life, he met at the foot of a narrow ladder Commander Craven. Craven stepped back, saying gravely, " After you, pilot"; and the pilot passed out. "There was nothing after me," said he, in relating the story afterwards; " for as I sprang out of the hatchway the water rushed in, carrying all behind me to the bottom." This terrible sight made the ships stop for a moment in some confusion; but Farragut signalled sternly from his flagship, " Go on," and all advanced again. As the fight grew fiercer, the admiral grew tired of being on the second ship in the line, and ordered the " Hart- ford " to forge ahead. " On board a war steamer the engines are directed by the tap of a bell, the wires connected with which lead to the quarter-deck. One stroke of the bell means ' go ahead '; two, ' stop '; three, ' back '; and four, ' go ahead as fast as possible,' Leaning down through the shrouds to the officer on deck at the bell-pull, the ad- miral shouted, ' four bells, eight bells, sixteen bells ! Give her all the steam you've got ! ' The order was instantly transmitted, and the old ship seemed imbued with the admiral's spirit; and running past the * Brook- lyn ' and the monitors, regardless of fort, ram, gun- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 431 boats, and the unseen foe beneath, dashed ahead, all alone, save for her gallant consort, the * Metacomet.' " But by this time the fleet was well abreast of the forts, and now, pouring out broadside after broadside, they swept along past the terrible ramparts. The Confederate gunboats had found the fight too hot for them, and had fled for shelter, with the exception of the dreaded " Tennessee," which seemed to be holding itself in reserve. It was but a short time before the vessels were safely past the fort, and out of range, floating on the smooth waters of the inner bay. Then the crews were piped to breakfast, and all hands be- gan to recount their narrow escapes. But the end was not yet, for the ram " Tennessee " was now ready to try her mettle with the fleet. Lieu- tenant Kinney of the " Hartford " tells graphically the story of the desperate fight that the ram carried on alone against the whole attacking flotilla. We were just beginning to feel the reaction following such a season of extreme peril and excitement, when we were brought to our senses by the sharp, penetrating voice of executive officer Kimberly calling all hands to quarters ; and a messenger-boy hur- ried down to us with the word, " The ram is coming." Every man hastened to his post, the writer to the quarter-deck, where the admiral and fleet-captain were standing. The cause of the new excitement was evident at once. The " Tennessee," as if ashamed of her failure, had left the fort and was making at full speed directly for the " Hartford," being then perhaps a mile and a half distant. The spectacle was a grand one, and was viewed by the Rebel soldiers in both forts, who were now out of range of our guns, and lined the walls. Few audiences have ever witnessed so imposing a sight. The great ram came on for a single-handed contest with the fleet. She was believed to be invulnerable, and had powerful double engines by which she could be easily handled ; while our monitors were so slow-gaited that they were unable to offer any serious obstacle to her approach. Farragut himself seemed to place his chief dependence on his wooden vessels. Doubtless the crowd of Confederate soldiers who watched the fight expected to see the " Tennessee " sink the Yankee vessels in detail, and the chances seemed in its favor. . . , 432 STORY OF OUR NAVY Meanwhile, the general signal, " Attack the enemy," had gone up to the peak of the "Hartford;" and there followed a general slipping of cables, and a friendly rivalry to see which could quickest meet the foe. The " Monongahela," with her artificial iron prow, was bravely in the lead, and struck the Rebel craft amidships at full speed, doing no damage to the ram, but having her own iron prow destroyed, and being otherwise injured. Next came the " Lackawanna," with a like result. The huge iron frame of the " Tennessee " scarcely felt the shock, while the wooden bow of the Union ship was badly demoralized. For an instant the two vessels swung head and stern alongside of each other. In his official report. Captain Marchland naively remarks : — " A few of the enemy were seen through their ports who were using most opprobriotis language. Our marines opened on them with muskets ; even a spittoon and a holystone were thrown at them from our deckj which drove them away." The " Tennessee " fired two shots through her bow, and then kept on for the " Hartford." The two flag-ships approached each other, bow to bow. The two admirals, Farragut and Buchanan, had entered our navy together as boys, and up to the outbreak of the war had been warm friends. But now each was hoping for the overthrow of the other; and, had Buchanan possessed the grit of Farragut, it is probable that moment would have witnessed the destruction of both vessels. For had the ram struck us square, as it came, bows on, it would have ploughed its way half through the " Hartford ; " and, as we sank, we should have carried it to the bottom, unable to extricate itself. But the Rebel admiral was not desirous of so much glory; and, just as the two vessels were meeting, the course of the " Tennessee " was slightly changed, enough to strike us only a glancing blow on the port-bow, which left us uninjured, while the two vessels grated past each other. He tried to sink us with a broadside as he went by ; but only one of his guns went off, the primers in all the others failing. That gun sent a shell that entered the berth-deck of the " Hartford," and killed five men. But by this time the unequal conflict was becoming too much even for a man of Buchanan's courage. The armor of the ram was penetrated in several places, and at last cdme a shot that almost fatally wounded her commander. With the controlling mind that guided her course gone, the ram was useless; and in a moment a white flag fluttered from the shattered stump of her flagstaff. And so closed the naval battle that effectually FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 433 ended Confederate rule on the Gulf coast, and earned for Farragut his proudest laurels. While Farragut was thus bursting through the sea- ward defences of Mobile, the navy on the Atlantic was striving to capture Charleston, the last considerable city on that seaboard remaining to the Confederates. Here the navy failed. It maintained the blockade, it is true, but the actual capture of the city was left to the army. Fort Sumter in the middle of the harbor, and the cordon of supporting works on the surround- ing islands, were too much for even the fleet of iron- clads to pass, so they contented themselves with lying off the harbor and shutting the city off from all its foreign commerce. The city slowly starved. Its wharves were deserted. Its streets grown up with grass. Idle negroes loafed in the shade, while the white men went forth to swell the Confederate armies. But the few that remained plotted to break the naval barrier that isolated Charleston from the world. Torpedoes and submarines were used to accomplish this end, neither device new then, neither then successful, but both now in the second decade of the twentieth century vital portions of naval equipment. Charleston harbor was not first to see efforts to utilize the submarine in war. It was during the year 1777 that occurred the first attempt to use gunpowder in the shape of a submarine torpedo. This device originated with a clever Connecticut mechanic named David Bushnell. His invention covered not only sub- marine torpedoes, to be launched against a vessel, but a submarine boat in which an adventurous navigator might undertake to go beneath the hull of a man-of- war, and aflix the torpedoes, so that failure should be impossible. This boat in shape was not unlike a turtle. A system of valves, air-pumps, and ballast enabled the operator to ascend or descend in the water 434 STORY OF OUR NAVY at will. A screw-propeller afforded means of propul- sion, and phosphorescent gauges and compasses enabled him to steer with some accuracy. Preliminary tests made with this craft were uni- formly successful. After a skilled operator had been obtained, the boat perfectly discharged the duties re- quired of her. But, as is so often the case, when the time for action came she proved inadequate to the emergency. Let her inventor tell the story in his own words : After various attempts to find an operator to my wish, I sent one, who appeared to be more expert than the rest, from New York, to a fifty-gun ship, lying not far from Governor's Island. He went under the ship, and attempted to fix the wooden screw to her bottom, but struck, as he supposes, a bar of iron, which passes from the rudder hinge, and is spiked under the ship's quarter. Had he moved a few inches, which he miglit have done without rowing, I have no doubt he would have found wood where he might have fixed the screw; or, if the ship were sheathed with copper, he might easily have pierced it. But not being well skilled in the manage- ment of the vessel, in attempting to move to another place, he lost the ship. After seeking her in vain for some time, he rowed some distance, and rose to the surface of the water, but found daylight had advanced so far that he durst not renew the attempt. He says that he could easily have fastened the magazine under the stern of the ship above water, as he rowed up to the stern and touched it before he descended. Had he fastened it there, the explosion of a hundred and fifty pounds of powder (the quantity contained in the magazine) must have been fatal to the ship. In his return from the ship to New York, he passed near Governor's Island, and thought he was discovered by the enemy on the island. Being in haste to avoid the danger he feared, he cast off the magazine, as he imagined it retarded him in the swell, which was very considerable. After the magazine had been cast off one hour, the time the internal apparatus was set to run, it blew up with great violence. It was almost ninety years after this test that the Confederates tried both torpedo boats and submarines to break the blockade at Charleston. One submarine went to the bottom carrying eight men, whose bones BATTLE OF MOBILE BAY FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 435 still repose In their Iron sarcophagus in the ooze of the harbor's bed. More was done by what would now be called a " semi-submerged torpedo boat " — a type now being perfected In the new navy. The craft was about twenty-five feet long, shaped like a cigar, built of boiler-iron, and propelled by a screw. She had no smoke-stack, and her deck barely rose above the surface of the water. Running out from her bow was a stout spar fifteen feet long, bearing at its end a huge torpedo charged with two hundred pounds of powder. Just before nine o'clock one night, the look- out on the deck of the frigate " Housatonic " saw this strange object approaching the ship. It was a bright night, with no sea on. As yet torpedoes were hardly known, so the lookout took It for a large fish, and simply watched with Interest its playful movements. Not until it came so close that no guns could be brought to bear, did any suspicion of danger enter the look- out's mind. Then there was the roll of the alarm- drums; while the men rushed to the side, and poured a fierce fire from small arms on the mysterious object. The " Housatonic " started her engines, and tried to escape; but, before any headway could be gained, the launch dashed alongside, and a slight jar was felt. Then, with a tremendous roar, a huge column of water was thrown high In air, washing away men and boats from the deck of the warship. A hole large enough to drive a horse through was rent In the hull of the ship. Great beams were broken in twain, the heaviest guns were dismounted, and men were hurled fifty feet Into the air. In five minutes the ship had gone to the bottom, and boats from other vessels were picking up the crew. The launch escaped in the excitement. Thereafter, the Union ships remained off Charles- ton, harassing the forts, shutting off communication 436 STORY OF OUR NAVY with the outside world, and supporting the army until February i8, 1865, when the Confederates evacuated the city, and left the fort to the victorious Federals. Five years after the date when Major Anderson with his little band of soldiers had marched out of Sumter, leaving the fort to the enemy, the same gallant officer returned, and with his own hand hoisted the same tat- tered flag over the almost ruined fortress, amid salvos of artillery and the cheers of a victorious army and navy. While Charleston, beleaguered by land and by sea, was awaiting its inevitable doom, the only other Con- federate stronghold on the Atlantic coast hauled down Its flag to the Union army and navy. This Confederate stronghold was known as Fort Fisher, and had been for a long time a cause of anxiety and worry to the Northern authorities. The war had gone past Fort Fisher. To the north and to the south of it the country was under the sway of the Federal authorities; but there in North Carolina stood the formidable bastions over which floated, in defiance of the laws of the Union, the Stars and Bars of the rapidly dying Confederacy. To reduce this stronghold, a joint naval and military expedition was fitted out; and General Butler was placed In command of the land forces, while Admiral Porter, torn from his beloved Western rivers, was given command of the fleet. Butler Introduced a novel feature at the very opening of the siege. He procured an old steamer, and had her packed full of gunpowder. On a dark night this craft was towed close to the walls of the fort and set afire, In the hopes that she might. In blowing up, tear the works to pieces. But In this the projectors were disappointed; for the ex- plosion, though a terrific one, did absolutely no harm to the Confederate works. When Porter finally did get FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 437 into the fort, he asked a soldier what he thought of the attempt to blow them up. " It was a mighty mean trick," responded the Southerner satirically. " You woke us all up." After this fiasco had set all the world laughing, Butler retired voluntarily, and was succeeded by Gen- eral Terry; and on Christmas Eve of the year 1864 the fleet began the bombardment, although the land forces were not yet prepared for the assault. It was the grandest armada that was ever arrayed against any fortress. The thunder of nearly five hundred guns rent the air on that Christmas Eve, when carols were being sung in Christian churches throughout the world. Tremendous as was the cannonade, the earthworks were almost a match for it. The fort was not a mass of masonry that these enormous guns might batter down and crumble into rubbish, but a huge bank of earth in which the shells might harmlessly bury themselves. But five hundred cannon are more than a match for any fort, and so they soon proved to be in this in- stance. Earthworks, guns, and men alike went down before them. The iron-clads were stationed about three-quarters of a mile from the fort, a little farther out were the frigates and heavy sloops, and still be- yond were the smaller vessels, — all firing to cover them- selves; and all along the whole extended line there blazed one almost continuous sheet of flame, while the rolling thunder of the broadsides, and the defiant an- swering roar from the guns of the forts, shook earth and sea. Clouds of dust went up from the bastions of the fort, and mingled with the floating smoke above. Within the forts, there was a scene of the most terrible confusion : guns were overturned, piles of cannon-balls were knocked to pieces and scattered about, and two magazines were blown up and scattered fragments all over the parade. In one hour and a quarter all the 438 STORY OF OUR NAVY gunners were driven to the bomb-proofs, and the forts were silenced, not returning a single shot. On Christmas morning General Terry arrived with all his transports, and the attack was recommenced. Early In the morning the ships fell Into position and began a slow fire, merely to cover the landing of the troops. Again the garrison was driven to the bomb- proofs; and, indeed, so entirely were they chased from their posts, that a Federal soldier went into the fort and brought off a Confederate flag without ever having been seen by the garrison. All the troops were landed; but for some reason the attack was deferred, much to the disgust of the officers of the fleet, who felt sure that the fort could be taken then by a dash. On the 14th of January the heavy bombardment began again, and again the troops were landed. By night it was seen that every gun on the face of the fort was disabled, and It was decided to storm the works the next day. Sixteen hundred sailors and four hun- dred marines were told off as the storming-party. Early In the morning the ships began a fierce can- nonade, under cover of which the sailors and marines landed, and threw up light breastworks to cover them until the time should be ripe for the charge. The arrangements contemplated a fierce charge by the blue- jackets, armed with their cutlasses and revolvers; while the marines, remaining In the rifle-pits, should cover the advancing party with a hot fire of musketry. The soldiers were to charge the fort on the other side. At three o'clock came the signal that all was ready. The whistles of the ships rent the air; and the blue- jackets, with ringing cheers, dashed in a compact body up the beach. But In an instant the Confederate ram- parts were black with men, and a furious fire of mus- ketry rained down upon the sailors, who were helpless. The marines In the rifle-pits failed to do what was FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 439 expected of them, and the sailors halted for a moment in surprise. As they stood, a most destructive fire rained down upon them; and the poor fellows, grasping their use- less cutlasses, turned and fled down the beach, leaving great heaps of dead and wounded behind. Then the Confederates, thinking the day was theirs, sprang on the ramparts, and began a vigorous cheer just as the Union soldiers came pouring over the landward face of the fort. Then ensued a fierce hand-to-hand fight that lasted for hours. The blue-jackets, encouraged, rushed back to the fight, and now at close quarters swung their cutlasses with deadly effect, until step by step the Confederates were driven out of the fort. Then the fleet opened upon them, and they fled for dear life while a sailor sprang to the flagstaff and pulled down the Confederate flag. Fort Fisher had fallen. With the fall of Fort Fisher, the navy ceased to be a prominent factor in the war. Its work was done. Along the seacoast, and inland as far as navigable rivers extended, the ships of the North had carried the starry banner; and the sailor-boys of the North had defended it. And their opponents, whether on sea or shore, had shown themselves courageous and dash- ing, and worthy to be numbered as men of the same nation as those who proved the victors. CHAPTER XXV The Commerce Destroyers — The " Alabama " — Sinking the " Hat- teras " — Battle with the " Kearsarge " — The " Shenandoah " and Other Cruisers. The work of the Confederate commerce destroyers forms one of the important chapters of the war. They alone of the ships flying the Stars and Bars did service on the high seas; they only showed the Confederate colors in foreign ports. If their work was not glorious, being in the main the destruction of unarmed vessels, it was a usual and necessary accompaniment of war at that time. Indeed it is still, for the proposition to exempt private property from confiscation at sea, as it is exempted on land, has never been made a matter of international agreement. One can hardly remember without mortification that our first prize in the war with Spain was a lumber steamship, whose captain, knowing nothing of the declaration of war, and seeing a fleet of American warships at anchor off Key West, steamed close to them and raised his Spanish flag in courteous salutation. The Confederate cruisers during the course of the war were commonly described in the North as " pirates." Later the epithet was softened to " privateers." As a matter of fact they were neither, but regularly com- missioned men-of-war whose weakness alone forbade them seeking conflicts with other armed vessels. They had no home ports open to them; no places at which to refit after a hard fight. But they did not cruise in search of spoils or profit, but solely for the public purpose of inflicting upon the enemy all possible damage. 