The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-25
A ReminisconCo OF tho war Of 1912.
THE FIGHT BETWEEN THE SHANNON AND T
'CHEsAPFAKF.r

A RemIniscenco Of tho war OF 1912.
THE FIGHT BETWEEN THE SHANNON AND THE
'CHEsAPEAKE.r
stirring story of the war of 1872 is retoli in
y biography OF Admiral Broke Just issued by his
family in England. Broke was captain in the
British navy IN 1912, in command of the frigate
shannon, and the only notable exploit he ever
performed was the capture of the Chesapeake.
His biographer claims to have thrown new light
upon that short and bloody fight. After years
cruise, with no important result, Broke appeared
of Boston, and sent in q challenge to Lawrence
to fight the Shannon With the chesapeake. The
challenge was accepted, and in this book we
have, Tor the first t'me the British captains full
version of the story. The speech he made to his
men, just before the vessels closed in battle, is
thus glven:-
"shannons! you know that, from various causes,
the Americans have lately triumphed on several oc-
caslons over the British flag III tTRates. This
VIII not daunt you, SINCE you know the truth that
disparity OF force was the chief reason. But they
have gone further, they have SAID, and they have
pUbliShe 1t in their papers, that the English have
forgotten the way to fight You will let them know
to-day there are Enghshmen in the Shannon who
still know how to fight Don't try to dsmast her
re into her quarters; main deck into main deck (;
the ship is yours. Don't hit them about the head
for they have stee caps but give 1t them through
feel sure you VIII all do your dutYi and remem-
Der, you have now the blood OF hundreds OF your
countrymen 20 aVenge."
The narrative continues
cat this stirring and touching alluson to the fate
OF the Guerrero, the Macedonian, and the JaUa
many OF the hardy seamen wept. A dead and heavy
silence 1.-THE voceess calm of do uie) rested over
the ShdnHOH'S decks; but il was twice broken before
a shot was fired JacoO West late of the Guerriere,
sald hope, sir, you will give revenge Tor the
Guerriere todayT To which Broke replied You
shall have II, my man go TO your quarters Another
seaman, eyelng the rusty blue ensign which uttered
at the Shanuon's mlzzen peak, asked :-Mayn't we
have three enslgns, sir, like she basY NO. said
Broke, we've always been an unassuming ship
All now went silently and resolutely to their
Stations"
Some incidents of the fight are thus told:-
"When Captain Broke was lying on the Chesa-
pedke'S forecastle deck after he was wounded and
covered entirely with lime ana blood he had
struggle for life with huge Amel ican who was be-
SIDE him. and also wounded. The American was
ihe stronger Of tue two; both were weak and
the struggle was faint. AT last the American
managed to get uppermOst; he had picked up a
baYOnet. Captain Broke had tried to find his dagger
but could not co so. The American had lifted his
arm arm and weapon TO strike. at this moment John
Hill, marine, came up. Hill took il for granted
the undermost one must be the enemy. He pointed
his bayonet accordingly, and was ON the point to
you foo; don't You know your captainY Hill
raised his ann, and ran the American through.
Now, so critical was all this, that had Captain
Broke lost his presence OF mind, and spoken a
manner and voice unusual to himself, Hill would
certainly have made wrong and fatal attack. But
captain Broke spoke.as calmly and as naturally in
voice and manner as he had been used to do for
years on board the Shannon, and before the
man who now delivered HIM tone may say) as a
consequence OF that presence OF mind
"Thlrty-two British subjects were found on board
the Chesapeake, and, as Captain Broke said 'a1ter
was all overp and it was said at the time, well as
believed by ALL that the resistance against the
Shd1nonS boaroerS was by Engllshmen! who, if
captured would probably be hung at the yard.arm,
as traitors to their country Three men who at.
tackled Captain Broke and wounded him were Bri-
Iish sub jeCts.
~ hen the Chesapeake was boarded most of the
men in the lore and maintops fled TO the deck, and
so did one out OF the mizzenJOp; the seventh in
TINS Top kept up his fire on the boarders, and much
annoyed them. He was closely watched but no one
couid get a shot at him. A seaman, a tall, strong
man (hls name not certain, but perhaps Germany,
stormed the top, and threw the american out into
the lbOard quarter boat OF the Chesapeake This
was done just as the toTecastle contest was ending
"Ihe loader OF the ninth gun on the quarter-dec ok
OF the shannon was struck by grape shot. 1t en-
cavity of the body; but the brave fellow loaded his
gun although thus wounded He would not go
below and was led to the chest, abaft che after
gun, and thele he Law down in dreadful agony and
begging those aUout him to put their hands into the
wound ana take the shot out saying. Il shall do
well enough if you will only do that OF course he
diod "
Cooper's History OF the Navy of the United
States gives a different phase of this famous
tight. The crew of the Chesapeake were in bad
humor, on account of delay in the payment of
prize money, many landsmen were on board,
some OF the officers were i'll on Shore and in less
than fifteen minutes from the beginning of the
engagement, Captain Lawrence and all his best
officers were struck down by the enemy's shot,
50 that The upper deck was left without an
officer above the rank of IA midshlpman."
Cooper writes (vol. H. p. 1867 THE people OF
the chesapeake had not the means to resist,
neither were they collected nor commanded in
The mode IN which they had been trained to
act" He adds that, perhaps the capture OF no
single ship ever produced so much eXultaUion
on the part of the victors, or so much depres-
sion on that of the beaten party, as that of the
.heSdpedke;" but that when the Americans
Were told OF their defeat and called on 10 ac.
knowledge that their enemy was victorious in
one OF the most extraordinary combats OF the
age, they have generally given all the credit to
they frankly admit that the victory was re-
markable, they may be excused from believing
it quite as much so for standing alone in such
war as for any other distinguished character
istic." The biographer of Admiral Broke,
although he furnishes some interesting intor-
nation, does not destroy the force OF these con-
Clusions