OF ABM I RAL D. G . Far RAGUT •Hi*. .nM^^ /y^^^^^^^ LETTEES. BY HIS SON, LOYALL FAKEAGUT. WITH PORTRAITS, MAPS, AND ILLUSTRATIONS. NEW YORK: D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 549 AND 551 BKOADWAT. 1879. COPTEIGHT BY D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 1879. Die PEEFAOE. It was the express wish of Admiral Farragut that his biog- raphy should be written by his only son. What would other- wise have been a laborious though grateful task, has been very much lightened by the fact that so large a portion of the ma- terial is from his own hand, clothed in his own characteristic language. If any undue partiality for his fame and character should be apparent in my contributions to the volume, it must be attribu- ted to the nearness of our relationship. The element of fihal affection for the kindest of fathers is added to the love and ad- miration for w brave and skillful commander which are felt not only by his own countrymen, but by multitudes of dwellers on other shores of the great sea that he sailed for half a century. In the preparation of the work I have conferred with sev- eral of the Admiral's brother officers, who participated in the dangers and triumphs of his battles, and have also freely con- sulted the following publications : " Reports of the Secretary of the Navy for 1862-65;" "History of the Administration of the Department of the GuK in the Year 1862," by James Par- ton (New York, 1864) ; " The Eebellion Eecord," by Frank Moore (New York, 1861-"ri) ; "Life and Services of Yice- Admiral Fan-agut," by P. C. Headley (New York, 1865) ; " The American Conflict," by Horace Greeley (Hartford, 1865-67) ; "The Lost Cause," by Edward A. Pollard (New York, 1866); iv PREFACE. " Farragut and our Kaval Commanders," by J. T. Headley (New York, 1867) ; " History of the Navy daring the Kebellion," by Charles B. Boynton, D. D. (New York, 1868) ; " The Cruise of the Franklin," by James E. Montgomery (New York, 1869) ; " Camp, Court, and Siege," by Wickham Hoffman (New York, 1877) ; " Narrative of a Blockade Runner," by John Wilkinson, C. S. N. (New York, 1877) ; " Naval Scenes and Eeminiscences of the Civil War," by Rear-Admiral H. Walke, U. S. N. (New York, 1877) ; " The Battle of Mobile Bay," by Commodore Foxhall A. Parker, U. S. N. (Boston, 1878) ; lecture on "Naval Operations during the Civil War in the United States," by Bear- Admiral E.. Y. Hamilton, C. B. (London, 1878) ; Secretary Welles's articles in the " Galaxy " and " Atlantic Monthly " ; and files of the great dailies published during the war. Com- modore Parker's monograph is especially valuable, as a close and accurate study of a complicated battle. My acknowledgments are due to Mr. Rossiter Johnson, for his editorial skill in revising my manuscript and preparing it for the press. L. F. New Yoek, September i, 1879. OOJ^TEI^TS. CHAP. PAOE I. His Ancestors ...... 1 II. His Boyhood ....... 8 III. His First Cruise . . . . . . . 12 IV. Cruise in the Pacific . . . . . . .19 V. His First Battle — Loss of the Essex — ^Return to New York . 32 VI. School at Chester — Crosses the Atlantic . . . .49 VII. A Cruise in the Mediterranean ..... 56 VIII. Study and Travel in Tunis . . . . . .61 IX. His Relations with Charles Folsom — Quarantined at Leghorn — ^Adven- tures at Pisa ....... 71 X. His First Promotion — A Supposed Pirate — Adventures in Mexico . 81 XI. A Cruise in the West Indies against the Pirates — His First Command —Yellow Fever ....... 91 XII. His Marriage — Voyage to France with Lafayette — A Winter in the Mediterranean — A Visit to New Haven — Establishes a School — Revolutions in Buenos Ayres — The Brazilian Court — Chased by a Pirate — At Charleston during the Nullification Troubles — Farragut as an Executive Officer — Making Combs — A Strange Disease — He takes Command of the Boxer — Letter from Commodore Porter . 103 XIII. At Home in Norfolk — He takes Command of the Erie — The Bombard- ment of San Juan de Ulloa — Observations and Opinions on the Bat- tle — Death of Mrs. Farragut ..... 124 XIV. Appointments and Exercise on Shipboard — Visits from Celebrities — Farragut receives a Commission as Commander — The Brazilian Station — A Bull-Fight — He takes Command of the Decatur — Gover- nor Rosas — A Singular Festival — A Difficult Manoeuvre — Up the Parahyba — An Earthquake at Sea ..... 137 XV. Marriage to Miss Loyall — Service on the Pennsylvania — The Mexican War — His Eagerness to Capture the Castle of San Juan de Ulloa — His Disappointment — Return to Norfolk Navy-yard — Lectures, Ex- periments, and Authorship ..... 155 XVI, Service in California — The Vigilance Committee — Cruise of the Brook- lyn — Peculiar Service in Mexico . . . . .168 vi CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE XVII. The Question of Allegiance, and its Answer . , . 202 XVIII. The Expedition against New Orleans .... 207 XIX. The River Fight— Capture of the City— Detailed Report— Poetry 228 XX. From New Orleans to Vicksburg — The Government's Plan, and Farragut's — Passage of the Batteries at Vicksburg — Breckin- ridge's Attack on Baton Rouge — Destruction of the Ram Ar- kansas ........ 261 XXI. Return to New Orleans — Destruction of Donaldsonville — Commis- sioned Rear-Admiral — Duties at Pensacola — Banks supersedes Butler — Disaster at Galveston — Farragut proposes an Expedi- tion against Port Hudson ..... 290 XXII. Passing the Batteries at Port Hudson . . . .313 XXIII. At Vicksburg — Correspondence with General Grant and Admiral Porter — Loss of the Indianola and Lancaster . . 336 XXIV. Patrolling the River — Appeals for Iron-clads — The Siege of Port Hudson — Correspondence with Banks and Porter . . 357 XXV. Arrival at New York — A Welcome by Prominent Citizens — Resolu- tions of the Chamber of Commerce . . . . 3 84 XXVI. In the Gulf again — Blockading Mobile— Opinions on National Af- fairs — Preparations for the Battle .... 390 XXVII. The Battle of Mobile Bay — Description of the Defenses — Dispo- sition of the Fleet — Running by the Forts — Sinking of the Tecumseh — The Encounter with the Ram — Chasing the Enemy's Gunboats — Surrender of Fort Gaines — Incidents — Dispatches — Poetry. . . .... 407 XXVIII. British Opinions of the Victory — The Capture of Fort Morgan — The Harmony between Land and Naval Forces — Extracts from Let- ters — Why Farragut was not sent to Wilmington . . 461 XXIX. Return to the North — Presentation of a House — Why Farragut was ordered to the James — Enters Richmond — Speech at Nor- folk ........ 474 XXX. The Rank of Admiral — Cruise of the Franklin in European Waters — Farragut's Journal ...... 485 XXXI. His Last Days— Visit to Vallejo— Death— The Funeral— Memorials 539 XXXII. Anecdotes and Characteristics — Religious Sentiments — Conclusion 543 Chronology ........ 551 General Index ........ 553 Appendix ......... 571 THE LIFE DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. CHAPTER I. HIS ANCESTOES. On the blank leaf of a Bible in the possession of the family of Admii'al Farragut appears the following record, written in a bold and legible hand : " My Son : Your father^ George Farragut^ was horn in the Island of Minorca, in the Mediterranean, in 1755, the 29th of September, in Ciudadella, and came away from that Island the '2d day of April, 1772 — came to America in Ma/rch, 1776. Your mother, Elizabeth Shine, was horn in North Carolina, Dohhs Co., near Kinnston on the Neuse Ri/ver, in 1765, on the 7th of June. Her father, John Shine — mother, Ellenor Mclven.''^ This is corroborated by an entry in the books of the ecclesi- astical court of Ciudadella, which, being translated, reads as follows : "iVb. 155. George Farragut, son of Anthony Farragut OMd Juana Mesquida, was baptized on the 30th of September, 1755. The godfather, Don Joseph de Vigo ^ godmother, the 2 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEKAGUT. noble lady Dona Juana Martorell. The name of the child, George Anthony Magin. He was horn on the Wth of the aforesaid month and yearP George Farragut was descended from the renowned Don Pedro Ferragut, who served under James I., King of Aragon, styled in history El Conquistador, in the campaigns which re- sulted in the expulsion of the Moors from Majorca in 1229, and from Valencia in 1238. In Majorca Don Pedro was Sergeant before the King — an office of high honor and importance, held only by those of noble blood. James bestowed estates upon the knights who accompanied him in these enterprises, and di- rected the troubadom* Mossen Jaime Febrer to celebrate them in verse. The following is the stanza devoted to Pedro Fer- ragut : Sobre camp bermell una ferradura De finisim or, ab un clau daurat, Pere Ferragut pinta, 6 en tal figura Esplica lo agnora. La historia asegura Ser aragones, de Jaca baixat. Apres que en Mallorca servi de sargent, Venint a Valencia, hon gran renom guanya De expert capita per lo dilitgent; Los anys, 6 sucesos lo feren prudent. Tg en lo pelear gran cordura 6 manya, Pergue k totes armes facilment se apanya. The late Henry Howard Brownell, on reading these lines, extemporized the following translation, which is sufficiently literal : A charger's shoe is borne on bis shield, Of purest gold, on a blood-red field, Set thereon with a nail of the same : Thus we know him, device and name. From Jaca, in Aragon, he came. At Mallorca and Valencia both, "Well he quitted his knightly troth, Serving as Sergeant before his liege. Through the conquest, in field and siege: •*/■ •^ HIS ANCESTORS. 3 Strong in battle, by plain or hold, Great his fame as a warrior bold, And a prudent captain to shun surprise ; For years and victories made him wise. At every manner of arms expert, He did on the foe great spoil and hurt. Those who beKeve in the transmission of ancestral traits will find a signal illustration of the theory in the character of Admiral Farragut. The qualities attributed by the poet to Don Pedro were those for which his illustrious descendant was pre- eminently distinguished. According to the testimony of his con- temporaries in the service, he was one of the best informed and most painstaking officers in his profession, irreproachable in his morals, earnest and energetic, admitting no such word as fail in the vocabulary of duty. The records of the General Council of the Kingdom of Majorca show that the following members of the family of Ferragut were councilors : Bernardo Ferragut, of Puebla, in 1461 and 1491. Valentin Ferragut, of Puebla, in 1492. Julian Ferragut, of Sansellas, in 1500. Bernardo Ferragut, in 1505 and 1509. Jorge Ferragut, of Sansellas, in 1506. Marcos Ferragut, of Sinen, 1512. Bartolome Ferragut, in 1513. Bernardo Ferragut, in 1516. Onofre Ferragut, in 1534. Pedro Ferragut, in 1536, 1540, and 1549. Gabriel Ferragut, in 1540. Lorenzo Ferragut, in 1542. Miguel Ferragut, of Sansellas, in 1563. Three of the family were magistrates of the City of Palma and Kingdom of Majorca : Bernardo Ferragut, in 1516. Juan Ferragut, in 1583. Gabriel Ferragut, in 1585, 1590, and 1605. The prebendary Agustin Ferragut, who died ip 1576, was a 4 THE 'LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. noted tlicologian and benefactor of tlio House of Repentants at Pahna. Pablo Ferragut was topographer and historian of Majorca. Captain Antonio Ferragut, of Cdnaves, fought heroically in the wars of Philip TV., in the seventeenth century, died unmar- ried, and bequeathed all his property to a college. Gonzalo Ferragut, a native of Pollenza, was a Dominican priest, was celebrated for his learning, and became Bishop of Urgel in 1S27 and of Yoiza in 1831. lie died in 1843. The FeiTagut family possessed a large estate and were liv- ing in Ciudadclla in 1558, when the Turks carried off 4,000 of the inhabitants as slaves. Among these was Antonio Fer- ragut, with his wife and six children. In February, 1564, the father and mother and one son, Constantino, having been ran- somed for 34 gold ducats and 53 aspros (about $90), sailed from Constantinople for Minorca. Miguel Ferragut, a priest, was conspicuous for his exertions in procuring the exchange and re- lease of the captives. One of them, Marco Antonio Bonet, writing to a Dr. Mai-ti, of Naples, said : " True it is that Miguel Ferragut, presbyter, solicits well that with which you have com- missioned him — so well that, as I am informed, no one of our country could do more in such an undertaking ; and, if they had given him higher powers, many of us would have acquired our liberty." Miguel himself said in a letter : " I am tired of stay- ing in this place (Constantinople), but if I leave it there will be no one to interest himself for our unfortunate countrymen." Antonio Ferragut, grandfather of the Admiral, was born in Sinen, Majorca, and was a son of Jorge and of Ursula Guitaii;. He married Juana Mesquida, daughter of Juan and Juana Bagur. The name Ferragut is now extinct in Minorca. It seems to have been superseded by that of Mesquida. George Farragut, father of the Admiral, was sent to school at Barcelona, but was seized with the spirit of adventure, and emigrated to America at an early age — but not with the 1,500 Greeks, Italians, and Minorcans who settled in Florida in 17C8. He arrived in 1776, promptly sided with the colonists, and served gallantly in their struggle for independence, as also in HIS ANCESTORS. 5 the war of 1812. It is said that he saved the life of Colonel Wa.sliin^jn in the battle of Cowpens. The name firHt appears officially in tlie Journal of the JJoubo of Itepresentatives of the United States for 1797. Hon. William C, C. Claiborne, of Tennessee, presented " Tlie petition of George Farra^jt, pray- inf^ that lie may be allowed the balance of pay due to him for services rendered the United States as Muster Master of the Militia of the district of Washin^on (East Tennessee), em- ployed in actual service for the protection of tlic frontiers of the United States south of the Ohio, from the Ist of March, 1792, to the 20th of October, 1798." L^ter, ]\Jr. Claiborne became Governor of Mississippi Terri- tory (1801) and of Louisiana (1803). It was probably during this interval that George Farragut moved to Louisiana, where he soon after entered the naval service. Until 1811 there was substantially no government on the Mississippi and Louisiana coast. The Spaniards claimed the seaboard, as far as Pearl liiver, as part of their j>rovince of "West Florida. But the American w;ttlers in the district re- volted, assaulted and took the Spanish fort at Baton Rouge, adopted a ikg, and organized a government and a military force. In taking possession of the disputed territory, by orders from "Washington, Governor Claiborne organized it into coun- ties. Tlie present seaboard of Mississippi constituted the coun- ties of Biloxi and Pascagoula. A dispatch to the Governor, which he forwarded to "Wash- ington, runs as follows : " On the 2d of December, 1810, I arrived in the Bay of Pascagoula. On going on shore next day, a number of men gathered around and said Majors Ilargraves and Dupree wished to see me. I said I would call the following morning. Ac- cordingly, on the 4th I found the house of the late John B. Nicolet. On my arrival they ran up the flag of the Conven- tion. Next day pressed John B. Boudro's schooner and two others owned by Anthony Krebs and Augustine, a mulatto. These they brought before Mr. Nicolet's house, and loaded with 6 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. negroes, dry goods, liquors, provisions, furniture, etc., the prop- erty of deceased. Next day they proceeded up the Pascagoula River. Peter Nicola was appointed commandant of Pascagoula, with orders to comjDel the inhabitants to swear allegiance to the new government. Keturning westward, I found Nicola at Pass Christian, ordering the inhabitants to Pascagoula to take the oath. There were no Spanish authorities on the coast. They had retired to Mobile. " Geokge Faeeagut." On January 25, 1811, Governor Claiborne dispatched a Dr. Flood, in the felucca Alligator, Sailing Master George Farra- gut, to those counties, to select a commission of the most intel- ligent men as magistrates, etc. In his report. Dr. Flood says that, " at the special request of the inhabitants of Pascagoula, by whom he is greatly beloved, I prevailed on Sailing Master George Farragut to accept the commission of magistrate." Whether he severed his connection with the service at this time, I have no record ; but as Lieutenant (afterward Major- General) Gaines was appointed to the same oflSce, and retained his commission in the service, it is to be presumed that it was merely a temporary post of honor, no emoluments being at- tached to the office. He was a friend and companion of General Jackson, and served with him in the Indian campaigns. He removed to Pascagoula in 1809, and died at Point Plaquet, West Pasca- goula, June 4, 1817, aged sixty-three. A son, George Antoine, aged ten, was drowned in July, 1815, having fallen overboard from a boat in which he was being towed behind a schooner. This circumstance weighed heavily on the fathei-'s mind to the day of his death. On his mother's side, Admiral Farragut came of the good old Scotch family of Mclven. In his journal, begun while he was a midshipman, he speaks thus of his parents : " I know that my father was an officer in the Kevolutionary struggle for our independence ; but whether on land or water, I can not say. In fact, his occupations were as various as could be expected of a HIS ANCESTOES. 7 restless disposition and a mind filled with enterprise, courage, and a desire for novelty. At one time we hear of him as an officer of the N^avy, and then in the somewhat novel character, for a sailor, of a major of cavahy, in the State of Tennessee. He accompanied two gentlemen, McKay and Ogden, on an ex- pedition to sm*vey and settle a part of that State, where they lived for some time in a log hut. After the country became more thickly inhabited, he took unto himself a wife. Miss Elizabeth Shine, of ISTorth Carolina, and settled in Tennessee as a farmer." CHAPTEE II. HIS BOYHOOD. David Glasgow Faekagut, tlie first Admiral of the United States Navy, was born at Campbell's Station, near Knoxville, East Tennessee, on the 5th of July, 1801. In his journal, alluding to the family's early residence in Tennessee, he says : " In those days, on the border, we were continually annoyed by the Indians, which rendered the organization of the militia a pubHc necessity. My father was appointed a major of caval- ry, and served for some time in that capacity ; the condition of the country requiring its inhabitants to be constantly on the outlook. I remember that on one occasion, during my father's absence, a party of Indians came to our house, which was some- what isolated, when my mother, who was a brave and energetic woman, barred the door in the most effectual manner, and sent all of us trembling little ones up into the loft of the barn, while she guarded the entrance with an axe. The savages attempted to parley with her, but she kept them at bay, until finally they departed, for some reason which is unknown, their intentions having been evidently hostile. My father arrived shortly after with his command, and immediately pursued the Indians, whom, I believe, he succeeded in overtaking and punishing ; at any rate, they were never seen again in that part of the country." In 18 — Major Farragut received an appointment as sailing master in the Navy, and was ordered to the command of a gun- boat at New Orleans, to which place he shortly afterward moved his family. It was not long after he fixed his residence in that city before his faithful and beloved wife fell a victim to yellow fever (1808). Her funeral, according to a letter of the late HIS BOYHOOD. 9 Commodore Daniel T. Patterson, U. S. N., who was a pall- bearer, occurred at the same time with that of Sailing Master David Porter, father of the celebrated Commodore David Porter, of Essex fame. Mrs. Parragut left three sons and two daughters, the younger of the latter being an infant at the breast. In 1809 Sailing Master Parragut was relieved from com- mand of the schooner, and transferred to the naval station at !New Orleans. In the same year he purchased a farm of nine hundred acres on Pascagoula Piver. In his journal Parragut says : " I accompanied a young man whom my father sent to clear the place. This expedition was my first experience on salt water, and I fervently hoped, at that time, it would be my last. He took us in a small boat across Lake Pontchartrain, when it was blowing almost a gale ; but that fact never caused my father any uneasiness, for he had great confidence in his pirogue, considering it much safer than the gunboats. In fact, we were hailed when passing them, and invited to ' come on board until the blow was over ' ; but he replied that he ' could ride it out better than they could.' "When any one suggested to him the risk to which he subjected his children in thus cross- ing the Lake, he generally replied that ' now was the time to conquer their fears.' "The most daring enterprise which my father ever per- formed by water was in going from Kew Orleans to Havana in a pirogue, a species of canoe made of two pieces of wood instead of one. The old gentleman frequently adverted to this voyage in after life, "When speaking of the good qualities of his little yawl, a small boat in which he navigated the Lake, which some of his friends thought a dangerous experiment, he would ex- claim, ' Danger indeed ! If you had said there was danger in going to Havana in a pirogue, there would have been some sense in it ; but this thing is as safe as any craft at the levee.' This fondness for the sea was very strong with him, but his health was not sufficiently good, at that period of his life, to en- dure the hardships of actual service, or to indulge in the plea- sures of an extended cruise; so he contented himself with 10 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. making frequent trips across the Lake, with his children, in the yawl ; a practice he kept up until the day of his death. " When the weather was bad we usually slept on the beach of one of the numerous islands in the Lake, or else on the shore of the main land, wrapped in the boat sail, and, if the weather was cold, we generally half buried ourselves in the dry sand." Reference has already been made to Sailing Master David Porter. This gentleman was hos]3itably entertained, during his last illness, by the parents of Admiral Farragut. To this cir- cumstance the latter attributed his apj)ointment to the Kavy. The incident no doubt had an important bearing on his career ; but it is highly probable that, even if he had never met his " kind friend and guardian," as he calls Commodore Porter, to whom he acknowledged through life his great obligations, and with whom to the last he maintained the closest relations of friendship, his early training, his fondness for sea life, and the inclinations of his father, who had already procured the ap- pointment of his eldest son William in the N"avy, would still have given David Glasgow to the same service. The following is his own account of the matter : " It so happened that the father of Commodore Porter was serving on the Kew Orleans l^aval Station with my father. He was taken sick, and my father, hearing of it, had him brought to our house, where, after a severe illness, during which he was nursed by my mother, he died. This, as well as I can remember, occurred in 1809. I mention this kind act on the part of my parents because it is to this circumstance that I am indebted for my present rank in the Navy of the United States. JS'ot long after his father's death, Commander David Porter took command of the Naval Station at New Orleans, and having heard that his father died at our house, and had re- ceived some attention from my parents, he determined to visit us and adopt such one of the children as desired to go with him. He accordingly came to see us, and after a while the question of adoption was put to us all, when I, being inspired by his HIS BOYHOOD. H imiform and that of my brother William, who had received an appointment in the Navy some time before, said promptly that I would go. This was after my mother's death. I returned with Commander Porter to New Orleans, where I met Mrs. Porter for the first time. Thus commenced my acquaintance with the celebrated Commodore David Porter, late of the United States Navy, and I am happy to have it in my power to say, with feelings of the warmest gratitude, that he ever was to me all that he promised, my ' friend and guardian.' " I continued to reside with Commander Porter, occasionally accompanying him on excursions and boat expeditions, and sometimes going with my father across the Lake to his planta- tion ; so that I soon became fond of this adventurous sort of life. " Porter was at length relieved, and returned to Washington in the bomb-ketch Yesuvius, I accompanying him. It was then that I took leave of my kind parent for ever. We touched at Havana, where we learned that the brig Yixen, Captain Tripp, had been fired into by a British vessel of war. I mention this merely because I believe it was the first thing that caused bad feeling in me toward the English nation. I was too young to know anything about the Revolution ; but I looked upon this as an insult to be paid in kind, and was anxious to discharge the debt with interest." Commander Porter remained at the capital, with his family, for several months, during which young Farragut was placed at school. On the removal of the Porter family to their residence at Chester, Pennsylvania, he accompanied them and was again placed in school, where he remained until Commander Porter was ordered to take charge of the frigate Essex. During his stay at Washington the youth had been introduced to the Hon. Paul Hamilton, then Secretary of the Navy, who, after ques- tioning him in regard to the service, promised him a midship- man's warrant as soon as he became ten years of age. This promise was generously redeemed, Farragut's appointment in the Navy bearing date December 17, 1810, when he was a little more than nine years and five months old. 2 CHAPTER III. ' HIS riKST CRUISE. PoRTEE, who, thougli ordered to do tlie duty of a captain, was not promoted to that rank till July 12, 1812, took command of the Essex in August, 1811, and young Farragut accompanied him, beginning at that tender age the arduous duties of the naval service, in times and under circumstances well calculated to test the endurance of the sturdiest man. The frigate was then lying at I*^orfolk, Virginia, and the trip from Chester by stage and packet is described in the journal as a long and tedi- ous one, with only the upsetting of a stage to vary its monotony. His first impressions of the service seem to have been favorable. He says : " On reaching the Essex, I was exceedingly pleased with the ship and her officers. John Downes was the First Lieutenant, James P. Wilmer Second, James Wilson Third, William Finch Fourth, John M. Gamble Marine Officer, Robert Miller Sur- geon, Richard K. Hoffman and Alex. M. Montgomery Assistant Surgeons, David P. Adams Chaplain, John R. Shaw Purser. The ship was soon refitted and ready for sea, when we received orders to join the coast squadron under Commodore Rodgers, consisting of the frigates President, States, Congress, and Essex, with the brig Argus. ^Nothing occurred of note until we went into port to winter. We cruised on the coast, and exercised the crews until they were brought to as great a state of perfection and discipline as ever existed, probably, in the Navy. Our ship, the Essex, was the ' smartest ' in the squadron, and Commodore Rodgers complimented our captain highly. So efficient had our crew become that they were divided into three watches, and that arrangement remained in force until the day of the ship's capture. HIS FIKST CRUISE. 13 "We went to Kewport, Rhode Island, on Christmas eve, 1811, and anchored off the Bluffs, not being able to bring up in the harbor. About four o'clock in the morning it commenced to blow very hard from the northeast, with sleet and snow, and we let go another anchor, and at half past six let go a third and a fourth ; but she dragged the whole of them and went ashore just off the Bluffs. She heeled over very much, and in a short time the main and mizzen top-gallant masts were blown away, everything being so clogged with ice as to render it impossible to house the masts. It was understood that we lay on a bank, and, if the ship should beat over, nothing could save us from being dashed against the cliffs, which seemed a perfect mass of ice. The only hope left of saving the lives of the crew was to cut away the masts as soon as the ship was sufficiently near the bank, and men were accordingly stationed at the galley with axes, ready to execute the order — for no one could keep the deck. The Captain and First Lieutenant were on the lookout by turns, a few minutes only at a time, the cold being so intense that one of the men, an Indian or mulatto, was found in his hammock frozen. Fortunately, the gale abated at this critical period, without doing us any further injury; but there was great destruction on the coast from its fearful effects. The ISTau- tilus came in soon afterward, with the loss of her guns, and otherwise severely crippled. " During the remainder of the winter the midshipmen of the squadron were sent to school to a Mr. Adams, and early in the spring the squadron went to New York, where some of the ships underwent repairs." On the 18th of June, 1812, the Congress of the United States declared war against Great Britain. Our little Navy was scarcely in a condition for combined action. A small squadron had been brought together in New York, consisting of the Presi- dent, 44, Commodore Rodger's ; the Essex, 32, Captain Porter ; and the Hornet, 18, Captain Lawrence. The other vessels were scattered, some of them undergoing repairs. Commodore Rod- gers dropped down the bay with the President and Hornet, and 14 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. was joined on the 21st of June by tlie United States, 44, Cap- tain Decatur; Congress, 38, Captain Smith; and Argus, 16, Lieutenant Commander Sinclair. The Essex remained a few days in port, overhauling her rigging and restowing her hold. She then got to sea and made several prizes, destroying most of them and receiving the prisoners on board. It is not the purpose of the present work to follow in detail the events of the war which shed so much glory upon our in- fant Navy, further than the subject of this memoir is connected therewith. It was his fortune to belong to a frigate which took an active and singularly adventurous part in the contest. The eventful cruise of the Essex and her final capture by a superior British force, after one of the hardest fought and most sangui- nary battles that ever occurred on the ocean, form a remarkable episode in naval warfare. Farragut was but ten years and one month old when he joined his ship, and he bore a gallant part in all her adventures. In his journal, which was begun but a few years later, he gives the following graphic account of the cruise : " The war with Great Britain was declared just after we be- gan overhauling. The declaration was read to the crew on three successive days, and the Captain put the question to them, whether any one wished his discharge on the plea of being a British subject. No one answered until the third day, when, in the act of taking the oath of allegiance to the United States, one man refused, saying that he was an Englishman. He was sail-maker's mate, and had been promised the position of sail- maker. Unfortunately for him, there was a sailor on board who offered to make oath that the fellow was an American, and that he had known him from his youth ; that, in fact, they were from the same town, Barnstable, I think. The crew were en- raged to such a degree that violence would have been done if the Captain had not interfered. He determined, however, to gratify them to a certain extent, and allowed the man to be tarred and feathered and put on shore at New York as a coward. This was considered a great outrage on the laws, and Captain HIS FIRST CRUISE. 15 Porter liad some difficulty in getting clear of the civil authori- ties. The man, however, who really was an American, and only wanted a frolic on shore, which he might have had by asking, as great liberty was allowed to the men, afterward served all through the war on the Lakes, where he died about its termina- tion. " The crew worked with great spirit and assiduity, and the ship was ready for sea in about three weeks, when we sailed on a cruise off the coast, during which we captured the Alert and several other prizes. We saw the British ship Antelope, 50 guns, on the banks of Newfoundland, and ran near enough to see her upper deck ports. We then hove to, but she passed without noticing us. We also ran into a conyoy of transports in the night, passed under the stern of the Minerva frigate, and captured a brig with a hundred and fifty troops and some gen- eral officers on board. At daylight we showed our colors, and perceived that there were several vessels of war with the con- voy, and that all of the transports were armed and had some hundreds of troops on board. " The captured British officers were very anxious for us to have a fight with the Minerva, as they considered her a good match for the Essex, and Captain Porter replied that he would gratify them with pleasure if his Majesty's commander was of their taste. So we stood toward the convoy, and when within gunshot hove to and waited for the Minerva ; but she tacked, and stood in among the convoy, to the utter amazement of our prisoners, who denounced the commander as a base coward and expressed their determination to report him to the Admiralty. Our crew became so wrought up that they sent a deputation aft to the Captain, requesting him to attack the whole convoy. He replied that it would be madness to do so. He then paroled the officers and troops, took their arms from them, and let them go. " We afterward fell in with the Alert sloop of war, 20 guns, at which time the Essex was sailing under reefed topsails, the Alert being to windward. As soon as we discovered her in the morning, we put out drags astern, and led the enemy to believe 16 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. we were desirous of making our escape, by sending men aloft, shaking out the reefs, mast-heading the yards, and making sail. The Alert was deceived in our character, as was the intention, and bore down upon us. We w^ent to quarters and cleared for action, with the exception of taking out the tompions — our ports remaining closed. " Suddenly the Alert fired a gun, and we hove to, when she passed under our stern. When she was on the lee quarter, we changed the English flag for the American, upon which the enemy gave three cheers and poured in a broadside of grape and canister. Fortunately, she was too far abaft the beam for the shot to enter our ports, so that they struck harmlessly in the bulwarks. We then put up our helm, and gave her a broadside as soon as the guns would bear, tompions and all ! She, of course, had now discovered her mistake, and attempted to run, but too late, for she was in the lion's reach. In eight minutes we were alongside, when she fired a musket and struck her colors. They hailed, and said the ship was leaking very badly. After we had stopped the leak as well as we could, the oflacers were transferred to our vessel, and we took the Alert in tow and kept her with us for several days. Finding, however, that our ship was too crowded for safety and comfort, the Captain de- termined to make a cartel of his prize, and so, disarming her and paroling the officers and crew, he sent them in the Alert to St. John's, N. F., in charge of Mr. Knight. " I will here mention an incident which shows the advantage of exercising the men to a certain custom which I have heard severely commented on by officers of the ISTavy. It was the habit of Captain Porter to sound the alarm of fire at all hours of the night ; sometimes he would have a smoke created in the main hold. This was for the purpose of testing the nerves of the crew, and preparing them for an emergency. Whenever this alarm was given, every man repaired promptly to his quar- ters with his cutlass and blanket, to await the orders of the com- mander. At the commencement of this system a little confu- sion would sometimes occur, but delinquents were promptly punished, and in a short time the cry of ' Fire ! ' did not affect HIS FIRST CRUISE. 17 the steadiness of tlie men ; on the contrary, the greatest alacrity- was manifested throughout the ship on hearing the alarm, and the application of the system on the occasion I am about to re- late was singularly effective. " While the ship was crowded with prisoners they planned a mutiny. The coxswain of the captain's gig of the Alert, who was a leader in the affair, came to my hammock with a pistol in his hand, and stood by it, gazing intently upon me. Seeing a man thus armed, and recognizing him as a prisoner, I knew there must be something wrong, and, probably from fear more than anything else, I remained perfectly motionless until he passed. Then, slipping from my hammock, I crept noiselessly to the cabin and informed Captain Porter of what I had seen. He sprang from his cot, was on the berth deck in an instant, and immediately cried ' Fire ! Fire ! ' The effect was wonder- ful. Instead of attempting to strike the fatal blow, the prison- ers, or mutineers, became alarmed and confused, nor did they recover from their stupor until they heard the boarders called to the main hatch by the Captain, whom they now saw for the first time in their midst, to secure them. " Shortly after this we returned to the United States. When off N^ew York we fell in with a British squadron. At first we discovered some vessels to leeward, and soon there appeared to be an engagement going on. The Captain, who had been aloft observing them for some time, now came down and told the officer of the deck to haul by the wind and make all sail, as he was convinced it was an English squadron making a sham fight to decoy us down into their clutches, and that they would soon show themselves. This proved true, for immediately on our making sail they did the same in chase. They turned out to be two frigates and a brig, which, as we afterward learned, were the Acosta, Shannon, and Ringdove. The Acosta outsailed the others, and appeared to gain on us, so that after dark (the weather was very thick, and I believe it rained hard all night) the Cap- tain called all hands on deck and told them he thought the oc- casion favorable to tack ship and board the Acosta, and, if we were successful, the lights could be extinguished and the other 18 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. vessels of the enemy would probably run by us in the dark. We were accordingly provided w^ith suitable badges and a pass- word. Our ship then tacked and stood in the direction where we had last seen the enemy's vessel. As Providence would have it, we missed her. The consequences of a collision would have been serious indeed. The Acosta was, no doubt, going eight or ten knots an hour, and we three or four ; the first shock would probably have taken the masts out of both vessels, and numerous lives would have been lost in the attempt to board. " In ten days we made land off the Capes of Delaware, and discovered a schooner in chase of us. We paid no attention to her, however, but hove to for a pilot. The stranger came up with us and passed, although we tried to bring her to. She made sail, and ran in over the shoals. The pilot informed us that she was the privateer schooner General Armstrong, and so we troubled ourselves no further about her. " We went up to New Castle, and thence to Chester, and, after overhauling the ship, put to sea again. " While in the Delaware, Captain Porter received a challenge from Sir James Yeo, off the Capes, couched in heroic language. We put to sea immediately, but could not find Sir James." CHAPTEK lY. CRUISE EST THE PACIFIC. While tlie Essex was lying in the Delaware, Captain Porter received orders to join the squadron under Commodore Bain- bridge, which sailed from Boston on the 26th of October, 1812, and consisted of the Constitution, M, and the Hornet, 18. Por- ter's orders were, to rendezvous first at Porto Praya in the island of St. Jago, and secondly at Fernando ]N"oronha. Other places of rendezvous were also designated, and he was further instructed to cruise in the track of the British Indiamen until a certain time mentioned, when, failing to fall in with his superior officer, he was at liberty to act according to his own discretion. The Essex sailed from the Delaware on the 28th of October, and after proceeding to the different rendezvous, and being dis- appointed in all his efforts to fall in with the Commodore, Cap- tain Porter determined to act for himself, the result of which was the memorable cruise of the Essex in the Pacific Ocean ; which, though ending in the capture of the frigate by an over- powering force, was nevertheless highly beneficial to our com- merce in that far off and then comparatively unknoMOi sea. "Without attempting a detailed account of a cruise so well known to all readers of naval history, the author purposes merely to follow the journal of young Farragut, believing that his im- pressions and views, at that early period of his career, in regard to the scenes in which he bore a part, can not fail to be of interest. After referring to his departure from the Capes of Delaware, the journal continues : "We visited Fernando de Noronha, and thence sailed to St. Catherine in the Eastern Brazils, where we wooded and watered. While there, we heard that the British man-of-war 20 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. Montague, Y4, was in the offing. We put to sea that night, but never saw her. We then went round Cape Horn. " On our cruise so far we had taken several prizes, but no- thing worthy of note, except the capture of the ]S"octon, a Brit- ish government packet, with about $55,000 in specie on board. The command of this prize was given to Lieutenant Finch (afterward Captain Bolton), with orders to proceed home. She was captured on her way, between Bermuda and the Capes of Yirginia, by a British frigate. " In going round the Horn, we experienced dreadful weather. We lay off the Cape for twenty-one days. On the morning of the 3d of March, 1813, we shipped a sea that stove in the ports from the bow to the quarter, carried the weather quarter boat on to the wheel, and took the lee boat off the davits ; but by great exertion we saved her. Large quantities of water rushed down the hatchways, leading those below to imagine that the ship was sinking. This was the only instance in which I ever saw a regular good seaman paralyzed by fear at the dangers of the sea. Many of the marines and several of the sailors were seen on their knees at prayer ; but in this, as in all other emergencies, most of our hardy tars were found ready and willing to do their duty. They were all called on deck, and came promptly, led by a trusty old son of ISTeptune, William Kingsbury, the boatswain's mate. He was the same who performed the part of !Neptune in ' crossing the line.' Long shall I remember the cheering sound of his stentorian voice, which resembled the roaring of a lion rather than that of a human being, when he told them ' D — n their eyes, to put their best foot forward, as there was one side of her left yet.' By the exertions of this little band under the Captain, First Lieutenant, and officers of the watch, the ship was got before the wind, the quarter boat which had been car- ried away secured, and the decks cleared up. " On the following day the men who had been most active were all promoted, except Kingsbury, for whom there was no vacancy; .but he was subsequently made boatswain of the Essex Junior. " After great suffering we at last, on the 4th of March, took CEUISE IN" THE PACIFIC. 