440 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 441 Most famous of all the cruisers was the " Alabama." This vessel was built in England, ostensibly as a mer- chant-vessel, although her heavy decks and sides, and her small hatchways, might have warned the English officials that she was intended for purposes of war. Before she was finished, however, the customs-house people began to suspect her character; and goaded on by the frequent complaints of the United States min- ister, that a war-vessel was being built for the Con- federates, they determined to seize her. But customs- house officials do things slowly; and, while they were getting ready for the seizure. Captain Semmes, who had taken command of his new ship, duped them, and got his vessel safely out of English waters. Many private detectives and officials were sent by the United States legation to examine the ship while building, but they were successfully blinded to its real character. At last came a retired naval officer whose acute questions showed that he knew what he was about. The next day the " 290 " put to sea all littered and ill-found as she was. To disarm suspicion, a large party of ladies and gentlemen were invited aboard; and the ship started down the Mersey, ostensibly on her trial trip, with the sounds of music and popping corks ringing from her decks. But peaceful and merry as the start seemed, it was the beginning of a voyage that was destined to bring ruin to hundreds of American merchants, and leave many a good United States vessel a smoking ruin on the breast of the ocean. When she was a short distance down the river, two tugs were seen putting off from the shore; and in a moment the astonished guests were requested to leave the ship, and betake themselves homeward in the tugs. It is unnecessary to follow the voyage of the " No. 290 " to Nassau, and deail the way in which cannon, ammunition, and 442 STORY OF OUR NAVY naval stores were sent out from Portsmouth in a second vessel, and transferred to her just outside of Nassau. It is enough to say that on a bright, clear Sunday morn- ing, in the latter part of August, 1862, Captain Rafael Semmes, late of the Confederate cruiser " Sumter," a gentleman of middle height, wearing a uniform of gray and gold, his dark moustache waxed to such sharp points that one would think him a Frenchman rather than a Southerner, stood on the quarter-deck of the " No. 290," with his crew mustered before him, reading out his commission from Jefferson Davis, as commander of the Confederate States' steam-sloop " Alabama." As he read, an old master's-mate, stand- ing at the peak-halyards, begins pulling at the ropes. The British ensign, carried through the ship's anony- mous days, comes fluttering down, and in its place runs up the white naval ensign of the Confederacy, with the starry Southern Cross in the red field of the corner. Then the reading is ended. Boom ! goes the starboard forecastle-gun. The band bursts forth with the stirring notes of Dixie; and the sailors, after three ringing cheers, crowd forward to wait for further developments. Soon the sailors are summoned aft again, and Captain Semmes addresses them. He tells them that, as the " Alabama " is to be a ship-of-war, they are released from their shipping contract, but are invited to ship under the new plan. He briefly details the purpose of the cruise. The " Alabama " is to be a bird of passage, flitting from port to port, and hovering about the high- ways of travel, to lie in wait for the merchant-vessels of the North. Armed vessels she will avoid as much as possible, confining her warfare to the helpless mer- chantmen. It is hardly a glorious programme, but it seems to bear the promise of prize-money; and before the day is over Captain Semmes has shipped a crew of eighty men, and with these the " Alabama " begins FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 443 her cruise. The remainder of the sailors are sent ashore, and the " Alabama " starts off under sail, in search of her first capture. Let us look for a moment at this vessel, perhaps the most famous of all cruisers. She was a fast screw- steamer, of a little more than a thousand tons' burden. Her screw was so arranged that it could be hoisted out of the water; and, as the saving of coal was a matter of necessity, the " Alabama " did most of her cruising under sail. Her hull was of wood, with no iron plat- ing, and her battery consisted of but eight light guns; two facts which made it necessary that she should avoid any conflicts with the powerful ships of the United States navy. Her lines were beautifully fine; and, as she sped swiftly through the water. Captain Semmes felt that his vessel could escape the Northern cruisers as easily as she could overhaul the lumbering merchantmen. The crew was a turbulent one, picked up in the streets of Liverpool, and made up of men of all nationalities. There followed many days of uneventful cruising which was perhaps as well, for the crew was green, undisciplined, unused to working batteries or even to handling small arms. The voice of the drill master echoed over the ship day after day, but the records are only too clear that even at the end of the " Alabama's " career the crew were ill-disciplined and little used to war. But for taking and destroying unarmed mer- chantmen they were sufficiently drilled, and prizes fell fast not to their guns, but to the mere threat which the display of them conveyed. There was little ad- venture In taking and burning unarmed merchantmen. Burned, they had to be, for the Confederates had no open ports Into which to send their prizes, and for that reason there was no prize money for the sailors. Indeed the great embarrassment of the cruise was the disposition to be made of the prisoners. After taking 444 STORY OF OUR NAVY several ships the " Alabama's " decks became so crowded that it was needful to seek a neutral port in order to free the captives. Accordingly she made for Mar- tinique and in that port was discovered by the United States ship " San Jacinto." She was too heavy for the " Alabama's " metal, and Captain Semmes thinking discretion the better part of valor, the Confederate ship remained safe in the neutral harbor. The " San Jacinto " quietly remained outside, thinking that at last the fox was caught. But that same night, with all lights extinguished, and running under full steam, the " Alabama " slipped right under the broadside of her enemy, getting clean away, so quietly that the " San Jacinto " remained for four days guarding the empty trap. Soon after leaving Martinique, the " Alabama " made a capture which embarrassed the captain not a little by its size. It was Sunday (which Captain Semmes calls in his journal "the 'Alabama's' lucky day"), when a bit of smoke was seen far off on the horizon, fore- telling the approach of a steamer. Now was the time for a big haul; and the "Alabama's" canvas was furled, and her steam-gear put in running order. The two vessels approached each other rapidly; and soon the stranger came near enough for those on the " Ala- bama " to make out her huge walking-beam, seesawing up and down amidships. The bright colors of ladies' dresses were visible; and some stacks of muskets, and groups of blue-uniformed men, forward, told of the pres- ence of troops. The " Alabama " came up swiftly, her men at the guns, and the United States flag flying from the peak. In a moment the stranger showed the Stars and Stripes, and then the " Alabama " ran up the white ensign of the Confederacy, and fired a blank cartridge. But the stranger had no thought of surrendering, and crowded on all steam and fled. The FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 445 " Alabama " was no match for her in speed, so a more peremptory summons was sent in the shape of a shell that cut the steamer's foremast in two. This hint was sufficient. The huge paddles ceased revolving, and a boat's-crew from the " Alabama " went aboard to take possession. The prize proved to be the mail steamer " Ariel," with five hundred passengers, besides a hun- dred and forty marines and a number of army and naval officers. Now Captain Semmes had an elephant on his hands, and what to do with that immense number of people he could not imagine. Clearly the steamer could not be burned hke other captures. For two days Captain Semmes kept the prize near him, debating what was to be done, and then released her; exacting from all the military and naval officers their paroles that they would not take up arms against the Confederacy. After this exploit the *' Alabama " went into port for a few days, and then headed into the Gulf of Mexico. Here she steamed about, capturing and burn- ing a few United States merchantmen, until on the i ith of January she found herself off the port of Galveston, where a strong blockading fleet was stationed. And here she fought her first battle. About four o'clock of a clear afternoon, the lookout in the cross trees of the United States sloop-of-war " Hatteras," stationed off the port of Galveston, hailed the officer of the deck, and reported a steamer standing up and down outside. The stranger was watched closely through marine glasses, and finally decided to be a blockade-runner trying to make the port; and the " Hatteras " immediately set out in pursuit. This was just what Captain Semmes desired. He knew that the ships stationed off Galveston were not heavily armed, and he felt sure that if he could entice one away from the rest of the fleet he would be able to send her to the bottom. Accordingly he steamed away slowly, 446 STORY OF OUR NAVY letting the " Hatteras " gain on him, but at the same time drawing her out of the reach of any aid from her consorts. When about twenty miles away from the fleet, the " Alabama " slowed down and finally stopped altogether, waiting for the " Hatteras " to come up. The latter vessel came within two hundred yards, and hailed, "What ship's that?"— "Her Majesty's ship ' Petrel,' " answered Semmes. A literal adhesion to truth never characterized men of the old navy when an enemy was encountered. The captain of the " Hat- teras " answered that he would send a boat aboard; but, before the boat touched the water, a second hail announced, " We are the Confederate ship ' Ala- bama,' " and in an instant a heavy broadside crashed into the " Hatteras." Every one of the shots took effect; and one big fellow from the one hundred and five pounder rifle peeled off six feet of iron plating from the side of the " Hatteras," and lodged in the hold. Dazed by this unexpected fire, but plucky as ever, the blue-jackets sprung to their guns and returned the fire. The two ships were so close together that a good shot with a revolver could have picked off his man every time, and the sailors hurled taunts at each other between the volleys. Not a shot missed the "Hatteras": in five minutes she was riddled with holes, and on fire, and a minute or two later the engineer came up coolly and reported, " Engine's dis- abled, sir"; followed quickly by the carpenter, who remarked, " Ship's making water fast; can't float more than ten minutes, sir." There was nothing for It but surrender, and the flag came down amid frantic yells from the " Alabama " sailors. Semmes got out his boats with wonderful rapidity, and picked up all the men on the "Hatteras"; and the defeated vessel sank in ten minutes. One of the strange things about this battle w^s the small number of men injured. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 447 Nothing but shells were fired, and they searched every part of the vessels; yet when the fight was over the *' Alabama " had but one man wounded, while the " Hatteras " had two men killed and three wounded. The shells played some strange pranks in their course. One ripped up a long furrow in the deck of the " Ala- bama," and knocked two men high in the air without disabling them. Another struck a gun full in the mouth, tore off one side of it, and shoved it back ten feet, without injuring any of the crew. One man who was knocked overboard by the concussion was back again and serving his gun in two minutes. A shell exploded in the coal of the " Hatteras," and sent the stuff flying all about the vessel, without injuring a man. With her prisoners stowed away in all available places about her decks, the " Alabama " headed for Jamaica, and cast anchor in the harbor of Port Royal. There were several English men-of-war there, and the officers of the victorious ship were lionized and feasted to their hearts' content. The prisoners were landed, the *' Ala- bama's " wounds were bound up, and she was made ready for another cruise. Again the weary round of cruising was taken up and the Atlantic patrolled from Land's End to Cape Town. The prizes were invariably burned and the prisoners landed as speedily as possible. But we cannot follow the " Alabama " in her career about the world. A full account of her captures would fill volumes; and in this narrative we must pass hastily by the time that she spent scouring the ocean, dodging United States men-of-war, and burning Northern mer- chantmen, until, on the nth of June, she entered the harbor of Cherbourg, France, and had hardly dropped anchor when the United States man-of-war " Kearsarge " appeared outside, and calmly settled down to wait for the Confederate to come out and fight. 448 STORY OF OUR NAVY Captain Semmes seemed perfectly ready for the con- flict, and began getting his ship in shape for the battle. The " Kearsarge " had hardly hove in sight when Captain Semmes began taking in coal, and ordered the yards sent down from aloft, and the ship put in trim for action. Outside the breakwater, the " Kearsarge " was doing the same thing. In armament, the two ves- sels were nearly equal; the "Alabama" having eight guns to the " Kearsarge's " seven, but the guns of the latter vessel were heavier and of greater range. In the matter of speed, the " Kearsarge " had a slight advantage. The great advantage which the " Kear- sarge " had was gained by the forethought of her commander, who had chains hung down her sides, protecting the boilers and machinery. Semmes might easily have done the same thing had the idea occurred to him. It was on Sunday, June 19, that the "Alabama" started out to the duel that was to end in her de- struction. Though Sunday was Captain Semmes's lucky day, his luck this time seemed to have deserted him. The " Alabama " was accompanied in her outward voyage by a large French iron-clad frigate. The broad breakwater was black with people waiting to see the fight. The news had spread as far as Paris, and throngs had come down by special trains to view the great naval duel. A purple haze hung over the placid water, through which could be seen the " Kearsarge," with her colors flying defiantly, steaming slowly ahead, and ready for the "Alabama" to come up. Small steamers on every side followed the " Alabama " as near the scene of conflict as they dared. One English yacht, the " Deerhound," with her owner's family aboard, hung close to the combatants during the fight. No duel of the age of chivalry had a more eager throng of spectators. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 449 Now the " Alabama " has passed the three-mile line, and is on the open sea. The big French iron-clad stops; the pilot-boats, with no liking for cannon-balls, stop too. The " Deerhound " goes out a mile or so farther, and the " Alabama " advances alone to meet the antagonist that is waiting quietly for her coming. The moment of conflict is at hand; and Captain Semmes, mustering his men on the deck, addresses them briefly, and sends them to their quarters; and now, with guns shotted, and lanyards taut, and ready for the pull, the " Alabama " rushes toward her enemy. When within a distance of a mile, the first broadside was let fly, without avail. The " Kearsarge," more cool and prudent, waits yet awhile; and, when the first shot does go whizzing from her big Dahlgren guns, it strikes the " Alabama," and makes her quiver all over. Clearly it won't do to fight at long range; and Captain Semmes determines to close in on his more powerful antagonist, and even try to carry her by boarding, as in the glorious days of Paul Jones. But the wary Winslow of the " Kearsarge " will have none of that; and he keeps his ship at a good distance, all the time pouring great shot into the sides of the " Alabama." Now the two vessels begin circling around each other in mighty circles, each trying to get in a raking position. The men on the " Alabama " began to find that their gunpowder was bad and caky ; while at the same moment one of the officers saw two big solid shot strike the " Kearsarge " amidships, and fall back into the water, revealing the heretofore unsuspected armor. This was discouraging. Then came a big shot that knocked over the pivot-gun, and killed half its crew. One sailor saw a shot come in a port, glide along the gun, and strike the man at the breach full in the breast, killing him instantly. The " Kearsarge," too, was receiving some pretty 450 STORY OF OUR NAVY heavy blows, but her iron armor protected her vulner- able parts. One shell lodged in her sternpost, but failed to explode. Had it burst, the " Kearsarge's " fighting would have been over. After an hour the officers of the " Alabama " began coming to Captain Semmes with grave faces, and re- porting serious accidents. At last the first lieutenant reported the ship sinking, and the order was given to strike the flag. She was sinking rapidly, and the time had come for every man to save himself. The " Kear- sarge " was shamefully slow in getting out her boats; and finally when the '* Alabama," throwing her bow high in the air, went down with a rush, she carried most of her wounded with her, and left the living struggling in the water. Captain Semmes was picked up by a boat from the yacht " Deerhound," and was carried in that craft to England away from capture. For so escaping, he has been harshly criticized by many people; but there seems to be no valid reason why he should refuse the opportunity so offered him. Certain it is, that, had he not reached the " Deerhound," he would have been drowned; for none of the boats of the " Kearsarge " was near him when he was struggling in the water. So ended the career of the " Alabama." Her life had been a short one, and her career not the most glorious imaginable; but she had fulfilled the purpose for which she was intended. She had captured sixty- four merchant-vessels, kept a large number of men- of-war busy in chasing her from one end of the world to the other, and inflicted on American commerce an almost irreparable injury. The " Alabama " was easily the most famous of the Confederate cruisers, but she was not alone among the scourges of the sea. Indeed there would have been a considerable fleet had not the alertness of United States FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 451 agents abroad detected many ships building for the Confederacy and compelled the intervention of the re- sponsible governments. Two iron-clad rams built in England were seized by that government. Of six splendid vessels built in France only one succeeded in getting to sea, becoming the cruiser, " Stonewall," but too late in the war to be of service. The biggest and best of the foreign built vessels that actually saw service was the " Shenandoah," originally an English merchant-vessel engaged in the East India trade. She was large, fast, and strongly built; and the astute agent of the Confederacy knew, when he saw her lying in a Liverpool dock, that she was just calculated for a privateer. She was purchased by private parties, and set sail, carrying a large stock of coal and provisions, but no arms. By a strange coincidence, a second vessel left Liverpool the same day, carrying several mysterious gentlemen, who afterwards proved to be Confederate naval officers. The cargo of this second vessel con- sisted almost entirely of remarkably heavy cases marked " machinery." The two vessels, once out of English waters, showed great fondness for each other, and proceeded together to a deserted, barren island near Madeira. Here they anchored side by side; and the mysterious gentlemen, now resplendent in the gray and gold uniform of the Confederacy, stepped aboard the " Shenandoah." Then the cases were hoisted out of the hold of the smaller vessel; and, when the "ma- chinery " was mounted on the gun-deck of the " Shen- andoah," it proved to be a number of very fine steel- rifled cannon. Then the crew was mustered on the gun-deck, and informed that they were manning the new Confederate ship "Shenandoah"; and with a cheer the flag was hoisted at the peak, and the newly created ship-of-war started off in search of merchantmen to make bonfires of. From Madeira the cruiser made 452 STORY OF OUR NAVY for the Southern Ocean, — a fresh field not yet ravaged by any Confederate vessel. This made the hunting all the better for the " Shenandoah," and she burned ves- sels right and left merrily. In the spring of 1865, she put into the harbor of Melbourne, Australia, where her officers were lavishly entertained by the citizens. Thence she proceeded to the northward, spending some time in the Indian Ocean, and skirting the Asiatic coast, until she reached Behring Strait. Here she lay in wait for returning whalers, who in that season were apt to congregate in Behring Sea in great numbers, ready for the long voyage around Cape Horn to their home ports on the New England coast. Captain Wad- dell was not disappointed in his expectations, for he reached the strait just as the returning whales were coming out in a body. One day he captured eleven in a bunch. With one-third his crew standing at the guns ready to fire upon any vessel that should attempt to get up sail, Waddell kept the rest of his men rowing from ship to ship, taking off the crews. Finally all the prisoners were put aboard three of the whalers, and the eight empty ships were set afire. It was a grand spectacle. On every side were the towering icebergs, whose glassy sides reflected the lurid glare from the burning ships. Great black volumes of smoke arose from the blazing oil into the clear blue northern sky. The ruined men crowded upon the three whalers saw the fruits of their years of labor thus destroyed in an afternoon, and heaped curses upon the heads of the men who had thus robbed them. What wonder if, in the face of such apparently wanton destruction as this, they overlooked the niceties of the law of war, and called their captors pirates ! For two months more Waddell continued his depre- dations in the northern seas. Many a stout bark from New London or New Bedford fell a prey to his zeal FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 453 for a cause that was even then lost. For the Con- federacy had fallen. The last volley of the war had been discharged three months before. Of this Captain Waddell was ignorant, and his warlike operations did not end until the captain of a British bark told him of the surrender of Lee and Johnston, and the end of the war. To continue his depredations longer would be piracy: so Captain Waddell hauled down his Con- federate flag, and heading for Liverpool surrendered his ship to the British authorities, by whom it was promptly transferred to the United States. So ended the last of the Confederate cruisers. Of the other notable ones, the " Florida " was lawlessly run down and sunk in a neutral port by a United States man-of-war, and the " Nashville " was shot to pieces by the " Montauk," commanded by Worden of the original " Monitor," under the very guns of a Con- federate fort. CHAPTER XXVI Close of the War — The Greatest of All Navies — Its Gradual De- cadence — The War with Spain — How the Navy Was Re- established — The Destruction of the " Maine " — The Spanish Navy — Dewey at Manila. When the Civil War ended the United States was easily the first naval power of the world. There were in commission five hundred and twenty-two vessels rang- ing from tugs to iron-clads. Even Great Britain, that has long clung to the policy of maintaining a navy ten per cent, stronger than the combined navies of any two European nations, lagged far behind this force. But with peace restored there was no need to maintain such colossal fleets. Very properly their reduction was begun. Old vessels, prizes, the river gunboats, all the lumber of the navy were sold. The personnel was reduced. Volunteers were honorably discharged, and the number of blue-jackets was so greatly reduced that at one time there were fifty-nine officers to each ship in commission, and one officer to every five seamen. This was in 1882, which may be set as the low-water mark of the navy. We had then neither modern ships, trained men, nor up-to-date cannon. There were but thirty-one ships in commission, of which all but four were wooden. Indeed an official report declares that in all the navy there was but one high-powered, modern gun. History always repeats itself, and just as the infant navy of the Revolution was allowed to languish until the drumbeat of 18 12 awoke the nation, and the navy then built was dissipated until the bugles of '61 aroused the people to the need of a defensive force afloat, so the great force built during the Civil War 454 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 455 was gradually dispersed until the