The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-01-06
For Sixteen Years the Com
mander of the Atlantic Fleet
Has Been Known Through
That Sobriquet.
ORIGIN OF THE NICKNAME
is MORE THAN UNIQUE.
1t Did Not Come to Him in the
Spanish American War, But
While He Was on Duty in the
Chilean Roadstead.


in knowledge but not in heat. have
taken place concerning the origin OF
the nickname by which Admiral Ev-
ans is much better known than he is
by his baptismal Robley Dunglison.
These street car and shop arguments
go on so persstentlv that they seem
likely to last until the big battleship
fleet reaches California next May.
Hence the need of a little light on
why Fighting Bob
1t is a mistake to suppose that Ad-
miral Evans gained his sObriquet dur
ing the brief brush with Spain. He
couldn't get it then. His part in that
one-sided affair was much less spec
tacular than that of the loquacious
and osculatory Hobson, for instance,
Captain Philip, with his kindly Don't
cheer; the poor devils are dying,
caught the popular ear better than
Evans profane surmise as to the in
creased use of the Spanish language
In the lower regions.
! Dewey, of course and Sampson and
Schley held the big commands OF the
war and had the eye-tilling stations.
/ ''Fighting Bob" fought, certainly,
but it was currently reported, with all
appearance of veracity, from the shell
ter of the coming tower-where he
rightly belonged-and he did nothing
more or less than his plain duty. He
won no outstanding fame, annexed no
nickname.
I The Fighting Bob came seven
years earlier. 1t was souvenir OF
VALPARAISO, way back in 1891. And
the odd part Of it all is that there was
no fighting done there by any Amer1'
can officer. The only combat was a
saloon and street ARRAY in which un
armed American seamen were roughly
handled and murderously assaulted by
a Chilean mob.
Nor was Robley D. Evans IN com
mand at the Chilean port when the
sailors of the Baltimore were stabbed
dubbed and shot by the mob which
outnumbered them ten to one. 1ha'
was Schley's position of publicity ano
delicate responsibility. Evans came
into sight only as the junior officers oil
the little American squadron which
soon assembled in the Chilean road
stead.
But Bob undoubtedly wanted &c
fight, and he let the world know how
he felt. He was never one to suffer
in silence when the battle fever burn
ed in his veins. He had the utmos
contemplation much, in 1act-for th'
Latin-American country which mac
come near a collision with the Unlte(
States, in consequence OF the civil wal
between the forces Of President Balm;I
ceda and the adherents of the maJorl
Itv in the Chllean Congress. He re
scented holly the attack upon unarmet
sailors wearing the uniform or the
American navy, merely because one @
them knocked down a chilean Wht
spoke disparagingly of Uncle Sam
country.
It was then the fiery puGnaclty o
the Tirginian officer caught the popu
lar fancy. and he became known a
Fighting Bob Stories began to cir
culate of his daring and persisten
courage in the two attacks on For
Fisher. when he was 4 mere lad JUS
out Of the naval academy. In the tina
assault by land in which the sailor
of Admiral Porter's fleet took part
Evans was wounded severely by fou
rifle bullets. Fighting Bob" certain
ly fought that bloody day. But it tool
his sultry and sulphurOus talk follow
ing a seaport riot far down the Sout'
American coast to bring his civil wa
record into such relief that it becam
we'll known.
Fighting Bob" he has been for six
teen years. Fighting Bob he viii
be until he dies, although the chance
are heavily against the firing of anoth
er hostile shot under the orders c