Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-14

,tf,r when she knows she is certain TO get
10 worst Of It. The battle is not always
.o,be strong, when strength is counted by
,t- pDLpDer OF cannon or of soldiers. 1t
-,,u,re, daring men, however, to stand up
~ try the issue out when the show of
ia IS heavily against them. America
80 never been a warlike nation, but she
has }r,.n favored in every crisis with men
I,ying the nerve to face anything on sea or
au1.
Il was to have been supposed that the
,ong var Of the Revolution had exhausted
The lighting courage Of the patriots, and
s,rbtless France took this view of il when
,be violated neutrality laws in American
caters and allowed her privateers to ruin
,rr commerce. by Selling merchant ships,
GO she did At the close CT the last century.
srfh WIS not the case, though, and when
r,.or.asy failed to redress the wrong,
The newly established department of the
nsry took up hequarrel. After providing
far coast defense four squadrons were
,.gt 10 the French cruising grounds in the
Vest Indies. One squadron of five vessels,
l,,dyl uv the friEate Constellation and
commanded by Commodore Thomas Trux-
nm. rgaIred In the vicinity of Porto Rico,
ard Two fights OF the Constellation alone,
AGAINST crack vessels OF the enemy's navy,
d.sulaygd the virtue OF simple nerve in de-
rl.U, which is the better OF two antago-
ui5t>.
France was 4 strong naval power; Amer
a. lad nothing to depend on but her forests
agd Aer heroes. The merchants, whose
business was in danger, supplied the money
III. 3 ~.
.e.her and then the beginning CT the
la5r--ar that is what IL amounted to-
stood ready to face the first class war yes
ss.s of the O,d " orld.
The Caa-J, iiatiou was a first class vessel
fr- Ina. Day, but she hadn't proved it yet
wien her commander sighted her first
errny. Ii YVES in February, 1879, OF the
island # Nevis. Truxtun bore down en-
lie stranger, paying no attention to her
h..,s and signals until his vessel was abeam
Of tae F1euchman, and then delivered a
troaisilc. The enemy proved to be the
fsigats l[lsurgcnCe, one Of the fastest
clips in the world, and rs good fighter as
s4el Sue answered the Constellation,
tt-gesc-s drifting and keeping up a sharp
cs.H3aads.
irEt4a proved an able seaman and
mga.-rl T. rake the Frenchman several
times ,... escape her return fire. The rig
ragot the Constellation suffered badly,
however. md early in The fight the fore
.-TEA-; vas cut and was in danger of fall
H. from overweight Of yards and sails.
NI,aplan David Porter, then a lad of
eighteen. was in the wounded foretop, and
when be found that in the neat of action
en- the deck below his signals were I'M
lrticei he climbed to the top under a fire
Of bullets cut away the fasteainGs and re-
ia2saI TIE Weight 50 as 10 prevent the fall
q. the mast. The tire of the Constellation
was .ov, or what is called hull snots,'
sr1 1875, doing bloody execution among
;he 'rew tAe Frenchmen. After close
cy1yl. caring which Truxtun's ship
p5--ai ;v7 or three raking broadsides
.-'. rs- .0r7ro0ist, the affair was decided
y .a.i stroke Of sesmanshp. While the
sliy.e og- lFed The scene the Constella
ton was brought across the stern Of the
ilslrser-e and was prepared TO rake her
.3cstlylse with fall broadside, when she
S-su.J arr colovs.
The French crew had suffered terribly,
ha7ls - killed and Al wounded. The
Consolation lost men.