navy of the United States was a thing for nations to laugh at. To-day it ranks second among the navies of the world — Great Britain alone leading it in the number of ships. What the navy did in the long years of peace be- tween 1865 and the outbreak of the war with Spain in 1898 need hardly be recounted here. It was an era of inaction, given over to a few exploring expedi- tions, cruising in foreign waters, and attending to the social duties of the representatives of the United States government in distant ports. It was emphatically the period of dry rot in the United States navy. Yet there were fortunately men in public life — civilians all — who understood the peril of letting the navy go to ruin. One of the first of these was Secretary of the Navy WiUiam E. Chandler, who in his report of 1882 spoke of the state of the service as follows: It is not the policy of the United States to maintain a large navy, but its reputation, honor, and prosperity, require that such naval vessels as it possesses shall be the best which human ingenuity can devise and modern artificers construct. Our present vessels are not such and cannot be made such. They should be gradually re- placed by. iron or steel cruisers, and allowed to go out of com- mission. The next Congress provided for the construction of four steel vessels of a type then modern, but now of course obsolete, for the rapid development of naval construction limits the active life of a battleship to about ten years. The completion of the ships, under the secretaryship of William C. Whitney, left no doubt as to the popularity of the navy with the people. The " White Squadron " of four unarmored ships, none of which would stand the battle test for half an hour to-day, visited all the ports of the Atlantic Coast and awakened enthusiasm wherever anchor was let fall. Thereafter navy appropriation bills found smooth sail- 456 STORY OF OUR NAVY Ing In Congress and fortunately so, for scarce ten years had elapsed when the United States found itself em- broiled In a war with Spain — a war which necessarily was settled on the ocean. More by good fortune than by any special prescience the United States in Its mo- ment of trial had a navy which, if not great, was equal to the needs of the nation. A short time after the inauguration of WiUiam McKInley as President of the United States in March, 1897, It became apparent that the disordered condition of Cuba under Spanish rule was destined Inevitably to become an issue which the United States must help to settle. For two years a great part of the Island had been In open and determined revolt against Spanish rule. Though the forces of the king had been able to hold the seaports, thus cutting off the insurgents from regular communication with the outer world and making impotent their efforts to secure recognition from foreign powers, the patriots under Maceo and Gomez held control of the interior, established a government of their own, enforced order, and levied taxes. Enor- mous sacrifices were made by the Spanish people to re- establish sovereignty in the island. More than three hundred thousand troops were sent thither to be cruelly cut down by plague and pestilence. A nation, long on the verge of bankruptcy, incurred uncomplainingly pro- digious additional indebtedness to save for its boy king — Alphonso XIII. was at this time but twelve years old — its most precious possession in the west, the Pearl of the Antilles. Queen Isabella of Spain pawned her jewels that Columbus might have the means to press his voyage of discovery into unknown seas, but in the closing years of the century the people of Spain pawned their national assets, put even themselves and their posterity in pawn, to hold for Spain the last relics of the empire which Columbus won for her. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 457 Though we were forced to draw the sword upon Spain in the cause of humanity and human liberty, the man of reason, and of a sense of justice, will not with- hold from the people of that sorely chastened nation admiration for their loyalty and the sacrifices they made in their national cause. But the Spanish people were cruelly betrayed by their own rulers. The generals whom they sent to Cuba gave less thought to the suppression of the insurrection than to filling their own pockets. Out of the millions and millions of pesetas set aside by an already impov- erished people for the needs of war, a great part was stolen by generals and by army contractors. The young conscripts, sent from Spain to a land where the air is pestilential to the unacclimated, were clothed and shod in shoddy; their food invited disease, and when they fell ill it was found that the greed of the generals had consumed the funds that should have provided sufficient hospital service. Comparatively few fell before the bullets or machetes of the insurgents, but by thousands they succumbed to fevers of every kind. Death without glory was the hapless lot of the Spanish conscript. This almost mediaeval warfare at the very front yard of the United States was long a source of continual irritation to the American people. The moral sense of our nation was shocked by the manner in which Spain prosecuted its war upon non-combatants — upon women and children. These were gathered in great camps — herded together under the guns of the Spanish soldiery, and starved. It was estimated, and conservatively, that more than five hundred thousand were thus slowly done to death. Aside from the moral issue, the American people were confronted with positive aggression on the part of Spain. Before patience had been stretched to the breaking point claims were filed with the United States Department of State for Spanish outrages upon 458 STORY OF OUR NAVY the lives or property of American citizens aggregating sixty millions dollars. But it was not because of Spanish spoliations or aggressions that the United States broke their long record of peace. History in coming ages, however, will relate, to the unending honor and glory of the American people, that humanitarian considerations, rather than regard for imperilled interests, brought the United States into a war which most emphatically their people did not desire. The great New York newspapers, day by day, printed circumstantial accounts of the frightful sufferings in Cuba. One journal secured a great number of photo- graphs of scenes amid the starving reconcentrados, which, greatly enlarged, were publicly exhibited in all parts of the Union. These pictures, showing the fright- ful distortions of the human body as the result of long starvation, showing little children, mere skeletons, look- ing mutely down on the dead bodies of their parents, brought home to the mind of the people the state of life in a neighboring land as no writing, however bril- liant, could. A cry went up from every part of the United States that a Christian duty was imposed upon our nation to interfere for the alleviation of such horrible suffering. Charity came to the rescue with free con- tributions of provisions, and Congress made a heavy appropriation of money for the relief of the Cubans. But everywhere the opinion grew that philanthropy alone could not right this great wrong, but that the strong hand of the United States must reach forth to pluck out the Spaniard from the land he ravaged. And when a number of Senators and Representatives in Congress made journeys to Cuba, and, returning, de- scribed in formal addresses at the Capitol the scenes of starvation and misery, this opinion hardened into positive conviction. Then, almost as if planned by some all-knowing FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 459 power, came a great and inexplicable disaster which American intervention inevitable and immediate. During the latter years of the Cleveland administra- tion the representatives of American interests in Cuba urged that a United States ship-of-war should be per- manently stationed in Havana harbor. The request was reasonable, the act in thorough accord with the custom of nations. But, fearing to offend Spain, Pres- ident Cleveland avoided taking the step and President McKinley for months imitated him. In time this act, which in itself could have had no hostile significance, came to be regarded as an expression of hostility to Spain, and all the resources of Spanish diplomacy were exerted to prevent any American warship from entering Havana harbor. Ultimately, however, the pressure of public opinion compelled the Executive to provide for representation of American authority in the disordered island, and the battleship " Maine " was sent to Havana. The night of February 15 the " Maine " lay quietly at her anchorage in the Havana harbor. Her great white hull, with lights shining brilliantly from the ports aft where the officers' quarters were, gleamed in the starlight. On the berth deck the men swung sleeping in their hammocks. The watch on deck breathed grate- fully the cool evening air after the long tropic day. Captain Sigsbee was at work in his cabin, and the officers in the wardroom were chatting over their games or dozing over their books. The lights of the town and of the ancient fortress of Morro shone brightly through the purpling light. Not far away the Spanish man-of-war " Alfonso XIII." lay at her moorings, and an American merchantman, brightly lighted, was near. The scene was peaceful, quiet, beautiful. True, in the minds of many officers and men on the American war- ship there was a lurking and indefinable sense of danger. 46o STORY OF OUR NAVY Their coming had been taken by the Spaniards in Havana as a hostile act. Though all the perfunctory requirements of international courtesy had been com- plied with, salutes interchanged, visits of ceremony paid and returned, there was yet in the Spanish greeting an ill-concealed tone of anger. In the cafes Spanish officers cursed the Yankees and boasted of their purpose to destroy them. On the streets American blue-jackets, on shore leave, were jostled, jeered, and insulted. Yet the ill-temper of the Spaniards, though apparent, was so ill-defined that no apprehension of a positive attack was felt. As is the practice on men-of-war, however, the utmost vigilance was maintained. Only the em- ployment of a boat patrol and the use of torpedo net- tings were lacking to give the " Maine " the aspect of a ship in an enemy's harbor. Then came the disaster that shocked the world. A disaster in which it is impossible not to suspect the element of treachery. A disaster which if purely acci- dental, occurring to a hated ship In a port surrounded by men who were enemies at heart, was the most ex- traordinary coincidence in history. The story is brief. Not until the wreck is raised and the authority of the United States is employed to clear up the mystery, can the real narrative of the destruction of the " Maine " be told. This much we know: At about half-past nine those on the " Maine " who lived to tell the tale heard a sudden dull explosion, with a slight shock, then a pro- longed, deep, furious roar, which shook the ship to Its very vitals. The people on the other ships in the harbor saw the whole forward portion of the " Maine " suddenly become a flaming volcano belching forth fire, men, huge pieces of steel, and bursting shells. Portions of the ship's hull rained down on decks a thousand yards away. When the first fierce shock of the ex- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 461 plosion was past, It was seen that the "Maine" was on fire and was rapidly sinking. How wonderful Is the power of discipline upon the human mind! On the great battleship, with hundreds of its men blown to pieces or penned down by steel debris to be drowned In the rapidly rising waters, there was no panic. Captain SIgsbee, rushing from his cabin door, is met by the sergeant of marines who serves him as orderly. Not a detail of naval etiquette is lacking. Sergeant William Anthony salutes : " I have to report, sir, that the ship Is blown up and is sinking," he says, as he would report a pilot boat In the offing. The captain reaches the deck to find his officers already at work, the men who have not been Injured all at their stations. Boats are lowered and ply about the harbor to rescue survivors. Though the flames rage fiercely, and the part of the ship which they have not yet reached is full of high explosives, there is no panic. At the first alarm every man has done what years of drill and teaching have taught him to do. The after- magazines have been flooded, the boats' crews called away. Even preparations for a fight had been at- tempted. Lieutenant Jenkins, hearing the first explo- sion, sprang so quickly for his station at a forward gun that he was caught in the second explosion and slain. Though a bolt from heaven or a shock from hell had struck the " Maine," It brought death only — not fear nor panic. The work of rescuing survivors and caring for the wounded was pushed apace, for the ship sunk rapidly, until only her after-superstructure was above the water. Boats from the Spanish man-of-war joined In the work of mercy and her officers, as though conscious that the suspicion of treachery was first In every man's mind, exerted themselves In every way to show solicitude for 462 STORY OF OUR NAVY the wounded and sorrow for the disaster. When all was done that could be done, and the roll of the ship's company was called, it was found that two hundred and sixty-six brave Americans were lost in Havana harbor — a friendly port. Some lie there yet (1910), penned down beneath the gnarled and scorched steel which formed the gallant "Maine"; others lie in honored graves in the national cemetery at Arlington. Even before this disaster the voice of the American people, save for a few powerful forces in the financial circles of New York, had been for war. Now the war spirit could no longer be resisted. The responsible government, it is true, was opposed to it. President McKinley, who had seen something of war in the cruel days of '6i-'65, was above all a man of peace, a gentle, amiable personality who strove with all the power and prestige of the presidency to avert the storm which could not be checked. For the nation believed the destruction of the " Maine " and its gallant crew to have been the treacherous work of Spaniards. This general con- viction was in no wise altered when a Spanish court of inquiry presented findings exactly the reverse of those of the United States court, declaring the ship had been blown up by an explosion of her own magazines. Even at this writing, more than a decade after the war, this is the view widely held in European naval circles. The United States government, through motives presumably of parsimony, has not at this date (19 10) raised the wreck of the battleship by examination of which alone can the circumstances of the case be definitely deter- mined. But among the American people there was, and is to-day, no doubt as to what sent the " Maine " to the ooze of Havana harbor and the demand for war could not be withstood. Admiral (then Captain) Robley D. Evans expressed the popular view with sub- stantial accuracy when he said: FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 463 " The admiral in command of the United States fleet at Key West should have sailed for Havana on getting news of the ' Maine's ' destruction. He should have reduced the forts, seized the city, discovered the assas- sins, and hanged them." " But that would have been defiance of the orders of the Navy Department," responded his auditor, aghast. " Perhaps so," admitted Evans, *' but the man who did it would have been the next President of the United States." Even while the " Maine " court of inquiry was in session the government was preparing for war. With- out a dissenting vote Congress voted fifty million dollars to be at the sole command of the President and to be expended in preparation for hostilities. Much of this was used in strengthening the navy and more would have been so expended had there been ships to buy. The experience of the Navy Department at this time should be a lesson for all time to those who fatuously think a navy can be hastily extemporized in time of need. With money in plenty the American agents could find but two purchasable warships, the property of Brazil, and these proved of little service. Not one battleship could be bought. Merchant vessels, yachts, and tugs were hastily bought and armed, but when the war was actually declared its issue would have been doubtful had any nation of greater sea power than Spain been our adversary. As it was, the situation did not lend Itself to confidence on the part of the American people. The Spanish navy, on paper, was quite equal or even superior to that of the United States and none could tell how Inferior It was In marksmanship and morale, how It had been undermined and weakened by graft, and how utterly unfit It was to enter upon the serious activities of war. The foreign reviews at the opening 464 STORY OF OUR NAVY of the war were almost a unit in predicting victory for the Spanish forces afloat. There was panic along our New England coast from the very first days of the war. Valuables were hastily packed in the seaboard towns and sent to interior points. Imaginary Spanish cruisers were seen as plentifully as sea serpents in summer-resort time, or German warships in England to-day. But this subject may be dismissed with the statement that at no time was any American fort or city menaced by a Spanish ship, nor did the Spanish navy undertake any offensive operations whatsoever. Only two naval battles were fought and both of those were won by the Americans with so little loss of life as to amaze all observers, domestic and foreign. War brings its surprises no less than its disasters. V^hen on April 25, 1898, the Congress of the United States declared a state of war to exist between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain few of the American people imagined that the first blow would be struck in far off Asiatic waters where American ships were scarcely known, and American interests were but trivial. In the Philippine Islands Spain had then, one of the great colonies which one flaunted the Spanish flag all over the world. More than seven million natives were there, in a chronic state of unrest and insurrection due to the same sort of Spanish misrule that forced the issue in Cuba. In the harbor of Hong Kong lay at anchor an Amer- ican squadron of six ships under command of Admiral George Dewey. The ships were not of a type that would gain entrance to a fighting squadron in this day of the " Dreadnought " type. Not one battleship, or armored ship was on the roll. The most powerful of all was the flagship " Olympia," a mere protected cruiser. Three cruisers, unprotected, a revenue cutter, and a collier made up the total. In all fifty-three great ,v FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 465 guns were mounted, eight-inch, six-inch and five-inch rifles, while the secondary batteries numbered eighty- three guns, from six-pounders down. The admiral in command was a veteran of the Civil War who had served with Farragut at New Orleans and Mobile. In time of peace the war record of a subaltern is quickly forgotten and Dewey patiently climbed the ladder of promotion until 1898 found him a commodore and in command of the Asiatic squadron, without any- body's remembering particularly that this officer in far Hong Kong had seen fighting and knew how to bear himself under fire. It is a significant fact that when he had won the first great victory of the war, and the newspapers were searching everywhere for stories illus- trative of his character, it was discovered that he had chiefly impressed himself on the Washington mind by his excessive punctiliousness in matters of dress. International law prohibits the use of a neutral port by the ships of a power at war for more than one day at a time, so even had Dewey not received prompt orders to act he would have been forced to leave Hong Kong within twenty-four hours of the declaration of war. But the very dispatch that brought intelligence of the declaration brought his orders as well. " Proceed at once against the Philippines," it read. " Commence operations at once, particularly against the Spanish fleet. You must capture vessels or destroy." The day fol- lowing the fleet sailed. The Spanish force afloat which it had to meet and to destroy was vastly inferior. Admiral Montojo had two cruisers, eleven gunboats, and twenty-five " mos- quito " gunboats, as the smallest craft were called. In all they mounted only forty-four guns in their main batteries, more than half of which were of but 4.7 inch calibre. Their small guns numbered eighty-one. This fact makes clear the overwhelming victory which 466 STORY OF OUR NAVY Dewey won, but does not detract in the slightest degree from his courage in inviting the conflict. For the Spanish fleet, weak though it was, lay anchored under the batteries at Cavite. To reach it Dewey had to pass through the narrow entrance to Manila Bay, com- manded by forts with modern guns, and through a channel presumably blocked by mines. This last and greatest menace was dared by Dewey as calmly as did his old commander Farragut at Mobile Bay, when look- ing upon the " Tecumseh " sinking before him, he cried to his captain, " Damn the torpedoes. Go ahead." On the way to the entrance to Manila Bay Dewey had read to the men on each ship a bombastic address which the Spanish captain-general had delivered to his forces. Too long to be quoted in full here, a paragraph from it may be of interest as showing the sentiments with which Spain entered upon the war in the Far East. A squadron manned by foreigners, possessing neither instruction nor discipline, is preparing to come to this archipelago with the ruffianly intention of robbing us of all that means life, honor, and liberty. Pretending to be inspired by a courage of which they are incapable, the North American seamen undertake, as an enterprise capable of realization, the substitution of Protestantism for the Catholic religion you profess, to treat you as tribes refractory to civilization, to take possession of your riches as if they were un- acquainted with the rights of property, and to kidnap those persons whom they consider useful to man their ships or to be exploited in agricultural or industrial labor. Vain designs! Ridiculous boastings! On the night of April 30 the American ships arrived at the entrance of Manila harbor, unseen by the sentries on the forts. It was known that Montojo was inside, and every light was extinguished and every noise hushed on the Yankee ships, for the admiral had planned a midnight entrance to the stronghold. The ships were stripped for action, boats covered with canvas, nettings FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 467 spread to prevent splinters from flying, partitions re- moved, and ammunition hoists and bullet shields put up. At midnight the entrance to the harbor began, the ships steaming In single column at about six knots an hour, with the " Olympla " leading. Strangely enough not a single torpedo or mine in the channel was exploded, though the Spaniards discovered the advance of the ships and opened fire from the forts. The first shot in answer was fired by a gunner on the " Boston " without orders. Pie saw the flash of a gun on a shore battery and instantly fired his piece without altering its elevation. That dismantled a gun in the Spanish works and killed thirty men. For a few hours after passing the forts the wearied blue-jackets slept at their guns. With the approach of day came the signal from the flagship to prepare for action. In the gray dawn the Spanish fleet could be seen about two miles distant, at such a point that their fire could be re-enforced by the guns of the forts. A most graphic story of the action that followed, as seen from the view-point of " the man behind the gun," whom Captain Mahan eulogizes, Is told by Chief Gun- ner Evans of the " Boston," from whose narrative I quote the following paragraphs : We were steaming very slowly, but increasing speed as the dawn increased. In the gray daylight we could make out a line of ships anchored in front of the city. Then we steamed ahead faster. The ships ahead proved to be merchantmen, and at daylight we could discern the Spanish fleet further down the bay, and then it was " Full ahead ! " The Spanish fleet did not advance to meet us, and apparently made no move on the defensive. Possibly our audacity had for the moment paralyzed them. But it was not for long. In twenty minutes or so they opened a terrific cannonading at long range. The batteries and forts around Manila opened fire at the same time. Every man on the ship was now wide awake and at his post. I knew that it would not be long before there would be some hot work, and I served my men with a cup of coffee and a piece of hardtack, and a little later gave them each a drink of whiskey and water. 