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diff --git a/old/54564-8.txt b/old/54564-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8cbbee0..0000000 --- a/old/54564-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1234 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Some Stories of Old Ironsides, by Holloway Halstead Frost - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Some Stories of Old Ironsides - -Author: Holloway Halstead Frost - -Release Date: April 18, 2017 [EBook #54564] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOME STORIES OF OLD IRONSIDES *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - SOME STORIES OF - OLD IRONSIDES - - - _By_ - Commander Holloway H. Frost, U. S. Navy - Author of _We Build a Navy_ - - [Illustration: Medallion] - - U. S. NAVAL INSTITUTE - ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND - - {Copyright 1931 · United States Naval Institute} - - DESIGNED AND PRINTED BY - GEORGE BANTA PUBLISHING COMPANY - MENASHA, WISCONSIN - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - _Facing_ - Preble's First Attack on Tripoli 4 - Old Ironsides 5 - Chase of the _Constitution_ 12 - Edward Preble 13 - _Constitution_ and _Guerriere_ 20 - Capture of the British Frigate _Java_ 21 - The Night Battle Between the U.S.S. _Constitution_ and H. M. Ships - _Cyane_ and _Levant_ 28 - Stephen Decatur 29 - - [Illustration: Bowsprit] - - [Illustration: _From a painting by M. Carne_ - Preble's First Attack on Tripoli - The _Constitution_ (large ship right center foreground) leading the - attack on Tripoli, August 3, 1804.] - - [Illustration: _From a painting by C. R. Patterson_ - "Old Ironsides"] - - - - - ACT I - _In the Mediterranean_ - - - SCENE I. ENTER THE "CONSTITUTION" - -On a September day in 1803 an American frigate bowled along the rocky -Spanish coast toward Gibraltar. From her bluff bows curled back a foamy -wave. Above the blue waters rose a gracefully proportioned black hull. -Around it, halfway up from the water line, ran a broad white stripe. -This was broken at regular intervals by the dark squares of the gun -ports. Spars tapered aloft. White rectangles of billowing canvas -completed a picture of beauty unsurpassed on the Seven Seas. Such was -the United States ship _Constitution_. Joshua Humphreys, naval -constructor, had done his work well. - -Watchers on the famous Rock might have noted, had the beauty of this -strange ship gained their full attention, that from the mizzen truck -flew the broad blue pennant of a commodore. His name was then unknown. -It is not too well known even now. But as time passes the conviction -grows that Edward Preble should be classed in the first rank of our -naval commanders. He was soon to prove that he was every inch a -commodore. His pennant flew from a splendid ship, but one which had as -yet no tradition of victory. Edward Preble was to begin that long series -of successful cruises and spectacular sea fights which was to endear -"Old Ironsides" to every American. - -Countless ships for countless years had passed these far-famed Pillars -of Hercules. Some had sailed on errands of peace, but most on the grim -business of war. Phoenician traders had sailed out northward to Britain -for cargoes of its precious tin. Carthaginian merchants under Hanno had -ventured far down the Atlantic coast of Africa. Scipio Africanus with -his legions had come this way to complete the conquest of Spain. Moorish -galleys had ferried to Europe those fierce Moslem horsemen who overran -the Iberian Peninsula and fought for world empire on the battlefields of -France. Norse sea kings had sailed on through to Sicily and -Constantinople. Stout De Ruyter and his Dutch seamen had followed in -their track to make his last campaign in the blue waters of the -Mediterranean. And only five years before the greatest sea captain of -them all, a certain Horatio Nelson, had hastened by to match his wits -with a General Bonaparte and annihilate his fleet at the mouth of the -Nile. - -The entry of Edward Preble in a Yankee frigate into the great sea which -had supported so many war fleets seemed doubtless at that time utterly -devoid of historical significance. But now, as we look back over a -century and a quarter, it takes on a new importance. It was to bring our -young Navy to a new plane of efficiency. It was to demonstrate to -Americans in a striking manner the value of an efficient naval service. -It was to establish our Navy as a permanent American institution. And, -what is more, it signaled to watchful eyes abroad the rise of a new sea -power. It indicated, not only to African pirates, but also to astute -European statesmen, that this American Republic had become a factor they -would have to reckon with in framing their diplomatic policies. - -We believe that, as much as any other man of that era, it was bold and -forceful Edward Preble who gave the United States that initial impulsion -along the path of astounding prosperity, unparalleled commercial power, -and world-wide influence. - - [Illustration: Squadron at sea] - -For two years we had been at war with the Moslem principalities which -lined the Mediterranean coast of Africa. For many years before that, -their piratical craft had captured our merchant ships and sold their -crews into slavery. We had first begged and then bribed these pirates to -desist from piracy. And, finally, after all diplomatic measures had -failed, that task was given the Navy. That service had been in existence -only a few years. It was, we must confess, not properly prepared to -conduct a difficult campaign so far from