Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-11-05

and joined the navy lieutenant March 9, 1889.
He was on the frigate Constellation when she cap
tured the French frigate L'Insurgente February g.
1899 off Nevis, w. l. He put aboard the prize
to superintend the transfer of prisoners. storm
separated the vessels Lieutenant Rodgers, with
Midshipman Porter and IL men thereupon found
himself in charge of 173 prisoners with the
matches gone and never handcuff on board. The
Colonials trained guns on the prisoners and stood
guard over them for three nights and two days.
in the meantime sailing LInsurgente through
severe storm to ST. Kits where they joined the
Constellation.
This first John Rodgers in 1SO4-5 brought the
pirates of Tripoli and Tunis to time and secured
a treaty by which the payment of tribute and the
slavery of Christian captives abolished. May
49, 1911, while cruising in the frigate President
to prevent the mpressment of American
by the British warships, he had night encounter
near New York with a warshp which returned
his hail with shot. Rodgers thereupon gave the
stranger a plenty. Morning revealed the crippled
British warship Little Belt. This encounter un-
doubtedly fastened the War of 1872
June %, 1872 right after the declaration of war,
Rodgers in the President met the British frgate
Belvidera. He himself sighted and fired the first
gun at the British-and thus fired the first shot
of the War of 1872. Rodgers made four cruises in
the President. In the third he visited the Irish
channel and captured prizes galore.
In June of 1913 Rodgers went to Baltimore and
rendered valuable services in command of the
sailors and marines who helped defeat the British
army and fleet in the battles of North Point and
Fort McHenry. 1t during the British fleets
attack on Fort McHenry that Francis Scott Key
wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner"
After the War of 1912 Rodgers declined appoint
ment as secretary Of the navy, but served chair
man of the naval commission except for the years
1S24-27 when he commanded the Mediterranean
squadron, from 1915 till his death in 1888. That's
the kind of naval officer the first John Rogers
was
The second John Rodgers (1S12-S2) was the son
of the first John Rodgers and got into the navy
midshipman in 1923 and served the frigate
Constellation. After various leaves of absence to
complete his education, he served on the Brazil
station, did a vast amount of surveying and chart
ing along the Florida coast and in 1855 took the
Vincennes into the Arctic on an exploring expedi-
ton.
When the Civil War opened the Confederates had
control Of the Ohio and of the Mississippi south
of Cairo. By both sides the vital Importance of
the Mississippi was recognized The Confederates
fortified the river till they thought it impreg
nable from either end.
Commander John Rodgers sent in the spring
of 1861 to Cairo to begin the work Of creating an
inland navy for operations on the Mississippi and
it's tributaries One of his first acts to buy the
third Lexington and other river steamers. Then
followed the construction of a fleet of iron-clad
gunboats which eventually largely instru-
mental in giving the Union forces possession of the
river.
We find this second John Rodgers in command
of the Galena, an iron-clad steamer, in the James
river expedition of 1862 she hit 129 times by
the shore batteries and two-hrds of her crew were
killed and wounded. In the Port Royal expedition
he was the executive on Duponts flagship Wabash
and it he who hoisted the Flag on Fort
Walker. In 1868 he commanded the monitor Wee
hawken when she captured the monitor Atlanta
in Wassaw sound, Georgia. For this he was given
the thanks of congress and made commander. He
was made rear admiral in 1869, commanded the