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margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:justify; clear:both; } -dl.biblio dt div { display:block; float:left; margin-left:-6em; width:6em; clear:both; } -dl.biblio dt.center { margin-left:0em; text-align:center; } -dl.biblio dd { margin-top:.3em; margin-left:3em; text-align:justify; font-size:90%; } -.clear { clear:both; } -p.book { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; } -p.review { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; font-size:80%; } -p.pcap { margin-left:0em; text-indent:0em; text-align:center; margin-top:0; } -p.pcap .small { display:block; margin-bottom:0; } -p.pcapc { margin-left:0em; text-indent:0em; text-align:center; } -span.pn { display:inline-block; width:4.7em; text-align:left; margin-left:0; text-indent:0; }</style> -</head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -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: UTF-8 - -*** 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 - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div id="cover" class="img"> -<img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Some Stories of Old Ironsides" width="500" height="729" /> -</div> -<div class="box"> -<h1>SOME STORIES OF -<br />OLD IRONSIDES</h1> -<p class="center"><i>By</i> -<br /><span class="sc">Commander Holloway H. Frost</span>, U. S. Navy -<br />Author of <i>We Build a Navy</i></p> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p01.jpg" alt="Medallion" width="415" height="272" /> -</div> -<p class="center">U. S. NAVAL INSTITUTE -<br /><span class="small">ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND</span></p> -</div> -<p class="center">{<span class="sc">Copyright 1931 · United States Naval Institute</span>}</p> -<p class="center"><span class="small">DESIGNED AND PRINTED BY</span> -<br />GEORGE BANTA PUBLISHING COMPANY -<br /><span class="small">MENASHA, WISCONSIN</span></p> -<h2><span class="small">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</span></h2> -<dl class="toc"> -<dt class="small"><i>Facing</i></dt> -<dt><a href="#fig1">Preble’s First Attack on Tripoli</a> 4</dt> -<dt><a href="#fig2">Old Ironsides</a> 5</dt> -<dt><a href="#fig3">Chase of the <i>Constitution</i></a> 12</dt> -<dt><a href="#fig4">Edward Preble</a> 13</dt> -<dt><a href="#fig5"><i>Constitution</i> and <i>Guerriere</i></a> 20</dt> -<dt><a href="#fig6">Capture of the British Frigate <i>Java</i></a> 21</dt> -<dt><a href="#fig7">The Night Battle Between the U.S.S. <i>Constitution</i> and H. M. Ships <i>Cyane</i> and <i>Levant</i></a> 28</dt> -<dt><a href="#fig8">Stephen Decatur</a> 29</dt> -</dl> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p02.jpg" alt="Bowsprit" width="400" height="383" /> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig1"> -<img src="images/p03.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="531" /> -<p class="pcap"><span class="small"><i>From a painting by M. Carne</i></span> - <span class="sc">Preble’s First Attack on Tripoli</span> -<br />The <i>Constitution</i> (large ship right center foreground) leading the attack on Tripoli, August 3, 1804.</p> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig2"> -<img src="images/p04.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="532" /> -<p class="pcap"><span class="small"><i>From a painting by C. R. Patterson</i></span> - “<span class="sc">Old Ironsides</span>”</p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_5">5</div> -<h2 id="c1"><span class="small"><span class="smaller">ACT I</span></span> -<br /><i>In the Mediterranean</i></h2> -<h3 id="c2">SCENE I. ENTER THE “CONSTITUTION”</h3> -<p>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 <i>Constitution</i>. Joshua Humphreys, naval constructor, -had done his work well.</p> -<p>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.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_6">6</div> -<p>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.</p> -<p>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 -<span class="pb" id="Page_7">7</span> -had become a factor they would have to reckon with -in framing their diplomatic policies.</p> -<p>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.</p> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p05.jpg" alt="Squadron at sea" width="500" height="324" /> -</div> -<p>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 <i>Constitution</i> -and <i>Philadelphia</i>. For inshore work there were -the brigs <i>Argus</i> and <i>Siren</i> and the schooners <i>Enterprise</i>, -<i>Nautilus</i>, and <i>Vixen</i>. 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 -<span class="pb" id="Page_8">8</span> -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.</p> -<h3 id="c3">SCENE II. EXIT THE “PHILADELPHIA”</h3> -<p>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.</p> -<p>Off the coast of Sardinia the <i>Constitution</i> hailed H.M.S. -<i>Amazon</i>, 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 <i>Philadelphia</i>.” -Here, Commodore, is a problem which will put -to the test all your intelligence and stoutness of heart.</p> -<p>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 -<span class="pb" id="Page_9">9</span> -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.</p> -<p>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 <i>Philadelphia</i>? -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.</p> -<p>The commodore invited to this post of honor and danger -Lieutenant Stephen Decatur, then in command of the -<i>Enterprise</i>. 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.