21 the wind from the southwest, which ran us nearly up to the Island of Mocha, near the coast of Chili. At this place we pro- cured wild hogs and horses, the meat of the latter being in- finitely preferred to that of the former, which was fishy and unpalatable. " A melancholy incident occurred here. While we were lying in ambush for a drove of horses, one of the crew, a quar- ter-gunner, named James Spafford, had strayed off into the woods, and, as the drove passed, the men raised their guns and fired. Spafford had been aware of what was going on, and as soon as the firing ceased he came out. Lieutenant McKnight, who was near-sighted, seeing a wounded horse making off, fired at him, the ball passing through his neck and unfortunately into the breast of Spafford. McKnight exclaimed, " ' I have killed him ! ' alluding to the horse. " ' Yes,' replied Spafford, ' and you have killed me too. Please have me put into the boat and carried on board, that I may die under my country's flag.' " All were struck with consternation. McKnight was nearly crazed, and embraced Spafford, imploring his forgiveness. The poor fellow was carried on board, and lived about two weeks. " After getting a supply of fresh provisions, and letting the crew have a good run on shore, we sailed for Valparaiso. On arriving off that port we looked in, but seeing no Enghsh ves- sels, the Captain, either for the purpose of trying the crew, or from a conviction that it was best to proceed to leeward in search of British whalers, called the men aft and made them a short speech in his usual animated and enthusiastic style, showing the advantage of abstaining from the pleasures of being in port, that they might enjoy them the more in the future. The effect was always the same, a burst of applause and a determination to abide by his will. " At the time we were passing Valparaiso our provisions had been almost expended, and the men were on short allowance ; but it would have mattered little if we had been as short again. Their devotion to Porter was unbounded, and he could have controlled them with ease. On this occasion their enthusiastic 22 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. acce23taiice of his proposition seemed to check his ambition in a moment ; he pondered for a while, and then said, ' 'No ! they have suffered too much already ; it would be tasking them un- generously ; I shall go in, if only to give them a run on shore." And so we entered the harbor and anchored. " On the 14th of March our crew had liberty ; then, after taking in a good supply of jerked beef, we put to sea. Craising along the coast of Chili and Peru, we fell in with a Peruvian guarda costa, the N"ereyda, 15 guns, which had captured some American vessels. We brought her under our lee, and took possession. Her captain acknowledged the capture of two of our whalers (he had their crews on board), and said he expected orders daily to capture American vessels wherever found, as his government was an ally of Great Britain. He was disarmed, his guns, small arms, and ammunition thrown overboard, and his vessel allowed to leave with only his lower masts and top- masts standing. " Running down the coast, we recaptured one of the gtcarda Costa's prizes, just as she was entering the port of Callao — the ship Alexander Barclay, belonging to ITew Bedford. We then sailed for the Galapagos Islands. " On the 29th of April, at daylight, we discovered a sail, which proved to be a large ship. In an hour we descried two others ; made all sail ; came up with and captured the first, which proved to be the Montezuma, Captain Baxter, with 1,400 barrels of sperm oil. We continued in pursuit of the others until 11 A. M., when it fell calm, with the chase seven to nine miles distant. We learned from our prisoners that the strangers were the British whale-ships Georgiana and Policy — both well armed and manned, one having twenty-six and the other thirty- five men. We got out all our boats, and sent them in two divisions under Lieutenant Downes. I was officer of his boat. All the officers of the frigate, except the Captain, Surgeon, Pur- ser, and Boatswain, were in the expedition. " At 2 p. M., when we were about two miles distant, the enemy hoisted English colors and commenced firing their guns. We pulled up in two divisions, and when within a few yards CRUISE IN THE PACIFIC. 23 Downes hailed, and asked if they surrendered, at the same time displaying the American colors from a pike in the bow of his boat. They gave three cheers, and replied, " We are all Ameri- cans." After taking possession, we passed on to the next ves- sel. The mate was in command, and hesitated for some time, but, seeing one of our men in the bow of the boat cock his musket, he yielded also. We had taken him rather by surprise, as he had to get his guns out of the hold and mount them, and he remarked that, if he had been ready for us, some would have returned with bloody noses. " The greater part of the crews of both ships were Ameri- cans who had been pressed into the English service, and many of them entered for our ship. " In clearing their decks for action, they had thrown over- board several hundred Galdpagos terrapins. The appearance of these turtles in the water was very singular ; they floated as light as corks, stretching their long necks as high as possible, for fear of drowning. They were the first we had ever seen, and ex- cited much curiosity as we pushed them aside to make way for the boats. On our return many were picked up, which afforded us an abundant supply of fresh provisions for officers and crew. The meat, cooked in almost any manner, is delicious, " The Captain ordered the Georgiana to be equipped as a cruiser, placing Lieutenant Downes in command, and on the 8th of May she hoisted the American colors and pennant, firing a salute of seventeen guns, which was returned from our ship with nine guns and three cheers. We then separated, our ship going to Charles Island (of the Galapagos group) to examine the post-office — a letter-box nailed to a tree, in which whalers and other vessels deposited records of their movements. Found nothing new but some fresh tracks of men. While there we amused ourselves fishing-. " On one occasion, when out in the gig, the Captain, perceiv- ing a small beach on the Devil's Eock, as it was called, or- dered the boat to be run in. As we approached the shore, a number of seals were seen making for the water. He urged the men to try and kill one ; so they singled out a fine feUow 24 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. and beat him over the head with oars and boat-hooks ; but it was of no avail, as he continued waddling toward the water. Finally, one of the sailors succeeded in getting hold of his tail ; but he dragged the whole crew, who had come to their com- rade's assistance, into the water. The Captain fired at the seal when he freed himself from the men, but he sank out of sight. "When we returned to the ship, the whalers instructed us in the art of seal-catching ; so we afterward provided ourselves with clubs about three feet in length, sealing-knives, paddles, etc. It was not long before we became adepts in the business. The second attempt, however, was ludicrous. On our landing a fine sea-lion arose, shook his head, and manifested an intention to take to the water. " ' l^ow, boys,' cried the Captain, ' you have a chance to show your American skill. String yourselves along, and each man stand ready to give him a blow on the nose. One blow will fix him.' " But, alas ! that one blow was never given. I was of Fal- staff's opinion that ' the better part of valor is discretion,' and so ran and seated myseK in a boat, not liking the gentleman's appearance. A good deal to my surprise, the animal, with a mighty roar, dashed through to the water, the men opening their ranks right and left as he passed. I had a hearty laugh at the Captain, who accused me of being afraid to stand on the beach, while I maintained that I never undertook anything without going through with it. We soon learned the manner of destroying the poor creatures with ease. "At Charles Island we let some of the men go on shore daily to take a run. They amused themselves by appointing one as cook while the rest went in search of tortoises and water. We found a spring about three miles from the beach. Birds were in great abundance, particularly doves, and we made a pot-pie of them, cooked the terrapin in his shell, and so made a feast. The prickly pear of the GaUpagos grows very large, and the fruit, which we ate for dessert, has an excellent flavor. These were among the happiest days of my life. " On the 25th of May we put to sea in search of prizes, and CRUISE IN THE PACIFIC. 25 on the 28tli discovered a sail and gave chase. In the afternoon it died away cahn, when we got out all the boats and had a good pun before we overhauled her. The Essex overtook us, and the Montezuma picked us up. It was about 8 p. m. when we made the capture, which proved to be the Atlantic, Captain "Weir, an American, who had the pusiUanimity to say that, ' though he was American born, he was an EngHshman at heart.' "We had British colors flying at the time, and he thought it would aid him to make this declaration. "We put a few men on board, and gave chase to another sail in the southwest. The Atlantic sailed well, and in the night we came up with the stranger, which proved to be the Greenwich. From these two ships we secured water and tortoises enough to supply us for some time. On the 6th of June we saw a beautiful sight, a volcano in a state of eruption on the Island of Narboro, one of the largest of the Galapagos." The Essex remained in the neighborhood of the Galdpagos Islands until the 8th of June. On the 14th she made the coast of Peru, and on the 16th the island of La Plata. On the 19th she ran in and anchored off the mouth of the river Tumbez in the Bay of Guayaquil. Here Captain Porter commenced laying in provisions. Farragut's journal says : " Our boats were frequently upset at this work ; but, although there were plenty of sharks and alligators to be seen, we did not lose a man. An alligator was kiUed, measuring sixteen feet in length, and nearly as large around as a flour-barrel. " On June 25th the Georgiana arrived with three prizes — the Eose, Catherine, and Hector. The officers were taken from them, and the armament shifted from the Georgiana to the At- lantic, which was thenceforward called the Essex Junior. " I was sent as prize-master to the Barclay. This was an im- portant event in my life, and when it was decided that I was to take the ship to Valparaiso, I felt no little pride at flnding my- self in command at twelve years of age. This vessel had been recaptured from a Spanish guarda costx. The Captain and his 26 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FARRAGtJT. mate were on board, and I was to control the men sent from our frigate, while the Captain was to navigate the vessel. Captain Porter, having failed to dispose of the prizes, as it was under- stood he intended, gave orders for the Essex Junior and all the prizes to start for Yalparaiso. This arrangement caused great dissatisfaction on the part of the Captain of the Barclay, a vio- lent-tempered old fellow ; 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 Yalparaiso. " 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 informed the Captain that 1 desired the main- topsail filled away, in order that we might close up with the Essex Junior. 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 himself with a d — d nut- shell," 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 maintopsail filled. He an- swered with a clear " Aye, aye, sir ! " in a manner which was not to be misunderstood, and my confidence was perfectly re- stored. 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 I would really have had very little trouble in having such an order obeyed. " I made my report to Captain Downes, on rejoining him, and the Captain also told his story, in which he endeavored to per- suade Downes that he only tried to frighten me. I replied by requesting Captain Downes to ask him how he succeeded ; and, to show him that I did not fear him, I offered to go back and proceed with him to Yalparaiso. He was informed that I was CKUISE IN THE PACIFIC. 27 in command, he being simply my adviser in navigating the ves- sel in case of separation. So, this being settled and understood, I returned to the Barclay, and everything went on amicably up to our arrival at Valparaiso. " We rejoined the Essex at the Island of Albemarle, on the 30th of September, 1813, and wfere delighted to meet our com- panions again, who had been by no means idle, having taken three prizes — the l^ew Zealand, Seringapatam, and Sir Andrew Hammond. I went in one of the boats to the cove, where in less than half an hour we filled her with the finest rock cod, some of them as yellow as gold. We also caught a couple of land guanas — a large Kzard — said to be good eating. " We finally left the Galdpagos Islands a second time, the Cap- tain having taken all the English vessels he could hear of, except the Mmrod and Conrad — the latter a letter of marque of twenty guns, which he believed had left the coast. He therefore de- termined to visit the Marquesas Islands, refit his ship, and allow the men a few weeks' indulgence on shore, after the toils and privations of war cruising. " The passage across was one of uniform good weather, unac- companied by any event worthy of note. We made Hood's Island, one of the Marquesas group. On our approach, a canoe came out to meet us, with eight natives tattooed and ornamented with feathers. They invited us on shore, and promised us fruit and provisions in abundance. Finally we rounded a point and ran into a beautiful harbor, to be called, thereafter, Massachu- setts Bay. The ship was hauled into a good berth, close in shore, the water being perfectly clear, with a sandy bottom. " During our stay at this island the ' youngsters,' I among the number, were sent on board the vessel commanded by our Chaplain, for the purpose of continuing our studies, away from temptation. We were allowed, when not occupied with our duties, to ramble about on shore in company with the native boys. From them we learned to throw the spear and walk on stilts ; but the most useful accomplishment we acquired was the art of swimming. It really appears as natural for these islanders to swim as to eat. I have often seen mothers take their little 3 28 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. children, apparently not more than two years old, down to the sea on their backs, walk deliberately into deep water, and leave them to paddle for themselves. To my astonishment, the little creatures could swim like young ducks. " In such amusements the time passed pleasantly enough. We were considered too young to join in the battles which our people were carrying on with the Happars and Typees, and the Captain did not allow us to accompany him on these expeditious inland, at which, of course, we felt indignant. " A good understanding was finally brought about among all the tribes. The trouble, as stated in Captain Porter's journal, arose from efforts to protect our friends from the aggressions of neighboring tribes, who would have destroyed all the bread- fruit and other provisions upon which we relied so materially. Being convinced of our superior power, they soon began to make overtures of peace. Each tribe sent deputations, and built a village for the accommodation of our crew, with workshops, the whole being completed in one day. Stakes were fastened together with sinnet (plaited straw) made of cownut husk, and then the whole was covered neatly with cocoanut leaves, in such a substantial manner as to shed the rain perfectly. " There is a universal custom here of changing names with visitors ; and our friends were in the habit of calling every day, bringing with them always little presents, for which they re- ceived in return some bauble, or a piece of iron hoop, which they valued highly. This article was used in the construction of tools. " "We refitted the ships and smoked out the rats, which had become so numerous as to endanger our safety, for they were actually cutting through the water-casks, and even into the skin of the ship ; we were also afraid for our outer planking. " While we were engaged in this occupation, a strange sail was discovered in the offing, and the Essex Junior was directed to get under way and make chase. I was permitted to accom- pany Captain Downes as his aid on this occasion. We soon came up with the vessel, which proved to be the American ship Albatross, an East India trader. We returned to port together, CRUISE IN THE PACIFIC. 29 and I went back to the Essex, wliere I found that during my absence there had been an attempt at mutiny among the prison- ers, in consequence of which they had all been placed in irons and put on prison fare. It appears that their intention had been to attack the Essex Junior, in canoes from the shore, cut her cables, and put to sea, as they were aware, from the great liberty which had been allowed them, that we had no vessel ready to give pursuit. The Captain acted promptly. He had them all sent aft, first made a mock apology for sending the vessel away, and then lectured them severely for their ingratitude. "Nothing further occurred worthy of note until we were ready for sea on the 9th of December, when, as was the custom on Sunday, many of the crew visited the Essex Junior, and, I suppose from having received some intimation that the ships were about to sail, dissatisfaction was expressed, as the sailors were loath to give up the demoralizing pleasures of the island. " On Monday morning I saw that all was not right. The Captain took his cutlass in his hand, which he laid on the cap- stan. He then, though shaking with anger, addressed the crew, who had been mustered on the larboard side of the deck, with forced composure. " ' All of you who are in favor of weighing the anchor when I give the order, pass over to the starboard side ; you who are of a different determination, stay on the larboard side.' " All of them, to a man, walked over to the starboard. He called up a man named Kobert White, an Englishman, and said to him in a severe tone : " ' How is this ? Did you not tell them on board the Essex Junior that the crew of this ship would refuse to weigh anchor ? ' The man tremblingly replied : "'1^0, sir.' " ' You lie, you scoundrel ! ' said the Captain. ' Where is the list of the men who visited the Essex Junior on Sunday ? ' " He then made several of them step forward, and put the question to them one after the other : " ' Did you not hear of this thing on board of the Essex Junior ? ' 30 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. " ' Yes, sir,' was the response. Then, turning to White, he exclaimed : " ' Run, you scoundrel, for your life ! ' and away the fellow went over the starboard gangway. " I believe Captain Porter would have killed the man at the moment, if he had caught him, but it was equally evident he did not make any great exertion to do so. "White got into a passing canoe, and we never saw him again. Captain Porter then addressed the crew in a hearty manner, praising their good conduct, and holding up to reprobation such miserable villainies. At the same time, he gave them to understand that he always intended to act summarily when such disgraceful affairs came to his notice, and intimated to them that he ' would blow them all to hell before they should succeed in a conspiracy.' " Having delivered this address, he wheeled around and or- dered them to man the capstan, and the music to play ' The girl I left behind me.' The fiddle struck up, the anchor fairly flew to the bows, and we made sail and stood out to sea. Taken altogether, it was the most exciting scene I had ever witnessed, and made such an impression on my young mind that the cir- cumstance is as fresh as if it had occurred yesterday. " We went to sea in the usual fine weather, leaving behind all the prizes except the Essex Junior. When we were about twelve miles from Hood's Island, a fresh breeze blowing at the time, a splash was heard in the water alongside, but no attention was paid to it ; in fact, the matter was not reported by the per- son who noticed it until we found out at quarters next morning that an Otaheitian named Tamaha was missing. Upon inquiry, it was discovered that some difficulty had occurred between a boatswain's mate and himseK, the former having struck him, and, as he could not brook the insult, he deliberately jumped overboard in his anger. As a matter of course, we all thought the man had drowned himself ; and, as he was a general favorite on shipboard, his loss was much regretted. I learned some years afterward, from an officer of one of the prizes, that Ta- maha arrived at Nukahiva on the third day after our departure, having probably swam twenty miles. The nearest land at the CRUISE IN THE PACIFIC. 31 time lie left the ship was fully twelve miles distant, and it is doubtful about his having landed at that point, on account of the nature of the shore. " Nothing of unusual interest occurred during our passage. Every day the crew were exercised at the ' great guns,' small arms, and single stick. And I will here mention the fact that I have never been in a ship where the crew of the old Essex was represented, but that I found them to be the best swords- men on board. They had been so thoroughly trained as board- ers, that every man was prepared for such an emergency, with his cutlass as sharp as a razor, a dirk made by the ship's armorer from a file, and a pistol." It will be seen that Farragut was an apt scholar in the pro- fession he had chosen, observant and appreciative ; nor did he fail through life to give, on all occasions, the highest credit to his "friend and guardian," Commodore Porter, for the rare ability and resplendent heroism which distinguished that great naval commander. It was fortunate for himself, for the service, the good of which he labored so earnestly always to promote, and for his country, that the young sailor was trained in a school so admirably adapted to develop his character and shape his career. Those who knew him best and watched his course with most interest, all testify to that thorough knowledge of his pro- fession, readiness of resource, and untiring devotion to his du- ties in their minutest details, the foundation of which was the wholesome discipline of his, earliest service and the illustrious example of his preceptor in the art of naval warfare. CHAPTER V. HIS FIRST BATTLE — LOSS OF THE ESSEX — KETTJEN TO NEW YOEK. One of the most sanguinary and gallantly contested battles in maritime warfare, which has scarcely a parallel in the early achievements of our own heroic navy — unless it be the affair of the Bon Homme Eichard — was the splendid defense made by Porter and his brave oflScers and crew in the Essex, against the combined attack of the British frigate Phoebe and sloop of war Cherub. This action has been described by Commodore Porter himself, with an exactness of detail for which he was conspicu- ous ; but the recollections of Earragut, who, though at the time hardly thirteen years of age, participated in all the glories and dangers of that bloody conflict, and whose conduct, in the lan- guage of his commander, " deserved the promotion for which he was too young to be recommended," can not fail to be inter- esting, especially as it is the first time his account of the circum- stances has been made public. He says : " In January, 1814, we arrived off the coast of Chili. After looking into Concepcion, we ran down to Valparaiso, where we lay until the arrival of the British frigate Phoebe and sloop of war Cherub. This occurred early in February. The frigate mounted thirty long 18-pounders, sixteen 32-pounder carron- ades, one howitzer, and six 3-pounders in the tops, with a crew of 320 men. The Cherub had eighteen 32-pounder carronades, eight 24:-pounders, two long nines, and a crew of 180 men. " When they made their appearance ofE the port, our whole watch, being a third of our crew, were on shore on liberty. The mate of an English merchantman, which was lying in port at the time, went immediately on board the Phoebe and stated to Captain Hillyar that one half of our men were on shore, and HIS FIRST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 33 that the Essex would fall an easy prey. The two ships then hauled into the harbor on a wind. The Phcebe made our lar- board quarter, but the Cherub fell to leeward about half a mile. On gaining our quarter, the Phoebe put her helm do^yn and luffed up on our starboard bow, coming within ten or fifteen feet of the Essex. " I should say here, that as soon as the enemy hove in sight we fired a gun and hoisted a cornet for ' all boats and men to return ' ; and that in fifteen minutes every man was at his quarters, and but one was under the influence of liquor, he a mere boy. "When the Phoebe, as before mentioned, was close alongside, and all hands at quarters, the powder-boys stationed with slow matches ready to discharge the guns, the boarders, cutlass in hand, standing by to board in the smoke, as was our custom at close quarters, the intoxicated youth saw, or imagined that he saw, through the port, some one on the Phoebe grinning at him. ' My fine fellow, I'll stop your making faces,' he ex- claimed, and was just about to fire his gun when Lieutenant McKnight saw the movement and with a blow sprawled him on the deck. Had that gun been fired, I am convinced that the Phoebe would have been ours. But it was destined to be other- wise. 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 (Hillyar) 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 accident 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. " Captain Hillyar braced back his yards and remarked to Porter that if he did fall aboard him, he begged to assure the captain it would be entirely accidental. " ' Well,' said Porter, ' you have no business where you are. If you touch a rope-yarn of this ship, 1 shall hoard instantly^ 34 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. He then liailed the Essex Junior, and told Captain Downes to be prepared to repel the enemy. " But our desire for a fight was not yet to be gratified. The Phoebe backed down, her yards passed over ours, not touching a rope, and she anchored about half a mile astern. We thus lost an opportunity of taking her, 'though we had observed the strict neutrality of the port under very aggravating circum- stances. " We remained together in the harbor for some days, when the British vessels, having completed their provisioning and watering, went to sea and commenced a regular blockade of our ships. One night we manned all our boats for the purpose of boarding the enemy outside. The captain in his boat, with muffled oars, pulled so close up to the Phcebe that he could hear the conversation of the men on her forecastle, and thereby learned that they were lying at their quarters prepared for us ; so the attempt was given up, and we«retumed on board. " It was understood in our ship, one day, that Captain Porter had sent word to Captain Hillyar that, if he would send the Cherub to the leeward point of the harbor, he would go out and fight him. We all believed the terms would be accepted, and everything was kept in readiness to get under way. Soon after the Phoebe was seen standing in with her motto flag flying, on which was, God and our Country ! British Sailors' Best Bights ! This was in answer to Porter's flag. Free Trade and Sailors' Rights ! She fired a gun to windward, and the Cherub was seen running to leeward. In five minutes our anchor was up, and mider topsails and jib we cleared for action — in fact, we were always ready for that. When within two miles of our posi- tion, the Phoebe bore up and set her studding-sails. This I con- sidered a second breach of faith on the part of Hillyar ; for, by his manoeuvi'es in both instances, it was evident that he was either wanting in courage or lacked the good faith of a high- toned, chivalrous spirit to carry out his original intention. How- ever, as Captain Hillyar subsequently proved himself a brave man, in more than one instance, I shall not deny him that com- mon characteristic of a naval officer, and have attributed his HIS FIRST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 35 action on these two occasions to a want of good faith. He was dealing with a far inferior force, and it was ignoble in the ex- treme, on his part, not to meet his foe, when he had the ghost of an excuse for doing so, ship to ship. " On the 28th of March, 1814:, it came on to blow from the south, and we parted our larboard cable, dragging the starboard anchor leeward ; we immediately got under way and made sail on the ship. The enemy's vessels were close in with the weath- ermost point of the bay ; but Captain Porter thought we could weather them, so we hauled up for that purpose and took in our top-gallant sails, which had been set over close-reefed topsails. But scarcely had the top-gaUant sails been clewed down, when a squall struck the ship, and, though the top-sail halyards were let go, the yards jammed and would not come down. When the ship was nearly gunwale under, the maintopmast went by the board, carrying the men who were on the maintop-gallant yard into the sea, and they were drowned. We immediately wore ship and attempted to regain the harbor; but, owing to the disaster, were unable to do so ; therefore we anchored in a small bay, about a quarter of a mile off shore and three quarters of a mile from a small battery. " But it was evident, from the preparations being made by the enemy, that he intended to attack us ; so we made arrange- ments to receive him as well as we possibly could. Springs were got on our cables, and the ship was perfectly prepared for action. " I well remember the feelings of awe produced in me by the approach of the hostile ships ; even to my young mind it was perceptible in the faces of those around me, as clearly as possible, that our case was hopeless. It was equally apparent that all were ready to die at their guns rather than surrender ; and such I believe to have been the detennination of the crew, almost to a man. There had been so much bantering of each other between the men of the ships, through the medium of letters and songs, with an invariable fight between the boats' crews when they met on shore, that a very hostile sentiment was engendered. Our flags were flying from every mast, and 36 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. the enemy's vessels displayed tlieir ensigns, jacks, and motto flags, as they bore down grandly to the attack. "At 3 : 54 p. M. they commenced firing ; the Phoebe nnder our stern, and the Cherub on our starboard bow. But the latter, finding out pretty soon that we had too many guns bearing on her, likewise ran under our stern. We succeeded in getting three long guns out of the stern ports, and kept up as well directed a fire as possible in such an unequal contest. " In half an hour they were both comj)elled to haul off to re- pair damages. During this period of the fight we had suc- ceeded three times in getting springs on our cables, but in each instance they were shot away as soon as they were hauled taut. I*^otwithstanding the incessant firing from both of the enemy's ships, we had, so far, suffered less than might have been ex- pected, considering that we could bring but three guns to oppose two broadsides. We had many men killed in the first five or ten minutes of their fire, before we could bring our stern guns to bear. " The enemy soon repaired damages, and renewed the attack, both ships taking position on our larboard quarter, out of reach of our carronades, and where the stern guns could not be brought to bear. They then kej)t up a most galling fire, which we were powerless to return. At this juncture the Captain ordered the cable to be cut, and, after many ineffectual attempts, we succeeded in getting sail on the ship, having found that the flying-jib halyards were in a condition to hoist that sail. It was the only serviceable rope that had not been shot away. By this means we were. enabled to close with the enemy, and the firing now became fearful on both sides. The Cherub was compelled to haul out, and never came into close action again, though she lay off and used her long guns greatly to our discomfort, ma- king a perfect target of us. The Phoebe, also, was enabled, by the better condition of her sails, to choose her own distance, suitable for her long guns, and kept up a most destructive fire on our helpless ship. " ' Finding,' as Captain Porter says, ' the impossibility of closing with the Phcebe,' he determined to run his ship ashore Ch Co W i-i -0 a X te >-^ ID m U) © Si HIS FIEST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 37 and destroy her. "We accordingly stood for the land, but when we were within half a mile of the bluffs the wind suddenly shifted, took us flat aback, and paid our head off shore. We were thus again exposed to a galling fire from the Phoebe. At this moment Captain Downes, of the Essex Junior, came on board to receive his orders, being under the impression that our ship would soon be captured, as the enemy at that time were raking us, while we could not bring a gun to bear, and his ves- sel was in no condition to be of service to us. " Captain Porter now ordered a hawser to be bent on to the sheet anchor and let go. This brought our ship's head around, and we were in hopes the Phoebe would drift out of gunshot, as the sea was nearly calm ; but the hawser broke, and we were again at the mercy of the enemy. The ship was now reported to be on fire, and the men came rushing up from below, many with their clothes burning, which were torn from them as quick- ly as possible, and those for whom this could not be done were told to jump overboard and quench the flames. Many of the crew, and even some of the officers, hearing the order to jump overboard, took it for granted that the flre had reached the magazine, and that the ship was about to blow up ; so they leaped into the water, and attempted to reach the shore, about three quarters of a mile distant, in which effort a number were drowned. " The Captain sent for the commissioned ofiicers, to consult with them as to the propriety of further resistance ; but first went below to ascertain the quantity of powder in the maga- zine. On his return to the deck he met Lieutenant McKnight, the only commissioned officer left on duty, all the others having been either killed or wounded. As it was pretty evident that the ship was in a sinking condition, it was determined to surrender, in order to save the wounded, and at 6 : 30 p. m. the painful order was given to haul down the colors." The loss of the Essex in this famous action was 58 killed (including those who soon died), 6Q wounded, and 31 missing. Most of the missing were probably drowned. Captain Hillyar's 38 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. official report acknowledged a loss of 4 killed and 7 wound- ed on the Phoebe, and 1 killed and 3 wounded on the Cherub. The Phoebe received eighteen 12-pound shots below the water line, and both of the British ships were considerably cut up. It was estimated that they threw seven hundred 18-pound shots at the Essex, and that the latter fired each of her twelve long guns seventy-five times. The battle lasted two hours and a half, and was witnessed by thousands of people from the shore. The approved skill and judgment of Admiral Farragut as a naval commander naturally give great importance to his pro- fessional opinions ; and, although the events which occurred at the time have long since passed into history, it will no doubt be interesting to read his views in regard to this memorable en- gagement, the details of which, notwithstanding his extreme youth, seem to have been strongly impressed upon his observant mind, and grasped by that genius for maritime warfare so sig- nally developed in his after-hfe. He says : " In the first place, I consider that our original and greatest error was in attempting to regain the anchorage; as, being greatly superior to the enemy in sailing qualities, I think we should have borne up and run before the wind. If we had come in contact with the Phoebe, we should have carried her by boarding ; if she avoided us, as she might have done by her greater ability to manoeuvre, then we could have taken her fire and passed on, leaving both vessels behind until we replaced our topmast, by which time they would have been separated, as, un- less they did so, it would have been no chase, the Cherub being a dull sailer. " Secondly, when it was apparent to everybody that we had no chance of success under the circumstances, the ship should have been run ashore, throwing her broadside to the beach, to prevent raking, and fought as long as was consistent with hu- manity, and then set on fire. But, having determined on an- choring, we sliould have bent a spring on to the ring of the anchor, instead of to the cable, where it was exposed, and could be shot away as fast as put on. This mode of proceeding