The volunteer soldier of America (1887) (14576090198)

Identifier: thevolunteersold00loga (find matches)
Title: The volunteer soldier of America
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors: Logan, John Alexander, 1826-1886 Logan, Cornelius Ambrose, 1836-1899
Subjects: United States. Army United States. Navy United States -- History Civil War, 1861-1865 Personal narratives
Publisher: Chicago and New York : R. S. Peale & company
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



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dent, Decatur fell in, off the West-ern Islands, with the British frigate Macedonian, carry-inof fortv-nine Q;uns and three hundred men, Beino; avessel of the largest class, and manned by a veteran crew,her commander expected to make short work of theAmerican. The sea was rough, and the Briton had theadvantage of a position to the windward. The superi-ority of the American gunnery in this action was anadditional source of surprise. The guns were servedwith remarkable effect, while the rapidity of their blazeinduced the enemy to believe at one time that theAmerican was on fire. The fight, owing to the roughnessof the sea, took place at long range, and at the end oftwo hours the Briton surrendered, after he had suffereda loss of one hundred and twenty-four men killed andwounded, and when his ships masts had been shot awayand the hull riddled with shot. The American ship suf-fered so little from the enemys fire that she was not com-pelled to go to port, while she only lost five seamen in
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BRITANNIA S RULE OF THE WA VE DISPUTED. 5 I 5 the action. The Macedonian was subsequently repaired,and added to the American fleet. The tremendous sensation caused by this affair wasstill unabated when the news of the exploit of CaptainIsaac Jones was received to rekindle the general rejoicing.Jones was in command of the sloop-of-war Wasp, whichhad suffered considerably in her rigging during badweather, and, before he had had time to repair damage, hefell in with the British brig Frolic, of twenty-two guns, con-voying a fleet of merchant ships. Though the sea wasexceedingly rough, and the Wasp not in her best fightingtrim, Captain Jones prepared for action. The gunneryof the Americans, in this as in the previous case, wasremarkable. The Briton fired invariably as his vesselrose from the w^ater, and thus the damage he inflictedwas largely expended upon the masts and rigging of the^American. Captain Jones, upon the contrary, fired as-his vessel sank and thus poured his shot into the ene