Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-12-17
The Old Frigate Constitution,

In one of my rambles | visited the
Brooklyn navy yard, and found there that
celebrated old vessel She was lyino in
the dry dock, so that could examine her
to her very keel. She was being fitted up
frr school ship, for the training of Young
naval officers 1t so happened that al
another dock was lying the old Constel
Iation, which had Just returned from n
',rnisa., che is Ne old as the O.,stitn,i,..,
though not quite so celebrated These
vessels have baen kept bv our government
very much AS Il kind farmer would kc d "A
favorite old horse, not for his pres, n
value. but for the service he has rendered
in years past. So often has the Constitu
ion been repaired that it is a Standing Joke
I'M ing the mariners that hardly any
he original ship is now left. Some SAY
hat only small portion of the topmasl
yet remains others >av, few of the ribs,
and others Still, n little bit Of he keel.
But the fact is the old Constitution looks
about as she did eighty years ago. S ne
looked very grand then to our fnrefi.rhers
md she did most splendid service for them
when arrayed against her competitors Of
those days. To he sure, when | compared
the gallant old craft with the Tennessee
he Shenandoah. and so ne of the modern
ir'n cIadS lying at the docks, she die, ,ok
somewhat as would II staunch old canal
boat by The side of revenue cutter, but
could not help feeling of veneration for
the old vessel, notwithstanding.
| climbed her side, wandering over her
decks. prrred down into her hold, looked
into the officers quarters, where her gal
lam captains lived nearly century ago,
all OF them and the crews they command
I'd long since under the soils, or the blue
waves. and | thought Of much that had
happened in the old ship since first she
was launched.
In the year 1887, congress concluded
that 1t was time to have navy. They
were led to think so b. the interference of
the French with our commerce, which was
so annoVlng that war was anticipated.
So they built three ships-of-war, the Con.
stitution, the Constellation and the United
States. Instead of war with France one
broke out with England, and these frigates
did good service. The Constitution, espe-
cially, was remarkably successful. and did
much to give us reputation on the sea-.
On the 18th of August, 1912, the Con-
stilution, under the command of Commo.
dore Isaac Hull, had an engagement with
the British frigate Guerrere, under Cap.
tain Dacres. In forty minutes the Guer-
riere surrendered with seventy nine killed
and wounded, while on the Constitution
only fourteen were killed and wounded.
The Guerriere was so thoroughly shat
tered that Captain Hull burned her the
next day. as being no longer Of use, while
the Constitution was so little injured that
on the next day she was ready for more
fighting.
A few weeks afterward on December
90, 1912, the Constitution, then commnnd.
ed by Commodore Rainbridge, captured
the British vessel Java, on the coast of
Brazil, after hard fight of three hours.
The Java had four hundred men, of whom
nearly two hundred were killed or wound
cd. and she was so disabled that she was
burned. The Constitution was but little
injured.
On the Goth of February, 1915. the
Constitution, then under Commodore G
Stewart, had a fight with two British
vessels, the Cyane and the Levant, and
captured them both.
| After such Il glorious record as this, ii
is no wonder that our government is not
willing that this old grandmother of the
American navy should be broken up
even if she is sadly out of fashion and
has rusty sides and hump back. That
was the ship which was securing the seas
and fghling the battles which made oul
country glorious, when our grandmothers
were lllle girls, and our grandfa. hers
were bare-footed boys .-E1chunge.