The Cecil Whig., 1886-06-26

| navy revolvers, cutlass and belt. The en-
tire battery was at full cock, primes in
| place, and we were ordered to stations
and to keep silence.
We had what seemed long wait
| One, two, three, four and five bells
struck, and still the silence was unbrokep,
save by the wash of the rapid current as
passed our cable, or the sudden blow of
some heavy piece of driftwood against
our cutwater. The strain on the nerves
while awaiting the attack in perfect 81
| lence was intense. But soon after six
| bells had struck the click of oars was
heard up The river and we knew then
that the struggle was near. We had no
means of knowing the force of the at
tacking party, but we knew if any num-
Der of them reached our deck unharmed
it would be desperate hand-to hand
fight for life. Oh they came, floating
| now with the current as silent as the
grave, until within fifty yards of our
| bows, when they separated. about one
half of them going to each side or start
ing for those points, when with the Rebel
yell that was afterward so familiar to
our boys, they made their grand rush
for us. But suddenly, as if by magic,
our battle-lanterns were lighted fore and
aft, making the whole scene as bright as
MONDAY, and disclosing to us what
seemed to be legion of shouting fiends
filled with the spirit of the evil one, each
man armed with whatever weapon had
been most convenient-muskets, rifles,
shot guns, pistols old calvary sabres,
short cutlasses-some with pieces of
scythes, with sticks of wood for handles,
others with long ugly bowieknives; in
short, it was an expedition organized for
murder and booty. At almost the same
instant that our deck lights gave us the
bearings of the two squads of boats
came the clear ringing voice of our COM
mander-an old veteran in the service
''Fire port and standard batteries?" The
officer in command of the pivot gun for
ward got his range on two of the largest
batteaux, filled with men, and with one
| simultaneous roar our whole battery fore
and aft exploded, carrying death and de-
struction in its wake. am and old man
now, but the screams of agony from
those poor mistaken volunteers is as clear
in my memory to night after the lapse of
three and twenty years, as though l had
heard them only yesterday. have been
in battles since then, have seen my fel-
low men mangled by exploding shells
out of all human semblance, have heard
the cries of pain from wounded animals,
but never yet have heard anything to
equal the yell of agony that broke the
stiffness of that terrible night after the
sound of our artillery had died away.
Our aim had been so accurate that five
their batteaux were blown to fragments
Many of the men were completely rid
died with the canister and grape, and
sank at once in the turbid waters; others,
wounded and struggling for life, and
grasping at anything to sustain them for
a moment, were hurried by the swift cur
rent, hlieking from our sight, only to
find graves under the remorseless tide.
On the remaining boats about one hun
dred men who we're still unhurt, with a
bravery worthy of better cause, paying
no heed to their wounded and drowning
comrades, made dash for us and five
of the boats, three on the port and two
On the starboard side, had succeeded in
graphing to the lanyards of our stand
ing rigging or to the forward chain plates
and bobstays, when again that clear
voice rang out above the did of conflict:
Gail hands repel boarders, port and star
board"' The next five minutes witnessed
a perfect fusilade of musketry, mingled
with the clash of cutlass and sabre, the
thud of the boarding pike, the Rebel
yell and the cheers of our men as the
last of the attacking party leaped from
our deck in the endeavor to reach the
last boat, then some yards away, with
the survivors pulling for dear life down
stream.
The struggle was over; it had been SO
brief and desperate that few of us real
lied that we had met and beaten off more
than four times our number of brave and
determined men, but such was the fact.
Out of the whole party only four gained
foothold on our decks and three of
them now lay there dead. One of them
had been cloven from the shoulder to the
waist with one blow of cutlass dealt by
the powerful arm of our boatswains S
mate; another lay with part of a broken
boarding pike thrust clean through his
breast, still remaining in the CHASTITY
wound. and the other had pistol shot
through the brain. OF our own men
only two were deadlock Grills, second
captain of the pivot gun, and poor little
Tommy French, jolly rollckiug young
ster, who had shipped in the Navy in
New York only few months before.
How well l remember him-always
ready for duty, overlooking with good
humor and liked by all. AS we launched
him and poor Jack from the gangway
the next morning in the canvas shrouds,
with thirity-two pound shot at the feet
of each, there was many stified sob and
many tear stole down the bronzed and
weatherbeaten faces of the grim tars, who
had faced death many time without
the quiver of muscle. We only had
five wounded, and they were soon made
as comfortable as possible under the
skilful care of our surgeon; and before
eight bells in the morning watch the
decks had been washed down, guns run
in and secured, ports triced up, the run
ming rigging coiled down, and the usual
routine of man of war life and duty be-
gun again. The ship and treasure were
safe, and the surprise party was thing
of the past.
Young and miGdle-aged men suffering
from nervous debility, premature old age,
loss of memory, and kindred symptoms
should send 10 cents in stamps for large
Illustrated treatise suggestir~ oap
| pura WnrlI's niapap-- J. IN,