The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-07-03

"Old Irsnsides."
1t is now nearly thirty years since an ill-
advised Secretary, during the fret term OF
President JACKSON, proposed TO break up the
frigate Consultation cold Ironsides. w aud
sell of her timbers. The proposal was re.
ceived with general voice of iamantation
from Maine to Florida, and from the Atlantic
to the hocky Mountains. The whole nation
was profoundly agitatec, as il might have been
had 1t been proposed to scatter the awful dust
OF WASHINGTON to the winds In vain was it
urged that the old ship was no logger n for
servioe-that her timbers were rotten, and
that II would require paore money to fit her
Tor sea than IL would cost 10 build new fri
gate Of the same class. The public grief was not
TO be appeased-the affections OF the nation
were entwiRed around Old Irorsides-her
glory was the national glory, her fame was
part of the national history. she was en-
dsared TO the national heart by thousand
glorious memories. There was eadearmeht
in the very title which she had received from
the affection of the nation, and Old Ironsides
was the pet OF everybody, high and low, great
and small Official sternness gave way before
the storm Of national sympathy. Old Iron
sides was preserved from the ignoble fate
which impended over her. She was fitted up
anew, and SEA- upon another cruise. She still
survives, having escaped the battle, the breeze,
and the hard hearted decree of the Naval Sec
rotary. New inventions have entirely changed
the nature of naval service. Old lronsdes Is
an old fogy now, but glorious old fogy she Is
And let US hope that she may be as indesirocti-
Bile as the instrument from which she derived
her name, and which thus far has survived,
and, as far as we see, bids fair long TO sur
viSe the assaults OF open enemies and pre-
tended friends When she shall have become
no Ion ger Ill for sea, let her be moored i'll some
commodIous harbor, as the Victory is At
Portsmouth, and preserved with religious
care, as memorial OF our common triumph
y memento OF what America was in the days
of her youth, when not pulse beat through
out the land but kept touch and time to her
lriumphal progress in the career OF her great
Hess,
"Old lronsides" is once more about TO make
her bow TO the public. Orders have been re-
ceived at Portsmouth, n. ID, where she has
been lying In ordinary, TO fit her out imme-
diateiy for sea. She is TO be armed with q
powerful battery, and to proceed at once to An
napolis, there 10 take on board the cadets from
the Naval Academy. Thence she is to proceed
10 some port in the English Channel whence
her cruise will be extended to most OF the in
teresting points on the Atlantic and along the
shores of the Mediterranean. OF all the other
ships in our Navy, she is, we should think
the best adapted for a school ship. JOHNSON
thought he must be very apathetic sort OF
parsonage who could stand upon the field of
Marsthon without feeling his patriotism stir
within him. What sort of youth can that be
who could tread the deck of "Old Ironsides.
without feeling his blood boiling in his veins
without feeling his spirits mount 10 the
highest pitch OF enthusiasm-without feeling
his ambition fired, by the memory of the glo-
rious deeds that have been enacted around
him--without feeling his patriotism swelling
higher, and his emulation burning more in
tensely?
"Old Ironsides" was built under the law Of
179S, and is, therefore, coeval with our navy
itself. She first smelt gunpowder at the siege
of Tripoli, where she was the flag ship Of
Commodore PRRBLR. She led the way. in
each Of the general attacks made upon the
town and castle of Tripoli and in each case
was the last TO quit the field, always staying
behind to cover the retreat of the gun boats
few days after 1.-THE declaration of war in
1872, she was chased by a whole British
squadron, but escaped by the mastery sea-
manship of her commander, Opt Hull
Putting out to sea again, on the 10th August
she fell in with and captured the British fri
gate Guerrier, after an action of only % min
utes. This achievement electrified the nation.
1t was the first time frigate had been captur
ed during the war, and the enthu siasm was
universal. The ease with which the thing had
been done excited the amazement of tina
British public. In less than half an hour
Old Ironsides shot away every mast of the
enemy, put upwards of one hundred roupd
shot through his hull, and killed and wound
ed nearly fourth part of his crew. without.
herself, having received scarcely scratch
She had not more than dozen men killed and
wounded, and she was ready for ano Their hat. |
tie in half an hour after thi. one was over
Capt. HULL was obliged to DESTROY the Guer.
rier, having found her SO thoroughly cut tn |
pieces that it was impossible to carry her |
into port. When the Coustitu ton arrived |
in Boston, the excited multitudes of ner.
sons by whom she was visited, could find |
about her scarcely a trace of the conflict
one next went to sea under the command of |
Capt BAINBRIDGE, and off the Coast of Bra.
zil fell in with and captured the frigate Java |
(29th Deb, 1Sl2) The same astounding sumo
riority OF gunnery was observed in this case
The Java was so crippled that she could not
be carried into port. Her third cruise under
Captain STEWART, was equally successful.
That officer captured, after fight of forty
minutes, the corvette Cyane and the sloop Lee
want, the one carrying thirty. -four guns, the
other twenty-five. Captain STEWART was
afterwards chased by a squadron, but man |
aged to escape with the larger of his prizes
This ended the career of "Old Ironsides y |
during that war. She was the most fortu- |
nate Of all our public ships. She always |
found the enemy, and if he was anything like |
equal to her in size, she took him or if he was
too strong, she ut.sailed him. 1t is scarcely |
wonderful that she should have become a na. |
tional fayorite