Stories of Our Naval Heroes Part 1

Stories of Our Naval Heroes.

by Various.

PREFACE

WE live in a land of heroes. If there is any one thing for which a true son of America is always ready, it is for a deed of heroism. We have among us heroes of the workshop, of the railroad, of field, forest, and city, heroes of land and heroes of water, heroes in war and heroes in peace. When the time comes for any deed of valor to be done, the American ready and able to do it will not be found wanting. It is not glory the gallant son of our land is seeking. It is to do his duty in whatever situation he is placed, whether high or low, on quarter-deck or forecastle. He does not stop to think of fame. To act bravely for his fellows or his country is the thing for him to do, and he does it in face of every peril.

The history of the United States is full of the names of heroes. They stand out like the stars on our flag. It is not our purpose to boast.

The world has had its heroes in all times and countries. But our land holds a high rank among heroic nations, and deeds of gallant daring have been done by Americans which no men upon the earth have surpa.s.sed.

This book is the record of our heroes of the sea, of the men who have fought bravely upon the ocean for the honor of the Stars and Stripes, the n.o.ble tars who have carried their country's fame over all waters and through all wars. Look at Paul Jones, the most gallant sailor who ever trod deck! He was not born on our soil, but he was a true-blue American for all that. Look at Perry, rowing from s.h.i.+p to s.h.i.+p amid the rain of British shot and sh.e.l.l! Look at Farragut in the Civil War, facing death in the rigging that he might see the enemy! Look at Dewey in the war with Spain, on the bridge amid the hurtling Spanish sh.e.l.ls! These are but types of our gallant sailors. They have had their equals in every war. We have hundreds to-day as brave. All they wait for is opportunity.

When the time comes they will be ready.

If all our history is an inspiration, our naval history is specially so.

It is full of thrilling tales, stories of desperate deeds and n.o.ble valor which no work of fiction can surpa.s.s. We are sure that all who take up this book will find it vital with interest and br.i.m.m.i.n.g with inspiration. Its tales deal with men who fought for their land with only a plank between them and death, and none among us can read the story of their deeds without a thrill in the nerves and a stir in the heart, and without a wish that sometime they may be able to do as much for the land that gave them birth. This is a book for the American boy to read, and the American girl as well; a book to fill them with the spirit of emulation and make them resolve that when the time comes they will act their part bravely in the perilous work of the world.

CHAPTER I

THE FIRST SEA FIGHT OF THE REVOLUTION

THE BURNING OF THE "GASPEE" IN NARRAGANSETT BAY

DOES it not seem an odd fact that little Rhode Island, the smallest of all our states, should have two capital cities, while all the others, some of which would make more than a thousand Rhode Islands, have only one apiece? It is like the old story of the dwarf beating the giants.

The tale we have to tell has to do with these two cities, Providence and Newport, whose story goes back far into the days when Rhode Island and all the others were British colonies. They were capitals then and they are capitals still. That is, they were places where the legislature met and the laws were made.

I need not tell you anything about the British Stamp Act, the Boston Tea-party, the fight at Lexington, and the other things that led to the American Revolution and brought freedom to the colonies. All this you have learned at school. But I am sure you will be interested in what we may call the "salt-water Lexington," the first fight between the British and the bold sons of the colonies.

There was at that time a heavy tax on all goods brought into the country, and even on goods taken from one American town to another. It was what we now call a revenue duty, or tariff. This tax the Americans did not like to pay. They were so angry at the way they had been treated by England that they did not want that country to have a penny of their money. Nor did they intend to pay any tax.

Do you ask how they could help paying the tax? They had one way of doing so. Vessels laden with goods were brought to the coast at night, or to places where there was no officer of the revenue. Then in all haste they unloaded their cargoes and were away again like flitting birds. The British did not see half the goods that came ash.o.r.e, and lost much in the way of taxes.

We call this kind of secret trade "smuggling." Providence and Newport were great smuggling places. Over the green waters of Narragansett Bay small craft sped to and fro, coming to sh.o.r.e by night or in secret places and landing their goods. It was against the law, but the bold mariners cared little for laws made in England. They said that they were quite able to govern themselves, and that no people across the seas should make laws for them.

The British did their best to stop this kind of trade. They sent armed vessels to the Bay, whose business it was to chase and search every craft that might have smuggled goods in its hold, and to punish in some way every smuggler they found.

