The Irish standard., 1902-09-27
Barr.y's conduct in this enterprise

Ba1ry's conduct in this enterprise
won for him the admiration of friends
and foes alike. Sir William Howe,
commander-in-chief of the English
forces, offered the daring IriSl-Amcr-
lean 100000 and the command Of Il
British squadron if he would desert
the service of the United States. 10
this base proposal the "Father of the
American Navy" replied: Net the
ish fleet can seduce me from the cause
of my adopted country"
For this and the many other sue
cessful raids on the cnemy's ships,
Washington wrote to Barry, saying:
II congratulate you on the success
which has crowned your gallantly AL
though circumstances have prevented
you from reaping the full benefit OF
your conquests, yet there is ample con-
ISOLATION i'll the degree Of glory which
you have acquired For boldncss of
design and dcXterity of execution"
says Frost, 'it was not surpassed. if
equaled, during the war"
In September, ITS, Barry was made
captain of the Raleigh, and while
cruising Off the coast of Maine was
pursued by Il vessel mounting three
times as many guns. Barry gave bat
tie for nine hours against great odds,
and then finding defeat or capture III
evitable, bcacllcd his ship sooner than
surrender and With his c'aw escaped
ashore near the mouth of the Penob-
scot river
The loss of his ship did not dimin-
ish Barry's ardor fur the cause. The
State of Pennsylvania promptly fitted
him out with Il vessel, Congress being
too poor at that time to replace the
Raleigh. Sailing in the brig Delaware
Barry captured Il British slo p of war.
mounting fourteen guns and manned
by ninety men. His own vessel hard
but ten guns and sixty men. Several
other captures We're made by Barry
during the next two years. In June,
1850, Congress gave him command of
the Alliance, named in homer of the
treaty of alliance With Catholic
France lie sailed from Boston t,obrr-
any II, 1871, carrying Col, Laurcns,
special commissioner of the United
States, to France.
During the return voyage from
France the Alliance had many ahven-
lures. A few days out two briggs were
captured one Of thirty-siX guns and
the other Of ten gums. On May %,
1881, on this voyage the Alliance fell
in with two vessels, the .Atluntn !, ship
Of war, and the Irrrassy, Il brig. Bar
ry promptly engaged them. His fort,
Of men was greatly reduced, for the
prizes previously captured had been
manned with crews from his own COM
plamcnt; there were fifty men tn the
sick list and one hundred prisoners
were OH board. Despite this handicap
Barry did not hesitate Il moment. lIN
called for the surrender of the .Atlan-
tn, which demand was refused.
During the engagement Barry was
wounded in the shoulder and forced to
leave the deck to be treated. The Al,
lance was sorcly wounded by her two
opponents, and the officer in command
during Barry's disability believed that
surrender was advisable to prevent an
initiation. He went below decks to
see Barry, WHOM he found i'm the
hands of the doctor, With a gaping
wound 1--WE are hard pressed, Sil y
said he. "sllnll we striR. our tlag?"
"Strilie his tlag" Had Barry heard
Alright? Strike his flag? Through his
heart surgul the warm blood of !,
patriot, every red drop eager to lclp
forth in thc cause of liberty. Across
his brain came the flood of the yastcr-
years in his native land. The memol.-
les of the wrongs of Ireland. the land
Of his birth, and those of America, the
4ulitl VI ilS iuulttlbll, SultEtN ~ tllc
hands of lhc same enemy. swept
through his bra lin with cyclonic force.
'Strke my flag? Ncvcr!" he shout
ed, and, snatching his coat TO cover
his wound, bleeding john Barry bound
ed UP the mpanion-way TO the deck,
where he lent tlpl strength OF his he
role presence to his men and urged
them TO such efforts that after four
hours of fighting the two British YES
sells surrendered.
In this battle. which is one Of TIN.
most famous engagements of the Rev
olutiol. five mon Of Rarry's force were
killed and tMnnty-tllrcc wounded
Frost in his Naval Biography" refer
ring to this engagement, says: at WAS
considered II NEST brilliant exploit ant
an uncuuivoc;l evidence of the uncon
Quelnblc iirmnl IS and imtrrpility q
\. the victor" The Alliance, With hcl
\prizes, arrived safely at Boston jam,
6, 17S1, and the value of Barry's cap
lures was such that Congress was Ell
abled to lit out a now ship OF war. th'
America, from their proceeds.
When the terms for which Tive me,
lrnh cillisted in the Alliance expire
..: