Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-03-03
Miseellaneous Reaaiug.
SEA FIGHT WITH JAPAN
Yankee Navy Had a Hot Brush During
Civil War;

Civil War.
Every one who has followed the
cruise Of the battleship fleet to the
Pacific has an opinion as to the like
lihood of war with Japan, but few
know of naval battle that actually
took place between Americans and
Japanese. The reason for it's being
forgotten is that it happened in 1868
the crisis Of the civil war, and the eX-
plot in faraway Japan was lost in the
roar of battles at home. Even in the
secretary Of the navy's report for the
year 1863 the modest account Of the
hero of this story is tucked away at
the end under the title of "Miscella-
neous," but President Roosevelt once
said of this fight, Had this action
taken place at any other time than
during the civil war its fame would
have echoed al over the world"
To understand how Americans and
Japanese happened to be shelline
each other while the two countries
were supposedly on friendly terms it ii
necessary to 60 back 10 Commodore
NJ. c. Perry's visit In lS53-54, which
opened Japan TO the civilized world
In 1858 the Japanese prime minister
signed the completed treaty for ia
pan, with Commodore Tattnall's sig
nature representing the United States;
but this act OF friendliness to the
United States meant only civil war
for Japan. Though for $50 years
Japan had been at peace, the embers
Of rebellion had long been smolder-
ing, and the question of foreign in
tercourse only famed them into
flame. The shogun on tycoon" un-
der whose authority the treaty was
made, was the practical ruler of ia
pan, for the mikado kept a mysteri-
Gus, god-like seclusion which cost
him actual power in government.
Opposed to the shogun were feudal
clans of Chiosu and Satsuma-the
most powerful in the empire-who
hated the foreign devils and longed
to revive the ancient authority Of the
mikado by ousting the shogun. The
signing Of the treaty was made the
signal for barring the two-handed
sword in a crusade Of patriotism.
In 1860, the year when the first
Japanese embassy arrived in Wash
ington, the minister who signed the
treaty was assaSsinatcd, and from
that time on the islands were in an
uproar. Foreigners were killed and
legations burned by individuals and
by rowing bands Of outlaws; but in
June, 1868, the mikado was persuad-
ed to issue an edict serving notice to
all foreigners that they must leave
the country, and closing all the ports
of the empire against the world. The
shoeun found himself caught be-
tween the authority of the mikado on
one side, the guns of the treaty pow
ers osi the other. His request to be
allowed to resign was refused, and he
was forced to play his difficult role
to the end. AS soon as the imperial
edict reached the Chiosu clan their
chief decided to begin warfare on his
own account, and began at once to
fortify the Strait Of Shimonoseki,
which lay in his dominion.
Meanwhile the danger to Ameri-
{ ans in Yokohama had already be-
come serious in April of the same
year, and our minister sent word to
Captain McDougal Of the Wyoming,
that his guns were needed to protect
American lives and property. Nc
Dougal, who had been cruising In a
vain search for the Confederate
cruiser Alabama. brought his ship to
Yokohama. where it became a refuge
for American residents until safe
quarters could be found for them on
shore.
On the 18th Of July word came
that the American merchant steam
ship Pembroke had been fired upon
without warning in the Strait of Shi-
monoseki. and rumor had 1t that she
had been sunk with all on board. Nc
Dougal had already received orders
to return to America, but being a
man who knew his duty when he saw
it. he weighed anchor and arrived off
the eastern end Of the strait on the
evening of the 18th.
The great inland sea Of Japan mar
three miles long and from one-half
to one mile wide. A small town lies
at the foot of the bluffs, which so
controls the channel that it has been
called the Gibraltar of the Japanese
Mediterranean" Through this chan
mel the tides rush and swirl, conceal
ing shoals and sunken rocks so dan
gerous that the place has long been
famous for shipwrecl<s, yet it is a
very impol tant waterway for COM
merce.
70 face the problem Of succeeding
with his armament of six guns. OPP
posed to him were three armed ves-
sells, mounting eighteen guns, with a
string of batteries mounting thirty
guns, which he could not reach from
the narrows. Without charts, all he
could depend upon was the fact that
the Lancefield, which was the largest
of the enemy's vessels, drew as much
water as his own. The two Japanese
pilots that he had aboard proved
rather worse than useless.
At 5 on the morning of the 10th
the Wyoming got under way. Sig
nal guns announced her entry into
the straits. and as soon as she came
within range the batteries opened
fire, to which the American made no
reply until the real knot of the straits
was reached. There lay the larger
batteries commanding the narrOwest
part of the channel: beyond, in more
open water were the three men-ot-
war, all heavily manned, with their
crews yelling defiance. These ships
were the bark Daniel Webster, the
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