Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-09-11
The Going Down of the BIrken-
head.'

/
head"
From All the Year Round.l
At the dreadful wreck of the Birken.
head steam troop-ship near the Cape
of Good Hope, during the Kaffir war, on
the 25th Of February, 1852, eight men Of
the Twelfth Laucers displayed a chiyal.
rous generosity, an heroic calmness and
devotion, worthy to be compared with
any shown in Greeian aud Roman times.
The martyr-like courage with which
these brave men drew up as on parade
and prepared to die, without one selfish
struggle, one coward cry, rather than
imperil the safety Of the women and
children in the boats, is fact that has
thrown fresh lustre on the name of the
English soldier; for there was no mad
rush of war to urge these men on, no re-
ward to be obtained; yet there they
stood like statues, till the vessel sank
with them.
The pitiful yet noble story is soon told.
There were on board the steam transport
two cornets Bond and Rot and six men
of the Twelfth, ffty-two men Of the Sec
ond Queens Royals, sixty-two men Of
the Sixth, sixteen men of the Twelfth
Foot, forty-two men of the Forty-third
Light Infantry, scventy-two men of the
Forty-ffth, forty-one men OF the Sixtieth
Rifles, seventy.three men of the Seventy
third, sixty-two men of the Ninety-frst,
making in all total of thirteen officers,
nine sergeants, and four hundred and
sixty-six men. There were besides
twenty women and children, and a crew
of one hundred and thirty officers and
seamen. The unfortunate vessel left
Simon's Bay for Algoa Bay on the 25th
of February. 1t was calm, starlight
night, and land was distinctly visible
on the port bow. At ten minutes to
two o'clock am. the leadsman on
the paddle box got soundings in
twelve or thirteen fathoms, and before
he could heave the lead again the ship
struck Oh rock with only two fathoms
of water under her bows. The master
commander of the ship instantly ordered
the boats to be lowered and turn astern
to be given to the engines. This last
was a fatal step. AS the ship backed
from the rock the water rushed in, and
the ship then struck again, buckling
up" all the foremost plates, and tearing
asunder the bulkhead partitions. But
there was no cowardly confusion on
board. Colonel Seton set the soldiers to
work at the chain pumps, and the wo'
men and children calmly placed in the
cutter, were pulled a short distance from
the ship. Only three boats, holding
seventy-eight persons, could be lowered
in time. Ten minutes after the first
shock, the ship separated in two, the
fore part of the ship sunk instantly, and
the funnel went over the side; the stern
part, crowded with soldiers, foated a
few minutes, and then sank also. At
this awful moment the soldiers behaved
admirably.
Far exceeding" says Capt. Wright
anything that / thought could be ef-
feoted by the best discipline; every one
did as he was directed, and there was
not a murmur or cry among them
until the vessel made her final plunge
All the officers received their orders and
had them carried out, as if the men
we're embarking instead of going to the
bottom there was only this difference,
that ! never saw any embarkation con-
Quoted with so little noise and confusion.
When the vessel was just about going
down, the commander called out, All
those who can swim jump overheard
and make for the boats. We begged
the men not to do as the commander
said as the boats must be swamped.
Only three made the attempt.
It is heroic to mount the imminent
deadly breach" to face the flaming
cannon, to rush ON bayonetS to bear
the hunger and hardships Of a long
campaign, but surely men who could
meet in a moment, and without prepar
alton, so terrible death as this, we're
as much heroes as any whose names
storied urn and monumental bust
have ever rnnnrded