The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1851-05-14
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) st8:.S3 4, ,l"oS AiHohO fRoM flkST PAGE
ed by lanyards inscuse The lock should
miss fire. A lieutenant then, passed
~throaghthe ship, directing the marines
and boarders, who were furnished with
pixies, cullasses and pistols, how 10 pro.
coed If it should be necessary 10 board
the enemy. He was followed by the
coptain, who oxhorted them to fidelity
and courage; urging upon their consij.
Grafton the well known motto of tho
brave Nelson, England expects every
man 10 do his duty In addition to all
these preparations on deck, some men
were stationed in the tops with small
arms, whose duty it was 10 attend to
trimming the sails and to use their
muskets, provided we came to close nc.
ton. There were others also below,
called snil trimmers, 10 assist in work
ing the ship, should it be necessary to
change her position during the battle.
My station was q, the fifth gun on the
main deck II was my duty TO supply
the gun with powder, boy being up
pointed to each gun in the ship on the
side we were engaged for this purpose.
:, A wooden screen was placed before the
entrance 10 the magazine, with hole
in it, through which the cartridges were
passed 10 the boys. We received them
there, and covering them with our jack
els, hurried TO our respective guns
These precautions are observed 10 pre-
. vent tho powder taking fire before ii
reaches the gun.
Thus we oil stood waiting orders, in
motionless suspense. At last we fired
three guns from the lnrboard side Of the
main deck; This was followed by the
command.
Cease firing; you arc throwing away
your shot
Then came the orders 10 swear ship
md prepare TO attack the enemy with
our starboard guns. Soon ailer heard
firing from some other quarter, which
j at first supposed to be discharge
from our quarter deck guns; lhougI. it
proved to be the cncmy's cannon.
A strange noise, such rs never
heard before, next arrested my attention.
il sounded like the tearing Of sails, just
over our heads. This soon ascertain
cd to be the wind OF The cncny's shot.
The firing ailcr few minutes cess,,
lion, recommended. The roaring Of
cannon could now be heard from all
parts Of our trembling ship, and min
;gling as it did with lha, Of our foes, i,
made most hidcous noise. By-and by
Z henrd the shots strike The sides Of our
shin. 'INhe whole scene became indie
scribably confused and horrihle-i,
was like some awful, tremendous thun-
der storm, whose drufening roar is n,-
tended by inccssan, s,reaks oflighlnng,
carrying death in every flash and s,rcw-
] ing the ground with the victims of its
wrath; only in our case, the scene was
r rendered more horrible than that, by
the presence Of torrents Of blood which
dyed our decks.
Though the recital may !,c painful,
sy vet as it will the horrors Of war,
and seowF at what fearful price vclo-
rv Is won or lost, Twill presen, the roa
I der with things Us they met my eye
- ,-'sst.it's -''sst.i;t's no prog ross Of rlIur -dTeau1ur
fight.
! was busily supplying my gun with
powder, when saw blood suddenly fly
from the arm of man stationed at our
gun. | saw nothing strike him-the
effect alone was visiblc-in an instant
the third lieutenant tied his handker-
chief round The wounded arm. and sem,
the groaning wretch below 10 the sur
geon.
Tho cries OF the wounded now rarg
( through oil parts Of The ship. These
were carried to the cockpit us fas, as
they fell, while those more fortunate
men who were killed outright were i'm.
mcdiately thrown overheard. AS was
stationed but n short distance from the
main ha,chway, could catch n glance
at oil who were carried below. \
glance was all | could indulge in, for
the boys belonng to the guns next to
mine were wounded in the early par,
of,iie engagement, and had 10 spring
with all my might to keep three or four
guns supplied with cartridges. saw
+ two ofthcse lads fall nearly together.
One Of them was struck in the leg by a
large shot--he had TO suffer ampu,a,ion
above the wound. The other had n
grape or cannon shot sent through his
ankle. A stout Yorkshircman lifted
him in his arms, and hurried him to
the cockpit. He had his foo, cut off,
and was thus made lame for life. Two
ofthe toys stationed on the quarter
deck were killed. They were both
Portuguese. A man who saw one Of
them killed, afterwards told me that
his powder caught fire and burn, the
flesh almost off his face. In this pilia.
bic situation, the agonizcd boy lifted up
both hands as if imporing relief, when
npnssing shot instantly cut him in two.
/ was an eye witness to a sight
equally revolving. A man named
Aldrich had one Of his hands cut off
by shot, and almost at the same
moment he received another shot,
which tore open his bowels in n ter.
rible manner. AS he fell two or
three men caught him in their arms,
and, ,as he could not live, threw him
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