</p> -<p>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 <i>Intrepid</i>. Five midshipmen -<span class="pb" id="Page_10">10</span> -from the <i>Constitution</i> completed the complement. Last, -but by no means least, was a brave Sicilian pilot, Salvador -Catalano.</p> -<p>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 -<i>Siren</i>, Lieutenant Stewart; enter the harbor in the night; -board the <i>Philadelphia</i>; 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.</p> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p06.jpg" alt="In Tripoli harbor" width="500" height="384" /> -</div> -<p>For two weeks the <i>Intrepid</i> 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 <i>Siren’s</i> cutters. This -was towed astern of the <i>Intrepid</i>. She started in.</p> -<p>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 -<span class="pb" id="Page_11">11</span> -on Olympus could have turned back Stephen Decatur that -night.</p> -<p>Slowly and silently steals the <i>Intrepid</i> 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.</p> -<p>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 <i>Philadelphia</i>. 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.</p> -<p>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 <i>Intrepid</i> he pulls for the frigate’s bows. Quickly -he secures his end to the fore chains. At the other end -crouching seamen haul away.</p> -<p>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 -<span class="pb" id="Page_12">12</span> -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 <i>Intrepid</i> 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.</p> -<p>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.</p> -<p>The flames now have mounted the frigate’s rigging -turning night into day. The <i>Intrepid</i> 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.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig3"> -<img src="images/p08a.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="526" /> -<p class="pcap"><span class="small"><i>From an old painting</i></span> - <span class="sc">Chase of the</span> <i>Constitution</i></p> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig4"> -<img src="images/p09.jpg" alt="" width="535" height="801" /> -<p class="pcap"><span class="small"><i>From the painting by John W. Jarvis</i></span> - <span class="sc">Edward Preble</span></p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_13">13</div> -<p>Thus ended with complete success what Lord Nelson -called the most bold and daring act of the age. When, -three days later, the <i>Intrepid</i> 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!</p> -<h3 id="c4">SCENE III. PREBLE ATTACKS TRIPOLI</h3> -<p>As spring came on the commodore pushed his preparations -for a naval attack on Tripoli. He now had only one -large ship, the <i>Constitution</i>. There were five brigs and -schooners. A captured Tripolitan brig, commissioned as -the <i>Scourge</i>, 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.</p> -<p>Early in August, 1804, the orders for a grand attack -were issued. This was to be no distant cannonade. The -<i>Constitution</i> 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.</p> -<p>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 -<span class="pb" id="Page_14">14</span> -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.</p> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p10.jpg" alt="Under sail" width="500" height="288" /> -</div> -<p>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!”</p> -<p>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.</p> -<p>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. -<span class="pb" id="Page_15">15</span> -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.</p> -<p>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.</p> -<p>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.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_16">16</div> -<p>The <i>Constitution’s</i> 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.”</p> -<p>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 <i>Constitution</i> 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.</p> -<p>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 -<span class="pb" id="Page_17">17</span> -was being kept up,” the <i>Constitution</i> fired eleven -thunderous broadsides at point-blank range.</p> -<p>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 <i>Constitution</i>, -now a veteran of five battles, had firmly established her -reputation as a lucky and successful ship.</p> -<p>Thus ends the first act of our drama. Eight years pass -before the second begins.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_18">18</div> -<h2 id="c5"><span class="small"><span class="smaller">ACT II</span></span> -<br /><i>On the Ocean</i></h2> -<h3 id="c6">SCENE I. THE FIGHT WITH THE GUERRIERE</h3> -<p>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.</p> -<p>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. <i>Constitution</i> -and <i>Guerriere</i> have met. A great moment of history is at -hand.</p> -<p>The famous duel between these two frigates cannot, of -<span class="pb" id="Page_19">19</span> -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.</p> -<p>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.</p> -<p>It is true that the <i>Constitution</i> was about 7 per cent -larger than the <i>Guerriere</i>; 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 -<span class="pb" id="Page_20">20</span> -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 <i>Guerriere</i> -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 <i>Constitution</i>. -Even after the fight Dacres said he would be happy to -fight him again with “a frigate of similar force to the -<i>Guerriere</i>.” 