The National tribune., 1909-06-24

quantities of munitions, naval stores,
timber. etc. An estimate of the entire
cost of these was $10.e00,e00, a very
large sum Of money for those days, but
their actual value IL the impending
troubles was vastly greater.
The Commandant of the Navy Yard
was Capt. McCauley, loyal man. who
had rendered good service, but was now
passing into decadenCe of mind, viii
and body. He wanted to be true to his
trust and save the Navy Yard for his
Government, but he allowed himself to
be befogged and outwitted by mis- young
er subordinates, who were Secesslonists.
He had been ordered to send the Merri-
mac to Philadelphia, and had gotten her
ready for the voyage, but at the last
moment his subordinates persuaded him
that in the infiamed condition of the
public mind this would look like a
challenge and an overt act which might
have fearful consequences.
Capt. McCauley showed himself to be
absolutely nerveless. Most of the me-
chanics employed in the Navy Yard
were strong Union men, and there were
many Union men in Norfolk and Ports
mouth who would have rallied to him
had he been man OF the temper or
Nathaniel Lyon, but he dailied and dali
lied for fear of exasperating the popu-
lace, disconnected and discouraged the
Union men in the Navy Yard and the
towns, and then, passing from weak
vacillation to desperation, ordered the
vessels scuttled and the cannon to be
spiked or have their trunnions knocked
off. This was only imperfectly done.
and hundreds of cannon were afterward
found serviceable by the Confederates
for the defense of the southern sea
coast.
Fearing that Capt. McCauley was not
equal to the occasion. the Navy had
sent the frigate Pawnee. Capt. Hiram
Paulding, to take possession of the
Navy Yard. A portion of the Massa-
chusetts troops had been sent to secure
Fortress Monroe against an assault, and
Capt. Paulding took on the Pawnee AIS
of these, reaching the Navy Yard with
out opposition. He. too, showed him.
self unequal to his opportunity. II he
had landed his men and put the Navy
Yard in a state of defense, there would
have been no question of his holding IT.
But he found SO many of the guns had
been disabled and all of the ships OF
war except the Cumberland sinking that
without waiting for the appearance OF
a single enemy he hastily retreated
taking away with him the books. pa
pers and some other portable property
Lieut.. Henry A. Wise went with Capt
Paulding to bring out the Merrimac
He found her slowly sinking, and his
heart failed him, and he left after max
ing an effort TO set the vessels on fire
He pulled down the river in a small
boat, and reached the Pawnee, which
twas towing the Cumberland. The deck.
and topworks of the Merrimac were
burned, but this was really putting hel
in better shape for the use the Confed
crates We're to make of her.
| The abandonment of the Norfoli
Navy Yard has been justly termed the
most shameful, cowardly and disastrou.
performance in the history of the
American Navy. 1t was the one time il
to rise splendidly to the demands o
the occasion.
Tormenting Visitors.
While these momentous events wer,
weighing upon President Lincoln ther,
was no cessation of the raids of tn,
office-seekers. The roads might b,
blocked for the soldiers, but, somehow
the office-seekers always got thru. Lin
coin had commented upon the voracit.
of the Democratic ofiice-seekers IN hi
! campaign speeches, saying, at one time
that ~ all the vacant offices were at tn,
north pole the road thereto would b.
lined with dead Virginians. Nov h
} was to learn that the other side coul,
be equally importunate, and in his de
preston or mind Lincoln was con
. strained to say: IF our American So
ciety and the United States Government
! are denoraliZed and overthrown, 1t vii
come from the voracious desire for of
fee. this wriggle 10 live without toi
: work or labor, from which I am no
/ free myself" There came at time
l CLEANS of his old humor, which
shown u. his reply to the delegation o
temperance workers, of more zeal thai
! discretion, who badgered him to pre-
, hibit the sale Of liquor to the soldiers
alleging that all the trouble was on ac
, count of our Army drinking SO mucl
whisky. To this Lincoln said that thi
twas rather unfair upon the part Of tn