The evening times., 1898-04-16
CAPT. SIGSBEE IN BATTLE.
A story of the Names Commander "a
Mobile Eny.

Mobile Eny.
prom the New York SUM-
Few persons know that Capt Charles
d Sigsbee lately of the Maine, was
one Of the favored graduates from the
Naval Academy who took a diploma and
mounted a brand new frock coat one
day. took ship the next day for the
Gulf. and a month later had the glory of
serving with Farragut at Mobile Bay.
This story of him is told by fellow
officer:
There were two of those youngsters
of the class OF 1854 who came TO the
Gulf Squadron and were temporarily as
signed to the Hartford Farragut's flag
shin" he said. They were w. ). Dana,
since dead, and Charles ID. Sigsbee- L was
an ensign on Farragut's staf, and was
chiefly instrumental in bringing the two
young officers to the flagship. In pre-
pairing for the great battle OF Mobile
Bay Capt Drayton, chief of stan, as
signed duties to every soul on board.
To Ensign Sigsbee was given command
of the forward powder division, while
nv humble self received charge OF the
after powder division.
For the benefit of landsmen ii might
be well to say that the old-fashloned
powder division consisted of lines OF old
men. boys, people from the sick bay,
cooks, walters, etc. Their duty was 10
pass powder and shell from the maga-
zines to the shell whipr In the forward
and after matches, to do il as rapidly as
possible. and to make as much noise IN
the yelling of Hurry up! Pass thar
alongi'' Don't go TO sieep!' as IL was
possible for human voices in varied con-
ditions OF adolescence, convalesence and
decay to accomplish in rapid-hre breaths.
| never have heard Sigsbee speak OF the
vocal success of his command that day,
the awful roar and crash OF shot and
shell and perhaps a shrek and groan
or two NAV have suppressed some OF IL.
hut ] can say Of my own division that
if the nautical traditions of Nelson ana
the glories of Trafalgar and Aboukir
were dependent upon powder division
noise for their preservation, l would like
| to submit some notes on real Ameri-
| can vocal effectiveness to Capt. Mahan
| for incorporation in his next book.
The Hartford had damned the tor
| pedoes.' had gone ahead-'four-bells.
! yton. had seen the Tecumseh go
down with more than 100 souls. and had
] turned grape. canister. and shrapnel
! loose lpon Fort Morgan's ramparts and
escarpments. No human nerve could
| sand so fierce a storm. The forts fire
was suppressed for the time. Sigsbee
men forward. hushed by death in many
forms, had caught the lull in the battle.
but my division being yet bloodless,
though by no means voiceless. kept up
| fits vocal interest in the conflict.
Il never did hear whether the music
| from the after powder division had
caught Farraguts ear in his lashment VI
/ in the main rigging and whe- her il dis
! turbed his ocular understanding of the
! enemys movements but / do know that
/ Just then Sigsbee came from forward and
/ said. 'Drayton wants you to stop that
Internal noise Then he asked If ther>
were none. ne said. Poor Hegenbotham
! is killed Hegenbotham was also an en-
sign on the Admirais stan. While talk
! ing Sigsbee stood up against stanchion
Z in the Wardroom-'coun,ry,' II is called.
! Ny division by this time, like many other
choruses. had yielded to public pressure
and was still.
The next moment there was a crash
against the side Of the ship within ten
1 feet Of where we stood. II seemed as If
every Thing gave way. / saw the inner
! planking break and saw that planking
drive OUT the junior officers messroom
| bulkhead. / saw men and boys knocked
down. The air was full of dust and
splinters and flying fragments. l saw
the stanchion against which Sigsbee was
leaning come down broken in the middle
and one Jagged end of IT go flying.
saw Sigsbee reel and swirl and stagger
and / rushed to him. for i was unhurt.
Ny God, Sigsbee! are you hurt?'
cried.
THE gallant comma nder Of the Maine
drew himself up proudly and said. No,
sir, but i would like TO know where in
thunder that went to-
=" What went to? The shot went
through the ship. of course
~ don't mean that said Sigsbee.
Where's the skirt of my coat?
And he felt around his hip One skirt
! Of his brand new uniform coat was gone.
| The Jagged end of the broken stanchion
had caught the coat and ripped it out of
! sight.
THE Tennessee was playing il into us
| pretty fast just then and Sigsbee. coat
| less went to his forward station. The
battle was open again and from this
on there were no elements of humor II
was a fight to the death and to the end. -