would HIS FIRST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 39 have given us, in my opinion, a better opportunity of injuring our opponents. " If tliese were not my reflections at tlie time, it was because I had always been in the habit of relying on the judgment of others ; but they certainly have been my opinions as far back as I can remember to have thought on the subject. " It has been quite common to blame Captain Hillyar for his conduct in this affair ; but, when we come to consider the characteristics of the two commanders, we may be inclined to judge more leniently, although Captain Porter's complaints in the matter will excite no surprise. Porter was about thirty-two years of age at the time, and the ' pink of chivalry,' of an ar- dent and impetuous temperament ; while Hillyar was a cool and calculating man, about fifty years old, and, as he said to his Fu'st Lieutenant, ' had gained his reputation by several single- ship combats, and only expected to retain it on the present occasion by an implicit obedience to his orders, viz., to captm*e the Essex with the least possible risk to his vessel and crew ; and, as he had a superior force, he had determined not to leave anything to chance, beheving any other course would caU down on him the disapprobation of his government. Mr. "William Ingram, his Fu'st Lieutenant, was a chivalrous young man, and, it is said, begged Captain Hillyar to bear down and board us, the above being the substance of Hillyar's reply. Ingram said it was dehberate murder to lie off at long range and fii*e at us like a target, when we were unable to return their fire. This young officer had previously visited us under a flag of truce, and was shown throughout the ship. His frank and manly bearing quite won the hearts of all on board. While admiring the Essex, he made the remark that ' it would be the happiest moment of his life to take her to England, should she be cap- tured in equal combat.' To this Captain Porter replied that, 'should such an event occur, he knew no British officer to whom he would more readily yield the honor.' In this senti- ment all of our officers concurred. Unfortunately, the poor fellow was not destined to survive the action ; for a shot struck the rail, near which he was standing, and a splinter wounded 40 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. Mm so seriously about the head that he died before the termi- nation of the fight. All of our officers and crew who remained attended his funeral, which took place on shore at the Gover- nor's castle in Valparaiso. " During the action I was like ' Paddy in the cat-harpins,' a man on occasions. I performed the duties of Captain's aid, quarter-gunner, powder-boy, and in fact did everything that was required of me. I shall never forget the horrid impression made upon me at the sight of the first man I had ever seen killed. He was a boatswain's mate, and was fearfully muti- lated. It staggered and sickened me at first; but they soon began to fall around me so fast that it all appeared like a dream, and produced no effect on my nerves. I can remember well, while I was standing near the Captain, just abaft the mainmast, a shot came through the waterways and glanced upward, killing four men who were standing by the side of the gun, taking the last one in the head and scattering his brains over both of us. But this awful sight did not affect me half as much as the death of the first poor fellow. I neither thought of nor noticed any- thing but the working of the guns. " On one occasion Midshipman Isaacs came up to the Cap- tain and reported that a quarter-gunner named Roach had de- serted his post. The only reply of the Captain, addressed to me, was, ' Do your duty, sir.' I seized a j)istol and went in pursuit of the fellow, but did not find him. It appeared, sub- sequently, that when the ship was reported to be on fire he had contrived to get into the only boat that could be kept afloat, and escaped, with six others, to the shore. The most remarkable part of this affair was that Koach had always been a leading man in the ship, and, on the occasion previously mentioned, when the Phoebe seemed about to run into us, in the harbor of Valparaiso, and the boarders were called away, I distinctly re- member this man standing in an exposed position on the cat- head, with sleeves rolled up and cutlass in hand, ready to board, his counten^ce expressing eagerness for the fight : which goes to prove that personal courage is a very peculiar virtue. Poach was brave with a prospect of success, but a coward in adversity. HIS FIKST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 41 " Soon after tliis, some gun-primers were wanted, and I was sent after them. In going below, while I was on the ward-room ladder, the Captain of the gun directly opposite the hatchway was struck full in the face by an eighteen-pound shot, and fell back on me. We tumbled down the hatch together. I struck on my head, and, fortunately, he fell on my hips. I say fortu- nately, for, as he was a man of at least two hundred pounds' weight, I would have been crushed to death if he had fallen directly across my body. I lay for some moments stunned by the blow, but soon recovered consciousness enough to rush up on deck. The Captain, seeing me covered with blood, asked if I was wounded, to which I repKed, ' I believe not, sir.' ' Then,' said he, ' where are the primers ? " This first brought me com- pletely to my senses, and I ran below again and carried the primers on deck. When I came up the second time I saw the Captain fall, and in my turn ran up and asked if he was wound- ed. He answered me almost in the same words, ' I believe not, my son ; but I felt a blow on the top of my head.' He must have been knocked down by the windage of a passing shot, as his hat was somewhat damaged. " When my services were not required for other purposes, I generally assisted in working a gun ; would run and bring pow- der from the boys, and send them back for more, until the Captain wanted me to carry a message ; and this continued to employ me during the action. " When it was determined to surrender, the Captain sent me to ascertain if Mr. had the signal-book, and, if so, to throw it overboard. I could not find him or the book for some time ; but at last saw the latter lying on the sill of a port, and dashed it into the sea. After the action, Mr. said he was over- board himself, trying to clear the book from some part of the wreck where it had lodged — a very unfortunate story, as I had seen it sink into the depths below. " Isaacs and I amused om-selves throwing overboard pistols and other small arms, to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy. At length the boarding officer came on board, and, running up to Captain Porter, asked him how he would account 42 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. to somebody (I do not remember wlio) for allowiLg his men to jump overboard, and at the same time demanded his sword. ' That, sir,' replied Porter, ' is reserved for your master.' The Captain went on board the Phoebe, and I followed half an hour later. " I have already remarked how soon I became accustomed to scenes of blood and death during the action ; but after the battle had ceased, when, on going below, I saw the mangled bodies of my shipmates, dead and dying, groaning and expiring with the most patriotic sentiments on their lips, I became faint and sick ; my sympathies were all aroused. As soon as I recovered from the first shock, however, I hastened to assist the surgeon in staunching and dressing the wounds of my comrades. Among the badly wounded was one of my best friends. Lieutenant J. G. Cowell. When I spoke to him he said, ' O Davy, I fear it is all up with me.' I found that he had lost a leg just above the knee, and the Doctor informed me that his life might have been saved if he had consented to the amputation of the limb an hour before; but, when it was proposed to drop another patient and attend to him, he replied, '^o, Doctor, none of that ; fair play is a jewel. One man's hf e is as dear as another's ; I would not cheat any poor fellow out of his turn.' Thus died one of the best officers and bravest men among us. " It was wonderful to find dying men, who had hardly ever attracted notice among the ship's company, uttering sentiments, with their last, breath, worthy of a Washington. You might have heard in all directions, ' Don't give her up, Logan ! ' — a sobriquet for Porter — ' Hurrah for liberty ! ' and similar expres- sions. One of the crew of a bow gun told me of a singular act of heroism on the part of a young Scotchman, named Bissley, who had one leg shot off close to the groin. He used his hand- kerchief as a tourniquet, and said to his comrades : " ' I left my own country and adopted the United States to fight for her. I hope I have this day proved myself worthy of the country of my adoption. I am no longer of any use to you or to her, so good-by ! ' With these words, he leaned on the sill of the port and threw himself overboard. HIS FIRST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 43 " Many of our fine fellows bled to death for want of tourni- quets. An old quarter master, named Francis Bland, was stand- ing at the wheel when I saw a shot coming over the fore-jard, in such a direction that I thought it would strike him or me ; so I told him to jump, at the same time pulling him toward me. At that instant the shot took off his right leg, and I afterward found that my coat-tail had been carried away. I helped the old fellow below, and inquired for him after the action, but he had died before he could be attended to. " I escaped without injury, except the bruises from my fall. " Lieutenant Wilmer, who had been sent forward to let go the sheet anchor, was knocked overboard by a shot. After the action his little negro boy, ' Ruff,' came on deck and asked me what had become of his master, and when I imparted to him the sad news he deliberately jumped into the sea and was drowned. "Mr. McKnight still lived, and with Midshipman Lyman was to go to England, or to Rio de Janeiro, to give evidence in regard to the capture of the ship. Cowell was dead, and Oden- heimer was the only lieutenant left with us. Barnwell, the acting master, had been wounded in the breast, but was doing well. Isaacs, Ogden, Dusenberry, and I were all who remained of the midshipmen who were not seriously injured. " Doctors Hoffman and Montgomery escaped unhurt, al- though some of their patients were killed by flying splinters while under their hands. These gentlemen exhibited great skill and nerve in their care of the wounded. " It is astonishing what powers of endurance some men pos- sess. There was one instance of a man who swam to the shore with scarcely a square inch of his body which had not been burned, and, although he was deranged for some days, he ulti- mately recovered, and served with me in the West Indies. He was the same old boatswain's mate, Kingsbury, who distin- guished himself off Cape Horn, for which he had been made boatswain of the Essex Junior. He accompanied Captain Downes on board in his boat, as he said, ' to share the fate of his old ship.' Another seaman swam ashore with sixteen or 44 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. eighteen pieces of iron in his leg, scales from the muzzle of his gun. He also recovered, without losing his leg. " I went on board the Phoebe about 8 a. m. on the morning of the 29th, and was ushered into the steerage. I was so morti- fied at our capture that I could not refrain from tears. While in this uncomfortable state, I was aroused bj 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 belong- ing 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 shall have your pig.' " ' Agreed ! ' said I. " A ring was formed in the open space, and at it we went. I soon found that my antagonist's pugilistic 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, feeling that I had, in some degree, wiped out the dis- grace of our defeat. " I was sent for by Captain Hillyar to come into his cabin, where Captain Porter was, and asked to take some breakfast, when, seeing my discomfiture, he remarked in a very kind man- ner : " ' Never mind, my Httle fellow, it will be your turn next, perhaps.' " I said I hoped so, and left the cabin to hide my emotion. " We were all soon put on parole, and went on shore ; our wounded from the ship being moved to a comfortable house hired for their accommodation. I volunteered my aid to our Surgeon as an assistant, and I never earned Uncle Sam's money so faithfully as I did during that hospital service. I rose at HIS FIEST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 45 daylight and arranged the bandages and plasters nntil 8 a. m. ; then, after breakfast, I went to work at my patients. I was employed tbus until the 27th of April, when Captain Porter succeeded in making arrangements with Captain Hillyar for the transportation of our crew to the United States in the Essex Junior. That vessel was accordingly disarmed, and we em- barked in her for 'New York. But what a small number of officers assembled on that occasion ! And yet we had fared better than the crew ; their ranks had been wof uUy diminished. Out of 255 men there remained 132, including the wounded. Two of these we were compelled to leave at the hospital, one of whom died, and the other recovered and returned to the United States. His name was William Call. He' lost his leg during the action, and while he was weltering in his blood, and it yet hung by the skin, he discovered Adam Roach skulking on the berth deck, and dragged his shattered stump all around the bag- house, pistol in hand, trjang to get a shot at him. "We had, as a general thing, very good weather on our homeward voyage, passing Cape Horn under top-gallant stud- ding-sails. I continued to attend to my patients. " When we arrived off Long Island, at a distance of about ten leagues from the land, we were overhauled by the British razee Saturn, Captain Nash. The boarding-officer took Captain Porter's report on board to Captain l^ash ; but that officer ex- pressed dissatisfaction and said, " ' Hillyar had no business to make such terms with Captain Porter.' " Whereupon Porter told him that, according to the agree- ment made, if any of His Majesty's ships should detain him over twelve hours, by his delivery of his sword to the officer detaining him he would be considered a prisoner of war to that officer and absolved from all obligation to Captain Hillyar. Porter accompanied his remarks with the tender of his sword, to be conveyed to Captain Nash. This, however, was refused. The last words of Captain Poi-ter to the boarding-officer were : " ' Tell Captain Nash that, if British officers have no respect for the honor of each other, I shall have none for them, and 46 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. shall consider myself, if detained all night, at liberty to effect my escajDe, if I can.' " On the retm-n of the boat to the Saturn, we were hailed and ordered to remain under her lee all night. The next morn- ing, after breakfast. Porter ordered his boat manned and armed. She was a whale-boat, and had the reputation of being very fast. It was evident that he had determined to make a desperate fight, if pursued. He finally pushed off, and his departure was un- noticed for some time, as our ship was directly in the way. When the discovery was made, however, from the masthead of the Satm-n, that vessel soon got under way and wore ship, pass- ing under our stem ; but about this time, as luck would have it, a dense fog came up, and, though we heard with anxiety every order which was given on board the razee, not a spar could be seen. " Making all sail ourselves for Sandy Hook, we were in a few minutes going about nine knots. At 11 a. m. the man from our royal masthead discovered the broad pennant of the Saturn to windward, and before she was out of the fog we were all snug, with our main topsail to the mast. Firing a gun to lee- ward, she ran down to us and sent a boat alongside with another officer in charge. The first one who boarded us had conducted himself like a gentleman, but this individual was an upstart. He began by remarking : " ' You drift quite fast ; we have been going nine knots for the last three hours, and yet we find you abeam with your main topsail to the mast.' " ' Yes,' was the quiet reply of Captain Downes. " ' And that was Captain Porter who left the ship in a boat, I suppose ? ' " ' It was,' said Downes. " ' Then, by G — d, you wiU soon be leaving too, if we don't take your boats from you.' " * You had better try that,' Downes remarked, coolly. " ' I would, if I had my way,' replied the officer. " Captain Downes's anger was now fully aroused, and, ad- vancing, he said. HIS FIRST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. " ' You impertinent puppy, if you have any business to do here, do it ; but if you dare to insult me again I shall throw you overboard,' accompanying his words with a significant ges- ture. " The young man jumped into his boat and left the ship. In a short time after the regular boarding-officer came to us and stated that Captain Nash ' hoped Captain Downes would excuse the youth and ignorance of the former officer, who had been ordered to send an apology for his ungentlemanly conduct.' " Our crew was then mustered, to see if it tallied with the passport, each man being critically examined as he went by, but none were stopped. As the last one passed, the officer asked one of his boat's crew, " ' "Which is the man you spoke of as being an Englishman ? ' " We were all under great anxiety for some poor fellow who might be a deserter from the British service. The sailor an- swered, however, with the utmost composure, " ' I never said he was an Englishman.' " ' But,' remarked the officer, ' you said you had sailed with him.' " ' True enough,' was the reply, ' but it was out of ITew York.' " In some confusion the officer apologized and departed. " Our passport was countersigned, and we made sail for Sandy Hook. About sunset we fell in with the enemy's frigate I^arcissus, and were of course subjected to another examination ; but we made the Hook by eight o'clock in the evening. The night was dark and squally, and we could not procure a pilot ; but the Captain took the ship in by chart alone. When oppo- site a small battery in the Horseshoe, we hoisted our colors with lanterns, and sent a boat on shore with a light in her. By acci- dent, the Hght was extinguished, and the fort began firing on us. This continued until the boat returned and procured another light, the men on board in the mean time being ordered below. The ship was not struck by a single shot, which caused me to think, at the time, that it was not such an awful thing as was supposed to lie under a battery. 48 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. " Having finally convinced them that we were Americans, we furled sails and remained all night, which was probably very fortunate, for the next morning, as we stood into the harbor under full sail, with colors flying, a second battery opened on us. So we found it almost as difficult to get rid of our friends as our foes. "We came to anchor at 'New York on the Tth day of July, 1814:, and were much surprised to find that Captain Porter had not preceded us. He made his appearance a day or two later, however, and stated that when he left the Essex Junior he was much farther from the land than he supposed, and did not reach the shore until sunset. He had sailed along, being sufiiciently below the fog to notice all the movements of both vessels, and saw them making sail for the capes. He had great difiiculty in landing through the surf, and when he did get on shore, near Babylon, Long Island, was taken prisoner by the militia. On his j^roducing his commission, they gave him three cheers, fired a salute of twenty-one guns from a small swivel, and furnished him a horse and cart to carry his boat. On his arrival in New York he received a grand ovation. As he rode through the streets, the crowd became so enthusiastic that the horses were taken from his carriage and it was drawn all over the city by the people. " We were all put on parole until regularly exchanged or peace should be concluded. The Essex Junior was sold. Thus ended one of the most eventful cruises of my life." CHAPTEK VI. SCHOOL AT CHESTER CROSSES THE ATLANTIC. The transition from the deck of a man-of-war, and the stir- ring scenes in whicli he had so recently taken part, to the quiet of a school-room, offered a great contrast to the mind of young Farragut ; but he readily adapted himself to circumstances. He was fortunate, at this time, in the preceptor under whose influ- ence he came. He says : " I accompanied my friend Captain Porter to Chester, where I was put to school to a queer old individual named Keif. His method of instruction was simple in the extreme ; he had no books, but taught orally on such subjects as he desired us to understand. The scholars took notes, and were afterward ex- amined on these lectures. In the afternoon it was customary for us to take long walks, accompanied by our instructor. On these occasions Mr. IN^eif Avould make collections of minerals and plants, and talk to us about mineralogy and botany. The course of studies was not very regular, but we certainly had an oppor- tunity of gaining a great deal of useful information and worldly knowledge. We were taught to swim and climb, and were drilled like soldiers — branches of instruction to be accounted for, probably, by the fact that the old gentleman had been one of Napoleon's celebrated guards. I do not regret the time passed at this school, for it has been of service to me aU through life. ""While I was at Chester the remnant of the old Essex's crew passed through, on their way to the Potomac River, to defend AVashington. I begged to go with them, but Captain Porter was inexorable ; he said that I was too young for land fighting. I therefore missed the engagement at White House, 50 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. when Captain Porter attempted to intercept the enemy's vessels after the capture of Washington. " On the last of I^ovember, 1814, I was exchanged, and im- mediately received orders to the brig Spark, Captain Thomas Gamble, then lying at New York, and was employed in fitting her out to join a squadron of small vessels, to be commanded by Commodore Porter, which were intended to prey upon the ene- my's commerce. I was quartered on board the John Adams receiving-ship. This was the first time in my life that I had been from under the control of a schoolmaster, or the watchful guardianship of Captain Porter, and, having been put in a mess with a set of wild young fellows, I was subjected to great temp- tation, the dangers of which I only escaped through that strict attention to duty the importance of which had been impressed on my mind by previous discipline. This was the view which my warm and sincere friend, Mr. H. Cocke, the First Lieutenant, took of the matter, and, when I have looked back with a feeling of horror to that period of my life, I have always remembered with gratitude his counsels and kind-hearted forbearance. " Just as our squadron had completed its outfit and was ready for sea, peace was proclaimed. In March or April, 1815, I received orders to the Independence, Y4, Commodore Bain- bridge, then lying at Boston and fitting out for sea. "War having been declared against Algiers, we sailed for the Medi- terranean in company with the Congress, Captain Morris, and the Erie, Captain Ridgely. Captain Crane commanded the Independence, and I was assigned to duty as his aid. "We ar- rived out too late to take part in the war. Commodore Decatur having thrashed the Algerines, taken a frigate and brig from them, and made peace with the Bey. We touched at Gibraltar, and thence proceeded to Carthagena, where we found all the squadron except the Guerriere and Epervier. We next showed ourselves off Tripoli, then ran down the Barbary coast and crossed over to Malaga, where we had an entertainment on board. Thence we sailed to Gibraltar, where I visited the cele- brated fortifications, which I examined with great interest. " While at this port I saw. probably, the largest American SCHOOL AT CHESTER— CROSSES THE ATLANTIC. 51 fleet ever assembled in European waters, consisting of the Inde- pendence, 74: ; Congress, 36 ; Erie, 22 ; Macedonian, 36 ; Onta- rio, 22 ; Chippewa, 16 ; Boxer, 16 ; Spark, 12 ; Epervier, 16 ; Enterprise, 12; Flambeau, 12; Torch, 12; Firefly, 14; Spitfire, 12; and Lynx, 8 — 15 vessels, 320 guns. " As our ship was leaving Gibraltar, homeward bound, the Guerriere, Commodore Decatur, arrived at the port. He came alongside to make us an ofiicial visit, and, after exchanging courtesies, we parted company, the Guerriere entering the har- bor and we continuing our homeward course. During the pas- sage we had a fine opportunity of seeing the squadron exercised by signals. The manoeuvi'es were confined, however, to closing and spreading, general quarters, reefing top-sails, and making and shortening sail. The use of signals was quite a passion with Commodore Bainbridge. " "We arrived at Newport, Bhode Island, after a passage of forty days. Here the squadron wintered, with the exception of our ship, which went to Boston. Captain Eidgely, who was then in command, having exchanged with Captain Crane, who took the Erie, persuaded the' Commodore that his health was too bad to remain on board. After he left us we beat up to Boston in fine style. In fact, this was the first good opportunity we had of trying the sailing qualities of our ship, and they proved all that could be desired. " The cruise had been of great service to me. I had, during the time, formed the acquaintance of Midshipman William Taylor, one of the finest officers of his rank for many years in the service. He took me under his charge, counseled me kind- ly, and inspired me with sentiments of true manliness, which were the reverse of what I might have learned from the ex- amples I saw in the steerage of the John Adam«. l^ever having had any real love for dissipation, I easily got rid of the bad in- fluences which had assailed me in that ship. " My next orders were to the frigate Macedonian ; but I re- mained in her only one month, when I was transferred to the Washington, then lying in President Eoads. She was com- manded by Captain Creighton, and bore the broad pennant of 52 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. Commodore Chauneej, destined for tlie Mediterranean. Mr. B. Shubrick was First Lieutenant, and I was again Captain's aid. We sailed in the spring of 1816, stopping at Annapolis to receive on board Hon. William Pinkney, our Minister to Naples. We were honored on that occasion with a visit from President Madison and suite. He was accompanied by all the cabinet offi- cers and several other distinguished persons, among them my old friend Commodore Porter, who was then one of the ISTaval Commissioners. Our vessel was the first ship of the line that many of them had seen. I have good reason to remember the occasion, for I had gone on shore with the market-boat, and did not get off to the ship in time to see my clothes-chest before it disappeared down the hold, the receptacle of all encumbrances about the steerage, so that I was doomed to make my appearance in a somewhat shabby dress, or rather to keep out of the way as much as possible. We manned the yards, exercised the crew at quarters, and endeavored to afford our guests as much enter- tainment as possible, with which they were highly gratified. " Mr. Pinkney and family embarked, and we sailed for Gib- raltar, where we arrived after a pleasant passage of twenty-two days. The ship performed well, and we had a fine set of offi- cers, from the Commodore down. They were all seamen, and the Captain was the greatest martinet in the service. We had what is called a ' crack ship,' that is, she was in beautiful order, with the greatest quantity of ' bright work,' clean decks, and a well-drilled crew for performing their duty with dispatch. But all this was accomplished at the sacrifice of the comfort of every one on board. My experience in the matter, instead of making me a proselyte to the doctrine of the old officers on this subject, determined me never to have a ' crack ship,' if it was only to be attained by such means. It was no uncommon thing with us for the officer of the deck to call up the whole watch and give them two and three dozen a piece for the fault of one man, or perhaps for an accident. All hands were sometimes kept out of their meals for eight or ten hours, and once, at Algiers, the whole crew was kept on deck all night, for several nights in succession. What would I not give for my old journal of this SCHOOL AT CHESTER— OEOSSES THE ATLANTIC. 53 cruise, wliich has been lost ! But perhaps it is all for the best ; though there was much in it that would be of interest, yet there are many things which I do not care to recall. " "We made but a short stay at Gibraltar, where we found all of the squadron except the frigate United States. Captain Shaw was in temporary command, and it was necessary to arrange matters with the new Commodore. "We sailed for Naples in company with the frigate Java, Captain Perry ; the Constella- tion, Captain Gordon ; the sloop Erie, Captain Crane ; the On- tario, Captain Downes ; the Peacock, Captain Podgers ; and the brig Spark, Captain Gamble. The ships all sailed remarkably well, and we reached Naples in five days, where we landed Mr. Pinkney with all the honors due to his rank, the whole squadron manning yards and firing a salute. Thence, after visiting Sicily and the Barbary States, we returned to Gibraltar. " By this time it was late in the season, and the suggestion was made to the Commodore that we should go into winter quarters ; but he laughed at the idea, so, after taking on board Mr. Shaler, our Consul General to Barbary, we repaired to Al- giers. "When we neared the coast, the Spark, which accom- panied us, took Mr. Shaler off and landed him. " "We lay off Algiers during the whole month of December, and were I to say in one continual gale, it would scarcely be an exaggeration ; for though the clerk of the weather would fre- quently flatter us into the belief that the worst of the gale was over, just long enough to get up the light spars, the wind would return with fresh vigor, accompanied by fog and rain, with such a heavy, chopping sea at times, that I thought our ship would actually roll over. I remember a most peculiar sea that came under my observation; three or four waves seemed to meet from different directions, and threw the water up forty or fifty feet in the air, resembling a jet dJ'eau. The savans on board attributed it to an earthquake, but we certainly felt no shock. "We were turned out so often at night that by the end of De- cember we became pretty well accustomed to the rough usage. At last the Commodore was convinced, by the length of the Surgeon's report, that we could not cruise with impunity in the 54 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. winter season, and so it was determined to go into Port Mahon and refit. Before we reached that port we carried away our jib-boom and lost a man overboard, the only serious accident of this short but disagreeable cruise. " "We ran into the harbor with a head wind, clewed up and furled sails, and all the boats of the squadron being in readiness we were towed up to the naval station, where we remained until the following spring. During the winter we were engaged in breaking-out and restowing the hold, refitting our rigging, etc. We allowed the men to go on Kberty in squads, and, as they all lived in quarters at the IN'avy Yard, they were permitted to have two or three days in each week to amuse themselves with theat- ricals, exhibitions of jugglery, and other entertainments. " We fell in with Commodore Shaw at this port, and a for- mal delivery of the squadron took place. " On one occasion some of the young oflacers of the United States invited Commodore Chauncey's son, his nephew Mr. Clinton, and myself to a ball on board. At the time we were visiting the Ontario, so we adjourned to the United States, where we enjoyed ourselves very much until about midnight, when a boat came alongside with an order from Commodore Chauncey for us to repair on board our own ship immediately. l!^ow, Chauncey had given his son and Mr. Clinton permission to go on board the Ontario, and Captain Creighton, with whom I was a great favorite, had allowed me to accompany them ; but the Captain, being one of those who take their text from that portion of the Bible which says, * "Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,' in rather a literal sense, showed his displeasure as soon as I appeared, because I had ' dared to visit the States without his express authority.' After many angry expressions, he sent me below. As I had some curiosity to learn how the other boys would fare, I crept silently to the cabin door, and looked through the key-hole. There was Clinton sprawHng on the deck, and young Chauncey standing before his father, who was bestowing on him all the angry epithets in his vocabulary, until at length he slapped him over, and, upon the boy's regain- ing his feet, repeated the dose. "When they came into the steer- SCHOOL AT CHESTER— CROSSES THE ATLANTIC. 55 age Clinton said to Chauncey, ' Why didn't you do as I did — lie still when lie first knocked you down? You might have known the old codger would knock you over again when you got up.' " For this afiair I was kept suspended thirty days." CHAPTER YII. A CRUISE IN THE MEDITEEEANEAN. Lt the spring of 181Y the squadron left Port Mahon for an extended cruise in the Mediterranean, during which many places of interest were visited, and ample opportunities afforded the officers for observation and recreation on shore. That this was a season of intense satisfaction to young Farragut, is evidenced by the entries made in his journal of that period. There was a strong tinge of romance in his character, a passion for the heroic, wliich was deeply gratified in visiting the scenes of some of the grandest events in the history of the world. It is not deemed important in this memoir to reproduce from his journal the mere description of places with which the reading public is already familiar through other authors, but rather to follow the text where the personal history of the writer is more directly involved. During the ship's visit to Malaga, Farragut mentions an en- tertainment given on board to the English Consul, Mr. Kirkpat- rick, whose daughter married the Count de Montijo, and became the mother of the late Empress of the French, Eugenie. He also mentions visiting the public buildings of this "picturesque old Spanish town," among them the magnificent cathedral, and refers to the practice of assassination among the lower orders as being fearfully prevalent at that time. Algesiras possessed no attractions for him, except that its bay had been the scene of so many celebrated naval fights. Naples he regarded as a place of intense interest. He says : " I visited Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the palace of Murat, all of which have been so beautifully described by other writers that it is unnecessary for me to go into details. Mount Vesuvius alone is worth a trip to ISTaples. I saw it in active eruption on the occasion of my first visit in A CRUISE IN" THE MEDITERRANEAN. 57 1816. Captain Creighton allowed us one of the ship's boats, and we coasted along the bay, visiting Baiae, the Baths of Nero, the Sibyl's Cave, Posilippo, and the Grotto del Cane. At the latter place I saw an experiment made on a dog, by holding his nose to the ground. The poor animal was thrown into spasms, from the effect of the mephitic gas that exudes from the cave. At ISTero's Baths we boiled eggs by lowering them in a basket into the boiling spring, the waters of which are about three hundred feet below the surface of the ground. The whole country around seemed to be situated over a fm*nace. In bath- ing we could feel the heat perceptibly by digging into the sand at the margin of the sea. " It is impossible to describe all the scenes and matters of interest which came under my observation at this period ; but the pleasure which I experienced during my sojourn in the Bay of J^aples left the most vivid and grateful impressions on my mind. While we were there, the Emperor of Austria and the King of l^aples, with their respective suites, visited our ship. Everything was in fine order on board, and a grand display was made to entertain our illustrious guests. I acted as interpreter to the Emperor on that occasion. Prince Mettemich was of the party, and I remember that he laughed at me, during our tour around the ship, for addressing the Emperor as 'Mister.' At that time the Prince appeared to be about fifty years old, short and stout, but by no means bad looking. The Emperor was the only one of the party whose appearance struck me as ridiculous. He seemed to be a mere puppet, was attired in a white coat with two loops of silk cord on each shoulder, buttoned to the collar, five large stars on his breast, and wore short, red breeches, with stockings and military boots. His cocked hat was deco- rated with a green plume, and he took short, mincing steps, pre- senting to my youthful mind altogether a silly appearance. The King of Naples was a tall, raw-boned, common-looking man. " For their amusement we exhibited and fired some new seven-barreled pieces which belonged to the ship's armament, and everything was going on very pleasantly, when one of the Emperor's chamberlains mistook the wind-sail for a mast, and, 58 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAPwRAGUT. leaning against it, was precipitated into the cockpit. He escaped, almost miraculously, with only a broken leg ; which was fortu- nate in more than one respect, for, as it was, the occurrence threw the company into a terrible state of alarm, and it really appeared as if their majesties feared we had some evil design on their persons. At any rate, their boats were called away very soon after the accident, and they returned to the city. The chamberlain was attended by our surgeon, and removed to his apartments in the city as soon as it was deemed safe to do so. When our doctor took his final leave of his patient, he was pro- fuse in his thanks and offered him a rouleau of doubloons, which of course was courteously dechned. " At Leghorn I had some experience in regard to the quaran- tine laws, which are very strict in their requirements and are rigidly enforced. The first thing that attracted my attention on landing was a monument to a former duke, of whom the story goes that, having captured four pirates in one of his expe- ditions, he was so elated by his success as, on his return from sea, to refuse to observe the rules established by the quarantine laws, and was shot for his temerity. " Many of the officers went to Eome, but I had to content myself with a distant view of the dome of St. Peter's as we coasted along. "We crossed over to Syracuse, where the only objects of interest were an old amphitheatre and Dionysius's Ear. I was struck with the filth and miserable appearance of the place and its inhabitants. We passed through the Straits of Messina, on which occasion the Commodore had a corporal's guard stationed at the gangway to shoot the pilot, in case he ran the ship on shore. We got through, however, without difficulty. " Crossing over to the Barbary coast, we paid a short visit to the fortified town of Tripoli. This place has nothing to recommend it to the attention of travelers. Being close to the desert, it is swept by the southerly winds, which bring a suffo- cating heat and clouds of burning sand on their way to the Mediterranean. There are but few Christian families. " Tunis is a more agreeable place, and the Christian com- munity is larger and more decidedly interesting. A CRUISE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. 