The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-10-11
Sonic FACTS ABOUT
DEAD MANS ISLAND.
How the Place Derived Its Dismal Cog
l0nlGn.
The Story of Veteran Of the Mexican War
Who Helped to Bury There Five Brave
Sailor Boys.

ISIanQ came 10 De given W Luo lSiduu close
to the breakwater at San Pedro and if you
care to listen l can tell you how it got its
name"
The speaker was Charles Johnson, vet
eran of the Mexican War, now spending the
evening of life with his family at 421 Fol-
som street in this city. THE CALL man
took seat and after lighting his pipe Mr..
johnson related the story Of how the island
first received its dismal name.
Il know that Dana, who was out here in
hide drogher, wrote book, and in it re-
fers to the island as Dead Mans Island
but at the time he saw it the place had no
name at all, and no doubt Dana got mixed
a little, as the island he knew of the same
name is in the Bay Of Panama. l was out
on this Coast in the old frigate Savannah
way back in 1916, and the old frigate Con-
gress was with US. Commodore Sl0at was
in command, but was relieved by Commo-
dOre Stockton, and he at once ordered our
ships down to San Pedro.
NO Los ANGELES IN THOSE DAYS.
"Ihere was no Los Angeles in those days,
but where 1t now stands was pueblo.
Soon after reaching San Pedro party of
about 200 OF us was landed to 60 up to the
mission. The party landed about 4 o'clock
on the morning of October s, 1876 and was
commanded by Captain Mervin. 1t was
nasty place to land, and we nearly lost
several men by boat capsizing. We had
hardly got ashore before lad named Smith
was shot by marine officer. The shooting
was purely an accident, but the boys death
cast a gloom over the entire party. The
country was swarming with Mexican SOL
diers, and we soon saw lots OF them not far
from wherp had landed,
1--WE had 10 field pieceS and were armed
with fiint-loCk musketS. We could see at
least one heavy field piece around which the
MeXiOans gathered as If determined TO pre-
vent our advance into the interior. Seeing
this and knowing the Mexican commander
had ten men to our one, Captain Mervln
should have ordered a return to the ship,
but he was not the kind of a man to give up
without a struggle, and in a short time he
gave the order Forward. march, and we
began our tramp toward the pueblo. The
Mexicans lowered around us, but offered no
opposition, and after hot dusty tramp we
reached ranch abont fourteen miles from
the coast and near where the National
Soldiers Home now stands.
AN ATTACK BY THE ENEMY.
Here we went into camp, and as the
greasers had all got out of sight we began to
think we were going to get nights sleep,
but were soon undeceived. During the
night the Mexicans got together, several
hundred strong, and planned an attack on
our camp that was intended to wipe out
every man in Mervin'S command. To make
sure work of it, they sent for another crowd
of soldiers some distance away, and no
sooner did they arrive than the attack be-
gen. Our scouts had not been asleep, If
the sailors had. and about l o'clock they
came in with the startling news that the
greasers were com ing 1900 strong, so instead
of Catching us asleep as he had hoped, he
fOnnd D0O determined standing rpatiV m
receive them.
1.-The attack began by discharge of grape
from the field pieces, of which they had
three, but luckily for us they did not know
how to use them or they would have killed
half our command. Finding we were ready
Tor them, the Mexicans fell back after firing
off the field pieces and retired behind a hill,
and kept out of sight for the rest of the
night. We got no more sleep that night, and
at o'clock in the morning made hasty
breakfast and again started for the pueblo.
We DID not 90 far. however, before we ran
up against about 500 of the enemy in little
valley through which the road an.
THEY OPENED FIRE.
eve no sooner caught sight of them than
they opened fire, killing four men and Sc
verely wOundng several others. The NJ eX-
leans were working like Turks TO get their
guns TO bear on US, but the ground was soft
and the heavy pieces were stuck in the
mud. Seeing this, Lieutenant PInkney, as
brave man as ever wore shOe-leather,
called for his division to follow him, at the
same time making rush for the guns fol-
lowed by about fifty men. including myself
and Charles Byrne, the saiI-maker of the
ship, and who is now living at IS Clay
street, in this city. The Mexlcans did not
wait for us to reach them, but at once re-
treated and managed to take the gus with
them.
I'VE then picked up our dead and
WOunhpi aud urDa1 N p had
spent the night BY this time Captain
Mervin had discovered that unless we had
field pieces we would have slim show of
reaching the pueblo, and reluctantly lie
gave the order to return to San Pedro.
Sings for the dead and wounded were
made of poles and blankets, and at II
o'clock we took up our march, moving in
Indian file, with scouts out on each flank to
warn us Of the approach of the enemy.
About TWO miles from San Pedro the Mex
leans made another attack, but only
wounded two men, and we kept up cur
march, firing as we went
A SOLEMN BURIAL.
1.-THE boys on board the old ship heard
the firing and soon a party, with two field
guns, was on the way to our assistance, but
the cowardly Mexicans retreGted before we
could get the guns to bear on them. The
next day we buried the dead on the island
The carpenters crew hunted up enough
lumber on board to make coffin for the lad
Smith, but the others were simply sewed up
in canvas. Mr.. Byrne was one of the men
that sewed them up, and that night party
of 200 men was detailed to act as funeral
party. The graves were dug side by side
and the bodies lowered into them, while the
men stood by with uncovered heads, and
firing party fired vOley as last farewell"
Mr.. johnson was afterward transferred,
with thlrty-sx others. to General Phil Kear-
ney's command and remained with him until
the Savannah was ordered home Both Mr..
Byrne and johnson are certain that before
that time the island had no name, but from
that time to the present the place has been
known as Dead Mans Island"
incidentally may be mentioned that
Messrs. johnson and Byrne are the only
living survivors in this city of the ships
crew OF the Savannah.