Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-08-01
THE STORY OF CAsABIANCA.

I Q~tUi tlIS }" "
a but how many of them are ac-
n,,intcd with his true history? Mrs.
q1"nans' soul-stirring but rather roman
,c poem hardly gives the real facts of
~. .u story; nor are his antecedents men,
.;aned. Perhaps the young readers of
EnI[en Days would like to know more
about him.
Giocsntc Casabianca YVES q native of
corsica. on which island he was born in
.n year 1857. He was descended from
. very distinguished family, whose
rhefs occupy prominent places in Cor
Scan and french history. His grand
iathcr, Rat1aello, was a senator and peer
n France, aud commander-in-chief of
Corsica in 1898.
Louis. G~iocante's father, was C~orsican
|,s,nuty to the French convention in
i746, the friend of Napoleon-who, you
will remember, was also a Corsican-
and an able naval commander.
OF Young Casabianca's mother We
know little, save that she was q voting
and beautiful Corsican lady, and devot-
,dlv attached to her son. Giocante was
her only child, a 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 p aced above her grave,
the boy left the pleasant valley and the
beautiful chestnut groves of Venzolasco
to go with his father and tread the
hard deck of a war vessel.
The elder Casabianca was Captain al
this time OF the Orient, one of the larg-
49,. ,n,rafc in fI1 grnpo1, 1,oy-r ~ ,,,or
%niicent ship-of-war carrying one hun
dred and twenty guns, and five hundred
Seamen.
Giocante soon became q favoritc with
all on board, and as he was q bright.
active lad. ever willing to do his duty,
and above 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.
lie was made a midshipman, and at
the early age Of eleven years partici-
pated with his father in the great naval
battle Of the Nile.
1t was the summer of 1898. Nap6lc-
Oh B%onaparte had been placed at the
head Of the armies Of France, and was
meditating a colonial conquest to coun-
terpoise the great power of England in
the East. Egypt-with its ancient re-
uown, its fertile valley, capable Of sus-
aiming one-quarter Of the human race,
its harbors and commercial affiliations
presented itself to his view.
The republic acted upon his sugges-
ions. A large force was raised, Boua-
arte was placed in command, and a
aect consisting of thirteen ships OF the
(Ene, four frigates, and a vast retinue of
nnsports--in all not less than y hun
ted vessels-sailed over the Mcditerra-
lean Sea toward the land of the cnt
Pharaohs. The Orient led the van, with
he Admiral's flag at the masthead.
The voyage was made in safety, and
On the first day of July the feet arrived
of the harbor of the Egyptian Alexan-
aria. Eonaparte was in hot haste to
land, for a powerful English feet, under
Aoratio Nelson, was in close pursuit.
IN twelve hours he landed his entire
fotve Of twenty-one thousand men, and
began bis invasion, which ended in the
complete snbjugation of that Eastern
land. Napoleon rushed on from victory
to victory, but his fleet was not so sue
ceSSIul.
Admiral Brueys, scion of that great
Norman family which, in another are,
had produced the Hero-king OF Scots,
commanded the French armament.
Having a superior force to Nelson in
ships, guns and men, he had no fear Of
IN encounter, and was confident OF
victory.
lie 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
Wen on land rather than upon the sea.
besides this, they were to meet an OPP
lonent now, who, for genius and indie
'"tlgablc energy, never had had a
superior in maritime warfare. Admiral
Nelson stands head and shoulders above
Ill other sea commanders, our own
RAUL Jones, Perry and Farragut not ex-
cepted.
At six o'clock on tho morning of
august /, 1898, the English Ileet came
MltEln range and the battle began.
Ael>on's plan Of attack was simple but
eilclent. 1t was to put ship against ship
as lar as his line would extend and fire
s%%y without iutermission.
The battle lasted fifteen hours, and
"a5 probably the most terrible conflict
INC ocean ever witnessed. The play OF
cannon was terrific. Huge clouds OF
5Sinoke rolled over the combatants, near
)! %shrondipg the engaged fleets from
'sw. by o'clock at night hall
" the French ships were silenced, and
.ne main work of the battle done. AT
mat hour, in that latitude, the night
zane on, and darkness settled over the
scene, unbroken save by the fire that
dashed necessarily from the guns Of the
hostile fleet.
All the while the Orient had beer
,oremost in the tight, and her decks
were covered with the dead and dying,
Admiral Brucys saw that all hope Q
rnte'cry was lost, but like q gallan'
.fenchman he resolved never to surren
"ef' He had already received three
Wounds. but would not leave his post
u fourth cut him almost in halves, ant
'te leli upon the deck. where he desired
10 be left to die.
Louis Casabianca now took the com
maha' and his young son, brave AM
saIlahs as a MAJ of mature years, wa