Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1881-05-25
Stories About Farraeut,

Stories About Farragut.
Gan Francisco Chronicles Report Of the Rev.
Mr. Anthony's "reminiscences.
Only few days ago statue of Admiral
Farragut was unveiled in the City of Wash
ington. and it was stated in the papers that
upon the occasion man was present who
positively tied the ropes around the Admir-
al when he was in the maintop at the battle
Of Mobile. would not believe it if a
thousand men told it to me. for Farragut
told me that he never was lashed to the
masts OF all. He didn't consider the story
at all cre9itable to him. why should I be
tied? said he. We're they afraid would
run away?" The truth of it was that during
the fight there was so much smoke that he
could not see from the deck, and So taking
his speaking tube, heascended the shrouds,
round after round, keepingabove the smoke
as it rose, so as to tell his gunners where to
direct their fire, and these were his exact
words about it to me, long afterward: IT
was well nigh up to the maintop when tho
battle was over, but certainly I was not
dashed there" Strictly speaking, he was
not an educated man. French was the on
y language beside his own that he under
stood.
He did not understand the classics and
was not as thoroughly conyersant with the
bible SIS some people. On one occasion,
when the presiding elder from this city
came up to hold the quarterly meeting of
our church, the admiral had us over to dine
and show around the navy yard, and he
talked on his favorite hobby, the corruption
of our federal government and the mode of
appointing officers there. He mentioned
several instances of men being appointed
to positions, with So per diem, and nothing
whatever to do, merely to reward them for
political influence; told how devoutly he
wished that the system Of government pat
ronage was abolished. and concluded bv
saying: When see and hear these things
tremble for my country, for am reminded
forcibly OF a passage of scripture: Whom
the gods love they first make mad"
Yet he was not ignorant of literature.
He was familiar with the English poets, the
leading prose writer's and essayists. He
was the first man I ever found who did not
believe that the moon had any influence on
the tides. He questioned it, and was al
ways ready to argue the point. But he
could figure out with his instrument, if
star was in sight, just where he was in any
part Of the world to within 100 yards. He
knew the tides in every part of the world,
their time and proportions; knew all about
the ships in the navy, the guns, conditions
and capabilities of each short, he knew
oil about his business. Politically he was
whig, but in the great triangular fight of
1856 he took sides with the democrats as
against the knownethings and freesoilers,
and voted for Buchanan, but with very
wry face. He was pro- slavery man.
= He was born in the South. raised in the
kindred and home, as we'll as his wife's
were there, and he believed that slavery
was the best condition of the African race.
But he did not believe in slavery as it ex-
listed. He told me that he believed in it's
regulation SO as not to allow the separation
by sale and removal of husband and wife
or parent and children; that he considered
that an eternal disgrace to the nation, and
that it should be prevented. Religiously
he was better than, under all the circum-
stances, was to have been expected. He
did not believe in the inspiration of the Old
Testament, but singularly to say, did be-
ieve implicitly in the inspiration and truth
of the New Testament. He believed in the
divinity of the origin of mankind. He
prayed IN private, and asked a blessing at
table when no company was present, but
omitted it in company, saying it was some-
what of a cross for him to return thanks to
God before navy officers. The first time I
dined with him he invited me to drink
wine. I declined. it, saying that 1 never
drank it. ''Then, said he, Il will have.
my whisky" and took a spoonful, fl
ing the rest of the tumbler with water.
He drank this instead of tea or coffee.
He told me that he never took drink in a
saloon in his life, and never between meals
except as an act of courtesy in company
occasionally. He never asked nae to drink
again.
In the spring of 1869 he visited Califor-
mia again, and as he remembered me and
said he would like to see me. came down
from Grass Valley and had breakfast with
him and his wife at the White Sulphur
Springs, and in the long talk that followed
he told mo all about his part in the war. I
told him that had feared at the first that
he would go with the south in that conflict.
He was much panied and said: 'You do
me great injustice. don't know what I
have ever done to make any man doubt my
loyalty to my country" He told me that
when he sailed from New York to New
Orleans it was supposed by all the govern
ment authorities that his plan was to reduce
Forts jackson and Phillip, below the city,
and that he was forced to take along for
that purpose the gunboats which he did, not
want, as he never contemplated reducing
the forts, but intended from the start to
run BY them, just as he did, but that
he did not care to disclose that
fact for fear the command would be given
to another He described to me in detail
the battle from his own standpoint, and he
told me that in all his life he never went
into fight without first going on his knees
H. 4. g. IL l.