The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-09

u6I lOlu II6 JllaJ uo llllUp0u ON SA OOeAA u
to save his life.
THE duration of this action was about
forty minutes. Our decks were now IN
much confusion, our Long Tom dismounted
and several of the carriages broken. We
succeeded in getting Long Tom in mis- berth
and the deck cleared in some sort for
fresh acuon should the enemy attack us be-
fore daylight. By what | have been able
to learn from the British consul and officers
OF the fleet, 1t appears there were about 4OO
officers and mon in this attack, of whom l20
were killed and about $50 wounded. Com
modore Lloyd, | am told by the British
consul, is badly wounded in the leg; jury
of surgeons had been held, who gave as
their opinion that amputation would be
necessary to insure his lie. 1t is said, how
ever, that the wound was Occasioned by an
OK reading ON hlm!"
During this battle the men fought strip
ped to their waists, and my father, finding
his uniform made him target for British
bullets, threw aside his nat ana coat and
fought in his shirt sleeves. The next morn
ing Sept. ~ the Carnation approached the
Armstrong and opened a heavy fire upon
her; but, although the Z lglish ship worked
eighteen guns and the American but seven
guns, Capt. Reid accepted the challeA ge.
Being an expert gunner, he personally
served the Long Tom. This fight, the third
ldoO, 1IulOoO 10 NcllCu 0u0L bC-
tween Reid aud the Carnation. He soon
drew a bead on her mainmast and
shot it away, bringing down with it all
It's spars and rigging and the
top am er of the fore and mizZen top
masts. This put her decks in z eat dis
order, and he then put several shots in her
hull between wind and waite )" after
which she hauled Off for repairs. Capt.
Lloyd now swore he would have the Ameri-
h. aI 70 ~ Fk.Nla
down to get her, and Capt. Reid swore
John Bull shouldn't have her; and the
yankee =" as right. He therefore ordered
Mr.. Blight, the gunner, to point Long Tom
down the main hatch and send three shots
through her b tom, and then ordered the
crew to get their baggage and go ashore.
While she was sinking, the English, to show
their spite, came and set fire to her; and
thus the General Armstrong went down in
a blaze of glory literally as well as figura-
lively.
The American loss was as follows:
Killed-Alexander o. Williams, second
lieutenant, by musket ball i'll the fore
head, died instantly; Burton Lloyd, sea-
man, shot through the heart. Wounded
Frederick A. Worth, first lieutenant, in
right side; Robert johnson, third lieuten-
ant, in left knee; B. Hammond, quarter
master, left arm; John Piner, seaman, knee
OdSIlo, Ill III G0dlSttI, dI III
and leg; John Harrison, hands and face, by
the explosion of gun. Total-Two killed
and seven wounded.
This engagement with the Gen. Arm
strong delayed Admiral Cochrane and Gen
Packenham over ten days, so that they did
not arrive off Lake Borgne until Dec
6, 1914, just four days after Gen. Jackson
a rived at New Orleans. Had they got
there ten days sooner the British army
II s,,E- k,I-,.
session of New Orleans before the American
army could by any possibility have arrived
These two battles of jackson and Reid-the
one on land AID the other on sea-were the
last fought wit Great Britain, and closed
the war of 1812'14. Gen. Jackson publicly
said to Capt. Reid: ''If you had not fought
the battle of Fayal l could not have foug AT
the battle of New Orleans"
But there was humorous side to thi:
bloody battle After Capt. Reid, duri g
the latter part of the midni hJ attack,
rushed forward with the after division, h,
looked on the forecastle deck, where tht
marines were stationed, and saw the ser
geant, long, slab-sided Kentuckian, lean
ing on his musket, as if in pain. Reid asked
him if he was wounded. The sergeaur
Strengthened himself up and replied will
glee:
mo, captain; but, dog-on-it, 1 hain't had
Kentuck bar huntin'. Here goes another
one" and with that he brought his muske
to his shoulder again. 1t is evident tat ht
thought shooting En- lshmen almost a.
good sport as hunting bears.
After the Armstrong had been scuttled
and the crew had gone ashore Capt. Reid
and the gunner, Blight, were on board tax
ing last look around, VIII N who should pop
over the side but a spruce British lieuten
mt Pad - -
prisoners coolly called out to the gunner,
who, fortunately was standing by the after
hatch: "Al eady down below therel''
Blight understanding the russo de guerre,
replied: AYE, aye sirin
Then fire the train n ordered Reid. and
Blight roared in hoarse voice down the
hold, Fire the train down therel"
The Engli,hman stood a moment, got it
through his head. and jumping into his boat
fas,er than he came aboard, cried out TO hi.
men: Pull away for Gods sake: the id
Yankees are going to blow her up!" while
Reid and his gunner jumped into the gig L
the other side and rowed ashore. here was
no train, and she we 1t down instead of up.
Some of the crew. seeing the vessel sinking
declared the "Old General" (meaning the
figure head shouldn't 60 down anyhow, and
taking boat and some axes they pushe of
to the brig, cut off The fgure-head, I'd
brought it ashore. 1t was placed by the
governor of Fayal over the north gate Of
town, and was called by the natives "El
Santo Americana" and for many years
thereafter the peasants never failed to cross
themselves as they passed under it. 1t is
now at the lyceum of the Boston navy
Aard.
Capt. Reid was born in Norwich, Ct, in
1873, the year of peace, and died at his resi-
delce. 127 West Forty-fifth street, in this
city, Jan. IS, 1861. His last service was on
board the United States receiving ship
North Carolina, at the Brooklyn navy
yard, having been retired some three We rs
before his death. There is an admirable
port ait of him, painted in 1915 by the
famous artist John w. Jarvis, now in the
capitol at Washington.
Mrs. Reds father, Capt. Nathan Jen-
nings of Connecticut, used to grimly re-
mark: 81 entered the army as high p ivate
in 1776, with silk stockings aud silver knee
and shoe ouckl S, and came out captain in
1888, ragged, ba efooted and with no buck
les Of any kind
WILLIAM JOHNSON REID
William johnson 4 id, the writer of this
article, called at the World Office last Mon
day. and desired to prepare an article for
the Sunday World giving the history Of
the stars and stripes, and accordi his
father a just credit for the design of the
fig. He Jeff the manuscript of the fore
going with the edit r Of the World last
Wednesday and before he reached his
home, near Casanova, Westminster county,
he was run over by freight tram and
Instantly killed-Ed World