Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-01-15

The very act Of our going to heroic. No Ian
guage could be too strong in describing it. We were tc
fight against ncalculaby odds than ever Napoleon
did, almost inconceivably We went out upon the
deep with only sling in our hands. We went against
foe that it might have been thought would at consgn
all our ships 10 its dark That foe had vanqush
ed French ships wherever to be found, brave as the
French ever are until all their ships captured sunk
or had to seek shelter from destruction by running into
their ports This their sole refuge Not Of them
could any upon the ocean, sngy in fleets
Not another gun could the Emperor mount at sea-
similar doom had awaited the nayes Of Holland Spain,
and all other nations The idea Of coping with Eng
land elected in the House of Commons. Not
only did begin battle after Napoleon had exhaust
ed to purpose but disasters to himself his resources
and rage against England but there to appa
u.s. had that feeling been in He had drawn upon the
whole maritime border Of the Mediterranean and Attain
tic among European nations conquered apd tributary to
him, land which among them were notT TO aid him in
ships and 60 against EnglaId on the seas,
invade her in her island All these were scattered or
demolished England had driven them all back to port
or made wrecks Of them Duncan at Camperdown, Howe
ON the st of june 94 Nelson at the Nile Cochran in
Basque Roads, Parker at Copenhagen, Nelson again at
Trafalgarthese recall vvidy, but only in part
call the awful destruction which the naval thunders of
England dealt among her foes wherever it possible
for her TO assail them. Never before there such
havoc the by nation against all the rest All
had yielded in hopeless submission to that For
like purposes it is much to say that Europe was
annihilated upon the The banner Of the United
States alone foated in solitary fearlessness Lastly, we
began the fight with navy which nothing in size
the French navy, when Napoleon first had the drec-
ton of against England When then in all time,
such odds seen as we had against us: / remember
thing like it. recall at present but partial re-
sembance That upon land, when the great Frede-
rc fought against Austria Russia, and France, gaining
splendid victories them and battling all until finally
encompassed by their countless legions but consolidating
the Prussian monarchy in spite Of them all.
And what was the progress what the issue, of the
upon the great highway of nations maintain it.
after the daring manner in which went into it? In
stead of ships being driven from the as Napo
Icons were they increased in number the went
They Increased in the activity of their service and bril-
iancy of their victories They in all seas They
ran down Cape Horn. They secured the Pacific They
all the Atlantic. They went into the West In
dies and the East Indies Skfuly avoiding the enemys
fleets they hunted up his single ships They watched in
their paths. They entered the British channel In all
atitudes they sought this gigantic foe on his own ele
ment. They strove TO be foremost in the attack They
encountered him, ship ship, with chivalry, with
perfection Of discipline with constant superiority in
gunnery and with utterly without example by
any other nation in the world before. In vain did he
plead that ships heavier than his In some in
this the act in others the reverse and in
all the fights his ships merely subdued, but
shot TO pieces or sunk almost incredibly short time
Glory then this young and dauntless nation, which,
relying upon itself alone to vndcae neutral rights,
folded waiting
feed speedily and trumphany broke the terrific spell
Of English nvncibity upon the ocean, What result
Ii ryeted universal attention Britain had ruled the
waves SO her poets sang SO nations felt, all but tbs
Her trident had laid them all PROSTATE; and how fond
was she of considering this emblem identified with the
sceptre Of the world Behold then the flag which had
every where reignsd in triumph supreme sending forth
terror from its folds which for thousand years had
braved the battle and the breeze - behold it again. and
again. and again. lowered the and stripes which
had risen in the hemisphere. The spectacle was
magnifcent 1t radated the skies Both hemispheres
stood gaze The European expectation that we were
be crushed turned into feeling of admiration un-
bounded. Some gave themselves to wild JOY, as the
Danes whose exasperated feelings under the seizure Of
their navy at Copenhagen had scarcely subsidized Our
victories had moral effect far transcendng the number
or size Of their ships vanquished For such blow upon
0AS
had last no balm so efectua as that it inflicted,
and could only have been inflicted by sprung from
| herself.
Here let say that ne one in our whole nation did
towards nfusing into Congress the lofty tone that
led to these memorable results than your Mr. Calhoun
Congress backward declaring war from the terri
bic odds against u.s. and the outdoor belief almost
universal except in the navy itself that could not
face England. Calhoun vita the very foremost Of
were for throwing the nation upon its courage and its
sword Happen what would they knew should not be
dishonored whilst ignobe subm sion sinking as
great people We began build ships Of the line
the contest drew to close our energies rising with the
contest On the lakes had only fleets Of small size.
England 10 meet us there in like feets through
the Canadas the frames Of vessels and her naval officers
and men, There also our victories in each instance
where the fleets met were alike decisive and respenden
though won with great loss Of blood both sdest But
the matchess deeds Of our fgates and sloopsofwar
the ocean did than ever done before for the
neutral cause more than done by the famous arm
ed neutrality Of 1880 Turn 70 the account Of that
maritime league one Of words, which England dis
regarded and see how little Il achieved, compared To
American ships Of war As TO the - armed neutrality
Of 1900 England sbivered that TO pieces in day with
\ her naval cannon.
Equally true is Il that Napoleon blind 70 cur naval
efficiency and capabilities 1t the greatest Of his
mistakes lie Judged Of them from our having ships
larger and tonnage than any nation but Eng