Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-07-26


intense excitement and brearhiess eLpecta-
ton the coming attack. There lay the
American brig, with her TALL tapering spars,
sleeping on the mOOnIit waters as quiet ana
as peaceful as an over yFearfed child. There
she lay. ike the apparitiOn Of a phantom
ships not q movement was to be SEEN not a
sound was heard TO break the stiffness of
her decks. and seemingly deserted, from the
death-Ike silence which prevailed. Not
WtthstanGing. Capt. Reid had made every
preparation to receive the enemy on ali
sides. and his crew were then lying con-
cealed at their quarters. In this position
the beligerents remained for nearly three
hours. watching each other with painful
interest. W men Il IS considered that the
crew Of the Armstrong mad nothing TO gain
and had no motive for rem aiming by their
vessel but tie defense Of their cOuntry's
honor. When-lhey saw the terrible odds that
opposed them. and which threatened
fearful retributiOn, with no hope Of reward
except death for the defense OF the Am6rI-
can nag, while a leap to the shore held out
to them the lnducement OF safety, 1t is re-
markable that they stood so firm, and their
wonderful discipline may be imagined.
AT length, at midnight. the enemy seemed
resolved upon the attack and the boats
were observed in motion. Instead of ap-
prOaching by divisions, as Captain Reid ex-
Pected. they came on in solid column in a
direct line When about twenty-five yards
on Captain Reid ordered his men to stand
by after the fire. to run in the guns and
lash in the ports, in order to prevent the
enemy from getting through the portfolios
on boarding as they would not have time
to reload the guns before the enemy would
be alongside. The men were then eau
toned to wait for the word, and TO be sure
Of their object. The Long Tom" a heavy
FOUNDER, placed on ii pivot amidships,
was sighted with fearful accuracy. On
came the British boats with Undaunt6Q IN
trepidity. when they were again hailed by
Captain Reid, but no answer was returned.
The fatal command was then given, and
tremendous fire was opened on the enemy.
the thunder and crash OF which broke the
charmed stiffness OF the before quiet mid
night scene. Keeling back and recOiling
from the missiles Of death, they warmly
returned the fire. renamed their oars.
and giving three cheers. came on
most spiritedIy. The crew of the pri-
vateer asked if they should return the
cheerf No, replied Captain Reid: no
cheering until we have gained a victory"
In 4 moment they succeeded in gaining the
bow and starbOard quarter of the Arm
strong. The cry Of the officers command
ing the boats was. Up and aboard. my
lads-give the enemy no quarter!" At the
same instant they opened a terrific fire with
cannonades, swiyels, blunderbuses and
musketry. They were CALAMITY met by the
crew Of the privateer in their black leather
boarding caps strapped with Steel looking
like demons, with boarding pixies, muskets,
battle axes pistols and cutlasses. The YES
sci soon became one broad sheet of fire.
the red glare Of which strangely cOntrasted
with the brilliant light Of the moon, now
riding high in mid-heaven. Shrieks and
yellss orders and Oaths, amid the clang of
sabreS, were heard on both sides through
the din and roar OF the musketry. Again
and again the enemy, led by their officers,
attempted to gain the decks of the priva-
teer, but were repulsed at all times with i'm
mense loss. The battle now ragged with the
greatest fury. The Americans fought with
the desperation Of fiendS. Making q last
desperate effort to board the enemy gained
the spritSail-yard and bOWsprit Of the
privateer, and were pressing their
way to her decks. when the Ameri-
can sailors, welding their battle-aXes
with the skin and might OF knight OF Old
drove hack England's best and brayest
men with hOrrid slaughter. The second
lieutenant OF the Armstrong Mr.. Alex. 0.
Williams was killed at this moment while
CALAMITY leading on his forward division;
and the third lieutenant. Mr.. Robert John
son, also fell dangerously wounded. At the
same instant Capt. Reid, who commanded
the after division, was engaged beating o fl
two large launches, the men and officers OF
which had succeeded IN climbing up the
sided OF the pr1Vateer. one OF the latter,
the first lieutenant of the Plantagenet. had
engaged Capt. Reid in a hand to-
hand fight with cutlasses, and once
Capt. Reid being left handed used
his right in firing pistols. which the
powder boys handed MIN, while he cOntin-
ued to fight with the British Lieutenant
with his left hand, diSdaining to shoot down
his adversary. At last. the British ieuten-
ant, making q feint, brought down desper-
ate blow, which Capt. Reid had Just time to
break the force Of cutting the Captain
slightly across the head. and nearly sever
ing his thumb and fOrefnger. Before the
Englishman could recover, Can't. Reid
struck him down, and he fell back a corpse
into the boat.
1t was at this critical juncture that Cap
tain Reid was informed Of the death of his
second lieutenant and that his third
lieutenant was badly wounded Hav-
ing succeeded in beating the boats off
the quarter, and thus left the only officer
on the deck. he perceived that the fire had
sIackened on the tOrecasUte. At once rally
ing the whole OF the after division, they
rushed forward with a shout and opened
fire, while he ordered the forward division
to heave cold shot into the boats and sink
them, as those men we're out Of cartridges.
The enemy, appalled, with CONSERVATION
and dismay, fell back to their boats and
reUreated, when Captain Reid, bringing the
Long Tom to bear upon them, fred the
gun himself (Which few of the carriage),
doing fearful destruction, and ending in the
total defeat of the British. Then it was
that Captain Reid cried out, Now is the
time. my boys, to cheer" and three wild.
enthusiastic cheers re-echoed over the bay
from shore to shore. The Americans
among the crowd on the beach hailed the
privateers and asked if Captain Reid was
safe, and, being answered IN the affirmative
gave three tremendous cheers in return.
The scene which now presented itself was
one Of indescribable horror. The silvered
waters Of the bay were crimsoned with
blood. Dark forms of numerous dead bodies
fiOated around on every side, while the
grOans and death shrieks of the wounded
struggling around the boats pierced the
very air. Many of the boats had been sunk.
Two large launches belonging to the frigate
Rota lay alongside the privateer, with two
other boats, literally loaded with their own
dead. In a boat belonging to the Plan
tagenet all were killed save four. In an
other boat which had contained fifty souls,
but one solitary officer escaped. and he was
wounded. Four boats ftOaCed ashore full
of dead bodies. Some Of the boats were
left with but a single man. while others had
but three or four to row them. The ter
m1naUion was nearly a total massacre. This
action lasted about forty minutes. The
English force. estimating forty men to a
boat. was about $50 men, The English
themselves acknowledged a loss in this at
tack of 40 killed and $50 WOUNDED. but it
must have been tar greater. The loss OF
the Americans in this action was but two
killed and six Woundedl
The deck of the Armstrong which was in