Omaha daily bee., 1909-08-03
SAW FARRkGpT TIED TO. MAST
RecOllectiOns Of sumner ON the
Admirars ship In Mobile
BAY.

49,
Henry Wright OF Springfield Mass, re-
calls some interesting experiences while
serving as a gunner win Admiral EarCa-
gut on the flagship Hartford at Mobile hay
during the three years service in the navy
In the civil wal.
Mr.. Wright, who saw FarraGut dashed
to the mast, WAS "a prisoner for a time in
Libby prison, did. blockade dutIT partici-
pated In the engagements at Chesapeake
bay and Hamptop Roads and was, in the
foreground at the Mobile bay, fight.
He enlisted in the federal navy In Aug
ust, 1862, and Nass mustered out Of the SER
vice i'm Boston Three years later: In No
veIhber, 1862, he was on the Daylight, a
blockading steamer, Off the North Caro-
line coast, when a, sinai blockade runner
was forced ashore, and was a member OF
one of three boat crews detailed ITO burn
the schooner but all three were .cSpsi2ed
by the heavy waves and forced to, give up
the attempt. . .,
Just before the battle of Mobile hay he
was transferred to the Hartford. and after
that engagement he was detailed to the
Seminole, on which he remained until the
expiration Of his term of. enlistment. In
those days mines and tprpedoes were far
from being perfected and Gunners<o on the
warships fought behind wooden instead or
Iron walls.
Mr.. Wright said: Strange to- relate none
of our gun crew was injured at Mobile in
the fight which lasted from z a. IN. to .
p. m, although there were many losses
in the gun crew on each side Of us. /
happened to witness a most peculiar ia,
tally, A shot from the Tennessee went
through the side Of tho hartford, burst
and cut off both legs Of Tom CLARK, d
powder boy. lie threw up his hands az he
fell and a smaller shot severed both arnis
above the elbow. ~
Another shot from the Tennessee hit
a quarter gunner. who, happened to "
STOPPING, and cut away a large parl OF
his body, and then destroyed ouI. po,.
gun. - "
The men of the Hartford were unue.
fire most OF the time, for the Gnemy knew
that Admiral FarraguL. was. pm our snip.
The Tenn,ssee's gum made, ~teiIiple. "o.h
of us, but We were unabIe TO lnaAe muc.
Of an impression on II as It's sid,s were
armored with railroad iron seven ln,aes'
thick. ''.''hf '"r''|
w always thought that,Me were. . afs-
guarded somewhat by the" Anc.or cna.ns.
which, to a certain extent scrten a ..e
anu hNBAl many SuUN
from putting our boilers out OF commis.
sion. The enemy lay alongside. us AID
tried persistenuy to ram US, but We
thwarted its attempts by meeting It tow
on. ..
Il once saw Admiral Farragut dashed 10
the rigging of the Hartford, where he could
command an unobstructed view. IN seem,
that some time before the battle a rubber
hose with a tin mouthplAcs at each end
was dashed to the mast and hung from the
top to the deck. 1t was 10 be used as a
speaking tube, as We supposed, by the 3D..
miral from aloft.
Just prior to the battle, however, a gun
was placed in the top, so the admiral, not
wishing to be in the way Of the gunners,
stood in the main rigging just below the
top, where he could be close to Freeman,
our pilot,
John Gallagher, one of the petty officers,
and not Dick Knowles, as history has IL,
was the man who dashed the admiral to the
rigging. Captain Drayton ordered Knowles
to secure the admiral to the rigging for
he feared that he might fall In the stress
of battle, as he was more than 60 years
old at that time. As Knowles went to
carry out the order he found Gallagher IN
the rigging, just below the admiral and
told him that Captain Drayton wanted the
admiral secured. l. happened to be coming
along the quarterback and Knowles told me
to bring him a gasket, which 1 did, and
threw 1t up to him. Gallagher then 51ror
ceeded to lash the admiFal to the rigging
When FsTragut united himself the gas
ket fell into the pool ,of blood where young
Clark and the quarter gunner lay. After
the fight ] washed the rope, according TO
rule on shipboard, and laid It away IN q
locker, At that time we never dreamed
that this little incident of the ldshing would
make Farragut more famous than any
other event in his life az Il fighter."-Bos-
ton Globe. -
~.
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