The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-10-19
RERo OF MANY WAEs.
The Death of Commodore Duncan N.
Ingraham.

nounced IN the MORNING NEWS on FRIDAY,
was an historical figure in many wars. He
was born, saws the NetCS and Courier. in
Charleston Ia 1903, and entered the naval
service of the United States in 1872, at the
age of 9 years. In March, 1873, at the age
of 10 years, he was ordered to the frigaEe
Congress, Capt. John Smith, and was with
him in a cruise of nine months. In April,
| 1914. he j1ined the ship Madison, on Lake
| Ontario, and served on her to the close of
the war CT 1872 He was then ordered to
| the brig Boxer and was wrecked and cast
away in her OFF the coast Of Ballze. He
| next joined the Harvest, served in that YES
( sci Under Capt Read, and was afterward
| ordered to the Macedonian under command
of Capt. Biddle, stationed at the Gulf of
Mexico.
He was in the Revenge in 1919. aud was
| present at the transfer of St. Augustine,
| Fla, to the American flag. He then joined
the Lexington, under the command of Capt.
| William Shubrick, and brought home the
remains OF Commodore Perry from the
| West Indies. He was then ordered TO the
! Mediterranean sea and cruised for two
years and six months. After the termina--
| tion of this cruise be returned to South
Carolina and married Miss Harriet Horny
| Laurens a daughter OF Henry Laurens,
who married daughter of John Rutledge.
During the war in Mexico in 1917 be COM
mande1 the brig Somers, engaged in the
blockading fleet off Vera Cruz. Subse-
| quently he was transferred to the position
| of flag captain under Commodore Conner,
and was present in that capacity at the
capture of Tampico.
| In 1850 he was, under the direction of the
| Secretary of the Navy. assigned to the com
mand of the navy yard at Philadelphia, and
| remained at that post for two years and
until 1852. In July, 1853, he was ordered
| to the command OF the brig st. Louis and
as commander Of that vessel Joined the
naval squadron then in the Mediterranean
He was absent three years at sea in com
| mand of tnlS vessel, and IL wa5 during this
cruise that he was connected with the cele-
brated Koszta affair, which has become
| historical
1t will be well to recall the circumstances
of this case. Koszta had, during a brief
residence in this country, declared his in
| tention of becoming an American citizen,
| and, before filling all the conditions en-.
| titling him to citizenship, returned to Ed
rope. He took up his residence in the
| Turkish port of Smyrna, in Asia Minor.
| On the evening Of June %, 1858, he was
| pounced upon By gang Of Au;trians, and
after brief struggle. was carried on board
| an Austrian brig of war, the Huzzar. The
| American consul made protest on the fol-
| lowing morning, but the arrival of the
| United States corvette st. Louis, under the
command Of the gallant Capt. Ingraham,
in the harbor, put a new face on the matter.
| Some days passed, during which the Aus
| TRANS refused to deliver up their prisoner.
On the morning of July 2, Capt. Ingra-
ham was informed that the Austrians were
about to carry Rosetta to Trieste. He went
| on board the Huzzar and saw the man in
| chains. He asked Koszta if he claimed
American protection. Koszta said he did.
| "Then," added lngraham, you shall have
| it," Returning on board the st. Louis, he
| wrote to the Austrian captain Schwartz,
giving him until O'Clock t0 deliver I'D the
prisoner, and cleared his guns for action.
although there were two Austrian war
vessels in the harbor. While Uncle Sam
showed his teeth on the water in this deter
| mined manner a compromise was being
effected on shore, and Us its result KoSzta
was handed over for safe keeping to the
French consul at Smyrna, thus giving the
victory to the plucky American.
| Nor did the American state departm emit
fall behind the courage of the naval officer
Marcy was the Secretary of state, and the
administration of Gen. Pierce did no. de-
cline the responsibility. K0sz5a was re-
leased and American dignity was sustained.
| In Il clear toned enuuciatlon of the posi-
ton of the government upon the matter,
| attributed to Gen. Caleb Cushing, then At
torney General, and printed before the re-
lease, we find that the nation when ''repre-
santed BY one small brig" could compel re-
spect, and the condu3G Of the gallant officer
is thus referred to: 1.-THE vigilant dignity
which it becomes every American officer to
exhibit in defense of those public laws the
| enforcement of which is essential to our
freedom of commerce and intercourse, JUS
titled Capt. Ingrahsm,
The affair produced intense excitement
throughout the country, and immense mass
meetings in approval Of the course of Capt.
Ingraham were held in Now York and other
large cities. As tribute to the heroism of
Capt. Ingraham he was presented by the
congress of the United States with a massive
gold medal, and by the general assembly of
South Carolina with magnificent sword.
He was also presented by the democrats of
New York with medal on which is en-
graved these words:
Civil and Religious Liberty"
''Mass Meeting of United Democracies
New York. To Capt. Duncan n. Ingraham,
September %, 1858"
"Do you claim the protection of the
United States! Then you shall have it."
"Ingraham Smyrna. July IL
MDCCCIII."
After his return from this cruise Capt
Ingraham was assigned to the responsible
position of chief OF the bureau OF ordnance,
! nydOgraphy and naval academy with resi-
dence at Washington. and served in that
capacity for four years and six months He
was next ordered to the command of the
Richmond, and sailed on a cruise in that
vessel In September, 1860.
He was in command of this vessel of war
when he learned Of the secession of South
Carolina, and promptly returned to the
United States and resigned his commission
in the United States navy III January, 1861.
He then Immediately entered the naval serv-
ice of the confederate states, receiving the
appointment of commod)r Of the confed.
crate states navy, and was assigned to duty
at Richmond as chief of the bureau of ord =
nance. subsequently be was ordered to
Charleston and assumed command of the
naval forces and naval operations at this
port. While In this position he built and
org aniZed several iron-clads and attacked
and broke the blocka1ing squadron, driving
the blockading feet out to sea. This was
one of the many wonderful exploits accom-
plished by the heavily handicapped confed-
crate navy and has been described as fol-
ows:
About o'clock on the morning OF Jan.
81, 1858, the confederate ironclads Palmetto
State, Lieut.. Commander Rutledge, and the
Chicora, Commander John r. Tucker, the
two vessels under the command of Commo-
dore D. n. Ingraham on board the Palmetto
State, came out of Charleston unperceived by
the federal squadron blockading at that port
and drove it off. The Mercedita was the
first vessel attacked. A heavy she'll entered
her starboard side, passed through her con-
denser and the steam drum of her port
KTNvG