Evening journal., 1888-09-17
THE YANKEES WINNERS.
SToRY OF A SUPERB SEPTEMBER
SHIP FIGHT.
Tow an American privateer Of Seven
Guns Disabled an Entire British squad
ron-Fearful Havoc in FayaI Her6or-A
Iseminiscence of the LonG Ago.
Especial Correspondence. ]

rom earlut itaNOc IN Ei1 II lAGrcoF-A
Iseminiscence of the Lon- Ago.
Especial Correspondence
NEw YoRK, Sept. 12.-In these prosaic
and piping times Of peace" it is really
curious to note how little the come day.
SO day, selfish and self complacent Amer
lean citizen is interested in the building
up Of navy.
His pulse does not mend its sluggish.
methodical pace, when ho reads IN s.our
regular correspondents special upenina
paragraph that the double turreted iron
monitor Puritan, the largest ship In See
retary Whitneys new and vastly improved
navy, las been sent to the government
yards at Norfolk. Va, to be completed
He barely remembers that sach q vessel
was launched few months aro, and that
1t hes displacement of COCO tons or
more, because the daily papers said SO.
but, 70 the present utility or future
achievements Of this plate armored and
very formidable sea sweeper, he is pro
vokingly Indifferent.
Yet it was not always so; and, rs a
quickening influence upon my business
enslayed fellow countrymcn, ! shall here
tell them a tale Of brilliant heroism.
which must set their blood tingliag
~.
Fourand-seventy years ago (precse
date, Sept. 90, 1919 the American priva
teer Cen Armstrong, built by Reusse
!aer iavens for several New York mer.
chants cast anchor in the neutral Portu.
guese harbor Of Fayal. one of the Azores.
These islands, as every school boy knows,
are grouped in the Atlantic ocean, below
the 40th parallel of north latitude and
about % dogs. longitude west from
Greenwich. The Gen. Armstrong car
ried seven guns and many gallant hearts.
Samuel Chester Reid was commander.
Frederick A. Worth was his first lieuten-
ant, he brother of Gen. William
Jenkins Worth. who made a big reputa-
tion at Chippewa. with Winfield Scott.
and, third Of q century later, in con
quered Mexico. His monument is the
tall granite shaft at the junction Of
Broadway and Fifth avenue, opposite
New Yorks famous Madison square
Alexander Williams was second liertcn
ant, and Ilob@t johnson third lieutenant
Of the Armstrong. There was a crew of
anetY men, and this connt includes
the officers, The vessel had been mined
in honor of Q soldier, statesman. diplomat
and author, who was our minieTrr "a
Franco during Napoleons time, ana be.
came secretary Of war Ia 1878 on tie
coast Of South America, that year. the
zen. armstrong. tnen commanded by
Guy r, Champlin, had encountered the
British sloop Coquette, mounting twenty
seven guns, and badly crippled her It
was left for Capt Reid. however, to show
to the world what American sailors could
do when they went heart and soul, gun
and cutlass, tiercely into action. His yes
sci needed water; and, twenty days safely
cleared from New Yorl1's blockade. he
entered Fayal harbor at high noon 70 re-
fill the Armstrong; casks and barrels.
~
Reid's personal history is most interest
ing He was born at Norwich, Conn, late
in the summer Of 1888, and died in New
York city about three months prior to the
bombardment Of Fort Sumter in 1861
His father was a British ofliccr, who con
seientiously and bravely fought the Ameri-
can colonies in revolutionary days. 1t
was Samuel Chester Reid who, refusing q
post captaincy in our navy after his bril-
liant victory at Fayal, became port warden
Of New York and invented and put into
operation the signal telegraph from Sandy
Hook TO the Narrows and Battery. He
was the designer Of our present national
standard and the father of ten children.
Their excellent beautiful and talented
mother was daughter of Capt. Nathan
Jennings, still honorably spoken of by his
numerous descendants at or near Fairfield,
Conn
Immediately after the Gen. Armstrong
had anchored OF Fayal, the Ameri.
can consul, John B. pabnoy, ordered
water to be promptly sent aboard the YES
sci, and invited Capt Reid TO dine With
him. A pleasant afternoon was passed at
the eonsuls house and in driving about
the island. About sunset, having re-
turned to the Armstrong with his shore
friends, Reid noticed from his deck the
rapid approach Of six English war ships,
forming the squadron Of Commodore
Lloyd. Three Of these vessels. the Plan
tagenet, the Rota and the Carnation, had
combined armament Of 1876 guns, and
the whole fleet carried upwards Of 1000
lighting seanlen. In fragrant defiance Of
neutrality laws, Commander LLOYD at
tackled the Gen. Armstrong with his greatly
superior force, but he soon found that he
had caught a veritable marine tartar.
Next morning, having counted his dead,
wounded and presumed to be drowned, he
bitterly remembered that Admiral Coch-
rane was waiting for him at Jamaica for
re-enforcements that would never be avail
able in the proposed conquest Of New
Orleans. -
Darkness settled over Fayal island and
threw its heavy mantle on the peaceful,
land locked bay. Capt. Reid was wary.
Certain movements on board Lloyds flag
ship, the Plantsgenet, had excited the
Americans suspicion. He knew there
would be q full moon, and, having dis
missed his guests and set them on shore,
lie quietly ordered the Armstrong; decE
to be cleared for action and moved the
vessel nearer TO the island, until it was
within shadow of the governors castle
The moon had now risen, and by its light
Capt. Reid discovered, about o'clock
that four boats, each containing forty
men, we're being pulled towards thC
doomed privateer. He repeatedly hailet
them, but got no reply. They were soor
alongside. but lie NTas ready for them. A.
the British searen attempted TO boarg
the Armstrong the valiant Reid passeC
the word to his gunners to open fir
ON the four boats. They were baatei
of with fearful slaughter, and two o
them retired SO severely broken that i
wss with The utmost difficulty they coul,
be kept afost. It being now apparent tha
/ the English squadron intended to reney
the onslaught and crush their nettlinl
/ adversary, the governor Of Fayal dis
patched message to Commodore Lloy,
forbidding any further hostile demon
strations. The naughty Briton replies
that II any attempt was made by tn
/ p,,f =. r--soca "a 1hfofd 4ha Eo, r,.,