The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-06-17

has not a sufficient water supply, and
many of the boys have suffered great
hardship on this account,
Caa. es Moore, private secretary TO
Senator Mcmillan, says that there Is
no truth in the rumor that he is TO go
into the army as a paymaster He says
that when he goes into the army II
| wiz be as a soldier having fighting in
| view.
Naming of Torpedo Boats.
The navy department is naming our
torpedo boats after our naval heroes.
| The Mackenzie, Cushing. Somers and
others recall many pages of glorious
history. In front of Fort Fisher Ad-
miral Porter commanded what General
| Grant once described as 1.-The most for
| midable armada ever collected for con-
| centration upon one given point" 1t
was in the latter part-rather the Sec
ond part-of that famous action that
midshipman named Robley d. Evans,
now Fighting By," captain Of the bat
tleship Iowa, received the wound that
made him cripple foIt life. Commo-
dore Porter appeared atFort Fisher on
| Christmas eve, 1864, with thirty-five
| regular cruisers, five iron-clads and a
reserve of nineteen vessels, and began
a bombardment Of the forts at the
mouth of the Cape Fear river. In one
hour and fifteen minutes after the first
shot was fired not shot came from the
fort, and the batteries were silenced
completely. David Porter himself is au-
thority for that statement. Yet, after
| a reconnaissance, General Benjamin +.
| Butler, who was to bring forward the
military forces decided that Fort Fish
| er was not substantially injured, could
not be taken by assault, and returned
with his command to Hampton Roads
Captured the Works.
Porter begged that the enterprise
| should not be abandoned and in compli-
| ance with his request second military
| force, under the command Of General
! Terry, arrived off Fort Fisher on JAM
| 13, 1866. The fleet was increased in
| number and strength of armament, and
| after seven hours of desperate fighting
| the works were captured by a combined
! force of soldiers, sailors and marines
on Jan. Is, 1865. That is why one tor
| pedo boat bears the name Of Porter
| Now as to the Foote. She bears the
name of Andrew Hull Foote, a son of q
one-time United States senator from
| Connecticut. This hero Of the seas was
| celebrated in the navy for his religious
| ardor and his indomitable courage. His
| first naval action was when he was in
command Of the sloop-of-war Plymouth
in 1866, and happened after his arrival
at Canton, China, On the eve of the hos
tilities between the Chinese and the
English. While endeavoring to protect
American property he was fired on by
the Chinese forts. Through permission
af A OF hn nd
ed an apology, and when it was refused
he attacked the forts. four in number,
with the Portsmouth and the Levant,
and having preached the largest carried
them by storm. He lost forty men, but
400 dead Cinnamon lay stiff in death
as sacrifice to American honor and
American valor During the civil war
Foote was distinguished by series of
heroic acts. He participated In the as
sault on Fort Donelson, and in that ac-
ton was wounded. Congress passed
him a vote of thanks and made him
rear admiral.
As to the Du Pont.
Now as to Du Pont. This torpedo
boat bears the name of Samuel Francis
Du Pont, New Jersey man by birth.
but who closed his eyes on mortal
scenes in this city in June, 1866. Dur
ing a series of more than twenty-five
years at sea he was almost constantly
employed on duties Of Importance. Dur
ing the Mexican war, while in command
of the Cyane, he captured San Diego,
| took possession Of La Pas, capital of
Lower California;; spiked the guns of
San Bias, and entered the harbor of
Guaymas, burning two gunboats and
cutting out a Mexican brig under
heavy fire. These operations cleared
the Gulf Of California of hostile ships,
thirty of which were taken or destroyed.
To tell his deeds during the civil war
would be to recount much of the naval
history of that unfortunate episode in
| our country's career.
Toward the close of 1862 several ar
| mored vessels were added to his COM
mand, mostly of the monitor type, one
of which destroyed the Confederate
| steamer Nashville. under the guns of
| Fort McAlister Being the first officer
| to whom the monitors had been as
signed, he carefully tested their Of
| fensive powers by several attacks upon
| this work on which they were unable
| to make any impression on account of
| the small number of their guns and the
| slowness of their fire. Assuming i'm
mediate command or his nine armOred
vessels, mounting thirty-two guns, Du
| Pont then a rear admiral, made res
| olute attempt on April Z, 1868. to take
| Charleston. Unable to maneuver in
| the tortuous channels filed with OBJ
| structions that led to the harbor, the
| iron-clads were exposed to a terrible
cross-fire from a hundred guns of the
| heaviest calibers, and darkness APP
preaching, the ships were wisely with
| drawn, one sinking soon afterward and
| five others being disabled.
Pursuant to Instructions.
This action was fought pursuant to
| express instructions from the navy de-
partment, it's probable result having
| been foreseen by the admiral, who had
given 1t as his opinion that the Coop
Grafton of troops was necessary to Sc
cure success. Time has fully confirmed
| the entire correctness of Du Points
| Judgment. His able successor. with a
large force of armored ships, was no
more fortunate, and Charleston only fell
| on the approach of Sherman's army.
| The Rodgers is named after Lieuten-
ant John Rodgers who fired the first