The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-08-10
HARD TIMES.
How Battery NJ, 9th Q. S. Art, went to Dry
Tortugas.

ment, and that settled 1t.
Ay! but any man who served in the army
knows how We felt when this order came Il
dismount Battery NJ, 9Th U. S. Art, ant
equip the men with guns and side-arms
We were in the service since beginning Of
the war, and most of the men had veter
anized We were with the Sixth Corps on
many occasions; especially was this Sc
at Cedar Creek, Oct 10, 1864 where our bat
terry was fearfully cut up. 1.-The Can
noneer" can vOuch for this. He was one o.
the boys. The battery was sent to Camp
Berry at Washington, and we were finally
dismounted and furnished with rifles, made
do duty around Washington, until one nice
day we were ordered to New York. Here
we were sent on board the North Star, a
new boat of the Star Line of steamers.
Oar destination, we learned later, was
Dry Tortugas. Oh, the lovely prospect
right from over three years hard marching
and hardship, to 90 to this out-ot- the-way
rip-rap and guard political prisoners. In my
own case / went to the then commanding
officer of Battery M, First Lieut. Knapp,
laying my claim for discharge before him.
You may see for yourself how much l was
entitled by the following
In November, 1862, an order from the War
Department read as follows: Ten men of
each volunteer company may enlist in the
! Regular Army, the time served in the
volunteer service to be deducted from the
three years"
l was at the time in the Lost Children, a
! Zouave regiment, lying in front of York
town. There were, besides myself, my
| brother and four Swiss boys who went along
inside the fort and enlisted in Battery NJ.
Our ignorance of the English language
| was here opnarant in not iucIudinO aur al Y
months service in the remaining three years
! enlistment, whereby we would have been
| discharged in June, 1864, in front of Peters
| burg, and we could have veteranized with a
! gOOdly bounty; whereof we now were de-
| barred, and our time was not up until No
yember. So you may see how unfairly our
| ignorance was taken advantage of.
Of the six to enlist in the battery there
were now only three remaining. In the
name of the three boys and myself asked
Lieut.. Knapp for our discharge before leav-
ing New York, as we only had some II or ID
days to serve, and it would not be worth
while TO carry us all the way down to Dry
TOrtugas only to be discharged on the way
OF on our arrival there. But no. Lieut..
Knapp probably thought he could retain
our services for another enlistment, and of
course he, doing his duty in the interest of
the Government was not to blame for re-
fusing our demand.
On the afternoon of Oct 10, 1864, we
passed by our Headquarters, the band play
ing on the ramparts at Fort Richmond for
our benefit.
There were three batteries, or rather what
had been batteries, but now acted as heavy
artillery, on board. l am not sure of the
other two. but / believe they were Batteries d
I An hnu
as a marriage bell at first.
On the morning of Oct. 81, when off Cape
Hatteras, storm blew up which lasted for
three days, and which did more damage to
shipping than was known for years.
Our steamer was new and not very
cranky" still, like all sidewheel steamers,
fearful roller while lying to in the trough
of the sea.
had been sailor previous TO my COM
ing to America, so did not care a picayune
how much it blew or how much the vessel
rolled. l had made my headquarters in lee
of the first cabin, on deck. The rest of the
poor lads were chopped up and down in the
fore hold, and it was no pleasant place.
What with the matches battoned down there
was very scant ventilation and light down
there amongst nearly 100 men, all sea sick.
1t was fearful-the swearing raving, and,
yes, little, very little, praying going on.
On the morning of the 22d the storm
grew in ferceness and our smokestack was
wrecked, and we had lively time to secure
the monster, and before it was done two of
the crew lost their lives, and an hour later
the Second Mate was knocked overheard by
the stack breaking its moorings.
Finally, toward evening the blamed thing
broke its moorings again, and big roller
+l,a IL IL
wrecked our starboard wheel before we could
cut loose from the monster, who in the last
flop dug big hole in the ships planking,
and we commenced leaking at a fearful rate
With the sniokestack gone clear at the deck
we could not carry steam, as we had to cover
up the opening of the stack, which other
wise would have swamped us; our hand
pumps were manned, but it was hard work,
and we knew soon that the water was gain
ing on US. 1t was fearful night
On the morning Of the 23d it was found,
on sounding the well, that the water could
not be stopped by hand pumping. 1t was
steadily gaming, and the Engineer told us
we were leaking al the rate of 5000 gallons
per minute; that if no other remedy than
the pumps were used we would finally
founder. He advised the throwing over
board Of all freight, and we succeeded in
throwing overheard some three or four hun
dred tons Of freight, which brought the leak
up out of the water, with only the washings
of the sea to overcome, and that was no
small item; but we finally got the upper
hand. The storm having partially broke we
removed the covering from over the smoke
stack, and a small force of steam was gotten
up, the steam-pumps finally got in their
work, and with our one wheel, the port one,
going against helm hard aport, we made
Roadway like crab.
Toward evening on the Odd tugboat
sighted US, hitched on, and finally landed us
in Norfolk at 10 a. M. Oct. "a, 1865, the most
God-forlorn subjects you could put your
eyes on.
BY the time she was tied up at Norfolk
wharf our men and officers, and few civil
ian passengers, gradually made their APP
pearance. sorry lot they wcre-pale,
emaciated, unwasbed, unshaven, with big,
sleepy eyes and disarranged apparel.
Now, my and my two Swiss friends time
of service was up on the Cd of November.
Another Star steamer was sent for per teIe-
graph to come and receive us, and try to land
us on Dry Tortugas.
/ was not willing because of few days
more to undergo any more such experience
where it was against all reason. We only
had six days more to serve.
/ went aft and had an interview with