The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-17
ing fur1cd, somethinr wronp attraotad

ing furtcd. Something wrong attracted
his attention. and I was startled by,
"Forecastlo there?" answered. Aye,
aye, Sir" clewgarnetlowd
aboutslxinches." That was one on me,
and stood bewildered. Again the
clarion voice rang out, 'Dontstandther
1ikedamboobyhave portforeclewgarnetlo
wesedslxlnch es." Just then Jim Smith,
tho boatswain's mate, whispered, Say
Aye, aye, SIR which I did, and our
superior OF the quarter deck Turned
and sauntered away, while my sailor
friend proceeded to translate the order
given me and to put 1t in force. The
translation is as follows: Have your
port fore clew garnet lowered about
as follows: Don't stand there like q
DIN BOBBY, have your port fore clew
| garnet lowered about six inches"
Sailors, especially In storm, have
no time to emphasize words and bring
them together, and Will till my dying
day know where tho fore clew garnet
Is on board of ship. SO thus 1t is
that the MILDLY and the sailor are
I chums; that is, In the old navy.
stephen r. Mallory was made Sec
rotary Of the Confederate States Navy
and tho department was organized as
other Cabinet Offices, but we had nc
| ships; plenty OF officers but only few
4 vessels. So 1t fell to the duty OF naval
officers to command batteries, and the
| first that we will mention were on the
Potomac river.
1 While both armies were preparing
\ for the contest that commenced with
4 the battle of Bull Run and Manassas
4 the Confederates erected line OF bat
4 terles on tho Potomac which entirely
blockaded Washington and 30 com.
i pletely that even their gunboats had
to sneak by ut night The most eff
q fective OF these batteries was that com.
manded by Capt. w. f. Lynch, of the
4 Confederate States navy, at Aqua
creek; and to take this battery the
enemy planned an expedition with
\ four gunboats and regiment OF men
to land and hold the works. On June
4 90, 1851. the United States gunboats
/ Pensacola. ten guns; the Anacosta
Resolute and Freeborn, two guns each
under command Of Captain Ward, OF
the United States navy. opened fire
4 upon this battery, which was returned
briskly. The fight lasted two hours
when Ward retired. with no loss or
either side. On June LIST Ward re.
newed the fight, this time for flvt
hours, expanding about six hundred
shot and she'll when again he wa.
forced to retire, with loss OF fiv'
men and the Freeborn 80 badly dam
aged that 1t had to go to the Wash
& ington navy-yard for repairs. Their
4 were no casualties on the Confederate
! side, though their works and the Off
GERS and meas quarters were badl.
wrecked.
!. Captain Ward, in. reporting the en-
i gagement to the United States Nav!
i Department.. said: ~ was SURPRISED
at the heroic persistency with which
! Captain w. f. Lynch. formerly of on
, navy, who commanded at Aqui:
, Creek during my several attacks. hel
Z, his post. glass in hand, on the ram
parts, against all the urgency Of HI
men, to quit post made desperatel.
, hazardous by the shot and shell fall
!: ing thickly and exploding about him.
Now. If this same Captain Ward ha;
lived few months longer Che wa
(, killed short time after, by q shell
l from the Matthias Point battery h