Some of these vessels made themselves very busy, and sailors and sh.o.r.emen alike were bitter against them. They would bring in prizes to Newport, and their sailors would swagger about the streets, bragging of what they had done, and making sport of the Yankees. They would kidnap sailors and carry them off to serve in the King's s.h.i.+ps. One vessel came ash.o.r.e at Newport, whose crew had been months at sea, trading on the African coast. Before a man of them could set foot on land, or see any of the loved ones at home, from whom they had been parted so long, a press-gang from a British s.h.i.+p-of-war seized and carried off the whole crew, leaving the captain alone on his deck.

We may be sure that all this made the people very indignant. While the rest of the country was quiet, the Newporters were at the point of war.

More than once they were ready to take arms against the British.

In July, 1769, a British armed sloop, the _Liberty_, brought in two prizes as smugglers. They had no smuggled goods on board, but the officers of the _Liberty_ did not care for that. And their captains and crews were treated as if they were prisoners of war.

That night something new took place. The lookout on the _Liberty_ saw two boats, crowded with men, gliding swiftly toward the sloop.

"Boat ahoy!" he shouted.

Not a word came in reply.

"Boat ahoy! Answer, or I'll fire!"

No answer still. The lookout fired. The watch came rus.h.i.+ng up on deck.

But at the same time the men in the boats climbed over the bulwarks and the sailors of the _Liberty_ found themselves looking into the muzzles of guns. They were taken by surprise and had to yield. The Americans had captured their first prize.

Proud of their victory, the Newporters cut the cables of the sloop and let her drift ash.o.r.e. Her captives were set free, her mast was cut down, and her boats were dragged through the streets to the common, where they were set on fire. A jolly bonfire they made, too, and as the flames went up the people cheered l.u.s.tily.

That was not all. With the high tide the sloop floated off. But it went ash.o.r.e again on Goat Island, and the next night some of the people set it on fire and it was burned to the water's edge. That was the first American reply to British tyranny. The story of it spread far and wide.

The King's officers did all they could to find and punish the men who had captured the sloop, but not a man of them could be discovered.

Everybody in the town knew, but no one would tell.

This was only the beginning. The great event was that of the _Gaspee_.

This was a British schooner carrying six cannon, which cruised about the Bay between Providence and Newport, and made itself so active and so offensive that the people hated it more than all those that had gone before. Captain Duddingstone treated every vessel as if it had been a pirate, and the people were eager to give it the same dose they had given the _Liberty_.

Their time came in June, 1772. The _Hannah_, a vessel trading between New York and Providence, came in sight of the _Gaspee_ and was ordered to stop. But Captain Linzee had a fine breeze and did not care to lose it. He kept on at full speed, and the _Gaspee_ set out in chase.

It was a very pretty race that was seen that day over the ruffled waters of the Bay. For twenty-five miles it kept up and the _Hannah_ was still ahead. Then the two vessels came near to Providence bar.

The Yankee captain now played the British sailors a cute trick. He slipped on over the bar as if there had been a mile of water under his keel. The _Gaspee_, not knowing that the _Hannah_ had almost touched bottom, followed, and in a minute more came b.u.mp upon the ground. The proud war-vessel stuck fast in the mud, while the light-footed Yankee slid swiftly on to Providence, where the story of the chase and escape was told to eager ears.

Here was a splendid chance. The _Gaspee_ was aground. Now was the time to repay Captain Duddingstone for his pride and insolence. That night, while the people after their day's work were standing and talking about the news, a man pa.s.sed down the streets, beating a drum and calling out:

"The _Gaspee is aground_. Who will join in to put an end to her?"

There was no lack of volunteers. Eight large boats had been collected from the s.h.i.+ps in the harbor, and there were soon enough to crowd them all. Sixty-four men were selected, and Abraham Whipple, who was afterward one of the first captains in the American navy, took command.

Some of the men had guns, but their princ.i.p.al weapons were paving stones and clubs.

It was about two o'clock in the morning when this small fleet came within hail of the _Gaspee_. She was fast enough yet, though she was beginning to lift with the rising tide. An hour or two more might have set her afloat.

A sentinel who was pacing the deck hailed the boats when they came near.

"Who comes there?" he cried.

A shower of paving stones that rattled on the deck of the _Gaspee_ was the only answer. Up came the captain and crew, like bees from a hive that has been disturbed.

"I want to come on board," said Captain Whipple.

"Stand off. You can't come aboard," answered Captain Duddingstone.

He fired a pistol. A shot from one of the guns on the boats replied. The British captain fell with a bullet in his side.

"I am sheriff of the County of Kent," cried one of the leaders in the boats. "I am come for the captain of this vessel. Have him I will, dead or alive. Men, to your oars!"

On came the boats, up the sides of the vessel clambered the men, over the rails they pa.s.sed. The sailors showed fight, but they were soon knocked down and secured. The proud _Gaspee_ was in the hands of the despised Yankees.