Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1857-02-13

were fitted out and manned from these
places most interested in the fishing bus
iness-capturcd more than fifty thousand
tons Of British shipping in the year l717
alone. Aai English records show that
from May. l7776, to Feb. IT'S the Amer
lean privateers made prizes of seven
hundred and thirty.hrce British vessels,
hieh. with their eargoe., were worth
more than treaty fire millions of dollars.
Now, a very large proportion Of this, sir.
was accomplished BY men who had been
trained in the fishing business--a great
many of our prirateers, and a respectable
number of our meu-ot-war were COM
manded by slippers Of fishermen. John
solmsn. and Nicholas Braughton of Mar.
blehcad, were the first commanders az
pointed by Washington, after he assun
ed the direction Of aH4irs.
And another very distinguished man
WAS Samuel Tucker, fisherman, who is
said to have captured more British guns
and British seamen than Paul Jones, or
any other captain in the thirteen States.
We might g on and state what fisher
zen did in the var Of 1Sl2. But. will
quote passage from u d..s:iu sQishcd
writer. Il regard it, says he, as strictly
true to say. that without our fishermen.
We could hardly have manned frigate,
or captured one from the beginning OF
that war to its end Fishermen COM
posed large par, of the crew of Old
Ironsides in her two earliest victories ;
and believe that the number WIS not
much diminished when that favorite shin
passed into the hands Of Stewart and
won her list battle We have stated
j briefly, what fishermen have done for us
on the sea. We might also state what
they have done for us on the land; bu,
one single instance VIII suffice. For
service in the field, Marblehead raised
one entire regiment; and. it has been
remarked of those fishermen soldiers
that, Injured t. fatigue and hardships
they were not reduced to sickness O,
camp disease during the war.
This regiment composed part of the
force Of the commander chief in tha,
irwin, crisis Of The American Ar.
my. composed of regular aaI militia
hardly three thousand in number, almos,
. destitute e. tents an! utensils for cook
Ing. badly armed, nearly naked ant
barefoot, dispir;ed by losses. worn dowr
: BY suffering, pursued in November ans
December. TO the nor,herly bank of tht
f, Delaware by the British army. fushct
I with success, and painting for last dec
e isiye victory.
For a moment, the destruction o
= Washington either from the waters il
! front, or the royal troops in the rear
' seemed certain. But. the heroic DARN.
of those "fsttrnlca soldiers probabl,
. savod him, and with him their country
. And sir, IN the further relations Of this
permit me to use the language Of an en-
inent statesman. in the following words
+ Il could wish. said he, that they has
stood on the banks OF the Delaware riv
i or in LII in that bitter night, when tht
, commander-in- chief had drawn up his lii
i tie army to cross it. and had seen a pow
crtul cnrreat bearing onward the feat
h ing masses Of ice which threatened des
IL :ruction to whosoeyer shall venture up
: on its bosom. | wish, that when this oc
currence threatened to defeat the enter
I prise, they could have heard that distin
: snished warrior demand, WHO will lest
US on - and have seen the men of Mar
blehead. and Marblehead alone, stand for
, ward to lead the army along the peril
! GUS path to unfading glories and hon
ors in the achievement Of Trenton
5 There sir, went the fishermen OF Marble
: head. alike at home upon the land or wa
c ter, alike ardent, patriotic, and unainch
ing wherever they unfurled the flag 0
: the country"
And sir. what is here said of the fish
ermen of Marblehead. in regard to thei
: foarlessness ard patriotism, may be sait
in ruth. of our fishermen generally
Their way and manner Of life lead to this
starting on this perilous business in .hei
: boyhood, as most of them do, they be
come Injured to hardships and danger i,
their most thrilling forms. and whethe
on the sea or on the land, they are pre-
pared to meet danger coolly. Then, sir
, are not these men invaluable on board o
of our naval vessels IN time of war o
danger 1t is on board fishing vesse
that the true theory Of seamanship il
learned it is on board of those vessel
that our best coast pilots are found, il
many cases, all on board being pilots
from the cook up to the captain. An,
sir. how often it happens, that ships ap
proach our coast in thick and bad wealth
err. save severe drubbing and some
times shipwreck, by getting a pilot on
of fishing vessel, who takes them safe
4 ly into some good harbor on the coast
Especially is this the case often, on tn,
coast Of Maine. Our fishermen are fish
> ing on every shoal ground. and arounC
7 every rock AMI sunken ledge on our coast
and therefore cannot help being pilots
They are ever running among islands ant
: lodges, in thick bad weather, which ma
lures judgement. In hundreds of in
+. stances boys start when very young t.
go fishing: they 60 few years. ther
leave fishing, go into the merchant ser
; vice, and soon by their steady habits,an,