The Republican journal., 1913-02-06

ly cold we had every port in the Soutl
under good state of blockade; one tina
the whole world was compelled to recog
nize. This was done largely through
purchased ships and volunteer officers.
| In July, 1861, Congress authorized the
Secretary. of the Navy to appoint Of
ficers from the merchant service to office
these ships and to serve in ali the ships
but they were all of the lowor grades
none to rank higher than acting volunteer
lieutenants The next lower grade was
acting master, and the lowest grade was
acting masters mate At first there were
no set rules for examination, and they
came in very rapidly and went out very
rapidly. The first to volunteer were
shipmasters out of job. England ane
France had recognized the Confederacy
as belligerents and the Confederates had
began to cover the seas with privateers
to prey upon our commerce in all direc
tons, and particularly the smaller yes
sells, and the captains of these vessels
rushed for the navy. The fact that they
had been a captain or chief mate in the
merchant service was their recommends
ton for an appointment. But this did
not work we'll on all occasions. Many OF
the old-line officers of the navy did not
take kindly to volunteer officers. They
looked upon them as lnterlopers, and
called them shot plugs. And many of
the volunteers who had been in command
of merchant ships did not take kindly to
the discipline on board a sman-of- war,
when placed iii a subordinate position,
serving under young lieutenant who
had had but little sea service. They
simply could not stand it and resigned.
Others simply could not hold their mouths
right, and were either dismissed or had
their appointments revoked for insubor-
dination An illustration of this was en-
acted on board the first ship in which
served. No ship that ever sailed the sea
had more capable body of officers than
she. The trouble was she had too many
officers who were too capable for the
positions they held on board. She was
little clipper bark, a perfect little yacht,
built to carry dried hides from Rio to
New York, ana had made some of the
quickest passages ever made, and yet the
four ranking officers on board that ship
would not have considered it a compi-
ment to have commanded that little clip
per bark in the merchant service, for
they had been in command of bigger
ships. Her commander was an acting
volunteer lieutenant who been educated
in the service but had resigned some
years before TO take charge of a large
shipbuilding plant in New York. When
the war broke out he offered his ser
vices to the government that had edu-
Gated him and they were gladly accepted,
for he was very capable and very
brave man; but he was also very fussy
man and very strict disciplinarian. He
stood for all the little forms of etiquette
that the volunteer knew but little about
as yet. The other officers in the ship
were three acting masters and three act
ing masters mates The grade of act
ing ensign had not yet been created.
These three acting masters had all been
in command of big ships, but took rank
in the navy according to the dates Of
their COMMISSIONS, and the ranking officer
was the executive of the ship. The next
in rank was the sailing master and navi-
gator, and he was the right man in the
right place. He was a man Sc years of
age and had been in command of large
whaler sailing out of New Bedford. He
had been in command for fourteen years
and had sailed in every sea where these
leviathans of the deep were to be found,
and feel safe in asserting that so far as
the ships and the seas and the coasts of
the world We're concerned he knew more
than all of US put together. He was
kindly, but rough and uncouth man, and
would not have graced ball room in
company of naval officers. But he knew
his place and kept in it, and in less than
a year was promoted and had command
of some of the finest ships in the SER
vice. But the junior master was diff
ferent kind of hairpin, if 1 may be al
lowed the expression. He had commanded
bigger ships than any of the others; had
been in command of one of Vanderbilt's
large steamships that before the war
plyed between New York and Aspinwall.
His ship was big enough to have nearly
taken our little bark on itsIdecks, and he
did not hesitate to put his oar in and give
his opinion on all occasions, and in many
instances to criticize the doings of the
commanding officer.
We were blockading in the Gulf. Our
commander had been former shipmate
with Admiral Farragut, who at that
time commanded the Gulf Squadron. He
reported the acts of INSTRUMENTATION of
this officer to the admiral and the first
Children CRY
FOR FLETcHER'S
Q ST0RlA