its home bases. So two years of -desultory fighting had accomplished little. In despair, our statesmen -had descended again to the artifices of bribery. But, fortunately for -us, the piratical chieftains did not think our offers worth their while. -So the Navy was given a final chance and Edward Preble the command. The -backbone of his squadron were the fine frigates _Constitution_ and -_Philadelphia_. For inshore work there were the brigs _Argus_ and -_Siren_ and the schooners _Enterprise_, _Nautilus_, and _Vixen_. It is -true that seven ships constituted a small force to keep in good humor -Morocco, Algiers, and Tunis and bring to a favorable conclusion the war -with Tripoli. But the ships were all finely commanded, well officered, -and manned with the best sailors in the world. The ships themselves were -well built, adequately equipped, and completely stored for a long -campaign. So it was with high hopes that Preble commenced his difficult -task--one, it may be added, which had baffled Cardinal Ximenes, Charles -V, Andrea Doria, Blake, De Ruyter, and Duquesne. - - - SCENE II. EXIT THE "PHILADELPHIA" - -An effective demonstration off Tangiers soon cooled the ardor of the -Sultan of Morocco. He reconfirmed the old and highly favorable treaty of -1786. One potential enemy had been removed. On now for Syracuse, the -naval base from which our campaign against Tripoli was being conducted. - -Off the coast of Sardinia the _Constitution_ hailed H.M.S. _Amazon_, a -frigate attached to the squadron of Lord Nelson. From her Preble -received "the melancholy and distressing intelligence of the loss of the -U.S. ship _Philadelphia_." Here, Commodore, is a problem which will put -to the test all your intelligence and stoutness of heart. - -At Syracuse Preble learned the full extent of the disaster. The fine -frigate had been run aground off Tripoli. Captain Bainbridge, -discouraged by his ill fortune, had surrendered too quickly. Three -hundred and fifteen of our officers and men had been led ashore in -triumph. In his haste Bainbridge had not even taken effective measures -to destroy his own ship. She was floated and brought into the harbor of -Tripoli. Her guns were fished out of the water and remounted. She was -manned with a strong Tripolitan crew. Thus she contributed to the -strength of the defenses, and constituted a threat to every merchant -vessel in the Mediterranean. Gloomy were the thoughts of poor Bainbridge -as he viewed these developments from his prison window. - -Preble was not the man to worry over past disasters. He was concerned -with future successes. How could he counteract, in part at least, the -loss of the _Philadelphia_? There was no direct method for rescuing the -crew. But there might be a chance to regain the ship, or at least -destroy her so that the enemy could not use her. Bainbridge, through the -connivance of the Danish consul at Tripoli, had suggested that she be -attacked by a party of men secreted in the hold of a merchant vessel. -The capture of a Tripolitan ketch provided the means of carrying through -this daring plan. The next essential item was a cool and daring -commander. - -The commodore invited to this post of honor and danger Lieutenant -Stephen Decatur, then in command of the _Enterprise_. To this young -officer might well be applied a sentence from Plutarch: "Being ever -thirsty after honor, and passionate for glory, if anything of a greater -or extraordinary nature was to be done, he was eager to be the doer of -it himself." Decatur eagerly accepted his commodore's invitation. - -Once the squadron got wind of the venture and of the commander selected, -there was no lack of volunteers. Decatur naturally gave first choice to -the people in his own ship. Five of her officers and sixty-two of her -sailors shifted over to the ketch. This was formally commissioned and -appropriately renamed _Intrepid_. Five midshipmen from the -_Constitution_ completed the complement. Last, but by no means least, -was a brave Sicilian pilot, Salvador Catalano. - -Edward Preble took upon himself full responsibility for the hazardous -enterprise. "It is my order," he wrote Decatur, "that you proceed to -Tripoli, in company with the _Siren_, Lieutenant Stewart; enter the -harbor in the night; board the _Philadelphia_; burn her; and make good -your escape." The courage it requires to write such an order is seldom -appreciated. If the expedition had failed, as certainly it looked very -probable, all the blame would have fallen on Preble. He would have been -accused of sending officers and men to their death while he remained in -safety. And, if the attack should succeed, the credit and honor would -belong to Decatur. But Preble was not guarding his own interests. He was -striving to further those of the Navy and the country. - - [Illustration: In Tripoli harbor] - -For two weeks the _Intrepid_ was battered about by a succession of -storms. On this little craft, much smaller than a submarine chaser, -seventy-four men were crowded. Their sufferings can scarcely be -imagined. But at last the weather moderated and the long-awaited -opportunity was at hand. As a reënforcement Midshipman Anderson and nine -sailors rowed over in one of the _Siren's_ cutters. This was towed -astern of the _Intrepid_. She started in. - -The sea now was smooth. The wind lulled slowly to a calm. As night came -on, a young moon, the enemy's emblem, diffused a gentle light over the -phosphorescent waters. Wary Odysseus might have turned back his prow at -sight of such an unfavorable omen, but not all the gods on Olympus could -have turned back