Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-06-02

on board, actlnS as escort " lhe ii"ii'
tor Monadnock, which was on its way
to California, where it now is.
Commodore Rodgers sent word 10
Capt Derram of the Shearwater. ask
ing if he would join him in preventing
the bombardment. The English com
mander replied that. having only one
ship, he hesitated to attack the Span
ish squadron. Rodgers then said:
"'Fire one gun against Spain ana
retire. With my monitor ana my
ship l will send those blasted Span
iards to the bottom
Rodgers himself told me this. 1t
was afterward rumored that the
British commander was dlsgraced tof
having done nothing toward defending
the great English interests in Nalpa-
raise At the end of April, 1866, the
Spanish squadron cast anchor SIX
miles from Callao at the head of Isle
Saint Lorenzo. On learning of the
hombardment of Valparaiso, Col.
Prado then President of Peru, or
dered the setting up of two iron-ciad
turrets belonging to a monitor which
had been brought in sections and had
not been put together. One turret was
placed at a short distance to the south
of the city. and called La MERGED. The
other was placed to the north and
called Santa Rosa. In each two Par
rott guns. 300 pounders We're mounted.
The army officers, from generals 10
the youngest lieutenants, and the stu
dents of universities and medical col
leges hunted up fifty old cannon of
various calibres. which had been dis
those as hest they
| could on the shore between the two
| turrets and in front of the cannon
placed sand bags as a protection
| against the cobblestones that formed
the beach, and which the balls Of tn"
enemy would convert into grape shot.
The officers themselves manned the
| guns No common soldier had a hand
| in that unequal struggle
The fifteen or twenty United
| States residents, mostly merchants.
eager to take part in defence of Ameri-
| can soil. got permission to use and man
another ParIott gun, a 500-pounder
| that was in the arsenal. This was
mounted on its carriage about fifty
yards south of the railroad depot.
| Commodore Rodgers. who happened to
| be there, assured me that he had diff
| Guilty in restraining his men. SO anX-
| ious were they to land and assist in the
| fight.
"When. on that famous May >, the
| people in Lima learned that TIL"
Spanish ships We're stripped for action
and that Callao was to be bombarded
! their courage and enthusiasm knew
no bounds Every able-hOdied person
wanted To hasten there to encounter
| the perfidious Spaniards. Those who
could nor find room in the railroad
cars walked to the port, nearly nine
miles off. Young women Of the best
| families sped to the scene Of action to
| encourage the combatants and at
| tend the wounded The Peruvian
4 priests also hurried to the coast, but
the Spanish friars in Lima stayed with
in their converts and cried to heaven
for the defeat of the people who gener-
ously sheltered them.
| so deep was the public Indignation
against that power which. in order TO
force gold from the Peruvians. debasa1
itself to the most coWardly deeds. that
| the officers and civilians did not evan
wait TO call upon the common soldiers,
but rushed headlong to the defence 0L
land and liberty. There was reserve
force of 2,on0 men. out Of sight. only a
few hundred PAGES from the shore.
provided with seventy-tive pieces Of
field artillery and ready To face the
Spaniards had these effected a land
ing. The 1000 soldiers were sheltered
behind the walls of fortress which
covered fifteen acres of ground. 1t
was built in 1115 and served as Gus
tom House and stOrerooms
"As | have said, the Monadnock ANA
Vanderbilt happened to be at Callao
with other vessels of the United States
South Atlantic fleet--the Dakota.
| Suwanee. Watcrec and Mohongo, also
the French frigate Venus. The squad
ron of Mendez Nunez started from It's
| anchorage about II o'clock ana aa-
! Vanced in the form of a letter V, the
| Numancia occupying its point until
about half a mile from shore This
ship then took up its position in front
of the old fortress. The Almanac ana
Villa de Madrid faced the northern
batteries, La Blanco and Berenguela
those to the south The Covadonsa
kept beyond the line of fire. ready to
aid any disabled ship.
las eight bells sounded on board and
ttit 'fllS III tilt eifi II EOS t'Ili rang tuA
II o'clock the first gun was tired-from
tie Numancia. Considering the strength
| of the foe. we on shore expected to he
all blown Ia bits. but after twenty
minutes had gore by we laughed, for
the Spanish gunners aimed so badly
that their missiles flew toward those
regions whore the buZzards scared
Numancia's first shot was Immediate
| ly answered by one of the Parrntt
| guns from the northern turret That
ball struck the Villa De Madrid en-
filade, from bow to stern. as she was
lacking to present her broadside: kill
| ed fifteen and wounded eighteen men:
fell into the engine room; broke the
pipe of steam communicati ion. disabled
the engine. and put sixty guns out of
service. The Covadonga lowed the
Madrid back to its anchorage, but the
battle, uninterrupted. continued hot
until 5 O'Clock
about half past 3 the Berenguela
| commanded by Capt. Pezuela, had 10
| he toWed to her anchorage. In her
| side she had a hole big enough for A
cart and oxen to pass through and
there was fire on board. At 4o'clock
1,t1