The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1898-04-14
Can't. Evans, U. S. N.
He was in Belfast IN 1851 with the
White Squadron.

White Squadron.
His is a striking personality. HIS whole
being breathes force, but ne is not what
women would call handsome man. His
countenance is fierce. In 1acl, upon tne
occasion of public dinner, Gen. Nelson
A Miles nav chief in command of Uncle
Sans soldiers. after the handsome APP
pearance of Army officers had been com
mepted upon. said in the course of
speecb. 1.-THE two ugliest men in the
limited States service are it's two most
courageous men, Capt William Wallace,
of the Army, and Capt. Robley D. Evans,
of the Navy Wallace was known among
his comrades as ugly Wallace He
was killed while bravely battling at the
famous Sioux Indian fight at Wounded
Knee.
"Fighting B )b'' has halt in his walk.
The lower part of his LETT leg is oadly
twisted backward, the result OF wound
ed knee received during the storming of
Fort Fisher. He was then midshipman
who had been gra duated from The Naval
Academy one year ahead of his time.
When the sailors and marines had been
landed, storming party of about one
hundred men was told off and volunteers
asked for to lead it, Four stepped for
ward Among them was Evans. They
tossed a coin for the perilous honor.
Evans won.
He was the first to mount the scaling
ladder. but when he reached the parapet
a shot struck him in one knee and he fell
inside the rebel works, a bleeding captive.
The next day Fort Fisher fell and the
young MILDLY was recaptured. lie was
subsequently placed OF the retired list,
but pleading for active service joint re-
solution was passed by both houses of
Congress restoring him to the active list
and exempting him forever from physic al
examination as to disability. He is the
only officer in the Navy who has been
thus honored.
An inquiry was once addressed to
Capt. Evans as to how he gained the
sobriquet of ''Fighting Bob.' His re-
ply was modestly given.
II do not like the subject he said. 81
never courted that kind of distinction in
the service. | am simply a captain in the
Navy | am no more of a fighter, and no
more entitled to that title, than any
other officer. Every man in the United
States Navy will fight when it is his duty
to do So Courage is a universal quality
among Americans. Cowardice among
Americans, either afoat or ashore, is so
the captain of battleship with 500 men
on board, or the colonel of a regiment of
| 1000 American regulars, goes into action,
he does not make a discount of one-hun-
dredth part of per cent. for backing or
| skulking on the part of his men.
| zone of the best illustrations of this
| characteristic of Americans was the be-
| havior of the Yorktown crew under my
command in Valparaiso Harbor. A very
bad and hostile feeling prevailed against
America at that time. The Yorktown be-
came the asylum of certain political refu-
gees. The government on top demanded
the surrender of these people. | refused
to give them up. The commanding officer
at Valparaiso of the Chilean forces re-
| quested the admiral commanding one of
the European squadrons on that station to
say to me that unless these refugees were
surrendered they would follow my ship
I to sea with three cruisers, each larger
than my own, and an ironclad nearly four
| times her size, and as soon as we got out
side the marine league they would heave
me to and demand the surrender of the
| fugitives,
| 81 asked the admiral to excuse me for
q moment, and went to see those who had
/ placed themselves in my care. | said to
/ tutu III / Hdu PROMISED ll1t III dH dSy-
! lum and TO convey them in safety to Cal
| lao, Peru, and | meant to live up to that
promise. | then told them that the Chill
can fleet might attack me, and in that
event | would doubtless be overpowered.
But, | continued, the asylum that
I have guaranteed you shall be good until
my ship is under water. If you are sat
/ isfied with that kind OF an asylum, you
| are welcome to if
They all asSented, and [ then return
ed to the admiral and stated that would
not surrender the men. He then inform
ed me that would be followed and he
remarked that if the three big Chilean
ships attacked me my little Yorktown
would not last thirty minutes In reply
| | requested the admiral to say to the
officer commanding the Chilean squadron
that while my little ship might not last
more than thirty minutes, she will make
a HI of a lot of trouble while she is
atloat.' | do not know whether or not
the European admiral gave this message
in these words, but | do know that
steamed out of Valparaiso Bay the next
day about noon, with all my refugees on
board, and that no ship of the Chilean
squadron followed me- pr
That's the kind of men that make up
the American Navy, philadelphia Times.