Stephen Decatur that night. - -Slowly and silently steals the _Intrepid_ toward the harbor entrance. -This cold wintry night there are no vessels on patrol. Only irregular -ranks of jagged rocks keep watch. The moonlight discloses these ever -present sentinels. The ship passes through. - -Quietly there on deck stand Decatur, Catalano, and ten seamen--all -disguised as Sicilians. Close down behind the bulwarks crouch the -remainder of the crew. Ahead looms up the great hulk of the -_Philadelphia_. Her foremast has not been replaced, but the main and -mizzenmasts, with their network of rigging, trace a spider web of black -against the dull red glare of the city's lights. Fifteen gaping gun -ports are dotted with the muzzles of frowning 18-pounders, loaded, -shotted, and ready to be touched off. High overhead towers the dark mass -of the Bashaw's castle, its embrasures filled with one hundred and -fifteen cannon. - -The frigate's bell rings out the hour. It is ten-thirty in the evening -watch. Her sentinel hails. Catalano answers with long-rehearsed lines. -He has lost his anchors. May he not secure alongside the frigate for the -night? The answer is, "Yes." Lawrence lowers a small boat. With a line -from the _Intrepid_ he pulls for the frigate's bows. Quickly he secures -his end to the fore chains. At the other end crouching seamen haul away. - -Watchers on the frigate, if they had not been too sleepy, might have -wondered at the hidden power which draws the little craft so steadily -upon her prey. It is not until she is almost alongside that they see the -crowd of men on her decks. "Americanos!" yells the sentinel. But now it -is too late. Another pull brings the _Intrepid_ alongside. Then rises a -confused din as her crew begin a wild scramble for the honor of being -the first over the enemy's side. Decatur trips on his scabbard. Morris -passes him. Over the high bulwarks, sword in teeth, he disappears. -Lieutenants, midshipmen, sailors follow him. Here have ceased the -privileges of rank. Those of courage begin. - -Surprise has won the day. There is no resistance on the upper decks. The -startled enemy dive over the side or scuttle below. Wild Americanos or -hungry sharks--what a choice to have to make! Some twenty Tripolitans -fall before the former. How many succumb to the latter we may only -guess. In twenty minutes the ship is everywhere ablaze. As the flames -shoot up the guns ashore fire on the clearly illuminated target. Back -into the ketch our sailors spring. Lines are cut with battle-axe and -cutlass, just in time to evade the outrushing flames. Out ring three -good American cheers above the crackling roar of fire and the thunder of -cannonade. - -The flames now have mounted the frigate's rigging turning night into -day. The _Intrepid_ is clearly disclosed to the enemy gunners. From -every direction shot converge on the little ship. Out are run sixteen -great sweeps. Strong men, willing galley slaves for an hour, double-bank -their handles. Their long blades churn the waters into foam. Away she -races through the shell splashes. - - [Illustration: _From an old painting_ - Chase of the _Constitution_] - - [Illustration: _From the painting by John W. Jarvis_ - Edward Preble] - -Thus ended with complete success what Lord Nelson called the most bold -and daring act of the age. When, three days later, the _Intrepid_ sailed -through the American squadron in Syracuse, each ship gave Decatur and -his men a deafening salute of cheers. What music to a sailor's ears! - - - SCENE III. PREBLE ATTACKS TRIPOLI - -As spring came on the commodore pushed his preparations for a naval -attack on Tripoli. He now had only one large ship, the _Constitution_. -There were five brigs and schooners. A captured Tripolitan brig, -commissioned as the _Scourge_, made a sixth. Preble knew that these -ships could not get in close enough to the enemy to win the decisive -results he was determined to have. So he borrowed six gunboats, two bomb -vessels, and ninety-six sailors from the King of Naples. Even with this -reënforcement, Preble had but one thousand and sixty men to attack a -strongly fortified town defended by twenty-five thousand soldiers and -sailors. Still his hopes for success were high. - -Early in August, 1804, the orders for a grand attack were issued. This -was to be no distant cannonade. The _Constitution_ was to attack the -batteries at point-blank range. The gunboats were to board the enemy -flotilla. The bomb vessels were to toss their 13-inch grenades into the -town. - -The Bashaw, as the Tripolitan ruler was called, saw that a storm was -about to break over his head. In addition to formidable batteries -ashore, he had twenty-one gunboats. These were manned by from -twenty-four to forty men. Each carried one large and two small guns. We -must not mistake these Tripolitans. They were splendid seamen and fierce -fighters. Boarding was their usual method of attack. Nine of their -gunboats were stationed outside the reefs east of the harbor entrance. -Five were under the powerful batteries to the westward. The remainder -lay inside the harbor in reserve. - - [Illustration: Under sail] - -At two o'clock in the afternoon of August 3, the flagship displayed the -long-awaited signal for attack. Our six gunboats, under Decatur, were to -attack the nine Tripolitan craft east of the harbor. Only three of his -detachment, for various reasons, reached the enemy. Now three against -nine were big odds. But, thought our young fellows, the bigger the odds -the greater the glory. And they had Stephen Decatur--himself worth a -couple of gunboats--to