The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-08-12
H0BS0N'S EXPERIENCE.
He Tells How He and His Men sunk the
Merrimac.

Merrimac.
Speaking of his experience with
the Merrlmac, during speech at
New York last Thursday night,
Lieut.. Hobson said:
at is known to everybody that
when the call was made for volun-
teers to go on the Merrimac, men
fell over one another IN their haste
to be accepted. On the New York
alone 40 men volunteered before
the order could be passed that no
more volunteers were needed. When
few out of this number had been
assigned TO stations on the Merri-
mac, all, in obedience to orders, lay
fiat on their faces. Two were sta
toned by the anchor gear, others by
the tOrpedOes arranged along the
side, and two in the engine-roOm. 1t
was agreed by each one that he
should not even look over his
shoulder, no matter what happened
to the ship, to any of his companions
or to himself. If wounded he would
place himself in sitting or a kneel.
ing posture, or whatever posture was
necessary, so that when the time for
his duty came he could 40 il to the
best advantage. And so they lay,
each man at his post, and under
what difficulties you may under
stand when / tell you that, out of
the seven torpedoes placed along the
side, five had been shot away by the
euemy's fire before the order was
given for the Merrimac's crew to
gather at the rendezvous on the
quarter deck. Projectlles were COM
ing more as continuous stream than
as separate shots. But, through the
whole storm, Jacky lay there ready
to do his duty as he mad been in
structed to do it. There was not
only the plugging fire from the forts
on both sides, but terrific horizon
tai fire from the fleet in the harboT,
and it seemed as If the next projec-
tile would wipe all the sailors out of
LIFE at once. If ever feeling of
each man for himself, a feeling of
get away from this get OUT of this
anyway, anyhow, was to be justi-
fed, it was justified then. Not q
man so much as turned his head.
Then, later, when we were on the
catamaran and the enemy's picket
boats came crawling up out of the
darkness with their lanterns, the
impulse was just as strong to slip off
the raft and swim for the shore or
| for the entrance Of the harbor. The
simple order was given; No man
move until further orders. And not
a man moved or stirred for nearly
| an hour.
"On that same afternoon, by the
kindness of the gallant Commander
| in Chief of the Spanish forces, Ad-
miral Cervera, the mems clothing
was permitted to be brought to them
from the fleet, and one of the men, as
spok estnau for the rest, was allowed
to come over to- my cell with pack
age for me. He said: We would
do it over again tonight, sir.
THE next day, when it seemed
uncertain whether or not remnant
Of the Inquisition was to be revivedA
when the enemy did not know
whether it was his fault or ours that
a ship had been sunk, and rather in
clined to the belief that he had sunk
an American battleship and that we
were the only survivors out OF sever
al hundred, the men were taken be-
fore the Spanish authorities and
serious and impertinent questions
put to them. Remainder, they did
not know what it might cost them to
refuse to answer, Spanish soldiers of
the guard standing before them,
making significant gestures with his
hands: Mr.. Hobson passed his
hands edgewise across his throat
our seamen laughed in their faces.
Then spanish Major questioned
Charette, because he spoke French,
and asked him this question:
"What was your object IN COM
ing in here?' and so long as [ live L
shall never forget the way Charette
threw back his shoulders, proudly
lifted his head and looked him in
the eyes as he said:
"In the United States navy, sir,
it Is not the custom of the seamen to
know or to desire to know, the OBJ
ect of an action of his superior OFF,
GER
Take this simple incident, and,
after all, in comparison with the
whole war, very simple incident,
the sinking of the Merrimac, and
make your own deductions as to the
quality of manhood in the United
States navy. You will have then II
more or less complete but certainly
not Overestimated idea of 'Jacky. !"