--" 
 
LKTTBRS 
 
 CAPTAIN 
 
 GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS, 
 
 U. S. N. 
 
 EDITED AND ARRANGED. 
 
 ALSO, A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE 
 
 BY 
 
 COMMODORE GEORGE E. BELKNAP, 
 
 TJ. S. N. 
 
 -SECOND EDITION. 
 
 CONCORD, N. H. . 
 
 THE RUMFORD PRE55, 
 
 1901. 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 DEAR ISABEL : 
 
 Since the War of the Rebellion your father has been 
 often applied to for information about the stirring times 
 in which he bore such an active and gallant part. But 
 as his profession required that he should be absent from 
 his country on long cruises, or occupied with its duties 
 when at home, he did not find time to attend to these 
 applications, and they were therefore referred to me. 
 I usually replied by sending extracts from his letters, 
 together with such newspaper notices of him as we 
 possessed, and of these latter I made and kept copies, 
 as they would become worn by use, and ran the risk of 
 being lost. 
 
 In this way I learned to realize thoroughly what a 
 brave and earnest man your father was, what devotion 
 and energy he brought to the discharge of his duties, 
 what a keen sense of honor and what a sincere and 
 loyal heart he showed in his interpretation of the oath 
 he had taken to defend his government and flag, and 
 what a valiant soul he displayed in righting their battles. 
 His letters, also, which your grandmother Perkins has 
 kept from the time of his first cruise, as well as all 
 newspaper mention of him that has come in her way, 
 seemed to merit preservation in some available and 
 
 373654 
 
4 DEDICATION. 
 
 permanent form ; and I have therefore arranged them, 
 with other records of his past life, in this volume, which 
 I believe will be valuable both now and in the future to 
 those connected with your father, and above all to you, 
 his only child. 
 
 I wish that it were possible that any letters of his 
 own, or any words that others might say or write about 
 him, could ever half portray the brightness and quick 
 ness, the warmheartedness and romantic attraction, of 
 his youthful character. 
 
 Your affectionate aunt, 
 
 SUSAN G. PERKINS. 
 
LETTERS. 
 
 GEORGE HAMILTON PERKINS was born October 20, 
 1836, at Hopkinton, New Hampshire. The northern 
 part of this town is intersected by the Contoocook river, 
 and a settlement on its banks called Contoocookville 
 was the property and home of his father, Hamilton Eliot 
 Perkins, at the time of George s birth. The present 
 home of his parents is Concord, N. H. 
 
 His ancestors on his father s side lived in the vicinity 
 of Salem, Massachusetts. His grandfather, Roger Eliot 
 Perkins, left Massachusetts early in life and settled in 
 Hopkinton, New Hampshire. He was a man of great 
 energy and enterprise. George s mother was Miss Clara 
 Bartlett George, of Concord. She was descended from 
 a family of Georges who settled originally in Water- 
 town, Massachusetts. 
 
 George is the oldest son in a family of eight children, 
 six sons and two daughters, of whom four survive. 
 From his earliest youth he has been distinguished for 
 his courage and quickness, and he was prematurely 
 expert in all manly exercises. He gave occasion for 
 the neighborhood to relate many stories of his boyish 
 daring. He was never afraid, and he never gave up. 
 His first plainly spoken phrase was " no matter," and 
 when, as a tiny boy, trudging with his sled along the 
 middle of the road, he defiantly gave this reply, refus 
 ing either to turn out, or to tell who he would have for 
 President, to some voters packed in great sleighs on 
 their way to a political meeting, they finally gave him 
 
6 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 the road and three cheers for his pluck as they passed 
 him. 
 
 When but a little older, he went into a field to try and 
 catch one of his father s colts, a large and spirited ani 
 mal, whose head he was not tall enough to reach. The 
 field was above the falls of the Contoocook, where it is 
 broad and swift, and of considerable width. After a 
 hard chase the colt took to the stream and swam to the 
 other side. Without a moment s hesitation George 
 threw off his clothes and plunged in after him. He 
 cornered him on the opposite shore against a fence, 
 which he had to climb to adjust the bridle (this he had 
 tied around his neck in swimming over), and after a 
 struggle, bitted the refractory animal, and swimming 
 him back over the river put on his clothes, and brought 
 the horse in triumph to the stable. He has always been 
 passionately fond of animals and has great power over 
 them. 
 