59 " "We found Algiers better fortified than either of the above- named places, but, owing to the depth of the water, ships of war are enabled to approach very near the harbor defenses, ren- dering them vulnerable to attack. The anchorage at all these places is dangerous, as ships are constantly exposed to northern gales. The Tunisians avoid this by mooring their ships in a lake which is connected with the sea by a canal ; but they are compelled to move them outside to take in provisions or fit them for sea, the depth of water in the lagoon not being more than six or seven feet. " We returned for the winter to Port Mahon, which is one of the best harbors in the world. The Spaniards gave us the free use of their navy yard, and we had every facility for refit- ting our ships. The men were permitted to go on shore here without any danger of their deserting or being maltreated. The inhabitants are kind-hearted, very partial to Americans, honest, clean, and faithful. " In the spring of 1818 the squadron made another cruise, visiting the same ports as in the previous year, but in different order, going by way of the African coast, where we remained a considerable time. There was a constant rivalry between the different vessels in regard to sailing and working ship. We had, undoubtedly, as smart a squadron as had ever been seen in those waters ; but our high state of discipline was acquired, as I have before remarked, at the expense of much severity and many heart-burnings. The Commodore and captains, with the exception of Shaw, who rather took sides with the younger offi- cers, were very arbitrary. The lieutenants and midshipmen sent home memorials, complaining of the conduct of these gen- tlemen. The appeal of the midshipmen was highly approved by the Navy Department ; but that of the lieutenants contained something like a threat if justice were not done them, and was disapproved by the Secretary. " The immediate cause of these remonstrances was the con- duct of one captain in striking the marine officer, and of another in striking a midshipman. When the latter demanded redress, he was immediately placed under arrest. A general court-mar- 60 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. tial was held on these four officers, the result of which was, that the captains were acquitted on all the charges, and complimented on having their swords returned to them ; while the marine officer and midshipman received a reprimand for their temerity ! This brought matters to such a pass that the situation was in- tolerable, and the juniors immediately memorialized Congress. From this period the powers assumed by the post captains were moderated, whereas before this event, with the exception of a question of life or death, the absolute authority which they assumed was but little inferior to that of the Czar of all the Kussias." CHAPTEK YIII. STUDY AOT) TEAVEL IN TUNIS. " In the autumn of 1817 Mr. Anderson, our Consul at Tunis, being desirous of returning to tlie United States, procured for our Chaplain, Mr. Charles Folsom, the appointment to that consulate. I received permission to accompany Mr. Folsom and remain with him for a short period, under circumstances which will be explained by the following letter : " « GiBBALTAE, Octoler U, 1817: " ' Sir : I beg leave to request that Midshipman Farragut may be permitted to reside with me during the winter at Tunis, and pursue his education under my care. The grounds of my request are the following : Mr. Farragut has been, almost from infancy, in the naval service, with exceedingly limited oppor- tunities of improving his mind. His prospects in life depend on his merits and abilities in a peculiar manner, as he is entirely destitute of the aids of fortune or the influence of friends, other than those whom his character may attach to him. " ' During his connection with this ship a favorable change has been observed in him. He has acquired a sense of charac- ter and a manly tone of thinking from which the best results are to be expected. His desire of cultivating his mind, which at first was feeble, has grown into an ardent zeal. His attention to his studies of late, the manner in which he has repaid my endeavors to advance his knowledge, his improving character, and his peculiar situation, have conspired to excite in me a strong interest in his welfare, and a wish to do all in my power to promote his education. At this critical period of his life, the opportunity he may enjoy with me may prove of incalculable advantage to him, while his conduct for some time past affords C2 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKEAGUT. a pledge that lie will not be disposed to abuse it. He sees that Mr. Ogden, bis constant companion in service, has been mani- festly benefited by a similar indulgence, and a generous ambi- tion makes bim unwilling to be surpassed by one witb whom he has formerly been put in competition. " ' This request is made with the greatest deference, on the supj^osition that the subject of it coincides with, rather than contradicts, the views of the Government with regard to young officers, and that it cannot be repugnant to the wishes of Captain Porter or any other patron of Mr. Farragut. " ' I feel assured, sir, that you will rightly appreciate my motives in making this application, and that, if it cannot be com]3lied with, it will be owing to the exigencies of the public service, and not to a want of disposition to do whatever may bid fair to be essentially serviceable to the young gentleman in question. " ' With the highest respect, " ' I am, sir, your obedient servant, " ' Chakles Folsom. " * Commodore Chatjncey, " ' United States ship Washington.' " In the following month of !N"ovember, Mr. Folsom and I took passage on board the sloop Erie for Marseilles, where we arrived after a pleasant run. We lay snugly inside the mole at that place for ten days, during which I went sight-seeing and also passed much of my time very agreeably in society. I be- came acquainted with the families of Messrs. Fitch & Mont- gomery, the most extensive American house in Marseilles at that day. " I had a rather disagreeable affair on the occasion of a din- ner party at Mr. Fitch's. I was obliged to play whist in the evening, much against my inclination, for I had no fondness for cards. Kot getting along very well with my hand, the party showed great impatience, and I thought were rather insulting in their remarks. One individual went so far as to dash his cards on the table in derision of my play, when I returned the compliment by throwing them at his head. I apologized to Mr. STUDY AND TRAVEL IN TUNIS. 63 Fitch and retired, much mortified at being compelled to violate the proprieties of the occasion and the feelings of my host, but my temper had been sorely tried. " From Marseilles we proceeded to Tunis. This city is situ- ated on a broad and beautiful plain, bounded in the distance by lofty mountains, at the mouth of the Mejerda, on the west side of an oval lagoon which is connected with the Bay of Tunis by a goUetta. It is surrounded by a double wall, the exterior one being about five miles in circuit, inclosing the suburbs, and pierced by four gates. The interior wall, which is higher, in- closes the city proper and has six gates. The harbor is defended by a castle which completely commands the golletta, and by several detached forts in other directions. As our ship ap- proached, the town became visible at a considerable distance, rising in long ranges of buildings of dazzling whiteness, present- ing a very striking and picturesque appearance. The impression thus made, however, is not sustained by a closer acquaintance. The streets are narrow and uneven, and the houses, which are generally brick or stone, present a very mean appearance on the outside. They consist of a single story, and the interior is in the form of a court with the apartments arranged around it, being much more attractive and often fitted up with great mag- nificence. Water is abundantly supplied, partly by an aqueduct from a neighboring spring, and partly from cisterns on the roofs of the houses, which collect the rain. The public buildings in- clude several mosques, adorned with fine marbles obtained at immense expense from ruins in the interior of the country. Tunis is three miles southwest of the site of Carthage, and de- rives additional interest from its proximity to that ancient seat of empire. " I resided in Tunis for nine months, pursuing my studies under Mr. Folsom, for whom I had formed a sincere attachment. I studied French, Italian, English literature, and mathematics. I found the society of the foreign consuls very agreeable ; par- ticularly the Danish consul, who extended to me a degree of hospitality and kindness that I shall never forget. His name was Gierlew. He had married the daughter of an English gen- 64 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. tleman named Eobinson. I passed some weeks at tlie residence of this worthy couple, which was built on the site of Carthage, and enjoyed many happy hours wandering about in the vicinity. There are few or no relics of the ancient city, however, except the cisterns. " I had been pursuing my studies closely for about three months, when I found my health failing from the confinement in-doors, and the doctor recommended a trip on horseback. A journey to the interior of the kingdom was accordingly arranged. The party consisted of the Danish and French consuls, Mr. Folsom, and myself, with a French servant and a guard of sol- diers, furnished with a passport from the Bey. "We set out on our tour, having with us a covered cart, drawn by mules, to carry our bedding and other baggage. The party all rode on horseback, except that we occasionally took turns in the vehicle when the sun was very hot. The principal point of our expedi- tion was to visit the ruins of a splendid piece of Roman archi- tecture near Susa, the whole district around which place " is famous in connection with Julius Caesar's African campaign. " The first day's travel brought us to the town of Toar, situ- ated on the side of a mountain of the same name, visible from Tunis, and from which Carthage was supplied with water by means of an aqueduct, the remains of which are still to be seen in detached fragments stretching across the plains between the ancient city and the mountain. The spring whence the supply was drawn is well up on the side of the mountain, near which are the remains of a temple to the Water I^ymphs. The stream rushes down through the main street of the village, and winds its way to the base of the hill. There was quite an animated scene in the vicinity when we arrived ; all the villagers seemed to be engaged in getting water for their various domestic uses, and kept up a lively chatter. " Our escort, which consisted of a few Mamelukes under command of an officer, who was armed with the Bey's passport for our party, had a very summary mode of conducting affairs on the route. When within a few miles of a town, one of the soldiers was sent ahead to prepare lodgings for the night. He STUDY AND TRAVEL IN TUNIS. 65 went to tlie Sheik, showed him the tiscara, or passport, and de- manded a house, with cooks and other servants. The Sheik generally replied that ' all was at his service.' The Mameluke made his selection forthwith, turned the occupants out of the place, and ordered clean mats spread and supper cooked, all of which was readily compKed with. On one occasion, when the meal had not been prepared exactly to our liking, the cook was called up by the oflScer and seized by the soldiers, who forthwith began to bastinado him ; but Mr. Folsom interfered and begged the poor fellow off. This summary mode of punishment was pursued throughout the journey, in consequence of which we foreigners expected to be murdered before we got back to Tunis, unless we returned by a different route. " We visited the towns on the sea-coast, and many of the villages in the interior of the kingdom. On the ninth day from Tunis we ascended rising ground, and saw in the distance, on an extensive plain that stretched out before us, the ruins of the splendid amphitheatre of El Jem. It towered above everything in the vicinity, and as we approached I discovered that the whole village was built from the crumbling fragments of the mighty ruin. " The day was one of the hottest I ever experienced. The cart would only accommodate three, and I being the youngest was compelled everlastingly to keep the saddle. I was protect- ed by a large straw hat on my head and another on my back, but despite all these precautions I received a stroke of the sun, which caused a partial paralysis of the tongue. For several hours I was unable to express myself or control my speech, and suffered severely from nausea. "We reached the house selected for our accommodation about sunset, ordered supper, and made arrangements for pass- ing the night. Although very much fatigued by our day's journey, having been constantly in the saddle, we felt a little nervous about sleeping in our new quarters, in consequence of the scowling faces of the inhabitants, who evidently looked upon us as so many ' sons of dogs ' — the epithet which they bestow on all Christians. Their deportment was not at all calculated GQ THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. to reassure us or add to our comfort, as it was quite evident that they were only restrained by fear of the Bey's vengeance, whose mandates were carried out in the most merciless manner by the Mamelukes. " When the supper came, it consisted of couscous, the princi; pal dish of the country, which is made of coarse-ground wheat, placed in an earthen pot, the bottom of which is filled with herbs. This is placed over another pot, in which beef and vegetables are boiled, and cooked by the steam. It is seasoned with saffron, pepper, and other condiments. Unfortunately the cook, in this instance, had upset the pepper-pot into the mess, so that it was almost impossible to eat it. The Captain of the guard ordered him into his presence, and compelled him to par- take of the mixture until he howled with anguish, and then deliberately upset the remainder on his head. " The next morning we made a thorough examination of the amphitheatre. It was about 400 feet in length, and over 300 feet in breadth, extending nearly east and west. There are three tiers of columns complete, and the pedestals for a fourth. Three corridors remain intact. The inclined plane on which seats were placed for the spectators was covered with Roman cement. But very few of the seats remain. The exterior of the structure consisted of hewn stones, three to five feet in length, and from two to three feet thick, with no sign of having been even cemented together. From many of the fragments of statuary, Mr. Folsom judged that this immense pile was built during the reign of the Gordians, but that is mere conjecture. All the statues that were found have their heads broken off. The natives seem to have some superstition in the matter, and consider it a religious duty to carry out this act of vandalism. " Being rather tired of carrying my gun around, I left it at our hut, but thought it prudent to keep my pistols in my pocket, as I had noticed a suspicious-looking Bedouin following me when I was strolling around the building alone, and on return- ing to join my companions I met the fellow, who, supposing that I was unarmed, ran toward me with an uplifted club, a weapon they all carry. When he came within a few feet I pre- STUDY AND TRAVEL IN TUNIS. Q^ sented botli pistols, and lie immediately turned and fled in tlie most cowardly manner. I mention this incident to show the willingness with which they would have destroyed our party if we had not been under the protection of the Bey's soldiers. On the route we frequently saw piles of stones, indicating the spot where some poor traveler had been waylaid and murdered. The custom of the country requires passers by each to cast a stone on the grave of the unfortunate, as a tribute of respect. " The Bedouins say there is a charm or sacred influence about the ruins of El Jem, and give as an evidence a statement that the hawk, pigeon, and other birds will roost together among the ruins without attempting to injure one another. I myself saw a pigeon-hawk sitting close beside a pigeon without evinc- ing the least sign of hostility. " On the evening of the second day after our arrival we started for the sea-shore, and hoped to reach the town of Mon- nestin by eight or nine o'clock a. m., but did not succeed in doing so until 4 p. m. "We were received with great kindness by the Sheik, who informed us that he had been in Europe and knew something of our customs. He provided us with a fine supper, and afterward joined our company, smoked his pipe, and drank his wine as freely as any Christian. He called the next day, and said he would give us a dinner in European style, at which he would be present. The Moors, in common with other Mohammedans, have their meats cut up, and eat with their fingers ; but on this occasion we had joints, and carved for ourselves. For the last course we had a variety of sweatmeats and excellent wine, our host remarking that we (meaning Euro- peans) were the only people who knew what good wine was, and that he therefore sent to France for his own supply. He drank a bottle, and four solid glasses of brandy, which seemed to have no bad effect on him. When we parted, he presented me with a gazelle. " Leaving our hospitable Sheik next morning, we changed our route to the eastward. About midday we arrived at a large village, and, to our astonishment, were greeted with all the vile epithets to be found in the Arabic language. The Captain 68 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. threatened tliem witli the bastinado ; but they hooted at him and threatened, on their part, to stone us all. We now preiDared for battle, and being well armed only awaited the orders of the Mameluke whom we regarded as our commander-in-chief. He proved himself worthy of our confidence, and, with his com- panions, stood firm and defied the mob, which became so large as to block up the narrow street. The Captain now addressed them, and declared that the first man who touched one of us should die on the spot, that their streets should flow with the blood of the inhabitants, and that the head of the Sheik should pay the forfeit for their disregard of the Bey's tiscara. This also was received with shouts of derision. Our leader now asked if we were all ready, which was promptly answered in the af- firmative. Then giving the command ' Forward ! ' sword in hand he led us through the street, the mob giving way to the right and left with shouts of scorn ; but not a blow was struck. The slightest wavering on the part of the soldiers would prob- ably have cost us our lives ; for, in their rage, they would scarce- ly have remembered the lesson taught by their late master, Sidi Mohammed, who, missing one of his hunters, sent an army and brought in all of the inhabitants, when he began bastinadoing and cutting off heads, until two individuals confessed that they had murdered the man for the trappings on his horse. " Passing through the village, we encamped a mile beyond, under a large olive-tree, but had scarcely finished our repast when a body of men was discovered approaching us. "We packed up our things, and prepared to meet them ; but it was soon apparent that their intentions were peaceable. The pro- cession was headed by an old man, who said that they came to ask forgiveness for the offense committed by their young men, that he was very old, and hoped, for the honor of his family, we would not be the cause of his ignominious death and the confiscation of their property. He implored so humbly that we, at least, gave way and told him we would pardon him, but that the first time we heard of a similar act of treachery we would enter our own complaint to the Bey. The Mamelukes yielded most reluctantly ; but the matter was finally settled and peace STUDY AND TEAVEL IN TUNIS. 69 ratified by our breaking bread witli the Arabs, in token of good faith. This ceremony consisted in our partaking of a large dish of cakes and honey with them. " In the course of a few days we arrived, about sunset, at the town of Sidi Soliman, on the west shore of the Bay of Tunis. We were astonished at the deserted appearance of the place. Hogs and cattle wandered through the streets, but all the houses were closed, and not a human being could be seen, far or near. The plague was on the land ! It was too desolate to permit our remaining, even for the night, so, fatigued and weary, we pushed on, though we had been eighteen hours in the saddle. Finally, human nature could stand it no longer, and we took possession of a fine house on the outskirts, and enjoyed a good rest in spite of our fears. The next day we arrived at Tunis. " After a few days' rest we set out for the ruins of the an- cient city of Utica. On the route we visited some of the Bey's palaces, which we found arranged with great taste and regard for convenience. We crossed the river Mejerda, a deep and rapid stream, by means of a scow, and soon arrived at the ruins of the city. There is but little left to indicate the locality. It is clear that the features of the surrounding country have com- pletely changed since Utica was in her glory, and there is every evidence that the sea has receded seven or eight miles, in con- sequence of which the very site of the city had been a matter of doubt among the savans until the time of Shaw. The old sea-wall, however, which is overgrown with plants, can be easily traced. The cisterns are in a better state of preservation than those of Carthage ; only six of these remain, and they measure 135 feet in length by about 20 feet in breadth. Their depth could not be ascertained, because of the accumulation of earth which had washed into them. There was nothing else worthy of note. " We visited the town of Porto Farma, where the Bey was spending a few days. This place is a rendezvous for small ves- sels engaged in the coral fishery. The deposits from the river Mejerda have completely closed the harbor, and the bay has be- come so shallow that only vessels drawing eight to ten feet could 70 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. enter where, witliin tlie recollection of many old inhabitants, ships of the line could once anchor. " The coral fishery is carried on by Neapolitans, and they have a small schooner of war on the coast for their protection. The Government of Naples pays a bonus to the Bey for the privilege. The coral is collected principally with a hook and line, that lying in the deep water having the rich, red color so much prized. " We sent a communication to the Bey, to say that it would afford us pleasure to pay our respects to him in person. He kindly and promptly appointed the next morning for our recep- tion. When we were ushered into his presence, we found his highness to be about the medium height, rather corpulent, and apparently about sixty-five years old. He was seated cross- legged on a low divan, and received us very graciously, waving an invitation to us to be seated also. He wore no ornament ex- cept a large diamond ring on his thumb, which some of us esti- mated to be worth about a thousand dollars. The conversation was about every-day affairs, easy and familiar, and we left feel- ing that we had been treated very courteously." CHAPTER IX. HIS RELATIONS WITH CHAKLES EOLSOM QUAR.iJSrTmED AT LEG- HOEN ADVENTURES AT PISA. If any apology were necessary for publishing the simple and somewhat fragmentary journal of this early portion of Admiral Farragut's life — ^beyond the fact that the public has always manifested an interest in the every-day doings of distinguished men — it might be found in the high expectations which even then his avidity for learning, keen observation, and almost precocious manhness excited in those who had charge of his education. Mr. Kichard B. Jones, United States Consul at Tripoli, writing to Mr. Folsom under date of January 20, 1818, said : " With regard to my young friend Farragut, if he will only apply steadily to useful purposes the talents with which he is so bountifully enriched, it must, with his amiable disposition and obliging manners, insure him the respect and esteem of all who know him, and place him, at some future period, high in the niche of fame." And four months later. May 15, 1818, the same correspon- dent, still writing to Mr. Folsom, said : "You will see by the papers forwarded to you, that the United States have taken possession of Amelia Island. We have also troops on the frontier of Florida. But we shall act on the defensive, unless compelled by self-defense to di'ive the Spaniards from that country. Our eight seventy-fours, tell the young Admiral, are to be finished without delay, as well as 72 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKKAGUT. some more frigates. Timber is getting ready for others, and every possible measure is being taken to place our navy on a respectable footing." When Farragut was in tbe full tide of fame acquired in our civil war, nearly half a century after the events thus far record- ed in this chapter, the following correspondence passed between him and Mr. Folsom : " Beookltn Nayy-Yaed, October 2, 1865. " My Dear Fkiend : I sent you by express a token of my respect and affection, which I beg you to accept as such. It will, I hope, be a pleasant reminiscence of our early association, as it sets forth two great epochs of our connection, as well as my poor brain could suggest and the skill of the artist could execute from such rough sketches as I could make, to indicate the desire of my heart to recall to your mind ihe beginning and the end of our eventful association. Although an artist does not think a picture should require its name to be written over it, still I fear the lack of genius in my sketches makes an expla- nation necessary. I have endeavored to portray our landing at Tunis in the United States ship Erie, you, as United States Con- sul, receiving the salute due your rank. You are accompanied in the boat by Midshipman Farragut, your humble servant. On the right can be seen Sidi Soloman and the ruins of Car- thage. In the sequel, the old Hartford is gracefully lying at anchor, bearing the flag of the Yice Admiral, commanded by another dear friend. Captain P. Drayton, who has just passed away. I surmounted the inscription to yourself with the crest which your research and devoted friendship exhumed from Spanish history as belonging to the name of Farragut. I had hoped to have made this an autograph letter ; but my eyes failed me, and I have been compelled to ask Mrs. Farragut's aid as an amanuensis. She joins me in warmest remembrances to you and yours. " Believe me, as ever, your sincere friend, " D. G. Faeeagut." HIS EELATIONS WITH CHARLES FOLSOM. 73 " Cambeidge, 9th October^ 1865. " My Deae Boy : Tour letter of the 4tli instant irresistibly carries me back, not unwillingly, to the time when — precisely on the 9th of October, 1818, at the Goletta — I strained you to my bosom, fervently kissing each cheek, as I gave you my part- ing blessing, mingled with my tears. I slowly returned across the dreary lake to my now cheerless home, weejDing and discon- solate, for its light seemed quite gone out. My earliest comfort came from the reflection that you were safe from the threatened evil, and I was next supported by a strong inward assurance that our past friendship, so pure and lovely, would in some way be blessed to you in your personal character and in your profes- sional career. " "With me, the things of these days have ever been ' laid up in my heart.' And now, what should be my joy and grati- tude that I live to see my early friend true, amid all the trials and vicissitudes of so many years, to the principles with which he then set out, a shining example of manly virtue, supremely blessed in all the relations of private life, conducted by Provi- dence to the highest pinnacle of his noble profession, and en- abled to plan and achieve what has secured to him undying renown in the history of his country and age ! " I was ever on my guard, my dear Farragut, against flatter- ing you when young, so easy was it for admiration and affection to slide into extravagant praise. Now, indeed, I may join my enthusiastic countrymen in their applauses for all you have ac- complished in your profession for the welfare of the nation ; for I, if any one has, have eagerly watched your perilous course with straining eyes and bated breath, and a nervous feeling of intimate personal concern. But my heart fondly turns rather to the man, whose first care it has been to deserve any success that might be vouchsafed to him; who, unaltered by actual success so marvelous, cherishes unabated and publicly avows old private regards ; and who has just sealed anew a friendship begun in days long distant, but not dim, by bestowing upon me and those dearest to me an inestimable and affecting memorial of his love. 74 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. " It is in truth a magnificent poem to ns, of most precious significance, and of interest as lasting as the nature of the senti- ments it embodies. It is worthy of you. It will at once be the admiration of many appreciative friends, and bring me, from all quarters, congratulations without envy. In its appeal to successive generations it will add to their aesthetic enjoyment the moral charm which, in the eyes of present beholders, so blends with and enhances its richness and its rare artistic beauty. " Yom- letter, so full of kindness, which followed it and wiU be inseparable from it, I shall not now attempt to reply to in detail, further than to say that it is doubly precious from the hand that traced it for you (for us, shall I not say ?), and that your happy idea in the storied vase has been most successfully carried out. Thus it furnishes the suggestion of many a dear reminiscence, and the text for many an interesting narrative, beginning in private and expanding into national annals. You have much increased its interest to me by the commemoration of your dear friend Captain Drayton, whom I had lately learned to regard for his own sake, and at his true and great worth. You must consider this letter as the first expression not only of my own feelings on this happy occasion, but, inadequately, of those of my wife and daughter, who most heartily reciprocate the very kind assurances of yourseK and Mrs. Farragut. " With gratitude, tenderness, and allowable pride, " Your sincere friend, "Chakles Folsom. *' Vice- Admiral Faeeagtit." The journal of 1818 continues : " By invitation of one of the superintendents, we visited the tunny fishery. The establishment is situated on a high part of the coast, near Cape Sidi. The nets extend from the cape westward about six miles ; they are placed in parallel Knes, with connecting cross-nets, forming apartments, apertures being left at certain points for the fish to pass through as they come up the Mediterranean. They are said to approach the land in one HIS KELATIONS WITH CHARLES FOLSOM. Y5 or two places only. We remained with the superintendent all night, and were very handsomely entertained, getting a good fish in the morning for breakfast. The * patron ' brought infor- mation that they had about four hundred fish in their nets, and one sword-fish ; so we embarked, and pulled off about a mile to the launches, which were riding by the nets while the small boats went in to drive the fish into the ' killing-room.' About twelve o'clock these boats closed up on this apartment on both sides, with a launch at either end. These launches were divided into five compartments, with four men in each, armed with short-handled hooks, while an exj)ert stood on the gunwale with a longer one. When the fish came to the surface, the experts caught them with great dexterity and hauled them toward the boats, within reach of the ' short hooks,' who pulled them into the launch.. All this was done with wonderful adroitness and rapidity, the man on the gunwale balancing himself without the least support. The fish were from three to five feet in length. During this exciting work the ' patron ' was in his boat, in the center of the net, encouraging the fishermen and occasionally throwing water over them in sport. The sword-fish was seen dashing through the crowd of tunnies, and occasionally running one of them through the body. His desperate efforts to escape from the net were of no avail, however, for, after the capture of over four hundred fish, the gentleman was carefully secured. He measured eight feet in length. " A short time after our return to Tunis the plague broke out. It was said to have been imported in a vessel from Algiers. The Christians barricaded their houses, and held no communi- cation with the outer world, except through the means of the Moorish domestics. The few who were obliged to go out to work nearly all died. I soon found the confinement extremely irksome ; for, though Mr. Folsom and I went out as usual, we were never admitted within the inner barricade. About the 1st of October, 1818, the Danish Consul resolved to leave the place with his family, and, as the deaths had increased to one hundred a day, I determined to accompany him to Leghorn in a Genoese brig which was about to sail for that port. We had a pleasant 76 • THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. trip as far as the island of Sardinia, wlien a gale arose which compelled us to seek the shelter of a small harbor in the Isle of Pines until the wind abated. " When off Corsica, I went on deck one evening and found to my surprise that we were very close in shore, the swell setting us toward a point of rocks, and the current carrying us rapidly along. * It was a dead calm, and all hands, including the Cap- tain, were asleep ! I directed him to be called, but was informed that he had left orders not to wake him. I soon turned him out, however, but, on regaining consciousness, he was so much alarmed that he was utterly powerless to do anything. I told Mr. Gierlew that, unless the boats were got out and the vessel towed off, we should be on shore in less than an hour. This alarmed him, and he gave the necessary orders, threatening to cut off the Captain's head if he refused to obey, which had the desired effect. The boats were soon out, and by hard labor we just cleared the point of rocks, while the ghastly devils on shore were looking down on us like vultures watching their prey, waiting anxiously, no doubt, to see us wrecked ; but, much to their chagrin, we passed safely out of their reach. All hands went to prayers to give thanks for their delivery. " Upon our arrival at Leghorn we had to submit to a quaran- tine of forty days, being sent to the third lazaretto and locked up separately for twenty days; then, by great influence, we reached the first, and were all kept together for the remainder of the time. The following correspondence took place between Mr. Folsom and myself at this period : " ' Lazaretto, LKanoEN, Snd November, 1818. " ' My Deah Sie : "We arrived here yesterday evening, after a passage of twenty days with a continual head wind. Tou know what patient people we are. Our passage was a pleasant one, but long. Through the influence of Mrs. Gierlew's friends we got on shore the first day, into the third lazaretto. It is more like a prison than any place I ever set my foot in before. How- ever, it must do for forty days, I suppose, though our term of quarantine has not been made known to us yet. QUARANTINED AT LEGHORN. Y7 " ' As for yom* dispatclies, tliey were broken open and smoked before I got on shore. You must know that it is impossible for these things to be attended to, as the letters must be delivered to the Captain of the vessel, and if we entered the lazaretto with a sealed letter, it would lengthen our quarantine. The ticket of Mr, Anderson I broke open and kept. There is no use in your tying dispatches with ribbon, because it is taken off im- mediately. " ' I addressed a note to Mr. Appleton with the dispatches, and I said you intended to wi'ite to him at the first opportunity. " ' On our passage we stopped at St. Peter's Island : it is in- habited by Tabaquines, and I scarcely knew I was out of Tunis. The town is miserable, and the people live by passing vessels. They were so afraid of us that, after they had supplied our wants, they ordered us to leave the place immediately, or they would fire into us. " ' We lay four days under Corsica, near the birthplace of J^apoleon, and we fished, etc., to pass the time. I gathered a couple of specimens of the herbs of that isle, which I here send you, tied with a fine piece of ribbon from yom' dispatches to Government. " ' We have been fortunate in arriving the day before the vessel sails for Tunis. The passages are longer this year than has been known before ; some ninety days from Constantinople ; forty and fifty from Alexandria. We all enjoy uncommon good health. There are no American vessels here at present. A corvette left here a week ago. " ' You can tell Mrs. Tulin that we arrived without the slightest accident on board, and also give them my respects ; say I shall deliver the flower-pot and otto of roses to Miss Bacri, but the letter, as I told you, was broken open and smoked with the rest, and I have no doubt it will be delivered. Give my respects to Knudsen and the French ladies. Mr. Eobinson has gone to Lisbon in a Portuguese frigate. " ' The Tuscan papers say that the English are expected off Genoa with an army to attack that place ; also that the English intend to evacuate Malta to the inhabitants. Fudge ! 