468 STORY OF OUR NAVY According to orders, we did not respond to the Spanish guns until our ships came into position. Then the flagship opened fire, and then I followed with two hours of cannonading which I do not believe has ever been equalled in naval warfare. The shots from the " Olympia " were the prearranged signal for the other ships to do the same. We soon discovered that the batteries of Cavite were very heavily mounted, and the ordnance included several ten-inch guns, and we were not long in finding out that the " Don Antonio de Ulloa " and the " Reina Cristina," the flagship, carried much heavier guns than we thought. We began to fear that our ships had met their match. As hot as the battle was, the heat of the sun was equally so, and I had my men who were bringing up the ammunition throw ofif every vestige of clothing except their shoes. The Spanish guns had opened upon us at 5.10 a.m., and it was fully 5.40 before we began to reply. But when we did, we made every shot tell, for our gunners demonstrated that their opponents were no match for them in accuracy, although the Spaniards had every advantage and should have known the exact range of every point in the harbor, while of the American fleet not a single gunner had ever as much as been in the harbor before. By 6.30 we had circled three times, and were starting for the fourth when the Spanish admiral came out in the " Reina Cristina " and gallantly assailed us ; but we made it hot for him. I don't know how in the world he escaped with his life. While he was standing on the bridge a shot from one of our ships — I think it was the " Concord " — blew the bridge clean over ; in fact, shot it right from under him, but the Admiral was apparently uninjured, for a few minutes later I saw him walking the deck as calmly as though he was on parade. It was getting too hot for him, and he evidently saw that his ship was no match for us, and he turned to get back to his fleet. Just as the " Reina Cristina " swung around an eight-inch shell from the port battery, which I was tending, struck her square astern, and set her on fire. By this time other gunners had got the range, and if ever a ship was riddled it was the " Reina Cristina." I do not think it was fifteen minutes from the time the shell from the " Boston " struck her when she went down with, it is said, over two hundred men. The Admiral, however, had escaped in a small boat and made for the " Isla de Cuba," where he again hoisted his flag. After we had circled five times, we withdrew. The smoke was so dense that we could hardly distinguish friend from foe. Our men had worked three long hours with scarcely a mouthful of food. I had, however, kept my men well supplied with whiskey and water. I gave each a small drink about every twenty minutes. After we had withdrawn, and the clouds of smoke had lifted enough so that we could see. Admiral Dewey signalled the ships to w FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 469 report the number of killed and wounded. It would have done your heart good to have heard the shouts and cheers that went up as ship after ship ran up the signal to indicate that she had no killed and none wounded worth reporting. It was one of the most thrilling moments of the entire battle. It was a wise move on Admiral Dewey's part in withdrawing at that moment, for our men were rapidly becoming exhausted. For my own part I do not think I could have held out another half hour, and neither could my men. We were not only wearied physically, but the nervous strain was something awful. I called my men into the gunroom and served each with a good stiff drink of whiskey and told them to take all the rest they could get. I went into the chartroom, as it was about the coolest place on the ship, and threw myself on the chart table. I was too nervous to sleep and too exhausted to move. I just lay there sort of dazed. Soon after ten o'clock we advanced again, and the " Baltimore " opened the fight. As many of the Spanish ships had been disabled, what we most feared now was the forts. The " Baltimore " sailed right into the very teeth of the guns, any one of which could have annihilated her, and only bad marksmanship of the Spanish gunners saved her from destruction, and she did not retreat until she had practically silenced the fort. My ship, the "Boston," was perhaps struck oftener during the battle than any of the American ships, but in every instance it was small shot or shell, making a glancing blow that did no particular harm. After the first hour or so of the battle, if we had received a damaging shot, the chances are that we would have all gone down, for out of all the ship's boats, only two were of any value, the others having been shattered to pieces. We were circling in line with the other ships when the " Isla de Cuba " swung around to give us a broadside. The guns in the port battery got the range on the " Isla de Cuba," and sent in a shot that struck in amidships and made her tremble from stem to stern. I was watching at the porthole at the time. The other guns of the " Boston " followed the example of the port gunner, and for a few minutes it seemed that the " Isla de Cuba " was crumbling to pieces like a falling building in an earthquake. We turned, and the star- board guns did equally good work, and when the Spanish flag came tumbling down we let out a yell that was heard around the world, figuratively speaking, if not literally. I can never forget the scene after the battle. The forts were smoking, and scattered all through the bay were the hulks of once magnificent Spanish ships. Some were drifting helplessly about, as though the men on board seemed not to know what to do and had lost their heads entirely. Rigging was trailing in the water and only remnants remained of the lifeboats. Over at one end of the bay was the wreck of the once magnificent " Reina Cristina." 470 STORY OF OUR NAVY Further along were smoking hulks, and here and there could be seen only the masts and rigging above water. To add to the horror of the scene, hundreds of corpses came float- ing by, and it seemed as though the bay was full of dead Spaniards, although I believe less than a thousand were killed. I really think that the sight in the harbor that afternoon impressed men more with the horrors of war than did anything which occurred during the actual battle. During all the fight my men, except for a little while during the interval for breakfast, were stripped to the bare skin and wore only their shoes. The thermometer was over one hundred, and to this was added the heat of the fire of the guns, until it made one's blood fairly boil. Outclassed and outfought as they were, the Spaniards showed many Instances of conspicuous gallantry. The dash of Admiral Montojo into the very forefront of the fight in the " Reina Cristina " was magnificent, though fatal. He saw that at long range the American fire was too much for the lighter Spanish guns and de- termined to risk all in an effort to come to closer quarters. But the pitiless shells showed him no mercy. His ship was destroyed and of her crew of four hun- dred and ninety-three only seventy escaped unhurt. Transferring his flag to the " Isla de Cuba " the admiral fought on undaunted to the end. The captain of one of the Spanish ships nailed her flag to the mast, and fought until she sank with guns all blazing. When all the Spanish ships were destroyed or forced to surrender attention was turned to the forts. Those on the city's wall very promptly ceased firing when word was sent that if they persisted the guns of the fleet would be turned on the city itself. The forts at Cavite and at the entrance to the bay withstood but a brief time the attack of the lesser ships of the American fleet, when they hauled down their flags. Before sun- down on that Sunday, May ist, 1898, Manila Harbor was held by the United States navy and the city was at the mercy of the ships. Moreover the victory had 't-y- \ *^***='*^"^j>^)(, f^ FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 471 been almost bloodless for the Americans. When the flagship signalled for reports of casualties, ship after ship signalled " no dead " and few reported any wounded. Seven only were injured and every American ship was in condition to take the sea again In the face of an enemy. Of the Spanish ships three were sunk and eight burned either by the action of their crews or by the shells from Dewey's ships. Three hundred and eighty-one Spaniards were killed on the ships and in the forts. The victory was overwhelming and ended Spain's domination in the Philippines and in Asiatic waters forever. When the news of this victory reached Washington five days later — the Manila cable had been cut and messages had to be sent by ship to Hong Kong — the Secretary of War, General Alger, called on the Sec- retary of the Navy, Mr. Long, to express congratula- tions. " General," said the Secretary of the Navy, " the navy has done Its part. It is now the army's turn." So It proved. For weeks Dewey's fleet re- mained In Manila Bay, holding the city tranquil under its guns, but making no attempt to occupy it until General Wesley Merritt arrived In July. On August 15th, under cover of a fierce fire from the ships, the American troops attacked the walled city and after a feeble resistance marched In triumphantly. Then fell forever Spanish power in Asiatic lands. CHAPTER XXVII On the Atlantic Coast — Mobilizing the American Fleet — The Block- ade of Cuba — The " Winslow " at Cardenas — Searching for Cervera — The Race of the " Oregon " — The " Merrimac " at Santiago — Spain's Fleet Destroyed and Spanish Power Ended. Although the guns of the war with Spain roared first in the far away harbor of Manila, the greater opera- tions and the more trying times of the navy came along our own Atlantic seaboard. Looking back upon the early days of the struggle, and with knowledge now of the impotence of Spain, one can but be amused and a bit disgusted by the panic which seized upon people of coastwise towns and cities. Irrational though it was, the panic resulted in splitting the available ships of the navy — none too many at best — into two fleets, one for home defence against an enemy who never sighted our coasts, the other for cruising in the Gulf and the Carib- bean and for blockading the ports of Cuba and Porto Rico. It was clear at Washington that the war must be fought on our side of the Atlantic. European senti- ment, particularly on the Continent, was distinctly un- friendly to the United States. A mere bombardment and capture of Spanish forts by our ships, without sol- diers to hold them or to carry the war into the interior would have been resented by all Europe and might have won powerful allies for our foe. But to take an expedition of one hundred thousand troops across the tossing Atlantic, land them on a hostile coast, and main- tain them three thousand miles from any base save such a Spanish port as the navy might capture was obviously a perilous programme. Spain in accepting the chal- 472 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 473 lenge to fight on this side of the ocean showed no superior courage, but merely availed herself of facilities she possessed. Her army was already in Cuba. There she possessed ports heavily fortified where her ships might refit in safety. Porto Rico too was hers, to serve as a stopping point for her ships after the long trans- atlantic voyage. When war was declared the roster of the United States naval ships in Atlantic waters showed one hundred and seventy-seven vessels of which four were battleships, two armored cruisers, six monitors, twelve protected cruisers, and three unprotected cruisers. The rest were a mixed lot of craft ranging from great transatlantic liners transformed into cruisers, down to converted yachts and tug boats. Because of the widespread panic along our northern Atlantic coast the really effective fighting force was divided into two squadrons, one the Flying Squadron, being stationed at Hampton Roads and charged with the duty of detecting and destroying any Spanish expedition which should attempt to attack any portion of our coastwise territory. But most of the more powerful vessels were ordered to Key West there to await the formal declaration of war. When that action was taken by Congress there were in that harbor the battleships " Iowa " and " Indiana," the monitors " Amphitrite," " Terror," and " Puritan," the armored cruiser " New York " and unarmored cruisers " Cincinnati," " Detroit," " Nashville," " Marblehea'd " and " Montgomery," beside five gunboats and six torpedo boats. The wait had been long, for the ships had been gathered in the harbor of the arid, sandy little island for many weary weeks. It was as ill-fitted a spot for a naval rendezvous as could well be found. The harbor was so shallow that the battleships could not enter, but had to lie at anchor seven miles in the offing. Water had to be brought from the mainland, and fresh 474 STORY OF OUR NAVY provisions were at a premium. Pent up here the navy chafed under Inaction. When the " Maine " was blown up all felt that the leashes would be slipped, but only more delay followed. Even when orders came for active service on the 22nd of April they were greeted with a sigh, for instead of a dash at the enemy's capital or even a vigorous attack on the forts defending it, the most wearisome service of all was ordered, namely the blockade. Throughout the war and even for some time there- after there was a general public discontent that the navy in Cuban waters did not emulate Farragut at New Orleans and Mobile, or Dewey at Manila, by making an attack on the forts at Havana and Santiago and capturing the two cities. It was not widely known that this was exactly the plan which Admiral Sampson — cool-headed a commander as he was — submitted to the Navy Department. He believed that the batteries at Havana were vulnerable, and that a successful blow struck there twenty-four hours after the declaration of war would end the whole conflict. But the plan was rejected, first because no army was in readiness to occupy the city if taken, and second, because the loss or crippling of even one United States battleship with Spain's squadron still within a fortnight's steaming of our coasts would have been dangerous. Another reason not formally given but well understood, was the hostility of Europe which made it vital to save every ship we had ready for instant service. So Sampson's fighting plan was set aside and the tamer, but no less efficient, blockade was substituted. The eager navy officers and the people of the United States were not the only ones who were disappointed by this decision. Its wisdom was shown by the later utterances of high Spanish offi- cials. "They," (the Americans) wrote a Spanish cap- tain of artillery in Cuba, " realized that owing to our IN THE TURRET: LOAD ONE! IN THE lURRET: LOAD TWO! IN THE TURRET: LOAD THREE Courtesy of Collier's IVeelcly FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 475 lack of naval power, the island of Cuba, separated from Spain by a long distance, and without direct means for supporting its army and people as a result of the agricultural conditions, could be easily cut off and re- duced to starvation without much effort or bloodshed. . . . It would have been of good effect if we had compelled the enemy to engage in a battle against Havana. A victory there would have cost them much time and blood." But both the Spaniards and the too eager Americans were disappointed and the blockade was ordered. There is little exciting about the history of a blockade to the men engaged in it. The constant vigilance, the frequent pursuit of strange ships, and the occasional capture of a prize lend zest to the service. But in this blockade of Cuba prizes were few and far between. Its warlike value rested not in what was done on the ocean, but rather in its effect on those on land. What that effect was may be fairly guessed from the narrative of a neutral visitor to Havana, Commander Jacobsen of the foreign cruiser " Geier," who wrote: Wc returned to Havana August ist. Few changes were visible in the city itself. There was not as yet an actual famine, but the poorer classes were evidently much worse off than they had been on our former visit, for the number of beggars in the streets had increased. Crowds of poor people would come alongside the ships in boats to get something to eat. . . . "If the Americans would only attack Havana," the people would say, "they would soon find out what the garrison of the capital is made of. They would get their heads broken r|utck enough. But Uncle Sam is only beating about the bush. He is not going to swallow the hot morsel and burn his tongue and stomach." No wonder that the Spanish troops, con- demned to inactivity, poorly fed, cut off from the whole world, and without prospect of relief, were anxious for the end to come. . . . But I have information from reliable sources that on August 12th the military administration of Havana had provisions on hand for three months longer. But what use would have been a further resistance on the part of the Spanish garrison? The United States government only needed to make the blockade more rigid. That 476 STORY OF OUR NAVY would necessarily have sealed the fate of Havana sooner or later. A fortress in the ocean, cut off from the mother country, can be rescued only with the assistance of the navy. The enemy who has control of the sea need only wait patiently until the ripe fruit drops into his lap. History justified the wisdom of the Administration in refusing to risk ships or men at Havana. In the end the Spanish capital was taken without the loss of a life. But while the blockade was in progress there were some spirited engagements, the story of which is worth the telling. The first of these was a gallant dash into the harbor of Cardenas on the northern shore of Cuba. Four United States ships were engaged, the " Machias," *' Wilmington," " Hudson," and the little torpedo boat " Winslow." It may be mentioned in passing that one of the curiosities of the Cuban blockade was the use of torpedo boats as blockaders — a service for which, because of their small size and limited coal capacity, they were utterly unfitted. The Cardenas harbor is almost circular in shape, and very shallow, so that the larger vessels among the American blockaders were un- able to go far within it. But from Cubans it was learned that three Spanish gunboats were inside and after vainly trying to lure them out it was determined to go in and destroy them. The enterprise was not without danger. The main channel was mined and im- passable, but a secondary channel was traced out by soundings and successfully passed by three of the ships — the *' Machias " being too large to enter. Progress into the harbor was slow, the lead being cast continually to determine whether there was water enough for the " Wilmington." Finally that ship was forced to halt about one mile from the shipping along the city front. Amid the forest of masts of small vessels at the wharves the gunboats could not be picked out, and as it was IN THE TURRET: LOAD FOUR! "TRAIN ON THE ENEMY" "READY, FIRE ! " Cuurlesy of CoHitr'a \1t(i!ll FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 477 the policy of the navy throughout the war to avoid the wanton destruction of private property, the little " Wins- low," drawing but six feet of water, was sent in to pick them out. The commander of the " Winslow," Lieu- tenant Bernadou, had a reputation for daring verging almost upon recklessness. Only a few days before he had run in so close to the entrance of Cardenas harbor that he narrowly escaped destruction or capture by the very gunboats he was now to spy out. And so on this occasion instead of merely seeking the location of the gunboats Lieutenant Bernadou dashed into an encounter with a superior force that quickly put his vessel out of commission, and resulted in the death of the only line officer killed during the whole war. The " Winslow " was a mere pigmy in a fight — built for speed and de- signed to let slip her deadly torpedoes and then run for safety. But at Cardenas she dashed into battle with all the confidence of a battleship. Her sides were not merely vulnerable to shells, but to the bullets from Mauser rifles with which the Spanish forces were armed. Her errand was to locate and engage three gunboats, any one of which was superior to her in power, and which were further aided by land batteries and by sharpshooters in the houses of the town. The " Winslow " was armed only with three one-pounder rapid fire guns. Her crew were protected neither below nor on deck. Even the conning tower was of such light metal that the enemy's shots entered it readily and almost perforated the plates of the oppo- site side. Heading for the city's wharves where he felt sure of finding the gunboats, Bernadou saw a row of buoys bearing red flags that appeared to, and did indeed, mark the channel. But they had a more sinister purpose as he was destined to discover quickly, for hardly had he swung his little craft into the lane thus marked when 478 STORY OF OUR NAVY a