St. Paul daily globe., 1885-12-20
Rear Admiral Ammen Tells of the At
tempted Mutiny on Board the
Ocean Queen.
Vivid Pen Picture Of the Outbreak and
Thrilling Incidents Which Ao-
companied It.
Several Ringleaders Shot and the Dis
turbance Quelled-- Many Lives
Endangered.
Further Attempts at Desertion--Re-
suits of the Investigations of the
Court-Martials

of literary friend take up the writing of
an occurrence on May Is, 1854, nearly
one year before the close of the civil war;
In complying with this request, l have
before me the official report made to the
navy department ON reaching the United
States, dated the 5th and 10th of June, and
also the synopsis of the proceedings of my
trial by court-martial, published in the New
| York Army and Navy Journal of about
| Aug. 20. 1864. l may as well remark that
during my naval life have never had other
charges preferred against me than those
| now referred to.
| In the early part of May, 1864. found
myself in Baltimore, and my sea outfit
somewhere else as l had recently been re-
| lieved from the temporary command OF the
port by letter to Rear Admiral Gregory.
then at New York, for any duty to which
he might assign me.
! Upon telegraphic order received from
the department, | found myself obliged to
| leave on the next train for New York where
| | must go on board the Aspinwall mail
steamer, Ocean Queen, and take charge of
| draft Of 200 men. These men had been
transferred from the army. under general
order, owing to the impossbility of enlist
ing seamen; the high bounties then paid for
army enlistment had entced seamen to en-
list as soldiers as part of some state quota.
My time was so limited that l had
| NOT EVEN A CHANGE OF LINEN
after arrival in New York. or time to snp-
| ply it by purchase, and was indebted to
fellow passenger for what was essential.
The proverb of DUTY before decency," so
dear to all men of the sea" (given to the
world by Boatswain Cheeks as he stood in
the ships gangway without having on
supposed indispensable article of wearing
apparel, as we learn in Midshlpman Easy
braced me up on that trying occasion.
| On the afternoon of the 18th of May,
raw, partially rainy day. navy yard tug
came along side the Ocean Queen at
anchor off the Battery. The men
were hastily mustered over the gangway.
Boatswain Thomas g. Bell. who came with
| the draft, was ordered to report to me and
act as my aid in taking care of the men and
J delivering them at Panama to Capt. Richard
l.. Law, then commanding the Cyane, lying
in that harbor.
| We went to sea without delay and passed
outside of Sandy Hook before dark. The
vessel had 1.040 passengers, without count
ing my command, many of whom were not
sailors, merely supposed to be from the
reason that soldiers could not be made out
| Of them. There were many Liverpool
dock men," as certain class were called at
that time. They were in all sorts of cloth
| ing, the greater number in ma v, others in
army, uniforms, and several in those OF
Confederate soldiers.
| ABOUT MIDNIGHT
the officer in charge of the vessel sent for
| me, stating that several of the men wished
to see me. had retired several hours be-
fore, but arose. dresse and went to see
them. l found four men in the gangway
and asked why they called me. The spokes
man said they were very uncomfortable:
there was no room hetween decks and they
had to lie on deck. l replied knew they
v e uncomfortable; in day or two we
.youlG je in pleasant latitude. and in the
meantime l would see what could be done.
| They finally said whisky would make it all
| right; told them that was quite out of the
question, as it would make it
| all wrong. They left without any
manifestation of disappointment or anger
perhaps impressed with the idea that the
| interest had expressed was the result OF
| intimidation. and not from disposition to
| look after the comfort and well-being OF
| those under me; not unimpOrtant dnty to
| all officers under whom men are placed.
| The starbOard side of the vessel, shell
tered from the weather by the hurricane
| deck, was assigned as the quarters of my
men, and was, in my belief altogether
preferable to the crowded steerage below.
| If compared to the exposure of soldiers in
| the field before an enemy. not only these
sheltered quarters but the food itself were
all that could be desired. On my
TRIAL BY COURT-MARTIAL
| it appeared in evidence that the first night
out, and probably previous to my being
| called to see these men, the draft had been
| canvassed to ascertain who among then
| could work the engine and what their other
| qualifications were to run the vessel. One
| man was missing and supposed to have been
| thrown overheard by the others; the cause
was not surmised, but it may well have been
| his condemnation of the plans OF the ring
leaders.
The following morning l asked several
! of the men as to their breakfast, and
they expressed their satisfaction; bu,
finding they had not potatoes OF
other vegetables. l made a request OF.
| Capt. Tinklepaugh, who commanded the
Ocean Queen, and he informed me that in
the future they would be provided. In the
afternoon tin pots and pans-the dinner
furniture of my draft-were thrown over
board. and the servants of the steamer. VIII
|
abused to such degree that they refused
to serve. The object evidently was to pre-
vent the well-disposed from getting any
thing to eat, and thus to make the dissatis
faction general. 1 at once detailed mum
Der of colored people, who belonged to the
draft. to reset and repleniSh the tables, and
thus prevent the well-disposed from
| BEING DEPRIVED OF FOOD.
The captain of the vessel, not without
cause was much concerned by reason of
this mutinous conduct and the dsrespectfu
and menacing expressions of my men, and
told me he felt much disposed to put into
| Hampton Roads and get rid of twelve or
fifteen, if not all of my draft. Whilst
had to admit that the conduct and language
of some of them were disrespectful and mu-
tinous, l told him hoped he would pur
sue his voyage; if he went into Hampton
Roads the delay would be serious, aud i
felt satisfied we could control the men.
The following morning | was in the act
of inspecting the breakfast. when l was
asked to do so by BusSell, one OF my draft.
in the most dsrespectful manner. The
breakfast consisted of hard bread. coffee or
tea as preferred, and hOminy and molasSes.
| then became convinced that the object of
some of my men was TO have difficulty.
quite irrespective of any treatment which
it was in my power to have bestowed upon
them.
Soon after breakfast heard Bussell and
Kelly in conversation with Boatswain Bell.
my assistant They declared they had
eaten nothing since they had been on board;
if their dinner that day was not such as
they wished they would certainly go aft
into the cabin and help themselves. Kelly
said he had once aided. OH board of a vessel
of war. to knock down sentry over the
spirit room. and they intended to do as well