Litchfield enquirer., 1868-12-31

ment and speculation ol the quarter decb Iamong Captain Dacres 4nd his officers. as to who the strange saiE could be- As. tn. } Constitution neare1 ps Captain Dacie. T handed mBiAs glass. and asked what ] fthought of Her. My answer was, 1T think
 she is q frigate." Very soon she came Z. within reach of the long guns of the Guer-
 riere, which gave a broadside. but with mo effect as the sea was high. The Constitu, tiOn made no reply, but continued malioey- ring for a position during which Captain Dacres said to me, "Doyou think she will
 strike without tiring?' My reply was, q
 think not sir. l6 is. 2 7ao aat P ,l l. At this moment, seeing severe contest
 was about to commence, raised my hat to Captain Dacres, and saidito him, ""With Iyour permission sir, will go below, as
 being only prisoner, can take no part in
 this contest. 70, certainly said he, , '.and
 you had better go into the cock -pit-and
 should any ofzour officers or men chance to i get wounded, I shall feel obliged by any
 assistance you can render the surgeons or
 surgeons mates. Certainly, sir," said I,
 and then descended into the cock pit!
 There were the surgeons and surgeons
 mates and attendants sitting around long |
 necessaries for dressing the wounded, all
 as still as a funeral. 9fI5 tff 58fsf$
 Within one moment after my foot left
 the lower round of the ladder, the Consti- l tuition gave that double-shotted broadside which threw all in the cock pit over in a heap on the opposite side of the ship. For moment appeared as if heaven and earth
 had struck together; a more terrific shock cannot be imagined. Before those in the I cockpit had adjusted themselves the blood ran down from the deck as freely as if a
 wash-tub-full had been turned over and in-
 stantly the dead and wounded and dyino
 were handed down just as fast as men
 could pass them, till the cock pit was filled
 with hardly room to pass them, or to ena-
 ble the surgeons to work. Midshipmen 1 were handed down with one leg; some with
 one arm: and others wounded in almost l every shape and condition. s.sz ..ailifTY
 An officer on the table having an arm
 amputated, would sing out to a comrade
 coming down wounded, s'Well, shipmate,
 how goes the battle?" Another would ut
 ter some joke that would almost make the
 dying smile; and so constant and free were
 the playful remarks from the maimed and
 even dying, that I almost doubted my sen
 ses. Indeed all this was crowded into a
 space of not over twenty-five or thirty min
 utes before the firing ceaeed. then went
 on deck, and what a scene was presented,
 and how changed in so short time, dur
 ing which the Guerrlere had been totally
 dismasted ands otherwise cut to pieces,
 so as to make her not worth towing into port. if1n3
 The Constitution looked perfectly fresh, and even at this time those on board the Guerriers did not know what ship had fought them On the other hand the Guer- riese was arnaero-rollsssg so1, alnnest caasiss- ly at the mercy of the sea-her colors all shot away, her main mast and mizzen mast
 both gone by the board, and her foremast
 standing by the mere honeycomb the shot had made: Captain Dacres stood with his officers surveying the scene-all, all in the
 most perfect astonishment. At this mo menta boat was seen putting off from the
 hostile ship for the Guerriere. As soon as it was in Speaking distances young gentle. man, (Midshipman Reed, late Commodore Reed) hailed and said, 'I wish to see the officer in command of the ship" At this Captain Dacres stepped forward and an- swered. Midshipman Reed then said:
 Commodore Hull s compliments, and wish. es to know if you have struck your fag?" At this Captain Dacres appeared amazed but recovering himself and looking up and
 down he deliberately said, Well. I don t know-our mizzen mast is gone, our main mast is gone, and upon the whole you may say we have struck our fag!''r 8l :, "Commodore Hull's compliments, and
 wishes to know if you need the assistance of surgeon or surgeons mates?" Captain
 Dacres replied, "Well should suppose you had on board your own ship business
 enough for all your medical officers" Mid
 shipman Reed replied. ''Oh, no.a we have
 only seven wounded, and they were dressed
 half an hour ago." .-,4 s..,f ...i...... .h Captain Dacres then turned to me, deep
 ly affected, and said: "Howi have our sit- nations been suddenly changed!--you are
 now free and l a prisoner!"9 gefp4 ' As soon as Midshipman Reed could make
 his report to Commodore Hull, orders were issued for all the boats of both ships to
 make ready to remove the wounded on
 board the Constitution. So dreadful was the condition of many of them, that two
 days were nearly consumed in the remo- val, after which the Guerriere was aburnsd,i with all her stores, armament &c., &c. The Constitution having recently come out
 of port, had room to take scarcely an artf- cle. Capt. Daeres in his official report said: ss The Gurriere was so cut up, that all attempts to get her in would have been
 useless. As soon as the wounded could be got out of her. they set her on fire; and I
 feel it my duty to say that the conduct of
 Captain Hull and his officers our mon
 has been that of a brave enemy, the great
 est care being taken to prevent our men
 losing the smallest trife, and the greatest
 attention being paid to the wounded"
 On Sunday about noon the Consultation
 arrived in Boston harbor.t The snip and ! the wharves were soon covered with boats l to learn the news. To the first boat owe neared we hailed .'The Consultation has captured the Gurrierer' Instantly the two | men in the boat took off their hats and
 banged themlon the side of the boat, and hailed other. boats. and thus the air was I rent with cheers, and the victory passed along till it reached the shore, and then | spread like wildfire over the city and coun- try. n In almost every town and village, fa nlo0od y1rau ttrio