lead them. He, like the Spartans, "was not wont -to ask how many but where, the enemy were!" - -So Decatur led the charge. He made for a large gunboat armed with a huge -29-pound cannon and two howitzers. Her crew, as we learned later, -numbered thirty-six. Decatur also has one cannon, a long 24-pounder. He -sails in close until he can see the white of their eyes. Then he fires. -A hail of grapeshot sweeps the enemy's deck. As the two ships crash -together our boarders are away. For a few minutes the fight is furious. -But American pikes and cutlasses are irresistible. When only five of -their people remain unwounded the Moors cry for quarter. Here is a -victory, decided, as the old saying goes, by push of pike. - -Meanwhile Sailing Master Trippe is having a bad quarter of an hour. He -runs his gunboat alongside another enemy ship. Boarding is the order of -the day. That is a good way for Americans, as well as Tripolitans, to -fight. Trippe springs into the enemy gunboat. Midshipman Henley and nine -sailors follow. Then the ships drift apart. Here now is a situation. -Trippe sees that, being too weak for defense, it is necessary to attack. -He lunges at the enemy captain with his pike. The Tripolitan is a good -swordsman, and his scimitar is sharp. He rains blows on Trippe's chest -and shoulders--wounds him eleven times in all. But the sailing master -gets in one effective thrust with his pike, and this more than evens up -matters. Another Moor, whose cutlass is descending on Trippe's head from -behind, is bayoneted by Marine Sergeant Jonathan Meredith. Having lost -their captain and twenty of their comrades, the remaining Tripolitans -now surrender. - -To cap the climax, Decatur boarded a third enemy gunboat, somewhat -smaller than his first prize. Here occurred that famous hand-to-hand -combat between Decatur and the gigantic Moorish captain. The devotion of -Seaman Daniel Frazier, and his own coolness gave Decatur victory. All -but three of the enemy were killed or wounded before they would -surrender. This was real schooling for a young Navy. - -Lieutenant Richard Somers, bravest of the brave, had not been able to -join Decatur. So single-handed he attacked the five enemy craft west of -the entrance. "They still advanced to within pistol-shot," Somers wrote, -"when they wore round and stood for the batteries. I pursued them until -in musket shot of the batteries, which kept up a continued fire of round -shot and grape." That was how Somers fought. - -The _Constitution's_ heavy battery, reënforced by six Neapolitan -29-pounders, had been engaging these same batteries at point-blank -range. Several times she was brought within four hundred yards of the -rocky coast of which no chart was available. The bomb vessels had -launched a quantity of their huge 13-inch shells into the city, but many -of them did not explode. At four-thirty the wind shifted and a -withdrawal was signaled. Preble covered it in great style. "Tacked -ship," he wrote, "and fired two broadsides in stays, which drove the -Tripolitans out of the castle and brought down the steeple of a mosque." - -This three-hour battle had proved highly successful. But do you think -the commodore was contented? Admiral Gleaves tells how, after the -battle, Decatur came on board the _Constitution_ to make his report. -Approaching Preble on the quarter-deck, he said: "Sir, I have the honor -to report that I have captured three of the enemy's gunboats." "Three, -Sir!" replied the commodore, "where are the rest of them?" This incident -well illustrates the inflexible character of Edward Preble. In his -official report, however, he was careful to express complete -satisfaction with the manner in which his subordinates had conducted -their attacks. - -As the summer wore on four more attacks were made. All were conducted -with great gallantry. They were not made without loss, for the -Tripolitans always gave us a good fight. Pirates though they were, we -must give them credit where due. The last attack, conducted at night, -was particularly effective. On that occasion, "to draw off the enemy's -attention and amuse them while the bombardment was being kept up," the -_Constitution_ fired eleven thunderous broadsides at point-blank range. - -In the fall Preble returned home. During his year of command not a -court-martial had been ordered nor a duel fought. Among the many letters -of congratulation he received was a unique tribute from the Pope: "The -American commander, with a small force and in a short space of time, has -done more for the cause of Christianity than the most powerful nations -of Christendom have done for ages." His countrymen received the -returning commodore with every honor. Congress voted him a gold medal. -The Navy had again come into its own. And the _Constitution_, now a -veteran of five battles, had firmly established her reputation as a -lucky and successful ship. - -Thus ends the first act of our drama. Eight years pass before the second -begins. - - - - - ACT II - _On the Ocean_ - - - SCENE I. THE FIGHT WITH THE GUERRIERE - -At last the day has come. Long and eagerly awaited has it been by -American seamen. A tall-sparred frigate plows through the purple waters -of the Gulf Stream. From her mastheads lookouts report a tiny speck upon -the clear horizon. Sharp eyes distinguish it from the far-distant masses -of cumulous clouds it counterfeits so well. Larger and larger it grows. -It becomes, in fact, another frigate, equally large and beautiful. -Across one of her topsails is painted a cryptic phrase, "Not the Little -Belt." This may have little meaning to us