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.</p> -<p>But now let the fight begin. For some hours the <i>Guerriere</i> -kept away, trying to gain some advantage. But at -6:00 <span class="small">P.M.</span> 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?</p> -<div class="img" id="fig5"> -<img src="images/p13a.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="532" /> -<p class="pcap"><span class="small"><i>From the painting by Thomas Birch</i></span> - <i>Constitution</i> <span class="smaller">AND</span> <i>Guerriere</i></p> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig6"> -<img src="images/p14.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="567" /> -<p class="pcap"><span class="small"><i>Macpherson Collection</i></span> - <span class="sc">Capture of the British Frigate</span> <i>Java</i> <span class="sc">by the U.S. Frigate</span> <i>Constitution</i> <span class="sc">off the Coast of Brazil, December 29, 1812</span></p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_21">21</div> -<p>Moses Smith, sponger of No. 1 gun, describes how the -<i>Constitution</i> 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. <i>Every -man stood firm to his post.</i>”</p> -<p>By 6:05 the Constitution was two hundred yards on the -<i>Guerriere’s</i> 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.”</p> -<p>The cannonading was terrific. Our gunners, in the heat -of battle, looked well to their aim. By 6:20 the <i>Constitution</i> -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 <i>Guerriere’s</i> 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 <i>Constitution</i> 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.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_22">22</div> -<p>Hull wore his ship and again headed across the bow of -the almost unmanageable <i>Guerriere</i>. 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 <i>Philadelphia’s</i> -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 <i>Guerriere’s</i> foremasts and -mainmasts plunged over her side. Twenty-five minutes -had sufficed for Yankee gunners to dismast a British frigate.</p> -<p>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 <i>Constitution’s</i> 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!</p> -<p>That this was fully appreciated is shown by an article -in the London <i>Times</i>. “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, -<span class="pb" id="Page_23">23</span> -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.”</p> -<p>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.</p> -<p>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 <i>Guerriere</i>. 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!</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_24">24</div> -<h3 id="c7">SCENE II. AND NOW FOR THE “JAVA”</h3> -<p>While the <i>Constitution</i> was taking a little rest in Boston -Stephen Decatur in the sister-ship <i>United States</i> had -taken the sea. In the latter part of October he encountered -the British frigate <i>Macedonian</i>, likewise a sister-ship of -the <i>Guerriere</i>. 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 <i>Macedonian’s</i> -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.</p> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p16.jpg" alt="Firing a cannon" width="500" height="255" /> -</div> -<p>By the time this fight had been won the <i>Constitution</i> -was again at sea. This time she was commanded by William -Bainbridge, the unlucky officer who had lost the <i>Philadelphia</i> -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.</p> -<p>The <i>Java</i> 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 <i>Constitution</i> 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 <span class="small">P.M.</span> the battle began. At first the range -<span class="pb" id="Page_25">25</span> -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.</p> -<p>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.</p> -<p>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 <i>iron -sides</i> 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 <i>Java’s</i> 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.</p> -<p>The <i>Constitution</i> 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 <i>Guerriere</i> -battle, is again shot down. This will be the last fight -for him. Well, he will live long enough to see a second -<span class="pb" id="Page_26">26</span> -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.</p> -<p>For two long hours the battle rages. Chads does well -but he cannot do the impossible. Finally the <i>Java</i> 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.</p> -<p>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 <i>Yankee-Doodle</i> as the procession moved -through the streets. It was a big Navy Day!</p> -<h3 id="c8">SCENE III. THE LAST FIGHT</h3> -<p>The <i>Constitution</i> took a long rest after this battle. The -<i>Java’s</i> 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 <i>Hornet-Peacock</i> fight, lost the <i>Chesapeake</i> -to the British frigate <i>Shannon</i>—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 -<span class="pb" id="Page_27">27</span> -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.</p> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p17.jpg" alt="Close combat" width="500" height="335" /> -</div> -<p>But the war could not well end without a third victory -by the <i>Constitution</i>. 