Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-28

asked him if he could not give me some new
information about the battle. He replied
that he could not, that it had been described
over and over again.
Witnessing His First Death.
"But how did it affect you?' persisted
"You were very young to witness such 9
scene of carnage as the decks Of the Esse1
presented. "
eyes" the old Admiral replied, IT wa.
young. We had been on long voyage but
had had no real engagements, and had
never seen man killed. As I was stand.
ing beside battery round shot came
through the side of the ship, striking a
gunner full in the breast and hurting his man.
| gled body half way across the deck The
sight made me sick for a moment and
grew dizzy and staggered back, but the
feeling lasted only an instant, for the shot
| came so thick and fast that the deck was
soon strewn with the dead and wounded.
| Fifteen men were killed at single battery.
AS the men and officers were struck down,
one after another, was compelled to act as
quartermaster, captains aid and powder
boy by turns, but as the slaughter increased
chiefly as powder boy"
81 never pitied a man more in my life,
/ said, ethan I did Porter when bis last
desperate effort to board his enemy failed,
and he was compelled to strike his flag"
eyes," Farragut replied. "Porter never
meant to surrender. I remember it we'll
When his last hope was gone he saw that
his wrecked vessel had drifted within less
than mile from shore, called all
hands on deck. and, amid the crashing
shots that were making kindling wood of
the vessel, told them that all who wished
to do so might jump overheard and swim
ashore.
Tho Wounded Changed His Mind.
'Tt was plain to me that he had resolved
to 90 down with his flag flying and take
me down with him. But as he looked on
the crowd of wounded men covering the
deck he evidently felt it would be cruel to
let them go helplessly to the bottom. So
he struck his colors."
Twill you tell me, Admiral" said,
chow you came to be . mi dshipman at so
early an age?"
''The present Admiral Porter's grand
father was sailing MASTER" he said, "sta-
toned at New Orleans, when was a child,
and was quite intimate with my fathers
family living there. One day he was taken
sick with the yellow fever and father had
him at once brought to our house, where he
could be better cared for than on board the
ship. Shortly my mother was taken down
with the fever, too. Both died the same
day and within few hours of each other,
and were buried the same day. The father
of the present Admiral came down to take
his place. Whether feeling for the family,
or because he thought his fathers illness
was the cause of my mothers death, or for
both, I do not know, but he proposed to
adopt me as his child. My father con-
sented. When Porter started in bomb
ketch for Washington was put on board
From that time had no home but the sea- 4"
AS in imagination saw this little mother
less boy, only years old, alone on the sea,
1 interrupted him. 'Oh, Admiral, that
was a hard fate-a little boy years old,
whose place was in crib by mothers bed
side, rather than in hammock on war
vesselP'
He Cr1ed His First Night.
eyes," Farragut replied, sit was hard,
and cried myself to sleep the first night.
I got up early the next morning and found
Captain Porter walking the deck. He
looked at me closely as he came up to me,
as If to see how had passed the night. He
knew had suffered. Taking my hand he
walked up and down the deck talking to me
cheerfully awhile, and then led me into the |
cabin to breakfast, and sitting me beside |
him helped me to every nice morsel on the |
table. From that time on had no more
home sickness Porter was Q stern man,
rough ~ storm In . gale. OF IN battle, but