today. But in the year of our -Lord 1812 it was full of grim significance. From her peak flutters a -white ensign, barred with red, the proud emblem of the Royal Navy. - -On the first ship there is a muffled roll of drums, a brief hurrying of -men about the decks, a period of well-ordered activity--then quiet. -"Silent is the path of duty for every well-drilled man." Up to her -mastheads creep balls of bunting. These at a quiet word of command break -out into strips of red and white, stars of white against a blue -field--battle ensigns of the United States. _Constitution_ and -_Guerriere_ have met. A great moment of history is at hand. - -The famous duel between these two frigates cannot, of course, be -compared to the many sea battles between great fleets which have made -naval history. But often small events have a far-reaching influence. -This fight certainly was one of the most important and decisive single -ship actions ever fought. - -To show why this was so we must set the scene before we begin the play. -To Great Britain, engaged in a death struggle with Napoleon, our little -war was nothing more than a side show--of even less importance than the -entry of a Balkan nation into the World War struggle. The chief concern -of the British statesmen was that it might interfere with the supply of -Wellington's army in Spain--a task performed almost exclusively by -American merchant vessels. It never occurred to them that our frigates -would put to sea, or, if they should, that they could last long against -the British cruisers which literally covered the Seven Seas. Theodore -Roosevelt has stated that during the previous twenty years the Royal -Navy had fought two hundred single-ship actions where there was -approximate equality in power, i.e., neither ship had a superiority of -over three to two. In these actions only five British ships had been -captured. With such a record of success, it was only natural that the -British captains should give scant consideration to our young and -comparatively inexperienced Navy. - -It is true that the _Constitution_ was about 7 per cent larger than the -_Guerriere_; that she carried 24-pounder guns against the 18-pounders in -the British frigate, thus giving us a ten to seven superiority in weight -of metal; and that her sides were very thick, stouter in fact than those -of a British ship-of-the-line. But the British captains showed not the -slightest concern over these American advantages, which at that time -were not considered as such. In fact, it was thought that we had -overweighted our ships with guns and timbers so that their speed and -handiness were decreased. Captain Dacres of the _Guerriere_ had -challenged any American frigate to meet him in single combat. He had bet -Captain Isaac Hull, so the story goes, a perfectly good hat that he -would beat the _Constitution_. Even after the fight Dacres said he would -be happy to fight him again with "a frigate of similar force to the -_Guerriere_." All the propaganda of our frigates being disguised -ships-of-the-line was a much later concoction, disseminated after we had -proved in three battles the advantage of our heavier guns and thicker -sides, as well as the efficiency of our officers and sailors. - -But now let the fight begin. For some hours the _Guerriere_ kept away, -trying to gain some advantage. But at 6:00 P.M. Dacres decided to end -this useless maneuvering and get to business. He headed directly before -the wind, decreased sail, and waited for the American frigate. Hull, -increasing his sail power, came swiftly down upon him. Zero hour was -about to strike. What could Yankee seamen do against the might of -Britannia? - - [Illustration: _From the painting by Thomas Birch_ - _Constitution_ AND _Guerriere_] - - [Illustration: _Macpherson Collection_ - Capture of the British Frigate _Java_ by the U.S. Frigate - _Constitution_ off the Coast of Brazil, December 29, 1812] - -Moses Smith, sponger of No. 1 gun, describes how the _Constitution_ went -into action. "Hull was now all animation. He saw that the decisive -moment had come. With great energy, yet calmness of manner, he passed -around among the officers and men, addressing to them words of -confidence and encouragement. 'Men,' said he, 'now do your duty. Your -officers cannot have entire control over you now. Each man must do all -in his power for his country.' The Stars and Stripes never floated more -proudly than they did at that moment. All was silent beneath them, save -the occasional order from an officer, or the low sound of the movement -of our implements of war. _Every man stood firm to his post._" - -By 6:05 the Constitution was two hundred yards on the _Guerriere's_ port -quarter. Hull then yawed his ship's head slightly away from the enemy -and threw his broadside full upon her. As the guns bore on the target -they fired in rapid succession. "We instantly followed the thunder of -our cannon with three loud cheers, which rang along the ship like the -roar of waters, and floated away rapidly to the ears of the enemy." - -The cannonading was terrific. Our gunners, in the heat of battle, looked -well to their aim. By 6:20 the _Constitution_ was abreast the British -frigate, distant one hundred yards. Then with a splintering crash came -down Dacres' mizzenmast. "Huzza, boys! We've made a brig of her!" The -mast, with its tangle of sails and rigging, dragged in the water and -checked the _Guerriere's_ headway. Here was Hull's chance, and he was -not the man to miss it. Spinning his wheel to the right, he charged -across his enemy's bow. Those terrible 24's raked her with