The Washington herald., 1908-07-12
Uncle Sans Ships and Reg
imentS SWarm with Men
Who Represent Practical
Iy All Those OLd-time
Warriors Who Made the
Nations Army and Napy
WOrId-famouS Years Ago.
BY JOHN s. HARDWOOD.

any other time Of peace-to-day literally ]
swarm with representatives Of practically
all those old fighters who, in the years
that are gone. made the army and navy
world famous In history by their stir
ring Victories gained by daring strategy
md equally daring personal bravery.
Many OF these heroes Of the republic
are represented in one or the other
branch Of the service. and sometimes In
both. by men who bear the family name.
OF such are the Stevenses. the Breckin-
ridges. the Porters the Biddles, the
Grants, and the Washingtons, collateral
descendants Of the immortal George.
Others OF the Old-time warriors are rep
resented through the female line; and
not infrequently Il happens that one Of
flcer will represent the blood OF several
famous warriors In the cause of liberty.
Tho two Cravens now in the navy. for
example. have back Of them the fighting
blood not only OF the Cravens. but also
of the Truxtons. the Beales, the Hous-
tons, and the Tingeys. And not few
or the old fighters have been represented
uninterruptedly in the service. directly
or indirectly. right down 10 the present
day. The Rodgers family. for one, has
been In the navy ever since there was
navy on this side OF the water; and a
Rodgers married daughter OF oliver
Hazard Perry. the hero Of Lake Erie, so
that the family represents the Perry
blood I'm the service.
The Rodgcrses now In active service
number eight. one is on the retired list,
and al are IN the navy. They are Fred
erick Rodgers. rear admiral retired four
years ago. Christopher Raymond Perry,
a young ensign: Frederick. jr.. a midship-
man; John, an ensign on the battle ship
Nebraska; John A., a captain. now on
duty with the lighthouse board; Ray
mond Perry, chief Of the Bureau Of Intel
Hge7ce. John. n midshirman; Thomas. a
commander now captain of the cruiser
Dubuque. and William L.. on special duty
at The Naval War College at Newport.
Rear Admiral Frederick Rodgers was
chief Of the board of inspection and sur
vey during the Spanish War He was
gradual d from the Naval Academy while
the civil war was going on and saw ser
vice I'm various blockade fleets. After
that he was assigned to many important
commands on foreign stations and now.
from the "Admirars Corner in the Met
ropoltan Club. at Washington, he can
look back on a long and useful career
spent in the service OF his country. In
an inferior grade 10 that which they
now hold. the two Capts. Rodgers saw
service during the Spanish War. and have
done their share OF cruising and exploring
in many quarters q the globe.
Ready for "a Fight.
One OF the many picturesque Rodgerses
Of years ago was that Capt. John who
commanded the rrigate President in 1911
Capt Pechell. Of the British frigate
Guerriere-afterward destroyed by the
Constitution-boarded at sea The Ameri-
can brig Spitfre and impressed a native
American seaman. Naturally. tie Yam
KEGS were indignant. and Capt. Rodgers
when he heard OF It, was especially so
TO make matters worse. Capt. Pechel
had a big sign painted with the name OF
his ship on It and went sailing up and
down the coast Capt. Rodgers got on
board the President and went to sea. he
had the name President painted on his
foresaI in big letters and went looking
for the Guerriere There was no war be-
tween Great Britain and the United
States then-but II was coming.
About forty miles west OF Cape Henry,
Rodgers sighted q British man-of-war
He hailed the ship. and she responded
with a shot In his mainmast. l. took
Rodgers about five minutes to stop that.
for he opened with hroadsldes. The
stranger proved 10 be the British man.
of-war Little Belt. Capt. Arthur Bait
Bingham. and after standing by her all
night and getting her captain on board
20 explain. Rodgers sailed away. Capt
Rodgers fire had killed eAven and
wounded twenty-one on board the Brit
isher.
The Rodgerses have had two admirals
on the list at the same time. Admiral
Christopher and Admiral John. Admiral
Christopher used TO - called "the Ches-
terfield OF the American Navy"
The present Rear Admiral HolduI
Stevens. retired. Is the most prominent
representative to-day Of the severa
Stevenses, whose fighting fame is wover
with that OF the ROdgerses and tn,
Perrys. There is a Stevens I'm the army
but it is as a naval family that It Il
best known.
When the battle OF Lake Erie was rag
Ing and veterans of Nelson's feet wer,
being licked by the sailors whom Perrl
had brought overland. not only to built
ships, but to fight them, Lieut.. Thoma
Holdup. Of Georgia, had command OF tn,
FOUNDER gun Lieut.. Holdup ranged him
self alongside of the Queen Charlotte
He was so close alongside that the Queer
Charlotte could not bring her guns 10 bea
only few Of them-and Holdup wa
pumping iron into her hull as fast as hi
gunners could load. Down upon him Dor,
the bigger ship. the brig Niagara, Maste
Commandant Elliot In command.
Get away from there" shouted Elllo
through his trumpet; "let me tackle her.
Refused to Get Away.
Holdup made no reply except to urg
his gunners to hasten their work Elio
was afraid that the little Trippe woul,
be sunk. Also his orders had been dis
obeyed.
Get away from there!" he Shouted "
am going 10 sink her. Get away. or
will fire through you,"
Fire and be damned" answered Hold
up and the Queen Charlotte surrendered
After the war Of 1912 Capt. Holdup add
ed the name Of stevens to his own IN
family and financial reasons, and Hold
up-Stevens the family has been eve
since. though It's members refuse TO US
the hyphen- Some one once asked Rea
AcHiiioi 4h'llidS tlViuup SleNenS VIVA
the motto was on his coat OF arms. III
had at the time a miniature Of the ol
fighter Of Lake Erie IN his hands. Fir
and be damned" said the admiral.
The el1er Admiral Thomas Holdup Ste
vens was a valiant officer who kept good
as al his people have. the traditions O
the family. He was in command OF IN
Ottawa in Duponts expedition the Win
nebago In the battle Of Mobile Bay. and
in fact. had a long and honorable caree
as a fighting man in the United State
navy. One of his sons went into tn
army, another was secretary 10 Vice Al