Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1878-09-14


doubt, to have won an easy victory. Cap
tain Pearson was brave man and a
good seaman, but he was not equal to
unwonted emergencies and when, after
about an hours engagement, Jones find
ing the Bonhomme Richard seriously i'll.
treated by the HEAVIER guns and superior
sailing of the Serphis, resolved to grapple
with her, Pearsons had not the tactical
skill nor the presence of mind to prevent
him or to free his ship.
1t may he left a n open question by what
maneuver Jones caught the Scraps.
In their official reports Jones said, and
Pearson said, that the Bonhomme Rich
ard, by keeping away from the position
to windward, ran across the bow OF the
Sci apis; and these were the men in charge
Of the two ships at the time. On tn e
other hand, Dale, who was in command
of the Bonhomme Richards main deck,
ing done, wrote in "A priv ate account that
the Scraps ''wore short round on her
HEELS" and tried to pass astern of the
Bonhomme Richard to take her, aud his
statement made in greater detail to Cooper
described the Scraps as having been
"boxed-hauled," an evolution now prac-
tically obsolete, but then in favor among
short ships in smooth water. Except
from purely technical point of view it
is not of much consequence, but the fact
is certain that the jib-boom of the Scra-
pis was caught in the starboard mixing
rigging of the Bonhomme Richard that
Jones with his own hands, dashed it to
the Bonhomme Richards mizzing mast;
that the Scraps starboard anchor hook
ed the Bonhomn>e Richards quarter, and
| that the two ships swung together bow
| and stern, their starboard sides touching
each other.
Persons, hoping that the Bnnhomme
| Richard might drift apart let go his other
anchor but he did not know, and was
probably unable to learn, how it was that
the two ships were so closely locked.
They swung together with the tide, set
ting to the northwest, and so con tnued.
In number of men the adversaries We're
nearly equal, but while the lower deck
battery of the Scraps gave her an over
powerinE superiority below, it employed
more men, ard left the Bonhnm.ne Rich
ard with a marked superiority above.
The eighteen Founders of the Scraps
| sma she'd he BOnhomme into chips and
silenceG her main deck guns but the
| men, thus driven on deck and 70 tho
tops, swept the quarterback and fore
castle of the Scraps with musketry and
hand grenades, and drove her men be-
| low. There was some diminishing below
| through the ports T.; some above, across
the netting. but on neither sitle vas
there any organized attempt to board.
! Meantime the Alliance, which might,
under the existing circumstances, have
anchored arthwart the stern of the Ser;l-
PTS and without danger to herself have
ended the action in IL few minutes, con-
| tented herself with sailing arc mud the
| two ships, firing indisc reminately at Ell
Their or both, not only with round shot,
but with grape. Pearson in his report
naturally speaks of the damage he sus-
! tanned from the fire but American wri-
| ters maintain that the loss which it in
tficted OH the Bonhomme Richard was
lished that the Alliance was worse than
useless, though, of course, Pearson could
not know that at the time and her
presence had a very positive and dispirit-
ing effect.
| Still, even under the Instantaneous
circumstances in which the Scraps was
placed, the crushing power of her eigh-
teen-ponnders against the rotten timbers
of tho Bonhomme Richard must, sooner
1o%, a.
| had not a single accident, or rather the
| union of ingenious daring on one side and
objectionable carelessness on the other
changed the appearance of affairs about
! 10 o'clock. A seaman of the Bonhomme
| Richard had laid out on the main yard,
carrying with him a bucketful of hand
grenades. One of these he succeeded in
| throwing down the Scraps main hatch
way on her lower deck. A number of
| cartridges had been placed there in the
rear of the: gums; among these tie gren-
| ade fell. The explosion ran from the
| main mast aft, disable many of the guns
and killed, wounded, or horribly scorchcd
every man at them. The effect was disas-
| tr0us. and for q minute it was debated
! whether the Scraps should not surrender.
But on board the Bonbomme Richard
things were as bad. The carpenter camc
up 70 Jones and said the ship was sink
ing; the gunner hearing this ran aft to
haul down the flag staff, but finding that
tho flag staff and flag had already been
shot away, began to below, e Quarter!
Gods sake, quarter" till Jones stopped
his noise by staviugin his skull with the