Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-16
A WAR STORY.
How the Royal Yacht was
Captured.
A FIGHT IN GALVESTON BAY.
uou Lieut., Jouett Made a Nigh
Attack Near Pelican Spit-A
Haud.to.HandE Encounter.

n6stOs LII GnSvssAAsS'
aPpu for the schooner! Second
.,aunch on the starboard bow. First
laurch on the starboard BEAM"
"Boat, ahoyr'
.'Give way strong my lads. Ready
with the gun, Mr.. Carter"
"Boat, ahoy!'
s'Give way strong, boys! Fire! Mr..
Carter"
Snap! There was a miss fire.
1t all happened twenty. five years ago
to-day, when Rear Admiral (then lieu
tenant) Jouett was at the head Of vol.
unteer party that had left the United
States frigate Santee to destroy the two
Confederate vessels, General Rusk and
Royal Yacht. The story was told yes.
tarday by one of the volunteers, who
fatty refused to allow his name to be
used. slim Jouett," he said, "must
get the credit, for it belongs to him."
The Santee lay off the harbor of Gal
weston, Texas. November 7, 1861. The
two Confederate vessels lay in the
harbor. Lieutenant James E. Jouett,
then serving on the Santee, requested to
be placed in command of party to go
and destroy the two Confederates, and
his request was granted. Accordingly
the ships two cutters, with about forty
men, were placed under his command
for the expedition. 1t was provided
with a l2.pound howitzsr, loaded shells
with long fuses to be thrown down the
hatchways, and port-fires, fire balls and
slow matches. Lieutenant Jouett took
command of the first cutter, with Gunner
Carter (who is now on sick leave in
Washinton) at the gun. Lieutenant
Mitchell commanded the second cuttor.
APPROACHING THE ENEMY.
The two boats were rowed up the
harbor in the evening, in the direction
of the enemy, who lay some seven miles
from the Santee. Approaching the
General Rusk in the darkness the first
cutter ran ashore, and the second, close
behind, ran into her. Several oars were
broken and enough noise was made to
raise an alarm on the General Rusk.
This compelled retreat, as the Rusk
was too powerful to attack excepting by
surprise, aud the cutters headed for the
Royal Yacht.
Then come the hail, the rapid orders
and the missfre already told, aud in a
moment one of the most desperate ad.
ventures of the war was in progress.
The men clinched their teeth and rowed
as if for life. Carter whose first primer
had failed him, adjusted another as
quickly as his trained fingers could do
il and fired, placing shell in the
schooner below the water.line.
Almost at the same moment Jouett
gave the order Trail oars! Stand by
to board!" The recoil of the howitzer,
however, destroyed the boats headway
and made it impossible for the party to
board. The cutter, however, was so
near the schooner that Mr.. Carter, re-
volver in hand, made the leap and found
himself alone on the enemy's vessel.
He dropped behind the schoonor's bits
and opened fire at once with his revolver.
Jouett had taken the tiller, and,
seeing that the boat was drifting back,
ordered the oars out again. AS the
boat came up again toward the schooner,
Bell, the pilot, stood on the gunwhale
of the launch swinging the grapnel
He was struck by ball and fell into
Mr.. Jouett's arms. Jouett sprang for
ward and at the moment the coxswain
fell mortally wounded.
firing UPON COMRADES.
IL can hear his cry now," said the
narrator, "as he said, %, Mr.. Jouett,
they are killing us from the other boat
He was right, though he had been struck
by a ball from the schooner. The other
cutter had mistaken us for Confederates,
and they were firing on us. We shout ted
to them, but the noise of the engage.
ment drowned our voices, and Jouett
ordered all but the four oarsmen who
were pulling to lie down in the boat.
As the boat neared the schooner
again Jouett sprang aboard with the
boats painter anu made her fast to the
mainsheet cavil. ''Now is your time;
come on board" he shouted, and turned
to rush forward. In turning he ran
against pike held by o man who was
braced in the cabin hatchway, and the
blade passed through his right arm into
his side. He was dazed and sat down
on the rail, though, as he afterward
said, he was unconscious of his wound.
The man holding the pike gave power.
full thrust to push him overheard, and
Jouett, then first realizing his situation,
threw himself back. Then, grasping
the pike, still sticking in his body, he
grappled with his assailant. In the
scuffie the pike was broken, and Jouett
drew the blade from his side, and,
striking his enemy on the head with it,
threw it overheard.
All this happened quickly and in the
darkness. Jouett then rushed forward
to aid Mr.. Carter, and the schooner's
crew ran below. The vessel was in
sinking condition, but he was deter
mined to capture the crew. The wound
in the hero's arm bled so rapidly that he
once more became dazed, and to recover
his senses struck his head violently
against the schooner's pivot gun. This
reused him.
A DANGEROUS DESCENT.
Meantime the forts of the harbor had
opened fire, and several gunboats could
be seen coming down the river. Carter
had sprung to the hatchway, revolver in
hand, and Jouett shouted to the crew
below to come up and surrender. but
not a man came.
''Men, 60 down into the hole and
drive 'em out" he shouted to his own
crew, now all on board, but none of
them went. Maddened at this he
sprang below himself, and found there
ten armed men: Two of them started
to go up. but suddenly one shouted to
our men to retreat, and all, excepting
Carter, ran to the side, jumped into the
boat and showed off. Jouett, hearing
the stampede pulled down the two men
w1o were clambering up and came up
himself. Leaving Carter to guard the
hatchway, he rushed after his men,