Evening journal., 1897-11-23

OF the Navy Department during the |
dark days of tn revolution. In 17i5,
when but 35 years old, this talented |
man. Commodore Read, was made CON-
modore of the Pennsylvania navy.
With his ships he kept the British out
Of the Delaware bay and river. His
personal magnetism was so great that
on one occasion four captains volun-
teerd to serve under him as seamen be-
fore the mast. In 1776 he was appoint
ed to the highest grade attainable in
the Continental navy, and placed in
command Of one of the four largest
ships in the service. While his ship
was still on the stocks he could not rest
inactive and he and his officers volun-
teered for land service and joined.
Washington's forces. They rendered in
calculable service in the celebrated
crossing Of the Delaware. At Trenton
the commodore commanded a battery
Of guns which had been taken from his
own frigate and, for his valuable SER
vices, was accorded the thanks of the
general officers. At the conclusion of
his naval and military service he enter
ed the merchant service, and, in the
course Of his voyage, discovered the
Caroline islands, one Of which still
bears the name of his ship A biogra-
pher, in speaking Of him, says:
while integrity, benevolence, pa
triotism and courage, united with the
most gentle manners, are respected and
admired among men, the name Of this
valuable citizen and soldier will be re-
vered and beloved. He was, in the
noblest import Of the word, a man"
One Of the fathers of the American
Navy was Colonel James Read, bro
ther of the commodore. In addition to
his valuable services in the Navy De-
partment he fought as soldier az
Trenton, Princeton and Germantown.
In 177S he was appointed one of three
commissioners Of the navy for the Mid
die States, and later was invested with
full power to conduct the Navy Board
subsequently becoming the virtual
head Of the marine department.
While in Sweden the queen was so inn
pressed with his character and attain
ments that she made him knight of
the order of the Amaranth.
Nor will it do to overlook Captain
: James Montgomery, who sailed his lit
tie craft out of the Christiana and cap
p tured three valuable British prizes
! which were making their way up the
Delaware river under escort. Captain
Thomas Geddes and his sloop-ofwar
! Patapsco made their influence felt in
q the struggle for independence. While
| other Delaware men were fighting cn
. the seas, Caesar Rodney and Thomas
n Rodney were officiating in the capacity
h of judges of the Admiralty Court
q We might mention other Della
wareans who did signal service in The
f war of the revolution, but we must pass
n on to the second struggle with Grea
II Britain, which began In 1912 and laste'
p three years In this contest for the es
n tablishment OF the rights of the Unite'
~ States as a nation and OF Americans a.
4 individuals, one OF the first men to Civ
= up life was Lieutenant William S
W | huoAls NlAOct UAhON Agtu Nnt uHNhn u
" the old frigate Constitution. Had h
- survived, his bravery and private vir
10 tues would undoubtedly have elevate
n him to high rank in the naval servic
= of the nation.
m The names Of the sloop-of-@ar WasI
IA and Captain Jacob Jones, her Delawar
commander, are always coupled b
20 readers of history The brave manne
% in which he snatched victory from dc
nj feat in the encounter with the .Britis
m warship FrOlic, occasioned the create:
w oxultation in America, even thong
"a both victor and vanquished were sui
Of seQuently captured by the powerfl
la British sloop-of-war Poictiers an
10 taken to the Bermudas. Upon his e,
he change and return Captain Jones WI
nd received with demonstrations Of mil
.at gled gratitude and admiration. He WI
NJ entertained in various cities, the Del
be ware Legislature voted him the thanl
av Of the people, and presented to him
an sword; New York gave him the fire
70 dom of the city, while Congress, in a
ar dition to voting $4,000 to the capita
en- and his crew, in lieu of the prize mon
IN they would have received had tn
Ter brought the Frolic into port, gave
,es gold medal to the captain and a silv
,er one to each of his officers. What mo
.cb could Delaware and the nation do for
,er brave Delawarean?
pie But the brightest Delaware star th
to- arose during the war of 1912 W
md Thomas McDonough. He served agair
hat Tripoli under Commander Preble a
ou- passed from that eminent naval OIL,
ere to Commodore Decatur in 1904. In Is
leir he was made master commander. a
and these successive steps led to his beco
rar. ing the hero of Lake Champla
GU Placed in command Of a hotilla
Pittsburg bay a tributary of the la
VII he won a signal victory over the 81
has ish invaders. With but fourteen vess'
oa rrtsf~r~ ,frI,frr "a rrrrpo und ID opr,, p