The Irish standard., 1898-07-16

assigned, and his ship, the Lexington,
was the first to hoist the Union flag
when the standard had been decided up
on by congress. With this vessel Cap.
tain Barry fought and bottled up
British fleet of small cruisers that were
harassing the Americans near the
Delaware capes, and he also took a
British vessel captive, this feat being
hailed with great Joy throughout the
| colonies. From the Lexington he was
transferred to the Efingham, larger
vessel, which he commanded until she
became ice-locked in the Delaware,
when, unable to remain inside, he went
ashore and fought in the Continental
army. BY resolution of congress,
Oct 10, 1776, he had been put in COM
mand of the entire American navy,
| which then consisted of about quarter
| Of hundred of vessels of various size
| and different armament. After their
| usual fashion, the British endeavored to
| bribe Barry; but soon discovered that
the Irish American could not be Sc
cured in that way, Barry informing
Lord Howe that even if he offered him
| the command Of the whole British navy
he would not desert the American
cause. While serving on land Barry
was always alert to discover an oppor-
| tunity of injuring the enemy at sea;
| and he planned several bold enterprises
which caused great damage to the Brit
ish and benefited the Americans, for
which he was publicly thanked by Gen
eral Washington. His ship, the Efing
ham, being burned, while frozen in the
| Delaware, by the British, Barry was
next, in 1778, appointed to the command
| Of the Relief and at the same time he
was made commodore. the first time
| that title was held by an American
naval officer. He subsequently COM
manded the Alliance, and it was while
he had this vessel that he answered a
British hail in the memorable words,
describing himself and his ship: 1.-THE
United States ship Alliance, saucy Jack
Barry, half Irishman, half Yankee-who
are you?" In 1894. after the war, he
| commanded the fleet that sailed from
| Cape Cod to the West Indies, and when
not otherwise employed he superintend-
ed the erection of new naval vessels.
| spirited poem descriptive of whose
| launch, by Miss Eleanor c.. Donnelly,
| appears in the current American Cath
olic Historical Record The father of
our navy lived until 1903, his death oc-
curing Sept. 13, and his remains are
,, inferred in st. Mary's churchyard, Phil
adelphia. He had no children, and
what wealth he had he bequeathed for
| the benefit Of Philadelphia's Catholic
| orphans.
| Other rish-Americans to distin-
guish themselves in the earlier years Of
our navy were Major Macdonough,
Captain MCGEE and others in revolu-
| tionary times, and in the next war
period Captains Boyle and Blakely, to-
gether with Commodores Macdonough,
Stewart and Shaw. Captain James Nc
Gee held Massachusetts commission,
and the records Of the Charitable Irish
society show that he became member
of that organization in 1891. Major
Macdonough fought In the Constitution
and lost foot in the engagement with
L1nsurgente. He was wont to say Of
himself that "his keel was laid in Ire
land, but he was launched in America. {"
He died in 1896. Captain Boyle COM
manded the Comet, which fought a
memorable engagement in the West In
dies with three British vessels that
were being conveyed by a Portuguese
man-of-war. Two of the British ships
were captured, the other was sunk, and
the man-of-war retreated from the fight.
On the same cruise in which he had
this fight Captain Boyle captured in a
subsequent engagement, three British
ships carrying % guns. Captain Blake
~ was Down man, who had charge oil
the Wasp in the war of 1872. He
captured the British Reindeer and other
prizes; but he was lost afterwards at
sea, as it is believed. for nothing more
was heard of him. The North Carolina
legislature ordered his child to be edu-
Gated at the expense of the state.
Commodore Shaw came from Mount
mellick, Queens county, to Philadel-
phia in 1890, being then II years of age.
Eight years later he had charge of the
schooner Enterprise, which inflicted a
deal of damage on the French
privateers. In 1906 he commanded a
fiotilla, and was afterwards put at the
head Of the navy yard at Norfolk, rank.
ing as post-captain. He became CON-
modore in the war Of 1872 and had
charge of the Mediterranean squadron
Then he had charge Of our Charlestown
yard, and his death occurred at Rhila.
delphia in September, 1923. Commo.
do:e Macdonough was brother tc
Major MacDonough. mentioned above
He fought under Decatur at TrIpoli
and for his bravery there got lieu.
tenants commission and was sent to the
Siren, on which he distinguished him
self by taking from British vessels al
Gibraltar some impressed American