The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1892-09-08

Of the yellow golden hue; Gushing also had
long golden hair, but it clung to the scalp
and neck. Gushing was not picturesque
In figure like Custer, although he pos
sessed strong individual peculiarities of
person. His height was feet 10 inches,
his form slender and his face grave and
thoughtful. His step and actions were
springy and quick, and with his prominent
| high cheek bones, his piercing eye and
restless habits he seemed to his associates
| like some spirited Indian in paleface guise.
Gushing was three years younger than
Custer and entered upon his dashing career
like a meteor coming out of obscurity. He
spent four years at the Naval academy and
| resigned on the eve of the war. He volun-
teered in May, 1861, and served as a petty
officer in the north Atlantic blockading
squadron until July, 1862, when a lieuten-
| ants straps were given him for acts of
bravery in his routine duties. Four months
later and just as he scored twenty years
he led his first expedition, gunboat raid
into New River inlet, North Carolina. His
vessel was the little wooden steamer Ellis,
fitted out as q gunboat. With that he
crossed the bar at high tide and entered a
narrow river wholly in possession Of active
enemies. Ten miles from the bar the Ellis
made landing; pickets and guards were
thrown out; the town Of Jacksonville seized,
with an important mail from Whining
ton-a port virtually open to the world by
| reason of skillful blockade runners con-
| stantly passing in and out-and two schoon-
| ers with a quantity of small arms were
| made prizes. The COnfederates speedily
| learned of the raid and attempted to cut off
| all escape by closing the river between
Jacksonville and the bar.
The Ellis dropped down stream with its
prize schooners, but night came on before
the bar was reached and the pilots refused
to go on. Gushing anchored the Ellis and
| prepared to fight. In the morning the
| enemy was sighted in position in the most
| dangerous pass of the river, and two can
non began to lombard the little feet.
Gushing hoisted his battlefag, ran in
| shore, and in an hours sharp action drove
| the Confederates from the bluffs and
passed within 100 yards of them. The ex-
| pedition was barely out of that danger
when the Ellis ran aground and couldn't
be lightened. Gushing sent the schooners
| down the river laden with the ammuni-
| tion and stores of the gunboat and accom-
| panied by all but six of his followers, and
with a crew of only half dozen pre-
| pared to defend his stranded ship. The
guns on the bluff and speedily disabled
the Ellis. Gushing then trained her guns
upon the Confederate battery, set her on
fire, and with his men pulled in an open
boat to the schoOners, a mile and half
away, with Confederate marksmen plying
shots from the bluffs at the tempting tar
get.
A few weeks after the affair in New
river Gushing crossed the bar Of Little
river with a force Of twenty-five men in
three cutters. The purpose was to capture
the pilots who served the blockade runners
| entering Wilmington. 1t was nighttime,
but the raid had been discovered, and after
passing mile or two up the river the flo-
tilla was fred upon from bluff. Beach
ing the boats, the crews were formed in
column, and at Cushing's command,
''Forward-double quick-chargeW they
rushed up the banks through strip of
wood to clearing lighted by campfres
and occupied by a small earthen fort.
With three cheers and a will the sailors
dashed upon the works, and the enemy ran
off into the darkness. The raiders marched
| up the river bank, encountering more
Confederates and expending all their am
munition fighting them off. They then
returned to the boats and escaped with the
Loco ~ hI+ iyof ha y,So lo;k