New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-06-03
DAILY CRESCENT.
An Incident of Commodore Tucker.

Among the heroes of the great Revolutionary
struggle of our country there were many brave
hearts who have long sunk to rest, not with all
s'their country's honor best" but IN obscurity
and neglect Surely it is the duty of history
as far as possible, to embafm their memory on
its pages, and give it in living coors to posterity
Com. Samuel Tucker, whose remains repose in
an obscure retreat on the rough coast Of Maine,
is case in point. 1t was on d retired spot in
that part of Bristol, now Bremen, bordering on
Broad Cove, that he passed the latter part of his
life 1t was probably owing to his seclusion
from society that this brave and distinguished
officer has escaped the notice Of writer's on our
naval history. For man who had captured,
under his individual command, over 1000 men,
and 400 guns; the individual selected by Wash
ington, while at Cambridge, as above all others
the best qualified to convey to France our first
agent, and on whose success depended the fate
of the country; that such commander should
have been unnoticed is a matter of surprise
His orders from Washington were to run from
every thing, and land Mr.. Adams safe in France
The Boston, common workmanship, was pur
chased for this purpose, and was fitted up under
fuckers direction as q sloop- war bearing
twenty guns. A British seventy -four and two
frigates were stationed at Newport, r. l., to in
tercept him, having probably received notice
from spies of fuckers expedition, and knowing
as they did that Washington was commencing a
negotiation with France, they were determined
to intercept all communication with that coun-
try. Tucker, well knowing the risk of his i'm
portant enterprise, on which depended the sue
cess of the Revolution, had additional sail made
for the Boston. and rigging to accommodate,
that in a light wind she was literally covered
with canvas, and many of her sails, to use his
own expression, s'were never before nor since
known to any vessel" We regret that the
limits of this sketch will not admit of some in
now in the writer's possession. He was born at
Marblehead, Mass, November 10th, 1741, Old
Style. He entered the naval service at about
eleven years old, and was in the George, a twenty
gun ship, cruising off Louisburg, in search of a
French transport-frigate at the time of VOLTS
death September, 1863.
On his passage to France in the Boston, Com
Tucker, by his knowledge of British signals and
customs, and the distribution of their ships Of
war on this coast, which he had learned in Eng
land when the Revolution commenced, came VI
with q British sloop Of war about his own force
who was cruising in search OF him, and after the
first fire she struck to him But she was so near
the English coast that she was retaken soon
after. fuckers escape from the three ships Of
war that came out of Newport to cut him off, was
amasterly manueuvre, and was effected by a fein'
In running down for their best sailer, which
was coming up with him at sufficient distance
from the others to apprehend that she must fight
single handed. This induced him to tack ship
and night coming on Tucker changed his course
and, after one of the most boisterous passages
ever experienced in crossing the Atlantic, he
landed Mr.. Adams safely in France. In one o
these tempests he encountered when near the
coast of France, his mizzenmast was shiyereC
to pieces, and one man killed by lightning,
short time before his arrival Hon. John Quincy
Adams, then lad, accompanied his father il
this perilous voyage, and has been heard fire.
auently to speak in terms of high commentator
Of the conduct of Com. Tucker during their pas
sage. After the evacuation Of the city of Bos
ton, he captured seven vessels, some of then
transports, and one thousand men destined fo
that place During the siege Of Charleston, h
captured fort, and blew it up within gunsho
of CORVALLIS and his siege. But, as we hav
already stated, the limits of this sketch will no
permit us to recount more of his valiant deeds
in which he always displayed a warm and gen
erous heart, and COOL calculating, mathemat
ical head.
After the close Of the war Tucker resided il
Boston, and by his too generous feelings, an
lending his name to others, lost an ample for
tune Stung with the ingratitude of his country
that never paid him for a part of his Reyolu
tionary services, and finding those who enjoye
his bounties, and profited by his benevolenc
during the noontide of his prosperity, turnin
from him with cold-hearted Indifference on tn
eve of his misfortune, he became Disguised wit
the world, and his proud and lofty spirit sougf
that retirement that now marks the solitude
his humble grave.