78 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. ". ' My dear Sir, I have nothing more to say at present, but that we must be patient for forty days, and that I sincerely hope you keep a strict quarantine. Heaven deliver you from the plague, which we all think there is no doubt is in Tunis, and will rage there in a horrible manner. " ' I remain your affectionate and, I hope, well-beloved friend, "'D. G. Faekagut. '"To Chaeles Folsom, Esq., " ' Consul of the United States.' " ' Tuiris, November 4, 1818. " 'My Deak Faekagut: I wrote to you, October 18th, and inclosed my letter in one from Knudsen to Mrs. Gierlew, by way of Genoa. " ' I have lived much less pleasantly since you left me, partly because I am almost alone, and partly because the plague, with its attendant evils, increases daily. It is said that yesterday one hundred and seventy-five interments took place, which I am ready to believe, from the number seen from our house. " ' I am very impatient to hear the particulars of your voyage and of your situation in the lazaretto. Let me know where the squadron is when you write, what ship you join, and whatever you may suppose interesting to me. If you wish to hear from me, write frequently, that I may know whither to direct my letters. " * I have much to say to you, but not now. You are dear to me as a brother. Tour merit and happiness will always make me happy. If you should be unfortunate, I shall sympathize with you deeply ; if you prove less worthy than I have sup- posed, my grief and regret will be great indeed. " ' "When you leave the lazaretto, you may venture to buy the " Beauties of Shakespeare " and " Blair's Lectures on Ehe- toric." You will find them at the book magazine of Giuseppe Gamba, in the great street (Yia Ferdinando, No. 92). They are standard works, and will serve to form your taste. Hereafter I shaU have more to say to you on the subject of books and your studies. ADVENTURES AT PISA. 79 " ' If you receive your money in Leghorn, you had better pay the sum I am to receive to Mr. Appleton, taking his receipt and giving me notice. Kemember me to the officers of the Erie, and all acquaintances. Say to Mr. Atwood in particular, that I regret not having the pleasure to salute him in person when the squadi'on was here. Deliver the dozen of otto of roses to Dr. Montgomery, with the inclosed note. " ' Ambrose and your other friends desu-e to be remembered to you in the warmest manner. You cannot express in too earnest a manner, to Mr. and Mrs. Gierlew, my esteem and good wishes. " ' Whether you will hear from me often, will depend on yourself. God bless yoa, my dear boy, and enable us to meet again. " ' Tours, " ' Chaeles Folsom. " ' To Midshipman D. G. Faeeagut, " 'Lazaretto, Leghorn.' " After getting free from the discomforts of the lazaretto, Farragut went to Pisa, where the naval hospital was estabhshed. He there found Drs. Heap and Kilson and Lieutenants Cassin and Eay. It was during the gay season, and his time was passed very pleasantly. The Grand Duke of Tuscany was at Pisa with all his court ; and a great many visitors came to^ enjoy the fes- tivities. Farragut, who had already become an accomplished linguist, made many agreeable acquaintances among the Italian nobihty and English tourists. Of the latter were Admiral Hotham and his son. A very wealthy lady, the Countess Mar- tioni, gave a splendid ball to the Grand Duke, to which the American officers were invited. Farragut attended this brilhant entertainment, and remarks, with his usual frankness : " The servants were most gorgeously dressed, and everything was calculated to captivate the eye, but not much to gratify the appetite. We were shown into the supper-room prepared for the Duke and liis suite, and allowed to feast — our vision — on 80 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. the table. The entire service — dishes, forks, knife-handles even — was gold, and the changes on the side tables were of the same precious metal. We were permitted to walk around the table, and make our exit on the opposite side. " During the dancing I met with several little incidents, em- barrassing at the time to a youth of my age, but rather amusing when remembered afterward. At one time my shoe-buckle caught in the flounce of the Archduchess's dress. I kicked off the offending shoe with great elegance, and then knelt down and extricated it, with a suitable apology. Soon after this I trod on the Grand Duke's toe, and had to make another apology. Chagrined at my own awkwardness, I determined to retire, and looked around for my cocked hat, when I found that the Coun- tess Testa was using it for a foot-warmer ! I drew it to me rather unceremoniously, at which she remarked that I ' ought to feel myself highly complimented, and should not be offended.' To which I replied, ' Madam, it might be so considered in your country, but not in mine.' " About the 1st of December, hearing that the squadron had gone to Messina, Sicily, for the winter, Farragut, in company with Lieutenants Kay and Cassin, took passage for that place in an English schooner, and in due time reported for duty. He found Commodore Stewart in command. Commodore Chauncey having gone home in the Washington. The broad pennant was flying on board the FrankHn, 74, Captain Gallagher, to whom Farragut was appointed aid. The remainder of the winter was passed very pleasantly at Messina, with balls two or three times a week at the rooms of the American Consulate. During the afternoons they visited the arsenals, where the younger officers engaged in manly sports, in regard to which Farragut says, " I always held my own at all athletic exercises." CHAPTER X. HIS FIRST PEOMOTION A SUPPOSED PIRATE — ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. In the spring of 1819 he made another cruise in the Medi- terranean, in the Franklin, ending at Gibraltar. There, after much opposition, he was appointed an acting lieutenant on the brig Shark. In referring to his promotion, he says : " One of the important events of my life was obtaining an acting lieutenancy when but little over eighteen years of age. This caused me to feel that I was now associated with men, on an equality, and must act with more circumspection. When I became First Lieutenant, my duties were still more important ; for, in truth, I was really commander of the vessel, and yet I was not responsible — an anomalous position, which has spoiled some of our best officers. I consider it a great advantage to obtain command young, having observed, as a general thing, that persons who come into authority late in life shrink from responsibility, and often break down under its weight." The Shark sailed for Malta, and when off that island she ran an exciting race with the English packet brig Pigeon, bearing the news of the death of George III., and beating her in sight of a large concourse of people on shore. Rejoining the squad- ron, the Shark continued in company with the Franklin until parted during a heavy gale en route to Port Mahon. The latter pai-t of the winter was spent at Messina, and Commodore Stewart returned to the United States. While the Shark was at anchor in the harbor at Mahon, in the spring of 1820, Captain War- rington arrived with the Guerriere, bringing news that Commo- dore Bainbridge had come out to take command. On this Far- 82 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. ragiit remarks, " It was high, time, as things had become a little mixed." He was now ordered home for his examination, and asked permission to return in the Guerriere ; bnt finding, on his ar- rival at Gibraltar, that her destination was changed to the coast of Africa, he took passage in the America, a merchantman. He was accompanied by a young gentleman named Seaton, brother to one of the lieutenants, and two invalided sailors from the squadron. When within a few days' sail of the United States coast, they fell in with a Colombian brig of war, which appears to have given the merchant captain and crew a pretty good scare. Farragut says : " It was perfectly calm. The stranger used his sweeps, and came up with us about 5 p. m. We took him for a pirate, and our Captain was so much alarmed that I assumed command, mustered the crew, and asked them if they would defend the ship. I had determined to compel the enemy, or ' pirate,' if possible, to sink us, rather than allow ourselves to be captured and reserved for some worse fate. " I was impressed, on this occasion, with the difference be- tween men-of-war's men and merchant men. The latter seemed to be very much alarmed at the idea of resistance, although they had no hope of mercy by surrendering ; while the former yield- ed instantly to my better judgment, and expressed their willing- ness to obey orders. Men trained to arms will never fail, if properly led. " By this time the brig was quite near us, and hailed us in Spanish. We made arrangements to sink the boat which they proposed to send alongside ; but, when she reached us, I asked the officer if he came as a friend, to which he replied in good English, ' Yes.' I told him to leave his arms in the boat, which he did, and came on board. He proved to be a Mr. Smith, of Baltimore, and offered to supply us with anything of which we stood in need. We took charge of letters for him. " I have referred to this incident to remark how easily men may defend themselves against pirates, if they do not become A SUPPOSED PIRATE. 83 panic-stricken at tlie beginning. We liad a grindstone and a barrel of tar ready to sink the boat, and the example of the ' blue-jackets ' had infused a new spirit into the crew, until they all appeared willing to fight to the last extremity. The Captain and the mates had entreated me, at first, to take off my uniform, thinking it would more certainly bring down on us the vengeance of the supposed ' pirate,' but I emphatically refused." When we consider that it was a boy of eighteen, orphaned at an early age, and thrown upon his own resom'ces, who ac- comphshed this feat of assuming command of a vessel in which he was a passenger, infusing a martial spirit into the crew of a merchantman in actual contemplation of an immediate battle, and preparing for a skillful and gallant defense against a sup- posed pirate, we can then see that the Admhal of after years was not made such in a day, or by the mere exigencies of the civil war, but was born for it and trained for it through a long experience. The America arrived at Washington, without further inci- dent, on the 20th of Kovember, 1820. Farragut says : " I was a stranger in my native land, knowing no one but Commodore Porter and his family. I was ordered to 'New York for my examination, and went in much trepidation, for this was only the second examination which had been held in our naval service, and we had very little information as to what course would be pursued by the Board. I felt qualified in seamanship, but doubtful as to mathematics." It appears that Farragut did not pass his examination so well as to satisfy his own ambition, and the disappointment brought on a temporary fit of doubt and gloom. As soon as the trial was over he went to Norfolk, where he had always been kindly treated, and, not being naturally despondent, he soon recovered his buoyancy, and fell in love with a charming young lady. In May, 1822, he was ordered to sea in the sloop of war John Adams, which sailed for Charleston, South Carolina, where in 84 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. June she received on board the Hon. Joel E. Poinsett, United States Minister to Mexico, and Mr. Dodd for Guatemala. Sail- ing for Porto Rico, by some mistake of the pilot the ship ran into a dangerous bay of Santo Domingo, where she was very nearly lost. On the way to Vera Cruz she gave chase to a brig which had been mistaken for a pirate — not an unusual occur- rence at that time, as the Caribbean Sea was swarming with them. Farragut was sent in a boat to board the stranger, and the service nearly cost him his life, as the cutter in which he went was almost smashed to pieces alongside. She proved to be a Spanish man-of-war. Mr. Poinsett was landed at Yera Craz, which was then in possession of the Mexican party. The last foothold of Spain in her immense North American provinces was the strong fortress of San Juan de UUoa, at that time in the possession of her troops. Santa Anna had recently captured the city, and been promoted to the rank of Brigadier General for his success. After landing Mr. Poinsett, the John Adams moved down to the island of Sacrificios. In speaking of the Mexican hero, Farragut says : " I diHed with Santa Anna, in company with Mr. Poinsett. He was a young, good-looking fellow of five-and-twenty, and spoke in the most enthusiastic terms of Iturbide, the Emperor." Iturbide had just commenced his brief reign in the month of May, 1822, and such was the general prepossession in his favor, as one to whom the independence of the nation was chiefly due, that, with judicious management, he might have made peace with all his political enemies and consolidated the government under his own administration ; but he proved himself unfit for power. He interfered forcibly with the rights of Congress, defied its authority, and, within a few months after his accession to the throne, dissolved that body, substituting an assembly of his own selection. Disaffection spread rapidly, and soon broke into open revolt. Gaza, in the north, Santa Anna, who was Governor of Vera Cruz, and other notabilities, headed the insurrection. The Emperor was forced to succumb, and in March, 1823, abdicated the throne and fled the country. This unfortunate man returned ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 85 to Mexico in July, 1824:, probably with the hope of restoring his fallen fortunes. He was recognized, taken prisoner, and delivered, by order of General Gaza, to the authorities of the Province of Tamaulipas. In pursuance of a previous legislative decree, he was shot on the 19th of the same month. Mr. Poinsett proceeded on his journey to the City of Mexico, and the John Adams sailed for Tampico, taking on board some specie and an old Spaniard who had been nineteen years engaged in surveying the coast. During this cruise Farragut gained a knowledge of the treacherous Gulf coast which proved of great service to him in after-life. Describing his first experience of a norther, off Tampico, he says : " We fell in with a New York schooner, the master of which was an old trader. Captain Renshaw sent me to bring him on board the Adams. At that time there was every indication of good weather, a clear day and a dead calm. As the old Captain came over the gangway a slight air from the north struck the ship, and he instantly remarked, ' I must go back to my vessel ; this is a norther.' I had scarcely time to take him to the schooner and return to our ship, when the gale burst upon us in all its fury. Such is the suddenness of these terrible storms, the approach of which none but the most experienced can detect. " After the storm the Captain determined to land an officer on the coast, to communicate with Mr. Poinsett and inform him that the Adams was in the offing. I was selected for this duty. The boat landed me at what was supposed to be a safe place, a 'Yigia,' or lookout station for pilots. I was dressed in sum- mer clothes, except my uniform coat and cocked hat, had five doubloons in my pocket, and was armed with that foraiidable weapon, a midshipman's dirk-sword. We had scarcely lauded when the weather changed, and the boat had some difficulty in returning to the ship. An old Mexican met us on the beach, and the following conversation took place between him and myseK : 86 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. " F. — How far is it to Tampico ? " Mex. — Three leagues. " F. — Have you a horse ? " Mex. — Si, Senor — ^yes, sir. " F. — Can you give me a guide % " Mex. — Follow the beach. " F. — How much for the horse % " Mex. — Dos pesos — two dollars. " F. — Bring him along. " The old fellow disappeared, and soon returned with a fine animal, nicely equipped with a native saddle covered with soft skins — a bed for the rider when necessary. I paid my ' dos pesos,' took leave of my shipmates, and started for Tampico. " In about an hour it came on to blow and rain furiously — in fact, another norther. I, however, reached the Tampico Kiver, but to my dismay found there was not a single habitation on my side of the stream. I shouted for some time, but the roaring of the surf and howling of the storm prevented any response reaching me ; so, wearied out and cold, I spread my recamno and prepared to pass a wretched night on the ground. About nine o'clock I heard the splash of oars, and called, "'Who's there?' " ' Friends,' was the reply, ' I thought you wanted to cross.' " ' So I do.' " ' Then come on. The weather is not very inviting to stay here.' " They directed me to turn the horse loose, as he would find his own way home, and to bring the saddle with me. " When I reached the other side, I found myself in a village of pilots and smugglers. I was ushered into the presence of the head man, ' Mata,' who asked my business. I informed him that I belonged to the ship of war lying off the coast, and wished him to send a pilot when she appeared off the bar. " ' Yery well,' said he. ' What else ? ' " * I wish to go to Tampico.' "'What! to-night?' "'Yes.' ADVEFTURES IN MEXICO. 87 " ' I'll see if I can find any one fool enougli to accompany you.' " During this conversation I saw many inquisitive faces thrust in at the door to take a look at me. At length I was told that a fool had been found, and that he and the horses would be ready in half an hour. In the mean time I inspected my companion, and I must confess I was not greatly reassured by his personal appearance. I felt that I was among a lot of cut- throats, who were probably making plans to rob and murder me. " At 10 p. M. the horses were brought up, and, after assuring Mata that I would pay the guide the whole amount due for the horses and himself on my arrival at Pueblo Yiejo, as old Tampico is called in Spanish, I set off on one of the most miserable rides I ever took in my life. The distance was nine miles, through forests of prickly pear and swamps. Every now and then the guide would turn his horse around with great celerity, utter some oath or imprecation on himseK for losing the way, and then try a new route. He did this at least a dozen times, and every time he made the movement I drew my dirk and put myseK on the defense, supposing that he had now arrived at a suitable place to rob and murder me. I could only distinguish him through the darkness by his white clothing. Finally he called to me to let go the reins and allow the horse to pick his own way along, or I would get my neck broken. It was ap- parent that- we were descending a hill through a thick chaparral, and several times my cocked hat narrowly escaped being knocked off and lost. I know certainly that the lace and cockade were torn off. The horse would occasionally settle upon his haunches and slide fifteen or twenty feet before he could recover his foot- ing. " At last, much to my relief, we saw the welcome lights of the village, and my guide informed me that our fatigue of the night would soon be repaid by ' tortillas ' and coffee. As it was one o'clock a. m., however, I was satisfied with getting to bed and resting my wearied limbs. " I found, the next day, that Mr. Poinsett had not arrived 88 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. from the City of Mexico, but had sent down thirty Americans, released from the prisons of that place through his influence, with orders for me to put them on board the Adams. I accord- ingly set off with them in canoes for the bar, where we soon arrived ; but the sea was breaking so heavily that it was impos- sible to cross. The ship was signaled farther down the beach, and we finally embarked with safety. " I had experienced a good deal of concern the night before from the consciousness of being in a rather helpless condition in case of danger ; so when I was ordered to Tampico again, to await the anival of Mr. Poinsett, I provided myself with a sword and pistols. " During my sojourn at Pueblo Yiejo I amused myseK attend- ing the fandangoes and parties given by the kind-hearted inhabi- tants. The norther raged without, but I had very little diffi- culty in making myself comfortable within. At the hospitable mansions of the Tampicans I acquired a considerable knowledge of the Spanish language, and I had also a fine opportunity of improving my horsemanship in my long rides to the most ele- vated highlands along the coast, to keep a lookout for our ship. It was at least fifteen days before she hove in sight, as our cap- tain was a very careful navigator. " Mr. Poinsett arrived during the second week, accompanied by Dennis A. Smith, of Baltimore, and several other Ameri- cans who had been released from the prisons. We went down to the bar, and found, to our disappointment, that a heavy fog had set in and the ship had not been seen since morning. We knew that all hands on board had been suffer- ing for want of bread, and Mr. Poinsett had caused a quantity to be baked at Tampico, which we had with us when we reached the pilot station. " The following conversation took place between Mr. Poin- sett and Mata. The surf on the bar was running very high, and we all thought it impossible to pass over. So it would have been with any other boats except the native launches, which are large, buoyant, and well adapted for this kind of service. ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 89 " Mr, Poinsett— Koidi, will you take us out to the ship in the offing ? " Mata. — I will take you over the bar to the ship, if she can be found. " Mr, P. — "What will you charge ? " M. — I will take you over the bar, pull until sunset, and, if I can find the ship, put you on board. You shall give me one hundred and fifty pesos. If I can not find her, I will return and land you, and you shall give me one hundred and fifty pesos. To-morrow morning take you out again, and go accord- ing to the same agreement until we put you on board or you get tired of attejnpting it. " Mr. P. — It is a bargain. " One of the party, who thought that Mr. Poinsett accepted the terms too readily, and who felt some timidity at the under- taking, asked if he had not some consideration for the Hves of others. Mr. Poinsett replied : " ' ISTonsense ! Kever put yourself to the trouble of arguing with a man who has you in his power. Have you any other means of getting on board except by this man's boats \ ' "'No.' " ' Then you must pay his price, and I think it is quite rea- sonable. As for the danger, when a man whose profession it is is willing to run the risk, you should not hesitate to go.' " This ended the conversation, and we soon embarked. The breakers were terrible ; but the launch rose beautifully, and shipped but a few gallons of water. After pulling awhile, to our great joy we heard a gun fired from the northeast, which was answered on our part by a pistol-shot. Muskets were then fired from the ship at regular intervals, and, guided by the sound, we soon reached the Adams, to the inexpressible satisfac- tion of all on board, as they had been on half a biscuit a day and short allowance of everything else." Shortly after this rough experience on the Mexican coast, the John Adams returned to Norfolk, where she arrived about the first of December. Here Farragut found the Mosquito fleet of 90 . THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. Commodore Porter fitting out for sea to cruise against the pirates in the "West Indies. Anxious for service, and influenced probably by a desire to be once more under his old commander, he sought and obtained orders to the Greyhound, commanded by Lieutenant John Porter, a brother of the Commodore. After a severe winter, passed in fitting out, the fleet put to sea on the 12th of February, 1823, in a northeasterly gale. CHAPTEE XI. A CEUISE IN THE WEST INDIES AGAINST THE PIEATE8 — HIS FIRST COMMAND YELLOW FEVER. The cruise on whicli the young sailor was now bound proved to be one of stirring adventure and uncommon hardships. It is memorable in the history of our navy in connection with a sub- sequent act of great injustice to Commodore Porter, who was deprived of his command, rudely ordered home, and court- martialed, for resenting an insult to his flag and an outrage on his officers at the port of Faxardo, in the island of Porto Rico. The true history of this affair has been clearly and fairly set forth in previous publications, especially in the life of the Commodore by his son. Admiral D. D. Porter (Albany, 1875), and the vin- dication of his conduct is complete and triumphant. In his account of this cruise Farragut says : " I obtained orders to the Greyhound, Captain Porter, brother of Commodore Porter. After a most severe winter, we sailed on the 12th of February, 1823, in a northeast gale. We had not a single officer on board who had ever sailed before in a schooner, except myself, and I only for a short time; but I found the little experience which I had of the utmost impor- tance to me. It blew so heavily that we were compelled to take in all sail for an hour or two, and run under bare poles, until all the vessels had reefed their sails and made everything snug for the night. We used no great precautions on our vessel, however, only taking two reefs in the mainsail and square sail, thus having more sail on her than seemed prudent under the circumstances. At any rate, she dashed away from the squadron like a flying-fish skipping from sea to sea. Our Captain sat aft, perfectly composed, not. seeming to notice that the vessel was 7 92 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. over-pressed, and when I reminded him that ' she did not rise to the sea,' he replied, ' If she can't carry the sail, let her drag it.' Although the situation of the schooner was dangerous, it was truly ridiculous to see the Captain sitting on one side of the trunk, wrapped up in his cloak, and the First Lieutenant sitting on the other, bundled up, with an umbrella over his head. We soon ran the squadron out of sight, and I never expected to see daylight again ; but, much to my relief, the Captain went below about eight o'clock, leaving orders for me to look out for the vessel, and make or shorten sail according to my judgment. I soon got her under the foresail, and she scudded through the gale like a duck." The Greyhound arrived at the Mona Passage (the channel between Hayti and Porto Rico) in twelve days. While running along under her square sail, she discovered an English squadron, consisting of a frigate, a sloop, and a bidg. The frigate made signal to the brig, when she hauled out of line and fired a shot to bring the Greyhound to. Farragut says : . " There was much dispute on board our vessel as to whether the gun was shotted. We went to quarters, and the Captain gave orders if she fired again to return it without further com- mand. Sure enough, a second gun was fired, when Porter said, ' Fire ! but don't hit her.' The brig, which mounted twenty guns, was now within musket range. Her officers were all on the poop-deck, and the shot from our long gun passed over in close proximity to their heads. When it is remembered that our schooner was of eighty-five tons, and mounted one long gun and two 18-pounders, it seems rather a saucy proceeding on our part. " The English Captain, who was a noble fellow, slapped his hand on his thigh, and remarked that ' none but a Yankee would have done that,' and, instead of sinking us, hailed and asked who we were. The reply was, ' A United States vessel of war.' He then said he regretted the mistake he had made in firing the second gun, and would send a boat with an officer to ex- CRUISE IN THE WEST INDIES AGAINST PIRATES. 93 plain matters. It was amusing to see how furious the crews were. "When the English Captain heard that our Captain was sick, he sent his boat back with some fruit, and the coxswain who handed it over the side remarked, ' Here is some fruit for the shot you sent us.' Our boatswain's mate, who received it, replied, ' We have a gun apiece for you, and are always ready to fight or eat with you.' " We learned that the little Mosquito fleet was to windward, and that night we all ran into Porto Rico. A very sad affair occurred while we were lying here. The Fox was fired into from one of the forts, as she was entering the harbor of San Juan, and her commander, Lieutenant Cocke, was mortally wounded. It was a most provoking act, and the only excuse given by the Spanish authorities was the suspicion against all small armed vessels, excited by the filibustering expedition fitted out in the United States the year previous, to revolutionize Porto Rico, which, it was said, had entered the harbor of St. Bartholomew with the American flag flying. The English Admiral sent his surgeon on board to attend Lieutenant Cocke, who soon died, and all the English officers attended his funeral. Strong remonstrance was made by Commodore Porter in regard to this act, and apologetic explanations were received. "After watering and provisioning at Aguadilla, where the squadron rendezvoused, the whole fleet sailed for Key West, taking different courses to look out for pirates, as they were now on piratical ground. The Greyhound, Ferret, Weasel, Henly, and Kenna took the southern route, looking into all the nooks and corners on the south side of Santo Domingo and Cuba. A close examination was made of Cape San Antonio, which was said to be one of their favorite haunts ; but only a few fishermen were found, ' poor, innocent-looking fellows,' but true pirates when the occasion served them. " On the arrival at Key West many changes were made, with better preparations for boat expeditions. Captain Law- rence Kearny, who had distinguished himself in conquering the Greek pirates of the Mediterranean, took command of our 94 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. schooner. Some of the barges fitted out crossed the Gulf to the coast of Cuba, and rendered efficient service. Lieutenant "Watson, with the barges Gallinipper and Mosquito, thirty-one men and officers, captured a piratical schooner of sixty tons, carrying a 9-pounder and sixty men. She lay off the bay of Escondida, and was commanded by one of the most blood-thirsty pirates on the coast, who was known by the sobriquet of Dio hlito, ' little devil,' probably on account of his many atrocities. The boats bore down on the pirates in fine style, directly before the wind, with orders to board. The schooner lay in about six feet of water. As soon as Diablito thought the barges were near enough, he told his men he would annihilate them, and fired his 9-pounder, which was loaded up to the muzzle with grape. Yery little damage was done, however, excejDt cutting away some of the oars. The pirates soon discovered their ina- bility to stop the progress of our men ; the cry among them was Sauve qui peut ! and they jumped into the sea indiscriminately and made for the shore. "The schooner was boarded and captured by one of the barges, without a struggle, while the other rowed in shore among the fugitives and cut them to pieces right and left, until all opposition ceased. Diablito was in the act of escaping when the Spanish pilot recognized him and asked ]3ermission to shoot him. The pirate chief fell pierced through the head. It was supposed that about forty were killed. "A few days after this occurrence, Stribling, with two barges, fell in with Domingo, another noted pirate. He was of a different stripe from Diablito ; there was something chivaMc about the feUow, for on one occasion he sent us all our letters, which he had intercepted, with a message to the effect that ' we were a gallant set of fellows, and he had no wish to keep us out of oui* letters ; but that he would retain the miniature of Lieu- tenant G.'s wife, in case he should meet the original. He thought if she looked like the picture he would make love to her.' " Commander Stribling chased Domingo two hours, and told me that the pirates pulled their schooner with their long sweeps CKUISE m THE WEST INDIES AGAINST PIRATES. 95 about as fast as he could get on with his oars, keeping up a con- stant fire until they neared the shore, and then jumped over the bows as our sailors boarded at the stern, Domingo was wounded in the arm, one man was killed, and one was taken prisoner ; the rest escaped. The schooner proved to be a well-known pilot-boat from Norfolk, called the Pilot. They had mounted a long pivot-gun on her. "The Greyhound went down again to the south side of Cuba, as we had heard of the successes of the English in that quarter, and also of their defeat near Porto Rico, Cruising all through the Jardines and around the Isle of Pines, we kept a watchful eye on the coast, but nothing occurred until one day when we were anchored off Cape Cruz, in company with the Beagle, J. T. E"ewton commanding, Kearny and Kewton went on shore in one of the boats to see if there was any game in the neighborhood. The boat's crew were armed as usual, and had been on shore but a short time when a man suddenly crossed their path. From his suspicious appearance, one of the sailors, named McCabe, leveled his gun at the stranger, and was about to pull the trigger when his arm was arrested by Kearny, who asked what he was aiming at. " ' A d d pirate, sir,' was the response. " ' How do you know ? ' " ' By his rig,' said the man promptly. " By this time the fellow had disappeared ; but our party had scarcely taken their seats in the boat, in readiness to shove off, when they received a full volley of musketry from the dense woods or chaparral. The fire was retiu'ued as soon as possible, but with no effect, as far as could be ascertained, the pirates being well concealed behind the bushes. On board the Greyhound we could hear the firing, but could render no assist- ance, as Captain Kearny had the only available boat belonging to the vessel. The Captain reached us at dark, related his adventure, and ordered me to be in readiness to land with a party at three o'clock the next morning. " The schooner was to warp up inside the rocks, to cover the attacking party. I landed, accompanied by Mr. Harrison, of the 96 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. Beagle, the marines of both vessels, aniountmg to twelve men, and the stewards and boys, making in all a force of seventeen. We had orders to keep back from the beach, that we might not be mistaken for pirates and receive the fire of the vessels. We were all ignorant of the topography of the coast, and when we landed found ourselves on a naiTow strip of land covered with a thick and almost impassable chaparral, separated from the main land by a lagoon. With great difficulty we made our way through marsh and bramble, clearing a passage with cutlasses, till we reached the mouth of the lagoon. We were compelled to show ourselves on the beach at this point, and narrowly escaped being fired upon from the Greyhound, but, luckily, covered with mud as I was, the Captain with his glass made out my epaulette, and immediately sent boats to transport us across to the eastern shore. " We found the country there very rocky, and the rock was honeycombed and had the appearance of iron, with sharp edges. The men from the Beagle joined us, which increased my force to about forty men. The Captain, in the mean time, wishing to be certain as to the character of the men who had fired on him the previous evening, pulled boldly up again in his boat, with a flag flying. Scarcely was he within musket-range when, from under the bluffs of the Cape, he received a volley of musketry and a discharge from a 4-pounder swivel. There was no longer any doubt in the matter, and, considering that the enemy had too large a force to imperil his whole command on shore, the Cap- tain decided to reembark all but my original detachment, and I was ordered to attack the pirates in rear while the schooners attacked them in front. The pirates had no idea that our ves- sels could get near enough to reach them, but in this they were mistaken; for, by pulling along among the rocks, our people were soon able to bring their guns to bear on the bluffs, which caused a scattering among them. " My party all this time was struggling through the thicket 'that covered the rocks, the long, sharp thorns of the cactus giv- ing us a great deal of trouble. Then there was a scrubby thorn bush, so thick as almost to shut out the air, rendering it next to OEUISE IN THE WEST INDIES AGAINST PIRATES. 97 impossible to get along any faster than we could hew onr way with the cutlasses. The heat had become so intense that Lieu- tenant Somerville, who had accompanied us, fainted. Our progress was so slow that by the time the beach was reached the pirates were out of sight. Now and then a fellow would be seen in full run, and apparently fall down and disappear from view. "We caught one old man in this difficult chase. Our surprise was very great, on returning to make an examination of the place lately vacated by the pirates, to find that they had several houses, from fifty to one hundred feet long, concealed from view, and a dozen boats and all the necessary apparatus for turtling and fishing as well as for pirating. An immense cave was discovered, filled with plunder of various kinds, in- cluding many articles marked with English labels, with sad- dles, and costumes worn by the higher classes of Spanish peasantry. In the vicinity were found several of these caves, in which a thousand men might have concealed themselves and held a strong position against a largely superior force. We contented ourselves with burning their houses and carry- ing off the plunder, cannon, etc., and returned to the vessel. The old man, who had every appearance of being a leper, was allowed to go. " My only prize on this occasion was a large, black monkey, which I took in single combat. He bit me through the arm, but had to surrender at discretion. " In our first march through the swamp our shoes became much softened, and in the last many were completely cut from the feet of the men. Fortunately for myself, I had put on a pair of pegged negro brogans, and got along pretty well, while some of my comrades suffered severely. One of the officers lost his shoe in the swamp ; and one of the men, in endeavoring to recover it, was mired in a most ludicrous manner — one arm and one leg in the mud, and one arm and one leg in the air. No- thing could exceed the ridiculous appearance we made when we got to the shore. My pantaloons were glued to my legs, my jacket was torn to shreds, and I was loaded with mud. The men under Somerville saluted me as their commander ; but the 98 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. sight was too mucli for all hands, and there was a general burst of laughter. " Another ridiculous incident of the expedition may as well be mentioned. When we had advanced about half a mile into the thicket I ordered a halt, to await the preconcerted signal- gun from the schooner to push forward as rapidly as possible. At this moment I heard a great noise in our rear, and it oc- cmTcd to me that the pirates might be behind us in force. In forming my men to receive the attack from that direction, I made a most animated speech, encouraging them to fight bravely, but had scarcely concluded my harangue when, to my great relief, it was discovered that the noise proceeded from about ten thousand land-crabs making their way through the briars ! " After this adventure they visited different ports in the island, continuing the craise until the provisions ran short, when they returned to Key West. At this time other changes took place in the squadron : Lieutenant Eousseau, Farragut's brother Wil- liam, whom he had not seen for thirteen years, and several mid- shipmen from Kew Orleans joined. Farragut was made execu- tive officer of the steamer Seagull, bearing the broad pennant of Commodore Porter. This vessel engaged in a short cruise, examining the reefs and shoals of the Gulf. On the day of her return to Key West the yellow fever broke out. The journal says: " Midshipman Marshall, of Kentucky, was the first victim, and many other fine fellows followed him. The disease was of a very malignant type, and medical skill (of which we had the best in the service) seemed to avail but little. On the Seagull we lost but two cases, although few escaped the disease. I was so fortunate for the time being. We found it went hardest with those who had been sent in the barges, which was supposed to be the result of sleeping in the open air ; but this theory did not apply to all cases, for on board the Greyhound we all slept on deck. For myself, I never owned a bed during my two CRUISE IN THE WEST INDIES AGAINST PIRATES. 99 years and a half in the West Indies, but lay down to rest wher- ever I found the most comfoi'table berth." Twenty-three out of the twenty-five ofiicers who were at- tacked by the fever died, and the men suffered in the same pro- portion. The Commodore was left so much enfeebled by the disease that he determined to return home. The Seagull arrived at l^orfolk after a tempestuous voyage of forty-three days, and all hands were glad to be once more in the region, for they were well-nigh starved at Key West. An anecdote is told of one of the surgeons who was met one morning walking on the beach, reading the " Pleasures of Hope," with the skull of a turtle in his hand. "Ah!" said he, "what a noble mess this fellow would have made ! " Farragut sailed again for the West Indies, and mentions a delightful visit to the Windward Islands. He passed some time at St. Kitts and St. Bartholomew, and ran down to the south side of Porto Rico and Santo Domingo. He also visited the port of Santiago de Cuba. The Seagull met a Colombian man- of-war with an American prize that was sailing under a sea-letter which the Colombian said was false, declaring that she was in reality Spanish property. Captain Yoorhees, after considering the matter, determined to take her, and did so, sending her to Norfolk in charge of Lieutenant Brown. The vessel turned out to be a hona fide American, and Farragut remarks that " this case shows the necessity of officials signing their names distinct- ly. The naval officer's name was on the papers, but no one in our ship could make it out, or discover, in fact, whether it was a signature at all." When off the Tortugas, Farragut obtained leave of absence for one month, to visit his friends in New Orleans, whom he had not seen in many years. During his absence, his father had died on his plantation. The vessel in which he took passage carried the first load of bricks for building Fort Jack- son, one of the defenses of New Orleans which he ran by in his first famous achievement in the civil war, nearly forty years later. 100 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. " I went to see my sister, and got into conversation with her about myself. I told her I had seen her brother recently. After about an hour, she invited me to the house, where the lady with whom she lived pronounced me her brother, and I pleaded guilty. " I set out in a miserable little brig for Key West again, and arrived there just in time to hit a vacancy occasioned by the return of Lieutenant Duncan of the Ferret, then in Matanzas. But I had great difficulty in obtaining the command ; for al- though Commodore Porter had established the rule in his squadron that all promotions should go by seniority in date of warrant, and not by number in passing, and we had tacitly agreed to it by joining the squadron, knowing this to be the rule — ^yet when it came to me, he was so much afraid he might be accused of partiality that he was unwilling to give me the Ferret, which was then in charge of Midshipman Payne. But when he found that she was considered rightfully mine by Cap- tain Bolton, captain of the fleet, he reluctantly gave way. " I consider this another important event in my life. I had succeeded in getting a command. I went to sea in a few hours after joining my vessel, and recommenced operations against the pirates ; but they had been well thinned out by this time, and kept so close in their hiding-places that they rarely ventured out, except in the night, and my duties were principally those of a convoy through the Gulf as high as the " Double-headed- shot Keys." The navigation was difficult, and it required great vigilance to prevent the loss of my vessel ; but it was an ad- mirable school for a young officer, and I realized its benefits all my life. I have never felt afraid to run a ship since, generally finding it a pleasant excitement. " I had many cases of yellow fever on board, and was com- pelled to treat them myself, which, thank God ! I did success- fully. It was not of the most malignant type. One of the midshipmen, Mr. Miner, would not allow me to prescribe for him, because, he said, I was not a regular physician. I could not get him on shore for several hours, and the young doctor, just out from the United States, had never seen a case of yellow HIS FIRST COMMAND— YELLOW FEVER. 