The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-17
LED ON TO VICTORY.
BATTLE CRIES AND FAMOUS WORDS
OF UNCLE SANS HEROES.
In Great Sea and Land FightS-His-
torical Utterances That VIII Never
be FOrgOtten-Latest of II Long
Series

torlcnI Otterances That VIII Never |
BE FOrgOtten-Latest of Long
Series.
From the Washington Star.
Remember the Maine" Commodore |
schley's now famous signal of attack on |
the Spanish fleet, will undoubtedly become |
immortal In American history, and In the |
history Of the Engllsh-speaking peoples, In |
fact for. as an appeal to patriotism, 1t is !
as thrilling as was Nelson's battle cry at |
the Nile, England expects that every man
VIII do his duty"
During the 1872 years of our existence as |
nation the commodores, captains and
other officers of the navy have made
magnificent contribution of patriotic
phrases to our war literature As the terse
embodiment of popular sentiment in trying
situations and emergencies, they are not
surpassed by expressions of a like charac-
ter In any language.
: The sea fighters started in this line at the
Wery beginning of the revolution; in fact,
jbefore that tremendous struggle with the
mother country was begun. Capt. Whipple
of Providence, r. l., for instance, when no.
titled In 1775 by Sir James Wallace of the
British frigate Rose that he would be
strung up at the yardarm for having burn
ed his maJestys ship, the Gaspee, sent the
laconic reply to Sir James: Always catch
man before you hang him." The lion
hearted Whipple, who, in the preceding
war with France, in his privateer, the
Gamecock, had captured In single year
twenty-three French prizes, voiced in that
defiant answer the sentiments of all the
rebels in the colonies that catching them
was an essential preliminary to the hang
ing business.
Who first raised the American flag on a
ship is one of the disputed questions of
history. John Adams claimed the honor
for Capt John Manly, a New Highlander.
Paul Jones asserted that my (his) hand
first hoisted the American flag" He was
then lieutenant on the frigate Alfred.
There We're several American flags at the
time, and Paul Jones does not describe his
particular one. Some historians think 1t
was the pine tree and rattlesnale flag with
the motto, "An appeal to God; Don't tread
on me- Others assert hat it was flag
consisting of thirteen stripes, with the mot
to, Don't tread on me-" and a rattlesnake
stretched dagonally across them.
II have not yet begun to fight" was one
of Paul Jones' famous replies to British
captain with whom he had been fiercely
engaged for over an hour, and who desired
to know If he had surrendered. 1t was
not Jones who surrendered when the bat
tie came to an end. That was the cele-
brated engagement between the Scraps
and the Bonhomme Richard. The cap
tain of the Scraps having been knighted
for his gallantry on the occasion by
George III, Jones, when he heard of the
promotion. Enthusiastically remarked:
''Never mind: if meet him again I'll
make a lord of him."
The first commodore Of the young Amer
lean navy was Capt. John Barry In the
spring of 1881 he was hailed by British
ship on his way from Havana. To the in
quiry as to his identity he replied: THE
United States ship Alliance, Saucy Jack
Barry, half Irishman, half Yankee; who
are your
mot the value nor the command of the
whole British fleet could tempt me from
the American cause, was the heroic reply
OF Barry to Lord Howe, In 1776, when he
offered him 1900 guineas and commits
sion in the English navy to join the royal
cause. Equally heroic was the reply Of
the captive American sailor, Nathan
Coffin, when asked to enter the kings SER
vice: Hang me, If you will, to the yard
arm, but do not ask me to become a traitor
to my country"
Stephen Decatur was one Of the very
bravest men that ever walked the quarter
deck. His famous toast at public dinner
at Norfolk, Va, in 1876 Our country In
her intercourse with foreign nations may
she always be in the right: but our coun-
try, right or wrong" would, If he had
ever said or done anything else, have won
him immortality. The destruction by him
of the frigate Philadelphia in the harbor
of TripoH was declared by Lord Nelson
to be "the most bold and daring act Of
the age" Decatur was as generous as
he was brave. Il cannot" said he to
Capt. Garden of the Macedonian, as he
offered to surrender his sword, take the
sword Of a man who, has so bravely de
Tended his ship but Ill thank you for
that hat" This was in the 1872 war and
the reference to the hat was a reminder
of a bet between the two officers, made
previous to the outbreak of hostilities
in regard TO the fighting powers OF their
ships. At the first FIRE the Macedonian
lost her mzzenmast. Hearing a sailor re-
mark to one of his mates that they had
made a brig of her." Decatur added:
Take good aim, my lads, at the main
mast, and Wen make a sloop of her."
To the hail of a squadron of Algerine
pirates, while cruising in the Mediterra-
mean, Of Dove audteT' (where are you
gongTO Decatur from his, lone ship
answered back, Dove mi place" CWhere
4 please'0, and they let him go. Toward