battery near the town opened fire upon him with an accuracy that showed the flags were there to mark the range. The very second shot pierced the " Winslow's " bow, cutting the steering chains and leaving her un- manageable under the enemy's guns. Then the gun- boats opened fire, and one of their first missiles wounded Bernadou seriously, but bandaging his hurt he rushed aft to get the hand steering gear in order. By this time the shells were falling fast, for the torpedo boat lay in a zone of which the enemy had the exact range, and was powerless to move out of it as one boiler was wrecked and one engine disabled. It was while the ship's people were trying to operate with the one re- maining engine that a shell fell among a group gathered amidships, killing Ensign Worth Bagley and danger- ously wounding several seamen. One man was knocked overboard by the concussion but hauled aboard again unhurt. By this time the torpedo boat was thoroughly out of commission but her flag was flying defiantly and no thought of surrender entered the minds of her defenders. In the distance the " Wilmington," unable to render assistance because of the shoal water, was pounding away at the forts with her four-inch rifles, while the tug " Hudson " was steaming up to take the disabled " Winslow " in tow. After repeated efforts the rescue was successfully effected and the torpedo boat with her crew of five dead and many wounded was towed to safety, while the " Wilmington " took savage revenge upon the town with her heavy shells. Curiously enough in this utterly trivial action there were more sailors of the United States killed than in the epoch-making victories of Dewey at Manila and the later triumphs of Sampson and Schley at San- tiago. To the events which led up to the latter battle we FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 479 may properly proceed without giving further attention to the incidents of the blockade. Good service was done by the navy all along the Cuban coast and at Porto Rico, but the attention of the country and of its naval defenders was centred upon the Spanish fleet then mysteriously making its way to our side of the Atlantic. It will be increasingly difficult as the years go by to understand the dread and positive trepidation with which the people of the United States received the reports of the movements of this phantom fleet. His- tory now records that its admiral in command knew it to be in no condition for the battle and hardly for sea. Its annihilation at the hands of the Yankee blue-jackets showed how well justified were Cervera's apprehensions. But on paper it was seemingly formidable. Once at sea, in the days before wireless telegraphy, its movements could not be traced and where it might strike none could tell. The fleet, in fact, which Spain assembled at the Cape Verde Islands before the declaration of war consisted of the armored cruisers " Cristobal Colon," " Vizcaya," " Infanta Maria Teresa " and " Almirante Oquendo " and three torpedo boat destroyers, " Furor," " Terror," and '* Pinton," two torpedo boats and two colliers. It was reported that the battleship " Pelayo " and the armored cruiser " Carlos V." were to be added to this fleet, in which event it would have been more than a match for either of the two fleets into which the Amer- ican naval force in the Atlantic had been divided. But how far it was from being fit for the struggle is accu- rately Indicated by letters from Cervera written just before the war in which he said: My fears are realized. The conflict is coming fast upon us ; and the " Colon " has not received her big guns ; the " Carlos V " has not been delivered, and her lo-cm. artillery is not yet mounted ; the " Pelayo" is not ready, for want of finishing her redoubt, and I 48o STORY OF OUR NAVY believe, her secondary battery; the "Victoria" has no artillery, and of the " Numancia " we had better not speak. . . . You talk about plans, and, in spite of all my efforts to have some laid out, as it was prudent, my desires have been disappointed. How can it be said that I have been supplied with everything I ask for? The " Colon " has not yet her big guns, and I asked for the bad ones if there were no others. The 14-cm. ammunition, with the exception of about three hundred shots, is bad. The defective guns of the " Vizcaya " and " Oquendo " have not been changed. The cartridge- cases of the " Colon " cannot be recharged. We have not a single Bustamente torpedo. There is no plan or concert, which I so much desired and called for so often. The repairs of the servomotors of the " Infanta Maria Teresa " and the " Vizcaya " were only made after they had left Spain. . . . The " Vizcaya " can no longer steam, and she is only a boil in the body of the fleet. But what Cervera knew was unknown to the American navy or to the people of the United States, and when on April 29th the Spanish fleet disappeared from the harbor of St. Vincent in the Cape Verde Islands there was wide perplexity as to the point at which he would strike. But by a simple process of reasoning the naval experts figured that Cervera would run for some Spanish port in the West Indies. By the time he could reach our coast his coal would be too nearly exhausted for him to risk a battle — for the modern man-of-war is more re- stricted in its cruising area than the old-time sailing line-of-battle ship that could keep the sea for a year touching only for water. Of Cuban ports the naval experts eliminated Havana because there Cervera would be within ninety miles of the American naval base and exposed to a superior force. Once in the harbor he could easily be blockaded and would cease to be a factor in the war. San Juan, in Porto Rico, and Cienfuegos and Santiago on the southern coast of Cuba were finally settled upon as the probable ports of refuge for the Spaniards with the chances largely In favor of the latter. How accurately the naval strat- egists gauged the tactics of the enemy was curiously shown by a book written after the war by Captain ■t f BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO, MAY 13, 1898 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 481 Concas of the " Infanta Maria Teresa," and Cervera's chief of staff. " The only harbors," he writes, " which we could enter, were: First, San Juan, which we had to discard altogether, because, as the United States admiral has said, with good reason, he could have taken it whenever he pleased. Second, Havana, which we supposed to be well guarded, and it was indeed, since the Americans have since said that it was considered highly improbable that we should attempt to enter Havana, and it must be understood that it was better guarded by the squad- rons at a distance than those near by, because, in spite of the blockade, it would have been difficult to prevent ships, whether injured or not, from placing themselves under the protection of the batteries of the city, while an encounter at a distance from Havana meant the total destruction of our squadron. Third, Cienfuegos, which we also supposed guarded, especially since our squadron having been sighted from the southward, it was from here that our passage to Havana could be most effectu- ally cut off; moreover, this harbor, situated at the head of Cazones Bay, is a veritable rat-trap, very easy to blockade, and from which escape is more difficult than from any other harbor of the island. We knew there were torpedoes there, but no fortifications to amount to anything, and, moreover, the entrance is very difficult to defend against a serious attack from the sea. " On the other hand, we were twelve hundred and fifty miles distant from the latter harbor, while from Havana, or Dry Tortugas, and Key West, the enemy's base of operations, they had to make a run of only five hundred miles to cut us off. For this reason, Cienfuegos harbor was not seriously considered by us at that time. Later, when starvation stared us in the face at Santiago de Cuba, the former harbor was thought 482 STORY OF OUR NAVY of as a possible solution, but not on the day of our arrival at Martinique. " There remained as the only solution going to Santiago de Cuba, the second capital of the island, which we had to suppose, and did suppose, well supplied with provisions and artillery in view of the favorable con- ditions of the harbor entrance. Moreover, the southern coast of the island offered chances of sortie on stormy days and an open sea for operations, after we had re- fitted and made repairs. But as we also supposed that the fortifications there were not sufllicient to afford us much support in the sortie, it was not at that time decided to go to said harbor in the hopes of a solution which would permit us to force our way into Havana harbor. The distance from Martinique to Santiago is about nine hundred and fifty miles, so that the hostile squadron, which was at San Juan, could easily have arrived there ahead of us. But we never believed that it would do so, thinking that Admiral Sampson — though it has since come to light that he did not know of our arrival — would do what he actually did, namely, cover the remotest possibility, the entrance to the only fortified point, Havana." But ignorant of the Spanish tactical pjans and even of the present whereabouts of the enemy, the United States fleet could only search the high seas with swift scouts, and peer curiously into suspected harbors. To the latter end Admiral Sampson with two battleships, two monitors, and three cruisers was ordered to San Juan to engage the batteries there and discover whether Cervera had slipped into the harbor. It was a futile expedition — the monitors, capable of only eight knots an hour, had to be towed, delaying the progress of the fleet and every now and then breaking loose to the positive danger of the ship towing them. When the forts were being bombarded the news reached Wash- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 483 ington that Cervera was at Curagao, off the coast of Venezuela, but of this Sampson could get no word. After bombarding the forts with the result of silencing, but not demolishing them, he satisfied himself there were no warships in the harbor and set out on the weary return to Key West. There they found inspiriting news and new company. Cervera had been sighted and was now in Caribbean waters. Freed from the appre- hension of any attack on the North Atlantic coast the "flying squadron" under Commodore Winfield Scott Schley had been ordered from Hampton Roads and was then at Key West. The quarry had been sighted and the pack of dogs of war intent on its capture had been doubled. With this largely increased force under his command Sampson at once began the search for Cervera. The " St. Paul," a converted liner and the fastest ship in the squadron, was sent out to scout on the south coast of Cuba, whither too went Schley with the " Brooklyn," " Massachusetts," " Texas," and " Iowa." Sampson himself with the " New York," " Indiana," the moni- tors " Puritan," " Miantonomah " and " Amphitrite," and the cruisers " Montgomery," " Detroit " and " Cin- cinnati " went to mount guard in St. Nicholas channel. But while the two fleets were preparing to leave Key West Cervera came up from the southward and slipped into the harbor at Santiago, there to lie snugly con- cealed behind the hills while the high seas were being ransacked in the search for him. Out of Commodore Schley's cruise along the south shore of Cuba before the enemy was finally located grew one of the hottest controversies that ever racked the navy with dissension. History will forget it, remem- bering only that it was Schley who finally and definitely located Cervera in Santiago, that he was the ranking officer in the battle which ended in the destruction of 484 STORY OF OUR NAVY the Spanish fleet, and that the one man killed on the American side in that historic action stood within speak- ing distance of Schley on the bridge of the " Brooklyn." But the charge was freely made that throughout the search for Cervera the commodore showed vacillation and Indecision and it is but the record of history that the naval authorities at Washington and a great number of officers on the fleet believed it well founded. The first orders sent by Sampson to Schley directed him to blockade Cienfuegos. A day later another order was sent — he had In the meantime gone far on his voyage — ordering that unless he found the enemy in Cienfuegos, he should leave one light vessel there to blockade and proceed with his remaining ships to San- tiago where the Spaniards would probably be found. It took three days for Schley to satisfy himself that the Spaniards were not at the first port, which, like many Cuban harbors, was landlocked with high hills, prevent- ing any view of the city's front. But most of the men on the American fleet thought that the foe was within. A correspondent on the " Texas " reported that from the lookout perch on that ship he saw a gray funnel and several masts rising above the screen of hills. Schley himself saw great quantities of smoke. In the harbor and, before reaching it, heard firing that suggested salutes to the arriving Spanish ships. But In time communication was established with friendly Cubans on shore who reported no warships within. Immediately the fleet started for Santiago. About thirty miles from that port it met the scouts " Minneapolis," " St. Paul " and " Yale," the captains of which were firm In the belief that the Spaniards were there, though none had seen them. Then followed the error of judgment that cost Schley dear in the confidence and estimation of members of his profession. Instead of continuing on to Santiago, establishing the blockade as ordered, and k.-. J M- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 485 determining accurately if the enemy was there, he sig- nalled the Heet to return to Key West. His explanation was that certain of the ships needed coal and that the weather was too rough to load from colliers in the open sea. But before he could carry his purpose into effect peremptory orders from the Department sent him back to Santiago, where within an hour of its arrival the little gunboat " Marblehead " steamed to the mouth of the harbor and clearly made out the Spanish fleet within. " Some of us," wrote Captain Evans of the " Iowa," " remembering the fate of Admiral Byng, felt that if Cervera was really in Santiago, and got one of his ships away and on to the coast of the United States while we were tinkering at the machinery of a collier, the world might be startled by another dreadful court martial sentence." Convinced of the presence of the enemy Schley began the blockade. At the very outset there was an admir- able chance to destroy the " Christobal Colon," Cer- vera's heaviest ship, but no advantage was taken of it. The Spanish battleship lay anchored right athwart the entrance to the harbor, under the guns of the fort indeed, but in such a position that the guns of the entire American fleet could be concentrated on her. It is true that Schley's orders were to blockade, not to give battle, but so enticing a chance to annihilate an enemy's battleship could surely have justified acting be- yond orders. But two days after his arrival the commo- dore ordered the fleet to steam in within seven thousand yards — practically four miles — and open fire on the " Colon." The bombardment was continued for fifty- five minutes without injury to either side, though the forts responded with spirit to the American fire. Here again Schley has been criticized by officers of his fleet for not coming to closer quarters with the " Colon " when she was alone against three of our vessels, two 486 STORY OF OUR NAVY of them being her superiors. But it is fair to recall that the strength of the batteries had not yet been developed and that every order from the Navy Depart- ment had laid stress upon the injunction that the safety of our battleships must not be imperilled. The day before this skirmish Sampson had asked Washington to order him to Santiago, where, as he said, he could maintain the blockade indefinitely. On June ist he arrived at the scene with the flagship " New York," the battleship " Oregon," and the converted yacht " May- flower." Day by day thereafter the blockading squad- ron was increased until the Spaniards were securely *' bottled up " by a force vastly their superior. Before touching upon the story of the blockade, a few words about one of the vessels that figured in it, and in the battle ending it, will be worth while. The battleship " Oregon " of twelve thousand tons displace- ment, was in San Francisco when war became certain. Clearly she was needed on the Atlantic coast and, nearly a month before the declaration of war she started on a race of fourteen thousand, seven hundred miles, around the tempestuous Cape Horn, to the scene of probable battle. It was a feat such as no battleship had ever before attempted, and it was accomplished with complete success. If it was outdone by the later voyage of sixteen United States battleships around the world, let us remember that the " Oregon " was the first of heavy armored vessels to undertake such a voyage, that it was made under racing speed, and In tirrie of war when constant vigilance was necessary. There was the possibility of encountering the Spanish fleet off Brazil, and at various points hostile torpedo boats were re- ported. The ship was ready for action at every mo- ment after reaching the Atlantic, while during the pas- sage through the turbulent and tortuous Strait of Magel- lan there was constant apprehension lest some torpedo FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 487 boat lurking in one of the many bays and inlets let slip her deadly projectile — the one almost certain menace to a battleship. It appeared after the war that the Spanish authorities had no knowledge of the coming of the " Oregon," and it was further shown that the state of Cervera's fleet was such that the United States ship would have been a match for all of the enemy at once. But Captain Clark knew nothing of these facts. The sixty-eight days of his voyage were a constant strain upon him from which he suffered a permanent nervous breakdown. How stoutly the ship Avas built and how well handled was shown by the fact that after her more than two months of racing she went directly to the front and into battle without a day in a drydock, or an hour lost in repairs. This then was the battleship that the arrival of Sampson added to the blockading fleet at Santiago. With the " Oregon " the United States force was vastly superior to that of Cervera even had the Spanish vessels been in condition for effective service, which most em- phatically they were not. With Sampson's arrival the blockade became stricter. Instead of lying some ten miles out at sea the ships lay so close in shore that the Spanish sentries could hear the cries of the sentries aboard. After the war Cervera wrote of this blockade : It was absolutely impossible to go out at night, he wrote, " because in this narrow channel, illuminated by a dazzling light, we could not have followed the channel and would have lost the ships, some by running aground, others by colliding with their own companions. But. even supposing that we had succeeded in going out, before the first ship was outside we should have been seen and covered from the very first with the concentrated fire of the whole squadron." When the blockade was perfected it was maintained upon the following plan: The fleet was divided into two squadrons with Sampson in supreme command and Schley directing one. The latter squadron was 488 STORY OF OUR NAVY made up of the " Brooklyn," " Massachusetts," "Texas," " Marblehead," and "Vixen"; the other of the " New York," " Iowa," " Oregon," " New Or- leans," " Mayflower," and " Porter." The ships lay in an arc of a circle of which Morro Castle formed the centre. At night they were drawn in to within two miles of the enemy's guns, and by day never more than four miles in the offing. At night too they were reinforced by numbers of launches, dispatch boats, and small gunboats that plied continually back and forth before the harbor's mouth watching lest a torpedo boat should slip out in the darkness. But there was not much darkness permitted. The searchlights were at all times glaring upon the entrance to the harbor. Their steady glare dazzled the sentinels and gunners in the forts and would have made it impossible for any pilot to bring a vessel out through the narrow and tortuous channel. As the days wore by Admiral Samp- son sent his heavy ships even closer inboard at night. Captain Evans, in command of the " Iowa," tells in his book, " The Sailor's Log," the story of this serv- ice and of the strain which it imposed upon those per- forming it: The plan of using searchlights was perfectly carried out and originated, no doubt, with Sampson himself. I was the first one to carry out his orders in this respect, and I shall never forget my sensations as I did it. The " Iowa " was well in toward the land when the " New York " steamed in near me and the admiral hailed and said : " At dark, I wish you to go in and turn a searchlight on the channel." "How near shall I go, sir?" I replied. "Go in until you can detect a small boat crossing in front of the Punta Gorda battery," came back through the megaphone. " How long shall I remain there, sir?" I asked. "All night, sir." "Ay, ay, sir." The admiral certainly had given me a new sensation. The idea of deliberately placing a battleship within a mile or two of the fastest torpedo boats in the world, and then turning on a searchlight to mark her position, was novel at least. All writers on the subject had advised sending such valuable ships to sea at night to keep the torpedo boats away from them ; but Sampson had thought rapidly FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 489 and accurately, and had gauged the features of this special case most admirably, as the result showed. At dark that night I steamed the " Iowa " in for this new duty, and, when I reached what I supposed to be the proper position, turned on the searchlight and stopped the engines. All hands were at quarters, guns loaded, and everything ready to return the fire I felt sure would be opened on us. As the ship lost way and came to a standstill in the water, I examined carefully the channel with my glasses and concluded that 1 was not yet near enough to insure the work I was ordered to do. I therefore shut off the light and again steamed in, and when I stopped the second time, the beam of the searchlight showed up everything very distinctly. The sentries on the Morro could be seen plainly as they pulled their hats down over their eyes as a protection against the glare. The infantry fired spitefully with their Mausers without doing any harm, but the batteries remained silent, which has always been a great surprise and puzzle to all of us. They could have shot the searchlight out of us without doubt if they knew the first principles of pointing guns. Maybe they knew there were a lot of searchlights