101 fever ; consequently he died. His death was the only one on board the Ferret while I commanded her. " On the 1st of August, 1823, I returned to Key West, and was ordered to Nassau, JST. P. In this passage I was currented both ways in the Gulf Stream, and had awful thunder-storms and a constant gale. " While we were in Nassau the acting gunner (rated gunner's mate) hailed an English surveying shij) and told them he was an Englishman and a deserter from his Majesty's ship Pandora. This was in consequence of my refusing him permission to come on shore ; the Commodore's orders not allowing any of the men to go ashore during the yellow-fever season. When I learned of the circumstance, I got the schooner under way, ran outside, called all hands, punished the gunner's mate, and reentered the port. I waited two days to see if the English would demand him, determined not to give him up. They did not, however, and I heard meantime that an American had been promptly given up by an English man-of-war in Havana. So I thought I would ofEer him to the English Commodore. He behaved remarkably well, said he understood the character of such fellows, and was unwilling to receive him. But I insisted, and at last he consented. The man's punishment was increased by his being mulcted of his pay, for not fulfilKng his contract with the Government. " At Nassau we received great kindness from the people and authorities. " We sailed for home, and had a fine run of five days. I was taken down with the fever in sight of Washington, and as soon as we got up to the city I went to the hospital, where I was very ill. But I so far recovered as to be able to visit my friends in Norfolk about the middle of September. " Meanwhile my command was taken from me and given to Lieutenant C. H. Bell, who refused to receive from me any account of the qualities of the schooner, saying he would find them out as I had. Unfortunately, before he did so he capsized off the north side of Cuba, and lost many of his crew. " One might suppose that these events of my life passed 102 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. lightly by ; on the contrary, I had always to contend with the burden first imposed on me by Commodore Porter's saying that I was ' too young for promotion.' Although that remark was made just after the action of the Essex, I never appeared to get any older in the eyes of the Government or my commander, and consequently had to contend inch by inch, as opportunities pre- sented, with men of riper age and apparently more entitled to the places sought. Still, my good star prevailed in this in- stance, and it is to the enjoyment of these trials (!) that I have always felt myself indebted for whatever professional reputa- tion I have attained." He might have added, if modesty had permitted, that it was likewise by his indefatigable industry in improving the advan- tages offered, that he acquired the skill and experience which served him in the great opportunities of his after-life, and en- abled him to use them for the benefit of his country. CHAPTER XII. HIS MAKKIAGE VOYAGE TO FEANCE WITH LAFAYETTE — A WINTEE EST THE MEDITEKEANEAN A VISIT TO NEW HAVEN ESTAB- LISHES A SCHOOL EEVOLUTIONS IN BUENOS AYEES — THE BEA- ZILIAN COUET — CHASED BY A PIEATE — AT CHARLESTON DUEING THE NULLIFICATION TROUBLES FAEEAGUT AS AN EXECUTIVE OFFICER — MAKING COMBS — A STEANGE DISEASE HE TAKES COMMAND OF THE BOXEE LETTEE FEOM COMMODOEE POETEE. On the 24:tli of September, 1823, David Glasgow Farragut married Susan C, third daughter of Jordan and Fanny Mar- chant, of Norfolk, Virginia. He went to Wasliington with his bride, and spent a few weeks at Commodore Porter's. His health at this time was very delicate, he had not fully recovered from the effects of the fever, and he suffered from the affection of the eyes caused by the partial sunstroke received in Tunis. In August, 1825, he was promoted to a lieutenancy, and ordered to the frigate Brandywine, Captain Morris, which had been designated to convey the Marquis de Lafayette to France. Farragut's journal continues : " We sailed from the Potomac on the 13th of September. Lafayette was received with all military honors — manning yards, salutes, etc. Several steamers accompanied him to the ship. We ran out past the Capes, going eleven knots an hour. " That night the ship sprang a leak, and took in so much water that we threw overboard two or three thousand shot, but still the leak continued. " We had a rough but short passage, arriving in Havre on the twenty-fifth day. I was sent in to ascertain whether the General could land. They kept me in the boat ; but next morn- ing the ship was admitted to pratique, and a steamer went out lOi THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. to bring the General ashore. We took leave of him in the usual military style. His family, a Mr. Somerfield, and a young Frenchman were also passengers, and departed with him, as did also Captain Morris. " We then made sail for Cowes, and ran into that port in a gale of wind, under close-reefed maintop-sail and fore-sail. Here we calked ship. I visited Portsmouth and Ryde. They would not let me visit the dockyard without permission from London. After calking the ship, we sailed for the Mediterranean, Lieu- tenant Gregory in command. " An amusing incident happened here. The pilot said his boat would go out through the Needles and cut us off. But I proposed to take her in tow, telling him that if we lost sight of her we should never see her again, unless the Captain hove to off the Needles for her. He laughed at the idea ; but so it was. We ran out with a fine breeze round Spithead, and never saw the pilot-boat again. When some days out, we fell in with a vessel that was water-logged and abandoned. At the pilot's re- quest, we put him on board of her ; but he also was obliged to abandon her, and arrived in Gibraltar about a week after we did. " We joined the squadron at Gibraltar, and ran up to Mahon with them. Captain Patterson, who was then Captain of the fleet, took command of us ; but shortly afterward Captain Peed arrived from France and took our ship, while Captain Patterson took the Constitution. " We were laid up all winter, refitting, and in the spring returned to the United States and went into New York, where we arrived in May, 1826. Our passage home was made in a succession of gales from the southwest, shifting suddenly to northwest, and always taking us aback ; but we managed to get her round without harm. " During this short cruise the Brandywine was perhaps one of the fastest vessels in the world. I have seen her, when sail- ing with the Mediterranean squadron, spare them twelve, four- teen, and even sixteen sails. " In New York I left her and went to Connecticut with my VISIT TO NEW HAVEN— ESTABLISHES A SCHOOL. 105 unfortunate wife, who had become a great suSerer from neural- gia. I remained with her four months, while she was under the treatment of Dr. Ives. " During my stay in New Haven I amused myself by at- tending the lectures of the professors at Yale College. My eyes were becoming quite weak, and this was a great treat to me. I was especially interested in the lectures of Professor Silliman. " In October, 1826, 1 returned to Norfolk, where I remained, attending my suffering wife, till October, 1828. I had been ordered to the receiving-ship Alert, Captain Kennedy, and was allowed to reside on board with my wife. " Here I established a school for the boys, who, with very few exceptions, did not know their letters. V^hen Hon. S. L. Southard, Secretary of the Navy, inspected the Navy-yard, Com- modore Barron took him on board the ship where my school was kept, to see the boys. They were thirty-seven in number, and had made such progress as to elicit one of the few, the very few, compliments I ever received from the Navy Department or its head. " This school furnished one remarkable instance of what may be accomphshed by perseverance. One boy objected to going to school, saying that he was away from home to get clear of going to school, that he never could learn his letters, and that he did not see the use of learning. To all which I replied that it was my duty and my pleasure to see that he went to school, and that if he did not stay there the prescribed time, and do his best to learn, I would not cease to punish him, and he might rest assured it would cost him much less to learn than to let it alone. He was obdurate, and I was compelled to punish him in some way or other. I first talked to him, holding out all the inducements that my ingenuity could suggest ; but, to use his own language, he said ' he'd be damned if he would learn.' I whipped him almost daily, for some time, and then resorted to other modes of punishment. Finally, I believe I accomplished much more by ridicule. Suffice it to say, I conquered him, and he took to his book kindly and learned very rapidly. In about twelve months I sent him to sea with a recommendation for a 106 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKEAGUT. yeomanry situation. At the time of leaA'inoj nio he wrote a. good haiul, and was uneonnnonly smart at arithmetic. " About seven years afterward a well-dressed, good-looking youno- man came up to me in the streets of Norfolk, called me by name, and extended his hand. I gave him mine, and by the warmth with Avhich he grasped it I took it for granted lie must suppose me an old acquaintance. I told him I thought he was laboring under some mistidvc, perhaps taking me for my brother. " ' Oh no ! ' said he, ' I make no mistake ; if I did not know you, to M'hom I am more indebted than to any one in the Avorld, it would really be strange.' " I said I had no recollection of him, and asked his name. " ' I have grown probably a foot since we parted,' said he, ' but do you not recollect the boy who gave you so much trouble on board the Alert ? ' " ' Oh yes ! ' said I, ' very well ; but I should never have recognized him in you.' *' ' Nevertheless,' said he, ' I am the same, and am ready to acknowledge you as the greatest benefactor and friend I ever had, in this world of trouble.' " I told him I was glad if he had profited by the little edu- cation he had received on board the Alert, and that I acquitted him of all obligation to me, as it was highly probable that he was indebted more to his own perverse disposition than to any- thing else. I had no doubt it was that which excited my deter- mination not to be outwitted by a boy of fifteen. I took him home with me. " ' Now,' said I, ' I would like to hear your story since you left the Navy, and to what good fortune you owe your present condition.' " ' It is told in a few words,' said he. ' "When I left the Navy I went out in an East Indiaman, \vith a desire to learn seamanship. At Batavia the Captain died, and the chief mate was taken sick. I was a pretty good arithmetician, and the mate had taught me navigation enough to work a day's work. On our homeward passage the mate died also, but before his death he requested the men to obey me as their commander. I REVOLUTIONS IN BUENOS AYRES. 107 took the fillip safely into New York, and the o\merH mado mo a handsome present and sent mc out as mate of one of their ships until they had a vacancy among their small vessels. Soon after, the vessel which I now command was in want of a captain, and I was appointed to her and am now in the Charleston trade.' " In October, 1828, I received orders to the sloop of war Vandalia. which had just been launched and was lying at Phila- delphia, fitting for sea under command of Captain Gallagher. I was associated on board with my old friends Joshua Sands and William II. Gardner, the latter my brother-in-law. "We sailed from Philadelphia on the 28th of December, 1828, for the Brazil station, and had a fine run to liio, the ship proving herself a good sailer and a prime sea-boat. " Here we found that Commod(jre Creighton and the sloop of war Boston were at the Rio de la Plata, and we soon joined them. The Commodore ordered Gardner to his own ship, the Hudson, and we all sailed for Rio again. " The trial of speed was very interesting, as the Boston had a high reputation, having beaten all the men-of-war on that station. We were a perfect match during the time we were in company (several days). We were under the same sail, except that we had a reef in our topsails, to make them set better, and kept side by side, the slightest negligence of one giving the other the advantage. "At length 11 determined that he would not go to Rio with us, and deliberately hauled his wind and made off, in defiance'of all signals. As his ship outsailed the Commodore, the latter was unable to catch him. It was the greatest outrage on Navy discipline that I have ever witnessed. To the honor of the Navy, he was cashiered next year for the offense ; but he was pardoned, and allowed to die in the service. " The Guerriere and St. Louis arrived at Rio, on their way to the Pacific station, and Lieutenant Downing was permitted to go on board tho Guerriere. As soon as our provisions, etc., were in, we were ordered to the Rio de la Plata, in consequence of the revolution in that quarter." 108 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. Perhaps for some readers tlie succeeding passages of Farra- gut's journal will be more intelKgible for a brief explanation of the state of things in Buenos Ayres at this time. In 1824 the Argentine Republic was formed, under the administration of Las Heras. Brazil forced the United Provinces into a declara- tion of war, and blockaded the city of Buenos Ayres in January, 1826. The different provinces varied in extent, as well as in the character and interests of their population, and these circum- stances rendered the union essentially weak. There was almost a feudal aristocracy in the north. In the wide ranges of the pampas, the herdsmen held the power ; but there was a great degree of moderation in the agricultural states. Buenos Ayres, the only seaboard state, and by far the richest, took the lead. The higher classes possessed immense landed estates, and many of them had been educated in Europe. They hoped to extend EurojDean civilization over the whole country by means of a form of government under which the power was to be wielded by the rich and educated. Their I3arty, the " Unitarians," formed the constitution of 1825, under which the authority of the nation was represented by a small aristocracy. The greater part of the large province of Buenos Ayres took its political complexion from the republican tone of the cattle-drivers and herdsmen. Their leader was Juan Manuel de Rosas, who was descended from an old Spanish family, and was daring, ambi- tious, and cunning. He found numerous supporters among the masses of the people, especially after he had extended the limits of the province of Buenos Ayres by subduing the savages of the pampas, who were implacable enemies of the guachos or herdsmen. No sooner had he espoused the cause of the Fed- eralists than his popularity spread to the other provinces. He had opposed the Unitarians unsuccessfully at first, but by 1827 he had acquired sufficient influence to make headway against them, and was aided by Bustos, Governor of Cordova ; Ybarra, Commandant of Santiago ; Quiroja of Rioja, and Lopez of Santa Fe. They protested against the Constitution of 1825, and took up arms. Rivadavia, the successor of Las Heras, finding him- self powerless, resigned, and Rosas and his colleagues chose REVOLUTIOI^S m BUENOS AYRES. 109 Dorrego, Governor of Buenos AjTes, to succeed him. In 1828 Dorrego made a treaty of peace with Brazil, from which year dates the recognition of the Banda Oriental of Uruguay. A confederation was formed (January, 1831) between the prov- inces of Buenos Ayres, Entre Rios, and Corrientes, which was soon joined by the other provinces. But some of the officers who had commanded in the late war, distrusting the triumph of federal principles under Dorrego, with the other Governors and the established army of the Republic, set on foot a counter revo- lution, headed by one Lavalle. They defeated Dorrego and Rosas, and shot the former without a trial. Rosas, Quiroja, and Lopez formed a new league, and overthrew Lavalle, who resigned. Rosas was chosen in his place, and afterward became Dictator. At the time of Farragut's arrival the Lavalle revolution had just taken place, and Dorrego had been shot. The journal con- tinues : " We stopped a short time at Montevideo, a small, walled town of about 10,000 inhabitants [now, 18T9, over 100,000], which has a fine back country, but has never been able to in- crease much, on account of the revolutions. "We then ran up to Buenos Ayres, and anchored off the town, distant about five miles, which is as near as any vessel drawing twelve feet of water can apj)roach. " Buenos Ayres was at this time held by General Lavalle, who had initiated a revolution and put himself at its head. Gen- eral Rosas, with five hundred guachos, was besieging the city. " Rosas himself excelled all the other guachos in feats of horsemanship, throwing the lasso, etc. A few years since, to show his prowess on a great occasion, he rode at full speed down the street, where he had stationed a herdsman with a lasso at the corner of the public square. As Rosas entered the square, the herdsman threw the lasso and caught the horse by the fore leg. The animal fell headlong, and broke his neck, while Rosas, to the admiration of the multitude of spectators, alighted on his feet and walked off as if nothing had happened, raising his cap in return for the cheers of the people. tt' 110 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. " Lavalle was now very active in liis preparations for tlie defense of the city. The streets were ditched in every direc- tion, to prevent the assault of cavahy, and guns were placed in position to rake every street leading out toward the country. Lavalle was a good soldier and a gallant one. He frequently made sorties in which he cut his way through the guachos of Eosas, who were compelled to yield to his superior prowess and discipline. But the odds were against him, the whole country being in arms, and he could obtain nothing in the way of sup- plies except by sea, so that at length he was compelled to come to terms. " Many barbarities were committed on both sides. It is told of Lavalle that one day lie rode out under a flag of truce to the camp of Kosas, and asked politely to see the General. Although informed that he was absent, he accepted an invitation from the officer in charge to enter the tent. Eemarking that he had not had much rest for some time past, Lavalle said if there was no objection he would remain until the General's return. He then stretched himself on the ground, and was soon wrapped in pro- found sleep. "When Rosas returned, the officer said : " ' Lavalle is in your tent ! ' " ' And to what good fortune am I indebted for this news ? ' " ' He came under a flag of truce, and asked permission to repose until your return.' " ' Yery well,' said Rosas, ' do not allow him to be disturbed. Any one who can sleep in the tent of his most deadly enemy must be a brave man ; and, let his fate be what it may, he shall have a peaceful sleep to prepare for it.' " When Lavalle awoke he and Rosas had a conference, which resulted in a peaceable termination of their troubles, much to the joy of the people. " The next day I was present when Rosas entered the city. A high mass was celebrated at the cathedral, and the Te Deum sung. A Governor was elected from the neutrals ; but he was merely a figure-head for Rosas, who from that time became Dictator of the Republic. " We lay off the city for five months ; but I seldom went THE BRAZILIAN COURT. m ashore, as there was nothing going on which interested lis. As- sassinations were of nightly occuiTence — the invariable result of the disbandment of armies in that country. The currency was very much depreciated, and commerce suffered greatly for want of security. " After peace was established the Yandalia returned to Rio de Janeiro. Here the Commodore arrived, and we all went to pay our respects to the Emperor, Dom Pedro I. The rooms were richly decorated, and the courtiers were the most richly dressed persons I ever saw. " We walked up, bowing as we entered the room, again mid- way, and also when directly in front of the Emperor. Then we backed out on the opposite side of the room, bowing at the same intervals. " In a short time (October 16, 1829) the Emperor's bride,* the daughter of the Duke of Leuchtenburg, arrived in a Bra- zihan frigate, whereupon each fort fired a salute of one hundred gims, and each vessel one of twenty-one. The harbor was en- veloped in a cloud of smoke nearly the whole day. It is said that in three days more than six thousand rounds were fired. As soon as the frigate was reported in the offing, the Emperor went out in a steamer to meet his bride, and towed in the ship. In the evening the Empress was seen from the balconies of the palace, playing with the Emperor's children.f She was a fine- looking woman, with all the animation of the French grisette. The marriage was solemnized with great magnificence the next day, all the principal streets being arched and decorated with flags and other emblems. " Some days afterward a grand audience was given at the * The second wife of Dom Pedro I. was the Donna Amelia Augusta Eugenia Napoleona, daughter of Prince Eugene, Duke of Leuchtenburg. In commemoration of her arrival the Imperial Order of the Rose was instituted. f The first Emperor's children at that time were : D. Maria da Gloria, already Queen of Portugal, who was afterward married to Dom Fernando, Duke of Saxe Coburg, and became the mother of the present and preceding kings of Portugal ; D. Januaria, now married to D. Luiz, Count of Aguila ; D. Francisca, now married to D. Francisco, Prince de Joinville ; and Dom Pedro de Alcantara, now Dom Pedro II., Emperor of Brazil. 112 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKEAGUT. palace, which was attended by the Commodore and some of the officers of the squadron. I was among the number. The Em- press stood beside her husband, and received our salutations. We had to go through the same formalities before the Queen of Portugal, Donna Maria da Gloria, in an adjoining apartment. She was a little, Dutch-built girl, ten or twelve years of age, with light hair and fair complexion. I had seen her mother * embark at Marseilles, when I was at that port in the Washing- ton, in 1816. " In ITovember, 1829, the JS'atchez, with Commodore Cassin, arrived and saluted Commodore Creighton. In December my eyes had become so bad that I was compelled to be surveyed and sent home. I took passage in the brig Barnegat, of Boston, and had a very pleasant voyage of fifty days. Off Cape St. Roque we were chased by a piratical-looking craft ; but when she was within two miles of us a breeze sprang up, and we soon left her behind. We had made every preparation to defend ourselves. We had four 18-pounder carronades, which the second mate and I mounted on trucks, so that we could run them all around the deck. We had twenty-four pounds of powder and a quantity of musket-balls and spike nails. Our crew consisted of six athletic young men, besides the officers, all ready and willing to fight, and we all cut up our flannel shirts for cylinders. We outsailed the supposed pirate, but the cir- cumstance gave us something to talk about dming the rest of the voyage. " We arrived off the Capes of Virginia in February, 1830. I found my wife still suffering and bed-ridden. I was soon summoned to attend a court-martial in Philadelj)hia, but re- turned to Norfolk in March, and was ordered to the receiving- ship Congress. I had my family on board with me, and re- mained till August, 1831, when I was transferred to the frigate Java. " Nothing worthy of note occurred at this time, except the * Donna Maria Leopoldina Josepha Carolina, Archduchess of Austria, first wife of Dom Pedro I., and mother of the four children previously mentioned, died at Rio de Janeiro, December 11, 1826. NULLIFICATION" TROUBLES AT CHARLESTON. 113 negro insurrection in Southampton County, Virginia. "We got ready to defend tlie Navy-yard ; but old Nat. Turner and all his party were killed, and the affair ended. " In the summer of 1832 my wife's health was so bad that I took her to Philadelphia, to consult some of the learned physi- cians. The cholera broke out, and we went to Frederick, Mary- land. " On the 4th of December, 1832, I received orders to join the Natchez as her First Lieutenant. She was then at the yard, fitting out, and was not delivered to us till the 28th. In the morning I received orders to go on board the receiving-ship and select the crew, which I did, and ' watched ' them. At 2 o'clock they were transferred, when we immediately began setting up the rigging fore and aft, and bent the sails by sunset. We took in spare spars, etc., and dropped down between tlie forts. " On the 2d of January, 1833, we took in the powder, re- ported the ship ready for sea, and dropped down to Hampton Roads, where Commodore Elliott and Captain Zantzinger came on board. [The " nullification " troubles — the attempt of South Caro- lina to disregard the United States revenue laws — were at their height, and the Natchez was ordered to Charleston.] " We got under way on the 5th. The Experiment was in company, and we took her in tow with two parts of a five-inch hawser. This parted, and we took her in tow again with a seven-inch hawser. " Commodore Elliott made us set up the rigging and un- shackle the cables. In doing the latter, John S. Davis was washed overboard. Both vessels hove to ; but, as the Experi- ment was much nearer the wind than our ship, she caused us to fall off and gather headway, which parted the hawser a second time. Meanwhile she lowered a boat and picked up the man. " The conduct of Midshipman Jarvis, who volunteered his services on this occasion, deserves particular commendation. A gale was coming on, and it was with great difficulty that they regained the ship ; so that the man's life was saved at the imminent risk of those in the boat. 114 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. " On the 10th we lost the jib boom, and on the 11th parted company with the Experiment. During tlie night of tlie 11th it blew a tremendous gale. About 2 o'clock a sea struck the vessel with such force on the weather beam as to move the sheet anchor ten or eleven inches, at the same time rolling away the quarter boat, davits and all. About half-past 3 o'clock a me- teoric ball exploded ten or twelve feet above the booms, with such a report and appearance as caused us for a moment to believe that the ship was struck by lightning. " Daylight discovered the wind-mill on Cape Romain. We bore up for Charleston Bar, within ten miles of which we took on board Mr. Lee, the pilot. As soon as the tide was sufficiently high we made sail for the bar, in crossing which we struck three times, but went over. In beating up for Eebellion Eoads, however, owing to the anxiety of the Commodore to get up, the pilot continued to run the ship too late, and she grounded on the northern banks, where she lay all the night of the 18th and thumped very heavily. On the morning of the 19th we got her off, and beat up to our anchorage in Rebelhon Eoads, where we remained till the 12th of March. " We discovered that the best method of coasting southward in winter is, to be in shore in the morning, and off at night. " During our stay in Eebellion Eoads the crew were exer- cised every morning at small arms, and in the afternoon, when the weather permitted, at the great guns. " We boarded up the head, rigged a spritsail yard, abolished the mess-chest, and fitted up lockers on the berth-deck. We lay at single anchor, as a necessary precaution against fire-ships, in consequence of which we fouled our anchor and the ship dragged. On the 12th of March we ran up to Charleston, and anchored off the Battery. " We kept open house during our stay at Charleston for all parties. Our boats were generally employed in bringing com- pany on board, and we entertained our visitors with music and dancing. " On the 17th of February, 1833, a fire broke out in the city, and I was dispatched with the launch and first cutter, with FAERAGUT AS AN EXECUTIVE OFFICER. 115 fifty men, to assist in extinguishing tlie flames. I think this act brought us into favor, for during the remainder of our stay the principal occupation of the officers seemed to be attending balls and parties given by the citizens. I remember a very handsome affair, with tableaux, at the residence of Mrs. Rutledge. " On the 26th of March the Commodore's broad pennant was struck, and on his departure a salute was fired and three cheers given him (by his order). We dropped down to Rebel- lion Roads, got under way, and stood out to sea. " On the 4th of April General Scott came on board to take passage with us. We found him to be an agreeable gentleman and pleasant companion. " On our arrival at JSTorfolk, Captain Zantzinger repaired to the seat of government, and the President was pleased to order Mr. Bogle, Acting Secretary of the ^avy, to address us a letter of approbation. " In April we received information that our ship was des- tined for the coast of Brazil, but the Department had granted permission for the officers to visit their friends a month, which they all availed themselves of except Mr. Pinkham and myself. We allowed the crew to go on shore by squads, and discharged two sailors who were too old and infirm for sea service. I only mention tliis because I consider it illiberal in our Government to discharge seamen when they become too infirm for further service. " On May 6th we dropped down to Hampton Roads, and two days later were under sail for Pernambuco." The duties of executive officer, which Farragut now exer- cised for the first time on so large a vessel, were performed with great zeal and skill. An officer who sailed with him says: " JS^ever was the crew of a man-of-war better disciplined, or more contented and happy. The moment all hands were called and Farragut took the trumpet, every man under him was alive and eager for duty. I remember well one occasion when he took the ISTatchez out of the harbor of Rio, which at the en- trance is quite narrow, against a head wind, by a manoeuvre 116 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. termed, at tliat day, ' box hauling.' There were several foreign men-of-war in port, English and French, whose officers and crews were watching us closely. Many declared that the ma- noeuvre could not be successfully accomplished ; but it was done splendidly, without a balk or failure, and I shall remember to my dying day the glow of pride and satisfaction which we all felt." After giving the log of the voyage to Pernambuco, the journal continues : " I went on shore, and called on the different authorities, finding everything quiet except for the civil war in the interior, which appears to have been instigated more by the brutality of the military commanders than by any predilection of the par- ties for either of the emperors. " The man-of-war anchorage at Pernambuco is exceedingly uncomfortable and somewhat dangerous. During our stay there was constantly a heavy swell setting in from the south and east. But vessels drawing less than thirteen feet go within a natural mole that could not be excelled by art. " From here we went to Bahia, where we found our Com- modore in the Lexington, and the schooner Enterprise. " On June 24th we got under way and stood out to sea in company with the Lexington. The Commodore was disposed to try the sailing of the vessels, and directed us by telegraph to make sail, which we did. Accurate calculations showed that we outsailed the Lexington nine hundred yards an hour. " On the 3d of July we arrived at Bio, where we took iji stores. Most of these were received from the public store- houses hired by the United States on the island of Cobras. No government ever suffered more in a small way from the mal- administration of a department than ours in this respect. Slop clothing (for one item) is sent out in abundance and deposited here to remain for the use of the squadron. If the clothes were ever good, by the time they are required more than half have been destroyed by the rats and moths. The remainder, though not sufficiently bad to be condemned, are generally so much injured that it is a great imposition to compel the men to take MAKING COMBS. 117 them. The officers, being sensible of this fact, allow the men to procure clothing of a better quality, and at a cheaper rate, from the shore. Hence the system, from beginning to end, is one of spoliation on the Government, and is an injury to every one except the contractor. " On the 13th we got under way, and on the 30th arrived at Buenos Ayres. " The jpamjperas or heavy squalls experienced here are from the southwest. They sweep over the pampas, or great plains, bordering the river — hence their name. They bear a strong resemblance to our northwest squalls. "When one of them struck the ship, she careened considerably, and brought home the star- board anchor sufficiently to bring a strain on the larboard. " "We took on board some hide rope, for topsail ties, sheets, trusses, and wheel-ropes. This material has been considered the very best for these purposes. "We also received some patent lights for various parts of the ship, to supply the deficiencies of her construction, in which, as usual, everything had been sacri- ficed to strength, without regard to air or light. " On October 16th the American brig Hyperion brought official notice of the death of Commodore Bainbridge [he died in Philadelphia, July 28, 1833], together with an order for the performance of his funeral honors, and also an order for us to repair immediately to Montevideo. In the afternoon we re- ceived news that a revolution had broken out in the province of Buenos Ayres. " On the ITth we half-masted the colors, issued an order to wear crape for thirty days, and at meridian fired thirteen minute- guns, as a mark of respect to the departed Commodore. " The Captain received a petition from the American and British merchants asking him to remain here. He referred it to the Commodore. " The 18th was the first fair day for many weeks. I went ashore in company with the Captain, and spent the day pleasantly. Among other things, I visited the comb manufactory, where I saw the whole process of making and mending horn and shell combs. The horns are first scraped, the tips and butts sawed off, 118 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. and sawed down one side. They are tlien placed in a pot of boiling water, by the side of wbicli, on the same furnace, is one of oil. When sufficiently softened in the former, they are removed to the latter, which clarifies them. In fifteen or twenty minutes they are taken out and placed between two iron plates, against which is a screw of great power, turned by a lever ten or twelve feet long. By means of this the horn is pressed as thin as required. When taken from between the plates, it bears a strong resemblance to the horn used for lanterns, only thicker. As the combs are of enormous size, being some fifteen inches from side to side, they are compelled to unite several pieces, which is done by softening them a second time, lapping the edges, and placing them between a pair of hot tongs, somewhat like those used by blacksmiths, taking care to place several thicknesses of wet cotton cloth next to the shell or horn. The size being ob- tained, a former is laid on, and they are sawed into proper shape, after which they undergo another scraping, and are passed into the hands of the carver, and then to the polisher, which process is performed principally with rottenstone. They are then warmed a third time, placed on shaping-blocks, and confined thereto by broad leather straps until perfectly cold, when they are taken off and receive their last polish by rubbing with the hand. " The diseases prevalent here are tetanus (lockjaw), smallpox, and a disease which they call iraic. " Tetanus arises from various causes, most frequently from wounds, the slightest of which often produces death. A short time ago an English gentleman had a scuffle with a guacho, in which his thumb was dislocated, but he received no other injury. Tetanus ensued, and he died in forty-eight hours. " Iraic, I believe, is peculiar to South America. I confess, however, that the many marvelous stories I have heard on the subject have rendered me somewhat skeptical as to its real exist- ence. It is said to be a vein of air that passes through the house, affecting everything in its course. The head of one per- son will be drawn down to the shoulder; that of another will be twisted ; a third wiU have an arm drawn up ; a fourth a HE TAKES COMMAND OF THE BOXER. 119 leg ; a fifth will have violent ear-ache ; a sixth a palsied tongue ; a seventh palsied limbs ; and so on. It cracks glass of every description. Even the furniture is sometimes rent by it ; and innumerable other marvelous phenomena are said to be produced. Some few of these cases I have seen ; but they did not appear to me extraordinary, as the same effects are frequently produced at home by taking cold." Farragut remained on the Katchez till the 12th of February, 1834, during which time the ship visited Bahia, Montevideo, Buenos Ayres, and other ports. On the 6th of March he took command of the schooner Boxer, which had joined the squadron from the East Indies, her late officers being relieved to return home. The Boxer was in the harbor of Kio at the time, and required, after her long cruise, considerable overhauling and refitting. This was Farragut's second command, and he took great interest in his vessel. He dwells at some length, in his journal, on the alterations which he made in her rigging and ballasting. "On the 17th I received an invitation from Commodore Taylor to meet the little Emperor [Dom Pedro II., present Emperor], and accordingly repaired on board the Princess Royal, in company with Captain Geisinger. As his Majesty left the quay, cannon from the shore batteries announced his departure, and all the men-of-war in the harbor manned their yards and cheered him. On reaching the ship he was received by the principal personages, civil and ixdlitary, of the several nations represented in Bio at that time. A handsome collation was in readiness, and it occurred to me that both the Emperor and his sisters indulged in the pleasures of the table more freely than was necessary for children of their age. On their return to the shore the same ceremonies took place. It reminded me of what the frogs in the fable said to the boys who stoned them — ' "What is fun to you is death to us.' The poor Brazilian sailors had been on the yards from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in a broiling tropical sun. 120 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. " The frigate Potomac arrived about this time, and I went on board and met my old friends Commodore Woolsej and Cap- tain Downes. " On this day the present Emperor [Pedro II.] ascended the throne. We all went to court, preceded by Mr. Browne, Charge d' Affaires, who dosed the Emperor with a speech upon his glorious accession. We were presented one by one to his little Majesty. The evening entertainment began with a vocal con- cert, and was followed by a grand ball, which was opened by the two little princesses, who danced the ' gavot ' in very pretty style. I have never seen children in any country dance with the same grace as those of Brazil. " The room prepared for the Emperor on this occasion was lined tkroughout with damask silk. The dresses of the gentle- men attached to the court were rich and gaudy beyond all con- ception. The court tailor must have been at his wit's end in getting up such a variety of designs. The coats of the subalterns had a small sprig on the collar, and then the ornamentation in- creased with every grade until it came to the Emperor, whose coat was so completely covered with embroidery that it would have been difficult to discover the color of the cloth. One old gentleman particularly attracted my attention. He seemed to have had his turn after the inventor of the costume* had ex- hausted his genius on the chamberlains. The tailor had there- fore given him a coat covered indiscriminately with broad gold lace. " The Commodore received orders to send the Boxer home, and I was ready to sail and received my final instructions on June 8th. I went on board the Katchez to take leave of the good old Commodore and Captain Zantzinger, but did not find them. I took leave of them by letter, and, after saying good-by to my old messmates, returned on board and got under way." The voyage home was without incident, except an exciting race with the Pigeon, the fastest English packet afloat. The journal says : " When we trimmed by bringing the crew aft, we just held way with her ; but as soon as they went forward LETTER FROM COMMODORE PORTER. 