The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-06-02
Hbsent JBut Hceounteo for.

In the war between his country and
Chill, in the later seventies, Admiral
Grau, the Peruvian naval hero with
his famous torreted ironclad, Huasca,
wrought destructive battle against
the CHILEAN navy and carried terror
to the CHILEAN coast After long
cruise successful in the havoc he had
made of CHILEAN towns and commerce,
Admiral Grau was returning north
ward to repair his ship and recruit
his crew. He was nearing Peruvian
ports. All hands were looking eagerly
to their home coming On an early
October evening, the officers and crew
were up late, enjoying the splendors
of moonlight night at sea in the
mild regions of the tropics. They
sang their songs and recounted their
deeds in battle. At last they went to
their hammocks below-to dream of
home-sweet home.
In the early morning, while the
darkness was lifting. the lockout dis
cerned in the distance light that APP
peared like stsr-but no star had
been seen there an instant before. A
black mass doomed below the light.
The officers were summoned. The
glass showed that the star beamed,
not from the sky, but from CHILEAN
warship, one of an approaching
squadron. The Huasca's crew was
called to quarters. The course of the
ship was changed toavoid, if possible,
by wide circuit out to sea, the on
coming enemy. But the vessels run
ming capacity had been much reduced.
Her machinery was inadequate for the
emergency suddenly and unexpectedly
arising. The Chilians discovered the
enemy for which they had so long
and ardently searched, and gave
chase. The Huasca's hour had come,
the Chilians were fervently embrace
ing their coveted opportunity for re-
venge. 1t was the Huasca against
three formidable antagonists. A more
desperate fight on sea or land was
never made. Admiral Grau was
killed early in the encounter. The
officers succeeding in command speed
lily met the fate Of their admiral.
The dead covered the decks and
clogged the fighting tops. No token
of surrender was flung out. The sur
vivors jumped into the sea and fought
fiercely the crews of the boats the
Peruvians sent to rescue them. A pis-
toll arrested the engineer in his strug-
gle, in the depths of the ship, to
open the sea valve and let in the
floods, to cheat the Chilians Of their
prey. On the part of the Peruvians
it had been battle of self.snnihila-
tion.
At the muster in the Peruvian
navy, and at general muster in the
army, when the roll is called AID.
miral Grau's name leads all the rest.
When his name is read an officer steps
forward, uncovers, and replies, Abb
sent, but accounted for' and pointing
upward adds, "He is with the i'm
mortals."
On Memorial Day, at the muster OF
the men whose title to their country's
grateful remembrance came out of
wounds and hardships and death in
the battles for the preservation Of the
Union, involuntarily the multiplying
names of the departed rise on the
recollection; the orators add the com
forting assurance that, though absent,
these patriots are accounted for, and
the reverent assemblages OF people
leave no room to doubt that ilnmor-
tality is the proud heritage of each
faithful soldier of the Union.
In the popular conception, military
successes are associated with the gen.
eral officer. The agency of the pri.
vate, or the individual officer of mi
nor station, in contributing to victory,
or rescuing al army from disaster, es-
capes the notice of the historian. He
deals with the commander, not with
the subaltern who discovered an op-
portunity and threw himself into
the imminent deadly breach, or LED
his command where
the trumpets martial breath
Called to duty called to death. !"
Individual daring, ready and unfal
tering devotion to self-sacrificing duty
from earliest times have been power
full incentive to the soldier of patriot
ISM Leonidas at Thermopyl9, Hora
titus at the bridge, Winkleried, whit
made way for liberty at Sempach
Warren at Bunker Hill, who found i
sweet and becoming to die for country
are types of manly exemplars Of loft
lest heroism, They breed patriotism
in the blood of youth. They hav
had successors in every age--their ex
ample has raised up successors. L
the war for the Union, neither an
tiquity nor modern history furnishe
|hri hter instances of personal deyotio