Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-05-27
/" LONG TOM.
HISTORY OF 4 FAMOUS AMERI-
CAN CANNON.
A Naval Gun Which Did Good Work
Against the British in 1S14-For
the Worlds Fair.

A Naval Gun Which DID Good Work
Against the British in IS1I-For
the Worlds Fair.
Long Tom arrived in New York
Tuesday in the Portuguese steamer Vega,
from Fayal. Long Tom has his
tory and a notable one, being indeed the
most famous gun in the world 1t was
used on the United States vessel General
Armstrong, in its battle with a British
fleet at Fayal in 1914, the Armstrong be
ing commanded by Capt Samuel Chester
Reid The old gun is intimately CON
nected with one of the most thrilling
encounters of the naval war with Great
Britain, in which American ships and
American seamen proved themselves the
best and bravest on the seas. 1t is also
the gun that is associated with the story
that has been told in prose and poem of
how capt. Reid finally scuttled his yes
sci by firing through her bottom with his
Long Tom which suggested this ex-
preston from the English commander;
IF this is theNkind of men the Yankees
aiNs bllS llOih tIliNtl
The guQ was lost from the private
schooner Armstrong in the battle of
Fayal, after n memorable battle with a
British squadron, and was recovered
afterward and mounted in the Castle of
San Juan, Fayal. Before Mr.. Blaine re
tired from the State Department he
learned that the King Of Portugal was
willing to present the gun to the United
States Government, and Gen. George S.
Bachelor, the American representative
at l. sbon, was instructed to present the
compliments of the United States to the
king, and say that his courtesy was ac-
cepted.
The gun, says the Tribune, is
not 42-pounder, as has been said
heretofore 10y some, but is "A FOUNDER,
the largest gun carried by the Arm
strong. She had nine guns in all, the
others being 9pounders, or, as they were
called, "long mines. The Long Tom"
was the largest and longest gun on the
vessel-hence its name, 1t was also the
best gun on the ship, and was mounted
on a pivot forward as bow chaser In
the war of 1912 number of vessels were
fitted out rs privateers, carrying the
American flag into every navigable water
on the globe, the purpose Of the priva-
teers being to destroy British commerce
wherever it could be found. These pri-
vateers were fleet, heavily-armed and
manned with courageous American tars
anxious to cross cutlasscs with the enemy
wherever found, and they did not hest
tate to give battle to ships of the line.
In fact the Yankees were "spoilug for
fight against John Bulls rank and
file, day and night. All they craved was
the opportunity. This was a time when
armored plating had not bf II made
before the steam engine was ,tel into
the warship, long before torpedos be.
came part of the ships armament,
and before revolving cannon were in.
vented
The Armstrong was commanded by
| the son of a Connecticut woman, tn,
only survivor of her family in Arnod'i
massacre at Groton, Ct, in 1881, and the
son was born with that spirit "VengeanoC
is mine, | will repay" Captain Reid
came from good fighting stock. 1t wa,
in September, 1874 that the Armstrong
put into Fayal for provisions. and soor
afterward British squadron of three YES
sels-the Plantagenet, "a guns; the Rota
3S guns and the Carnation, 10 guns
under Admiral Cochran, put into the
same harbor. When the British COM
mander caught sight of the Armstrong
he distributed his vessels to make escape
of the privateer an impossibility. Believ.
ing that the enemy intended to capture
his vessel, Capt Reid spread his nets
and prepared for action On the follow.
Ing morning all the boats of the British
squadron, fully armed and equipped,
| put out toward the American. Capt.
Reds warning to them were of no avail,
and when they approached dangerously
near he opened fire upon them and drove
them back. Then, expecting general
attack, Capt. Reid put his ship nearer
the shore The expected came at mid
night. and the fight was at close quarters
and fierce and bloody Three OF tho
enemy's boats were sunk.
ThcBritish 0utnumbered theAmericans
and they were more strongly equipped
and this gave them courage TO swarm
over the side of the American, swinging
their cutlasses in every direction and
crying mo quarter" The Americans
returned the cry, and shot the enemy
down with their pistols and prodded
them with their long pixies. The sides
of the vessel and the water were stained
with blood, and victory was with the
| Americans. The Fayal authorities warned
the British commander on the following
morning that hcstilities must lie discon-
tinued, bat the latter replied that he in.
tended 10 destroy the privateer and kill
her officers and crew If he Knocked down
the entire town. Capt Reid waited for
the final attack, bat he did not have 10
wait long. The three British vessels
with their 1870 guns and 1000 men.
against nine guns and ninety men, opened
fire, and when he found that further
effort would prove futile, Capt Reid
lowered boats. scuttlcd his ship and set
her on fire, and then pulled for the shore.
The British threatened 70 pursue the
Americans. but Capt. Reid seized stone
fortress and dared them 20 follow. They
didn't.
But the British vessels were 80 badly
damaged that they had 20 return 10 Eng
land for repairs. The story % the fight
is told in these lines by james JciIr y
Roche, recently publ he'd 90 the CHtaJy,
the ballad on Ffhc Fight Of the Arm.