great effect. -As the _Constitution_ shot past and her guns would no longer bear there -was a brief lull in the fight. Seaman Daniel Hogan climbed to the dizzy -height of the fore truck to replace the battle ensign which had been -shot away. - -Hull wore his ship and again headed across the bow of the almost -unmanageable _Guerriere_. His gunners had moved across the deck and cast -loose the port guns. Again they raked the British frigate. But this time -Hull had come a bit too close. The ships came together. Boarders were -called away. A storm of musketry broke out. Sharpshooters in the tops -fired down on the crowded decks. Lieutenant William Bush of the Marines -fell dead. Lieutenant Charles Morris, who first had scaled the -_Philadelphia's_ side, was severely wounded. So also was Sailing Master -John Aylwin, a brave and skillful officer. At 6:30 the ships came clear. -And then the _Guerriere's_ foremasts and mainmasts plunged over her -side. Twenty-five minutes had sufficed for Yankee gunners to dismast a -British frigate. - -Seeing that the fight was won, Hull hauled off to repair his rigging. He -must be prepared for another enemy if one should appear. At 7:00 he -returned to receive the surrender of Captain Dacres. The prize was so -completely wrecked that there was no hope of bringing her into port. -After her crew had been taken off, she was set on fire. From the -_Constitution's_ quarter-deck Captain Dacres watched. At length her -magazine exploded and she disappeared beneath the waters. A sad omen it -must have seemed to the British captain. A new sea power had arrived! - -That this was fully appreciated is shown by an article in the London -_Times_. "It is not merely that an English frigate has been taken, -after, what we are free to confess may be called a brave resistance, but -that it has been taken by a new enemy, an enemy unaccustomed to such -triumphs, and likely to be rendered insolent and confident by them. He -must be a weak politician who does not see how important the first -triumph is in giving a tone and character to the war. Never before in -the history of the world did an English frigate strike to an American." - -In our country the effect was magical. Where before political strife, -sectional differences, and commercial rivalries combined to bring our -people to the verge of civil war and secession, now a wave of wildest -enthusiasm spread like a forest fire. For here was a deed of which every -man and woman from Maine to Louisiana might be proud. "Thank God for -Hull's victory" was a watchword which passed from state to state. It -gave impetus to naval operations and fired our captains with impatience -to get to sea and bring the enemy under their guns. It encouraged swarms -of privateers to cover the Seven Seas and attack the enemy's vital trade -routes. - -Admiral Sir John Jervis is reported to have said to his flag captain as -he sighted the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent that a victory was -very necessary to England at that moment. With equal justice Isaac Hull -might have made a similar remark on sighting the _Guerriere_. Our -country needed a victory then as it never had before nor has since. -Napoleon said that in war the moral is to the physical as three to one; -in this case it was many times more. The mere sinking of a frigate meant -nothing to England. But the fact that it was sunk by an American frigate -at the cost of only fourteen casualties meant a great deal to England, -and to our United States. What had been done once could be done again! - - - SCENE II. AND NOW FOR THE "JAVA" - -While the _Constitution_ was taking a little rest in Boston Stephen -Decatur in the sister-ship _United States_ had taken the sea. In the -latter part of October he encountered the British frigate _Macedonian_, -likewise a sister-ship of the _Guerriere_. So the scene was set exactly -as in the previous battle. But, whereas Hull had decided the issue by -sheer overpowering force at point-blank range, Decatur fought a distant -battle in an effort to capitalize to the full his superiority in gunnery -and seamanship. He won his fight at the cost of only eleven casualties. -In ninety minutes his gunners had put a hundred shot into the -_Macedonian's_ hull and killed or wounded one hundred and four of her -crew. This time the prize was brought safely into port. Here was a -convincing confirmation of American naval efficiency. - - [Illustration: Firing a cannon] - -By the time this fight had been won the _Constitution_ was again at sea. -This time she was commanded by William Bainbridge, the unlucky officer -who had lost the _Philadelphia_ off Tripoli. But now he was in a luckier -ship. Soon fortune sent a fine British frigate into his arms. This -happened on December 29 off Bahia on the coast of Brazil. - -The _Java_ was considerably more powerful than the other British -frigates previously captured. She was commanded by an excellent officer, -Captain Lambert. In weight of metal she was inferior to the -_Constitution_ only as nine to ten. Neither captain had any idea of -dodging the issue. Each made ready to fight to the finish. Fighting -topsails were spread. Battle ensigns decorated every masthead. At 2:10 -P.M. the battle began. At first the range was long. But in a few minutes -the ships were in to two hundred yards. Then the real business of the -day began. It was as finely contested a frigate action as ever was -fought. Both Bainbridge and Lambert maneuvered their ships with masterly -skill. First one ship would gain an advantageous position, then the -other. Like two skilled