Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-07-31
LETTER FROM THE NAVY.
sg EE afft0 Q. 8. rRioArl MuNssorA,
HAMPTON RoAps, Va.

, HAMPTON noApss VA. !
June 2lst-C Charley Moore charged upon
boy Campbell last night. Boy Power rein.
forced Campbell. Moore surrenders. It was
in two attacks. First attack, seven minutes |;
last attack, three minutes.
22nd.-Got under way. steamed around
the Roads four hours, fred at target while
under way, distance, 1900 yards, firing good,
9.inch shell, 5,sec. fuse. At4P.M., came
to, near our old anchorage. All this to ex-
ercise ships company and that We may not
ground on the beef bones that are thrown
overheard every day. To-day, man Wiley
gets drunk and challenges the entire crew.
Is sent to the waist, thence to the Brig.
Arrived gunboat Tuscarora from sea, and
the James Adger from Savannah, ola Charles
ton, with prisoners taken from confederate
gunboat Fngal, lately surrendered to U. S.
Battery Weehawken. One of our
masters notes has been tried by court mar
tial and dismissed the service for sending
challenge to the First Lieut.. Masters mate
DORM, for drunkenness and insolence to his
superiors (on board the Galena, although he
was attached to this ship) was also court.
martialed and dismissed the service.
24th.-The officers and crew Of gunboat
sumpter (sunk by collision of Cape Henry
came on board thisP n. Exercise
with big guns. Capt. very, or unusually par.
ticular. Where's the shotman of this
gung" "Here, SIR" "Where do you get
your shots Don'tknow, ehp Capt. of the
gun, tell him where to get the shot. What
would you do in actions' &C., &c. There
is particular hatchway for each division to
get powder, shot and shell Sent up
topgallant mast yesterday and sent out fly.
ing jib-boom. This is getting ready for sea,
! should say. Think there il denonstra.
ton t. be made somewhere soon. Mr..
Atkins who was boatswain Of this ship when
we went North is reported as having died
from delirum tremens in Boston. He drank
very hard when on board and was frequently
put Oft duty in consequences. Gan officer
put off duty simply keeps his room for a
longer or shorter time as the Capt sees prop.
er. Does not exactly disgrace the officer
but is pretty stiff reprimand) Atkins while
on board of us when half seas over was both
amusing and the opposite. generally had
a word or two with him at such times. He
had peculiar way Of giving orders, so much
so that the chaps used to mimic him. For
instance, IL he was going to square yards in
the morning he would sing out" Square
yuds y Then some fellow in the crowd
would repeat "Square yudsr p lie would
look around and not being able to detect the
culprits could say nothing, and everybody
would grin. They used sometimes to call
him Square yuds,' and at other times
Pipes Ifthey were smoking in improp-
er hours and he was seen coming, some chap
| would give the signal as" Look out sail
ho! Here comes Pipes r "Who's that y"
Square yuds!" Two or three hundred O,
ours were on the train with him from Ports
mouth to Boston. They had it there
Square yuds! !" He was so. so at the time
Onco started, Square ynds ~ went al
through the cars. Hecould do nothing there
but said he would square their yards 70,
them when he got them on board ship. He
did not return to us. another boatswain was
ordered in place of him.
July 1st.-Evcry move indicates that VIC
go to sea soon, man -of'war's cruise, there
and back. Began coaling yesterday. Will
finish to-day. Extra stores have been taken
in chronometers sent ashore to be regulated,
&C., &c. We may make quite cruise,
months perhaps. The confcds have navy
large enough now tQ break the blockade at
Wilmington and Galveston. We have ships
in abundance but many Of them are traps.
" We will probably touch at---flrst
and maybe expcnd some ammunition there.
Of course l do not know, not being on init
mato terms with the Admiral nor with Rip
Van Winkle. am glad that we are to 90
somewhere for am tired Of looking at New.
port News and the monitors.
10A. M.-Minute guns by our ship and
the British man-of-war in honor of the mem.
ory Of Admiral Foote. This ship's
big carcass is now elled with stores enough to
last the people six months. During
the First Lieut.'s absence, the blacklisters
thinned off. Since isreturn, they begin to
muster quite strong again. So it is Joe and
his bugle-" Come, ye blacklisters ALT"
2nd.-Am reading Singleton Fontenoy.
It is the best book relating to the interior of
a man of.war that have seen in long time,
that is, as far as it goes. = = Though we
have been hnrrying in stores and getting
ready for sea these last three days (by orders
from Navy Department. and are ready for
long cruise, the orders arc countcrmanded
and we still hold fast to old Virginia.
3d.-Bathing last eve. Boatswain blows
shrill note on his call and sings out" All
Of you that want to bathc, jump overheard | /"
They soon strip and go overheard head first,
feet first, and every other way. After about
half an hour they are called in again. +I