The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-27

The Story of the Battle on Galveston in
January. 1868.

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The Story of the Battle OF Galveston in
January. 1868.
From the Galveston Tribune
The death of John Laird, and the
mention of his name in connection with
the construction of the Confederate
man-of-war Alabama, recalls an Incl
dent in the career of that vessel. which
occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, few
miles south of Galveston, on Sunday
evening, January IL, 1868. There We're
a large number of Federal men-of-war
at anchor off the bar at the time the
Alabama was sighted, short time before
sunset and the side-wheel man-of-war
Hateras was dispatched in pursuit of
the strange craft, little thinking 1t
would prove to be the enemy above all
on the sea the United States govern
ment would have given millions to cap
ture or destroy. The engagement be-
tween the two vessels is thus graphic
ally described by Captain Semmes In
his book, entitled Service Af1oat and
Ashore
THE Alabama was still under sail,
though, of course, being so near the
enemy, the water still warm in the boil
ders, and in condition to give us steam
in ten minutes. To carry out my de-
sign of decoying the enemy, / now wore
suit. This no doubt encouraged him,
though 1t would seem that the captain
of the pursuing ship pretty soon began
to smell a rat, as the reader will see by
his report of the engagement. l now
lowered my propeller. still holding on
to my sails, however, and gave the ship
a small head OF steam to prevent the
stranger from overhauling US too rap
idly. We We're still too close TO the fleet
to think of engaging him. i thus de-
coyed him on little. by little: now turn
ing my propeller over slowly and now
stopping it altogether. In the mean
time night set in before we could get
distinct view of our pursuer She was
evidently large steamer, but We knew
from her build and rig that she be-
longed neither to the same class of lido
steam frigates. nor that OF the new
sloops, and we were quite willing to
try our strength with any of the other
class.
AT length when I judged 1 had
drawn the stranger out about 20 miles
from his fleet, / furled my sails, beat
my quarters, prepared my ship for ac
ton and wheeled to meet him. The
two ships approached each other rap
idly. AS we came within speaking dis
lance we simultaneously stopped our
engines, the ships being about 100
yards apart. The enemy was the first
to hail.
What ship is 11at?' cried he.
" This is her Britannia Majestys
steamer Petree, we replied.
We now hailed in turn and demand
ed to know who he was. The reply not
coming to US very distinctly, we re-
peated the question, when we heard
his words:
This is the United States ship -
the name of the vessel being lost to us
But we heard enough. All that we
wanted to know was that the stranger
was United States ship, and, there
fore our enemy. A pause now ensued-
rather awkward silence, as the reader
may suppose. Presently the stranger
hailed again, and said:
:" If you please. l will send a boat
alongside of YOU
His object, of course, was either to
verify or discredit the answer we had
given him that we We're one of her Bri-
fannie Majestys cruisers. We replied:
Certainly. We will be happy to
receive your boat and we heard a
DoatsWains mate call away a boat, and
could hear the creaking of the tackles
as she was being lowered into the wa
ter
Things We're now come to a crisis
and it being useless to delay our en-
gagement any longer, | turned to my
first lieutenant and said: I suppose
you are ali Teduy LOT dcIiDn. w e d4e,
he replied, the men are eager to begin
and are only waiting for the word. /
then said: Tell the enemy who we are
for we must not strike him in disguise
and when you have done so, give him
the broadside' Kell now sang out in
his powerful clarion voice, through his
trumpet: We are the Confederate
States steamer Alabama, and turning
TO his crew, who We're all standing at
their gunners-the gunners with their
sights on. the enemy and lock strings
in hand-gave the order: 'Fireu Away
went the broadside in an instant. our
little ship feeling perceptibly the re-
coil OF her guns. The night was clear
There was no moon, but sufficient star
light to enable the two ships to see each
other plainly at the distance of half a
mile, or more, and state of the atr1os-
phere highly favorable to the conduc-
tion of sound. The wind, besides, was
blowing in the direction of the enemy's
fleet. As matter of course, our guns
awakened the echoes or the coast far
and near, announcing very distinctly to
the Federal admral-Bell- a Southern
man who had gone over to the enemy,
that the ship he had sent out to chase
the strange sail had a fight on hand
He Immediately. as we afterwards
learned. got under way with the Brook
lyn. his flagship, and two others, and
came out TO the rescue"
Our broadside was returned instant
ly; the enemy, like ourselves, having
been on his guard, with his men stand
ing at their guns. The two ships when
the action commenced had swerved in
such a way that they We're now headed
in the same direction, the Alabama
fighting her starboard broadside, and
her antagonist her port broadside Each
ship as she delivered her broadsides,
put herself under steam, and the action
became running fight in parallel lines.
or nearly so. the ships now nearing and
now separating little from each other.
My men handled their guns with great
spirit and commendable GOODNESS and
the action was sharp and exciting while
1t lasted, which, however, was not very
long, for in just ID minutes after firing
the first gun the enemy hoisted light
and fired an off gun, as a signal that
he had been beaten. We at once with
held our fire, and such a cheer went up
from the brazen throats of my fellows
as must have astonfshed even Texan