The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-12-18

III revere his memory, although he was
on wrong side, in my opiniont. When
Captain Alden, of the Brooklyn. made
as big a blunder in handling his ship
as he did in his report about the first
fight at my fort, when he said We
were merely waiting for some n to
come and take it." and backed his YES
sci, when the Tecumseh was blown up
by a torpedo in the channel opposite
Fort Morgan. throwing the column he
was chosen to lead in confusion, gave
the order 10 Captain Drayton to full
speed the Hartford past the Brooklyn
and take the lead: and when Alden
through his trumpet informed old sal
amander"a up in the rigging that he
was running in a mes. Of terpedoes,'
replied in his impulsiveness, "D1n the
torpedoes; follow me-" and it's a won
der he hadn't added, Oh the Brook
lyn. why didn't you use your apparatus
for picking up torpedoes, instead OF
backing down and creating this dis
order? 1t was for that purpose the
officers of the fleet asked me to let the
Brooklyn instead of the Hartford take
the lead as | desired, and caused me 20
follow instead Of leading the way, as
| usual" But Admiral FarTagut, with
the appalling spectacle of the sunke'l
monitor and its officers and men struS-
Cling to save themselves, had no time
| to order boats to the rescue, but | am
sure he thought all this and worse
| about Captain Alden, who reflected
upon the courage of my soldiers and
their commander. | hope the captain,
later admiral. is now living and we'll,
and with my compliments, would in
- -. 80 -.~o1 ~1+r all fh;nO= Ylpht
in history, | think he later found out
that the boys in Fisher were waiting
Christmas night, not to be taken. but
to capture and bottle up Ben Buffers
soldiers for his trying to blow them up
with his infamous powder ship. Nor do
| think the BrOOklyn's captain was
! afraid OF torpedoes, but seeing the
Tecumseh's fate, halted to protect the
i admiral's ship. | have been familiar
with American naval officers since
childhood, and | have never met or
heard Of a coward among them, except
from ~slanderers too base TO be believed.
But | started for Manila Bay Il
have gotten blown off to Mobile Bay.
j When his flagship Olympia entered
| Manila Bay, that terrible field of
broadcast submarine mines, George
Dewey didn't d-n the torpedoeS, but as
cool rs a cucumber vine stripped by
untimely frost, in his fathers garden
at the old Vermont farm where he
worked as a boy. led the way 70: his
fleet, calmly watching the advance OF
u his Ships from the forward bridge, the
j most exposed position in the squahroh
] Observing the enemy's shots passing
high over his ship, and judging the
) | Spanish feet was we'll within range,
j he leaned over the rail and in a quiet
l voice said: when you are ready you
may fire, Gridley!" This inaugur&ted
the most remarkable victory in uaVal
| history, not only in the destruction or
Il the enemy's ships without the loss OF
,: life on the victor's decks, but in its &c
2 suits in the acquisition OF territory ana
d advancing the United States to the
most formidable nation in the world.
! Whether the final outcome is best or
not for our American republic, George
Dewey did his duty; he virtually ended
s. the war with Spain.
Il This is nv last witness for my boys.
! After his return and his grand recep-
Il ton in New York. [ called on MN al
al his beautiful home in Rhode Island aV-
3 enue on business, and when ne lnCro-
al duced me to his charming wife II Was
as the commander of Fort fisher, Tell
ing her how l had hulled the Colorado
81 of which he was executive oflcer, ano
81 what y risk the ship ran by his having
to anchor her so near my guns D
ei command of flag officer. Commodore
Thatcher NV recollection is that ne
told me that Commodore Thatcher or
dered him to go as close to the fort a.
d he could and as near the bar, with thf
ships draft of water: that he immedl
ately obeyed and anchored the shll
81 some Distance inside Of any WoodeI
hull and about three-quarters or a mile
from the works; that he had watched
ri the effect Of my shot and knew 1t was
imprudent, but silently Obeyed ORDERS
u that the vessel no sooner ancnofe>
than I fired a large shell through IN
h ship. which was followed by W more
t. (which hulled the ship. when the ON
II modore prudently ordered him to Welgl
y anchor and retire. replied to Admlri'
ri Dewey that I remembered 1t; that
1T not only drove Thatcher pennant IRON
nj nv front, but both on the oath and 2ot'
ISL T had driven the Wabash, Captain Me
,ancton Smith, who was h very EN-
bodiment of pluck, trying to drive d:
n MINERS away from their guns VII
/ Crane and canister from near the oal
under the impression it was Admlra
is Porter's flagship; and l speak OF II ;.
he my report, Vol Il, PIP. 366-369. n
,y| officer of the navy was more famiila
y, with its ships han myself, excepting
few purchased and converted craft tia
had never b~lockaded the Cape Fear.
III When the Colorado came right up t
the bar and commenced a furiou
~ broadsiding of my main work. includ
IS inf the northeast salient (Commodor
pr Thatcher says she fired 1859 projectile
on the oath and 1926 shot and shell tn
toi 25th, total 2,795, four-ffths as man
di shot and shell as | had in the works..
orr supposed it was to drive my men troI