St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1861-05-16
Norfolk Navy Yard.

II will be remembered that orders |
were given by the Administration le-
fore Virginia seeded, to fit out every
vessel at the yard which was fit for
service. But nothing was done. 1t
seemed as though the nerves OF every
laborer had been struck by paralysis.
1t appears that most of the officers OF
the Yard were scccssionists. The
commander of the Yard, Commodore
Macaulay, was loyal, and so were Two
paymasters of the Yard and one lieu
tenant on board the receiving ship
Pennsylvania but from the date Of
the South Carolina secession ordinance
there was q surveillance over this
Yard and from the date of the Pres
ident's Proclamation, the Yard has
been in the power of the secession
mob outside. The secession officers,
considering lcalty to their native
States to be paramount to fidelity to
the country, were probably the tools
of Gov. Lctchcr and the Virginia au-
thorities, who were bent upon the Sci
cure of the Yard. Among these Of
fccrs were Commander Robb, the
Captain of the Yard, with Commanders
Tucker and Roots "a nephew of How
ell Cobb Of the ordnance, and Com
mander Sinclair of the receiving ship
Pennsylvania.
1t is now known that they were plan
ming what stroke to strike when the
day and the hour came for President
Davis to tell them how to act when
the scccssionist surge should have
swept Virginia to the side of South
Carolina when the Confederate States
authorities should hold headquarters
in Richmond, nincty-siX miles off
when the word should be given to
strike for the Rattlcsnakc flag. Then
not less than two hundred guns were
at their coinmand-amongt them the
best in the service--rcady to make
an Internal roar of rebellion around
the heads of the Massachusetts men
in Fort Monroe 1t was all planned.
The do nothing, worth nothing, nanti-
cal monster, Pennsylvania, for years
has been a receiving ship these plot
ting commanders proposed to run her
down towards Fort Monroe, and put
the Dahlgrcns and Columbiads in her
One side of her has fifty guns, and all
she needed for this was a short job Of
planking, and then she would have
been ready for the service of dropping
down upon Fort Monroe with her ter
riblc engincry. Not all yet there
was quite respectable navy to be fit
ted to go forth from Gosport, all
which these commanders were laying
their plans to use for the benefit of the
Confederate States.
The government experimenting this,
sent to Gosport, Commander James
Alden, whose name will be found men
toned with high praise in the annual
reports, as to coast surveys, OF Pro-
fessor Bachc, and who. for several
years, has been on the Pacific Coast.
This officer reported, doubtless, the
facts as he found them, and he carried
back the order for the work of dcstruc-
ton. This blow and the Harper's
Ferry terrible blow, were fatal blows
for secession. Happy was it for the
country that there was at Harper's
Ferry an officer who placed country
+ above State, and was true to his flag.
The gallant and noble Lieutenant Rog-
err Jones who destroyed the arms there
is q Virginian, and did not hesitate
though his old instructor, Col. Lee, a
r, Virginian of the stamp of the disIoyal
commanders at Gosport, was march
ing on him but he fearIcssly did his
duty, and for it his country will hold
him in remembrance.