in that fieet and it would be a hard job to put them all out. After the first night, three battleships — the " Iowa," " Oregon," and " Massachusetts " — were detailed to do searchlight duty, and there was never a minute at night, until the Spanish fleet was destroyed, when the channel was not so lighted that it was im- possible for anything to move on the water without being seen. The duty was well done, and only those who did it know how hard it was or how great the strain. As a rule the darkness was intense, and between the battleships and the shore were guard boats and picket launches which would be endangered if their position were disclosed, and as a consequence the beam of the searchlight had to be accurately held on the channel. To do this when the heavy swell and the strong tide were cutting the ship about was more difficult than the average person would imagine. It was beautiful to see the accuracy with which these great ships were handled as they came in or went out of position with twenty-five or thirty vessels crowded about them and not a light on any of them. During all the time we were there the paint was not even scratched on one of them by collision. It may be noted in passing that there was as little desire on the part of the Spaniards to leave the harbor, as there was on that of their watchers to free them. Admiral Cervera, on being asked by the Governor- General of Cuba what would be the probable result of a sortie, wrote : 490 STORY OF OUR NAVY I, who am a man without ambitions, without mad passions, believe that whatever is most expedient should be done, and I state most emphatically that I shall never be the one to decree the horrible and useless hecatomb which will be the only possible result of the sortie from here by main force, for I should consider myself responsible before God and history for the lives sacrificed on the altar of vanity, and not in the true defence of the country. But while it was the opinion of the navy that a concerted attempt on the part of the whole Spanish fleet to escape would result in its destruction, there was always danger that one vessel might slip out at night or in thick weather and ravage some section of the United States coast. To avert this it was determined to block the channel by sinking a useless vessel in it. The ship chosen was the collier " Merrimac," one of those worthless ships that thrifty patriots sold the United States for twice their value, and a young naval constructor. Lieutenant Richmond Pearson Hobson, was detailed to prepare her for the sacrifice. The job was done speedily and Hobson, who had placed the torpedoes that were to send the hulk to the bottom, pleaded so hard for permission to take her into the harbor himself, though not a line officer, that Sampson acquiesced. Six volunteers were called for from the fleet. Some six hundred responded. Seven in fact accompanied Hob- son, for one man secreted himself on the " Merrimac " only appearing when it was too late to be sent back to the fleet. It was no light errand on which these men were bent. To make the blocking of the channel effective they must take their craft past the batteries, through the hail of Mauser bullets and into a field of mines. They must explode their own torpedoes, sink the ship beneath their feet, and escape from a bullet swept sea by swimming or in rafts. But all went cheerfully, even gaily. It was just before daybreak on the 3rd of June that the " Merrimac " put forth, followed by a launch FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 491 commanded by Ensign J. W. Powell to pick up the survivors. Scarcely was the first battery within range when the flood of fire and hail of missiles began. The ship was hit repeatedly, but the men lying flat on the deck escaped hurt. When the desired point was reached effort was made to touch off the torpedoes that hung along her sides, but the electrical connections had been cut by the enemy's shells and only three exploded, a fact fatal to the complete success of the enterprise for the ship, instead of sinking with a plunge, went down but slowly and was swung by the tide to one side of the channel she was intended to block. Hobson thus describes what followed: We were all aft, lying on the deck. Shells and bullets whistled around. Six-inch shells from the " Vizcaya " came tearing into the " Merrimac," crashing clear through, while the plunging shots from the fort broke through her decks. " Not a man must move," I said ; and it was only owing to the splendid discipline of the men that we all were not killed. We must lie there till daylight, I told them. Now and again one or the other of the men lying with his face glued to the deck and wondering whether the next shell would not come our way, would say, "Hadn't we better drop off now, sir?" but I said, "Wait till day- light." It would have been impossible to get the catamaran any- where but on to the shore, where the soldiers stood shooting, and I hoped that by daylight we might be recognized and saved. It was splendid the way those men behaved. The fire of the soldiers, the batteries, and the " Vizcaya " was awful. When the water came up on the " Merrimac's " "decks the catamaran floated amid the wreckage, but she was still made fast to the boom, and we caught hold of the edges and clung on, our heads only being above water. Shortly after daybreak the adventurers were captured by Admiral Cervera himself, who had come out in a launch to view the wreck. They were sent to Morro Castle while Cervera, who throughout his unfortunate career acted the chivalrous Spanish gentleman, dis- patched an aide to notify Admiral Sampson that his> men were safe. 492 STORY OF OUR NAVY Gallant as was the dash of Hobson into the harbor it failed of its purpose. The channel was still open and there was no possibility for the fleet to relax its vigilance. Sampson thereupon determined to bombard the forts, not with much hope of reducing them, but rather to determine their power, and perhaps injure them so a battleship might safely lie nearer inshore. But here again the result was virtual failure. Though the fleet attacked with great gallantry — the range at times being only eighteen hundred yards — no permanent injury was done the forts. They were silenced for a time indeed, but the next day were as formidable as ever. Had the army been present to cooperate with an attack on the landward side the story might have been different, but at this time our troops had not made a foothold on the island. Still the fire from the ships impressed the Spaniards with the power of the force confronting them and Sampson notes that after the bombardment not a shot was fired from the forts until the day when the unfortunate Cervera made his dash for freedom and met annihilation. The story of the events occurring between the date of this bombardment, June 6th, and that of the battle of Santiago, July 3rd, must be passed over hastily. On the iith a large expeditionary force of marines who had been landed at Guantanamo were attacked by a superior force of Spaniards and In the fighting that followed lost six men. It Is a curious fact that in two battles on that date, the other being the fight of the torpedo boat " Wins- low " at Cardenas, more men of the navy were lost than In all the other operations of the war afloat. The camp established by the marines was so perfect in sanita- tion and the care of the men so scientific that not one was lost by sickness to the end of the war — a striking fact when compared with the mortality in the camps FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 493 established by the army when it took the field in Cuba. It was on the 21st that the army transports convoyed by naval guards brought some seventeen thousand troops to the little landing place at Siboney, east of Santiago. The voyage from Port Tampa had been uneventful, but full of apprehension. A mysterious fleet of four Spanish vessels, not identified to this day and which came to be known derisively as the " Spook fleet," had been reported as hovering in Cuban waters. A mere torpedo boat could have sent several of the crowded transports to the bottom, but American luck held and the invading force was landed in safety. Vigorous assaults were made by the navy at various points along the coast to divert the Spaniards' attention and in one of these the " Texas" was hit by two shells that penetrated her unarmored portions and did more damage than was sustained by any of our men-of-war during the struggle. It is no part of the plan of this work to detail the operations of the army about Santiago. There were hard fighting, heavy loss, and conspicuous illus- trations of individual gallantry. Unhappily there was also conspicuous weakness in generalship. When Cer- vera made his dash from the harbor our troops on the surrounding hills were fought to a standstill, and Gen- eral Shafter in dispatches to Washington was hinting at the need of falling back and relinquishing the ground he had won. From the very first there had been a mis- understanding between the commanders of the land and sea forces. Cervera's fleet was what we were after, not the town of Santiago, which was of no strategical importance. But the navy could not get at Cervera, except by running through a narrow channel, heavily mined and commanded by land batteries. If those fortresses were captured by a land force — repeated efforts to destroy them from the sea having failed — the 494 STORY OF OUR NAVY lighter vessels could have cleared the channel and the battleships have entered to give battle to the enemy. But until the mines were gone the Administration at Washington refused, because of the threatening attitude of Europe, to imperil one battleship. It was therefore determined that Shafter should move his troops along the seafront and attack the forts. For some reason, never explained, he abandoned this plan, advanced into the interior, and finally placed his army where it could neither sei^ve nor be served by the navy. Yet until the final catastrophe to the Spanish fleet Shafter was con- tinually appealing to Washington and to Sampson direct that all perils be braved and the harbor forced. The day before the end the admiral wrote in response to one of these appeals, speaking of the forts : They cannot even prevent our entrance. Our trouble from the first has been that the channel to the harbor is well strewn with observation mines which would certainly result in the sinking of one or more of ships if we attempted to enter the harbor, and by the sinking of a ship the object of the attempt to enter the harbor would be defeaed by the preventing of further progress on our part. It was my hope that an attack on your part of these shore batteries from the rear would leave us at liberty to drag the channel for torpedoes. But, " American luck," which had served so well so many times, as for example when at Caimanera the " Texas " picked up a contact mine with her propeller, and the " Marblehead " struck two more and none of the three exploded, though any one should have de- stroyed the ship touching it, turned even this dissension between the army and the navy into good fortune. For on the morning of July 3rd, Admiral Sampson concluding that his endeavors to persuade Shafter to attack the forts rather than the city could only be made effective by a personal interview, hoisted at the fore of the flagship the signal, " Disregard the movements o£ FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 495 the commander-in-chief " and thereupon started for SIboney. The day before Admiral Cervera had been peremptorily ordered to take his fleet out of Santiago harbor. He had protested bitterly. The vessels were in no condition, as was shown in the action that fol- lowed, for either a run at sea or a battle. But Gov- ernor-General Blanco insisted that they should under- take the flight and brave its perils. A cable message from Madrid — over the only cable left uncut — upheld Blanco in his orders. Within a few days the flight would have been attempted. But when the watchers on the hills at the harbor's mouth saw one of the American ships, and that the only one supposed to be swift enough to cope with the " Christobal Colon," making off to the eastward, Cervera determined to take advantage of her absence and make his dash for liberty. It was a bright Sunday morning — curiously enough both of the great naval battles of the Spanish War were fought on Sunday — and the crews of the ships lying off the mouth of the harbor were mustered on the decks for the weekly inspection. This did not mean that there was any let up In the vigilance with which the harbor's mouth was being watched. From fighting top and from bridge glasses were riveted on the narrow channel through which the enemy must emerge if it should dare to seek battle. The vessels were In their ordinary condition, forming an arc of a circle about eight miles long. Steam was low in all of them, save one, the " Oregon." There was some suspicion that something might happen that day, for smoke had been seen over the hills that masked the harbor as though the Spaniards were getting up steam. But the watchers had waited so long that they had almost given up hope. Nevertheless they were ready for whatever might happen. On every ship the flags that would announce 496 STORY OF OUR NAVY the appearance of the enemy were set aside ready to display, and on the " Texas " they were actually bent to the halliards with a man standing on guard ready to hoist them at the first moment. On the " Oregon " was a jacky standing by a loaded six-pounder ready to fire the first shot. Every ship in the squadron was eager to signal first the appearance of the foe. So nearly did all at once catch sight of the dark gray bow of a Spanish cruiser moving out from behind the hills of Smith Cay that the " 250 " signal, meaning, " The enemy is escaping," broke out simultaneously from the foremast of every ship and the " Oregon's " gun boomed out just as the electric gongs and the bugles on all the ships were calling the men to quarters. Throwing their spotless white Sunday clothes in every direction, stripping to the waist as they dashed for their places in turrets and barbettes, to the fighting top, fifty feet above the water, and the bowels of the ship, twenty feet below it, the men dashed madly for their stations, cheering the while as they faced at last the opportunity for action which they had awaited for long weary weeks. While the honors seem equally divided as to which ship first indicated the appearance of the enemy, the " Iowa," under command of one of America's most popular naval heroes. Captain Robley D. Evans, was first to fire on the enemy. Captain Evans himself tells the story of the action in his ad- mirable book, some portions of which may be quoted: As the leading Spanish ship, the flagship " IMaria Teresa," swung into the channel leading out from the Punta Gorda, she presented a magnificent appearance with her splendid new battle flags and her polished brass work. Her bright new coat of paint was in marked contrast to the lead-colored, iron-rusted ships that were rushing full speed at her. As she passed the Diamond Shoal at the entrance to the harbor she swung off to the westward and opened fire smartly with her port broadside and turret guns. From this moment the battle may be said to have been on, and the roaring of the guns Copyright, 13U7, by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. Courtesy of Collier's HVti.y PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND ADMIRAL EVANS FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 497 was incessant. The " VizcaAa " came second, about six hundred yards astern of the flagship, followed by the " Colon " and then the " Oquendo " bringing up the rear; the torpedo boats "Furor" and " Pluton " were not yet in sight. The speed I judged to be about eight knots as the ships came down the channel, which was increased to thirteen or more as they kept away to the westward in the open sea. They came at us like mad bulls, and presented a fine appear- ance as I caught sight of them occasionally through the dense smoke of our battery. It had been my intention from the first to ram or torpedo the flagship if I could reach her, and to insure this, I remained, as much as I could, in the conning tower at the side of the quartermaster, who was steering, watching carefully every move of the wheel and directing the man just where to head. I kept the "Maria Teresa" open on my starboard bow, so that the guns could have a chance at her, until it became evident that I could not ram her or even get within torpedo range, when I swung off to port, gave her the full benefit of my starboard broadside, and then swung back quickly and headed across the bows of the second ship, hoping to be able to reach her with my ram. The " Maria Teresa " passed me at a distance of about twenty-six hundred yards, and, as she crossed my bows, our forward twelve-inch guns were fired, and I was confident that I saw both shells strike the Spanish ship. As I flung back for the second ship, my port battery opened on the " Maria Teresa " and the star- board guns continued to play on the " Vizcaya " and " Colon," which were approaching us at great speed. The fire of the first ship had been very rapid and accurate when she opened, but it grew ragged and inaccurate as the range decreased. I soon found that the " Vizcaya " would also pass ahead of me, and that I could not reach her with ram or torpedo. I accordingly swung to port, gave her my broadside, and, as she passed at nineteen hundred yards, put my helm to port and headed in again to try for the next ship. At this time the " Colon " came with a great show of speed, pass- ing between the leading ships and the shore and much protected by their smoke. As she passed she struck me twice — two as beautiful shots as I ever saw made by any ship. I had been doing my best to fight the " Iowa " from the conning tower, but the temptation to see the fight was more than I could resist, and I frequently found myself on the bridge, deeply interested in the magnificent spectacle about me. It thus happened that I was on the end of the bridge when the " Colon " paid her respects to us. The first shell she fired at us, through a rent in the smoke, struck on the starboard side a little forward of the bridge, about four feet above the water line, passed through the cellulose belt, and exploded on the berth deck, demolishing the dispensary, breaking almost every medicine bottle in it, and doing great damage otherwise. The smells that came up in consequence of this explosion were variegated and intense, a mixture 498 STORY OF OUR NAVY of medicine and melinite. The second shell, of the same size as the first — about six and a half inches in diameter — struck just at the water line and about six to ten feet farther forward, passed through the side and into the cellulose belt, where it broke up with- out exploding. It, however, made an ugly, jagged hole, eighteen inches long and eight inches wide, through which the water poured with great rapidity. The cellulose in the coffer dam, which was supposed to swell up and stop the shot hole, washed out and floated astern in a broad, brown streak. I think the " Colon " fired only twice at me, and, as I have stated, she did excellent shooting as far as I could see. When the " Oquendo " approached me, I found that if I held on my course she would pass ahead of me, so I changed and ran parallel with her at a distance of about sixteen to fourteen hundred yards and opened on her my entire battery, including the rapid-fire and machine guns. At this time she was under the concentrated fire of several of our ships and the effect was most destructive. She rolled and staggered like a drunken thing, and finally seemed to stop her engines. I thought she was going to strike her colors, and was on the point of ordering the battery to cease firing, when she started ahead again and we redoubled our efforts to sink her. As I looked at her I could see the shot holes come in her sides and our shells explode inside of her, but she pluckily held on her course and fairly smothered us with a shower of shells and machine-gun shots. In the meantime the Spanish flagship headed for the shore, in flames, fore and aft, and soon took the ground about seven miles to the west of the entrance to Santiago Harbor, and a few minutes later the " Oquendo " followed her, the flames bursting out through the shot holes in her sides and leaping up from the deck as high as the military tops. It was a magnificent, sad sight to see these beautiful ships in their death agonies; but we were doing the work we had been educated for, and we cheered and yelled until our throats were sore. When we were hotly engaged with the last ship, two dense spots of black smoke and two long white streaks on the water indicated the position of the Spanish torpedo boats as they made their gallant dash for liberty. We turned our rapid-fire guns and the after guns of the main battery on them, and at the same time other ships concentrated on the little gamecocks. In a very short time — not more than five minutes, I should say — a splendid column of steam mixed with coal dust sprang hundreds of feet in the air, and I knew that the boiler of one of them had blown up. A few minutes later the second one blew up, and the torpedo boats that had caused so much worry to friends and foes alike were things of the past. They had given us many sleepless nights, but when it came to the test of battle they had done just what many of us thought they would do. They had been disabled and destroyed in the shortest FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 499 possible time. It was almost wicked to waste the lives of brave men in such an attempt. About this time the flagship " New York " came racing back to join in the fight. As she passed the batteries they concentrated a heavy fire on her, to which she paid no attention, but fired three shots at one of the Spanish torpedo boats and then hurried on, coming up directly astern of the " Iowa." She had the " Vizcaya " within range of her eight-inch guns for some time before that vessel ran ashore, but in order to hit her, would have had to fire over the " Iowa " which I suppose was the reason why Captain Chadwick held his fire. Afterward, when she passed between me and the wreck of the " Vizcaya," as I was hoisting out my boats to go to her relief, my men broke into cheers as they made ouf Admiral Sampson on the bridge. The course of the " Iowa " had carried her inside of the rest of the American fleet, and, as I drew up abreast of the two burning Spanish ships, on the beach, I could see their crews struggling in the water where the shells of our ships seemed to be bursting among them. The " Maria Teresa " had a white flag flying forward, which I was sure could not be seen by the vessels firing on them, so I hoisted the signal, "Enemy's ships have surrendered!" and the fire was at once concentrated on the fleeing " Vizcaya." She was soon on fire, and ofif Accerraderos