wrestlers, each in turn gained a hold, only to -have it broken by his opponent. - -All this time the guns' crews were fast at work, rushing from one -battery to the other as their captains tacked and wore. It was work, -hard and grim--hauling at the gun tackles, ramming home powder and shot, -and slewing around the clumsy gun carriages to point the guns squarely -at the enemy. Acrid smoke clouds swept along the decks and clouds of -splinters flew around. - -For a time the action is very closely fought. But, barring a lucky -accident, the issue is really never in doubt. For Yankee gunners are -incomparable and they have _iron sides_ to protect them--twenty inches -of stout oak beams. They cannot be beaten in such a ship. Slowly but -surely our superiority in gunnery wears down the enemy. One after -another the _Java's_ tall spars crash down. Heroic Lambert fights well -but is killed. Lieutenant Chads, already wounded, takes command. Half -his crew is killed or wounded. Still he fights. - -The _Constitution_ also has her losses. Bainbridge himself is severely -wounded, but he still keeps the deck. Brave Aylwin, who already wears a -wound stripe for the _Guerriere_ battle, is again shot down. This will -be the last fight for him. Well, he will live long enough to see a -second British frigate lower her battle flags. Over thirty others lie -dead or wounded about the decks or under the surgeon's knife in the -cockpit. British frigates cannot be taken without losing men. - -For two long hours the battle rages. Chads does well but he cannot do -the impossible. Finally the _Java_ must give in. Here is a fight in -which there is honor enough for all, vanquished as well as victor. And -Bainbridge, after such buffets of fate as few have received, at last has -won his well-deserved victory. A third British frigate had been taken. - -When "Old Ironsides" reached Boston a great reception awaited the -commodore. There he marched through the streets, arm in arm with Rodgers -and Hull--three commodores of whom any country might be proud. Fifes and -drums played _Yankee-Doodle_ as the procession moved through the -streets. It was a big Navy Day! - - - SCENE III. THE LAST FIGHT - -The _Constitution_ took a long rest after this battle. The _Java's_ shot -had discovered some rotten spots in her sides. A long overhaul was -required to make her again ready for sea. Meanwhile the Navy had won -many a victory and had suffered some defeats. Our little sloops-of-war -won a long succession of splendid successes. Gallant James Lawrence, -hero of the _Hornet-Peacock_ fight, lost the _Chesapeake_ to the British -frigate _Shannon_--crying, as he lay dying, "Don't give up the ship!" -Sewing this motto on his blue battle flag Perry annihilated the British -squadron on Lake Erie. Macdonough saved the northern frontier with a -complete victory on Lake Champlain, which a British marine thought more -desperately fought than Trafalgar. Our privateers were gathering in -their prizes on every sea in constantly increasing numbers and sending -the insurance rates three times higher than all previous levels. - - [Illustration: Close combat] - -But the war could not well end without a third victory by the -_Constitution_. Now she was commanded by Charles Stewart, a worthy -successor to Hull and Bainbridge. On February 20, 1815, north of -Madeira, the American frigate came in contact with the British corvette -_Cyane_, thirty-four guns, and the sloop _Levant_, twenty-one. Their -fifty-five guns threw a slightly heavier weight of metal, but their -armament consisted mostly of short-range carronades which could not be -compared with the terrible long 24's which filled the _Constitution's_ -gun-deck ports. Still the two Britons formed column and accepted -Stewart's challenge. - -Stewart might have fought at long range where the British carronades -could not have reached him. But night was coming on, and, if he were to -take both ships, there was no time to waste. "At five minutes past six," -he wrote, "ranged up on the starboard side of the sternmost ship, about -three hundred yards distant, and commenced the action by broadsides, -both ships returning our fire with the greatest spirit for about fifteen -minutes." Stewart's tactics have a lesson: When you are anxious to -engage and night is approaching, do not try to get all the conditions in -your favor. Take things as they are and fight in the most decisive -manner. Otherwise you will never capture your _Cyane_ and _Levant_. -Perhaps we have here a lesson for the battles of peace as well as those -of war. - -After this first engagement smoke clouds obscured the range and fire -ceased. But not for long, for now the _Constitution_ began a series of -beautiful maneuvers--raking each enemy ship in turn. They separated and -made off. Stewart hung close to the _Cyane_ and soon forced her to -surrender. By eight o'clock she had been manned by a prize crew. Stewart -started in search of the _Levant_. - -Captain Douglass of the _Levant_ had now repaired his damages. Instead -of trying to escape, he sailed back to assist his comrade. But he was -too late. At eight-thirty he ran into the _Constitution_. Attempts to -escape proved futile and at ten the second prize was made. "At 1:00 -A.M.," Stewart reported, "the damages to our rigging had been repaired, -sails shifted, and the ship in fighting condition." The price of this -double victory was only fifteen casualties. - -The _Cyane_ safely reached home. The _Levant_ was recaptured by a -British squadron in a neutral port. The _Constitution_ received her last -battle triumph in New York many