The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-03
ADMIRAL JOUETT.
brilliant Exploit in 1S61-His Intro
ductiOn to the Navy.


New York Tribune.
60 back, towards! Go back and tell
your shipmates that you deserted your
this vessel out alone" called Gunner Car
ter to the thoroughly demoralized men on
the launch. who rowed rapidly away from
which their commander. Lieutenant Jouett,
had captured, leaving. him and the gunner
Lieutenant Jouett, with two launches and
forty men under his command set
armed steamer General Rusk and the
armed schooner Royal Yacht lying in Gal
weston harbor 1t was q volunteer serv-
ice, prompted by the condition of the men,
who were restless and anxious to be in
action. Lieutenant Jouett had intended to
he was attempting to avoid the sentinel
on Pelican Fort the boats grounded and
were discovered. = the darkness the
taking the other for the enemy, fired upon
Under these conditions it was deemed in
advisable to encounter so large a vessel as
the General Rusk Lieutenant Jouett ac-
cordingly turned his attention to the Royal
Yacht, which he boarded and captured.
While he was in the cabin, endeavoring to
force the crew, who had found refuge there,
panic-stricken and started to desert. They
had rowed some distance from the schooner
when recalled to their senses by. Gunner
Carter. Lieutenant Jouett, after spiking the
guns of the Royal Yacht, burned her and
made her officers and. crew prisoners. In
from &. pike, which made him an invalid for
several months.
received high commentator and a promise
of speedy promotion
Admiral Jouett, now retired, the hero of
the capture of the Royal Yacht, answers
more than any other officer in the service
to the conventional idea of 1.-THE old sea
dog of romance. He, is big man. with a
bluff, hearty way about him, cordial in
manner, responsive, sympathetic and pos
sesaed Of t fund OF good hmor that bn
he comes in contact. He entered the navy
at an opportune time to distinguish himself
and his early training eminently fitted him
for the conspicuous part he subsequently
played in the civil war. There has been
nothing of the commonplace in his career
since he was appointed a midshipman in
1S4l at the age of fifteen.
brilliant regulations, Admiral Jouett had
in his youth no passion for the sea. He
thought, in fact, little about it. and owes
his appointment to an accident. Mrs. John
j. Crittenden the wife of the senior Sena-
tor from Kentucky, had promised to pro-
Charles. who also made. a brilliant record
during the civil war, and was killed at the
head of his regiment Mrs. Crittenden,
which of the ,Jouett boys had asked for
the appointment and as she believed James
to be about the proper age gave his name.
Through the lapse of memory the future
admiral entered the navy He was as
signed at once to the old independence and
until he walked across her gangplank had
never seen a man-of-war.
Il was SoclaDie yOungSter, says Ad-
mira1 Jouett, land when 1 saw the Stars
and Stripes floating over the old indie
pendence, / remembered my mother had
taught me that my first duty was to my
flag. On this line l attempted some con-
versation with the executive officer, who
had received me when / came on board
and who was strict disciplinarian
Silence, SIR he roared, his face red with
anger. Silence. sir Who gave you permis-
sion to speak? Let me hear only six words
from you, sir, while you are on this ship:
Port, starboard yes, sir, and no. sir, ;
and this was my first discipline in the
navy"