The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1905-09-28

much attention. One day the blue
jackets on our shop and those on sew,
eral others were given permission tC
take a sea bath. Every fellow who
could swim went overheard in jiffy
and with two or three hundred men
In the water the scene was worth re.
membering
I'm the midst of the frolick:ng the
F1liPinos behind the new earthwOrks
opened on the ships and the men III
the water. They didn't have the range
or there would have been sad work
then and there. All their bullets fell
short, but when they struck The water
they glanced from the surface, and
we could hear them strike the ships
side, and occasionally one whizzed
along the deck. There was sharp
call to quarters. and the swimmers
came up the ships side like so many
squirrels. and some of them ran to
their guns without waiting to dress.
I'm few minutes our vessel gave
the rebels broadside, and, having
the range. the shot and shell made
the dirt fly. The rebel guns did not
reply, but Filipino leaped TO the
top of the trenches, waved his straw
hat defiantly, and jumped down. The
men at the guns responded with shot
and shell, and again the dirt Of the
intrenchments flew in every direction.
But again the Filipino stood ul and
waved his hat. This was the oder
of the day for several broadsidcs, the
Filipino timing his hat waving 30 as
to escape every time
BY this time the game had become
exciting. and the gunners changed
their tactics. They fired the broadside
as usual. but held the fire of one grr.
FOR some seconds, and let drive just
as the saucy Filipino came up for his
hat waving, and he went down. That
ended the engagement so far as the
Filipinos were concerned. But the
next morning l saw with my glass
Admiral Dewey leave his flagship in
his launch, and start on tour of
inspection. We feared that the rebels
lurking about the intrenchments might
pick the Admiral off and tried to sig
nal him that there was danger.
He didn't see the signals, or didn't
understand them, and his launch
steamed along shore in a way to make
us very nervous. The Captain ordered
the men to quarters. saying to me that
If the Admiral was fired on he would
demolish everything in sight. At
last we attracted the Admiral's atten-
ton. and he came steamins I'D to de-
mand of the Captain why his ship was
cleared for action. The Captain ex-
planned what he had planned to do.
and the men cheered. Dewey seemed
very much touched. and there was
conference which led to a movement
that stopped fertilization building
within range of our heavy guns
There were queer characters in the
Philippine war as well as In the civil
One man in volunteer regiment ,vas
taken sick in every engagement IN
which the regiment participated. He
told his captain that it was like saa-
sickness, but that it was caused by
fear, and that he was a coward and
deserved no mercy. The captain said
but in the next engagement
the seasick man was detailed for work
with the hospital corps. He hadn't
been at work an hour when he came
on run to the company, went to the
skirmish line, and from that tine on
was one of the most daring men I'm
his regiment.
Il was on the Roanoke" said the
when the Monitor came
down 10 meet the Merrimac. In the
matter of glancing shots there never
was anything like that fight. 1 re-
member we'll how we on the Roanoke
felt the night after the destruction of
the Minnesota and other vessels. We
knew that one more dash b. the Me-,
limac would finish US, ana were NOT
in very cheerful mood when we
heard the Monitor was coming.
''1n fact, we know more abOut the
Monitor than the government ever in
tended we should know. That nieht
when we saw off to the north light
that conducted itself contrary to the
accepted rules and regulations. We fnIt
the Monitor was in supporting dis
lance. When she came up and To-
ported for orders she seemed so riGic
ulously low in the water and so gen
orally inadequate that we lost heart.
Il heard the order that carried rer
TO her position for the night. with in
structiOnS to keep in hiding until the
Merrimac came out the next MORN
ing, when the Monitor was 10 close in
and fight. None of us on the Roanoke
slept much that night. We all wnn-ed
to see the beginning Of the fight, and
when morning came with heavy fog
We We're disconsolate. We could see.
however, the heavy column of black
smoke that indicated the position of
the Monitor.
"SOOn the heavy column of smoke
moved down the river and we knew
more deviltry was afoot. TO our sur
prise and delight the fog lifted and
we saw the Monitor move swiftly to-
ward the Merrimac as if to ram her.
The scene is us vived TO lie now as
it was that morning and | am sure
that when the Merrimac sighted the
strange craft sailing straight toward
ler she backed water. The Monitor
lid not ram. but the fight opeLed and
continued for three hours ana Il half
We could see every maneuvcr-could
see the balls strike the Monitor and
glance off.
I'VE could see also the heavy shot
IF the Monitor strike the Merrimac.
Some of them glanced off and some
Of them didn't. We saw when the
-a.I around the deck was broken and
when at last the Merrimac turned tail
md went ND the river we cheered