months after peace had been signed. She -had fought her last fight. But for many long years she served her -country well by showing the flag in every part of the world. After that -she trained many classes of midshipmen at the Naval Academy. Now her -useful labors are ended but she serves a still more important purpose. -For this old hulk, whose iron sides protected iron men, is an -inspiration to every officer and man in the naval service--and to every -American. - - [Illustration: _Courtesy U. S. Naval Academy_ _From an engraving by - Sartain, after the original painting by Thomas Birch_ - The Night Battle Between the U.S.S. _Constitution_ and H. M. Ships - _Cyane_ AND _Levant_ - On the left is the corvette _Cyane_, in the center the frigate - _Constitution_, and on the right the sloop _Levant_. The - _Constitution_ captured both vessels.] - - [Illustration: _From an engraving by Henry Meyer after the original - painting by John W. Jarvis_ - Stephen Decatur] - - - - - EPILOGUE - - - Scarce one tall frigate walks the sea - Or skirts the safer shores - Of all that bore to victory - Our stout old Commodores. - -So wrote Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1865. Many years have passed since -then. Again a tall frigate walks the sea. She carries a message from -many a stout old commodore, many an alert topman, many a keen-eyed -gunner. In fact, she carries a message from our Navy to our People. - - All the stories of "Old Ironsides" in this little pamphlet are based - on chapters of _We Build a Navy_, by Commander H. H. Frost, U. S. - Navy, published by U. S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland. - - - - - _Information about the "Constitution"_ - - -The building of the _Constitution_ resulted from the failure of the new -United States government to purchase protection from the Algerian -pirates. By a majority of two, the House of Representatives voted, in -March, 1794, to provide six frigates that "separately would be superior -to any European frigate." The _Constitution_ was one of these. She was -designed by Joshua Humphreys of Philadelphia and built at Hartt's Wharf -in Boston, near the present Constitution Wharf. The copper bolts and -fittings were supplied by Paul Revere. Construction was all but -abandoned after a new treaty was made with the pirates, but the -insistence of Presidents Washington and Adams, coupled with the rising -difficulties with revolutionary France, finally brought the work to -completion. She was launched in October, 1797, and commissioned quickly. - - [Illustration: Under construction] - -The _Constitution_ was rated as a 44-gun frigate but has carried as many -as 55 guns at various times. The present arrangement closely follows -that of her early days. The guns on the spar deck are 32-pounder -carronades, short, light guns which threw heavy shots a short distance -(300 to 400 yards). On the gun deck are long 24-pounders, heavy guns -with much greater range but less smashing power than the carronade. In -the following table the ranges given are for one degree of elevation. -The long gun could attain ranges up to 2,000 yards by greater elevation, -the projectile leaving the gun with a velocity of about 1,500 feet per -second. - -The _Constitution_ cost $302,917. Her original dimensions were: length -over-all, 204 feet; beam, 43.5 feet; draft, forward 21 feet, aft 23 -feet; displacement 2,200 tons. She was generally considered an excellent -sailer, the report being that "she works within eleven points of the -wind; steers, works, sails, scuds, and lies-to well; rolls deep and -easy, and sailing close-hauled has beaten everything sailed with." - - - Guns of the Constitution - - Location Type No. Length Weight Bore Powder Approx. - lbs. inches charge range - - Gun deck, 24-pdr., 12 9' 5,135 5.824 8 lbs. 700 yds. - for'd. and aft American 5-3/4" - Gun deck, 24-pdr., 18 10' 5,733 5.824 8 lbs. 700 yds. - amidships English 5-3/4" - Spar deck 32-pdr., 20 5' 5" 2,240 6.41 4 lbs. 400 yds. - carronades - Spar deck, bow 24-pdr. 2 9' 4,170 5.824 8 lbs. 700 yds. - chasers 9-1/2" - - The two bow chasers are 18-pounders bored for 24-pound shot. They are - lighter than the standard 24-pounder to reduce top weights. Total - weight of broadside, 734 pounds. As shot were frequently underweight, - this figure is not exact. - -Her complement was 400 officers and men, but she usually cruised with -about 50 men in excess. At sea the men were crowded closely together and -there was much sickness. The ration was fixed by law and it made a -monotonous diet. The legal ration for Sunday was 1-1/2 lbs. beef, 14 oz. -bread, -1/2 lb. flour, -1/4 lb. suet, -1/2 pt. spirits. On week days -pork was sometimes substituted for beef, with cheese or dried peas in -place of suet. The meat was usually salted, the bread stale and moldy, -the spirits good. - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Silently corrected a few typos. - ---Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook - is public-domain in the country of publication. - ---In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by - _underscores_. - ---Inserted the original page-footer line drawings into the text. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Some Stories of Old Ironsides, by -Holloway Halstead Frost - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOME STORIES OF OLD IRONSIDES *** - -***** This file should be named 54564-8.txt or 54564-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/5/6/54564/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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