Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-07-05
The Famous Ncl.Tighi .
IN S1AH BROoKs

! N the>e tAtHI tAF~. ~" nave nai 2 war
~ our own sot,. which WIS. ie. us hope.
/ he las. var w shall ever engage in A.
ing as the American republic lasts. B1t
bows Of an older generation than this
knew The Last War" IN be the war be-
ween the United s. ate. and Great Britain.
aow generally ,lic1 The War Of 1912"
| Happily, though the con 'es. was no. a
| long one. Americans can look with pride
!, the American navy Of that period The
names Of BrainbriiSe, Hall. Decatur.
| Porter. Pe-rT. aal many other gallant
,tijors. viii be remembered as long
. the traditions Of the United States
| niure
In 1878, the frig, tie "E,sex." command.
al By Captain David Porter, after com
hitting much havoc upon the British ma-
| 'ne of the Atlantic c0ast Of South America,
,aied boldly around C.ps Horn into the
| Pacific Ocean. Porter had resolved to
srike out into sew field Of operations.
md, carrying into the Pacific The first
American flag that hAi dlated from the
| masthead of man of-w3T, he swooped
| DO upon the British merchantmen and
whalers causing tremendous CONSERVATION.
| Nobody had dreamed that the Yankees
had dare TO send man of-war into this
tis,An, sea, and the British frigStes were
| making things verT uncomfortable for the
| few Ana-ic7n rerchan,man engaged in
the Pacific trade The arrival OF the
( "Essex" soon ch.nre1 all that. Within
year she had captured four thousand tons
OF British shi2piur, and had taken four
| hundred prisoners. She NAV he said tn
| nave s1hti.taI uno, ibe enemv ne the
vessel was no. ouiy supplied with every.
.hing needed for repairs, ammunition.
cIot5i1r 10th AMI nroyfsiops ,ake1ej from, tbe
anemy's capturel sbips. bu. the men were
p.il win money folaI on board Of one Of
| her prizes.
Otders were given that the Essex"
must be distrovei. at all hazards, bv anv
British m,n.or-war tina! should be fortl-
nate enough 10 cltca her. Finally, in
February, 1914, tn frigato. accompanied
by a small craft ftcAlled the Essex Junior"
:, cruiser made over from Que of the
mr. zes csp,ure1 from the British hv Porter,
cast anchor in the horbor of Valparaiso.
Pe-u. The Peruvian Government, was
no, then ialependen:, Peru being prov.
ince of Spain. But Valparaiso WIS q
nap-rai mort, although the people of Peru.
ami the Spaaish. also. were somewhat
unfriendlv 70 the Americans. s.. when
Two British men-of.war. the "Phs5e" and
the "Cherua," entered the port. it was
,1larably certain tha. there would be a
ighr. should The Essex" dare to pa. on.
10 sea.
Tue Englishmen hal the redoub,a5le
"E.sex'' and her little consort in trap
For six weeks. the two British vessels kept
yery close watch on the Americans, sail.
ing up and down the coast. lust outside
he entrance TO the hsrbor. Finally, on the
2sh Of March. Captain Porter, trusting
lro his ability to outsail either Of the
British vessels. and draw them away, so
that The Essex junior" Nigh. escape. set
sail and drew ont Of the anchorage. Ia
1o15ling A beadlanl at the entrance Of the
lharbor. The Essex was struck by a
s1n4Il winch carried awav her main toD-
mus. and several men. Captain Porter
returned toward the roadstead, and an
lcborel three miles from town and about
,ba distance of a pistol shot from the
.hore, The "Pl,r1e" and the "Cnerub'
II -, v,bsr,,fr, sfyo,lz orI !.