Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1842-11-17
WOODSTOCK, VIRGINIA; NOyE,fRFp !, :

'"' /" WIN the old commodore. as was
""'eh,ng Sir James, and part was sen {
~ 70 Ere ,E | went up to Erie and ioin-
NJ ue Lawrence, commodore O. Fl.
ireffy-and hopes that old Bill Ken.
heuy needn't be called brapgart. # he
SAYS he did his part in showinn o9 az
handsome fight on that same fresh wa
ter pond as has ever been done BY an E.
quail force on the blue water.
!, "our gallant Young commodore. male
as ,lshs a light of it as has ever been nv
."cS TO De engaged in; and seeing as how
ha'f OF his men was down with fever and
aspr' and not one in dozen knew the
usherence between the smell of eunpow
der ana oil OF turpentine, blow me but
thlhk 1t was about as well done. You
see our squadron was lying in bav. as
eaey calls Put-ln-Bay-and when the en-.
envy hrst hove in sight, it was in the
morning, about 7 o'clock. I.knows that
mat was the time, because | had iust
oeen made Quarter Master, by Captain
Ferry. and was the first as seen THROUGH
my glass. They was in the nor west.
oearlhg down! AS soon as we made them
TO be the enemy's fleet, up went the SIR
Ff'a' TO get under way; ship the Law
renee IN course. taking the lead. Well.
as we was working slowly to wlndward
to clear some small islands-some tf
EN- was Snake Island-I heard Captain
rerry come up to the master and ask
him IN II low voice, whether he thouoht
he should be able to work out to wind
ward in time to get the weather-gage of
the enemy; but the master said as how
the wind was SOU west, and light, and.he
didn't think he could. Then says the
commodore aloud. 'wear ship, sir; and go
to the leeward. for ever determined to
light them to-day!'-but just then the
wind came round to the southland and
BASTARD, and we retained the weather
gage, and slowly bore down upon the
enemy. They did all they could to get
the wind; but not succeeding, hove into
line, heading west'ard, and CALAMITY
waited for US as we came down.
"There lay their squadron, all light
sails taken in. just like boxer, with his
sleeves rolled up, and handkerchief tied
about his lolns. ready to make a regular
stand up fight, and there wasn't bra
yer man nor better sailor, in the Brit
ish navy, nor that same Barclay, whose
broad pennant Heated III the van Of ;thft
squadron.
''Pretty soon. up runs our motto flag,
the dying words of our gallant Law
renee. "Don't give up the Ship" and
floats proudly from our main; and then
lie gen'ral order was passed down the
line by trumpet. Zach ship, lay your
enemy alongside''-and if ever you seen
flock of wild geese flying south'ard in
the fall Of the year. you'll have some l.
dea of US as we went down into action.
The men was full of Esprit, and painting
for fight; and even them as was so
sick. as to be hardly able to stand, in
sisted upon taking their places at the
guns. | reccollects one in Particular
he was carpenters mate, a steady
man from Newport-he crawls up when
we beat to quarters, and seats himself
upon the head of one Of the pumps, WITH
the sounding rod in his hand. looking as
yellow as if he had just been dragged
out of a Nortt Carolina cypress swamp;
but one Of the officers comes Up to him
as he was sitting there, and says-''You
are too sick be here, my man-there's
no use in your being exposed for moth
ing-you had better go below elf
you please. sir" says the poor fellow,
'if | can do nothing else. can save the
time ola better man, ard ST. here and
sound the Pdmp.''
''Well. sir, as we Bore down, tie
English occasionIy tried our distance by
a shot: and when we was within about a
mile of 'em. one comes recOnoitering a.
cross The water, bounds over the bul-
warks, and takes that mans head as
clean off his shoulders. as if it had been
done with his own broad axe. | have
hearn say, that ''eve-y bullet has its bill
Iet." and that is sartin, that it's no use
to dodge shot, you viii ssrtin fall by
1 that same shot; and | bears in mind,
that an English sailor, one of our prison.
ers, told me that in ship Of their'n,
felfer was skulked in the table tier, du-
ring an action with the French, was
found dead, with spent AZ resting on
his neck. The ball had come in at the
stcrnport--s.:uck one of the beams for'-
ard, and tumbled right in upon him.
breaking his neck, as he lay snugIy coil
ed away in the cable tier. No, no
misfortiDs and cannon shot is very much
alike there's no dodging-every man
must stand up to his work, and take his
chancc--if they miss, he's ready when
they pipes to grog-if they hit, the Pur-
ser.s Book is squared, and no more char
ges is scored agin bin. But as was
saying, it wasn't long before we began
to make our carrenades tell; AMI then at
it we went, hot and heavy. the lawrence
taking the lead. engaging the Detroit.
and every vessel as she came up, obev-
ing orders and laying her enemy along.