The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-05-15
SHIPMATES, AHOYI
Experiences on the Sloop.or.uar Seminole.

- I'LL M n ESS, n NJ j
Experiences on the SIOop-oT.uar Seminole.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: | am sure
some of you can spin warn. Why don't your
/ Criticize my yarn, aud then reel of one of your
| own. Every time my TRIBUNE comes 10 hand
! ] look for some hail from tho forccaste." but
| since November last have seen nothing, except
| ing that incident of the LanCaster's" being
| on a lee shore latter the war.
/ Surprising l start on my ball Of spunyarn,
! will some of you Scminocs relieve mo during
my watch below, aud keep the yarn-whcel go
! ing? What say you, messmates? Oscar Med
bray, or Nelson. the fOretopman; Fuller, or
/ Alexander, the Sailmaker's Mate; or Pete Nc
Donald, Clay, Fitch. Stanley, Hunter, ct al;
George Buntoon and James Guerney, Boat
SWANS Mates and Conner, the drummer were
mustered out and laid TO rest at the Naval
| Asylum between 81 and 50.
! The Seminole. sloop Of war, had gone up the
/ Iii Plata River February, 1861, leaving the
! Congress, frigate, at Montevideo. lBy-the-by,
one OF the Congress officers. Mr.. B-ittingham.
afierward gunner in the c. s. NJ is editor of
the Fort Worth (Tex.) Gasc'tc) The news of
/ Jefferson Havis's election TO the Presidency of
! the Conlederacy had haen received and every
/ one knew now that war was inevitable. Con-
! EeqUentlv when. in the harbor of Bucnos Avrcs,
\ ! came to an anchor March 6, 1861, in the Vile
/ de Earis- just IN from Rio, within half cables
send down their tongallant yards in just one
! quarter Of minute without man going aloft,
! everything about her being rs trim and as neat
/ AS a new pin, and the mems uniforms-l recol-
| lect they had on blue pautaloons white frOcks
and blue caps that day-just so, the sailor in me
/ got enthused, and made up my mind instanter
I thatlf Uncle Samuel wanted my help he could
! have me. provided he would take lie onto that
beautiful craft.
Next morning ] was aboard the Seminole,
! where First Lieut.. john &. Howell NOW Rear
hdmiral) Eraciously informed mo no would
be pleased 10 have me sign the roll. Soon the
warlike news came thicker and faster. We paid
visit to Rosario. in the Province Of Entire
! Rios, where the officers gave the authorities of
that city aud the American Consul quarter
! deck ball and supper the only ball saw till
! the end of the war, and then, as on our return
/ to Buenos Avres we found our orders awaiting
u.s. went on 10 Rio took in coal aud provisions,
and sailed for the States. only stopping at
/ Pernambuc0 once moro 10 coal.
! About the equator we met an American baTk
loaded with ice, from Maine to Rio; hailed her,
and got late papers, telling rs of the fall of
! Fort Sumter and President Lincolns call for
/ volunteers. Such an excitement as this news
I produced never saw IN my life. OF the OFF,
GERS about one-third were Southern sympathiz-
ers, but the blueiaekcts and marines. ! think,
threw cold water over the project that was
10 4 Southern port instead Of to Philadelphia,
/ whittier our orders directed us for The next
morning at daybreak there lay over tho breech
Of the 1-inch pivot large white banner in
scribed in bold letters, "Hurrah for the
Union" Thanks TO naval discipline, Of
course. 81 nobody knew exactly who was the
! author OF the sentiment; but a couple Of spon-
taneous cheers by tho watch on deck-which
/ the Officer Of the Deck A. ID. Wharton, Of
Tennessee, dared not 10 rcprcss, withal \ South
ern mpathizer-showed the dsloyal officers
their danger If they tried TO monkey" with
/ our crew.
This same Mr. Wharton told the dingy's
crew at the wharf IN Rio Janeit1 that If they
| did not choose 10 fight for the Union. but,
| instead should select % take French leave
! he should shut his windward eye until they'd
! be around the corner; but they declined 10
! desert, as the United States would then have
! been short two bluejackcts. To be consistent,
/ Wharton resigned soon rs We got 90 philadcl-
/ phia, accepted comm issiou in the Confederate
] navy, and alterward was made a prisoner by
Farragut's feet in Mobile Bay in "a, on the
| Ram Tennessee.
When We got to the coast Of South Carolina
/ we sighted a strange steamer, chased her, but
lost her IN tho darkness, and afterward we found
this must have been the sumter On July o.
81, we steamed up b the Navy yard at Phila-
4 oelphia, after dscharging our powder and shells
/ az Fort Miiiin. The ship now got thorough
4 oycrhaulinR 10 the dry-d0ck the disloyal Off
Gers resigned the crew remained on the ship
excepting those very few exceptions whose
/ knees were shaky. Our Second Lieutenant
Carter, was made Brigadier- General in the
army. Sailing Master &. l.. Norton became
first luI, vice J. S. Howell, who advanced to
I Lieutenant, commanding another ship. Our
Captain, Thompson, left us, and Commander
John L. ellis, our Fighting ellis we called
HIM, took his place.
q
the Bull Run disaster. i say lawful news "
advisedly, for up 10 that time, you recolIect,
most Of as thought three or four months
campaign would end the war; and here heard
Of Iouayes that didn't stop running till they
got back 70 Philadelphia, telling the most blood
curdling stories Of their own guperhuman
Yalor and then Of their inability 20 cope with
that famous Black Horse Cavalry; heard them
telling how the marines from the Washington
Aavy-yaTd lOf course suppose everyone knows
the difference between the marine aud the
bluejscketj horrible dctu :" had run, actual
y run d0uble-quick from the battlefield till
they got back 10 their barracks. Joking aside,
things looked blue just about then, aud we Of
the Seminole began discussing probabilities
pos Utilities, etc, and came 70 the conclusion
that IN order 10 show 10 tho world that Mr.
Lincoln did not take bigger contract than he
could handle when hc told tho naval powers of
Europe 70 keep their hands of, rs he declared
our cDisia 10 ne bleckaicl. IN OrdeF 10 make
good bis words spoken with all the confidence
Ia what cur glorious Navy could do, we, each
Of us, for some months at least would have 10
, try aud double our individual selves, to rustic
and put our best foot foremost
For indeed IL did look immense! / mean the
extent Of coast that our 10 or II ips. all we
had at first undertook 10 blockade. II is mo-
wonder that Europe said we could not do it,
: could not blockade 1900 miles Of coast with
these few sh ips line Of coast with more natural
harbors OF iulets than any other country except
Norway. But made good the Presidents
words. We could for we did.
Well, July - tie Seminole left Philadelphia
, for Fortress Monroe, aud then 10 the Charleston
! Blockade where think, we found only the
Roanoke, fngate. ANY old "ScminoIo" who
I reads this is requested 10 send his address "a
= the Secretary Of Admiral Dupont Naval Veteran
Association, Kansas City, Mo.-SEMINoLE.
: Physicians recommend "TansilPs Punch"
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