ISBN: 9781153769228

Excerpt: ... If you please, sir, said he, let somebody else hand out the hammocks to the men when they are piped down. That is a sort of business that I don''t exactly like. The… More...

Excerpt: ... If you please, sir, said he, let somebody else hand out the hammocks to the men when they are piped down. That is a sort of business that I don''t exactly like. The boon was granted; and ever afterwards, when the crew was piped to stow away hammocks, Reuben James sauntered about the decks with his hands in his pockets, the very personification of elegant leisure. For modesty, the request of the preserver of Decatur is only equalled by that of the sailor who decided the battle between the Bon Homme Richard (p. 209) and the Serapis. He had stationed himself on the yard-arm, and was dropping hand-grenades upon the deck of the Serapis. At last a well-aimed grenade set fire to some powder on the enemy''s ship, and virtually decided the day in favor of the Americans. When asked by Paul Jones what he would have as a reward for this great service, he suggested double rations of grog for the next week as the proper recompense. This he got, and no more. But to return to the American fleet before Tripoli. Four days were spent in repairing damages, and on the 7th of August a second attack was made upon the town. The disposition of the American forces was much the same as on the occasion of the first attack, although the Americans were re-enforced by the three captured gunboats. The fighting was confined to long-range cannonading; for the enemy had been taught a lesson, and was afraid to try conclusions hand to hand with the Americans. About three o''clock in the afternoon, a tremendous explosion drew the gaze of every one to the spot where gunboat No. 8 had been anchored. At first only a dense mass of smoke, with the water surrounding it littered with wreckage, was to be seen. When the smoke cleared away, the extent of the disaster was evident. The gunboat had blown up. Her bow alone remained above water, and there a handful of plucky men were loading the great twenty-six-pound cannon that formed her armament. Lieut. Spence commanded the gunners, and... Willis J. Abbot, Books, History, The Naval History Of The United States Books>History The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: History / Military / Naval; History / General; History / Military / General; History / United States / General; Biography<

ISBN: 9781153769228

This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have oc… More...

This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. Books Books ~~ History~~ General Naval-History-of-the-United-States~~Willis-John-Abbot General Books LLC The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: History / Military / Naval; History / General; History / Military / General; History / United States / General; Biography<

ISBN: 9781153769228

The Naval History of the United States Paperback New Books, General Books