The Portland daily press., 1883-10-05
LEMURL BRYANT.
History Of Veteran of the War
OF 1912.
A NAME RENDERED FAMOUS BY
FENNIMORE COOPER.

ing the past year or more. He was conscious
until near the time of his death and reeog-
nized those about him.
Mr.. Bryant was one of the Oldest residents,
being also native of Portland. He was bora
on Federal street on the spot now included in
Lreole park He was 50 years of age having
been born June 20, 1894. His was familiar
presence in the streets of Portland, but few
are aware of the knowing accidents, by flood
and field, ;" and the chair breadth 'scapes" he
can recount. Early in the war Of 1872, at the
age OF 49, he enlisted in the navy aud was
sent to Lake Ontario. 1t was his fortune to be
a messmate of the famous Ned Myers, the
story of whose romantic adventures, edited BY
j. Fennimore Cooper, who had also been his
shipmate, is familiar to many of our readers.
He was with this Myers at the capture of Lit
tie York, (now Toronto), in April, 1918. aud
IN account OF his personal adventures in that
engagement may be found in Coopers story.
Bryant and Myers were seamen on board the
Scourge, ana were sent .eith the boats which
CALAMITY landed our troops under heavy
fire. Tho bullets fell about them like hail
stones, and as they were rowing with their
backs toward the shore, and only their oars to
aDuse themselves WITH it is not to be won
deIed at that their work was not exactly to
their taste. Two oars we're split by bullets,
Bryant was hit, first in the left knee, by a
bail which penetrated but a little way, and
was easily pressed out, and did not interfere
with his rowing. Soon he was struck by bullet
which imbedded itself in the calf of his right
leg. Upon the return of the boat to the schooner
Scourge be was sent below, the bullet extract
ed, and his leg bandaged. By this time the
Scourge had been brought into action with
one of the forts on the shore, and Bryant not
withstandiDg his wounds, came on deck to
help fight his gun. At that moment Com
Chauncy came on board to encourage the
shot from the batteries of the enemy struck
Bryant glancing blow In the abdomen, tear
ing away some of the muscles, and Myers In
his narrative says, Bryant leaped from his
quarters and fell at my feet. His clothes were
all on fire when he fell, and, after putting
them out the Commodore himself ordered me
to pass him below" 1t was Immediately after
this incident that the awful explosion of the
magazine of the retreating enemy occurred,
killing nearly 100 men outright. and MORALLY
wounding, samong hundreds of others, Gen.
Pike, commander OF the American land forces.
The British managed this explosion SO badly
that their loss by it was almost as heavy as
that of the Americans.
For few months Bryant was In hospital at
Sackett's Harbor, but before he was fully re-
covered he was again on board the Scourge
and it was in the first cruise thereafter, that
the Scourge foundered in terrible midnight
thunder squall, while the crew were catching
few winks of sleep at their guns, in momen-
tary expectation of an engagement with the
enemy's fleet, which was in the vicinity. OF
her crew of 40 only 5 were saved, and among
these were Myers and Bryant Myers, in his
narrative, gives a graphic account Of this ad-
venture. He could scarcely swim stroke,
but luckily as he was about to sink his hand
struck something hard, which proved to be
boat that had been towing astern. He ma nag
ed TO get into it, and by the lightning flashes
was enabled to see aud save seven of his ship
mates Ills allusion to Bryant is in these
words:
Cleaning over the gunwale I got a glimpse of
man struggling quite near the boat. caught hiin
by The collar too, and had drag him into the boat
SO ioY that she shipped great deal of water This
proved to be Lemuel Bryant, the man who had been
wounded by hot shot at York. His wound had
not YET healed, and he could Lot help me-
This little boat load, containing all that was
saved from tbs Scourge, was picked up by the
schooner Julia, which three days afterwards
was "cut out" by the British. Bryant ana
Myers were sent as prisoners of war to Hall
fax, ana were placed on Melville Island
On the whole they were not badly treated,
but many were their attempts at escape. At
one time their plan involved the taking of the
citadel, and as there we're hundreds of prison.
ers and the garrison small, the plan was not
utterly preposterous but it miscarried. Twice
Bryant attempted to escape by swimming frem
the island. On the first occasion, with his
companion, he had swan quarter of mills
and passed all but one sentinel unnoticed,
when an unfortunate splash was at once fol-
lowed by challenge and a shot; the midnight
stiffness was at Oh, 20 broken by cracking vol
leys of musketry, and torches famed, and even
the citadel sent forth its hoarse thunders The
bullets whizzed about them as they swan, and
they of course surrendered They got ten
days in the black hole for this, but they tried
it again, and got twenty days. Myers remained
prisoner till the close OF the war, and so
would Bryant have been obliged to do but for
lucky stratagem. He had been employed as
nurse in the hospital, and found there one
Samuel Bryant, soldier, about to be ex-
changed. This soldier died just before he was
to be liberated. In calling the roll Lemuels
name was often read Samuel, and he always
answered to it, The narrative of Myers thus
alludes to this incident:
Zone day a party of some thirty soldiers was
called out for exchange under a capitulation.
Among the names was that of Samuel BRYANT but
the man happened to be dead. Our Bryant had
found this out beforehand, and he rigeed himself
soldier-fashion, al apswerei to the name. He met
with no difficulty, and have never NIT him since
have heard he is still living and that he receives
pension for the hurt he received at York Well
does he deserve It, Tor no man ever had narrower
chance for his life."
Cooper's was published, Bryant went to New
York in the hope OF meeting again his old ship
mate, Myers. He found him at last, poor
and crippled man, and induced him to tell his
story, without At first revealing himself. At
last he asked him if he recollected one Lemuel
Bryant "Recallect him., exclaimed Myers.
II would give 500, poor as am, to set eyes
on him again." And when he learned that his
cid friend was before him, the scene was
most affecting one, as may well be imagined.
bryant D TROUBLES 0lu NOT END With getting
out OF the Halifax prison. He was carried to
New York in British cartel, one of the Off
GERS of which recognized him as a sailor who
had no right to an exchange, and threatened
to send him back in the first ahip thew met.
but he kept slowed away below and his case
was overlooked. A few weeks afterwards.
while on his way TO Portland, he met this
British officer then acting rs agent for the ex-
change of prisoners, at hotel in Salem and
being now safe told him of the ruse by which
he escaped. He also alluded to q little matter
OF $l5 the prison authorities were owing him
for services when he escaped. The officer was
SO much pleased with his clever story that he
handed him fifteen silver dollars to settle the
account.
When the report came to Portland that the
Scourge had gone down and only eight of its
crew were saved, it was taken for granted by
the friends of Bryant that he had persisted.
His parents monrned him as dead for many
months. AT last letter he wrote from the
Halifax prison on the 9th of April, 1914 came
TO them, bringing the glad news that he was
alive and we'll. 1t briefly recounts
the advei lures on Lake Onrario alluded to
above, and expresses hope of being exchange
ed. 1t stirs the pulse to think what joy these
lines gave mothers heart sixty years agoi
He who had 80 long been mourned as dead
was alive again, and although prisoner in the
hands of the enemy, could write cneerfully of
prospect of returning to the home of his
youth. And now father and mother and asso-
ciates OF those days have passed away
and the pension rolls of the veterans of the