Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-05-02
DEWEY HAS SEEN HOT WORK.
He Was on the Mississippi. which
Was Blown Up at Port Hudson.
(New York SUM

Commodore. George Dewey is an
old warrior of the navy, VINO got
his christening of fire aboard the oid
steam sloop Mississippi under Farragut'
in the early days Of the civil war Com
modore Dewey is now about I'll years oio'
He belongs in Vermont, and he was APP
nointed TO the Naval Academy from thdI
State i'm September, 1S4 -Four Yeas
later. when he was graduated, he Was
sent aboard the steam frlgate w apash III
a cruise in the Mediterranean. dewey
GOT his commission as lieutenant Oh up - :.
49, 1861. eight days after for' SUM- SUM-, o.
dred upon. and he was Immediately as
siened IN ioin the Mississippi anu uo
dntv with the West Gulf squadron ne
WAS on the Mississippi when she tooh
nart with Farragut's other Yesssis II,
forcing an entrance to the Miss'9'' ~ ~
it, and again when the fleet ran the
.,,,,,,tIet ~ fire from the forts below ne"
SrIaans in April. 1852, and torced the
s,,rrender of that city. The snip ne Wa
In belonged to Captain Bailey oiNi1,Vu
the feet, which attacked Fort -. ii,.' "a
THE hottest fight that the Mlssi9' lia
over engaged in was her last ono " ~,
this was perhaps as not DO any ia 20
800 In March. 1863 the fleet trleu 10
hx [ sOI
rTudeon Some of the ships got as lai Do
,,..rnyv mart of the channel, where they
- Iard batteries almost muzzle 10 HuZ-
zIe and then they were forced 10 retiea''
Tha Nississippi did not get as Tar as thls'
=. foggv dav had been chosen Tor the at
.aront and this was soon maze more
ohecure nv the smoke Of battle ana aii'iC'
this the Mississippi lost her bearings anu
ran ashore. "a s+r,cl,
Her officers found that she had struck
inst under the guns Of a battery III III.
middle of the line of fortncatlons' anu
- 90 the strongest Of the lot. In nan
~, bour 95O shots struck the Vessel, anu
sho was riddled from end TO end. There
SO M chance TO hold her and her ere"
,ook m their boats and landed on the
onnosite side of the river a1ter se',lhs
her on fire. Soon. lightened by the loSs
of the crew and by the hre' she orllteu
off and. blazing and salutlng with ouIst-
inc shells. she drifted down the river
untiI finally the fire reached ner ih"s"
zines and her career was enueu III o"S
great explosion. -, .o,,
a,,nhoat Agawan, of the North Atlantic
hInoLading squadron, and ne took part
an tho two attacks made on Fort Fisher
in December, 1864, and January 1900. III
March. 1866, he got his commission a.
uteuant-commander, and as such serV'
ga ON the famous old Kearsarge ana on
the Colorado, the flagship OF the European
squadron. until 1868, when he was SEM
for service to the Naval Academy H's
first command was in 1870, when ne mac
the Narragansett, doing special service
He became a commander in Aprli, h'@
and still on the Narrangansett, was en-
Gagged in making surveys OF the racine
mill 1876. when he was made nSht'
house inspector, and later the secretary
M the lighthouse Board. He command
cd the Juniata in the Asiatic station II
1SS2-'s and in September, 1884, was mace
a captain and put In charge OF the DOL
min then brand new and one of the -four
vessels which formed the original white
squadron" The following year ne was
sent 10 command the flagship pensacola
OF the European squadron, and ne stale
tbere until 1888 when he became th'
| chief of the Bureau of Equipment and
Recruiting, with the rank or commodore
This Mace he held until 1888, when h'
was made a member of the Lighthouse
| BOARD. He got his commission as com
modore on February IS. 1896 and at aoou
the same time was made president OF th'
| BOARD of Inspection and Survey Thl'
Mace he held until he was put in com
mand of the Asiatic Station In January
| of this year.