Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-05-22
OUR NAVY.


bic Of doing. We look back with
pride, and study with much sat1sfac-
tion this branch Of the public service
We can imagine McDonoagh on the
lakes, and hear him say I'VE have met
the enemy and they are ours" We
can see Farragut in the rigging of the
Hartford entering Mobile bay, guid-
ing the ship through a sea of fire.
We ponder ever the deeds they have
done and the examples their lives
have given u.s. There is no history
more valuable or more desirable to
know, than the history of our own
times With that end IN view We will
look at q Yankee Man of War
In the summer Of 81 there arrived
III Washington navy yard, war ship
Pensacola, now famous in the annals
Of the country and still IN service
The Pensacola was built at the Pensa-
cola navy yard in Florida, hence the
name. The Norfolk navy yard was
set on fire and the shipping burnt or
destroyed. Major Shuttleworth. Of
the United States Marine corps, COM
mandel the Marine barracks at pensa-
cola, and cut out the Pensacola sloop
Of war and sent her on to " ashington
to be completed His action was
timely. The Confederates subse-
quently burnt and destroyed the navy
yard, Maine barracks and fortitica-
tons The loss Of the Pensacola at
that time would have been Il severe
one. Our Government had few yes
sells within reach, no money IN the
treasury, and very little credit at home
-none abroad Such were the CON
ditons staring President Lincoln's
administration in the early days Of
the war So many officers, some Of
the highest rank In the army and
| navy, abandoned their country to
fight against her, that great m1strust
cnsacd thereafter The government
was feeling their way slowly but sure
ly. It is 4 singular coincidence that
not one single enlisted man, soldier
or sailor, could be found to follow the
pern;cious courseof their command
ers going oyor to the enemy. Every
enlisted man stood BY the flag he
fswcre to defend.
Many Of them were imprisoned,
notably so IN Texas by General
Tviggs and remained in prison-untii
exchanged. The selection Of officers
for important commands, was one Of
the greatest difficulties hesetting the
administration. The Pensacola com
pleted and equipped, was placed in
command OF Horny ". Morris Post
captain in the navy. It may be in
place to state here that in 81 there
! was no higher rank-Post captain
was FafTagut's rank when he captur-
ed New Orleans. There might have
been half a dozen captains in tho same
syuadron, each receiving same pay
and allowance. But the senior officer
took command by right of seniority
in case Of death next ia seniority SO
that in the battle Of New Orleans
Captains Bailey, Farragut and Nor
ris were Of level rank. The order of
the secretary appointing Captain
Farragut in command OF the gulf
squadron, gave him authority and pre-
eedence over all others. Commodore
was q title Of courtesy more than any
thing else. There was no such grade
on the navy Register
There is On board every T. S. war
ship compliment Of officers in pro-
portion to the number or strength of
the ships company A vessel such as
the Brooklyn, Hartford, Richmond
and Pensacola, are sister ships, Or
ships of the same class and denomin-
alton There is no longer any Frig
ate CT line of battle ships on sea. The
fight OF the Monitor and Merrimac,
revolut;onized the nayies of the world.
Tho monitors, rams, iron claas and
torpedo boats are the fighting instru
ments Of the future, until they in turn
are succeeded by something more de-
structive.
A sloop Of war is two decker, the
gun deck, and the berth deck. The
berth is forward, or the front part of
the ship from the engine. On the
deck the drenen, sailors, Marines and
petty officers abide. The petty officers
are to the navy what non on-eemmission-
ed officers are to the army, The pet
ty officer IS an important factor IN q
ship at sea. There are four quarter
masters. selected from able experience
ed seamen, either Of whom are eapa-
bic Of navigating a ship. One OF
those IS on the look out constantly,
spy glass in hand, to report to the
deck officer who is commissioned, every
lal,iant r1. incident his dr1fv ran,1iras