The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-05-08
M-NO @ WHOLE NO. 3D. JEEA88 5ts.A 81. y E.ass.5
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were sure Graham would order us to f;rc
upon her; which we we're Just as sure would
be followed by Scott's firing upon Us. and
sending Us to keep her company at the bot
tom. 1t would have been an even chance
which Of US went first over the Falls.
'.Just at this moment we saw drngoon
on her side hailing us, and holding up a
dispatch from head quarters. gig was
sent and the document was brought on
board. 1t was from Colonel Hughes, and
was short, and to the point
"Under no circumstances will Captain
Graham interfere with any vessel bearing
the American fag." -
81 am not now afraid to own that I was
delighted at this new order, though would
not then have acknowledged it for the world.
Graham swore like a trooper, but had no
other alternative than to give orders to the
commanders Of the other vessels to let the
Barcelona pass. They swore too, and SEEM
ed vastly grieved that they had lost such a
capital chance of going to the bottom.
''Meanwhile the Barcelona putfed lazily
up. And as she passed between our vessels
we were saluted with cheer from her decks,
which in nowise tended to soothe our ruff
fed feelings.
s'Hardly was the steamer out of sight
when boat was seen approaching us from
Chippewa. 1t bore an officer charged to
arrest Captain Graham for disobedience of
orders and neglect of duty in suffering the
Barcelona to pass. He was sent to head
quarters to give an account of himself. He
produced the dispatch forbidding him to
interfere with any vessel under the Ameri-
can colors. Its purport was unmistakable,
and there was no doubt of the genuineness
of the signature of Colonel Hughes but it
was neither dated nor numbered.
The whole matter was soon explained. 1t
seems that Captain Lockwood was in COM
mand of troop Of dragons who were on
patrol duty along the river. Happening
early in the morning to enter small grog
shop midway between Chippewa and the sta
tion of the fotilla, he espied a dracoon
stretched out on the floor, as drunk as
lord. Upon searching HIM, an order was
found on his person, directed to Captain
wood at once dispatched this by his own
orderly, the original bearer being too drunk
to explain how long it had been in his pos
session. 1t turned out to be the first order
of Colonel Hughes, sent before dinner on
the previous day; and to which he had for.
tunately forgotten to afix any date or num-
Der.
"Graham received it the day after, very
naturally concluding that it was subsequent
to the one odering him to stop the Barcelona
and so sorely against his grain, he allowed
her to pass"
''Had the dragoon kept sober, he would
have delivered his dispatch the day before :"
suggested we.
Sand Graham would have stopped the
Barcelona, and"
"Scott would have fred upon your Aotil-
la, and-''
81 should no thave had the pleasure of mar
rating this incident to YOU"
"War would have been inevitable, think
you?
''How could it have been avoided with
Sir Francis Head to give his version of the
story to our Government and the red hot
'sympathisers,' on your side 90
"We should have 'anncxod' the Canadies,"
said confdentally.
s'Perhaps so and perhaps not. At all
events not before our fleet had bombarded
New York and Boston," replied the Colonel.
"If you had gone to war with us seven
teen years ago, you would hardly have been
in condition to have fought Russia, just
now.o
s:Nor~uuld you have cared to fight Mexi-
co, and the gold of California would not
have been discuvered.''
"Quite possible" asscnted we.
$780," moralized the Colonel, "that bot
tie of bad brandy has changed the course of
the worlds history for a century