Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-16

q a HEN I WAS HERE
w !: !: :. !: :: :: ::
~ Fayal He confided to
kI&0E(AA me that the principal
| fEHxxsMAA NN@ object Of his visit was
7 lG s. to take possession, in
NJ the name Of the United
States government, Of
A[ "Long fom," the
famous gun Of the
privateer General Arm
strong. This is perhaps unique relic Of the
war of 1872 The gallant fight Of the American
privateer with whole British feet has been q
perennial subject Of sel-consratulation on the
part Of patriotic Americans for nearly three
quarters of century. OF late interest has been
reavakened by James Jeffrey Roche's rsttling
ballad, 1.-THE Fight Of the Armstrong Priyateer, {"
and the story BY John Heard, IT,, which have
Harper's respectively. On his return Minister
| Batcheller kindly furnished me with the details
Of his agreeable task, with permission to pub
lish them. 1t will do no harm to recall once
again the patriotic story.
THE STORY or THE FIGHT.
In the yesr 1914 the English admiral Lloyd
was on his way to Jamaica, where he was to
Join Admiral Cochrane and take part in the ex-
petition against New Orleans His squadron,
consisting of the ship-of- the-line, Plantagene
seventy-four guns; the frigate Rota, forty -four
guns. and the brig Carnation, eighteen guns,
! stopped in the harbor Of Fayal for water and
provisions. There was another vessel in the
harbor at the time. It was the American pri-
vateer Gen. Armstrong, carrying seven guns
The harbor Of Fayal was neutral ground. But
Seize the pirate where she Hes!" cried the English
1T tss prossc. her, al. tn. wer..,or ror.
The Armstrong was first attacked by four
launches and repulsed them with great
slaughter. She was then attacked by fourteen
launches and, after q fierce struggle, these were
also driven back. Next the American privateer
with her seven guns, only one Of which-this
was obliged to fight the brig Carnation,
an hour.
Then the Armstrong. looking seaward. Aw the mighty
With her triple tier of cannon drawing slowly to the
And the a.untless captain said Take our wounded
Bear them tendery to land for the Armstrong; DAYS
But no ice shall tread her deck and no gag above it
To the ship tina. saved our honor we will give ship
So they ala e h. commanded and they bore their
With FL asuresesd of Armstrong and the good sword
Then n thsy turned the Long Tom downward andthey
And they cheered her, they blessed her. and they
sunk her in the tide.
ITS EFFECT ON THE RESULT OF THE WAR.
They reached the shore and intrenched them
selves in . convent few miles inland, where
another stubborn fight was begun, until the
English admiral saw how absurd 1t was that he
should have crippled and delayed his feet
which was SO anxiously expected at Jamaica to
concert against New Orleans. So he sailed
away; but the British armament did not arrive
| before New Orleans until four DAYS after Gen.
Jackson had arrived there himself In this
way tho fight of the Armstrong had a material
effect upon the outcome of the war Of 1812-the
more remarkable as the fght can scarcely be
said to have been made by those stubborn
American privateersmen with any such end in
view
The remains Of the Armstrong privateer still
repose at the bottom Of the harbor of Horta,
but the Long Tom. the forty-two-pounder
which did such execution, was long ago brought
| up by the Portuguese and mounted in the Fort
| OF the Castle of Santa Cruz at Fayal. This has
long been known by American travellers and
| others.
| EFFORTS TO OBTAIN THE GUN.
1t appears that a son Of old Capt. Tom Reed
Of the Armstrong has petitioned our Presidents,
one after the other, for many years past to take
action toward the return of this historic gun
to the United States, but nothing had ever been
| done until Col Reed visited Portugal and Fayal
in 1890-91, and made personal efforts to inter-
| est our then minister and to induce the Portu-
guese government to give up the cannon, and
even these efforts were without success. Then
| he petitiOned President Harrison as he had pc
titioned his predecessors. The President re-
ferred his petition to the State Department,
where it slept.
When Minister Batcheller was in Washington
last November Col Reed called on him and SO
interested him in the history Of the gun that
the minister told the State Department that he
| would undertake to secure its restoration to
the United States if he were given permission.
Shortly afterward Minister Batcheller received
q note from Secretary Blaine to ''use his good
| Offices" Of course unoficialy.
THE LONG TOM GIVEN UP.
On his return to Portugal Minister Batcheller
mentioned the subject to the king Dom Carlos
L. when he first called to pay his respects. The
king at once showed himself interested Gu
riously enough, he already knew something Of
this long-pas violation Of the neutral waters Of
Horta, and he was aware Of the existence Of
"Long Tom" in the castle Of Santa Cruz. He
assured Minister Batcheller that it would give
him pleasure to restore it to the United States
The minister had, Of course, set forth its value
to US an historical relic, and that, especially
at this epoch IN OUT history, it would be pecu-
liarly acceptable to us. formal correspond
ence with the Portuguese minister Of foreign
affairs followed, the identity Of the gun was
settled, and the governmentp placed ''Long Tom"
ct our minister's disposition. The Navy De-
partment was informed and promised TO send a
war vessel after the gun at as early date Is
practicable.
On the 12th of last month in the presence Of
the military governor of the Western Azores
and the governor Of the Castle Of Santa Cruz,
Minister Batcheller received formal possession
Of Long Tom. He weighs about six tons, and
was mounted on an old wooden carriage. He
had held conspicuous and commanding post
In the castle-the largest piece of ordnance
there-since 1910. At that time the military
authorities when cleaning out the harbor Of
Horta, rescued him from the waters, where he
had lain since the memorable night OF the 27th
OF September, 1914.
The gun was at once dismantled and placed
upon sledge prepared for the purpose and
drawn BY four yoke of cattle out through the
inner sally port Of the castle along the streets
to the premises Of the United States consulate
There II now rests in the possession Of United
States government authority, awaiting the adj
vent OF Q United States war vessel to take Il
home. This is all. when the naughty
stranger boasts"-