The Republican journal., 1913-02-06

thing the officer knew he was ordered to
take the transport ship Rhode Island for
New York and was dismissed from the
service, as were hundreds of others; not
because they did not know enough, but
because they undertook to know too
much. The captains could appoint, but
could not promote, which could only be
done by the secretary Of the navy.
was appointed to take the dismissed Of
ficer's place, and recommended for pro-
motion to acting master. But before
this recommendation could be acted upon
Congress had made new laws regulating
the appointment of volunteer officers
and had enacted an intermediate grade
between that of acting masters mate,
(the grade in which entered the service)
and that of acting master-that of act
ing ensign; and they also made law
that no one could enter the navy as a
volunteer officer above that grade, SO
that VIII m l returned to New York in
July and received the promotion which
AsAA OOCIl ItCOIIlIllCuu0u lOutlu II W NC
in one sense an Irish prom otion. Though
had acted as master and done masters
duty for four months, with but master
mates pay, my promotion placed me one
grade less than that in which l had been
acting But l did not have to hold it
long, for in less than year we had a
sharp'fght, when my commanding officer
was pleased to make favorable mention
of my name and l was promoted to act
ing master June l, 1863
After June the rules for volunteer
were as follows: A masters mate should
| be between the ages of twenty and
thirty, should have had five years sea
service, and should pass an examination
before board of regular officers. An
acting ensign should be between the
ages of twenty-five and thirty-five,
should have had twelve years sea ser
vice, should have served at least as mate
of ship, should bring before the board
letters of recommendation from the last
captain with whom he had sailed and
from the owners for whom he had sailed
and the agent of the insurance company
that insured the ships in which he sailed.
and from other reliable persons as to
his professional and moral character,
sobrlety, etc, must pass an eXamina-
ton in navigation, seamanship, etc. A
masters mate could be promoted to an
ensign after six months service, with the
recommendation of his immediate COM
mander and the approval of the flag Of
fcer of the squadron. An acting En-
sign could not be promoted to acting
master until he had served three months
as ensign and was officially mentioned
for gallant and meritorlous conduct in
action ana recommended by his superior
officers with the approval of the admiral
of the squadron. 1t was the same for
promotion from acting master to acting
volunteer lieutenant, which was the
highest grade to which a volunteer Of
ticer could aspire.
1t will be readily seen that to become
volunteer officer in the regular navy
one must have had some previous knowl-
edge of the business. There was no
such thing as volunteer navy, but vol
unteer officers in the regular navy. In
the volunteer army one could pass from
the president of college to colonelcy, |
from lawyers office to captaincy and
from dry goods clerk to lieutenancy,
without any previous Knowledge of the
business; and with a strong pull with
the governor of his State could become
general of volunteers, while we of the
navy had no political pull and if We got |
advanced it was by merit alone. | re-
marked in the beginning that the regu-
lar naval officers did not take kindly to
US; but they We're soon compelled to
recognize US in many instances as their .
equals, with the exception of rank. /
Falragut and Porter said that while we /
lacked in etiquette and in discipline we
were their equals in bravery and daring, |
equally as good navigators and better /
al-round seamen; and while the regulars /
had seen most of their sea service Oh |
foreign shores, and in large ships, the
majority of the volunteers had spent
most of their lives on the American
coasts and their knowledge of the coast /
Of the Southern States far exceeded that
Of the regulars. In many instances the .
volunteers acted as pilots. | recall the !
fact that it was an acting master who |
pllOlSu inc MGHtiOT lIlO 11dlup On
Roads on the ever to be remembered /
night of March s, 1862, and had her in
position on the morning of the 9th to
attack the Rebel ram Merrimac as she |
came out to complete the destruction of .
our fleet, begun the day before. The re-
suit of that fight is known to the world !
and needs no further mention at this |
time, though later, if am spared, l
NAV take that matter I'M
In none of the fights or naval engage
ments that took place during the war of
the Rebellion We're the volunteer officers
one whit behind the regulars in brav-
cry, and in skill none of them had
seen any more fighting than we. The
first fights of all of US were in the war of
the Rebellion, and volunteer officers
were in every ship. Some of the fine
ships, and nearly all of the smaller ones,
were commanded and officered by volun-
teer officers. At the close of the war |,
myself, had command of a gunboat of
700 tons with an gun battery, II offic-
ers and 40 men, and it seems to me that !
the names of the officers and men who |
served in the navy from Maine should /
have their names and records placed in |
the archives of the State. The name