The Republican journal., 1904-11-03
A BATTLE OF SONGS.
How a Contest Between Yankee Prisoners
and a British Crew Ended.

feaged naval actions myself, and IN
many more scrimmages, said veneer
able man of-war's man the other day,
$50 l am entitled to know something
about the subject; but am free to con-
high seas | ever heard about was one in
which my father took part when he
was prisoner in the War of 1912. My
father, when young man, enlisted on
the American privateer Prince de
Neufchatel which, as you may know,
was one of the most famous privateers
in our second war against Great Britain.
She belonged to the estate of Mrs.
Charter of New York, and on October
II, 1914, While under the command of
Hebrew named ]. Ordronaux, beat off
the boats of the English frigate Endy-
mion with loss of 40 killed, 81
wounded and 80 prisoners to the enemy,
total loss of 116 men, or more than
half of the number of the attacking
party.
ut was when the Prince de Neuf-
chatel arrived in Boston, after this
extraordinary achievement, that my
father enlisted in her; Captain Ordro-
naux resigning and being succeeded by
one of our crack Yankee shippers of
: that day. After reftting, the Prince
de Neufchatel, on dark, stormy and
bitterly cold night in the following
December, put to sea again, slipping
through the Gordon of blockading ships
that had been drawn across the mouth
of the harbor, like a network, for
months before, and got to sea with
every prospect of favorable cruise.
unfortunately, however, the 44-gun
frigate Constitution got out of Boston
about the same time, for a dash along
the coast of Portugal and the west
coast of Africa, and the enemy, learn
ing of the escape Of Old Ironsides, at
once dispatched Sir George Collier,
with three of their heaviest frigates, in
chase of her During terrific gale,
the seventh day out, the Prince de
Neufchatel had the ill-luck to get under
the lee Of these pursuing ships, all in a
bunch, and although she gave them the
liveliest kind of an eight-hour race,
they finally got her snug under their
guns by Out-carrying her.
The crew of the Prince de Neuf-
chatel was divided into three patches,
my father being in the one that was
placed aboard the Leander, Sir Georges
flagship. After being relieved of all
their baggage, the prisoners were stow
ed away in the stuffy cable tier. AS
The squadron was several weeks from
its destination, and the prisoners were
allowed to come up on deck only for a
few hours each day, the problem of
killing time was serious one. How
some Of it was killed l will tell in ny
fathers own words, as set down in his
diary.
MY FATHERS OWN STORY.
Many of the first hours each night
were spent in story telling, singing or
rigging one another; all joining in to
help pass the burdensome hours. The
singing was made up of such songs as
seamen generally learn by heart, but in
our case most of the songs were com
memoratlve of our recent naval victo-
ries over the English.
lone night it was understood that
our naval songs were not reliShed by
The officers in the British frigate. This
only brought about others, with a loud
Ell chorus, and al extra hurrah for Yam
kee thunder. In order to stop the an
noyance, the English picked out half a
dozen of their best singers on board the
Leander, who were backed by several
dozen shlpmates, to join in the cho-
ruses. They stationed themselves
around the open hatchway, over our
heads, and began singing patriotic Eng
llSh naval songs.
We allowed them to finish their
songs, when we struck up with one in
opposition, eXtolling the glories of the
dnkee nayy-each one of us striving
10 Guido his shipmate, especially in the
chorus, Knowing that the character
Mt ,tt,yT -
depended much upon our management
and zeal whether it should be upheld in
the face OF our enemies, we strove. ac-
cordlngly, to do our best as its repre-
sentatiyes. The contest was kept ur
for some time, evidently to our advan-
tage-not only in the quality of the
singing ifor in this our opponents
could not hold their own for mement)
but as TO the number and variety of the
songs, they having run out OF their vic
tories over the Yankees before our
party was fairly warmed up to the
fight.
&" That they might not flag in the
contest, they took up the songs, "The
First of June" Battle of the Nile"
besides many others in which we felt
not the least national interest-and we
did not fail giving them the hint in
plain English that they were lodging
the issue at first agreed upon. This |
they cared far less for than they did |
for the home thrust victory over them |
from the Yankees to each one of theirs |
over the French and Spanish.
AT last our fire became so warm |
that they were compelled to back out |
of the contest, chop fallen. And they
had the satisfaction of having their de-
feat announced to all on board by three
times three cheers, accompanied by
and such other noises as
each one of us could invent. Word
now came from the deck that such
noises could not be tolerated, and that
We must be quiet This only aroused
the prisoners to greater exertions. max
ing what was singing before yelling
now-as discordant as sixty loud throats
could make them; each tuned upon A
key peculiarly his own.
. In few minutes the officer of the
deck came down, and with much blus.
tering and many threats declared that,
if order was not maintained, resort
would be had to unpleasant means. If
the most savage tribe of Indians had
at once broken loose in terrific war
whoop, it could not have been louder
than the yells of defiance that came
from the prisoners on the conclusion of
this officers speech. He then tried to
reason on the abSurdity of nrisonars