121 she left us." The Boxer arrived at jSTorfolk on July 26th, when the crew were discharged and the ship laid up. The following letter, written about a year later by Commo- dore Porter, who at that time represented the United States at the Turkish capital, exhibits very clearly the relations between himself and Farragut, and shows in what esteem the aged hero of our first naval war held the young officer who was destined to command mightier squadrons and conduct vaster operations to a successful issue : " St, Stephano de Constantinople, June 20, 1835. " My Dear Glasgow : I have been incessantly occupied for near a fortnight in answering the letters which left America about a year since, and only reached me lately. Among them was yours of the 6th of August, '34:, and I do not recollect whether I have acknowledged the receipt of it yet. I am rather under the impression that I have ; but, if so, it must have been but a short letter, and I now seat myself again to wi'ite more fully, though really I have spun out so many yarns on every subject that I scarcely have anything more to say to any one ; my head, my hand, and even my pen are tired, it is almost worn out. " The continued illness of your wife is truly distressing. I know what sickness is, and I know how to sympathize with those who are afflicted. For a year past I have been borne down with it — at one time on the verge of the grave, and the whole time afflicted with loss of spirit ; and can now speak with difficulty and with pain. At one time it was thought to be a paralysis of the tongue, but this, fortunately, was not the case ; however, it was bad enough, and perhaps nothing but my removal to this village, where the air and water are pure and excellent, and living in the most persevering retirement and tranquillity, have saved me. I find myself now recovering gradually but slowly, yet very weak, and I return thanks to the Giver of all good, that when He deprived me of health, strength, and spirit. He allowed me to retain my mind, which I am not sensible has been weak- ened. Yet it may have been, and no one has been willing to 122 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. SO inform me. You may remember liow mucli the Bishop in ' Gil Bias ' was offended when he was told that his homilies smelt of the apoplexy from which he had not been long recov- ered. " However, I am getting old, have had many sorrows, mnch sickness and affliction, and have lasted much longer than men do under such circumstances generally ; but I bear all with suffi- cient fortitude, and, as I have nothing to merit from Fortune more than she has done for me, I have nothing to complain of on her account. I have never been elated with prosperity, and ought not to be, and hope I am not, depressed at the loss of worldly goods. My country has thus far taken care of me, and I hope by good conduct to merit what she has done, endeavoring to serve her to the utmost of my power. There was a time when there was nothing that I thought too daring to be attempt- ed for her ; but those times are past, and appear only as a con- fused and painful dream. A retrospect of the history of my life seems a highly-colored romance, which I should be very loath to live over again ; and it would not be believed, if it was written. My sufferings in Mexico, the trials of fortitude I un- derwent, exceed all belief ; but now I am enjoying Elysium, compared to what I then suffered in body and mind. " But let it pass. They have left an impression on my mind that can never be effaced. I have been taught to admire a bold struggle with adversity as one of the most noble moral specta- cles, and pride myself on acquitting myseK with honor. " I could not serve that base and unprincipled nation ; but they would not let me. But I left them without a stain on my character, which was not what others, under the same circum- stances, would have done. " But where am I running to ? It is time that I should stop. But before I finish my letter, my dear Glasgow, I must say that the next thing to be admired is a grateful heart ; and I am sure that I have found in yours that treasure which should be so much prized. I have always endeavored to do good, solely for the sake of good. I have never looked for any other return than what my feelings gave me, and to find such sentiments of LETTER FROM COMMODORE PORTER. 123 gratitude from you, after all others had forgotten that they had received any benefits from me, is truly refreshing to the feelings. " Accept, my dear Glasgow, my best wishes for your health and happiness, and believe me to be your sincere friend, " David Porter. *• Lieutenant-Commandant D. Glasgow Fakeaqut, "U.S. Navy." CHAPTER XIII. AT HOME EST NOEFOLK HE TAKES COMMAND OF THE ERIE THE BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN DE ULLOA — OBSERVATIONS AND OPINIONS ON THE BATTLE DEATH OF MRS. FARRAGUT. "I REMAINED OH leave of absence, awaiting orders, until April 10, 1838. I was a member of every court-martial that met in Norfolk during this period, by which means I became well acquainted with that part of my duty. " During the summer I made a visit to Washington, George- town, and Alexandria ; but by September my wife was so ill that I was compelled to return home. Shortly after this her sister, Mrs. William D. Porter, died. I was necessarily confined very much to the house, for my wife was so helpless that I was obhged to lift her and carry her about like a child. " I found it absolutely necessary to adopt some mode of amusement, so I purchased carpenter's tools, and occupied my- self in repairing damages about the premises, until in the course of time I became quite a carpenter — at least, sufficiently skillful to answer my own purposes. " In this way I passed my time till the 8th of April, when I was ordered to take passage for Pensacola in the Levant, Cap- tain Paulding, then ready for sea and destined for the West Indies. " I had been an applicant for sea service during the last two years, but had not received orders, because my date interfered with that of the First Lieutenant of the Commodore's ship. At last a member of Congress who was a friend of the Navy made a speech attacking the Department for allowing Commodore Dallas to keep a set of young officers employed who were his favorites, whereupon changes were made, and I was ordered to the Constellation." HE TAKES COMMAND OF THE ERIE. 125 The cruise in this vessel was a sliort one of two montlis, during whicli she visited Tampico, and after looking around the Gulf returned to Pensacola. On August 7, 1838, Farragut was appointed to the command of the sloop Erie. The cruise of this vessel, recorded by him with minute detail, is interesting from its connection with the events of the brief war between France and Mexico, arising out of the claims of France for compensation for injuries inflicted on French subjects in Mexico, and other unsettled questions. The city of Vera Cruz was blockaded by a French squadron, and the castle of San Juan de UUoa, deemed impregnable by its possessors, was taken after a six hours' cannonade. The gal- lantry of Santa Anna on the occasion, in defending the place against the forces landed by the French, is mentioned with high commendation. The loss of his leg by a cannon ball excited in his favor a strong popular f eehng of admiration and sympathy among his countrymen. The Erie was ordered to the scene of these operations to look after American interests, and Farragut watched the movements of the belligerents with close attention. On taking command of the vessel he found that his predecessor. Captain Ten Eyck, was under orders to proceed to sea immediately, and with his usual promptness and energy he went to work to put them into execution. The Erie sailed for Tampico, and on her arrival off the bar discovered a French brig-of-war, the Laurel, Marquis Duquesne commanding. The Erie anchored, and received a boat from the Laurel, the usual courtesies being exchanged be- tween the two commanders. Farragut visited the city, where he received polite attentions from the English Consul, Mr. Crawford, and found a quantity of specie for his vessel. On the 24th, hearing that the French forces had arrived off Yera Cruz, he proceeded to that port, for the protection of the Ameri- cans and other strangers. On the 25th they made Ponto Del- gardo, and enjoyed a fine view of the mountains Orizaba and Perote. At 6 a. m. they overhauled the French brig Yalagie, and soon after saw the castle and the city of Yera Cruz. The passage from Tampico had been made in thirty-seven hours. 126 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. They ran in under the island of Sacrificios, where they found the French Commodore Bazoche, with the frigates Herman and Iphigenie, and two or three brigs-of-war. Captain Farragut called upon the French commander, and also paid his respects to the Governor of Yera Cruz, who received him very politely and offered to allow the Erie to run up and anchor under the castle. The journal continues : " I passed the day with our Consul, Mr. Hargous. A French barque arrived the next day, and the Captain informed me that he had left Bordeaux under the impression that the blockade was at an end, and now found himself with twenty-eight souls on board, and no water. The French could not spare any, and he begged it of me as an act of charity. I accordingly sent him four hundred gallons ; then went on board and told the French Commodore that I could not market for him, and handed him a communication on the subject of blockade. The next day I visited our Consul, and received a letter from Bazoche in reply to my own. I conversed with the English Consul about supply- ing the French, and found that he coincided with me in the opinion that it was wrong, and we determined not to do it. I gave him a copy of Bazoche's letter. " The French brig Dunois arrived on the Yth of September. I sent some fruit on board, and her Captain and First Lieutenant visited and congratulated me on my command. They were fine fellows; more like men than any I had seen in the French squadron. " I occupied myself in sounding around the reefs and islands of Sacrificios, and did not find the anchorage as good as I ex- pected between Pizarro and Sacrificios. On the 8th I spent the day in town, and on my return found the sea rolling very heav- ily. I got well ducked. A tide-wave had set in, so called be- cause it comes and ends with the flood-tide. " On the 9th we had a fine day. I inspected the ship, and sent a part of the crew to Sacrificios to take a run on shore." Captain Farragut attended a grand entertainment at Yera OBSERVATIONS AT TAMPIOO. 127 Cruz, in honor of Mexican independence. On the 19th of Sep- tember he sailed for Pensacola ma Tampico, with specie. News of a revolution in Tampico, and a request that a ship of war might be sent, caused his return to that place. He arrived off the bar October Yth, and found there H. B. M. ship Satel- lite. He says : " I tried to cross the bar in my gig, but was warned back by the British officers, as the swell was very heavy. I visited the Satellite, and learned that Commodore Dallas had left for Kew Orleans with specie. The insurgents were in possession of the town under Montenegro, while the forts and surrounding coun- try were held by Ampudia. During the day we heard firing. " At 4 p. M. the British captain came off, and I again at- tempted to cross the bar ; but the sea began to rise before I reached it, and there was every indication of a norther. We returned, slipped our cable, and put to sea, the Satellite doing the same ; and for two days we rode out a stiff gale. On the 13th of November I went on shore, accompanied by the purser and doctor, and learned that all communication with the town was cut off ; so we took horses and went to Pueblo Viejo, to see the Consul. "We had a conference with General Canales, and he agreed to allow communication between the American and English ships and their consuls down at the bar. " On my return to the Erie I found that Mr. Lewis, the First Lieutenant, had received on board General Mabia, who had come for the purpose of joining the Federal party at Tampico, but, finding the bar in possession of the government forces, was obliged to abandon the attempt, as he would have been shot if he had entered, and his vessel confiscated. As an act of humanity Mr. Lewis received him, and I should have done the same. " On the lYth we ran down to Yera Cruz, and learned that the 27th was the day appointed for the final conference and set- tlement of the questions at issue between the French and Mex- icans, and that war or peace would immediately follow. In the mean time preparations were made by us to embark the Amer- ican citizens and their valuables, in case of bombardment. 128 THE LITE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. " On the 2Ytli of November we learned that the express had arrived with the final decision of the Mexican Government, declining the terms proposed by Admiral Baudin. The French fleet immediately began hostile preparations. Steamers took the sloops of war in tow, and anchored them to the north of the castle, and also placed the frigates to the east, close to the reef. The Prince de Joinville, in the Creole, got under way and took his position to the north, but did not anchor. Baudin, in the I^ereide, took his station on a north-and-south line, with the two remaining frigates in the center. The French civilians were all embarked and taken down to Sacrificios. At 9 a. m. I sent boats to bring off the Americans, and went myself to superintend the embarkation. " At precisely 2 : 30 p. m. the Admiral's ship fired the first gun, and immediately the firing became general. The Prince had the hottest berth, but stood his ground like a man, occa- sionally wearing ship to bring a fresh broadside to bear. At 3 : 30 a magazine in the southeast water-battery blew up with a tremendous explosion, and from that time the fire of the castle slackened. " The Prince changed his position, and beat around in fine style to the south side of the castle, there continuing the action. Shortly after, another explosion took place, demolishing the tower on the citadel. I do not remember whether this was the result of an accident or was caused by a shell from the fleet. " At 5 p. M. the frigate La Gloire was taken in tow and hauled out of the fight ; but never had a little ship done her duty more thoroughly than she during that two hours and a half. Her constant firing was the admiration of all on board our ship. We could see her more distinctly than the others. All the frigates, however, kept up a tremendous fire. The castle fired more slowly from the commencement, and toward sunset did not discharge more than three guns a minute. The Prince de Joinville's ship must have suffered a good deal, as he was always in the most exposed positions. He had to retire at 5 p. m. " At sunset the firing ceased, with the exception of the bomb vessels, which kept it up until the fleet hoisted lights. The THE BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN DE ULLOA. 129 castle suffered greatly from the explosions, but I do not think the ships were near enough to damage it materially, " A.t 6 A. M. on the 28th a steamer took La Gloire in tow and carried her down to take the place of the Medea, returning and taking the Medea to. her post again. At 9 a. m. she towed the Prince's vessel up to the in-shore berth, eastward of the castle. " It was not long afterward that I received an extract from the log-book of the French ship La Fortuna, in which it was announced that the castle had capitulated. I heard from the English Consul that the Mexicans lost 200 men, while the French had 8 killed and 14 wounded. Gardner and I called on the French Admiral, who received our congratulations most cor- dially, and said how much he regretted the folly of these peo- ple, who, without cause, had made themselves responsible for the loss of so many lives ; as the points upon which they disagreed had been acknowledged for many years. " According to the terms of the capitulation, General E,in- cion was to retain command of the city, with only 1,000 men, the remainder of the forces to retire ten leagues from the sea- coast, and all hostile operations to cease for eight months. " The casualties in the French fleet, as I learned, were : The Admiral's ship had about 20 shots in her, but was not much injured. One midshipman was killed ; two lieutenants and three men were wounded. La Gloire had three shots in her hull, I do not remember her loss in killed and wounded. The Iphigenie was in the most exposed position ; the guns of the Cavalier also were on her, and the First Lieutenant assured me that he did not think ten shots missed their mark. She had 150 in her hull and 8 in her mainmast. But what were they? Only from nine, twelve, and eighteen-pounders, which, owing to bad powder, in many instances hardly buried the shot. She had about a dozen men killed, and a few wounded. " I visited the castle to ascertain the cause of its early sur- render, and a single glance satisfied me that it would have been impracticable for the Mexicans to stand to their guns. The very material which formerly insured their safety was now a means of destruction, for the castle is built of a sort of lime- 130 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. stone resembling coral, into wMeli a solid shot will penetrate a short distance and remain buried, having little or no effect ; but with shell it was another matter, they would explode, and rend the stone in immense masses, killing and wounding the men at the guns, in many instances shattering the walls from summit to foundation. I am perfectly satisfied that in a few hours more it would have been a mass of rubbish. Only picture to yourself a shower of two hundred shell and shot a minute falling into the castle ! Davis told me a man might stay there and be killed, but it was impossible to do anything, for he was not on his feet five minutes before he was knocked down again by a fragment of wood or stone. " Out of two hundred and sixty Mexican sailors in the water batteries, only thirty-eight escaped ; and in the hurry and con- fusion of removing the dead but little pains were taken to secure the weights affixed to sink them, so that their bodies were seen floating about in all directions. " The Cavaliero Alto was very much shattered, and a few more shells would have reached the magazine. The guns were rendered useless, with scarce an exception, by the destruction of the carriages. Loaded shells were found lying alongside of them. I suppose they had difficulty in keeping the men at the guns. There were furnaces for heating shot, but no prepara- tions for using them. The fact seems to be, that they were astonished at the shower of missiles hurled upon them, and were ■ incapable of effective resistance. They could not have been more surprised than I was at the effect of shell-shot. Each of the frigates had two 8-pounder guns and about a dozen carron- ades, out of which they fired nothing but shell. The Creole fired nothing else, and the bomb-vessels threw one hundred and fifty, twenty-five of which fell in the castle. I have no doubt, if it had not been for the motion of the sea they would have completely demolished the structure. This was the only error, in my opinion, in the Admiral's arrangements. He should have placed the bomb-vessels to the south, instead of east, where they would have little or no motion. " Many would be disposed to accuse the Mexicans of pusil- THE BOMBARDMENT OF SAN" JUAN DE ULLOA. 131 lanimous conduct; but, although I am of the opinion that a better defense might have been made by placing their men, under cover and awaiting the assault which would have followed in a few hours, yet I believe that, with their limited means and preparations, together with their orders not to fire the first shot, the result would have been the same. " On the 29th the Americans and other foreigners went on shore again, and affairs began to assume a tranquil aspect. The French visited the town and market, as we did. On the 4th of December all was bustle and confusion in the city. The news was, that Santa Anna had arrived and Rincion had been ordered to Mexico for trial, the Government disapproving of his capitu- lation and other proceedings. The Consul, Gardner, and I im- mediately called on Eincion. He told us that Santa Anna would take command. We next called on that gentleman, who received us kindly, and said we must ' tell President Yan Buren and Mr. Forsyth that we were all one family, and must be united against Europeans obtaining a foothold on this continent.' He promised that everything should be done to secure our citizens from harm or loss, and informed us that the Mexican Government had dis- approved of the sun-ender, and that they were determined to perish with the town rather than yield one point for which they had contended. He further informed us that he had sent official notice to that effect to the French Admiral. " It appears that Baudin repKed to Santa Anna, giving him until the next morning to answer. Whatever his demands were, they were not complied with, and it was determined to renew the attack. " The French landed in three divisions, one at each fort on the north and south of the city, and one at the mole ; the last commanded by Baudin in person. They blew the gates off their hinges with sacks of powder, and the Prince de Joinville, with about one hundred men, rushed for Santa Anna's headquarters ; but the guard resisted them twenty minutes, and Santa Anna was enabled to make his escape through the adjoining house, in his shirt and trousers. Arista was captured. " The Mexicans had about four hundred men in the city, 132 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. scattered in the different fortifications, who soon gave way be- fore the French and retreated to the barracks, where Santa Anna joined them. The Prince collected a force and tried to dislodge them, but was repulsed. He continued his efforts for one or two hours, however. Although the town may be said to have been virtually in the possession of the French, a desultory fire was still kept up from the house-tops, which caused them considerable loss. " The Admiral, conceiving that he had accomplished the object of the attack, viz., the destruction of the forts, so that he need apprehend nothing from them in case of a norther, gave the order to embark. The moment this movement was attempt- ed, Santa Anna sallied out with three or four hundred men, and harassed the French all the way on their return to the mole, making a desperate effort to destroy their boats and take the Admiral prisoner. This object was frustrated by the discharge of a field-piece loaded to the muzzle with grape and canister, by which Santa Anna had his left leg taken off and a dozen of his party were killed or wounded. The Mexicans, however, continued to fight with great gallantry, and Admiral Baudin had a narrow escape with his life. The French acknowledged nearly one hundred killed and wounded ; the Mexicans twenty or thirty. When the disparity of force (the French landed in a dense fog with twelve hundred men, in three divisions) and the other circumstances are fairly considered, I think it will be found that Santa Anna's defense was highly creditable to him- self and his countrymen." The following letter to Commodore Barron is valuable, as giving more fully Farragut's observations on this action, and especially his opinion of the effectiveness of bomb-vessels : *' United States Ship Erie, March, 1839. " My Dear Ser : You have doubtless seen many accounts of the attack and capture of San Juan de UUoa, and therefore I do not write with the hope of giving you anything new on the subject, but simply for the pui-pose of explaining the causes of OBSEEVATIONS AND OPINIONS ON THE BATTLE. 133 the capture, and of giving you some idea of the improvements going on in the French navy while we are standing still, para- lyzed by an adherence to the rules of '98, which were no doubt very good in their day, but which by no means suit the present time. " For example, the castle of San Juan de UUoa could not have been taken by thrice the force on those principles, while we who saw it fall now believe it could have been taken by half the force employed. By the new system, the Enghsh and ourselves may affect to despise the French by sea, but depend upon it, sir, they are in science far ahead of us both, and when England next meets France on the ocean she will find a different enemy from that of the last war. Of all this I know you have seen much in theory, but I have seen it tested in practice. I will commence by giving Admiral Baudin the greatest praise for the plan and execution of the whole affair. He would be undoubtedly a rara a/ois in any navy. He is about fifty years of age, has lost his right arm, looks like a north of Europe man, has a fine address, and speaks English well. He has every mark of a polished seaman and officer, with the expression of great decision, with firmness and activity to execute his well-digested plans. These were my remarks the first time I saw him, and his subsequent conduct soon proved I was right. I will now proceed to the causes of the fall of San Juan. " In the first place, the Admiral had the plan of the castle, taken from the original in Madrid, by which he soon discovered that there were certain points of bearing on which they could bring but five or six guns to bear, and that the engineer had calculated on the reefs for protection. By sounding, he found he could moor two frigates head and stern in that position. (The commander of the third frigate had been out here a long time, lost many men by fever, and suffered much by privation, and somewhat in reputation for having dissented from Com- modore Bazoche's desire to attack it on a former occasion. The Admiral consented that he should take the third position, but told him he would be more exposed, as the fort could bring eight or ten guns more to bear on them by extending their lines.) 134 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. Tlie guns on these angles of the fort he knew to be of small caliber. Although you would scarcely credit it, the Mexicans had given an order to the commander of the fort not on any account to fire the first gun. The Admiral, as every good gen- eral will, fully availed himself of the advantage thus yielded by the enemy, went on shore at night, and made his notes of all the weak points, etc. They saw him, but dared not fire ! This order I consider the principal cause of the French sustaining no loss. They were thus enabled, on the morning of the attack, to take their positions one by one, and moor very deliberately, head and stern, until they were all in position ; whereas a well-direct- ed fire from the fort could have destroyed the steamers. The utility of the latter vessels was never so apparent. Everything was done by them. The day was calm, or nearly so, and the ships had no sails to manage. As soon as the anchor was let go, they were ready for action. The bomb-vessels were next placed (for which the range had been calculated), and two sloops took position at right angles with their range, to tell by signal the effect of the bombs. So you see all was arranged with science and skill, and without the slightest interruption. " At the signal, they poured in upon the castle such a shower of shot and shell that nothing but a casemated battery could have enabled the men to stand at their guns. Kow it was seen for the first time that the material of which UUoa is built (soft coral) was the worst substance in the world for protection against the modern shell. The French threw almost entirely shell-shot, which entered the wall twelve or eighteen inches and then ex- ploded, tearing out great masses of stone, and in some instances rending the wall from base to top. The damage done by these shell-shot was inconceivably greater than that by the shell from the bomb-vessels, owing to the former striking horizontally, while the latter fell perpendicularly on the bomb-proofs, doing but Kttle damage — unless they caused the explosion in the cita- del, which is disputed by the Prince de Joinville, who claims the credit for his ship, to whose broadside the explosion re- sponded. But I am satisfied of one fact, viz., that they might have bombarded with the bomb-vessels for a month without OBSERVATIONS AND OPINIONS ON THE BATTLE. 135 success, while the frigates would in four hours more, with their shell-shot, have reduced the fort to a heap of ruins. In each of the frigates they have two or four 80-pounders that threw shell, in addition to the 32-pounders. " Having given you an account of the principal causes of their success, I will now descend to smaller matters, in which I know you feel somewhat interested as well as myself. On look- ing around the decks of the Iphigenie, which was still cleared for action, I could not help comparing her with the arrange- ments of our ship, the one possessing all the improvements of the day, and the other fitted up precisely as she would have been in '98. The French have no shot-boxes, match-tubs, or wad-nets, which of themselves occupy no small space on a ship's deck. The shot are in racks made of bar iron. They use the percussion lock and fulminating tubes, and their wads are little grummets made of rope-yams, about the size of a three-inch rope for thirty-twos, and I think a glance will suffice to show you that they are better than ours for every useful purpose ; they stop the windage better, occupy less space, and take less material and time to make them. As to this simple, perma- nently useful lock, what shall I say? It is a simple copper hammer, pulled by a lock-string — ifo spring, no machinery, in fact, nothing that can become deranged. I have now seen them tested four hours-— as rapid firing as I ever expect to see — and no complaint made, all the Frenchmen speaking in the highest terms of them. To my knowledge, two or three have been sent to the Department, and yet we are still using spring-locks. The First Lieutenant of the Iphigenie I am well acquainted with, and can rely on what he says. He told me that some of their guns changed their breechings seven times during the action ! That with us would have been a serious affair ; but, when I saw the simplicity of their arrangement, I found, as he said, that with them it was nothing. The permillion ring is removed at pleasure, and the breeching, being already spliced with an eye on each end, is shackled to the side in a moment. " I have already said too much, for a letter to any other per- son of your rank, but I flatter myself that I know your love of 136 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. improvement, and that my intentions will be duly appreciated. If we who wander about the world do not keep those at home informed of the daily improvements in other navies, how can we hope to improve, particularly when we see men impressed with the idea that, because they once gained a victory, they can do it again ? So they may, but I can tell them it must be with the means of 1838, and not those of 1812. " Sincerely yours, " D. G. Faekagut. " To Commodore James Bareon." On the 12th of January, 1839, Farragut gave up the com- mand of the Erie, then lying at Pensacola, to Commander Smoot, terminating a cruise to which he declared he would al- ways look back with pleasure. He returned home by land, visiting his sister in Kew Orleans. On his arrival at l^orfolk, finding his wife's health in a precarious condition, he remained unemployed, except by occasional duty on courts-martial, until December, 1840. He says : "At this time the disease of my afflicted wife appeared to be drawing to a crisis. On the 2Yth of December she termi- nated a life of unequaled suffering, which for sixteen years she had borne with unparalleled resignation and patience, affording a beautiful example of calmness and fortitude." No more striking illustration of his gentleness of character is shown than in Farragut's attention to his invalid wife. His tenderness in contributing to her every comfort, and catering to every whim, through sixteen years of suffering, forms one of the brightest spots in the history of his domestic life. When not at sea, he was constantly by her side, and proved himself a faithful and skillful nurse. It was the subject of remark by all who were thrown with him, and a lady of ]^orf oik said, " When Captain Farragut dies, he should have a monument reaching to the skies, made by every wife in the city contributing a stone to it." CHAPTEK XIY. APPOINTMENTS AND EXERCISE ON SHIPBOAKD — VISITS FROM CELEB- KITIES — FABRAGIJT RECEIVES A COMMISSION AS COMMANDER THE BRAZILIAN STATION A BULL-FIGHT HE TAKES COMAIAND OF THE DECATUR GOVERNOR ROSAS — A SINGULAR FESTIVAL — A DIFFICULT MANCEUVRE — UP THE PARAHYBA — AN EARTH- QUAKE AT SEA. " I APPLIED for sea service, and on the 22d of February, 1841, received orders to tlie Delaware, as her executive officer. She was in the stream, in charge of the officers of the receiving- ship, and on the 24th of March was dehvered to us. I proceed- ed at once to overhaul her and rig ship with all possible dispatch. " I now saw and encountered for the first time the great difficulty of handling half tops. I had been a looker-on for several days while the officers of the Pennsylvania with much difficulty succeeded in placing them. They spent from four hours to half a day in placing a single half top. I discovered that the operation could be performed in from fifteen to twenty minutes, in which time I put over the tops of the Delaware. " On the Yth of May four hundred and fifty men were trans- ferred to the ship. I stationed them as soon as possible, and proceeded to get ready for sea. On the 13th we dropped down between the forts, and on June 4th were towed down to Hamp- ton Eoads. " Most of the crew were seamen and landsmen, and even a large portion of the able seamen were ignorant of exercise, so that two months were spent in drilling them at the single guns and by divisions, before I considered them sufficiently schooled to attempt general quarters. " I had considerable difficulty in organizing the powder division, and making the necessary fixtures for whipping it up 138 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. to the upper deck. This was done by large wooden gin-blocks screwed into the decks — one over the after hatch, another over the fore, for the main-deck guns, and another at the fore scuttle, slung to an iron crane from the bit-head, which supplied the spar-deck guns. They each had a corresponding pulley on the orlop deck, around which worked a leather belt with double hooks, on which the lanyards of the passing-boxes were placed for ascending or descending, " From the 12th of July, 1841, the regulation which required a divisional exercise daily, and general quarters Tuesdays and Fridays, was adhered to as rigidly as possible. At general quar- ters the magazines were always opened, and masked balls were passed in lieu of cartridges, which enabled us to test the perfec- tion of our powder arrangements. " On the 23d it was determined to test our preparations for battle by something more satisfactory than the mere passing of balls. The Captain therefore gave orders for three broadsides. The ship was cleared for action, the decks sanded, small ai-ms passed into the tops, preventer braces on the lower and topsail yards, and, in fine, every arrangement made for a sham fight. "I began by giving the usual orders in exercise, going through the motions of firing — the charge supposed to be al- ready in the guns. I then gave the order to pass the powder from the magazine, and for the captains of the guns to go on with the exercise, loading and firing as fast as possible. In f our minutes from the time the first gun was fired, the main-deck divisions had completed their three broadsides ; the lower deck was perhaps a minute longer. The firemen, boarders, pikemen, and small-arm men were all exercised, the latter discharging from six to twelve rounds. In fifteen minutes from the time the first gun was fired, the guns were reported secure, and the retreat beaten. This I consider fair work for a line-of -battle ship. " I went on shore to visit the laboratory at Old Point, and while there saw the whole process of preparing fuses for shells. They meal the powder by rubbing it in a mortar ; then with a ladle about as large as a thimble pour it into the fuse, place an iron presser on it, and strike it fifteen or twenty blows, tiU the VISITS FKOM CELEBEITIES. 139 di'iver rebounds. This process is repeated until the fuse is filled. Before putting in the last ladleful, they lay in the top of the fuse a piece of quick match about two inches long, then drive in the last ladleful, leaving the ends of the match to be coiled down in the bore of the fuse. The fuse is then driven into the shell till its outer end is even with the inner surface of the fuse-hole. Put a little mealed powder on the top of the quick match, and place over the end of the fuse the iron cap, and screw it down. Then remove the end of the small piece of red morocco from the filling-hole of the shell, pour in a pint or a pint and a half of priming powder, stop up the hole with a small pine plug, and your shell is ready for use. I burned many of the fuses by way of experiment. They seldom burned less than ten seconds, although when fired they did not appear to bum over five. Fuses are generally calculated to burn two seconds to the inch. " We were ordered to Annapolis, and arrived there on August 4:th. Here we were visited by the people to the num- ber of nearly two thousand daily. " On the 14th the steamer "Washington came alongside, bringing the Secretary of the Kavy and other members of the Cabinet, and about a hundred members of Congress, with a himdred other gentlemen and ladies. The Secretary inspected the ship, and the company amused themselves looking about the deck, and talking and eating with Jack Tar. After dinner we cleared for action, and went through the exercises, firing six broadsides. " On the 25th we received on board Chief Justice Taney, with several ladies and gentlemen. They invited the officers to go on board the steamer to dance. " On September 27th the Captain came on board, bringing my commission [as commander] and those of Berryman and Stanley. All hands were called to muster, and the several commissions were read. " Colonel Watnough came on board and spent a few days with us. A more agreeable gentleman and warm-hearted fel- low 1 never became acquainted with. 10 140 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. " I wet my commission with a dozen of champagne. " We got under way, stood down the bay, and on October 1st anchored in Hampton Roads. We found there the French frigate L'Armide and the brig Bison. During a severe gale the Prince de Joinville visited the vessels, and notwithstanding the violence of the wind the yards were manned and the vessels dressed out with flags. When he left, two broadsides were fired, that being the salute of the Prince. It was said that one of the sailors was blown from the yards, and not one in the tier could stand in his place, " On the 18th Eobert Walsh, Esq., Secretary of Legation at the court of Brazil, came on board to take passage, and on the 22d President Tyler, accompanied by Commodore Morris, Cap- tains Black and Armstrong, and Commander Stribling, came on board. While they were with us we went through all the evo- lutions of an engagement. " On November 1st we got under way, and stood out to sea, in company with the ships Washington, Harkaway, and Cyane. " On the 28th we discovered that the copper was bursting off. It appeared to me to be caused by the swelling of the felt, which started the nails on the upjDer edge, and then as she rose the hydraulic pressure forced it off downward. I was satisfied from the first that the application of felt was absurd, as it has no strength, and as soon as the copper is removed the felt washes away ; besides this, it swells sufficiently to burst off the copper, and is only a dead weight on the bottom and produces great irregularity in the bottom. I saw the bottom of the Guerriere when the copper was removed from it after a lapse of twenty- five years. It had been put on with a coat of turpentine and tallow, and the wood was as fresh as the day it was put on, and the bottom perfectly smooth. " On December 12th we made the harbor of Rio de Janeiro, and found all the squadron here except the Enterprise. " On the 14th our Commodore visited the French, Brazilian, and Portuguese, and was saluted. The Portuguese, from igno- rance, displayed the American flag, so we were by etiquette THE BRAZILIAN STATION— A BULL-FIGHT. 