The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-24
TODAY I'M HISTORY
Battle Between the Hornet" and "Pea-
cock"
7 HURSDAY, FEBRUARY "a.


=, There was a little sea engagement
brushed off ninety three years ago to-
DAY. Just east OF the southern coast Of
the united States, which has gone into
nlstory as AN incident to show tho
proweSs oC the American sailor in the
carly stages Of our navy The American
navy had in its list OF sea lighters the
wasp The Hornet, the Viper and other
names with a sting to them. The British
vessel. Peacock had been haughtily
proving about the southern coast OF the
United states during the early part OF
our war with England; and the gallant
captain Lawrence decided to put a stop
10 her depredations.
IT was late in the afternoon OF Feb
ruary "A. 1913, that Lawrence sighted the
Pea cock off the Carohapa Banks, and
gave chase. The little English vessel was
game and stood her ground. The battle
was on; the vessels being almost within
pistol shot OF one another The Ameri-
can guns were fired so rapidly that i'm
order TO keep them cool buckets OF water
were constantly dashed over them. 1t re-
quired just eleven minutes for Lawrence
and his Hornet TO lick the Britishcr.
In his official report Lawrence is re-
corded as saying that the British vessel
surrendered at $40 p. m, making the
duration OF the action fifteen minutes
This was a mistake, but" said Law
renee. "as my clerk got it down 'nfteen
thought that was short enough"
When the Peacock surrendered she was
so rddIed with bullets that the captors
found her sinking The Hornet was only
slightly damaged The British loss was
heavy, but the Americans lost moro meu
trying To save the British sailors from
drowning than they did in the actual bat
tie, In commenting on the battle a
Halifax paper of the day said tina, "a
vessel nloored for the purpose OF expert
II will not do for our vessels 10 fight
theirs single handed. The Americans are
dead nip
Writing home from Bermuda in 1918,
Sir Charles Napier. the British naval Of
ficcr, gives one OF the many evidences
that about this time British contempt
turning into respect. If not fear:
Two packets are quite due. and We
fear that they have been taken, for the
Yankees swarm here. and when frigate
goes out to drive them off by force they
take her Yankees fight well. and are
gentlemen in their mode of warfare. De-
catur refused Gardens sword. saying:
Sir, you have used IL so well ] should be
ashamed to take it from you These
Yankees. though so much abused. are
really fine fellows.
After the battle. Lawrence made every
exertion possible for the comfort OF his
wounded prisoners, Such was their ap-
probation of his generous treatment that
on arrival in the United States the Brit
tude They said: we cannot better
express our feelings than by saying we
cease TO consider ourselves prisoners"
The sailors OF the Hornet. knowing that
the Peacock men had lost everything,
made contributions from their own scanty
kits and supplied each Of the English
men with a complete outht.
February "a, 1865, the bill was intro
duced TO impcach President Johnson; it
is the birthday of George Frederick
Handel, the composer GS6D; Charles
Lamb the distinguished English cssayist
(7T5). John Burgoyne. the English gem
eral of the revolutionary war 0723); the
day on which John Keats, the poet. died
flS21); on which Francis. Duke of Gulse,
was assassinated In 1868; OH which the
court OF claims. Washington. was cstab-
Used and the day on which Pompeii and
were destroyed by the
of Vesuvius in 70 a. ID,