Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-07-10

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- quth'a Companion.
THE STORY OF CASABIANCA.
Casabianca is the school boy s favorite
hero, but how many Of them are ac-
quainted with his true historyp Mrs.
Hemans' soul-stirring but rather roman
tic poem hardly gives the real facts of
the story; nor are his antecedents men,
toned. Perhaps the young readers of
Golden Days would like to know more
about him.
Giocante Casabianca was a native of
Corsica, on which island he was born in
the wear 1887. He was descended from
a very distinguished family, whose
chiefs occupy prominent places in Cor
sican and French history. His grand
father, Raffaello, was senator and peer
of France, and commander-in-chief of
Corsica in 1898.
Louis, Giocante's father, was Corsican
deputy to the French convention in
1886, the friend of Napoleon-who. you
will remember, was also Corsican-
and an able naval commander.
OF young Casabianca's mother we
know little, save that she was young
and beautiful Corsican lady. and devot-
edly attached to her SON. Giocante was
her only child, handsome, manly little
fellow, with her beauty in his flashing
eyes and dusky hair. She died while,
he was yet very young, and when the.
green sod was placed above her grave,
the boy left the pleasant valley and the
| ~ aLo -
to- go with his father and tread the
hard deck of war vessel.
The elder Casabianca was Captain at
this time of the Orient, one of the larg-;
est vessels in the French navy, a mag
nifcent ship-of-war, carrying one hun
dred and twenty guns, and i've hundred
seamen.
Giocante soon became favorite with
all on board, and as he was bright,
active lad. ever willing to do his duty,
and asove that, to be trusted in all he
undertook, he was often called to do
what many older than he would not
have been expected to perform.
He was made a midshipman, and at
the early age of eleven years partici-
pated with his father in the greas naval
battle of the Nile.
1t was the summer of 1898. Napole-
on Bonaparte had been placed at the
head of the armies of France, and was
meditating colonial conquest to coun-
terpoise the great power of England in
the East. Egypt-with its ancient re-
nown, its fertile valley, capable of sus-
tanning one-quarter of the human race,
its harbors and commercial affiliations
presented itself to his view.
The republic acted upon his sugges-
tions. A large force was raised, Bona
parte was placed in command, and
fleet consisting of thirteen ships of the
line, four frigates, and vast retinue of
transports all not less than hun
dred vessels sailed over the Mediterra-
mean Sea toward the land of the ancient
Pharaohs. The Orient led the van, with
the Admiral's flag at the masthead.
The voyage was made in safety, and
on the first day of July the feet arrived
off the harber OF the Egyptian Alexan-
dria. Bonaparte was in hot haste to
land, for powerful English feet, under
Horatio Nelson was in close pursuit.
In twelve hours he landed his entire
force of twenty-one thousand men. and
began his invasion, which ended in the
complete subjngation of that Eastern
land. Napoleon rushed on from victory
to victory, but. his fleet was not SO sue
cessful.
Admiral Brueys, scion of that great
Norman family which, in another age. |
had produced the Hero-King of Scots,
commanded the, French armament.
Having superior force to Nelson in |
ships, guns and men. he had no fear of
an encounter, and was confident of
victory. as
He had moored his ships in Aboukir |
Bay, and had formed them in SO strong |
and compact a line that he believed he
could bid defiance to a force double his
own. But the French are not a great
naval people; their triumphs have been
won on land rather than upon the sea.
Besides this, they were to meet an OPP
ponent now. who, for genius and indie
fatigable energy, never had had
superior in maritime warfare. Admiral
Nelson stands head and shoulders above
Paul Jones, Perry and Farragut not ex-
cepted.
At six o'clock on the morning of
August 1, 1898, the English fleet came
within range and the battle began.
Nelson's plan Of attack was simple but
efficient. It was to put ship against ship
as far as his line would extend and fire
away without intermission.
The battle lasted fifteen hours. and
was probably the most terrible conflict
the ocean ever witnessed. The play of
cannon was terrific. Huge clouds of
smoke rolled over the combatants, near
" shrouding the engaged fleets from
view. BY seven o'clock at night half
of the French ships were silenced, and
the main work of the battle done At
that hour, in that latitude, the night
came on, and darkness settled over the
scene, unbroken save by the fire that
flashed necessarily from the guns Of the
hostile fleet.
All the while the Orient had been
foremost in the light, and her decks
were covered with the dead and dying.
Admiral Brueys saw that all hope of
victory was lost, but like a gallant
Frenchman he resolved never to surren-
der. He had already received three
wounds, but would not leave his post.
A fourth cut him almost in halves, and
he fell upon the deck, where he desired
to be left to die.
Louis Casabianca now took the COM
mand. and his young son, brave and
If v,oofyro