The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1881-06-30
ACTION BETWEEN THE CoESTITU
TON AND GUERRERO,
AS RELATED BY AN EYEWITNESS.


The following is an account of the action be.
tween the Constitution and the British frigate
Guerrero, related by an .sold salt, - who was
on board the Constitution at the time
"Well, sir, that ere was the first frisate ac-
ton as ever was engaged in, and am free to
confess, overhauled the log of nv conscience
to see how it stood, so it monght be was called
TO muster IN the other world in hurry hut |
don't think any of his shipmates will say that
old Bill Kennedy did his duty any worse that
day, because lac thought of his God, rs lie has
many a time since at quarters There's them as
says the chaplain is paid for the religion of the
ship, and its none of the sailors business; but
never see no harm in an honest scamans think
ing for himself Howdsomever, | don't know
the man who can stand by his gun at such a
time, tackle cast loose, decks sanded, matches
lighted, arInchests thrown open, yards sung,
marines III the gaugway, powder boys passing
ammunition buckets, ship as still rs DEATH Off
GERS in their iron boarding caps, cutlashes hang
ing by lanyarts at their wrists, standing like
statues at divisions, enemy may he hearing
down on the weather-quarter-I say, / don't
know the man ut sich time, as won't take n
fresh bite of his Iuid, and give hitch to the
Wristbands of his trousers, as he takes a squint
at the enemy through the port, as he bears
down. And rs you say, at that particular time,
the Guerrero las is the French for soger) was
wearing and manenyreing, and throwing her
old iron into us, broailside and bruailside like
sugar plums at each other in Carnival time
Afore she was through, though, she found it was
no sugar plum work, as far as old Ironsides was
eOnSaned.
"You observe, when we first made her ont, we
seen she was Il large ship, close hauled on the
tack; 50 we gave chase, and when within three
miles of her, took in all our light sails, hauled
courses up, beat To quarters, and got ready for
action. She wore and mannuvred for some
time, endcavorins to rake but not making IL
hariI
lantly waited for MS Well, sir, as we walked
down to her, there stands the old man, Hull }
his swabs ON his shoulders dressed as fine in his
yellow nankeen vest and brooches, as if he WAS
going ashore on leave; there he stands, one foot
inside the hammock MEETINGS. taking snuff out
of his vest pocket, watching her man9uvres, as
she blazed away like u house ATTIRE, Just as if
she was receiving complimentary salutes. She
burnt her brmstonc, and was noisy-but never
a gun fires we. Old Irnnsidcs pOked her nose
steady right down for her bows like feather
bed east loose. Well, rs we neared her and she
wears first Il star-board, and then n larboar,l
giving a regular broadside mt every tack, her
shots fall short, hut We shortened the dis
tance, some of them begins TO come aboard
first among the rigging, and cuts away some of
the stuff aloft, for them Englishmen didn't learn
to fire low till we larnt EN-. First, they comes
in aloft, but by aud by, in comes One-lower-
craslI-tlrough the bnlwarks, making the splin-
tiers fly like carpenters chips-then another,
soon again-''chip"-r rccollect the sound of
that ere shot wcll-"clipr-another dash past
my ear, ant CHANGING on gun carriage, trips
up the heels of three good men as ever walked
the decks of that ere ship; and all this while
never gun fires we; but continues steadily
eating our way right down on to his quarter
the old man standing in his hammock MEETINGS,
watching her movements, as if she was merely
playing for his amusements. Well, as we came
within carronade distance, them shot was COM
IL.
of the yOuos sailors begins to grumble,
and by and by, the old en-of-wars-men growled
too, and worked rusty; 'cause why-they sees
the enemy's mischief, and nothing done by MS to
a.grayate them in return. Says Bill Ninton,
the yent-hOlder. tn me. Il say, kennedy saws he
whats the use-if this here's the way they fight
frigates, dam me! but I'd rather be at it with
the Turks again, on their own decks, as was
at Tripolis. expects the next thing, they'll or
der pipe down, and man the side ropes for that
ere EnglislIinan to come aboard and call the
muster-roll.' .Avast bit,' said / never you
fear the old man. No English press gang comes
on board this ship
''well, by and by, Mr.. Morris, our First-Lieu-
tenant, who all the while had been walking up
and down the quarterback, his trumpet under
his arm, and his eye glittering like a school
boys, Just let out TO play; by and by, he begins
to look sour, ticularly when he sees his favorite
coxswain of the first cutter carried by a shot
through the opposite port. So he first looks
hard at the old man, and walks up TO him, and
says, by way of a hint, in n low tone, The ship
is ready for action, sir, and the men are getting
INPATIENT the old man never turns. but keeps
his eye steadily upon the enemy, while he
plies, 'are-you-all ready, Mr.. Morris All
ready, SIR says the Lieutenant. Don't fire
gun till give the orders, Mr.. Norris says the
old man. Presently, mp comes a midshipman
from the main deck, touches his hat-'First di-
vision all ready, sir; the Second Lieutenant re-
ports the enemy's shot have hurt his men, and
he can with difficulty restrain them from return
ing their fire. Tell him to wait my orders, Mr..
Norris says the old man again-never turning
his head. Well, just, you see, rs the Young
gentleman turned 10 20 below. and another shot
carried off Mr.. Bush, Lieutenant of the Marines
just as we begin to run into their smoke, and
even the old gun-boatmen, as had been with
Decatur and SOmcrs, begin TO start, up jumps
the old man in the air, slaps his hand on his
thigh, with a report like pistol, and roars out
in n voice that reached the gunners in the mag
azines, Now, Mr.. Morris, give il to them; now
give il to then-fore and aft-round and grape
give il to 'emi give il TO 'cm and the words
were scarce out Of his mouth before our whole
broadsidc glanced at half pistol shot--the old
ship trembling from her keel to her trucks, like
an aspen, at the roar of her own batteries-in-
stantly shooting ahead and doubling across his
own bows, We gave him the other with three
cheers. and then at il We went, regular hammer
and tongs. You would thought you were in
thunder storm in the tropics, from the continual
roar and flash of the batteries. In ten minutes,
his mizzen went by the board. 'Hurahr shouts
the old man; 'hurrah, boys, we've made brig
of her. Fire low; never mind that top hamper!
hurrah, we'll make a sloop of her before we've
DONE; In ten minutes more, over went her
main-mast, carrying twenty men overheard rs
it went, and sure enough, sir, in thirty minutes
that ERE Englishman a sheer hulk, smooth
as a canoe, not a spar standing but his bow
spirit; and his decks so completely swept by our
grape and canister, that there was barely
enough hands left to haul down the cOlors as
they had brayely nailed them to the stump of
their mainmast. 4 say, Kennedy says the vent
holder to me, laying across the gun after she
struck, looking out at the wreck through the
port, and his nose was rs black as niggers.
from the powder flashing under i'll say, 1
wonder how that ere Englishman likes the old
mans snuffr'
A STORY has long heen told at Hadley Mass