Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-21

fault courteous and kind. His brother Off
GERS loved him. the blue jackets trusted
him. Never in the history of the navy was
an officer more revered than Fighting
} re-. Always considerable, and democratic
in his manner; Justice" was his watch
word. He was a yarn spinner par excel
lence, a great attraction among naval Off
GERS.
Only an American.
Volumes might be written on his ex-
PLOTS, and the Incidents in which he fig
ured most prominently. An incident illus
trating his strong pride Of nationality &C.
Cured in his youth, during the cruise in
the frigate st. Lawrence. at the time of the
worlds fair at London. He was a typical
American, and proud of little Indian
blood in his veins. Attending off ally a
banquet given by the mayor and city of
al hearing. one after another, American
officers telling, in the usual after-dinner
speeches, how proud they We're of their
English ancestry. and vyng with each
other to show how little really American
blood was in their veins Rising. in his
turn. Midshipman Fyffe said, almost tear
iuly' II feel very lonesome among all
these Englshmen." waving his hand to-
drop of English blood in my veins. You
must all excuse me and bear with me.
am only an Americana" and here his voice
rang out, but I thank God that l am, and
ludI my ancestors owned America before
Columbus or the Christian era"
A perfect storm of Heart Heart ran
down the tables, Engishmen knowing valor
then, as now. when they hear it in words
or see it in deeds.
Rear Admiral Fyffe was born in JTrbaoa
Ohio, July 20, 1882, and was appointed to
the navy from Ohio September o, 1911 He
was almost Immediately ordered to SER
vice on the Cumberland, and on reaching
the Gulf of Mexico was transferred to the
bomb brig StrOmDO1i in which ba
saw much active service in the Mexican
war. HIS next duty was off the coast of
Africa in the Yorktown. This vessel was
wrecked one of the Cape de Verde
duct was highly commended.
Alter one years return to the Naval
Academy and promotion to the grade of
passed midshipnan, he volunteered for, and
was ordered to, the Grinnell arctic expedi-
ton, sent, under Lieut.. Hartstene, in
search Of Sir John Franklin and Dr. Kane,
the latter being rescued and brought home
For lis services in this expedition Lieut.
land with the medal Of the Arctic Order
of Victoria
Succeeding cruises, ranging over all the
worlds waters. in the San Jacinto," the
caster" and the "Germantown," brought
him to the flagship Minnesota" in the
early part of the civil war. Here he ex-
perienced two years of very active serv-
Ice, during which time he took prominent
part in the destruction of the blockade
runner 'Hebe," near Fort Fisher, NJ c.,
in August, 1863. He also participated in the
destruction of the blockade runner RAN
GER, as well as in an enga cement with
infantry below Fort Casweil, January,
1864.
Personal Bravery.
marked instance Of his self-sacrifcing
devotion to duty and great GOODNESS and
courage occurred when with Rear Admiral
Lee IN one of the monitors up the James
river near Fort Darling. The admiral
from the coming tower ordered Lieut..
Fyffe to send a man outside to the top of
the coming tower to see whether the
enemy's rifle pits on shore were occupied
Fyffe went below. and instead of sending
a sailor to the exposed deck, slipped out
himself and mounted to the tower and
tegan to inform the admiral as to what he
saw on shore, which was within easy pis-
toll shot. The admiral told him to come
down. NO. said Fyffe; ANY man 1 send
up here may have wife. 1 have none
and can act freely" AS though filled with
admiration at his daring the confederate
and presented arms to him instead of
shooting linn, as they could easily have
done.
Lieutenant Fyffe commanded the double
ender gunboat "Hunchback'' from the win
ter of 1863 till after the close of the war.
seeing much service on the James river,
where his vessel was almost daily under
fire from confederate batteries and sharp
shooters.
In May, 1854. he engaged a force of con-
federate artillery above Cox's wharf. In
the next month he engaged confedera te
batteries near Deep Bottom; also batteries
at Curtis Neck, near Tilgmans wharf. On
January p, 1865, he engaged batteries and
two confederate iron-clad rams near Dutch
Gap. This he considered his greatest SER
vice during the war.
The war being ended, he had his first
shore duty at the Boston navy yard: then
sailed In the Oneida for China as executive
officer, followed by command of the Ashue-
lot, and this by the command of the moni-
tor Saugus. While commanding this YES
sci an incident is related by an eyewitness
illustrating Admiral Fyffe's iron determi-
nation and lightning-lke grasp of a dan
gerous situation.
In the summer of 1869 the Saugus was
proceeding to st. Iago de Cuba in tow of
the United States steamer Gettysburg. On
approaching the entrance to the harbor,
before heavy sea and strong current the
commander Of the Gettysburg, which was
in the lead, saw that the breakers on either
side Of the narrow entrance were exceed
ingly heavy, and that a strong current was
sweeping across the shoals. A motion of
the speaking trumpet called Capt Fyffe's
attention to the danger, and an answering