Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1843-09-30
VOICE FROM THE MAIN DECK.
THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE PRIGATRs UNITED
STATES AND THE MACEDONIAN.


The following spirited account of the
celebrated battle between the u. S.
Frigate United States and the Macedo-
Man, in which the latter was taken, is
from new work entitled "Thirty
Years from Home, or Voice from the
Main Deck, by Samuel Leech. The
author at the time was a lad on board
the captured frigate, and his impress
ions Of so terrible a contest are much
more vivid than those CLEANED from Of
fetal dispatches.
The Sabbath came and brought with
it stiff breeze. We usually made a
holiday of this sacred day. After
breakfast it was common to muster the
entire crew on the spar deck, some
times in blue jackets and white trou-
sers, or blue jackets and blue trousers,
at other times in blue jackets, scarlet
vests, buttons glancing in the sun, and
our black, glossy hats ornamented with
black ribbons, and with the name of
our ship painted upon them. After
muster, we frequently had church SER
vice read by the captain; the rest of
the day was devoted to idleness. But
we were destined to spend the Sabbath
Just introduced to the reader in very
different manner.
We had scarcely finished breakfast
before the man at the masthead shout
ed, Sail ho!"
The captain rushed upon deck, ex-
claiming masthead, there!"
"Sirp
"Where away is the sail?'
The precise answer to this question
/ do not recolect, but the captain pro-
ceeded to ask, +" What does she look
like?"
"a square rugged vessel, sir" was
the reply of the lookout.
After few minutes, the captain
shouted again, "Mast head there!"
nSir!o
"What does she look like"
ga large ship, standing towards u.s."
BY this time most of the crew were
on deck, eagerly straining their eyes to
obtain a glimpse of the approaching
ship, and murmuring their opinions to
each other on her probable character.
Then came the voice of the captain,
shouting, i" Keep silence, fore and aft"
Silence being secured; he hailed the
look out, who to his question oil what
does he look like?" replied, "a large
frigate, bearing down upon us, sir"
A whisper ran along the crew that
the strange ship was Yankee frigate.
The thought was confirmed by the
command Of i" All hands clear the ship
for action, ahoyl"
The drum and fife beat TO quarters;
bulkheads were knocked away; the
guns were released from their conhne-
ment; the whole dread paraphernalia
of battle was produced; and, after the
lapse of few minutes Of hurry and
confusion, every man and boy was at
his post, ready TO do his best service
for his country, except the band, who,
claiming exemption from the aiiray,
safely slowed themselves away in the
cable tier. We had only one sick man
on the list, and he, at the cry of battle
hurried from his cot, feeble as he was
to take his post of danger. A few Of
the junior midshipmen were stationed
below, on the berth deck, with orders
given in our hearing to shoot any man
who attempted to run from his quar-
tiers.
Our men were all in good spirits,
though they did not scruple TO express
the wish that the coming foe was a
Frenchman rather than a Yankee. We
had been told, by the Americans on
board, that the frigates in the An,eri-
can service carried more and heavier
metal than ours. This. together with
our consciousness Of superiority over
the French at sea, led us 10 a preference
for French antagonist.
The Americans among our number
felt quite disconnected to at the neces-