Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1865-07-08
NAVAL COURT MART1ALs
Order Of the Secretary Of the Navy
Lieut. Com. Stevens Relieved from Arrest.
THE REBEL RAM RAID DOWN
JAMES RIVER.
Commander Parker Relieved from
Arrest.
NAVY DEPARTMENT, Juno %, 1865

specification: I'D '
CHARaE. -"Failing to do his utmost to over s
take and capture or destroy vessel which 1t !
was his duty to encounter
Spectdcatfon-"ln this; that between the 18th q
and 18th days Of August, In tho year 1854, tho
said Lieutenant Commander George A. Steuens, s
being then In command Of tho u 3. steamer Pom
toosuk at sea- under orders to cruise In search OF
the piratical steamer Tallahassee, did twice re-
turn from said cruise to ports In the United States
and remain m port without ne
cessty, first at Portland, on or about the 10Th Of
August, and again at PASSPORT, on or about tho
l7tb day of August, thus ntinuing aud sus-
handing his search for tho said piratical vessel,
and failing 10 do his utmost to oyertake tho said
yossol >,
Ir,on this charge and modification the finding
n, tho Can't WAS as followa.
,fTbat the modification Of tho charge Is proven.
with the excoptlon Of tho word Unnecessarily
as Il occurs in the ninth line Of the specih cation
thai IN, accused. Lieutenant Commander George
A s,.rsns NJ tho II 4 NAVY. ia vuilty Of the |
charge And the Court do therefore sentence aud |
,aIr5 a., ma said LIeutenant Commander Gsorge
A Stcpcns. Of the u 8 Navy, to be suspended !
for one wear, with the,loss Of six months pay, |
from the date Of this sentence.
Tn. oFepe, committed nv Lieutenant Com.
m,nder SteyeuH was of the vrayest Character
~ ,,a c,n,,.i oson.a. an sory,ct,on Of whieb
a court. martial ia authorized to pass the sentence
NJ death. Tho Court do not And Il proved thai
bo returped To mort unnecessarily, but that he re-
maIped in mort without necessity, on two several
occasions. at A time when duty called him most
urgently to be at sea. A formidable piraticaI
vessel was known to DO then within u short
dis,oneo Of our coast. pursuipg A triumphant ca
recr of plumber aud destruction, aud tho calls OF
public opinion, amounting to clamor, invoked
tho assistance Of the Navy, and even directed the
attention Of tho Department to this particular
officer who was enjoying his ease in port while
his orders and every consideration Of patriotism
and Of self respect required him to be at sea.
more fragrant case Of delinquency, and one COM
Ing moro completely within the puryiew Of tho
law, could not we'll occur. Yet the public is to
be informed that court Of officers Of the Navy
consider this capital offence, attended by cir
cumstances Of mitigation, sufficiently punished
Nv Suspension for six months without pay, and
with nav for tho same period, tho latter being
oouiyalent 10 leave Of absence for six months.
Tho Department declines to outrage public
opipion and it's own sense Of Justice, or to mis-
lead the Younger officers Of the Navy by approx =
ing A sentence 30 gIaringly inadequate.
IJe,tepant Commander Stevens is hereby re-
HAyed from arrest,
Alta Naval General Court. Martial convened on
board the United States steamer Baltimore, in
Lame. rivcr va March is. 1868. Commander
IviIIiuu, A Parker of the Navy, WAS tried on
tho t,lIoyipv cbarpcs and speciacations:
Cu.KaR Violation of tho ninth section o.
article third of tho rules for the government Of
tho Nayyr IN
Snecifcafion lsf-"In this; that on or about
the twenty. fourth ,lay Of January eighteen hun
dr,J and sixtv-avc tho said Commander wa.
linn, A p,rksy nj that tifho commanding tn,
n,vision AZ J,mos RIver and beinr on board the
SIS on,ndago than living below and nea,
j., oort.ir nh.,rrctiops which had bsen placed In
lanes river IN impcdo the progress OF rebel YES.
soils In canning down the river. reliable informa
zion having beon given him that vessels belong
Ing N Tho rsheIs were Gaming down the rive
on5 war. op,,,,,od IN rom,viny said obstructions
All ,vIthdro,y bIms.If and did orJer tho L.
Onondava Ia move down IN. river OIL
NJ all exposure ia danger from tho vessels o
tho rebeIs and from their batteries and guns uI
shora thercbv allowing the said obstructions I,
ho in mart romovod the purpose and design o
soId obst ,pctions [, bc defented and the vessel,
~ ,bo rabel, In mass and rcpass the point so oh
attracted Ia tho great peril of the proporty Of tn
unitod States and of tho safety Of its militar,
,,r,o. ,horoi, withdrawing from and keeplpl
r, =, donco. n, which bs sbould bav, expose
hI,,so,r ;,
Sneoi6.,j;o, ad-"In this. that on or abou
~ .o.S,a 1av a, Do,omb.r aiyhtssp tundra
m, siv,,.r,rr tho said commanaer William
-. :, a., r., ,h., 1.yn,,,I IN. tvsrtv
t'nr,h a.w ~ J.nnarv sigh,ssn hundred an,
-, a. ha,,a 4, .,,nr,and ~ csr,.i, divisio
80 NJ .1an,. sar.Iro, Lrn,yn 40 m
49,, -, In. pivor ,nI bovin,, rec.,vo
~. D.. .s,,,r., MD N por,or Than com
- ,,t. ., olar, In ,ho.a ,v,ra.
.Tho nIcLst heats must always bs kent in read
No.. a. ri,bt with tho,r tornedocs randy far An
,,,n, sarvics aud ~ an iron -el.d should cam
Avn thev must dostrov hcr ,ven II thew ARC n
.rnL Por this purn,se Won must select men
norvo Ia command thom who will undertak
onvth,pg no matter how desperate.' did n,
ohsv soiJ sneci6c orLers ar apv one Of them. tbr
t,iI;,g nroper,v IN observe tho orders Of his CON
D,nd1r,, oIncsr and usc bis utmost excrt,op.
80, ~, int, o,,ocrtion whom ordered +, mr.,
49, ,or hn,,Io ),
cu,aonu" po,I,n, IA do b,s rtmostt, ava
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hig ant, Il, onco,,,r,or ),
cnsaia,o,io,, OIL ,his. ,bo, a., or .bou, n
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