The National tribune., 1892-09-01
Ats armed vessels, chiefly gunboats of light
draft and heavy arteries. 1t was

LYNCH" Dead Sea Lynch. as GolusDorough
was wont to call him-had collected IN the
North Carolina Sounds feet of this descrlp-
fion of craft: the rebels had fortified Roanoke
Island. erected batteries at many points, and
done MANY things which made necessary the
formidable preparations by our navy. The prep
arations by the army branch of the expedition
were not less formidable; and altogether 1t was
one OF the NEST noteworthy as well rs success
fu affairs in the whole course OF the war.
There was considerable unexpected delay at
Hatteras Inlet which gave me-guest as was
of Goldsboroush from first to last-ampie op-
portuuity to observe him, listen to variations
of his lifelong adventures on all seas ana IN
many interesting places on land, and at the
same time to study present operations from
both the army and navy point OF view.
NO HISTORY HAS RECORDED
never will record-the history. descriptions
and reflections contained in the conversations
of Commodore Godsborough and his COM
papiou of a lifetime, almost, Capt Case now
Admiral Case of whom one c9uld not say too
much as true gentleman and gallant ofhcer-
OF those nights On the flagship when the punch
bowl was flowing in ld-time fashion. III couid
not be otherwise for Go.dsborough and Case
had sailed the seas before Capt. .Wilkes's famous
South Sea expedition-some OF the fruits OF
which are preserved in the renowned Botanl-
cal Gardens in Washington and elsewhere, be-
sides the information by which the world has
profited. / could easily run into diSresslon
ut this point, but what l coald write would
scarcely belong to the war reading whlch IS
more particularly intended, and 1t might not
be as interesting to the readers now as 1t was
10 me then.
i promised when began these sketches that
they should be OF actors rather than historical
narrative; therefore / will only refer to the
entrance Of this expedition into the waters OF
the
NORTH CAROLINA SOUNDS
when all was ready. In all there could have
been not much if any less than 200 sails, count
ing the crafts Of every kind. Nowonder thatth
old sea dogs blood bounded through his veins.
particularly when Lynchs feet was discovered
in the distance, the rebel batteries seen dot
ting the shores at different points, with the
fact that the rebel army under Wise, occupied
Roanoke Island. An incident is recalled. We
had TO RELY on the native Carolinians for
pilots through some rather difficult passages.
The Commodore very well knew how easy it
would be for these pilots, whose loyalty might
be doubtful. to make mistake that " ould De
fatal at decisive moment. Capt. Case realized
this He was the Executive Officer OF the heet,
and intended that no such accident should hap
pen Furthermore be thought at a moment
that be discovered that there was liability of
something of this kind. He had been watch
ing the North Carolina pilot on the flagship for
some time,-the ship which all the others of
the 1eet were tolloWlngi
AS BEAUTIFUL SIGHT
on that Spring morning as was ever beheld, and
his suspicious were awakened by what he saw.
Going quickly into the wheeihouse, Case said to
the North Carolinian: "You make single mis-
take here and you viii never make another" at
the same time presenting navy pistol so near
to the man's head that any doubt Of Capt.
Cases words and intentions would be impossi-
bs.
The feet was now on fighting ground. 1t
was the moment for Goldsborough to display
his fuss snd feathers" if ever, something
which had been predicted of him sooner or
later 1t came from the peak of the flagship.
A signal was displayed to the feet. which, on
being translated, read: "The country expects
euerg man to do his duty" 1t was well enough
but could not our old Commodore ind some
thing more original, at the same time quite as
inspiring; such as, for instance as one of the
fighting Captains afterwards said: Now, boys,
go in and clean them out!" That was what
our Commodore meant as he himself remarked
to me afterwards There is sort of doubt
about it. Every man did his duty, as he would
have done, signal or no signal, and in the end
there was nothing left of Lynch's fleet on water
or wise's army on land. 1t took two or three
days to complete the job, and there were many
incidents meantime, only few of which will
stop TO refer to.
The Commodore had been fighting his ship
the fiagsbip-right gailsntly ali day. and ifsuch
a thing had been possible
FORT BAERow WOULD HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.
But the was many times demonstrated that it
was NO easy thing to silence and destroy sand
battery on Shore with bombproofs to which the
eunners could retreat and emerge from only SO
often as was necessary TO keep firing going.
Fort Barrow had most of Its guns dismounted,
but those that were not persisted in showing
life in provoking way. / viii say that Colds
borough, when be was proyoked-that is, when
ever he was mad-was explosive, and it was
hard to say when visited the flagship which
exploded most, the Commodore Or Fort Barrow's
guns IioId him, in explanation of my violating
lis directions to stay on the hospital ship as
the best place for seeing everything. that fcould
not longer refrain from coming aboard to con-
erstulate him on the way his ship was fought,
xnd so on and SO on; which placed the fight
ing old Commodore in the best of humor, not
witbstanding had disregsrded his injunctions.
Fighting" exclaimed he; 81 should say
there was some going on!" And then he ex-
planned everything. The fagship's battery
was tremendeus-four 200-pound PARROTS and
some smaller guns The ship itself was one of
the broad horns" as they were called. selected
from the New York and Staten Island ferry
boat line. Nothing else afoat of equal draft
would support such batteries While the upper
works were light stuff, her frame was almost
solid timber The Commodore had complaint
which required him
TO DRINK GIN PLEyTIFULLY,
xnd On that day the complaint, it weud seem,
was rather worse than usual. At any rate,
considerable quantity of gin had been con-
sumed, and the old Commodore showed il
trife. The upper works of the ship were bored
In many places by Fort Barrow's shots-the
forte guns being, some of them, 9-inch and
well served The Commodore insisted on my
climbing with him to the upper deck.
There, see what the fellows have been MP
to- said he. pointing to the ugly holes in the
light wood work. And, - them, they had
the bad manners to put q 9-inch shell through
there, the very place where / was standing not
half minute before!" i drew his humor by
remarzing that it was the very place to stand
henceforth while the firing was going on for
@no two shots ever went through the same
hole"
What was not destroyed OF Lynch's feet took
refuge in Elizabeth City, land locked place
where Goldsborough determined they should
be pursued. Capt Rowan, afterward renowned
as the commander of the New Ironsides and
specially rewarded by Congress by the title of
-vice-Admira.. was selected for the duty Colds
borough's only order WAS in person: "Select
your gunboats; pursue Lynch to wherever he
can be found, and
DESTROY HIM! DESTROY HIM!"
Rowan was the very man for the work, and
OFF in the saortest time Eiizaheth City