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46 chapters
NOTE
NOTE
The writer expresses thanks for their courtesy to the editors of “Lippincott’s Magazine” and the editors of the “Saturday Evening Post,” of Philadelphia, in which periodicals several of these Hero Tales have been printed. He also acknowledges his indebtedness for many valuable historical facts to “Cooper’s Naval History;” “History of the Navy,” by Edgar S. Maclay; “History of Our Navy,” by John R. Spears; “Twelve Naval Captains,” by Molly Elliot Seawell; “American Naval Heroes,” by John Howard B
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THE EFFRONTERY OF PAUL JONES
THE EFFRONTERY OF PAUL JONES
In April, 1778, there were more than two-score of French ships-of-the-line within easy sailing distance of the coast of England. They were tremendous three-decked monsters, armed with tier upon tier of cannon, and it took nearly a thousand officers and men to man each of them. They lay at anchor in the harbors of France or sallied forth into the open sea to the southward to prey upon the commerce of Great Britain. But grand as they were, not one of them dared to do what John Paul Jones did in th
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A STRUGGLE TO THE DEATH
A STRUGGLE TO THE DEATH
Never, since the beginning of time, has there been a fiercer sea-fight than that between the “Bonhomme Richard” and the “Serapis.” No struggle has been more dogged—no victory greater. Three—four times during the night-long battle any other man than Paul Jones would have struck his colors. His main-deck battery and crews blown to pieces—his water-line gaping with wounds—his sides battered into one great chasm—still he fought on. His prisoners released—his masts tottering—his rudder gone—his ship
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THE TERRIER AND THE MASTIFF
THE TERRIER AND THE MASTIFF
The first of the great American captains to give his life to the cause of liberty was Nicholas Biddle. And the action in which he lost it is the finest example of daring and hardihood in the little known pages of naval history. His part in that glorious action must ever remain unknown as to its details since but five out of his crew remained alive to tell of it, and we are chiefly indebted to the British accounts for the information which has been handed down. Nicholas Biddle began his naval car
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DECATUR AND THE “PHILADELPHIA”
DECATUR AND THE “PHILADELPHIA”
It was on the deck of the “Enterprise,” before Tripoli, in 1804. The crew had been called aft, and Decatur, smiling, stood on his quarter-deck. “My men,” said he, “the ‘Philadelphia’ is in the hands of the enemy. A few days from now and we may see American guns turned against American sailors. The commodore has given us permission to sail in and blow her up. Will you go?” Into the air flew a hundred caps, and three wild American cheers were the answer. “I can’t take you all,” he explained; “the
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THE BIGGEST LITTLE FIGHT IN NAVAL HISTORY
THE BIGGEST LITTLE FIGHT IN NAVAL HISTORY
It should have been renown enough for one man to have performed what Nelson was pleased to call “the most daring act of any age.” But the capture of the “Philadelphia” only whetted Decatur’s appetite for further encounters. He was impetuous, bold even to rashness, and so dashing that to his men he was irresistible. But behind it all—a thing rare in a man of his peculiar calibre—there was the ability to consider judiciously and to plan carefully as well as daringly to execute. His fierce temper l
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A DOUBLE ENCOUNTER
A DOUBLE ENCOUNTER
The old “Constitution” was out on the broad ocean again! And when the news went forth that she had succeeded for the seventh time in running the blockade of the British squadrons, deep was the chagrin of the Admiralty. This Yankee frigate, still stanch and undefeated, had again and again proved herself superior to everything afloat that was British; had shown her heels, under Hull’s masterly seamanship, to a whole squadron during a chase that lasted three days; and had under Hull, and then under
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THE “CONSTITUTION” AND THE “GUERRIERE”
THE “CONSTITUTION” AND THE “GUERRIERE”
By the exercise of remarkable seamanship Captain Hull had succeeded in escaping from the British squadron, under Broke, off the Jersey coast. But he came so near capture that the secretary of the navy succeeded in frightening himself and the whole Cabinet at Washington into such a state of timidity that, had they had their way, no war-vessel flying the American flag would have been allowed to leave any Atlantic seaport and put to sea. Captain Hull had carried the “Constitution” into Boston, wher