141 obliged to return tlie salute. Such salutes are never returned unless the national flag is displayed, but it is the custom always to acknowledge this compliment. " Christmas day ! And nothing could be more uninviting for a country visit. Yet we had engaged to dine with Birck- land ; so off we set, the Commodore, Captain McCauley, and I. We had a dismal ride, and got there too late for dinner. We had a pleasant time, however, but foimd that returning was worse than going. The driver was drunk, the rain fell in tor- rents, and the wind blew a gale and howled dismally among the dark old forest trees. We arrived on board thoroughly drenched. " I began the new year by giving the ship a general over- hauling. The Emperor of Brazil and all the royal family, with our Minister Mr. Hunter and all the naval commanders, came on board to visit us. " We fired a salute for the amusement of the Emperor and his sisters, beat the retreat, and escorted them into the cabin, where they partook of a collation — ^by themselves — and then the nobles and the rest of the company were served. " On the 15th we made all sail, in two columns, and went to sea. On the 31st we arrived at Montevideo. " February 3d a schooner came off with a party of ladies and gentlemen to visit our ship ; so we had a little waltz. " We celebrated Washington's birthday with a salute. The Montevidian and Brazilian men-of-war also fired, but the French and English did not. " On the 27th we went ashore to see a bull-fight. We saw seven or eight bulls killed by the matadores, and two horses killed by the bulls. One bull was baited by five bull-dogs, a most amusing sight. The bull kept one, and sometimes two, of the dogs ia the air nearly all the time. The precision with which the matadores strike the bull is astonishing. In every instance the first blow was fatal. But it is altogether a barbar- ous sight, and must have done much in Spanish countries toward producing the reckless use of the knife, and other cruel practices which are so common. Even delicate women do not appear to 142 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. be affected at the sight of a horse trampling out his own bowels as he walks along after being gored by the bull. " On the 1st of April we interred the remains of Midship- man McCook in the English burying-ground, with all the honors due to his rank. Thus terminated the short career of a zealous young officer, who, if he had been spared, was likely to prove one of ]^eptune's worthiest sons. " On June 1st I received orders to relieve Commander Ogden in the Decatur, and accordingly went on board, mustered the crew, read my orders, and assumed command. " Thus closed my service on board the Delaware as executive officer, a service to which I shall always look back with gratifi- cation, as it was the last step in the ladder of subordinate duties, and I feel proud to think I performed it with the same zeal as the first." . Although Farragiit had held several commands, they were assigned under the exigencies of the service, and not by right of rank. He was now on board a ship with the full rank, and, although it was his practice to give himself earnestly to whatso- ever duties were required of him, still he evidently felt an ex- cusable degree of pride and satisfaction in his present position, beyond that which he had experienced in his brevet service. On taking command of the Decatur he found that several of the crew had been discharged, and an entire reorganization was necessary, which he promptly effected. He mentions that his vessel outsailed the whole squadron. While his ship was lying at Rio de Janeiro, he speaks of the pleasant interchange of civilities with British naval officers, especially Captain Bruce, of the Agincourt, 74, who was a lieutenant on board the Bel- vedere in the war of 1812, and whom Farragut calls a " clever fellow," which was a strong term of praise with him. On the 2d of July the Decatur, in company with the Dela- ware, sailed for the Eio de la Plata. The Foui-th, the anniver- sary of our national Independence, was celebrated as well as possible, considering that the ship was at sea in a heavy gale. The vessels anchored in the harbor of Montevideo on the 13th, GOVERNOR ROSAS. 143 and on the 15th Commodore Morris transferred his broad pen- nant to the Decatm* and proceeded in her to Buenos Ayres. The journal continues : " We went on shore a good deal, our time being chiefly taken up -with official visiting during the day and ' tertulias ' at night. " We paid a visit to Governor Rosas, and were highly enter- tained by a description of his early campaigns, the subject being introduced by an inquiry on the part of Commodore Morris as to the character of the Indians of the interior. The Governor mentioned a singular fact showing the effect of cHmate on the inhabitants. He said he made it a rule never to treat with the natives during a northeasterly wind, or to admit them to his presence, for during such periods they were morose and intract- able ; but that during the southwest wind he never found the least difficulty in making arrangements with them on honorable terms, as at such times they were always brave and generous. He added that he had made this discovery early in life, and subsequently profited by it in his campaigns. " At half-past ten, on this occasion, the other officers were invited into an adjoining room, leaving Rosas and the Commo- dore alone, and they were engaged in a private conversation until twelve o'clock. " "We had an excellent opportunity to form an idea of Rosas's character, as he appeared to throw off all restraint while with us. But the Commodore informed us that, as soon as he laid business matters before him, Rosas was a different person ; he was calm and measured in manner and language. We con- cluded, from our observations, that he was a man of uncommon mind and energy, and as a general thing reasonable ; but on the subject of secret societies he was a madman, if we might judge from his furious denunciation of them. He said they would ruin the United States at some future day. " The next interesting incident was our visit to the Gover- nor's quinta, or country house. The Commodore and I started out on horseback on the morning of the 10th, and, after picking our way through the mud for about an hour, along what is called 144 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. the ' Beach road,' found ourselves in front of the quinta. On entering the yard we saw some guaehos preparing a table with eatables, under a kind of summer house or extension of the back porch. We were kindly welcomed and invited into the sitting- room, where we found Madame Marcellius, the younger sister of Rosas, a most beautiful and interesting woman. In a short time Emanuehta, his daughter, entered, accompanied by several of her lady friends, among them the wife of her brother, and her cousin Corina, the daughter of Colonel Rosas. Corina is her nearest and dearest friend, and they sympathize in all their tastes and amusements — except that Emanuelita possesses a much higher order of mind. It was her province to entertain the Governor's company, and to see that they went away pleased with their visits — a duty which involved great responsibility and was not always agreeable, as she was compelled to associate with all degrees of persons, the highest and the lowest. Seno- rita Emanuelita was plainly but neatly attired in calico, with a white apron, her hair dressed simply, the only ornament being a narrow ribbon bow on one side, which is worn by all the ladies of Buenos Ayres as an evidence that they are good Federdlists. She appeared glad to see us, and entered into a lively chit-chat with an ease pecuhar to herself. When she went out for a few moments, Madame Rosas sang and played on the guitar, in very good taste, so far as we were capable of judging. " We found the weather very uncomfortable — raw while sitting under the porch, and intensely hot in the sun — which inclined us to shorten our visit ; so, as soon as propriety would permit, we rose to take our leave ; but they insisted on our re- maining to breakfast, telling us we would find only every-day fare, d la costunibre del pais. This excited the Commodore's curiosity, as he was desirous of learning the manners of the coun- try, so the invitation was a'ccepted. We went out to the break- fast-table — though that was rather a misnomer, as it was really a dinner. We all sat down with our hats and caps on, the natives wearing their ponchos. The table groaned under the load of provisions. There were, I think, eight dishes to each course, any one of which was enough for all, and four courses. Corina GOVERNOR ROSAS. 145 helped the gentlemen, while Emanuelita did the honors of the entertainment. The former paid more attention to the costumbre del pais than to the taste and quality of her American guests, for she helped us as abundantly as if we had been laboring men, and half-starved ones at that. It was no want of delicacy on the part of the young lady, however, who was perfectly genteel in appearance and demeanor. " Madame Marcellius seemed to be a superior person. Al- though somewhat too large to be called a good figure, still her face was so pretty, the expression so soft, and her manners so easy and graceful, that she would always be considered dis- tinguee. The others were better trained and more accustomed to play their parts in the salas of the city. But they all ap- peared as much at home, d la guacho, as they did the first night I saw them in town. " During the breakfast, champagne and claret flowed quite freely. After the meal, 'Manuelita proposed a visit to her ball- room, and we all walked down to the river-side, where we found an American brig which had been cast up on shore during a heavy gale. The Governor had her got up on even keel and fitted up by dropping the middle deck so as to have a height of nine feet between decks. This made a room of thirty by eighteen feet. The cabin was used for a ladies' dressing-room, and the whole arrangement was unique, but convenient. " We returned to the city about three o'clock in the after- noon. The Commodore and I mingled much in society, attend- ing tertulias at the houses of Casati Roodes, Mr. Mandevill, the English Minister, Mr. G. Zimmerman, and Consul Edwards, until the 21st, when we sailed for Montevideo." Farragut's vessel soon returned to Buenos Ayres. On the 10th of September, while there, the death of the Duke of Or- leans, eldest son of Louis Philippe, was announced, and he joined the French vessels in the harbor in paying respect to his memory. He says : " During the month of September I made it a rale to spend two or three evenings a week at the Governor's. On the 5th 146 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. of October we rode out to tlie encampment to witness a military festival called ' the feast of the month of Kosas,' during which period, from the 5th to the 11th, there is a great interchange of civilities, ending on the last day with a general celebration in honor of Kosas's victories. This custom was established, I be- lieve, through the diplomacy of Madame Eosas. " Our party went to the Government House to take refuge from the dust, breakfasted with 'Manuelita and her lady friends, visited the encampment, and then returned to town, but not be- fore promising 'ManueKta to come back on the 11th. " On that day, at 7 a. m., I mounted my horse and rode out to the camp, where I arrived in two hours. The ladies were not yet up, so I took my seat under a tree and silently watched the religious ceremonies going on. 'Near the Government House a large canopy was erected, drawn out to posts eighteen feet high, covering an area of about thirty feet diameter. Near the center was an altar for divine service; on the left was a smaller one, and in front of this, just within the curtain of the tent, was a pulpit. Handsome carpets were spread befoi-e each. When everything was in readiness, it being then ten o'clock, the Commander was notified, the bands of music struck up, and sol- diers were seen marching from all directions toward the pavilion. At their head was the commanding officer, the General, and the senior Colonel, to whom I was introduced. The troops were marshaled in front of the tent, numbering about three thousand. As the senior officers approached, carrying the portrait of the Governor, all heads were uncovered, the band playing the na- tional hymn. The ladies of the household followed, and knelt before the altar. The picture was placed on the small altar, and two officers, with drawn swords, stood by to guard it. They were relieved every fifteen minutes during the services, which were long and tedious. "An old priest, said to be a Spaniard, made a discourse, which was nothing more than a eulogium on Eosas and an ex- hortation to the soldiery. The amount of it was, that the Gov- ernor was the author of all the good thus far enjoyed, and to the soldiers they looked for all the benefits to come. He said that A SINGULAR FESTIVAL. 147 God would smile upon tliem and support them in the great good work of destroying the ' savage Unitarians.' " Vivas resounded from the whole army, as well as from the large concourse of spectators who had been attracted, like my- self, by curiosity. At the close of the address, rockets were fired, the bands of music struck up again, and, amid the clatter, the portrait was borne to the apartment of Rosas's son by two general oflScers. " These ceremonies occupied nearly five hours, during which time eight soldiers were prostrated by the overpowering heat. " The troops were all fine-looking men, well dressed, well armed, and apparently well disciphned. They form a corps de reserve, are stationed five leagues from the city, and are always ready to march at a moment's warning. Rosas had also fifteen hundred soldiers at Chascomanas, six hundred at Bahia Blanco, and six hundred at Tondil, besides a thousand friendly Indians at the two last-named places. By reference to the map it will be seen that he could concentrate a considerable force upon any part of the province in which that monster ' Unitarianism ' might rise against him. " At 3 p. M. we sat down to dinner. Many toasts were drunk to the ' illustrious restorer of the laws,' many in commemoration of his departed spouse, who by her sagacity had wrought so much good, and many to the 'kind, amiable, and beautiful daughter,' all of which 'Manuelita most assuredly deserved, ex- cept the beauty ; she could not altogether lay claim to that attri- bute. Loud vivas followed every toast. " After dinner we walked over to witness the amusements of the camp. First, we saw an exhibition of tight-rope dancing, and then the great guacho game of riding at a ring, which is called by the Spaniards sortija. An avenue is formed of ever- greens, spanned by three arches — one at each end and one in the middle. From the latter a ring is suspended, so placed that a horseman may reach it when at full gallop. A certain num- ber of young men enter the Hsts, the horses and riders capari- soned in the richest style, but in strict guacho costume. They are equally divided, and a party is placed under each of the 148 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. arclies at tlie extremities of the course. At a given signal each one in turn starts ofi at full speed, armed with a short lance to take off the ring. It is astonishing with what dexterity they accomplish this feat. I beheve, during the half hour that I was present, the ring was missed but three times. Every suc- cessful rider received the vivas of the multitude. One of the Governor's nephews, named Ecuri, was the champion on this occasion. " About eight o'clock we walked out to witness an abortive attempt to send up a balloon, which rose about fifty feet and then collapsed. " At nine we got into a carriage and were driven to another part of the camp, where a ball-room had been fitted up in an old quinta. The walls formed two sides of a square, while the enclosure was completed with evergreens hung with emblematic decorations and lanterns. All around the house were groups of negroes and the lower class of natives, thumping away on drums and guitars, and executing the national dances. "We were all seated in the corridor for nearly an hour, waiting the exhibition of some fireworks, which finally went off and were very beautiful. As the last spark went out, the national hymn was performed by the band, all the assembly joining, with uncovered heads. " We were now invited into the ball-room, which was very neat and sufficiently large for the company, and, but for one feature, would have done great credit to the manager. This was a picture which would have disgraced even barbarian society. It was a full-size figure representing a Federal soldier, with a Unitarian lying on the ground, the Federal pressing his knees between the victim's shoulders, whose head was pulled back with the left hand, and the throat cut from ear to ear, while the executioner exultingly held aloft a bloody knife and seemed to be claiming the applause of the spectators. I am sure I do not err in saying that every one of our party felt an involuntary shudder come over him when his eye fell on this tableau ; nor did we afterward recover our spirits ; everything in the way of gayety, on our part, during the night was forced and un- BALLS AND A BARBECUE. I49 natural. We returned to the city about seven o'clock the next morning. " On the 5th of November I was invited to a ball at the Yictoria Theatre, and went in company with our Consul and several officers of the ship. It was given to 'Manuelita, and opened by her with a minuet, after which the dancing became general. There were quadrilles, Spanish contra-dances, waltzes, and occasionally a ' minuet montenero,' the national dance. On this, as on all other similar occasions, I danced the first quadrille with the charming 'Manuelita. " On the 12th, the firing of great guns announced the arrival of Admiral Brown, of the Buenos Ayres navy, who had been sent up to Parana in pursuit of Garibaldi, the Montevidean commander, who had undertaken to carry stores to Corrientes. As he met with many obstacles in his course. Brown was enabled to overtake him. Garibaldi ran his vessel into a creek, and made a most desperate resistance, fought until he had expended everything in the way of ammunition, then landed his crew and set his vessel on fire; when Brown returned, having accom- plished the object of his expedition. " Eleven o'clock the next day was the hour appointed for the successful Admiral to land. The Comandancia, or house of the Captain of the Port, was decorated with flags ; two open carriages drove down to the beach — one a sort of triumphal car for the good old Admiral, the other containing his wife and 'Manuelita. " Brown landed amid the huzzas of the crowd, and the firing of guns and rockets. Two bullocks were at the same time roasting on the beach, as came con cuero. The party marched in slow order to the Comandancia, preceded by a band of young men playing guitars and singing a song com- posed for the occasion. On the lYth of October a grand ball was given in honor of the Admiral's victory, which I attended." Nothing of interest occurred during the remaining weeks of Farragut's stay at Buenos Ayi-es. He continued to visit the 150 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. Governor's family, riding out frequently with the ladies, and became, as he says, quite an expert horseman. After joining the Delaware at Montevideo, and making an exchange of some officers, the Decatur proceeded to Rio. She remained but a short time in port, when, dispatches for the United States having been received on board, she sailed on her homeward voyage. Farragut, who was very proud of the working and sailing qualities of his little ship, describes how he managed to get her out of the harbor of Rio, under circumstances somewhat similar to those in which the Katchez had been placed about nine years previous, reference to which has been already made. In both instances his thorough seamanship and skill were displayed to the admiration of many professional men who watched his manoeuvres with great interest. In regard to the working of the Decatur, he says : " Getting under way was rather a difficult manoeuvre with us, having Rat Island on our starboard beam, a Brazilian frigate on our larboard, a sloop of war on our starboard quarter, but nearly astern, and a large merchantman on our larboard quar- ter; the tide running flood, wind south, and lying in eleven and a haK fathoms of water. The great difficulty to be ap- prehended was, that in such a depth of water the tide would sweep us into the hawse of the sternmost vessels before we could gather headway, as they were all lying close to us. We succeeded, however, in the following manner: hove to a short stay, set the topsails, braced the head yards slightly a-box on the larboard tack, braced the after yards sharj) up on the starboard tack, and, as soon as the anchor was a-weigh, fell off to port; hove the anchor briskly up to the bows, braced around the head yards, boarded the main tack, and hauled out the spanker; boarded the fore tack, eased off the main sheet, and just cleared the stern of the frigate ; so we lost nothing. Then we proceeded to cat and fish the anchor, and get all sail set, continuing to beat out of the harbor. About sunset we cleared Santa Cruz. This, I apprehend, is one of the UP THE PARAHYBA. 151 few instances of a vessel beating out of the harbor of Kio against wind and tide." The Decatur stopped at the Island of Maranham, and sixty- two hours after arrived off Para. Fan-agut, while lying at this place, made a little excursion to the interior, his account of which is as follows : " On the 20th the Consul came on board, and we set out with a small party to go up the Eiver Parahyba about twenty- five miles, in one of our boats. We arrived at a place called Boavista about 12 m., where we procured paddles and proceeded to our place of destination, which we reached about 2 p. m. Entering a small creek about twice the width of our boat, we paddled upward of a mile. On the banks of this little stream we saw a great many India-rubber trees, and quantities of cane from thirty to forty feet in length. " We landed at the house of Jose Angelo, where we spent two days most delightfully, rambling through the vast forests and examining the various productions of the province in their natural growth — the cocoa, the red dye annotto, and the whole process of manufacturing the India-rubber, even moulding it ourselves, with our hands, into different shapes. I never saw such a luxuriant growth of coffee in any of the southern prov- inces ; the cane also is remarkably fine, and the cocoa the spon- taneous production of the soil. " I saw no efforts at cultivation ; but, rich and productive as the country is, the inhabitants are compelled to import sugar and coffee from the south, which is owing to the great destruc- tion of plantations during the revolution, and the sweeping off of the greater part of the laboring population by famine and disease. " On the 21st, after visiting one of the neighbors, we walked through the woods four miles to our first place of landing, Boa- vista, the boats going around. This walk was performed in the full heat of the day, yet so dense was the foliage that I went the whole distance with my hat off. We partook of various 152 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. drinks during the day, made from the fruits of the country. One from the mucilaginous covering of the cocoa is delicious, similar in taste to the juice of the water-melon ; another, which is made from a species of palm, had something the flavor of peaches and cream, and, with a dash of wine, was a delightful beverage. " We set out on our return in the boat about 5 p. m. Toward dusk I heard a roaring like steam, which none of us could ac- count for; I soon perceived, however, that it came from the ocean, but did not think it was anything more than a ' tide rip.' Our old host, however, became very much alarmed, and advised us to keep close in-shore to avoid the tide-flow which he feared would swamp us. I entertained no such apprehension of the danger, but followed his advice to gratify him. I soon found that he had reason for his caution ; for the seas came upon us so fast that one large fellow boarded us before I could get the boat clear, and gave us considerable trouble to escape. The waves came rolling in about four feet high ; but we passed out in gallant style, receiving only a good wetting." The next day the Decatur sailed for Chesapeake Bay. Only one notable incident occurred on the voyage, which was an earthquake at sea. Farragut thus describes its effect : " This morning there was a general alarm in the ship, caused by a rumbling noise, which was variously attributed ; by some to the running out of chain cables, by others to the rolling of barrels under the decks, and then a painful impression prevailed that the ship was scraping over a bank. It soon became appa- rent that it was the shock of an earthquake. I had the time marked; it increased gradually in intensity for two minutes, and ceased at the end of three minutes. When it was at its height, the ship shook very much, and the noise resembled the veering out of chain cables. The nearest land, Anguila, was one hundred and thirty miles off. I suppose it must have been very severe on shore. An hour after the shock the northeast trades sprang up quite fresh, and all the clouds were dispersed. AF EARTHQUAKE AT SEA. 153 There appeared to be a sympathy between the earthquake and the weather." On the 18th of February, 1843, the Decatur arrived at Nor- folk, and Farragut was relieved. " This cruise," he says, " under Commodore Morris, was one of great interest to the ]^avy : it was the first effort of the old officers to exercise in naval tactics by the squadron, almost aban- doned since 1812. Prior to that period our little fleets, small as they were, had been accustomed to cruise off the coast of the United States and exercise the officers and crews in the different manoeuvres at sea. It was my good fortune to command the ' smartest ' vessel in the Brazilian squadi'on. Her spars were light, however, and easily handled. My visit to Buenos Ayi-es was pleasant and highly instructive ; moreover, being on the most familiar terms with Governor Rosas and his family, I was enabled to do many kind acts for the Unitarians, who were in constant danger of their lives, by reason of political accusations, if not actual offenses. " After my ship was laid up at Norfolk I went to Washing- ton, in order to obtain some employment if possible. I waited on the Secretary of the Navy, Hon. Abel P. Upshur, who at once put an end to all my self-importance by laughing at my pretensions for retaining command of the Decatur, which was destined for the coast of Africa. " I obtained leave of absence, and returned to Norfolk, there patiently to await the pleasure of the Department. After serv- ing on a court-martial, my health being quite delicate, I went up to the mountains, and spent the summer at Fauquier Springs and thereabouts. " Meanwhile I applied for a command, or for any appro- priate employment, but was uniformly unsuccessful. On Sep- tember 1st I heard that the command of Norfolk Navy-yard was vacant by the removal of Commander Saunders. I went to Washington, and urged my claim, but all to no purpose. Hon. David Henshaw, of Massachusetts, who had been appoint- 154 THE LITE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. ed to succeed Mr. Upsliur as Secretary of the Navy, said it was enough for him that I was from ]^orf oik ; it was his intention to send Northern officers south, and Southern officers north. I lent my feeble aid to stop his confirmation by the Senate, and it was with not a little satisfaction that I heard he had said he was largely indebted to the officers of the Navy for his rejec- tion." CHAPTER XY. MAEKIAGE TO MISS LOYALL SERVICE ON THE PENNSYLVANIA — THE MEXICAN WAR HIS EAGERNESS TO CAPTURE THE CASTLE OF SAN JUAN DE ULLOA — HIS DISAPPOINTMENT — RETURN TO NORFOLK NAVY-YARD LECTURES, EXPERIMENTS, AND AUTHOR- SHIP. On the 26th of December, 1843, Commander Farragut mar- ried Yirgiuia, eldest daughter of William Loyall, Esq., a well known and most respected citizen of Norfolk, Yirginia. After a wedding tour in which they went as far north as J^ew York, they returned to N'orf oik by way of Eichmond. In April, 1844, he was ordered to the ship of the line Pennsylvania, at Portsmouth, Yirginia, as her executive officer. Commodore Bolton, the Lieutenant Finch of the Essex, was in command of the station. The journal continues : " Few notable occurrences took place, except the visit of President Tyler with his beautiful bride. They were accom- panied by a large retinue of officers and a few ladies. Later in the summer we had a visit from Governor McDowall, of Yir- ginia, and in the autumn there was a large concourse of Pres- byterians at the meeting of a synod in Norfolk, and they also visited our ship. In fact, our time was almost entirely taken up with the little details of duty and in showing strangers around the ship. " In November there was great excitement about the elec- tion of a President, each party claiming the victory by turns. Mr. Polk, the Democratic candidate, was successful, and the Whigs, filled with mortification, execrated the system of making voters out of new emigrants. " By the removal of Captain Smoot I was left in command 156 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. of the ship, and later I was ordered to the Navy-yard as second in command, having been applied for by Commodore Wilkin- son. There I remained until the Mexican war broke out, when I made immediate apphcation for duty at the seat of war, be- lieving that my experience on the coast of Mexico would be of special value to the Government. Among other efforts to ob- tain command of a ship, I addressed the following letter to the Secretary of the Navy : " ' United States Navt-Yaed, Gospoet, " ' November 3, I846. " ' Sm : At the commencement of our difficulties with Mexico I addressed a letter to Mr. Bancroft [Secretary of the Navy from March, 1845, to September, 1846], requesting service in the GuK, and expressed to him hopes that long service and experi- ence in that quarter, together with a tolerable knowledge of the Spanish language, might make me serviceable to the Govern- ment. To this letter I received no reply. After the declara- tion of war, I offered my services again, and requested a com- mand. To the last I received the usual reply, " duly noted." " ' It is from fear that my first-mentioned letter did not reach the Department that I now take the liberty of addressing you, sir, in much the same language, with the sincere hope that, should anything like an attack on the Castle of San Juan de UUoa be contemplated, at some future day, I may be allowed to participate in the glorious achievement, for such I believe it will be whenever it is undertaken. " ' I served in the Gulf in 1822, '23, and '24, under Commo- dore Porter, and in 1838, '39 under Commodore Dallas. I was present, in command of the sloop-of-war Erie, when the castle was taken by the French in 1838, and was in the castle a few minutes after its surrender, and I therefore know how vulner- able it is to ships. I was intimate with the French officers, and saw daily all their preparations and plans of attack ; all of which might be serviceable. I am proud to say I learned a good deal. The French were prepared to attack by escalade, if it had not surrendered the morning it did. This I also considered feasible. EAGEKNESS TO CAPTURE SAN JUAN DE ULLOA. 157 and at, perhaps, much less risk than by bombardment ; but it would have been executed under cover of night. My intimate knowledge of the localities and these arrangements induces me to hope that I may have a position under whoever has the good fortune to command the squadron. " ' I will here mention also, for fear the Honorable Secretary may not have seen it, that I gave Commodore Stockton my minutes of the attack on the castle, for his use when it was sup- posed that he was bound for Yera Cruz, and he informed me that he had given them to Mr. Bancroft. " ' From that document you will learn the true state of the castle at the time of the surrender. " ' I feel that I have trespassed on your time, but iny anxiety for the service, as well as the desire to make myself useful, must be my apology. " ' I have the honor to be, respectfully, sir, " ' D. G. Faeragut. " ' To Hon. J. Y. Mason, " ' Secretary of the Navy.' " I finally obtained command of the sloop of war Saratoga, after much difficulty. I had urged my claims on the ground that I had a thorough knowledge of the harbor of Yera Cruz, having been there during the attack on the Castle of San Juan de UUoa by Admiral Baudin, had taken great pains to inform myseK as to the local advantages in attacking the place, mea- sured the depth of water all around the fort, and marked the penetration of every shell from the French ships ; and that in so doing I had not at the time looked forward to a war with Mexico, but I had made it a ride of my life to note these things with a view to the ^possible future. I had labored much in this way, and it was the first opportunity I had ever had of reaping a reward. I urged that I could take the Castle of San Juan with the Pennsylvania and two sloops of war like the Saratoga, for which declaration I came very near being ruled out as a monomaniac. I was willing to take the inferior position of executive officer on board the Pennsylvania, that I might have 158 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. the duty of organizing her crew for the fight ; but it was not permitted, and I did not obtain command of the Saratoga until February, 1847. " I sailed two days after I got possession of the ship, with a crew made up of every servant and boat's crew I could lay my hands on. Commodore Skinner and Captain Stribling, to their credit be it said, giving up theirs cheerfully. I was then ten per cent, short of my complement, and had only one man who was rated ' seaman.' I exercised them daily on the voyage, whenever the weather permitted, and off the Bahama Banks we fired at a target, and they made pretty good practice. I had them in fair trim by the time we reached Yera Cruz. But we were just too late; the castle had surrendered to our forces, under General Scott [March 26, 1847], and the flag was proudly floating over its walls. " I took the yellow fever while there, and was near losing my life. " Of all the service I had seen since entering the Navy, this cruise was the most mortifying. It was insisted that the castle had been strengthened with granite and was no longer the same as in 1838. Unfortunately, the officers then in the Gulf, who did not understand the condition of the fortifications or know the people, were not willing to attack, because an English officer had said that the castle ' could sink all the ships in the world.' It is now known, and sadly felt, that they were imposed upon. The Navy would stand on a different footing to-day if our ships had made the attack. It was all we could do, and should have been done at all hazards. Commodore Conner thought differ- ently, however, and the old officers at home backed his opinion ; but they all paid the penalty — ^not one of them will ever wear an Admiral's flag,* which they might have done, if that castle * There is something noteworthy in these words, uttered thirty years ago. Far- ragut thought, with many other intelligent friends of the Navy, that the rank of Admiral should exist in our service, for many reasons, not the least of which was the disadvantage our fleets would labor under in case of cooperation with a foreign squadron, when, by the established custom of nations in regard to rank, we would always be compelled to yield precedence to the grade of Admiral. He rejected the HIS DISAPPOINTMENT. 159 had been taken by the ^avy, which must have been the result of an attack. " I have little to look back to with satisfaction or pleasure at that time, except the consciousness of having done my duty. As I had the ill-will of my Commodore (Perry), I was not per- mitted to participate in any of the expeditions and more honor- able duties, but was placed under a reef of rocks o£E Tuxpan, to blockade that port. When I could bear the imposition no longer, I reported the facts to the Navy Department, and asked to be reheved from under his command, or from command of the ship. Accordingly I was ordered home with my vessel. My letters were considered improper by the Secretary of the Navy. " ' United States Ship Saratoga, Saoeifioios, " ' December 12, ISlft. " ' Sm : As the time for which this ship was fitted out (twelve months) will expire in March, 1848, and her rigging, which, in my anxiety and at my earnest desire, was unwillingly passed by the surveyors for that period, is already beginning to give way, and conceiving that we have endured aU the privations, sickness, etc., incidental to a cruise on the coast of Mexico, in the most aggravated form, having had all my officers, and more than half my crew, down with the yellow fever ; and lastly, having failed not only in eliciting from my commander-in-chief any partici- pation in the more honorable duties of the squadron for my officers and crew, but also, as I conceive, common justice, having already been kept on the blockade of Tuxpan five and a half months out of seven on the station, while the other vessels of the squadron have been very differently situated : " ' I have the honor to request that, if it is not deemed ex- pedient for the ship to return to the United States within that idea that such a designation imported a title of nobility, any more than that of Gen- eral or Commodore, and always believed that some signal success or brilliant achieve- ment by the Navy would favor the creation of that grade. Hence his bluntly ex- pressed dissatisfaction at the opportunity thrown away, as he regarded it, by the failure to attack the castle of San Juan de UUoa. How his faith was justified, the subsequent events of our civil war illustrate. 160 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEKAGUT. period for tlie purpose of receiving a new gang of rigging and a new set of officers, I may be released from the command, as the readiest means of securing to those who remain in her a more favorable consideration. I am fully aware, sir, that great latitude must be given to the commander of a squadron, in order to secure his best exertions ; but, if he uses the trust with prejudice or partiality, there is no alternative to the subordinate but the one I seek, viz., to get from under his command, and in so doing I am anxious that those who have shared with me the evils of my command should participate in the pleasure of my relief. " ' I am, sir, with great respect, your obedient servant, " ' D. G. Fakeagut, Commander. <'