Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-06-23
NO. l49.

|
The flagstaff on the batteries had no color
mounted.
Presently a boat, with Turkish officer
and four men aboard, pushed from the
shore, and made for the Asia, ,.by this time
clear OF the fort guns, and about one hun
dred yards from us. The Turk did not
stay two minutes on board the Asia On
regaining the shore. he threw his turban
from him. and ran swiftly up u pathway
into the fortress, where !. crowd of sol
| diers awaited his arrival. Next morning
up went red flag over the battlements,
and boom went signal gum. The word
flew along the decks, ''Stand to your guns
! there fore and aft ''All ready sir"
The captain of each gun held the lanyard
Of the lock in his hand, waiting for the q
word fire :" There was dead silence.
All this time We stood drifting beyond the
batteries and alongside the Turkish fleet,
where the men stood also at their guns.
The pipe now went to bring the ship to
an anchor and to furl the sails. From the
| topsail yaFd-arm | got fine bird's-eye
view Of Nayarino, rising from the shore
trian9ularly al the base OF u very high
mount. The batteries were not only nu-
merous, but strong; and further up the
| shore stretched the tents of the Turkish ..
camp. In the bay ard round about Us
were ranged in a triple crescent the Iur-
co Egyptian fleet Of more than II hundred
vessels, including four lnc-oi-battle ships,
fifteen double-bank frigdtos, and twenty
five single bank tligates. At the entrance
Of the harbor were stationed four fire
tships. Our ship the Genoa. was III per-
/ ilous position, ierright abreast OF us with
I nearly every gun able to bear on us, lay
two of the Turkish line-of-battle ships; Il
little further ahead, on our starboard bow.
hay another two-deck ship three double
bank lrigates were also SO placed on our
larboard bow, and ahead, that they could
gall Us severely while a large frigate lay
athwart olr stern, able to rake us with
ease.
The boat with the Turkish officer had
been sent to tell our admiral that the gov
ernor of Navarino had no orders from
Ibraham Pasha to allow the allied squad
rons to enter the harbor The admiral's
! reply was, Tell Your master we come
not to receive orders, but to give them.n
The Dartmouth and some gun-brigs had
been told of to watch the fire-ship. As
the Dartmouth passed one of them smoke
began to iume up ont of the hatchway.
! Lieutenant Fitzroy and eight men instantly
| leaped into Il cutter, to board the fire-ship.
! As the bowman caught hold of her with
the boathOok, one of our sailors, cut!ass
in hand, leaped into the main-chairs, but
was instantly Killed by a pistol shot. At
| the same moment vOley of musketry
poured into the boat, killing Lieutenant
! Fitzroy, and wounding four sailors. The
remainder, firing their muskets at the
Turks, who hid safe behind their bulwarks
and pulled back to their own vessel; and
Thy this time the tire-shp was deserted by
its crew, and in a blaze.
Sir Edward Codrington, still unwilling
to break the truce, how sent Il boat to. the
ship of the Egyptian admiral. with mes
sage that if he did no. fire upon any OF the
allied flags, not q shot would be fred ut
| him. Mr.. Mitchell, the pilot of the Asia,
delivered the message, and having flag
of truce considered himself safe. just as
our boat was leaving the Turkish ship,
poor Mitchell was shot while sitting in the
stern sheets Of the boat, and dropped into
the arms of the stroke oar. one of the
men then held up the flag of truce
very high, and pointed to it. The reply
was II volley of bullets, which, however.
did no mischief; and just rs they reached
the ASia's side the Asia poured Il tremen-
dous broadside into the Turkish admiral's
| flagship, which made her reelagain. See
ing the Asia begin, the French and Rus
/
isl tiigates and sloops on the opposite side
OF the bay
| NV gun was on the lower deck Lieu
tenant Broke, at our quarters, drew his
sword, and told US not to fire till we had
| the word.
Point your guns sure, men," he said,
''and make every shot tell"
He threw away his hat on the deck and
told us to let the Turks hear three cheers,
which we did with awiIl. Then shouting,
''Stand clear of the guns" he gave the
word .'Firt - and immediately the whole
! tier had blazed into the Turkish admiral
ship which lay abrcst of us. After that it
WAS ''Fire away, my boys, rs hard as you
can! ~ The first man saw killed in the
4 Genoa was Il marine, and that was not un-
til the Turks had given us five or six
Spteful rounds. He was close to me and
| had Just taken sponge out of his hand.
On turning round | saw him at my feet
with his head severed as clean of as ii it
had been done with u knife. a messmate
ut once drew the corpse out from the
trucks of the guns and hauled it into mid
ship under the after ladder. The firing
was now incessant, and the loud cheers,
and the dismal shrieks and screams of the
wounded were not drowned even by the
/
OTTER the action commenced, two boys,
named Fisher and Anderson, servants to
the officers in the ward-room. were stand
ing on the after hatchway gratlngs, nearly
abreast of the gun on the lower deck
where was quartered; they were waving
their caps and joining in the cheering, |
4 was busy loading gun, and had just
called 10 Fisher to run TO the fore-magazine
for some tubes. when / heard a shrek,
anu the boy fell dead struck by shot on
the back of the head. Anderson was also
wounded by the same broadside; his right
leg cut across, and one OF his arms hurt
in several places. 1t was with difficulty
we could tear him from his comrades
body, and, poor lad, as he was being
taken to the cockpit splinter struck his
right arm and broke it.
Vessel after vessel of the Turks was now
blowing up, every explosion shaking our
ship to its very keelson; but our two enc