The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-05-03
DEWEY AND
HIS CAPTAINS

| Sippl, under Farragut, IN the early days OF
the civil war Commodore Dewey is now
about 81 years old. He belongs in Yer
mont, and he was appointed to the naval
academy from that state in September,
1854 Four years later. when he was grad
uated, he was sent aboard the steam frigate
Wabash for a cruise In the Mediterranean.
Dewey got his commission as lieutenant on
April 10, 1861, eight days after Fort Sumter
was fired upon, and he was Immediately
assigned to join the Mississippi and do
duty with the west gulf squadron. He
was on the Mississippi when she took part
with Farraguts other vessels in forcing
an entrance to the Mississippi river, and
again when the fleet ran the gauntlet of
| fire from the forts below New Orleans in
| April, 1862, and forced the surrender of that
| city. The ship he was in belonged to
| Captain Bailey's division of the fleet which
| attacked Fort st. Philip
| The hottest fight that the Mississippi
ever eng aged in was her last one, and this
| was perhaps as hot any of the war.
| In March, 1863 the fleet tried to run by the
confederate batteries at Port Hudson.
| Some of the ships got as far as a narrow
part of the channel. where they met land
batteries almost muzzle to muzzle, and then
| lHey were forced TO retreat. Inc M1SS1S-
| sippi aid not get as far as this. A foggy
day had been chosen for the attempt. and
this was soon made more obscure by the
smoke of battle, and amid this the Missis-
sippi lost her bearings and ran ashore
Her officers found that she had struck
just under the guns of a battery in the
middle of the line of Notifications and one
of the strongest of the lot. In half an hour
fxx-ar ~ a.,o 49,
was riddled from end to end There was no
| chance to save her, and her crew took to
their boats and landed on the opposite side
of the river. after settling her on fire. Soon
| lightened by the loss of her crew and by
the fire. she drifted off, and, blazing and
saluting with bursting Shells she drifted
down the river, until finally the fire reached
her magazines, and her career was ended
| in one great explosion.
Dewey was next attached to the steam
gunboat Agawam of the North Atlantic
| squadron and he took part in the two at
| lacks made on Fort Fisher in December
| 1854, and January, 1865. in March, 1865, he
| got his commission as lieutenant COM
mander, and as such served on the famous
| old Kearsage and on the Colorado, the
| flagship of the European squadron, until
1868, when he was sent for service to the
naval academy. His first command was in
| 1870, when he had the Narrangansett, doing
| special duty He became a commander in
April, 1872, and still on the Narragansett
making surveys of the Pacific until 1876,
when he was made a lighthouse inspector
| and later secretary of the lighthouse board
| He. commanded the Junfata in the Asiatic
| station in 1SS2-S3, and in September 1884,
| was made captain and put in charge of
| the Dolphin, one of the four vessels which
| formed the original white Squadron" The
following year he was sent to command
| the flagship Pensacola on the European
squadron, and he stayed there until 1885,
when he became the chief of the bureau
of equipment and recruiting, with the rank
of commodore This place he held until
! $685. when he was made a member of the
| lighthouse board. He got his commission
as commodore on February %, 1896, and at
about the same time was made president of
the board of inspection and survey. This
| place he held until he was put in command
of the Asfatic station, in January, of this
year.
Captain Charles v. Gridley was born in
Indiana and appointed from Michigan,
graduating in 1868, and being assigned to
the steam sloop Oneida, where he served
for two years He was at the battle Of
Mobile bay, and at the close OF the war
was ordered to the Brooklyn, the flagship
of the Brazil squadron, where he served
for two years. He commanded the Marion,
and is now commanding the Olympia He
was made a captain in March, 1897.
Captain Nehemiah M. Dyer was born in
Providencetown, Mass, in 1885, served In
the merchant service from the age of Ia
| to 90 enlisted and served in the Fourth
Battalion of Rifles, Massachusetts Volun-
teers, and was with Banks division, Army
of the Potomac. In April 1862. he was ap-
pointed an acting mate in the navy. lie
was made lieutenant in the regular ar
my in 1868, and a few months afterward
was promoted He has commanded several
vessels in the last twenty years, and now
has charge of the Baltimore.
Captain Joseph B. Coghlan was born IN
Kentucky and appointed from illinois, He
graduated in 1868. He was promoted two
years later, and was assigned to the nag
| ship Brooklyn, wheee he served Tor Two
years. He was executive OFFICER OF the
Pawnee in 1867, and on the steam frlgate
Guerrero in 1868. He commands the RAJ
| leigh.
Commander Benjamin p. Lamberton, the
second ranking officer of his class IN the
navy, and at present commanding the bos-
| ton, was born in Pennsylvania ana grauu-
| ated from the naval academy In 1865. He
| was promoted to the rank of commander
| in 1885, and from 1888 to 1889 was command
| ant of the Norfolk navy yard. He then
| commanded the training ship jamestown
| for two years, and then went to the bureau
] of yards and docks.
Commander Asa Walker, of the Concord
| has been in the naval service since Nov
| 81, 1862 He is native of New Hampshire.
| March 70, 1868, he was made an ensign;
| March 49, 1862 a master; March 81, 1870,
| lieutenant; Dec. IL, 1884, lieutenant COM
mander and April II, 1884, commander.
| He has served fifteen years at sea and
| eighteen years on shore or special duty. He
| was named to the Concord May % last.
| Commander Oscar W. Frencholt, Of the
| Monocacy, was born in Texas. He has
| seen fifteen years at sea and sixteen years
on shore or special duty.
Commander Edward p. Wood, of the Pc
| trel is from Ohio. He took charge of
| the Petrol Dec 16, 1896, and on July ID, 1897
was raised to the grade of commander.
| He has been eighteen years at sea and
| fifteen years other duty.
Captain Daniel B. Hodgson, commanding
| the McCulloh is a native of New York. In
| his thirty-slx years service Captain Hodg-
| son has spent twenty-four and fourteen
| months on Atlantic coast stations, seven
| and a half years on the lakes, two and
| half years on the Pacific, including nine
,,,onths in Alaska and six wears on life