Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1862-12-19
LETTER FROM THE NAVY.
Correspondence Of the Gazette,
U. 8. SHlP ONO,
Orr CHARLrsrowy NAVY YARD.

OFF CHARLESTOWy NAVY lard. J
Dec 1Oth.-Came on board this ship on
the 9Th inst, leaving the officers and marines
to take care Of the Minnesota. Here we
found 600 men, parts of various crews wait
ing for their ships to get ready for SERVICE
Our crew has bad name here. The reason
is they are much dissatisfied, wishing to be
ashore while the Minnesota undergoes repairs.
They have been almost in state of mutiny,
breaking open chests, taking provisions from
the galley fires where they were in prepare
ton for the officers, &C., &c. The sentries
were afraid to say anything to them. The
officers attempted to take them in hand, but
they had it all their own way for while
though three or four were put into the brig
The Captain Of this ship asked if there was
one honest man in our crew. Somebody Of
the crowd sung out" No, not one ~
" WE'LL" said he, q" | don't believe there is.
Now for the grand and last performance. 1t
was on the night of the sth inst, by about
500 men of our ship and others combined
though the Minncsota's have to bear all the
blame. About 6 p. NJ, hammocks being al
ready down, they began by singing songs,
all hands joining in the chorus. A song fin
ishea, they would give two or three tremen-
dous bowls, then three cheers for no one in
particular, then another song intermingled
with howls. Near 81 p. NJ, there were few
random shots with firewood. At P. NJ. the
watchword was given and the singing ended.
Then billets of wood began to fly, sentr;es re-
treated, cooks. fed the galley, the Captains
cook-stove was broken in pieces, battle Ian.
terms were smashed and the crew had COM
pletc possession of the gun-deck. They had
begun forward and at u Pm, bowling,
cheering, smashing, they moved aft toward
where was. Considering it rather warm
went up on the sp.r.deck. Meanwhile the
Captain had sent for our marines. They
soon arrived on board and were drawn up in
line Oh the port side of the quarter deck
Then came the voice of the Boatswan for all
the Minnesota's crew to muster on the star
board side Of the quarterback. (Nothing
said of other crews. The Minnesota was the
biggest and she must stand the charge.)-
Up they came. l was already up. We
ranged along on one side and hundred
marines on the other. The marines were
armed with muskets, loaded with ball, and
bayonets fixed, ready for an emergency
Then speech from the Captain. 1t was ::
" You have conducted yourselves badly
You have committed almost mutiny which
cannot be allowed on board Of an American
man-of-war. Should you conduct in that
way again, shall take more stringent meas
ures to suppress it.' No questions were
asked. OF course no answers wers given..-
About twenty were arrested as ringleaders and
next morning about twenty more. They
are now ashore confined in cold barracks
with no fire. Many of them are perfectly
innocent Thus ended this new rebellion
No trifiing affair since mutiny is death. Our
own Captain (HHrrison) was on board to-day
Said it was not in his power to allow us to
60 on shore. Ship in great confusion. Ev-
erybody wishes to get to sea.