 When George was eight years old his father removed 
 with his family to Boston and engaged in the African 
 trade. One of the ships which he employed in this 
 business was a barque named the Palestine, which 
 had an unusually high deck. One warm summer day 
 when it was in port, George, not yet nine years old and 
 a little fellow for his age, was going over it with his 
 father, and began to tease to " go in swimming." His 
 father gave his consent on condition that George would 
 " dive from the deck," never dreaming that he would 
 dare attempt it. What was his terror on looking back 
 a moment after to find that George had thrown off his 
 clothes and had leaped directly from the deck into the 
 water ! His father often speaks of this as " pretty bold 
 diving for such a small boy." 
 
 After three years his father became tired of business 
 cares and life in a city, and returned to his quiet coun- 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 7 
 
 try home in Contoocook, and here George resumed a 
 life to which he was greatly attached. He could sur 
 round himself with the animals and pets that he loved, 
 and being the oldest son, and favorite of a large coun 
 try establishment, he was not only happy but extremely 
 active and useful. The only drawback to such a life 
 for a boy was the dislike it fostered to the confinement 
 that was absolutely necessary to advance his education 
 in books, and it was wholly owing to the determination 
 and perseverance of his mother that he made at this 
 time any suitable progress in his studies. She, in spite 
 of the overwhelming cares of a large place and a large 
 family, and the obstacle of George s own reluctance, 
 against which she was obliged to contend with energy, 
 compelled him to learn his lessons, and found time to 
 hear him recite them herself. A journal which she 
 insisted upon his keeping, for practice in writing, gives 
 some account of his occupations during his eleventh 
 year, and is now a source of great amusement to his 
 family. It is an unvarnished record of his daily life, 
 and shows the interest he took in every bird and beast 
 on the place, as well as giving evidence of what a busy 
 and helpful life he led for a boy of his age. In it he 
 complains a good deal of his mother s strictness (often 
 spelled strickness) in keeping him at his books, but he 
 never seems tired of any active work. I will give a 
 few extracts : 
 
 " THURSDAY. It has rained all day and taken off 
 some of the snow. I did my lessons and took care of 
 the Black Hawk* and the other horses, because the 
 men had to. go away. In the afternoon I sold a horse, 
 and then I carried a man in the sleigh to Mr. Gould s 
 on business. 
 
 FRIDAY. This afternoon I took the Black Hawk 
 
 *A favorite horse. 
 
8 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 and Mr. Stanley, and Roger took Uncle Paul s horse 
 and David, and we went to the lower village to an 
 exhibition. We had a very pleasant time till we got 
 most home, when the thills dropped down on Black 
 Hawk s heels arid he tipped Mr. Stanley and me out of 
 the sleigh, and got away from us and ran almost home. 
 I took the other sleigh and went after him and led him 
 home, and the only harm done was he corked himself a 
 little. Thus closed the labors of the day ! I lent four 
 chains to E. Burbank, two binding and two ox chains, 
 and one ax ; and to William Leslie two horse chains, 
 one ox chain, and a goad stick. 
 
 " MONDAY. I did not expect to study any to-day as 
 Frankie is sick, but mother saw me go by the window 
 and called me in, and of all the scoldings that she has 
 ever given me I got one to-day, worse than all. To 
 day I have set some hens, and I expect to have a great 
 flock of chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese this year, 
 for I have set a good many." 
 
 Sometimes George takes on quite a high-flown style 
 in this journal and says, that as his mother tells him he 
 must write, he will " therefore relate that we expected 
 Harriet* to-day. The father went to Concord to meet 
 her. When the cars came in the mother looked anx 
 iously for the long expected child ; the father got out, but 
 no child came with him. It is now dark and the busy 
 little village of Contoocook is wrapt in stillness, so good 
 night, gentle reader. I forgot to say that to-day our 
 black cow was blessed with a very handsome calf." 
 
 Under another date he records the following agree 
 ment with his mother : 
 
 " My mother solemnly agreed to give George H. 
 Perkins one loaf of cake, if the said George H. Per 
 kins goes through his geography in ten days. 
 
 * MOTHER PERKINS." 
 
 *His eldest sister away at school. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 9 
 
 These extracts give some idea of his life between 
 eleven and twelve years of age. He went with more or 
 less regularity, during his early years, to the academy 
 at Hopkinton, and afterwards to a well known one at 
 Gilmanton, and was at the latter when his parents 
 decided to accept for him an appointment as midship 
 man. This was given him by an old and valued friend 
 of his mother, the late Hon. Charles H. Peaslee, at 
 that time member of Congress, and afterwards col 
 lector of the port of Boston. Mr. Peaslee was obliged 
 somewhat to urge the acceptance of the appointment 
 upon George s parents, who were reluctant to give up 
 their oldest son so wholly to the service of his country ; 
 but he finally prevailed, and George commenced to 
 prepare for the examination prior to his admission at 
 the Naval Academy. As his family was not at this time 
 living in Concord, George was placed there under a 
 private tutor, a sensible, well informed man who be 
 came warmly attached to him and prophesied highly of 
 his future. 
 
