The daily gazette., 1879-01-17
The Late Rear. A d nm raj Paulal
ing I'm shc Battle of
In lac Ch III m plain.

Hiram Paulding, late the senior rear
admiral on the retired list of the United
States navy, was the son OF the ce ebrated
John Paulding, one of the capturs of
Major Andre, and was born in West
c ester county, New York, on the 11th
of December, 1897. He was conscque Mt
ly, AZ the time of his death, in his eighty
first year
Brought up OH his fathers farm, the
subject of this sketch led the usual life of
u country lad, hboriug at farm work in
the summer and attending the village
school In winter, until he attained his
fou't enth ysar, when Mr.. Pierre Van
COrtlandt, then memb Der of Congress,
sent the father a m,dshipmap's warrant
for his son. The boy, on receiving this
appointment, September ], 1871, was
placed with certain Master Gibbons, an
Irish exile, for the purpose Of receiving
instruction in mathematics and naviga-
ton but so soon AZ the war was declared
with Great Britain his studies were
brought to a close, ami he " az ordered
to join Commodore Chauncey's squadron
ON Lake OntarIo.
His journey north ward in the summer
OF 1872 was eventful enough 70 be record
ed at length did space permit. Ii Is suf-
hcientto say. however, that, making the
voyage 10 Albany in AN oyster schooner
AMI from In. nee TO Utica in u luin beri ng
old stage. at the latter place he fell in
with a gnod-natured drum m-major bound
to Sackett's Harhor, aud the two Joined
en- route the regime mt Of Colonel Tuttle,
which was making forced march TO
the frontier. The regiment reached
Sackeits Harbor just in time to repel u
raid OF ihe Canadian forces which had
landed in that vicinity, and now for the
first time in his life the boy saw men
bleeding from wounds as they were car
ried TO the rear. His short service has
already impressed, Colonel Tuttle and his
officers With the idea that for one so
young he possessed in a remarkable de-
gree intelligence, pertinacity, endurance
and pluck-the four essentials to success
fol military career.
His fortunes. however, were not to be
caAt with Commodore Chsuncey's COM
nand, though while with IL ne saw some
stirring service he was sOoE transferred
70 the President, on Lake Champlain, the
flagship of the SOU idron OF Master Com
mandant NJ acDonough, an officer OF
great spirit and experience, who had
fought side by side with Decatur in all
that officers brilliant achievements be-
fore Tripoi. Fortunate indeed was
young Paulding TO have such a leader so
early in his naval career.
But the years 1928 were not fortu-
nate ones for the little fotila. The
GroUler and Eagle were captured after
a saDguinary contest. and the President
was soon blockaded in Burlington Bay
by the British squadron, Macdonough
having but this one vessel-or Y nally a
transport-to oppose to the power of the
enemy on the lake. Being man Of In
domit able energy, he set to work during
the winter Of 1894 TO buiid squadron
which should control the lake. During
all this time our American seamen had
many sharp skirmishes with the enemy
on land and water, in which PauldinP
participate d and thus became Injured u
the vicissitudes and dangers of war
Meanwhile the Saratoga, of twenty six
guns, and the Tic0nderogd, of seventeen
guns, were built, other lake craft pur
chased and adapted to service, and by
September 3rd Macdonougb found him.
self with his improvised squadron an.
chored in Plattsbu,g Bay, where he wa
joined by the brig Eagle, VI twenty guns
which had been built with unexampled
rapidlty by the celebrated Henry Eek
ford, a ScoIchman in our service.
a bout the same time the British army
admirably equipped, and nearly 12,O0t
strong, appeared before Plat,sbuIg, held
by General Macomb with less than 15Ot
men. The object of the enemy wa
doubtless TO penetrate, If possible, as faI
as Albany, and the control of Lake
ChamplaiD became matter Of vital i'm.
portance. One of our gun.boats in oppo
sing the march Of the British troops
along the shore became disabled, and
with some Of the cutters of the squadron
Mid-hipman Paulding. now attached to
the Iiconderogd, was sent to tow her 10
position of safety In the teeth of a
gale and under heavy fire, with great
difficulty and some loss of life, his. his
II st responsible service, was accomplish
ed to the satisfaction of his superiors
Sir George provost now merely awaited
the arrival of Commodore Downie's
so uadron to make n combined land aud
water attack on the Americans. AT last
on the 11th September, lSll-a calm and
beautiful Sunday moruing-its signals
were deserted, aud shortly after it round.
ed Cumberland Head, aud with true
British pluck, following Nelson = tactics
al Trafalgar, elbows on" steered boldly
for the American anchorage.
"As they drifted on their path,
There WAS silence deep as death,
And the bolde~t held his breath
For Tune"
A light breeze set in. and soon the hos
tile so quadron was within range of Mac
donough's broadsides-
"By each gun the lighted brand,
In a bold. determined hand,"
While the flower of Britain'B land
Led them on.
The sequel is known to history. Though
greatly superior in force. the onemy wa
completely crushed, his commodor,
killed, and all the large vessels captured
some row-galleys, which had previously
struck their colors, only csc ping b. cause
there was not mast in the American
tiotilla which would bear the pressure OF
canvas, 80 riddled were they by shot
AT the close of the fight, of the seventeen
British banners which had previou' |,
heen displayed 80 vauntingly, not On,
WAS to be seen.
The sanguinary nature of this memo
rable battle may be appreciated when i
is stated that the Is tish flagship Conf
ancs lost in killed I'd wounie led, out OF j
crew of 300, not less than l24 persons,i in
GLIDING the commodore. Macdonough',
flagship, the Saratoga, lost fifty-sever
l killed and wounded out of "A crew of 81.