Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-11-08

pline and superb heroism displayed by
| William Anthony, an orderly of ma
/ rines, on board Of the Maine at the
time she was blown up 1t is related
that when Captain Sigsbee reached the
deck after the explosion the first per-
son he met was William Anthony. IN
the semi-darkness, lit by the flames of
the bursting ship and pierced by shrieks
and groans, he saw Orderly Anthony
come to a present arms" as calmly as
+ # it were dress parade, and heard him
say in the even tones of perfect disci-
pline: "Sir, have to inform you that
the ship has been blown up and is sink
ing" When asked about this instance
Of cool courage and superb presence of
mind, this specimen Of American man
hood said: "Oh, that's nothing, any
, Yankee marine would do that"
The American navy has many such
examples of deeds Of daring and disci-
plinewh1ch should live in American his
| tory. An interesting incident is re-
| lated Of a brave boy who was on board
! the steam sloop Varuna, ten guns,
Captain Charles S. Boggs, commander,
during Admiral Farragut's fight at
New Orleans in April, 1862. The lad,
who answered to the name of Oscar,
was but u years Of age, but he had an
old head on his shoulders and was
alert and energetic. During the hottest
| Of the fire with the Confederate feet
he was busily engaged in passing am
munition to the gunners, and narrowly
( escaped death when one of the terrific.
! broadsides of the c.. S. steamer Gov
ernor Moore Commander Beverly Ken
non, was poured in. Covered with dirt
and begrimed with powder, Oscar was
met by Captain Boggs, who asked
where he was going in such hurry.
ITO get a passing box, sir; the other
one was smashed by a ball!'' And so,
throughout the fight the brave lad held
his place and did his duty.
When the Varuna went down under
the terrific fire of shot and shell and
ramming of the Governor Moore, Cap
tain Boggs missed his boy, and thought
he was among the victims of the bat
tie But a few minutes afterward he
saw the lad CALAMITY swimming tow
ard the wreck. Clambering on board of
| Captain Boggs' boat, he threw his hand
up to his forehead, giving the usual sa-
lutte, and uttering only the words, "All
right, sir; I report myself on board"
passed coolly to his station.
Robert Cumming, a fair-haired boy
of IA years, good-looking and interest
| ing. was the hero Of the Harriet Lane
when she was captured at Galveston,
Texas, on January 1, 1868, and was as
brave and cool in danger as Osca~.
| He was of Scottish parents, his father
being a machlnist, who died before the
breaking out of the war in Paterson,
n. j.; his mother, a poor washerwo-
man. residing in Philadelphia, where
she was part supported by half of her
sons wages duly remitted to her, since
| he entered the United States service.
Robert entered the service as a drum
mer boy in Colonel Moorhead's Twenty
Third Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun-
teers, and remained in that position
! service.
He then enlisted as messenger boy"
| on board the Harriet Lane, and won
good will of her officers by his pluck,
good humor, and vivacity. When the
| attack occurred in front of Galveston,
and the storm of bullets was pouring
down on the overmatched crew from
| the cotton bulwarks of the Neptune and
Bayou City, as the Federal wounded
| men were carried below, the lad picked
I'D two of their fallen revolvers, and,
| taking his place upon the quarterback,
bIazed away at the invading Confeder-
ates. firing at them every charge of
| both weapons, and then hurting them
| overheard. AS it is said the Confeder
ates clustered thick as bees on the cot
| ton bales, it is believed every shot
must have told" Robert was subse-
| uuently wounded in the hand by a mus
| ket ball, when momentarily his spirit
| gave way. Surrendering with the rest,
! he shared the fortunes of the paroled
| officers. naturally becoming a great ia
vorite with them, and messing at their
| table during their journey through the
| interior of Texas to be conveyed to New
! Orleans via Red river. He was on
board the Kensington at that city when
| he became acquainted with Comman-
der Meade, and was afterward taken
! under his especial care.
Another young hero was lad named
! Mouling, on the gunboat Queen Of the
| West, at Gordon's Landing, near the
mouth of the Red river. When the
| Confederate batteries opened on the
| Queen of the West, Mouling, mere
| child, checked the confusion on board,
! where the shot and shell were kissing
| and screaming in dangerous proximity
to the heads of the crew and two dis
| tinguished journalists-Finley Ander-
| son, correspondent Of the New York
| Herald, and Joseph McCullagh
/