Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1840-06-30
From Tie knickerb0ckcr Magazine.
~ '''7V'7'' WITT 4I'7y 1I~tft'
"REMINISCENCES OF THE LATE WAR

"REMINISCENCES OF THE LATE WAR.
In the summer of 1913, the frigate Pres
ident,' Commodore Rogers, arrived in
Boston harbor, after an unsuccessful
cruise. The war was extremely unpopu-
lar among the people, and the uncharitable
portion charged his not capturing any Of
the enemy's ships, more to cowardce, than
10 the difficulty he had encountered in
finding anything worth capturing, that was
not conveyed by q force superior to his
single frigate.
For the first time it occurred to me that
the signals, obtained two years previously,
might be Of service to the commodore, in
dccoyng some of the enemy'S vessels
within reach OF his guns; and the thought
no sooner entered my mind, than | sought
them from among my papers, and put my
plan INTO immediate execution. | drew q
compass, in the centre of which was rep
resented the President, lying at anchor in
the harbor, and on the points, the thirty
TWO signals by which the men-of-war des-
ignatcd to the fleet the course to be stccrcd
during the night, to evadc pursuing enc
my below, painted the ten numbers,
represented by as many flags, with two
others, forming the affirmative and mega
tive.
| was not personally acquainted with
Commodore Rogers, at the time, although
intimate with most of his ward room Off
GERS, by one of whom | sent the picture,
with letter addressed to him, showing
how the signals were TO be used, and OBJ
serving, that he should obtain the number
of one Of tic largest class Of British fri
gates, and by hosting it when an enemy
was in sight, it would without doubt dccoy
her within his reach.
Meeting the officer intrustcd with these
dispatches a few days afterward, he in
formed me that the commodore, soon after
he had taken them into his cabin, appear
ed on deck, apparently highly pleased, and
ordered one of his warrant officers to have
some blue bunting painted black, very
much 10 the surprise of the officers, who
could not conceive for what purpose he in
tended it: but was satisfied that the sig
nails were 10 be made, one of them being
black and yellow.
The president sailed, and thought no
moro of The affair, until some weeks after,
taking up a newspaper, therein saw it
stated that she had taken the British gov
crnment schooner Highnycr by stratagem
Soon after the peace, dining with Com
modore Rogers, at his house in Washing
ton, he related to me the following cir
cumstances, which give nearly in his
own words:
Il acknowledged the receipt OF your
letter., he observed, sand was determined
to have the signals made on board, and TO
try the experiment, none of my officers
understanding for what purpose they were
intended. cruiscd some time withou.
meeting an enemy, until one afternoon we
fell in with schooner, some six or eight
miles to windward of us. We hosted The
British ensign, which she answered by dis
playing another, and at the same time a
signal at her main-top-gallant mast head,
which Immediately discovered was like
one Of those you had given me. From the
list Of English frigates, selected the num-
Der Of the 'Sea-IIorse,' one of their lar
rest class, and known TO be on our coast,
md hoisted it. She bore down at once,
nd coming under our stern, ordered her