The Republican journal., 1869-11-18
The OLD ADMIRAL.
(From the New York Times.


the cold Ironsides'' of our navy would
have been an event of national gloom, and
men would have looked upon the sinking
flag, and listened to the sad booming of the
minute gun as though the greatest embodi-
ment OF American seamanship and valor had
passed away. 1t was with something of this
feeling that England saw the "Savior of her
silver breasted isle'' gathered to an early rest
under the dome fist Paul's, for in our young
er days we associated around Charles Stewart
The same enthusiasm with which Englishmen
honored the name of Nelson. 1t is seventy
years since he first trod an American quarter
deck rs its commander. His first wars were
against Napoleon and this before Napoleon
dreamed of throne. He goes to his rest
ut time when the shrewdest observers of
European affairs think that the Napoleon dy-
nasty is about to end on the deathbed Of the
third Emperor. The life of a man.like Charles
Stewart teaches us how small a space the his
tory of our country occupies in that of the
world We live our national life with such
reckless speed, that Washington fades away
into almost faded mystery, quite hidden and
obsrured by troops of other great men, re-
nOWned warriors and statesmen, who come in
10 brief luster for little space-only to
fade away. Yet here is a man who was a
lieutenant in the navy before Washington
died, and whose first commission bore the
name of the second President of the United
States. What wide sweep of history is COW
cred by his life What crowded. busy
to the feuds of Hamilton and Jefferson, when
Colonel Burr was dominant in New York
politics. and John Jay lived in his stately Sc
clusion in his Westchester home. William
Pitt reigned in Parliament and his rival Fox
was laundering against the corruptiOns and
imbeciitv OF a foolish old King England
had consented 10 American independence
hat nourshed in her heart bold scheme of
reconquest All the warlike achievements,
the Announcements in science, in social pro-
gress, in liberty; all the literature which has
given the nineteenth century so much instruc
ton and comfOrt-the names which we al
most revered as idols in our every day life,
had no existence when this great captain be-
gan his career. He was mere child, not
ten years old, when Wellington, and Bona
paue and Humboldt were born; he was ten
years older than Lord Byron He was in the
summer years of life before Lincoln and Sew
ard came into life; he was the senior OF Clay
Calhoun, Webster, and Benton; he might
have been the grandfather ofGrant Sheridan,
and Sherman. How much history he has
seen! To live through two revolutions,
that of America and that of France; to see
the rise and fall of Robespierre and live in
the tragic days of the guillotine; to watch
lhetremendous career of Napoleon from Ludi
10 Waterloo; the tumbling of thrones the
oscillation of boundaries and kingdoms; the
destruction of old systems and traditions /;
the pillory falling in England; the inquisi-
ton in Spain; the overthrow Of Bonaparte
Bourbon and Orleans dynasies the mighty
advance in happiness and civilization; the
scattered colonies on the Atlantic coast, which
he served so nobly and loved so well, now
one of the mightest countries on the earth,
and rapidly attaining the imperial grandeur
of the Republic OF Rome--as we stand by the
old mans grave we feel almost as though we
We're standing face to face with the greatest
events Of modern history. These are the pic
turesque panoramic features of the old Adj
mral's lifetime In the great deeds of the
early days he was a conspicuous actor. He
was the captain of that Constitution whose
battered ensign and broken timbers were so
the flags of England and France to strike be.
fore his guns-tor he it was who captured
a French ship during our brief and absurd
war with the Republic, and the British ships
Cyane and Levant. That was a tremendous
battle with the British, our grandfathers
thought, and how they gloried over it Do
we remember it and how happy we were ?
1t was in 1915, and we fear the world was
more concerned about Napoleon, who was
FESTIVE on Elba, than about our little affair
with England Ii was in 1915, as we have
said, and the battle took place in the moon
light, one American ship against two British
ships-thmk of that and after three hours
both English vessels surrendered, losing
seventy seven men killed and wounded, while
the American lost only fifteen. We were
al, IL, f,o,,
Pennsylvania and gold boxes from New York
from Congress, and the abundant thanks of
the nation All of this fifty-tive years ago,
in the Waterloo year. We wonder who were
the Aldermen that dned, and the Governor
and Councillors who were so exultant II
would be n strange chapter to print nOW-tO
bring up the faded memories of that long
forgotten day-to summon up the ghOstly ban
quetcrs, and statesmen, to the funeral of this
their guest, who has tarried SO long behind
them. 1t was something to have lived
i'm those days and yet to this old man it was
something to die in these. This gallant sail
or did battle for his country'S flag against
every enemy-Frenchmcn Englishmen and
Algerines. Although he was to old to fight
for it in the last struggle, it had his prayers
and his hopes, as he stood like Aaron on the
l1oulllilHi iuu lpOhcu Out upon SCCIlcS Ill
which he could take no part To such man.
the comfort of victory was a blessing that
has rarely fallen upon men, and we fancy the
Joy and the pride with which he must have
seen the flag that had gone through so many
storms, which he had seen victorious on sc
many seas, still floating in unchallenged mas
terry Men like Charles Stewart are land
marks of the past. We honor valor and de
votion in honoring them. And, although
we have been too busy and too eager about
our own cares, and too much perplexed, we
fear, with later and more anxious events, tC
think of the veterans who sit apart and gaze
upon the scenes of their former usefulness, YET
the thought of the Old Admiral, who has lived
so long, whose career was SO much a part
of our earliest and most sacred history, anC
whose triumph gave joy to our grandfathers
will make US pause and think, and give c
moment to the great memories that cluster
around his life and his death. This is the las
of that noble group Preble, Decatur, Balm
bridge, Porter, Lawrence last of the grea
captains whose deeds have given our history
its early romance. He dies full of years anG
glory, and overhis grave let every honor rest
The following conversation between col
ored prisoner and a temperance lecturer who
was in search of facts to fortify his positions
and illustrate his subject, explains itself =
.What brought YOU to prison, my cOlOre(