Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-07-13
A FAMOUS SEA-FIGHT.

ago, we boys used to be told thrilling
stories of what was called The Last
War; In these later days, we have
had a war on our own soil, which was,
let us hope. the last war that we shall
ever be engaged in as long as the Ameri-
can Republic lasts. But boys of an older
generation than this knew 1.-The Last
War; to be the war between the United
States and Great Britain, now generally
called ''The War of 1872" Happily,
| though the contest was not a long one,
Americans can look with pride at the
American navy of that period. The
names of cambridge, Hull, Decatur,
Porter, Perry, and many other gallant
sailors, will be remembered as long as
the traditions of the United States navy
endure.
In 1918, the frigate Essex" COM
manded by Captain David Porter, after
committing much havoc upon the
British marine off the Atlantic coast OF
South America, sailed boldly around
Cape Horn into the Pacific Ocean.
Porter had resolved to strike out into a
new field of operations, and, carrying
into the Pacific the first American flag
that had foated from the masthead of
a man-Of-war. he swooped down upon
! the British merchantmen and whalers,
causing tremendous CONSERVATION. No
body had dreamed that the Yankees
would dare to send a man-of-war into
this distant sea, and the British frigates
were making things very uncomfortable
for the few American merchantmen en-
gagged in the Pacific trade. The arrival
of the Essex soon changed all that.
Within year she had captured four
thousand tons of British shipping, and
had taken four hundred prisoners. She
may be said to have subsisted upon the
enemy, as the vessel was not only
supplied with everything needed for
repairs, rigging, ammunition. clothing
and provisions, taken from the enemy s
captured ships, but the men were paid
with money found on board of one of
her prizes.
Orders were given that the " Essex"
must be destroyed, at all hazards, by
any British man-of war that should be
fortunate enough to catch her. But the
American frigate was fleet, and difficult
to catch. Finally, in February, 1914,
the frigate, accompanied by small
craft called the Essex Junior" a
cruiser made over from one of the prizes
captured from the British by Porter,
cast anchor in the harbor of Valparaiso,
Peru. The Peruvian Government was
not then independent, Peru being a
province of Spain. But Valparaiso was
neutral port, although the people of
Peru, and the Spanish, also, were some
what unfriendlv to the Americans. So,
when two British men-ofwar, the
"Phebe' and the "Cherub," entered
the port, it was tolerably certain that
there would be fight. should the " Es-
sex" dare to put out to sea.
The Englishmen had the redoubtable
Essex" and her little consort in trap.
For six weeks the two British vessels
kept very close watch on the Ameri-
cans, sailing up and down the the coast,
Just outside of the entrance to the har-
Dor. Finally. on the 2Sth of March,
Captain Porter, trusting to his ability to
outsail either of the British vessels, and
draw them away, so that the Essex
Junior" might escape, set sail and drew
out of the anchorage. In doubling
headland at the entrance of the harbor,
the Essex" was struck by a squat,
which carried away her maintopmast
and several men. Captain Porter re-
turned toward the roadstead, and an
chored three miles from the town and
about the distance of a pistol-shot from
the shore The ''Ph9be - and the
.sCherub had been exchanging sig
nails, and it was evident that they meant
to attack. although the vessels were all
in neutral waters.
The "Phebe' carried thirty long
eighteen-pounders and sixteen thirty
two-pound carronades for her arma-
ment, besides seven small guns in her
tops. She also had 800 men, all told.
The .Cherub'' carried twenty-eight
guns of various caliber and $50 men.
TO meet this formidable force the
Essex had 255 men, and her arma-
ment consisted of twentysix thirty
Founders and six long twelve Founders.
The Essex Junior" which took no
part in the fight, had twenty guns and
Sky men. Nevertheless, Porter re-
solved that he would never surrender as
long as he had men enough to work his
guns; and right manfully did he hold to
his resolution.
The "Phebe' opened fire at four
o'clock in tbs afternoon. being then