The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1879-02-13
REAR ADMIRAL PAULDING.
The Part He Took i'm the Battle of Lake
Champ mplain.

mplain.
Commander r. W. Meade in Harper's Magazine
for February
Hiram Paulding, late the senior rear
admiral on the retired list of the United
States navy. was the son of the cele-
brated John Paulding, one of the captors
of Major Andre, and was born in West
chester County, New York, on the 18th |
of December, 1897. He was conse-
auently, at the time of his death, in his |
year.
Brought up on his fathers farm, the
subject of this sketch led the usual life
of a country lad, laboring at farm-work
in the summer and attending the village
school in the winter, until he attained
his fourteenth year, when Mr.. Pierre
Van CortIandt, then a member of Con-
gress, sent the father a midshipman's
warrant for his son. The boy, on re-
ceiving this appointment, September l,
1911, was placed with a certain Master
Gibbons, an Irish exile, for the purpose
of receiving instruction in mathematics
and navigation; but so soon as war was
declared with Great Britain his studies
were brought to a close, and he was
ordered to Join Commodore Chauncey's
squadron on Lake Ontario.
His journey northward in the summer
of 1872 was eventful enough to be re-
corded at length did space permit. 1t
is sufficient to say, however, that,
making the voyage to Albany in an
oyster schooner, and from thence to
Utica in numbering old stage, at the
latter place he. fell in with a good
natured drum-major boundto Sackett's
Harbor, and the two Joined en- route the
regiment of Colonel Tuttle, which was
making a forced march to the frontier.
The regiment reached Sackett's Harbors
just in time to repel raid of the Cana
dian 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 carried to the rear:
His short service had already impressed
| Colonel Tuttle and his officers with the
idea that for one so. young he possessed
| in remarkable degree intelligence,
pertinacity, endurance, and pluck
| four essentials to a successful military
career. ~-' s't- u
His fortunes, however, were not to be
cast with Commodore Chauncey's COM
mand, though while with it he saw some
stirring service; he was soon transferred
to the President, on Lake Champlain,
the flagship Of the squadron of Master
Commandant Macdonough, an officer of
great spirit and experience, who had
fought side by side with Decatur in all
that officers brilliant achievements be-
fore Tripoli. Fortunate indeed was
young Paulding to have such aleader
SO early in his naval career. .-ii=E 81
But the years '1812-13,werea not for.
tunate ones for the little hotilla.. Is The
Growlers and Eagle were captured
after a sanguinary contest, and the
President was soon btockaded in Bur
lington Bay by the British squadron
Macdonough having but this one vesse
Originally a transport-to oppose. tt
the power of the enemy on the lake
Being man of indomitable energy, he
set to work during the winter of 1813-1z
to build squadron which should con
troll the lake. During ali this time oul
American seamen had many sharI
skirmishes with the enemy on land anc
water, in which Paulding participated
and thus became Injured to the vicissi
tudes and dangers of war. Meanwhil,
the Saratoga, of twenty-six guns, ant
the Ticonderoga, of; seventeen guns
were built, other lake craft purchased
) and adapted to service, and by Septem
ber Macdonough found himself witt
his improvised squadron anchored il
Plattsburg Bay, where he was Joined b,
the brig Eagle, of twenty guns, whicl
had been built with unexampled rapid
ity by the celebrated Henry Eckford,
, Scotchman in our service.
About the same time the Britis
army, admirably equipped, and nearl
twelve thousand strong, appeared befor
!, Plattsburg, held by. General Macon
!. with less than fifteen hundred me1
!, The object Of the enemy was doubles
> to penetrate, if possible, as far as A
bany, and the control of Lake Chan
;. plain became matter of vital impor
- ance. One of our gunboats, in oppo
u u ing the march of !. the British trooI
: along the shore, became disabled, an
. with some of the cutters of the squadro
= Midshipman Paulding, now attached
{ the Ticonderoga, was sent to tow her
s position Of safety In the teeth of
- gale and under heavy fire, with gre;
difficulty and some loss of life, this, b
first responsible service, was accor
plished to the satisfaction of his sup
u riors. Sir George Provost now mere
y awaited the arrival . of Commodo
% Downie's squadron to make combine
land and water attack on the American
81 At last, on the 18th September, 1914
r; calm and beautiful Sunday morning
q its signals were deserted, and short
a after it rounded Cumberland Head, al
e with true British pluck, following n
sons. tactics at Trafalgar, bows on
,&o loJ A
9 chorage. " '-''3 ,i> 60. S'.-. .