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THE “WASP” AND THE “FROLIC”
THE “WASP” AND THE “FROLIC”
The American frigates “Constitution,” “Constellation,” and “United States” fought and won great battles where the metal and crews were equal or nearly equal, and proved beyond a doubt the advantage of American seamanship and gunnery over the British in the Naval War of 1812. But it remained for the little sloop-of-war “Wasp,” Captain Jacob Jones, to add the final evidence of Yankee superiority. Her action with the “Frolic” was fought under conditions so trying that it fairly ranks with the great
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THE “CONSTITUTION” AND THE “JAVA”
THE “CONSTITUTION” AND THE “JAVA”
At the beginning of the war of 1812 there were but three first-class frigates in our navy, and but five vessels of any description were fit to go to sea. But the war with Tripoli and the gallant deeds of the American officers had made the service popular with the public. In March, 1812, an act was passed which appropriated money to put all these vessels in condition to meet the enemy on a more equal footing, and a naval committee was formed to deal with the emergency. Langdon Cheves was appointe
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THE LAST OF THE “ESSEX”
THE LAST OF THE “ESSEX”
When Captain David Porter in the “Essex” failed to meet Captain Bainbridge in the “Constitution” off the Brazilian coast, and learned that the latter had captured the “Java” and returned to the United States, he was free to make his own plans and choose his own cruising-ground. He captured an English vessel or so, but his ambition was to make a voyage which would result in the capture of as many vessels as could be manned from the “Essex.” He thought the matter over at length and then formulated
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THE CAPTAIN OF THE MAINTOP
THE CAPTAIN OF THE MAINTOP
James Jarvis was one of the “young gentlemen” on the “Constellation” during the war with France. “Young gentlemen” was what the midshipmen were called in the old naval service, and Jarvis was the youngest of them all, being just thirteen at the time of the action with the “Vengeance.” He was the smallest officer aboard, and his most important duties were those of passing the word from the quarter-deck forward, and taking his station aloft in the maintop, where he was learning the mysteries of th
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CUSHING AND THE “ALBEMARLE”
CUSHING AND THE “ALBEMARLE”
Although the Civil War furnished many instances of conspicuous gallantry, so many that most of them remain to-day comparatively unknown, none was more notable than the torpedo exploit of Lieutenant William Barker Cushing. There have been several similar expeditions in our naval history. Before Tripoli, Richard Somers made the ill-fated attempt with the “Intrepid,” and in the war with Spain, Richmond Hobson sunk the “Merrimac.” There is no question that the personal and sentimental aspects of the
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SOMERS AND THE “INTREPID”
SOMERS AND THE “INTREPID”
Among the young officers of Commodore Preble’s squadron before Tripoli there was a tall, dark, melancholy-looking fellow of about twenty-five. His name was Richard Somers and his command was the “Nautilus,” a little schooner of twelve guns and a hundred men. He had been with Decatur and Stewart, a junior officer on Commodore Barry’s “United States” in the war with Spain, and the friendship formed in those early days had been cemented by a score of thrilling adventures which had drawn them more c
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OLD SALTS AND NEW SAILORS
OLD SALTS AND NEW SAILORS
Since ballad-mongering began, the sea and the men who go down to it in ships have been a fruitful theme; and the conventional song-singing, horn-piping tar of the chanteys is a creature of fancy, pure and simple. Jack is as honest as any man. Aboard ship he goes about his duties willingly, a creature of habit and environment, with a goodly respect for his “old man” and the articles of war. Ashore he is an innocent,—a brand for the burning, with a half-month’s pay and a devouring thirst. Sailor-m
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THE OLD SHIPS AND THE NEW
THE OLD SHIPS AND THE NEW
With much hitching of trousers and shifting of quid, the old longshoreman will tell you that sea-life isn’t at all what it once was. He will gaze out to sea, where the great iron machines are plying back and forth, and a reminiscent sparkle will come into his eyes as he turns to his lobster-pots and tells you how it was in the good days of clippers and sailing-frigates, when sailor-men were sailor-men and not boiler-room swabs, machine-made and steam-soaked. He will also yarn, with much d—ning o
