The times., 1898-06-26

nRTEelt
Trlpoli Bainbridge, who had command
ed the Philadelphia, managed TO open
communication, from his dungeon, with
Capt. Edward Preble and suggested that
| the Philadelphia be destroyed at her an
| chorage when Capt. Preble Immediately
| set preparations on foot for this enter
! prise Lieut.. Stephen Decatur. in COM
/ rnand of the Enterprise. captured a small
] Tripolitan vessel capable of carrying
| hundred men. He then called for volun-
! teers and. as in the case of the Merri-
| mac. there were many times more volun-
| teers than were needed for the eXoedl-
ton. The vessel then made its way lnto
the harbor the crew suffering consider
ably from the condition Of the hold and
/ the deck, for the last cargo had been
| slaves for the Sultan of Turkey. They
were also obliged to live on bread and
| water during the voyage, which lasted
| several days but finally, under cover of
night. they entered the harbor. which
| was lined with batteries The Philadel-
/ phia was moored under the guns of the
| Bashaw's castle Some of Decatur's men
| were dressed as Maltese sailors; the 9TH
! ers concealed themselves in order not 10
| arouse suspicion. Lieut.. Decatur then
! hailed the frigate, and informed the sem
tinel that he wished to make fast to the
| cables of the Philadelphia, which he was
allowed to do.
]
sides of the frigate, captured the ship in
| about ten minutes without using a fire.
| arm, set her on fire, and got out of the
! harbor in the fun glare of this tremen-
dous bonfire, which made their little craft
| perfectly visible to all the gunners on
| shore. Only one man was wounded This
| daring deed was followed by the bonn
bardment OF Tripoli, and, as the Spanish
| general Linares, is now doing. the
| Bashaw of Tripol kept the prisoners in
| his most important castle, 10 divert the
| fire of American guns. Bainbrdge, how
ever, with characteristic pluck, wrote to
| the American commander, urging him to
fire at that particular place, so as to an
noy the Bashaw and bring him 10 terms.
| After nineteen months of Imprisonment
the three hundred prisoners were ran
sOmed.
1t was this same William Bainbridge
who took occasion TO blockade Havana,
all by himself, some years earlier, be-
cause a French prlvateer was being fitted
out in that port. He got the pr.vateer,
and also got himself hated quite thor
oughly by the SDaniards.
II Will appear from the perusal Of Mr..
| Maclay's history that cur Navy has won
much Of its glory in operations against
the Algerian and Tripol!tan pirates who
for many years practically held a lien on
| all European traffic. Every European
/
| States was the first 10 revolt against this
| degrading. irritating and very expensive
| Arrangement. After several years of
| guerrilla warfare on the high seas. the
nuisance was abated. much TO the relief
Of the merchants Of the civilized world
| one Of the most Interesting chapters in
the second volume of this history is en-
Titled Sea Power in the Civil War" He
gives Il as his opinion that if it had not
been for the Navy Of the North the Con
federacy would have been successful. Ht
gives q historical review of the Ciyi
War. and makes the following statement
which IS worthy of especial attention:
We must keep in mind that the mere in e
peudence q the seeding States vas not The cpI,
aim Of the Confederates. Ley had definitely il
view the formation Of ouy g-est slyc empire
embracing al least the harn half O the Unitee
States TO the Pacific coast, al of Mexico. tht
west India Islands and the Hawaiian Islands
They well knew that by hOl ling the lower hal
OF the Mississippi River her vast tributaries wer
/ comparatively useless TO any other States, an,
that their conquest friendly attitude would foi
low IN course OF time In other words, they rec
ognizod just as the French and English states
men did, that Nature had designed this enormou
territory 10 De occupied 10y one and only one IA
uon. 1t would never do for the Naticnalists I,
simply keep possession Of the sections alreId
= held by them They must control the river sys
e TEN from sources 10 the mouth, else lose all. r
& the Government AT Washington q failure to oUel
@ the Mississippi meant the ultimate surreT.er o
the vast territory drained by its coqfucut5. I
- lie leaders AT Richmond the failure L. hold thci
part Of the river system meant the surrender Of tn
most alluriug part Of their program and the per
- petlal confinement of tie ConfederaCY 10 a snai
area where there was little prospect of future cy
, pansion. and where the rapid growth of th
= Northern and Western States in q few generation
would, II the ConfedeTacy succeeici N secuTir
] It's independence, completely ovefsnadow and !
time ovcTwhelm them. Briefly. the fgat for III
G Mississippi gigantic struggle for the contro
= OF the West, and the victory won for Tn
=, North by her superior maritime power.
Y Mr.. Maclay further says that England
r and France did not covertIy and openly
e side with the South without weighing tn
d chances; they did so because they di,
n not believe the North capable of develop
e ing a Navy which could take the Missis
h sippi forts. He says:
> Suppose that the South had possessed an equal
Z effective maritime force, or equally good iur;i
e ties for building ironcl4 IS We now ylIAt dreac
l. sul havoc occasoned 10y their few wretcllcli
constructed iron-lads and II their peric, manCi
- be examined critically we snail be startled
: discover IN how many instances the Confederat,
- were overcome not by our ships or guns. but l.
q their Own faulty construction and detective aFm
% ment and machinery. Ii Is appalling T. think
Y what the Merrimac could have accomplishe
70 had she been constructed with all the facilities
! prOmptness Of a modern shpyaTd. She would haN
- got To sea several weeks before any monitor coul
Il possibly have been made ready !aJ she la
IS the proper hull and suitable engines our SCI
IS board cities would have been ut her mercy, al
D our wooden ships would have been sunk or put
II fight. France and England unGW,stionlblv wcul
- have acknowledged the independence Of tie Soutl
~ and there would have been q free 1utfov
IT cotton from the Confederacy ~ Iuropc and
: free inflow of military supplies Of the lie.
r quality Suppose again, that the ironclai, Alb
O marie, instead of having been built in ala Cpe
p ccrnfeld, had been constructed with the pc
: fection attainable in a properly equipped sIil
ward. There was not one of the dozens OF n
tional vessels in Pimiico and Albemarle Sounc
e that could have resisted her twenty r1iuuios,
II truth. the ironclad feet projected ana begun
2 the South quite formidable as If not mol
N than, that built by the North; and what
+, more. the South, in spite Of its deficiency
> skilled mechanics ard machine shops, tad, at z
= early date. their monsters more advanced t
re ward completion than had the North.
= Mr.. Maclay has compiled remarkabI
- list Of projected Southern ironclads: TIL
- Louisiana, OF sixteen guns, nearly con
= pleted in April. 1862. in spite of strikes
- employees and lack of material; the MAJ
- assas, one gun; the New Orleans twent
i guns; the Memphis. eighteen guns; I'll
a Mississippi, sixteen guns; the Arkansa
= ten guns; the Tennessee No. !, ten gum
~ the Tennessee No. 2, six guns; the Pa
- metto State four guns; the Chicora, 81
- guns: the Merrimac eight guns; the a
&c lanta six guns; the Georgia, six gun
the Albemarle, four guns; the Frederick
- burg, six guns; the Richmond, six gun
- / the Virginia, eight guns-in all siXtee
is ironclads, mounting 143 guns. In almo
- I every instance, however, these vesse
~ were wretchedly put together, and the
- was so much delay in their constructiC
=, that but few got into active service.
. II is quite easy TO see that had Il
ri South had enough ironclads of prop