Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-07-07

they would not have time to reload the
guns before the enemy would be along.
side. The men were then cautioned to
wait for the word, and to be sure of their
object.
The "Long Tom,' heavy foity-eight
FOUNDER, placed en- pivot amidships,
was sighted with fearful accuracy. On
came the British boats with undaunted
1ntrepidlty, wien they were again hailed
by Capt. Reid, but no answer was re-
turned The fatal command was then
given, and a tremendous fire was opened
on the enemy. They warmly returned
the fire, renamed their oars, and giving
three cheers, came on most spiritedly.
The crew of the privateer asked if
they should return the cheer. mo-" re-
piled Capt. Reid; "no cheering until we
have gained victory" In a moment
'hey succeeded in gaining the bow and
Starboard quarter of the Armstrong.
The cry of the officers commanding the
boats was, Cup and aboard, my lads;
give the enemy no quarterp At the
same instant they opened terrific fire
with cannonades, swivels, blunderbusses
and musketry. They were CALAMITY met
by the crew of the privateer in their
black leather boarding caps strapped
with iron, with boarding pixies, muskets,
battle-aXes, pistols, and cutlasses.
Makinga last desperate effort to board,
the enemy gained the sLritsail-yard and
bowsprit of the privateer, and were press
ing their way to her decks when the
American sailors drove back the attack
ing party with a horrid slaughter. The
second lieutenant of the Armstrong. Mr..
Alexander 0. Williams, was killed at this
moment, while CALAMITY leading on his
forward division; and the third lieuten-
ant, Mr.. Robert Johnson, also fell dam
gerously wounded. At the same instant.
Capt. Reid, who commanded the after
division, was engaged in beating off two
large launches, the men and officers of
which had succeeded in climbing up the
sides of the privateer. One of the latter,
the first lieutenant of the Plantagenet.
had engaged Capt. Reid in hand-to-
hand fight with cutlasses, and once or
twice came near overpowering him.
Capt. Reid being left-handed, used his
right hand in firing pistols, which the
powder-boys handed him, while he con-
tinued to fight with the British lieuten-
ant with his left hand, disdaining to
shoot down his adversary. At last the
British lieutenant making feint brought
down a separate blow, which Capt. Reid
had just time to break the force of. cut
ting the captain slightly across the head.
and nearly severing his thumb and fore
finger. Before the Englishman could
recover, Capt. Reid struck him down.
and he fell back corpse into the boat,
1t was at this critical iuncture that
Capt. Reid perceived that the fire had
sIackened on the fore-castle. At once
rallying the whole of the after division,
they rushed forward with a shout, and
opened a fresh fire, while he ordered the
forward division to heave cold shot into
the boats and sink them, as these men
were out of cartridges. The enemy fell
back to their boats and retreated, when
Capt. Reid, bringing the Long Tom to
bear upon them, fired the gun himself
(which flew off the carriage doing fear
tul destruction and ending in the total
defeat of the British. Then it was that
Capt. Reid cried out, "Now is the time,
my boys, to cheer" and three enthusiasts
tic cheers re-echoed over the bay from
shore to shore.
Many Of the boats had been sunk.
Two large launches belonging to the fri
gate Rota lay along the privateer with
two other boats literally loaded with
their own dead. In boat belonging to
the Plantaganet, all were killed save
four In another boat which had con-
tanned fifty souls, but one solitary officer
escaped, and he was wounded. Four
boats f1oated on shore full of dead bodies
Some of the boats were left with but
single man, while others had but four or
five to row them. The termination was
nearly total massacre.
This action lasted about forty minutes
The English force, estimating forty
mo 10 a oh
and sixty men. The English themselves
acknowledged a loss in this attack of one
hundred and twenty killed and one
hundred wounded
The loss of the Americans in this &C
ton was but one killed and six wounded!
Capt. Reid then went on shore, and after
receiving the congratulations Of the con-
sui, was Informed that the governor had
written to Admiral Lloyd, demonstrating
against any further attack, but Lloyd
sent for answer that he was determined
on the capture of the privateer, and that
if the governor suffered the Americans
to injure her in any manner, he should
consider the place an enemy's port, and
treat it accordingly. Returning on board,
Capt. Reid gave up all hope of saving
his vessel, but determined to defend hea
TO the last. He accordingly ordered the
dead and wounded to be taken on shore,
and prepared for the worst. At day
light on the morning of the 9th, the
Carnation was observed under weigh, and
stood close in for the prIvareer, when
she Immediately opened a heavy fire
with all her force. The crew of the Arm
strong stood by their little bark, return
ing brcadside for broadside with wonder
full effect. The maintopmast of the
Carnation 500 fell by the board, and
she became SO much cut up in her hull
and rigging, and with the loss of men,
that her guns became silenced, and she
was forced to retire.
Finding all other resistance fruitless,
! Capt. Reid blew hole through the bot
tom Of his vessel and scuttled her to
prevent the English from getting posses
sion Of her and then went on shore with
his gallant crew. The enemy soon board
| ed the privateer, and set her on fire, and
thus ended the history of this noble
! 1ift1o