The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-04-14
ITO TAKE HER ALIVE"


II then told Starbuck and the others that
| it was not my policy to sink the Drake,
! but that | wished to take her alive in
stead of destroying her; explaining that it
would be much more to our advantage to
carry her as visible prize into French
port.
"The alert fellows instantly took this
hint and began firing as their muzzles
rose, by which practice they soon crippled
the brakes spars and rigging, and made
+ her an unmanaceabie log on the water
II am persuaded that if l had not adj
vised them to this effect, my gunners
would have sunk the Drake in an hour
AS it was we had to put spare sails owe:
| the side after she struck TO keep her afoat,
| and careen her as much as we could the
| next day to plug the holes they had al
J ready made between wind and water.
while | am telling you about the be-
| havior of my men. | must not forget to
mention that at the moment when the
brakes fore and main topSail yards came
down on the caps, and she fell off, giving
! us the chance 10 huff under her stern and
| rake her, l was in the forward division in
consequence of Lieut.. Wallineford being
killed and at once started to run aft to the
wheel to order the helm down for the
manuver. But before ] got to the main
mast the fore and main tOpsails were al
ready shivering, because Chief Quartet
master Nathan Sargent, of Portsmouth,
/ W
seen our chance and had taken upon him
self the important responsibility of luffing
ship without orders; thus anticipating my
intention, and leaving me nothing to do
but order the StarbOard tackS on board to
keep her full and shift the broadside for
raking, when, luckily, the enemy, realiz
ing his helpless situation, called Tor quarter
and spared further bloodShed.
The unfortunate loss OF Lieut.. WaliinG
ford in the action enabled me to advance
Mr.. Sargent to the post of Acting Master.
But | regret to say that since our return
here he has found it to his advantage to
leave me, being offered command OF large
French privateer OF 26 guns belonging to
Monsieur dc Chaumont and Monsieur Mar
cereau, now fitting O,it at ST. Malo.
"AS Mr.. Sargent is master Of the French
language, this command will enable him
to better his fortunes, and in view OF TIE
sorry hopes of recompenSe in the CONT
mental service ! could not withhold my
consent to his going, or to his taking with
him eight others of my New Hampshire
men, whom he will make officers IN his
new ship, the "Marseille." Our seamen
| who can speak French are in great re-
| quest here for officers in privateerS.
SYSTEM OF COMMAND.
Jones, in the easy, unofficial style of
personal letter to his friend MIR. HeWeS,
quite uncOnsciOusly and with inadvertent
eloquence tells the story OF his system OF
command, and his theory of the relations
| that should prevail between Commander
and his men. 1t will be observed that he
| says nothing about giving orders" on this
| occasion. He simply noticed that his
| men were hulling the Drake pro-
digiously below the water-line." He then
asked Owen Starbuck why he fired that
wayt" Being informed, he then told Star
| buck and the others that it was not his
policy to sink the Drake" but he wished
| TO take her alive" etc.
Then he remarks that 'the alert fellows
instantly took this hint = etc.
Now let us bear in mind that this ap-
parently good natured conversation was
carried on between the Captain of man
of war and his seamen gunners, in the heat
of 'the hardest broadside battle ever fought
| between two shipss6f their rate" and We
may be able to form some remote idea OF
thO cod nerve of Paul Jones and the re-
spOnsive devotion Of the humble heroes
| who found in him not only commander
but a comrade full worthy OF fealty such as
theirsi
OF course, Quarter gunner Owen Starbuck
and his shipmates along that belchng
br0adside of the little Ranger were going
straight for the vitalS OF their foe. In their
grim minds but one purpose found place.
They were taking the shortest cut to vic
tory by making every cannOn-ball tell be-
low the water-line; and not only that, but,
as Jones himself says, they were giving
the Drake three for two right alOng!
Some idea of the glnnery of the Rangers
crew may be derived from the report of her
Carpenter, William Hichborn, transmitted
by Capt. Jones to the Superintendent of tn,
Brest Dockyard when the Drake was
turned over for repairs there by permits
sion OF the French Commander in Chief
the Count d. Orvilliers. After saying: ii
estimate that the necessary repairs in
order to refit the vessel for commission
will cost about 5000 louis d. ors tsay Sla,-
| CT in, Loft f,I
lows:
"Shc has in her hull, below the plank
sheer. 107 shot-holes, Of which Sc arc below