Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-07-13
OLD NAVAL HERO.
Decatur Joy Fought with Farragut
and Dewey.
From the Bangor Commercially

Decatur Joy wouldn't be taken for
naval hero to-day. He is quiet farmer of
sixty eight summers who lives alone in
little cottage near the shore on the road
to Lamoine. Yet Decatur Joy knows
what it is to be under fire, and when the
boys tell him about the manner in which
Uncle Sans gunners are knocking day
light through the Spanish Notifications in
Cuba, he knows just what 1t looks like
and he is not at all surprised. In fact, he
would have told anyone who spoke of it to
him months before it happened that that
was just what Uncle Sans gunners were
bound to do.
Mr.. joys parents didn't give him the
glorious name of Decatur for nothing, and
when Sumter fell he followed the exam
pie of his immortal namesake. He left
the farm and the sloop that was moored at
the edge of the farm, and enlisted in the
navy. That was early in 81. Immedi
ately after his enlistment in Washington,
Mr.. Joy was assigned to the ship slack
son" and was soon confronting the south
ern forts on the Mississippi.
In few months he was promoted to the
position of sailing master on the "Jack-
SON., where his knowledge of navigation
and his cool judgment and bravery won
for him honorable mention, and soon after
he was transferred to the ''Mississippi'' to
act as sailing master of that ship. He was
shortly after made executive officer of the
ship.
This was in Admiral Farragut's squad
ron and the great admiral and Executive
Officer Joy exchanged salutations on sew
eraI occasions. Mr.. joys admiration for
Farragut is, like all others who served
under him, simply unbounded. The
"Mississippi' was in the fleet before
Vicksburg, and he says the torture of the
long delay awaiting the order to attack
was almost unbearable. With the mem
DRY of that suspense still with him, Mr..
Joy cannot find words strong enough to
express his regard for the men of Samp-
sons fleet held in similar suspense so
long before the Cuban forts.
They'll get at them forts YETI said Mr..
Joy sand when the boys do get into it you
can bet your last red cent against neck
lace of broken jewsharps that sonnet hing's
going to fly, and when it lights it won't
bear the slightest resemb lance to Span
ish fertilization on Cuban soil.
Ibid you see how Dewey did it? Where
do you suppose he learned how? | knew
Dewey when we We're both with Farragut
Didn't see much of him, but l don't care
who it is, man simply couldn't live near
|
glory in fight, straight out from the
shoulder knock 'em outright. If the old
mans spirit was anywhere near Manila
that morning I'll bet it just climbed into
the shrouds and shrieked with joy over
what his boy Dewey was doing"
Mr.. Joy has no patience with croakers
nor with those who find fault with the
Quoted 1T was just so in the sixties,
he says. ''Every damn fool knew just
what was going to happen next, but il
never did happen the way they thought
, they knew it would. They used to say
when we were before Vicksburg you'll
never get it. Vicksburg'll get away from
ye', but | noticed that when Grant came
down there year after, when the furry
over McClellan's campaign was past
Vicksburg was there and she was ours
Manila'll be there and so will Dewey, Goo
, bless him, when our troops get there, ane
the Philippines will be Uncle Sans TO
keeps. See if tain so.
, 'sTo shucks with Monroe doctrine,
says Mr.. Joy. "War's war. What comes
q through war is wars price, and it's fair bar
, gaining. If Spain didn't want to lose he
colonies, she'd ought to had brains enough
not to invite Farragut's pupils into tus
sic. She's put her foot in it now ant
what's ours is ours, Monroe doctrine OF
any other doctrine to the contrary not
withstanding."
Mr.. joys great sorrow is that his ag
, fcrhids him enlisting to fight the Span
, iards, not that he thinks there is deartl
of good men, but the old war spirit sweep
over him unconsciously.