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 <i>Cyane</i>, -thirty-four guns, and the sloop <i>Levant</i>, 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 <i>Constitution’s</i> gun-deck ports. -Still the two Britons formed column and accepted Stewart’s -challenge.</p> -<p>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 -<span class="pb" id="Page_28">28</span> -capture your <i>Cyane</i> and <i>Levant</i>. Perhaps we have here a -lesson for the battles of peace as well as those of war.</p> -<p>After this first engagement smoke clouds obscured the -range and fire ceased. But not for long, for now the <i>Constitution</i> -began a series of beautiful maneuvers—raking -each enemy ship in turn. They separated and made off. -Stewart hung close to the <i>Cyane</i> and soon forced her to -surrender. By eight o’clock she had been manned by a -prize crew. Stewart started in search of the <i>Levant</i>.</p> -<p>Captain Douglass of the <i>Levant</i> 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 <i>Constitution</i>. Attempts to escape proved -futile and at ten the second prize was made. “At 1:00 -<span class="small">A.M.</span>,” 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.</p> -<p>The <i>Cyane</i> safely reached home. The <i>Levant</i> was recaptured -by a British squadron in a neutral port. The -<i>Constitution</i> 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.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig7"> -<img src="images/p18a.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="496" /> -<p class="pcap"><span class="small"><i>Courtesy U. S. Naval Academy</i></span> -<span class="small"><i>From an engraving by Sartain, after the original painting by Thomas Birch</i></span> - <span class="sc">The Night Battle Between the U.S.S.</span> <i>Constitution</i> <span class="sc">and H. M. Ships</span> <i>Cyane</i> <span class="smaller">AND</span> <i>Levant</i> -<br />On the left is the corvette <i>Cyane</i>, in the center the frigate <i>Constitution</i>, and on the right the sloop <i>Levant</i>. The <i>Constitution</i> captured both vessels.</p> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig8"> -<img src="images/p19.jpg" alt="" width="532" height="799" /> -<p class="pcap"><span class="small"><i>From an engraving by Henry Meyer after the original painting by John W. Jarvis</i></span> - <span class="sc">Stephen Decatur</span></p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_29">29</div> -<h2 id="c9"><span class="small">EPILOGUE</span></h2> -<div class="verse"> -<p class="t0">Scarce one tall frigate walks the sea</p> -<p class="t0">Or skirts the safer shores</p> -<p class="t0">Of all that bore to victory</p> -<p class="t0">Our stout old Commodores.</p> -</div> -<p>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.</p> -<blockquote> -<p>All the stories of “Old Ironsides” -in this little pamphlet are based on -chapters of <i>We Build a Navy</i>, by -Commander H. H. Frost, U. S. -Navy, published by U. S. Naval -Institute, Annapolis, Maryland.</p> -</blockquote> -<div class="pb" id="Page_30">30</div> -<h2 id="c10"><span class="small"><i>Information about the “Constitution”</i></span></h2> -<p>The building of the <i>Constitution</i> 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 <i>Constitution</i> 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.</p> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p27left.jpg" alt="Under construction" width="500" height="358" /> -</div> -<p>The <i>Constitution</i> 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.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_31">31</div> -<p>The <i>Constitution</i> 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.”</p> -<h3 id="c11"><span class="sc">Guns of the Constitution</span></h3> -<table class="center" summary=""> -<tr class="th"><th>Location </th><th>Type </th><th>No. </th><th>Length </th><th>Weight lbs. </th><th>Bore inches </th><th>Powder charge </th><th>Approx. range</th></tr> -<tr><td class="l">Gun deck, for’d. and aft </td><td class="l">24-pdr., American </td><td class="r">12 </td><td class="r">9′ 5¾″ </td><td class="r">5,135 </td><td class="r">5.824 </td><td class="r">8 lbs. </td><td class="r">700 yds.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="l">Gun deck, amidships </td><td class="l">24-pdr., English </td><td class="r">18 </td><td class="r">10′ 5¾″ </td><td class="r">5,733 </td><td class="r">5.824 </td><td class="r">8 lbs. </td><td class="r">700 yds.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="l">Spar deck </td><td class="l">32-pdr., carronades </td><td class="r">20 </td><td class="r">5′ 5″ </td><td class="r">2,240 </td><td class="r">6.41 </td><td class="r">4 lbs. </td><td class="r">400 yds.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="l">Spar deck, bow chasers </td><td class="l">24-pdr. </td><td class="r">2 </td><td class="r">9′ 9½″ </td><td class="r">4,170 </td><td class="r">5.824 </td><td class="r">8 lbs. </td><td class="r">700 yds.</td></tr> -</table> -<blockquote> -<p>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.</p> -</blockquote> -<p>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 1½ lbs. beef, -14 oz. bread, ½ lb. flour, ¼ lb. suet, ½ 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.</p> -<h2>Transcriber’s Notes</h2> -<ul> -<li>Silently corrected a few typos.</li> -<li>Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.</li> -<li>In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.</li> -<li>Inserted the original page-footer line drawings into the text.</li> -</ul> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -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-h.htm or 54564-h.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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