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FARRAGUT IN MOBILE BAY
FARRAGUT IN MOBILE BAY
It was Friday, the 5th of August, 1864. The first violet streaks of dawn stole through the purple clouds that the wind had tossed up during the night. Admiral Farragut sat in his cabin, quietly sipping his tea, his fleet-captain, Drayton, by his side. Through the open ports they could see the dim masses of the ships of the fleet as, lashed two and two, they stretched in a long line to seaward. The wind no longer blew, and the shrill pipes and the creaking of the blocks as the light yards came do
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AT THE NAVAL ACADEMY
AT THE NAVAL ACADEMY
In times like those we have but recently passed through, when the theories and studies of thirty years are being put to tests of fire and the sword, it is interesting to turn for a moment to our naval school at Annapolis, where the officers who planned our campaigns, directed our battles and our blockades, and commanded our ships were first trained to the serious business of war. Though the years which have passed since 1861 have made changes in the personnel system and appearance of the Naval A
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DOES SCHOLARSHIP COUNT IN WAR?
DOES SCHOLARSHIP COUNT IN WAR?
The Spanish war has shown that it is not always the men who stand at the heads of their classes who lead in the more practical duties of ship and camp. Admiral Sampson, one of the greatest thinkers and most profound students in the navy, as a boy and as a man always led in everything he undertook; but, on the other hand, Hobson, though one of the leaders of his class at Annapolis, was demure and retiring, hardly the man one would select to lead a forlorn hope into the jaws of death. One may go t
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TAYLOR AND EVANS AS SCHOOL-MATES
TAYLOR AND EVANS AS SCHOOL-MATES
Forty years ago Harry Taylor and Bob Evans were boys together in Washington. They were school-mates and chums, fighting each other’s battles and longing for the day when they would be old enough to go to the Naval Academy and fight for their country. They were both lively, active lads, Taylor perhaps the quieter of the two. As their characters developed, Taylor became more of a student than Evans, and that became the distinguishing feature of their entire careers. While Captain Taylor has been t
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HOW CAPTAIN EVANS SAVED HIS LEG
HOW CAPTAIN EVANS SAVED HIS LEG
Evans was in both attacks on Fort Fisher, and in the second fight he was shot twice. The wounds were severe, and he was sent into hospital. His leg was shattered badly, and after examining it carefully the doctors told the young sufferer bluntly that they would be obliged to amputate it. When they went out Evans made a resolution that his leg was not to be cut off. He came to the conclusion that he would rather quit right there than to go through life one-legged. It was his own leg anyhow, and n
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SIGSBEE AS A PRACTICAL JOKER
SIGSBEE AS A PRACTICAL JOKER
Charles D. Sigsbee, writer, artist, hydrographic expert, mathematician, inventor, and incidentally the central figure, composed and dignified, in the greatest marine tragedy of modern times, is the kind of a man most people—men, women, and children,—like to see and know. His brow can be stern, and no one knows that better than the people who have sailed under him; but he loves peace better than war, and the twinkle behind his glasses never quite dies out. As a midshipman he was always the prime
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THE BRAVE COMMANDER OF THE “WINSLOW”
THE BRAVE COMMANDER OF THE “WINSLOW”
Lieutenant John B. Bernadou was the commander of the “Winslow” in the fight at Cardenas, at which Ensign Worth Bagley, his second in command, was killed. The story of the fight these young officers made, until Bagley was killed, Bernadou was wounded, and the “Hudson” came and towed them out of danger, has been told again and again, and the tale of it will go down into the history of the Spanish-American War as one of the pluckiest of which there is record. Bagley, being the only naval officer ki
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THE MAN WHO NEVER KNEW FEAR
THE MAN WHO NEVER KNEW FEAR