turned and headed for the shore, smoke and flames pouring from her ports and hatches. The " Colon," the last ship of the splendid squadron, was standing to the westward, hotly pursued by the " Oregon," " Brooklyn," " Texas," and " New York." All the rest were shapeless wrecks on the Cuban shore, and nearly six hundred of their gallant officers and men had fought their last fight. God and the gunners had had their day." . . . Presently a boat came alongside bearing Captain Eulate, com- mander of the " Vizcaya." That was a sight I shall never forget as long as I live. In the stern, supported by one of our naval cadets, sat the captain, covered with blood from three wounds, with a blood-stained handkerchief about his bare head. Around him sat or lay a dozen or more wounded men. In the bottom of the boat, which was leaking, was a foot or so of blood-stained water and the body of a dead Spanish sailor which rolled from side to side as the water swashed about. The captain was tenderly placed in a chair and then hoisted to the deck, where he was received with the honors due his rank. As the chair was placed on the quarter-deck he slowly raised himself to his feet, unbuckled his sword-belt, kissed the hilt of his sword, and, bowing low, gracefully presented it to me as a token of surrender. I never felt so sorry for a man in all my life. Of course I declined to receive the sword, or rather I instantly handed it back to Captain Eulate, but accepted the sur- render of his officers and men in the name of Admiral Sampson, our 500 STORY OF OUR NAVY commander in chief. My men were all crowded aft about the deck and superstructure, and when I declined the sword the brave hearts under the blue shirts appreciated my feelings and they cheered until I felt ashamed of myself. As I supported the captain toward my cabin, he stopped for a moment just as we reached the hatch, and drawing himself up to his full height, with his right arm extended above his head, ex- claimed " Adios, Vizcaya ! " Just as the words passed his lips the forward magazine of his late command, as if arranged for the purpose, exploded with magnificent effect. Captain Eulate, a sen- sitive, passionate man, conducted himself in a way to elicit the admiration of all who saw him. After he had been attended to by the surgeons he occupied a part of my cabin, and did all in his power to aid me in making his officers and men comfortable. The experience of the " Iowa " so picturesquely re- lated by its commander was in all essentials that of the other vessels of the fleet. All were in action, save only the luckless " New York," which came up with the fleeing enemy in time only to fire two shots. One ship which astonished all beholders was the " Texas." She had been thought to be the weakest and the slowest of the American vessels, but she got into the battle early and kept well up with the enemy. Captain Philip, her commander, notes that the two big shells which found their way into the Spanish vessels were twelve- inch shells which were necessarily from the guns of the " Texas," as she alone was armed with cannon of that calibre. The " Brooklyn," under command of Commodore Schley, was, because of her position on the blockade, and because of her superior speed, the foremost in the race. On this vessel was killed the only man lost on the American side during the action, her chief yeoman, Ellis, who was standing on the bridge within touching distance of the commodore when a shell took off his head. During the course of the action Commodore Schley ordered the helm of the " Brook- lyn " to be put to port, making a " loop " which tem- porarily took him away from the Spanish line, but FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 501 ultimately secured for him a superior position. With all the ships blanketed in smoke, for this was prior to the days of smokeless powder, this manoeuvre almost resulted in a collision between the '' Brooklyn " and the " Texas," and did result in later and very bitter attacks upon Schley. The movement was condemned by a court of inquiry, but with the dissent of its president. Admiral George Dewey. First of the enemy's ships to meet destruction was the " Maria Teresa." She headed the enemy's line as it steamed out of the harbor, and as she turned west- ward the guns of our entire squadron were brought to bear on her. The American shooting was murder- ously accurate, and the range scarcely over one mile. It was but three-quarters of an hour after the " Maria Teresa " appeared when she was driven upon the rocks with flames gushing from every port, her ammunition exploding and her people facing the alternative of death by fire or by drowning. Just then the " Texas " passed in swift pursuit of the others. Her men naturally began to cheer as they saw the plight of the enemy, but Captain Philip from the bridge shouted to all that might hear, " Don't cheer, men, those poor devils are dying." The phrase goes well with the last words of Captain Evans's report of the battle, written while his crew were rescuing and caring for the Spanish wounded. " I cannot express my admiration for my magnificent crew. So long as the enemy showed his flag they fought like American seamen, but when the flag came down they were as gentle and tender as American women." Smallest of all the American vessels was the little " Gloucester," formerly the pleasure boat of a Newport millionaire. Her commander. Lieutenant Wainwright, had been on a man-of-war in the harbor of Havana for two months after the sinking of the " Maine," and grimly declared he would never set his foot on 502 STORY OF OUR NAVY shore until he could go with an armed force to take possession of the city. Now at Santiago he marked as his special prey the two torpedo boat destroyers, and as soon as they appeared rushed at them with his little unarmored boat and a rapid lire of his puny guns. On all hands his was declared to be the most reckless daring of the entire action. But he got his prey. The " Pluton " was driven ashore burning and utterly de- stroyed by an explosion; the " Furor" was broken in two by the American fire, receiving some heavy shots from the big guns of the larger vessels as they passed. With these wasps of the sea destroyed there was no need for further fighting on the part of the " Gloucester " and her crew turned their attention to saving life, working as hard at that as they had at destroying it. It was a boat from the "Gloucester" that picked Admiral Cervera from the water as barely a month before he had drawn Lieutenant Hobson to safety. Swift following upon the end of the " Maria Teresa " the " Oquendo " came into range of the four American battleships and in forty-nine minutes was broken in two and blazing fiercely on the rocks half a mile from her sister ship. Meanwhile the " Vizcaya," the best of the Spanish cruisers, was fleeing fast, but fell before the fire of the " Oregon " and " Brooklyn." Only the " Colon " then remained, and she the fastest of the Spanish ships was slipping along the coast to the west- ward like a hunted fox. She was the special prey of the " Oregon." It is a matter of history that as the latter ship was rushing through the sea in swift pursuit, saving her fire, one gun was discharged at the quarry. A moment or two afterwards the chief engineer of the " Oregon," grimy with coal dust, came to the deck and said to Captain Clark that his men were exhausted and fainting from the heat and the work of the stoke Photo by The Walter L. HiifT Co. BATTLESHIP OF TO-DAY BEFORE LAUNCHING (The Utah) FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 503 hole, but had been so greatly stimulated by the sound of the gun that he hoped a few more shots might be fired to key them up. The " Colon's " flight was hope- less and she too, though but little injured by the Amer- ican fire, was run ashore. The battle was over with complete victory for the navy of the United States. It had lasted less than four hours. The first three Span,ish ships to be de- stroyed had ended their career in war in exactly one hour and a half from the time they appeared. Natu- rally the enthusiasm on the American ships was so great as to baffle all description, though the Immediate work of all hands was to man the boats and rescue the de- feated enemy. But perhaps the finest scene In that mo- ment of triumph was reported by the war correspondent of the New York Sun on the " Texas": From the " Oregon " came the jubilant strains of " The Star- Spangled Banner." On the bridge of the " Texas " a group of hilarious officers surrounded their commander. Captain Philip, who seemed noticeably reserved and thoughtful. Suddenly he turned to his executive officer, and said quietly : " Call all hands aft ! " The five hundred men of the ship trooped to the quarter-deck, which was still snow-white with the saltpeter from the guns, and listened reverently while Captain Philip offered thanks to God for their preservation from the perils of battle. " I want," said the captain, as he stood with bared head, " to make public acknowledgment here that I have complete faith in God, the Father Almighty. I want all of you, officers and crew, unless there be those who have con- scientious scruples against so doing, to lift your hats and in your hearts offer silent thanks to God." As the strong tones of the captain's voice died away, every man stood reverently, for a moment or two, with bared and bowed head. Many of the men were much affected. In the eyes of more than one brawny Jacky I saw the glimmer of a moisture that was hastily brushed away. As the men were dispersing, one big fellow called : " Three cheers for our captain ! " and they were given with a heartiness that fairly shook the ship. CHAPTER XXVIII The End of the War — Its Fruit in Territory and New Problems — The International March on Pekin — The Battleship Fleet Goes Around the World — Target Practice at Magdalena Bay — The New United States Navy and Its Relative Rank — The End. The destruction of Cervera's fleet was the virtual end of the war. Though the Spaniards in Santiago held out stubbornly — sending their three-thousand-ton cruiser " Reina Mercedes " to lie on the bed of the channel beside the shattered " Merrlmac " — they could only defer for a few days the inevitable result. When the city fell to the army, though in fact it was the work of the navy, done at little cost of human life, which ended its resistance, the backbone of Spanish power was broken. General Miles took Porto Rico without en- countering anything more terrifying on the part of the enemy than white flags. On the northern coast of Cuba the Spaniards sacrificed one good three-thousand- ton cruiser, the " Alphonso III.," well built, though of incomplete armament, by sending her out of Havana harbor, where she had hidden since the beginning of the war. Had her guns been aboard she would have been more than a match for the auxiliary vessels that attacked her, but as it was she was driven ashore and burned. Skirmishes of this sort wound up the continu- ously victorious campaign in the West Indies. Two rather humorous incidents enlivened the closing weeks of the war. Sorely shattered in sea power as they were, the Spaniards still had a squadron — on paper — at Cadiz under Admiral Camara. As a point of fact these ships were not formidable, but that was known 504 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 505 only to the officers who manned the unfinished and half- armed vessels. But it was what the navy calls " a fleet in being," and as such was a menace always to be watched. The threat of the Spaniards was to send this fleet through the Suez Canal to overwhelm Dewey at Manila — a practicable enterprise had the vessels been at all in condition. In any event it was a serious enough threat to worry our Navy Department and people. Even before the destruction of Cervera's ships Camara entered the Suez Canal, but was detained there for lack of money to pay canal tolls — a lame beginning for a great expedition of war which aroused the Amer- ican humorist to his best efforts. Another diverting feature of the Camara dash was the effort of a New York newspaper proprietor to secure a British tramp steamer and sink it in the canal to block the way of the bankrupt armada. Meantime the Navy Depart- ment was taking prompt steps to meet the Spanish threat. A considerable squadron was assembled at Hampton Roads and the announcement loudly made that it was designed to attack the forts of Spain which the absence of the Cadiz fleet left unprotected. At the same time from San Francisco the cruiser " Charles- ton " and the monitors " Monadnock " and " Mon- terey " were ordered to Manila. The " Charleston " was first to sail and on the way across the ocean stopped at the desolate island of Guam, then a Spanish province. A pigmy fort near the har- bor's mouth was flying the Spanish flag and Captain Glass, commanding, fired two or three shells at it, then went on into the harbor. Hardly had the cruiser dropped anchor when a small boat flying a Spanish flag and bearing a Spanish officer in full uniform came alongside. The guest was received on the quarter-deck by Captain Glass, who fortunately spoke Spanish flu- ently. 5o6 STORY OF OUR NAVY " Captain," said the visitor, " I have come to apolo- gize for not returning your salute." "My salute?" asked Glass perplexed. "What salute? " " Why, you did fire a salute as you passed the fort, but our saluting battery is out of order, and we shall have to delay answering until later in the day." " My dear sir," exclaimed the astonished American, " is it possible you don't know that your country and mine are at war? I fired shells at your fort and am here to demand its surrender and that of the town." The surrender was promptly completed and the joke seemed to be on the Spaniards, who had not heard of the war. Glass, however, for some time, felt an uneasy consciousness that the gunnery which permitted those shells to impress their target so little was not quite up to the mark. The three vessels in due time reached Manila, though by their arrival the need for them was past — indeed the peace protocol had been signed before the " Monadnock " arrived. The voyage was a cruel one for the men confined below in ships, the low decks of which were almost constantly awash- " The trip through the tropics," wrote the captain of the " Mon- terey," " was very trying on officers and men. The temperature of the sea water has been eighty-five to eighty-seven degrees; the temperature of the air seventy- five to ninety-five degrees, and with the engines and boilers in use there was no chance for the heat to radiate. Hence the temperatures in the ships have been very high — fireroom from one hundred and ten to one hundred and thirty degrees; engine-room one hundred and ten to one hundred and forty degrees; dynamo-room from one hundred and five to one hundred and thirty degrees; crew space eighty-six to ninety-nine degrees. Men have been overcome in the coal bunkers, fireroom and evaporating-room with heat exhaustion and •#K* --.fi^ibh^M t-ik :.' i- FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 507 the health of the ship's company has been affected by living in such high temperatures." Before the second monitor had reached Manila the city had yielded to the combined guns of the army and navy; the fleet of Camara had returned from the Red Sea to protect the coasts of Spain from the threatened visit of an American squadron, the peace protocol had been signed, and the war was over. Thereafter until the date of the writing of this book the work of the navy had been mainly that of peace, and of the development drill so necessary to assure pre- paredness for war. Not but that there was active service in a way and powder burned in anger. The spluttering fires of rebellion persisted long in the Philippines where the natives, rudely cheated of their long cherished hopes of absolute independence, kept up for years much the same guerilla resistance to American authority as the Cubans had against Spanish rule. It is probable that our experience after the war led our people to be much more charitable to our fallen foes than they had been before the conflict. We found ourselves obliged to apply to the insurrection many of the harsh methods which the Spaniards had employed. We entered upon the war explicitly denying any pur- pose to add to our territory. We emerged from it the owners of Porto Rico, Guam, and the populous Philip- pines; with Cuba nominally free, but actually under our control and ready to drop into our ownership at any moment. And we have found that Spain, relieved of these incumbrances, has advanced industrially and com- mercially, while the complete triumph of our arms won for us a burden rather than a benefit; a big bunch of liabilities rather than of assets. During the period of comparative quiescence in the first decade of the twentieth century the most notable service in which the navy engaged was the expedition 5o8 STORY OF OUR NAVY to relieve the legations at Pekin. China, always seeth- ing with sedition and brimming with bitter hatred of the " foreign devils," was suddenly overwhelmed with an insurrection cunningly planned by a secret society, the I-Ho-Ch'uan, signifying the " Fist of Righteous Harmony." This picturesque designation was too com- plicated for foreigners, who called the rebels " Boxers." Rebels they were only nominally. Their avowed pur- {K)se was to drive all foreigners out of China, and in this they had the secret sympathy of the Empress Dow- ager, the real despot of the nation. The trade of the United States with the Orient, then reaching thirty-two million dollars a year, was threatened and the lives of more than two thousand Americans resident in China put in jeopardy. The agitation was not directed against Americans alone, but all foreigners, and one of the first to suffer by it was the German minister. Baron von Ketteler, who was fatally stabbed as he was riding in the streets of Pekin. Shortly after this the situation became so menacing that the American legation was fortified and twenty-five marines from the " Newark," a company of blue-jackets and two guns, one a Colt's automatic, were sent to the legation for its defence. Presently thereafter marines and blue-jackets were sent to Tientsin. Then international complications set in. Every civilized nation was represented by naval detach- ments, all wanted to take part in any military movement for the suppression of the rebellion, and each wished to be in the lead. It was left to an American naval officer, Captain McCalla, whose life service has seen as many exciting incidents as that of any one in the navy, to break the bonds of diplomatic intrigue. " If no other nation is willing to march on Pekin," said he, " I will lead my force alone." This assertion ended the diplo- matic quarrel. No representative of a foreign nation was willing to be unrepresented in the march upon the FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 509 Chinese capital. In the end the marines and blue-jack- ets of the United States, Great Britain, Japan, Germany, France, Austria, and Italy joined in the expedition. It was a hard-fighting but futile march. When within forty miles of Pekin the invaders discovered that the Imperial forces of China had made common cause with the Boxers, had cut the communications with Tientsin, and the expedition was forced to return. There was plenty of hard fighting, for the enemy, though undis- ciplined and badly armed, greatly outnumbered the allied forces and fought with the rage and courage born of fa- naticism. But Tientsin was reached, the foreign quar- ters protected, and the native city captured. That ac- complished, a new march was made to Pekin and the le- gations were relieved. It was none too soon. Crowded into the compound of the American legation were a multitude of women and children, guarded by a mere handful of fighting men. No truthful word as to their condition had reached the outer world. But a multi- plicity of rumors, many fabricated In cold blood by correspondents at Hong Kong, Shanghai, and other points far distant from the scene, stirred not merely the American nation, but all Europe into a frenzied apprehension for the safety of the beleaguered ones. Stories of the most incredible atrocities were current in the press of all civilized nations. The Honorable John D. Long, then Secretary of the Navy, has put it on record that he was the one member of the President's Cabinet who did not believe that the entire colony of diplomats and attaches at Pekin had been massacred. Natu- rally, therefore, when the international expedition after attaining a point within forty miles of the Chinese capital found itself compelled to turn and retrace its steps to Tientsin, there was an almost world-wide cry of disappointment and of protest. But it was not the fault of the leaders of the expedition, whether American 5IO STORY OF OUR NAVY or European. The whole trouble arose from the fact that the foreign governments had underestimated the power and the unity of the Chinese forces. They had sent out a posse to subdue a riot; they encountered in fact a nation in arms. It was only by the most desperate and persistent fighting that the expeditionary force re- gained its base at Tientsin. Captain McCalla, who was second in command, was wounded three times during the march. When eight miles from Tientsin the column captured the Chinese imperial arsenal near Hsiku, but were there so surrounded by a superior force that it was necessary to send out a runner to secure relief. More American marines and blue-jackets then joined the force on shore and within a comparatively few days the navy had landed several hundred fighting men wear- ing the blue of the United States. Japan and Germany, France and England then joined with suitable forces, and the second march on Pekin, though bitterly con- tested every mile of the way, was successfully accom- plished. When the Chinese capital was entered and the legations relieved, it was found that the rumors of the assassination of the ministers and the torturing of their families were happily without foundation. There had been steady fighting, much suffering and daily appre- hension of the worst. Many of the brave defenders had fallen, but the diplomats were safe. By way of discipline and the assertion of the power of the United States and its allies the Chinese imperial government was compelled to throw open what is known as " The Forbidden City *' to a triumphal parade of the allied forces through its boundaries, theretofore always shrouded from the gaze of any save the aristocracy of the Chinese Empire. The march of the marines and the blue-jackets to Pekin was not merely a piece of gallant campaigning, but has had its influence upon the world's history and the world's development. It opened FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 511 China to civilization no less than did Perry in 1852 introduce Japan to the sisterhood of the progressive nations of the world. And as Japan, to-day standing on a plane of equality