The Republican journal., 1910-06-23

of thirty men and his ship suffered no.
verely. History does not report the ,o.s
of the Americans. 1t is presumed that
it was much less, for court of inquiry
was held on the conduct of Capt. Rogers
which decided that it had been satifac.
torily proved to the court that Cant
Rogers hailed the Little Belt first; that
his hail was not satisfactorily answered:
that the Little Belt fired the first gun.
| and that it was without previous provo
cation or justifiable cause.
After this incident every honorable
means was exhausted to induce the
British to- cease their annoyance, but
without avail, and declaration of war
on our part seemed justifable and un-
avoidable because of the long series of
insults and injuries on the part of Great
Britain. The impressing of our seamen
under the most irritating circumstances.
the seizure and confscation of our ships
and their cargo without justifable cause.
and the adoption of measures to injure
US in many ways, forced US to declare
war in self protection; and in doing so
we adopted the same course that thew
hoped for and intended we should take.
The reason was obvious. England was
commercial nation. The United States
was fast growing in that direction. and
to sweep our commerce from the seas
and check it's growth with their mighty
navy was their desire, and they thought
they had only to say ''shoo fy!' to our
little navy and it would disappear from
all the oceans like chaff before the wind.
But. with occasional reverses, general
success attended our cause in every d.
rection. On sea and on land the American
eagle led to victory. England found that
her adversary was worthy of her steel.
The young nation, inspired by sense of
wrongs endured and convinced of the
justice, of its cause bore away the palm
and plucked the laurels of victory from
the brow Of its more aged competitor.
In series of naval battles the British
lion, unused as it was to cover before a
foe, was compelled to lick the dust in de-
feat. There were just twenty engage
ments on the water between the two ma
tions during the war of 1Sl2-14, and in
fifteen the Americans were victorious.
To say that all England was astounded
at Our first victory over them during that
war would be putting it mildly indeed.
One of the British admlrals told the cap
tain of one of our ships that it was de-
creed by fate that Britannia should rule
the waves; but Notwithstanding Captain
Hull had the courage to wager a hat
with Captain Dacres- they were personal
friends before the war-that if they
ever met in combat that he (HulD would
be the winner, and by fate's decree they
did meet and Hull won the hat, and got it.
will now give a list of the engage
ments in which the Americans were vic
torious:
1912, off Newfoundland: American
frigate Essex, Captain Porter; British
sloop of war Alert, Captain Langhorne.
August lst, off the coast of Massachu-
sets: Constitution, Capt. Hull; British
Guerrero, Capt. Dacres.
August 18th, off the Coast of North
Carolina: American sloop of war Jones;
British frigate Frolic.
Oct. 25th, near Canary Islands: Ameri-
can frigate United States, Capt. Deca-
tur; British frigate Macedonia, Capt.
Garden.
Dec 29th, off San Salvatore: Ameri-
can frigate Constitution, Capt. Balm
bridge; British frigate Java, Capt.
Lambert.
1913, Feb. Oath, off Demerara: Ameri-
can sloop of war Hornet, Capt. Law
renee; British brig Peacock, Capt.
Peake.
Sept. 5th, off the coast of Maine:
American brig Enterprise, Capt Bar
rows; British brig Boxer, Capt. Blythe
Sept. 10th, on Lake Erie: American
fleet of 9 ships and 81 guns, Commodore
Perry; British, vessels and 63 guns,
Commodore Barclay.
1914, off the Coast of Florida: Ameri-
can sloop Of war Peacock, Capt War
rington; British brig Enquirer, Capt.
Wales
Sept. LIST, near the Coast of Africa:
American sloop of war Blakely; British
sloop Avon.
June End, near the British Channel:
American sloop of war Blakely; British
sloop of war Reindeer.
Sept. 18th, Lake Champlain: American
fleet of IA vessels and So guns, Com
modore McDonough; British feet Of II
vessels and 95 guns, Commodore Downie.
Sept. 18th, Mobile Bay: American
frigate Bayor, Lawrence; British fleet,
ships and 80 guns, Nichols.
1915, Feb. goth, off the Island of Ma
deira: frigate Constitution, Capt. Stew
art; British ships Cyerne, Capt. Folsom,
and Levant, Capt. Douglas.
March 23d, off Brazil, American sloop
of war Hornet, Capt. Biddle; British
brig Penguin, Capt. Dickinson.
This closes the American victories, Is
in all Followinu is the LIST of onraro