Bernadou’s classmates say that he fears nothing on earth or water. His fearlessness overcomes any consciousness of self. One afternoon in October, 1881, the United States steamer “Kearsarge,” Captain G. B. White, lay at anchor in Hampton Roads. The weather had been stormy for a day or two, and the wind had kicked up a heavy sea. There was a strong tide running, and the vessel swung out on a long cable. A seaman by the name of Christoverson, who was boat-tender in one of the cutters swinging at t
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ONLY NAVAL OFFICER KILLED IN THE WAR
ONLY NAVAL OFFICER KILLED IN THE WAR
Worth Bagley’s career at the Naval Academy was a triumph of the heart rather than of the mind. While he loved the service and hoped some day to fill a useful place in it, he found more to attract him in football and athletics than in calculus and least squares. But no man who ever entered was more beloved than he, and no man had better friends in the service and out of it. He was turned back twice, but entered, in 1891, the class of ’95, in which year he was graduated. He was a member of the “Fi
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ROOSEVELT SAVED BAGLEY FOR THE NAVY
ROOSEVELT SAVED BAGLEY FOR THE NAVY
When Bagley came up for graduation at the end of the four-years’ course the doctors thought they discovered an irregular movement of the heart, and recommended that he be dropped. Bagley took his case to Theodore Roosevelt, then assistant secretary of the navy. Roosevelt, looking at him through his glasses with a quick, critical glance, said,— “You are Bagley, the football player, are you not?” Bagley said he was. “Well, you are to stay in the navy while I am here. The service needs more men jus
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CLARK’S HEROISM AT THE BATTLE OF MOBILE BAY
CLARK’S HEROISM AT THE BATTLE OF MOBILE BAY
In the battle of Mobile Bay young Clark was on the forecastle of the “Ossipee,” then holding an important position in the line of ships that swung past the torpedoes after the gallant Farragut in the “Hartford.” The forecastle was bare of any defence, and the position was exposed to all assaults of the fire, first from Fort Morgan and then from Fort Gaines, farther up. When the forts were passed, there followed a fierce fight with the gunboats and the invincible ram “Tennessee.” Again and again
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POPULARITY OF CAPTAIN PHILIP AS A CADET
POPULARITY OF CAPTAIN PHILIP AS A CADET
It has been said that Captain Philip’s public acknowledgment of God on the decks of the battle-ship “Texas,” after the fight before Santiago, was the natural expression of a deeply religious nature. But his classmates at the Naval Academy and the men who have sailed with him say that he is not more religious than other men in the navy,—not so religious as many, who always have their Bible on the table in their cabins and read it regularly when at sea or in port. They believe that he spoke on the
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THE VERSATILITY OF ADMIRAL SAMPSON
THE VERSATILITY OF ADMIRAL SAMPSON
In Admiral Sampson, the boy was father to the man. From boyhood his was a life of unneglected opportunities. Born of very humble parents, by the hardest of work and the most sincere endeavors he succeeded in obtaining his appointment to the Naval School. His mind, naturally studious, turned to the beginnings of the new profession with avidity, and so fine was his mind even then that, without trying himself unduly, he easily distanced his entire class and took first honors for the course. His cla
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BLUE, WHO DISCOVERED CERVERA’S FLEET
BLUE, WHO DISCOVERED CERVERA’S FLEET
Victor Blue, who in his uniform made the fearless expedition ashore at Santiago, and actually saw for the first time the Spanish fleet within the harbor, is the kind of a man who does not have very much to say for himself, which is often a sign that a person is to be found ready when wanted. He was a member of the class of ’87, in which his work was fair, but not remarkable in any way. He lived quietly, receiving his quota of good and bad marks, but having no special distinction, even in his off
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YOUNG DEWEY AS A FIGHTER
YOUNG DEWEY AS A FIGHTER
George Dewey entered the class of ’58 at the Naval Academy at the age of seventeen. He was not a large boy, but fairly up to middle height, and strong and active in all athletic sports. It was not long after his entrance that he found an opportunity to show the fighting spirit that was in him. It was not altogether of his own seeking, but when he was weighed in the balance, even then he was not found wanting. The line between the Northern boys and the Southerners was clearly marked, and one day
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THE UNRECOGNIZED HEROES OF THE WAR