with the foremost peoples, ex- presses its gratitude to the great Republic which, against the Japanese will, forced modern civiHzation upon her, so China has begun to express its gratification that, by the suppression of the Boxer rebellion, and by the rude shattering of ancient superstitions, the United States opened the way for her to take the place to which her age and her great population entitle her. No peaceful duty ever performed by our navy, or, for that matter, any other of modern times, excelled in picturesqueness or was more successful than the famous cruise of sixteen battleships around the world in 1907- 08. It might be thought a very simple thing to take sixteen of them on the same journey. But as a matter of fact a battleship, ponderous as it is, with its enormous weight of armor and of guns, and its vast quantity of machinery, is a complex and delicate affair. Its very massiveness adds to its delicacy, for its bottom can be no thicker than that of the ordinary steel ship, and to touch a rock or a sandbar with the enormous weight above means certain disaster. Admiral Evans, who commanded the fleet during its voyage around Cape Horn to San Francisco, lays great stress upon the diffi- culty of getting the ships ready, though several months were permitted for preparations. The problems were diverse and perplexing. International politics did not lessen them. The fleet was to go into the Pacific at the time when an agitation against the Japanese in Cal- ifornia and other Pacific coast states was thought by many to put in jeopardy the friendly relations between the two countries. Newspapers and public men sin- 512 STORY OF OUR NAVY cerely believed that sending this colossal fleet of fighting ships into the Pacific would be regarded by Japan as an unfriendly act and might bring on war. The people of the Atlantic coast protested against being deprived of their chief naval defence. So far as the possibility of the fleet's causing a war, or its dispatch to the Pacific being intended to avert a war, the authorities held their peace, not only during the duration of the voyage, but until the present day. Yet there was ample cause for national reflection in Admiral Evans's light remark when all preparatory work was done, that the fleet was " fit for a frolic or a fight," and even more so in Presi- dent Roosevelt's words of farewell at the last moment : Remember, Admiral Evans, you sail with the confidence of the President more completely than any admiral ever did before; your cruise is a peaceful one, but you realize your responsibility if it should turn out otherwise. But to make that fleet fit for a fight or a frolic took time and thought. First of all drill in fleet evolutions at sea was essential. Ten of the ships were new ; had never been handled in fleet formation. Many of the officers had but little experience. One or two battleships had never fired their guns even to test the sights. Target practice was imperative. There were still vet- erans of the Spanish War in the turrets and on the berth-decks, but not enough to instil warlike skill into all the fourteen thousand men who would make the voyage. " It was my job," writes Evans, " and my responsibility, rendered greater by many discouraging obstacles and handicaps, to see that this fleet, though on the most peaceable mission possible, was ready to fight at the drop of a hat." To this end for long weeks there was daily target practice, and ceaseless repetitions of drills at sea. Yet with all possible diligence every- thing could not be completed before the sailing day, December i6th. The system of electrical fire control FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 513 on the ships, by which the discharge of all the guns can be regulated from one central point, was not com- pleted when the ships sailed and had to be finished at sea, as was the case with the installation of the wireless telegraph system. Something of the magnitude of the former task may be judged from the fact that miles of wire had to be strung within each ship. And then there was the coal supply to be considered. A fleet of battleships does not start out on a world-wide cruise and trust to luck to find coal. Colliers had to be found, loaded with coal and sent ahead to deposit it at points convenient for the ships. As for provisions the men of this fleet were not to subsist on the time- honored navy diet of hard tack and " salt horse." Two special supply ships loaded with food were to accompany the fleet, besides which the refrigerating rooms of each battleship were stocked with fresh meat. Turkey for the Christmas dinner to the amount of forty thousand pounds, thirty-five thousand pounds of Bo- logna sausage; eight hundred and fifty thousand pounds of fresh beef; ten thousand dozen fresh and nine thou- sand dozen dried eggs ; one hundred and forty thousand pounds of onions; fifteen thousand pounds of jam and fifteen thousand pounds of chewing tobacco were among the contributions to Jack's light appetite. As for candy, it ran into the tons, for the blue-jackets afloat have a very sweet tooth. When all was ready the fleet — sixteen battleships, six destroyers, the gunboat " Yorktown," which served as a dispatch boat, and the supply and repair ships, worth in all one hundred million dollars and carrying fourteen thousand men — all gathered at Hampton Roads to be reviewed by the President. The little fellows sailed without waiting for the review, since their limited capac- ity compelled them to dodge from port to port seeking coal. But on December i6th, punctual to the day and 514 STORY OF OUR NAVY to the hour, anchors were hfted, and with flags flying, bands playing and cannon booming, a farewell salute, the armada moved out to sea on its globe-circling trip. Into the details of this trip it is impossible to go at length here. It was one long drill while the ships were under way; one round of giving and receiving en- tertainment in port. A newspaper correspondent on the " Louisiana," who set forth thinking a voyage on a battleship would be something akin to a yachting cruise, enumerates as the day's duties from 3 A.M. to 8 140 p.m. forty-six different counts, each proclaimed by a bugle call. There is little loafing on a man-of-war. When nothing else was doing there was the unremitting watch for signals from the flagship, and the steady strain of keeping the exact distance of four hundred yards between the ships. At Magdalena Bay, in Lower Cal- ifornia, where the ships stopped some weeks for target practice. Admiral Evans said to one of his captains, " I hope your officers have learned something on this cruise." " Thirteen thousand miles at four hundred yards, night and day," was the answer, " including the Straits of Magellan; yes, they've learned a lot." Of the receptions given to the fleet at both foreign and home points little need be said here. The pageant made foreigners admire and fear, and Americans ap- plaud and exalt the new navy of the United States. But some description of what target practice means on a modern man-of-war may interest readers. I quote from Mr. Franklin Matthews, the correspondent of the New York Sun : As has been said, the preparations for this target practice began as soon as the fleet was out of Hampton Roads. There was the daily drill of hours and hours at Morris tube practice, where the men shoot at little targets from little rifles attached to the big guns. The targets are kept in motion and every man has to shoot his FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 515 string of so many shots. The division officer soon comes to know which men have the sharpest eye, the steadiest hand, the coolest temperament and in time the pointers and trainers are selected and each man has his post assigned to him. And when the miniature target shooting is over for the day there is the team work drill with dummy projectiles and powder bags and day by day the men become expert in making this exact step and avoiding that false move, and show increasing deftness and zeal. They learned just how far to lean back and move their heads when the gun darts past their faces in its lightning recoil, and those who have never heard a big gun go off try to imagine what the roar will be like, and to nerve themselves not to mind it any more than a firecracker's report. But it is time to shoot. Every one now is calm and eager to begin. The bos'n and three launches and two boats' crews go out and put up the first targets. The ship gets under way and steams about slowly until she gets the proper headway of a predetermined speed. The men at the targets set them up and steam away to a buoy a quarter of a mile from the target. Slowly the ship swings out and comes on the range just grazing the buoys that mark the path. The men are at the guns. The outward buoy is passed and then the ship approaches the first buoy where the firing is to begin. The exact range of that point is known. The elevation of the gun is known as is also the deflection. You know the sights have to be right on the target, but the gun itself has to be aimed a little to one side, so as to account for the side movement of the projectile, due to the ship's movement as it flies through the air. What is called fire con- trol determines just how much the gun must be elevated and how it must be deflected at a certain instant. There is a man at the gun who turns little wheels and adjusts gauges and he gets word from some one else just what to do and when to do it. Never mind how this is communicated to him. Meantime one man has been training the gun sideways, and another has been raising or lowering it independently of the man who has been setting the deflection and fixing the range. When the cross wires in the gun pointer's tele- scope are right on the bull's eye and it is time to fire he pulls a trigger and the electrical apparatus sends a lightning impulse into the powder, there is a roar, a thin cloud of smoke from the primer, a flash and you look for the splash to see if it is a hit. As the ship proceeds along the base of the triangle the deflection and range have to be changed constantly. The change is greatest at the end of the run. Along about the centre when you are just opposite the target the changes are slight, but it is just as hard to hit the target. All these changes are matters of fractions of a second. It is not deliberate work, but it is done carefully, and that is where the element of training comes in. The first roar of a gun sends a thrill through the ship. The man who has fired it is nervous. If it's a miss he steadies himself at 5i6 STORY OF OUR NAVY once. Rare is it that the second shot is a miss. The gun-shy part of that man's career is over. He is now as cool as if he were whistling Yankee Doodle. Bang and crack go his shots. Perhaps the gases obscure his vision to some extent. He waits an instant before he fires. Pump, pump goes the trigger. He's got the range, he's got his nerve, he knows when he hits and when he misses. It's a big contest and his tools of trade are the confined element of destruction with the accumulated scientific skill of decades behind him, and the result depends upon his clear vision and steady hand. The task inspires him, his face is drawn tense, he forgets every- thing else, he becomes part of that machine of destruction, an automaton. . . . When the time comes for the practice of the great guns no red paint is needed to mark the hits. You can see the projectiles as they near the target, needle-like things that seem to fly with the speed of lightning. You can see the holes they make if you take a glass. Their roar is dull and the shake of the ship is a powerful tremor. Your ears are not smitten as with the smaller guns, but the shock is tremendous. You are close to the manifestation of a terrific force. But if you wish to see the best part of the work you must go into the casemate where the firing is done. Ah ! there is where the team work is going on. Take a seven-inch gun. The word to commence firing is passed, powder and projectiles are all ready. The gun captain throws open the breech lock. The men lift the projectile and place it in the breech. Scarcely have they removed their tray before a long wooden rammer is thrust in, and the projectile which has been care- fully smoothed off and oiled is run home and seated. Get out of the way quick, rammer, for the powder bags are being thrust in ! Don't make a false step, for you may hinder some one who has just one thing to do in the shortest possible time. The charge is now home. The gun captain whisks the breech into place, the primer is attached, and then the captain slaps the pointer on the back or cries. Ready ! All this time the gun is being trained the range and deflection has been changed, and instantly there is a roar, a blinding flash. The members of the crew close to the gun move just far enough back to escape the recoil, like a prizefighter when he throws his head back and escapes a blow by a fraction of an inch. Open comes the breech in a flash, then another charge on it, another slap on the back, another roar, and it's a hit or a n^iss. Then a third charge and another and another. The men sweat and breathe hard, their faces become strained and some of them white. The fight is on, and the work, second by second by second, every one of them valuable as hours would be ordinarily, saps the strength and energy of the men in that supreme effort. " Every shot a hit ! " cries one of the men exultingly. . . . But the twelve-inch guns ! Pack the cotton well into your ears ! FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 517 Keep your mouth open ! Stand as far away from the muzzle as you can on the ship ! Secure all the things in your stateroom, for if you don't you may find your shaving mug on the floor and your hair brush mixed up with fragments of your soap dish. Close your port or else your trinkets may be whisked into a heap and some of them broken to pieces. The whistle has blown. The seconds go by oh how slowly. Will they never get that gun loaded? Then comes a blast. The white flame seems brighter than sunlight, the roar runs through you like an electric shock, the decks seem to sink, and you wonder if the eruption of Mount Pelee had more force than that. You look toward the target. There goes the projectile straight through the bull's eye. Then an enormous geyser leaps into the air more than a hundred feet high. Surely that is Old Faithful. Then comes another half a mile away, then another and another, and you wonder if the projectile is going clear over to Europe. So day by day the work of target practice at Magdala Bay, surrounded by arid and uninhabited shores, and screened from watchful eyes, goes on for a month. Then up the Pacific Coast to San Francisco the fleet proceeds, officers an^ men being lavishly entertained at every port. It is a great sight for the Pacific, and a great benefit to the navy, for as a result of the display no section of the country becomes more enthusiastic over a greater navy than these Pacific commonwealths. At San Francisco there is a double change of com- manders. Admiral Evans, broken in health, and suffer- ing cruelly with the pain of his wounds, received at Fort Fisher, retires. Admiral Thomas succeeds him, only to be taken with a fatal illness. Admiral Sperry thereupon takes command of the fleet, charged with con- ducting it on the remainder of its voyage around the world. To him and to the officers and men the Presi- dent sent a congratulatory dispatch ending, " You have, in a peculiar sense, the honor of the United States in your keeping and therefore no body of men in the world at this moment enjoy a greater privilege or carry a heavier responsibility." From San Francisco the long voyage across the Pacific 5i8 STORY OF OUR NAVY brings the ships to Japan. Here where certain unfriend- liness had been apprehended nothing was met but en- thusiastic hospitality. The frolic and not the fight was the order of the day, and the newspaper critics who thought that the fleet in Japanese waters would be a menace, found it instead an incentive to international friendship. The officers were entertained by the Mikado, the men by the people of Japan. In the ports they visited official placards were put up ordering shopkeepers to refrain from charging extra prices for their goods, and even directing the people on the streets to avoid staring at the Americans or indulging in any demonstrations likely to cause turbulence. Indeed at every point on the remainder of the long voyage the reception of the fleet was most hearty and its contribu- tion to the friendship of nations a notable one. It reached the Mediterranean by way of the Suez Canal just at the time of the terrible disaster at Messina, and the " Connecticut," " Vermont," " Massachusetts," and " Kansas " were sent to that point to aid the sufferers and assist in the policing of the ruined city. Once in the Mediterranean the fleet was long split into sec- tions to reassemble at Hampton Roads February 22nd. First of the- ships to reach a home port was the " Maine," which had been detached from the fleet. She entered Portsmouth harbor October 19th after a voyage of thirty-six thousand miles. She had been at sea three hundred days, much of which time had been spent in friendly ports. Her coal consumption was twenty-two thousand tons for the trip. The fleet as a whole reassembled at Hampton Roads on Washington's birthday, there to be reviewed by the President, who had bade them God speed little more than a year earlier. Its performance in circumnavigating the globe, not merely without disaster, but without injury to, or ex- haustion of, its machinery was hailed by naval experts in ^^v'tL FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 519 all parts of the world as an unprecedented achievement. The United States navy, which in 1884 was so puny as to be ignored by all nations, now admittedly ranks as second in the list of fighting forces afloat. Her claim to this eminence is contested by Germany alone, but statistics show the German contention to be ill- founded. In gross tonnage of fighting vessels afloat we ranked in December, 1909 — the date of the latest official report — second. In battleship tonnage afloat or in the yard we were second only to England; so too with cruisers. In the years 1905-09 we completed of the ships now chiefly counted in figuring naval power — battleships and armored cruisers — thirty to Germany's sixteen. The race for second place is a close one, with the United States now in the lead. At one point we lag curiously far behind. With forty- four thousand, one hundred and twenty-nine enlisted blue-jackets, practically the same number as serve Ger- many, France or Japan, we have twenty-eight flag officers as against sixty-eight in Japan, forty-five in France and thirty-six in Germany; and eleven hundred and seventy-seven line oflScers and engineers as against about two thousand, six hundred for each of the fore- going nations. The United States navy is clearly under- officered, a curious contrast to the condition of 1884 as heretofore noted. Withal our naval expenditures since 1905 have averaged almost twice as much annually as those of any country save Great Britain, due to our proper policy of building our ships at home, where the cost of material and of labor is much higher than abroad. Comparisons as to the relative strength of our navy are not made with that of Great Britain for the reason that the settled British policy of maintaining its navy at ten per cent, more than the strength of any two con- tinental nations combined makes such a comparison 520 STORY OF OUR NAVY meaningless. The table on this page shows the full registered strength of the vessels in the United States SUMMARY OF VESSELS IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY TYPE Fit for service, including those under repair Under construc- tion ■0 D < Unfit for sea service Total First-class battleships , Second-class battleship 27 I 12 I 4 6 22 3 3 9 at 33 1 Armored cruisers 12 Armored ram I Single-turret harbor-defence mon- itors 4 6 Double-turret monitors Protected cruisers 22 Unprotected cruisers 3 3 9 I Scout cruisers Gunboats Gunboat for Great Lakes (not begun) I Light-draft gunboats 3 8 I 2 I 2 12 17 33 I 12 3 5 5 44 5 21 15 8 2 4 3 3 8 Composite gunboats Training ship (Naval Academy), sheathed Training ships Training brigantine Special class (Dolphin, Vesuvius) Gunboats under 500 tons Torpedo-boat destroyers Steel torpedo boats Wooden torpedo boat 19 36 33 Submarine torpedo boats 16 4 12 Iron cruising vessels, steam Wooden cruising vessels, steam. . Wooden sailing vessels 3 9 7 4 2 I Tugs 45 5 21 23 8 2 Q Auxiliary cruisers Converted yachts Colliers Transports and supply ships Hospital ships . Receiving ships ' " ' 6 2 5 I Prison ships. Total 295 48 7 12 362 " Two of these were completed early in January, 1910. navy on March 22, 19 10. Many of these vessels are of course antiquated, but all are held fit for service of some kind unless noted otherwise in the table. FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 521 From its earliest days nothing but honor has attached to the record of the United States navy. It has at times been outclassed by its enemy, as when in 18 12 it boldly offered battle to the greatest of all naval powers. But even when defeat came, as it must come occasionally to the ships of even the most notable sea power, the blue-jackets of the United States have never failed to give a good account of themselves. Perhaps to-day the most notable feature of the naval situation in the United States is the fact that after a war in which we were overwhelmingly successful, the work of developing and extending our naval force was not allowed to lapse, as heretofore had been the case, but was taken up with renewed enthusiasm and pride. We have thought of the fleet under Admiral Evans as being a record breaker for power in American naval annals. But as these lines are being written a still more powerful fleet assembled without any pomp or ceremony and attracting but little attention, is engaged in the stern business of war ma- noeuvres and battle practice off the coast of New Eng- land. The American people have come to consider the navy as essential a part of their governmental activities and expenses as the courts or Congress itself. Not believing it necessary to emulate Great Britain or to engage in the illogical and extravagant contest for ab- solute naval supremacy which is burdening the people of continental Europe, they are nevertheless convinced of the need of a fighting force powerful enough to de- fend our far-spread coast lines. Naval appropriations will not grow less and the navy will not hold a less warm place in the hearts of the American people. They have confidence that should another conflict come upon the ocean, names then will spring into public notice well fit to rank with Paul Jones, Perry, Hull, Farragut, Dewey, Schley, and Sampson. OCT 1 t^i One copy del. to Cat. Div. iJcr ^^miC LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ^ o^;-?;; m i .'-■>i'-