The age-herald., 1898-05-06

Montpelier a captain: By glngerl l b'lieve the captain could look though a stun postH Not a stern-post, please under-
 stand-Dewey looked al those tother day | but a stone post, for in Montpelier all the 1 hitching posts are of granite.
 1 He was graduated from Annapolis in 1858, i and went on the steam frigate Wabash, 1 cruising with the Mediterranean squadron until 1859. When Fort Sumter was fired on 1 Dewey was in Montpelier. But he did not
 stay there. His Yankee blood was up. Just l one week later, April 19, 1861, he was com- l missioned lieutenant, and was assigned at once to the steam sloop Mississippi, which | was to take part in the fierce fighting of 1 the West Gulf squadron
 1 Captain Melanethon Smith commanded 1 the Mississippi, a side-wheeler of seventeen l guns. And while lighting g-unfortunately- l with men of Anglo-Saxon blood, his broth
 CTS, Dewey learned some lessons that have stood him in good stead with the Spaniards. The West Gulf squadron was ordered to 1 force it's way up the Mississippi river. The 1 ship preceded F,arragut past New Orleans 1 and the History of Our Navy" describes
 thus some or the training Dewey got then: "The Pensacola and the Missippi steamed slowly. with their black hulls. at irregular i intervals, shooting the air with lurid fire as ] they replied to the forts. Abreast of St. l Philip where the Confederate fire was the i hottest they drew in so close that the gunners a1oat and those ashore heartily l cursed each other as they worked.
 On the Mississippi Dewey learned the same heartbreakng lesson he taught The l Fighting Montiio''-how to lose his ship. 1 Admiral David D. Porter, in his Naval l History of the Civil War; thus describes | the end of the Mississippi, which came on | the river she was named after, while she | was trying to run Port Hudsons powerful l batteries:
 .sThe steamship Misspp, Captain Melanc- 1 thon Smith, followed in the wake of the 1 Monongahela, firing whenever her guns 1 could be brought to bear. At ll;3O oclock l she reached the turn which seemed to giVe | our, vessel so much trouble, and Capta'n l Smith was congratulating himself on the 1 porspect of soon catching up with the nag | officer when his ship grounded and heeied l over three streaks to port.
 s.The engines were instantly reversed and | the port guns run in in order to bring her l on an even keel, while the fire from her l starboard battery was reopened upon the | forts. The engines were backed With all | the steam that could be put upon them, l and the backing was continued for thirty minutes, but without avail.
 .It was now seen that it would be im- | possible to get the ship afloat.
 | "Captain Smith gave the order to spike | the port battery and throw the guns over | board. but it was not done, for the enemy
 
 | the captain deemed it judicious to abandon | the ship at once in order to save the lives of the men. =.
 .sWhile preparations were being made to destroy the ship the sick and the Wouhueo were lowered into boats and conveyed asbore while the men at the starboard bat- | terv continued to fight in splendid styie. | firing at every flash of the enemy's guns. l The small arms were thrown oVerpoaro anu | all possible damage was done to engine ana .ser1a n | the enemy.
 .orhe ship was first set on fire in the fore ward store room, but three shots came | through below her water line and put out | the flames. She was then set ire Tn four | places aft and when the flames were well under way, so as to make her destruction l certain, Captain Smith and his first lieu | tenant George Dewey) left the ship all the | officers and crew having been landed be- | fore
 "The Mississippi was soon in a blaze | fore and aft, and as she was now relieved l of great deal of weight by the removal | of her crew and the destruction of her up- | per works-she fioated off the bank and drifted down the river, much to the danger | of the union vessels below. But she passed without doing them any injury, and at 5:sO | o'clock blew up and went to the bottom. 'sThe detonation was heard for miles | around and exceedingly rejoiced the hearts | of the confederates along the banks or the river"
 | But Dewey was preserved to see more service. In July 1863, he was on the gum boats that engaged the confederates below l Donaldsonville. In 1864 he was attached to | tho North Atlantic blockading squadron, assicned to the steam gunboat Agawarn. | The ;a.yawam was one of the great crescent | of war ships big and little, that hailed shot | on For. Fisher on December 1864, and ian uary, 1865. Dewey was commissioned he'i- | tenant commander on March 3. 1865 and served on the Kearsarge and then on the flagship, the Colorado.
 Tn 1869 he was assigned to duty at the naval academy. n 1870 he received his first | command, that of the Narragansett which | was employed on special service until -S7a. ] Tbo last part of the time during which he commanded the Narragansett Dewey was commander.
 1 The Pacific survey of 1872-75 was ;ntr1sted | to him. After two years as lighthouse in- | spector and five as secretary of the light ,io.isc ooard he was put in comma lt. of the l Juniata on the Asiatic squadron in 1882. In l Sep;ep her, 1884, he was promoted to De a l captain and placed in command of the Dol, | kin. tten brand new, and one of she four vessels to which the name white sQuad- l ror.' was first given
 Montpelier first felt a spark of the en- | thusasm which fires the old New England l town today when Dewey returned to his | native place a captain of the United States navy. You must understand that theresare l not more than 5,UUO people Tn that clty. Every one knows everybody else and no man can be happy there unless the old peo- l pie knew his grandfather and knew his | grandfather to be an honorable man. So | the old people were very glad to welcome | Captain George Dewey, United States | Navy. But the children were little afraid of his stern, penetrating eye. his bushy eyebrows his big moustache. That | did not please Dewey, for he loves children | So he took the trouble to win the children | ofMontpeier to him. He would gather the | boys and girls in the afternoon from the | Capitol grounds across the way into the | grounds around his home; he took them l driving he told them stories about sailor
 men until the little girls were almost | frightened and all the boys were deter | mined to be captains in the United States | navy He had one fine story about the | voyage of Noah's Ark that Montpelier boys who are men now still remember. | The boys and girls called him Uncle | Captain
 Uncle Captain" with boys and girls, tell
 | ing fine stories about the ark's forty days
 cruise; acting rear-admiral with the Span