THE UNRECOGNIZED HEROES OF THE WAR
Much has been said and written of the heroes of action and movement. The country from one end to the other has rung with their praises. But what of the unknown heroes, unhonored and unsung? What of the men who, because of their superior abilities in other lines, were doomed to physical inaction? who performed their secret missions and labors skilfully, faithfully, uncomplainingly, while their classmates were being given numbers over their heads, and the chance of a lifetime for great deeds was b
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THE REAL BRAINS OF THE WAR
THE REAL BRAINS OF THE WAR
Captain A. S. Crowninshield, the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, bore the brunt of the brain-work for the men and ships at the front. His bureau has to do with the ordering of all ships and all men, and Crowninshield, when he accepted the office, knew that the odds were against him. He knew that by his own orders he would put forward above him men who were many years his juniors in the service. He never winced, but went on perfecting the target-scores of the men behind the guns. When war was
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FILLING THE DUKE’S SHOES WITH MUCILAGE
FILLING THE DUKE’S SHOES WITH MUCILAGE
Captain Crowninshield as a lad read and studied all the books he could find about the sea, upon which his ancestors, near and remote, had sailed. From the first he was determined to be a naval officer. To this end he went to a village where lived a member of Congress, who, he thought, might make him his appointee. The young man found the old member of Congress out in his field, ploughing. He liked the looks of the boy and gave him a half-promise of the appointment. Young Crowninshield was forced
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SCOUTING IN THE ENEMY’S COUNTRY
SCOUTING IN THE ENEMY’S COUNTRY
There are many other gallant navy men of whom the public has not heard, but two more will suffice. Within a week after the declaration of war two young ensigns, Ward and Buck, the former in the Bureau of Navigation and the latter at the Naval Academy, disappeared from the face of the earth. So completely did they destroy all traces of themselves that for all the Bureau of Navigation or their relatives seemed to know they might have ceased to exist. Speculation was rife concerning them, but nothi
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WHEN THE SNOW MELTS
WHEN THE SNOW MELTS
Ashore in Gloucester town there are signs a-plenty of the work to come. The sleepy village throws off her white mantle and rises from the lethargy of the winter past. The spring is in the air, and the docks and wharves, white and ice-trussed during the long, bleak winter, are trod by groups of men, rubber-coated and “sou’ westered,” moving briskly from one shed to another. In the town they gather like the stray birds of spring that flutter under the eaves of the store-houses. By twos and threes
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WAVING GODSPEED TO THE FISHER-FOLK
WAVING GODSPEED TO THE FISHER-FOLK
It is morning, just before the dawn. The “Polly J.,” her new paint all silver in the early light, rides proudly at her anchor in the centre of the tideway. The nip of winter lingers in the air, but the snow is gone and the rigging is no longer stiff to the touch. It is just daylight when the last dory is hoisted aboard into its nest. Three or four figures on the wharves, outlined against the purple sky and hills, stand waving Godspeed to their fisher-folk. Women’s voices ring out between the cre
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IN THE EXCITEMENT OF THE FIRST CATCH
IN THE EXCITEMENT OF THE FIRST CATCH
There is a swirl of the line as the lead goes all the way over, a splash forward, and, as the skipper luffs her up into it, the line comes upright, and gets a depth of thirty fathoms. As she comes up into the wind, the noisy jib flaps down with a run, and the anchor drops to the sandy bottom. Now the buckets of bait are tossed up from below, and the skipper leaves his helm to take to the lines. Over the sides and stern they go, dragging down to leeward. There is quiet for a moment, and then a li
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HANDLING THE TRAWLS
HANDLING THE TRAWLS
They are handy boats, though light, and two men and a load of fish can weather the rough seas, if your fisherman is an adept with his oars. But they are mere cockle-shells at the best, and are tossed like feathers. The “codders” are reckless fellows, and they will put out to the trawls day after day in any kind of weather, fog or clear, wind or calm, with not even a beaker of water or a piece of pilot-bread....
