Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-07-31
McALLA A HERO OF OUR NAVY.
Lived Down the Flaw In His Record
Before He Retired.

Before He Retired.
Hereafter it will read Rear Admir-
al Bowman H. McCalla, retired" In
official documents and In newspaper
dispatches. Sixty-two has been mark
ed on the age record of McCalla and
deprived the United States navy OF
his active services. SiXty-two in the
navy Is what 23 has come to mean in
ordinary life. McCalla is through, un-
less some great national emergency
arrives requiring retired naval officers
to be summoned again to active life.
The people generally hardly know
the worth of McCalla. 1t is because
there was once a black mark against
his name in the books of the navy.
He wiped it out long ago, wiped 1t
out in the only way a manly man
could do so, by meritorious deeds; hut
because some folks never forget, no
account of McCalla's services is COM
plete without reference to 1t. over
against that black mark were set these
words by John d. Long when he was
secretary of the navy:
1.-The bravery. tact and energy you
have again shown are an added title
to the esteem in which the depart
ment holds you, and it gladly adds to
your record this expression of the fur
tner appreciation. of your good SER
vices"
McCalla wasn't at all different from
the hundreds upon hundreds of the
young cubs who have been graduated
from Annapolis. He was a good stu
dent, was ambitious and energetic
when he was graduated in 1864, hav-
ing been appointed from New Jersey.
He saw his first service at once on the
old steam sloop Susquehanna in the
Brazilian squadron. Then came the
time when there wasn't enough work
for the navy officers to do, and many
were detached on shore leave for
years. The navy went down hill, and
some of its officers deteriorated with 1t.
Not so with McCalla. He had an
opportunity to show the stuff that was
in him in 1885, when the United States
had to seize the Isthmus of Panama
to keep commerce open. He had
charge Of 5000 bluejackets there at
that time, and he kept the trains NOV
ing. He also so kept down the death
rate from fever among his men as to
cause the French government to in
quire how it was done.
Then came more stagnation, and
with it came McCalla's blight. He
was in command of the sloop Enter
prise on the Asiatic station, in May
1890, when an enlisted man, who was
drunk, was brought before the bridge
and reprimanded by the commander.
In his rage he cursed McCalla, and
the latter lost control of himself and
struck the man with his sword.
McCalla was denounced from one
end of the country to the other. He
was court martialled and sentenced to
dismissal from the navy. In view of
his record, faithful and excellent up
to that time, the sentence was miti-
gated to three years suspension and
a heavy loss Of numbers. In year
and a half the suspension was remov-
ed and his uniform was restored.
An ordinary man might have been
broken by such a record, but those
who knew McCalla said he would
clear his name yet. The Spanish
war gave him his chance. Gallant
conduct and bravery were the means.
Before hostilities began he was In
command Of the cruiser Marblehead
down at Key West. Long before the
war ended most of the jackies appar-
emily forgot her name, for she was
referred to only as 1.-THE Tub Of
Blood" That was because McCalla
had taught his men to shoot as no
sailor men in the American navy had
been taught before. Day in and day
out they were shooting at marks, and
when he reported for war duty it was
the boast of his crew that they could
hit a fly on a mark miles away.
When the blockade started McCa!la
began to get busy. No officer in the
navy showed such activity. lie was
here and there and all the time turn
ing up in unexpected places. Every
one was nervous, and before long the
ships of the American fleet got the
habit of shooting at McCalla in the
night before they found out VINO he
was. He remarked once that he was
mighty glad that none of the other
ships could shoot like his.
1t is related that once Admiral
Sampson called a conference of his
captains on the flagship New York.
McCalla came early. The first man
to enter the admiral's cabin after he
got there said:
Hello, Mac! You ought to be more
careful how you go sneaking around
you last night"
"I noticed that" said McCalla.
The next man said: Hello, Mac!
If you don't look out some night I'll
sink you. the way you go around look
ing for trouble. l shot at you night
before last before 1 knew who it
was"
"Yes, 1 noticed that" said McCalla.
The third man said: Hello, Mac!
have been shooting at you off and
on for nearly two weeks now. Can't
you fix it up so that We'll know when
to expect you around? / think have
fired on you nearly a dozen times"
ives. l noticed that" said McCalla
At last one captain said:
Mac, l believe l am the only man
i'm the fleet who hasn't fired on you"
II noticed that" responded Mccall
la, land l wish to heaven you'd fire
on me soon and have it over with"