Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1845-04-04

AS related by OLD kennedy, the Quarter Master to
oUor. correspondent of the Spirit of the Times

As related by OLD KENEnr the Quarter Master TO Ps
oUor. correspondent of the Spirit of the Times
But says /, 'Kennedy-1 think YOU said
your craft was bound for the lakes-which
did you go to, Ontario, or Erie1'
Il was on both, sir, says he, 'afore the war
was over; and we got as much accustomed to
poking our flying jIb-boom into the trees on
them shores, as if the sticks was first cousins
which, seeing as how the ships was built in
the woods, wouldn': be much of wonder
Part of that ere draft staid down on Ontario,
with the old commodore, as was watching Sir
James. and part was sent up to Erie. went
mp to Erie and Joined the Lawrence, Commo-
doris Oliver H. Perry-and | hopes that old
Bill Kennedy needn't be called braggart, if
ne says he did his part in showing off as hand
some fight on that same fresh water pond, as
has ever been done by an equal force on blue
water. Our gallant young commodore made
as tight fight Of it as it has ever been my
luck to be engaged in; and seeing as how half
of his men was down with fever and aqer, and
not one in dozen knew the difference be.
tween the smell of gunpowder and oil of tur-
Pentine, blow me! but think it was about as
wei! done.
you see our squadron was lying in bay,
as they calls Putin ay-and when t.e enc
my first hove in sight, 1t was in the morning,
about seven o'clock. knows that that was
the time, because had just been made Quar-
ter-master by Captain Perry, and was the frs.
as seen them through my glass. They was
In the Northwest, bearing down; as soon AS
we made them out to be the enemy's fleet, up
went the signal to get under way; our ship,
the Lawrence, in course taking the Lead
Well as we was working slowly to wind
ward to clear some small islands,-one of 'em
was Snake lsand-I hearn Captain Perry
come up 10 the Master, and ask him in low
voice, whether he thought he should be able
10 work out to windward in time to get
the weather gage Of the enemy; but the Mas
ter said as how the wind was Southwest, and
light, and he didn't think he could. 'Then,'
said the Commodore, aloud, wear ship, sir,
aud go to leeward, for l ain determined to
fight them ,o-day.'-but just then the wind
came round 20 the South'a 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 succeed
ing, hove into line, heading westward, and
CALAMITY waited for us as we came down.
There lay their squadron, all light sails Ia
ken in, just like a boxer, with his sleeves roll
ed up, and handkerchief tied about his loins,
ready to make regular stand-up fight, and
there wasn't drawer man, nor better sailor, in
the British navy, nor that same Barclay,
whose broad pennant hoated in the van et that
squadron.
Pretty soon up runs our motto flag, the
dying words of our hero Lawrence-'Don'!
giUe up the Ship!'-and floats proudly from our
main, and then the general order was passed
down the line by trumpet, Each ship, lag
! dol a
flock Of wild geese flying Southland in the fall
of the wear, You'll have some idea Of us as We
went down into action. The men was full OF
spirit, and painting for fight, and even them
as was so sick as to be hardly able to stand,
insisted upon taking their places at the guns.
recoIlects one in particuar-he was car
penter's mate, steady man, from Newport
he crawls up when we beat 10 quarters, and
seats himself upon the head Of one of the
pumps, with the soundine-rod i'll his hand
looking as yellow as if he had just been drag
ged out of South Carolina cypress swamp
but one of the officers comes up to him as he
was sitting there, and says,-'I GU are too
sick to be sitting there, my man-theres NJ
use of your being exposed for nothlng-yot
had better 90 below III you please, Sir,
says the poor fellow, If can do nothing else
can save the time of a better man, and 81
here and sound the pump
/ well, sir, as we bore down, the Engllsl
occasionally tried our distance by shot, ant
when we was within about mile Of 'em, ON
comes ricochetting across the water, bound
over the bulards, and takes that mans hea'
as clean off his shoulders, as if it had beef
, done with his own broad-axe. | have hear
say that every bullet has its billet and tina
is saEtin, that it's no use to dodge shot, TO
, Iif YOU are destineI to fall By shot, you viii
I sartain fall by that same shot; and ] bears II
mind, that an English sailor, one OF our Prl
soners, told me that in a snip Of theirn, fel
low as skulked in the cable-tiei, during an &C
ton with the French, was fouad dead with
spent forty-two resting on his neck. The bal
! had come in at the starn-port-struck one
the beams for'ard, and tumbIed right in uPo
him, breaking his neck, as he lay snug y col
ed away in the cable-tier. No, no-misfo
:. tins and cannon shots are very much alike
) there's no dodging-every man must stand Il
q to his work, and take his chance-if the
j. miss, he is ready when they pipes to grog-
It they hit, the purser's book is squared, and 4
Z more charges is scored agin him.
But, as was saying, it wasn't long befo
we began to make our carronades tell, ar
then at it we went, hot and heavy. the Lawren'
taking the lead, engaging the Detroit, and e
cry vessel, as she Game up, ooeylng order
and laying her enemy alongside, IN rig
good earnest, except the Niagara. She hHI
back-damn her-with her jib bralled up, al
her main .topsail 10 the mast-the consequent
was, the Charlotte, as was her opponent,
walls herselfof her distance-runs up close u
= der the stern of the Detroit, and both shi
pours in their combined fire into our ship, Il
ST. Lawrence. ] hearn the master myse
and afterwards two or three of the other of
- GERS, 90 up to the Commodore during the a
Ition, ard call his attention to the Niagar
and complain of her treacherous or coward
|conduct. Well, them two ships gin it to
hot and heavy, and in three minutes we W