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A LONELY NIGHT ON THE BROAD ATLANTIC
A LONELY NIGHT ON THE BROAD ATLANTIC
A night alone on the broad Atlantic in an open dory seems to have no terrors for them. Each year adds its lists of casualties to those that have gone before. Fogs have shut in, seas have risen, and morning has dawned again and again with no sign of the missing men. Sometimes an upturned dory is found, with her name—the “Molly S.,” or the “Betty T.,” in honor of the owner’s shore-mate—on her pointed bow, but only the gray ocean can tell the story of the missing men. When the “Polly’s” day’s luck
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WHEN THE DAY’S WORK IS DONE
WHEN THE DAY’S WORK IS DONE
The head of the black cook appears above the hatch-combing, and his mouth opens wide as he gives the welcome supper call. Down the ladder into the cuddy they tumble, one and all, and lay-to with an appetite and vigor which speaks of good digestive organs. Conversation is omitted. Coffee, pork-and-beans, biscuit,—nectar and ambrosia,—vanish from the tin dishes, until the cook comes in with the sixth pot of steaming coffee. At last, when the cook vows the day’s allowance is eaten and the last drop
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WHEN A STEAMER LOOMS UP IN THE FOG
WHEN A STEAMER LOOMS UP IN THE FOG
If there should be a fog,—and hardly a day or a night passes without one,—the danger is great. When the white veil settles down over the schooners the men on deck can hardly see their cross-trees. Foot-power horns are blown, the ship’s bell is tolled steadily, while conch shells bellow their resonant note from the trawlers in the dories. But it is all to no purpose. For the great siren comes nearer and nearer every second, and the pounding of the waves against the great hulk and the rush of resi
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THE COURAGE OF THE UNNAMED HEROES
THE COURAGE OF THE UNNAMED HEROES
Blackburn and his dory-mate left their schooner in a driving snow-storm. Before they had been at the trawls long the weather had become so thick that they couldn’t see ten feet from the dory’s gunwale. The wind shifted and put them to leeward of their vessel. There was never a sound of bell or horn through the thickness, and, though they pulled to windward, where they thought their skipper lay, the vessel could not be found. They were lost, and the sea was rising. Then they anchored until dawn.
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FOR FIVE DAYS ADRIFT AND STARVING
FOR FIVE DAYS ADRIFT AND STARVING
When Blackburn felt the drowsiness coming over him, he stood up and baled as the boat filled. The third day dawned without a ray of hope, and not a morsel to eat or a drop to drink, so he stuck the oar through his wounded fingers and rowed again. The fourth day he saw land. He did not reach it until the afternoon of the fifth day, when he landed at a deserted fish-wharf. No one could be found, and he was too weak to move farther. So he lay down, more dead than alive, and tried in vain to sleep,
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WHERE THE COD ABOUND
WHERE THE COD ABOUND
On some of the schooners, by the middle of the season most of the salt is “wet.” It is then that the “Polly J.” follows the fleet up to the “Virgin.” This is a rocky ledge, many miles out in the desolate Bank seas, which rises to within a few feet of the surface of the ocean. Here the cod and camplin abound, and here, when it is time for them to run, most of the schooners come to anchor, sending out their little fleets until perhaps two thousand dories and schooners are afloat at the same time,
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WHEN THE SCHOONERS MOVE UP THE HARBOR
WHEN THE SCHOONERS MOVE UP THE HARBOR
Homeward bound!—there is magic in the word. Though the first vessel to head to the southward is proud among the fleet, she has a burden of responsibility upon her, for she carries every year news of death and calamity that will break the hearts of many down in Gloucester, and the flags she flaunts so gayly must come to half-mast before she sights the hazy blue of Eastern Point. During those long summer months a lonely wife goes about her household duties down in Gloucester town. There is a weigh
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