The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-29
ADMIRAL EVANS IN
HIS STRENUOUS uFI
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CONTINUED fiom Page IL
offenses mentioned in the Articles of
War for which the punishment was
death or such other punishment as a
court martial may inflict.' I wroto a
hurried note to my uncle in Washington
to come at once if he wished to see ME
alive, as l was sure that l was soon to
be hanged at the yardarm. He answered
that discipline was good for me. and that
he would wait few days, or until SEN
tence was pronounced. After three days
confinement 1 was sent for by the COM
manding officer, and 1 told him exactly
how ] became involved in the fight, when
was at once sent ID duty, and someone
else took my dark room.
On board ship we had our hammocks
to sleep in instead of Dunks, and our
messing WAS regulated lust as it would
have been on 4 cruising vessel. In fact,
we lived under service conditions; and
| though it is now the fashion to decry
such training in favor of barracks on
shore / have yet to be convinced that
! for the conditions then existing it was
| not the best. Many officers of that school
! have achieved success both afioat and
ashore, and have certainly met all the
requirements of the service as fully as
those of the new school can ever meet
Our first Impressions of the service were
received on board ship, and the dlscom-
| forts of ship lise were met and overcome
in a way that made such discomforts,
and even much greater ones, seem very
trivial afterward. We grew into snip life
gradually and naturally, and our know
edge of the ship and all her parts was
complete; and though many able officers
hold that this is not a matter of import
ance. on this point 1 have also to be con-
vinceo of .ne soundness of their reason
ing.
During the winter of 1S6O-'61 the anxious
faces of our officers foretold the storm of
war that broke so suddenly in April Of
re latter year. 1t was a time of great
anxiety for all hands; naturally the
greatest strain came on those In author
ity, but the midshipmen had their loads
to bear as well. Many Of came from
the South, and as the States one after
another either seeded or threatened to
do so, we had to make up our minds
what we were going to do. Confer
ences were frequent and serious, but
never in one of them was there disloyal
word uttered. Every man followed the
example set by the Southern men among
the officers. So long as we were inside
the Academy limits, or until our resigna-
tons Were accepted, we were officers of
the Navy and would behave as such.
Lieutenant Hunter Davidson afterward
the torpedo expert of the Confederacy,
was probably more responsible for this
position than any other man, though both
c. P. r. and George Rodgers were con-
stantly giving us good advice.
During the month of April, 1861, our
studies were practically suspended, and
preparations We're made to defend the
Academy and the ship Constitution in
case of attack. Drills were constant,
and every preparation taken to give the
enemy a warm reception in case he came.
A Confederate cavalry company was or
ganzed on the north bank of the Severn
river, and for several days they drilled
in plain sight of the ship; but when a
few boats were sent after them they dis
appeared, and the next soldiers we saw
wore blue uniforms We had been told
that the Confederates in Baltimore had
organized an expedition, and were COM
ing down in steamers to capture u.s.
A bright lookout was kept for them, and
one dark night, about two O'Clock in the
morning, the lookout reported q large
steamer coming in from the bay. Cen
eral quarters were sounded, and in a few
minutes we were ready and waiting for
the word to fire. The cabin bulkheads
had all been taken down, and four thirty
two Founders run out the stern cabin
ports and loaded with grape and cam
ister
| The steamer slowly came on until she
! could be plainly seen with the naked eye
moving up directly astern of US, as if to
avoid our broadside and carry US by
boarding. Captain Rodgers voice rang
out: Ship ahoy! What ship is that?'
The gun captains had the guns trained
on the mass of men we could now see
crowded about the decks, and not more
than three hundred yards away Twice
more the clear voice rang out: Ship
ahoy! Keep off, or 1 will sink your And
then a voice we all recognized answered:
For Gods sake, don't fire! We are
! friends!" 1t was the voice of our chap
lain who had been North on a short
leave, and on his return found Colonel |
B. F. Butler and the Eighth Massachu- |
sets Regiment at Havre de Grace, Mary |
land. blocked in their effect to reach |
Washington.
BEN BUTLER IN A SERIOUS PRE- |
DICAMENT.
Colonel Butler had seized the ferry |
steamer Maryland, and embarking his J
regiment on board of her, sailed for An
napolis, fortunately bringing with him !
our chaplain-I say fortunately, because /
he seemed the only one on board who |
knew enough to answer the hail from the |
Constitution, and in few seconds more
we should have opened FIRE, and no one !
can doubt what the result would have |
been. The splendid record of this fine |
regiment would never have been written, |
and what one may fairly call the varie-
gated career of General Benjamin F.
Butler would have been very short and
inglorious
As soon as the character of the strange |
craft was satisfactorily established she
was directed to haul up alongside of US,
which she did, and remained there until i
morning, when the midshipmen were
landed under arms, formed with those
on shore, and marched to the town of
Annapolis, and there deployed in line of |
battle to cover the landing of the Eighth
Massachusetts,. We stood in this position
until the last soldier was ashore and the
regiment had formed line in rear of the
midshipmen's quarters and stacked their
arms, when sentries from our battalion
were posted and the rest of US returned
to our quarters. Not a shot had been
fired by either side, though the excite
ment was intense and there was a readi-
ness on both sides to fight. Both parties
hesitated to fire the first shot, and the
Confederates contented themselves with
pitching stones over the wall, which we
caught and tossed back
The newspapers gave graphic accounts
u PI1tl nd iS had