The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1905-07-07
BY
W. H. TRIMMER,
WHO SERVED ON THE
VESSEL.
IN
PENSACOLA JOURNAL

OlOeOu w clco, ScCEcCdIy VI tHC
United States navy. wrote to Com
. mander Preble of the United States
steamer Oneida: upon submitting
| your letter to Rear Admiral Farragut
to the president received from him
prompt directions to announce to you
your dismissal from the sc rvice. You
will from this date cease to be re-
garded as an officer of the navy of the
United States.'' Preble had been in
service q years. During this unpar-
alleIed chase and escape Captain
Maffit sat most of the time on the
quarter rail and steered the Florida
straight for the oar.
J. NJ. SJribling. lieutenant trans
ferred from the Sumter, was sick be-
low with yellow fever A shell en-
tered the port quarter, also several
expended Parrott shells struck the
masts and fell on board. The boats
were much injured and much of the
standing rigging was shot away.
As we approached the bar an eleven
inch shell entered on our port beam
nine inches above the water line,
passing through the coal bunker,
grazing the boiler and entering among
the men on the berth deck, wounding
four and took Duncan's head off,
AT dark we were under the guns of
Fit. Morgan; on the 9Th we landed in
| Mobile and buried our dead Lieut.
Stribling died of yellow fever.
GOT AWAY SAFELY.
On January II, 1868, after refitting
and recruiting the Florida, taking adj
vantage of darkness and a bowling
norther, we ran out past Fit. Morgan
i and the bIOckading fleet without be-
| ing struck. During some months the
Florida captured some scores of
prizes. Captain Maffitt in the MEAN
time on account of i'll health had re-
tired from active duty and was sue
ceeded by Lieut. c. NJ Morris. who
was in command when she put into
the port of Bahia, Brazil. for coal, on
October 4, 1864.
1t was after dark, but next morn
ing we discovered the presence of the
United States steam corvette "Wach-
usett'' lying very near. After coal
ing the ship, Morris and many of his
officers and two-thirds of the crew
went ashore for the night. About 1
O'Clock in the morning the "Wachu-
sett'' got under way and her COM
mander ran into the Florida striking
her on her starboard quarter, crush
ing the bulwarks, damned the wheel,
stove in the quarter boat, broke the
mizzen mast in three pieces, carrie
away the main yard and started the
seams for about thirty feet. At the
same time the Wachusett fired two
shots from her broadside. The guns
of the Florida were unloaded, hel
fires were out and half the crew
ashore. After striking the Florida
the Wachusett backed off and de
] manded Immediate surrender. Lieut.
Stone, the second officer, after a hur
ried conference, acceded to the de
| mand. A hawser was made fast an(
the Florida Immediately towed t.
sea, arriving at Hampton Roads, No
vember II, 1864.
| Brazil Immediately demanded tina
the Florida be returned to the port O
Bahia but diplomacy placed her il
charge of an engineer with positiv
orders to open her sea cock at mid
night, so the gallant little Florida wa
sunk at Hampton Roads. On thei
trip north the officers were parole
8 but the crew were kept in doubl
irons and taken to Fort Warren, Bos
ton Harbor.