 George s life at the Naval Academy could best be 
 told by some of his classmates. His letters home were 
 so full of inquiries about everything connected with his 
 own family that it left little room for any information 
 about himself and his surroundings, in which he 
 seemed to have but little comparative interest. This 
 has always been a peculiarity of his. At the most 
 exciting time of the late Rebellion when in the midst 
 of dangers in which his own life and his country s fate 
 were exposed to the most imminent peril, he would 
 write pages of eager questions to know " what every 
 body was doing at home." The fear of losing his 
 identification with home life seemed to cause him more 
 anxiety than any of the great dangers by which he was 
 surrounded. His daily letters home, extending now 
 
10 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 over a period of thirty years, are, and always have 
 been, full of minute inquiries about home matters, as 
 if they were the only things worth while in the world. 
 The horses, dogs, and pets are all remembered and 
 asked for, and his letters are full of plans about 
 ** always being at home with all I love." It may be 
 taken for granted that at the naval school he was wide 
 awake and full of mischief. He wrote home cheer 
 fully, but generally regarded it as highly probable that 
 he should " bilge." But this prospect did not seem to 
 depress him greatly ; he always had in reserve some 
 scheme by which he should plunge into some prosper 
 ous business and emerge triumphant, while the older 
 officers and professors would never cease to regret that 
 they had deprived the service of such an ornament. 
 This buoyancy of spirit never forsakes him, and often 
 breaks out in an amusing manner, even when he is 
 suffering from severe fits of homesickness, or from 
 illness. It is a valuable possession to a strong charac 
 ter, and illustrates the saying, 
 
 " A merry heart goes all the way, 
 A sad goes but a mile a." 
 
 Judging from all accounts George, on the whole, 
 seems to have been rather a favorite with his superior 
 officers and the professors, though he himself attributes 
 his immunity from reproof to the fact that he was a 
 little fellow and was hidden under " Old Golds- 
 borough s" huge figure, when the eyes of that stately 
 old commandant were roving around to discover the 
 authors of mischievous pranks and irregularities. 
 
 George s chief public exploit while a midshipman at 
 the Academy was during one of the practice cruises, 
 when he performed a feat at target shooting which was 
 considered worthy of being reported in the newspapers. 
 It appeared first in a Baltimore paper and was copied 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. I I 
 
 in New Hampshire, and I have been told lately, by an 
 old Hopkinton man, of the local pride with which he 
 read the account, " because George was a boy from 
 his own town." Unfortunately none of these printed 
 accounts has been preserved, and I give here George s 
 own description from a letter written home at that time. 
 " We had target practice one day, and it came my turn 
 to shoot. There was quite a swell on at the time, 
 which made it very difficult to get any kind of a shot, 
 but when I fired, I hit the target, which was a barrel 
 with a small flag on it, thrown out about three quarters 
 of a mile distant. Such a thing as hitting a target at 
 sea with the ship in motion and a swell on is considered 
 almost impossible, so they all said it was luck. But 
 another target of the same size was put out at the same 
 distance, and when I fired again I tore this all to 
 pieces. Then the crew all cheered and made quite a 
 hero of me, but still some said it must be luck, so a 
 third target was put out, of exactly the same kind, and 
 in exactly the same manner. This one I did not quite 
 hit, but my shot fell so near that all agreed that it was 
 not luck, but that I was a first-rate shot with broadside 
 guns. Since then I have been looked upon as having 
 a very correct eye for distances, and am always called 
 upon to fire whenever experiments are made." 
 
 This accuracy of aim proved of great service after 
 wards, when, commanding the Chickasaw in Mobile 
 Bay, on the 5th of August, 1864, George aimed the 
 guns that struck so squarely the vital parts of the rebel 
 ram Tennessee, and induced her surrender. 
 
 After graduating at the Naval Academy in 1856 
 George was ordered to the sloop-of-war Cyane, Cap 
 tain Robb. This ship was sent immediately to Aspin- 
 wall, where an outbreak against the United States was 
 threatened. From such letters which he wrote from 
 
12 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 there as have been preserved, I make the following 
 extracts, preceding them by the first ones sent back by 
 the pilot out of New York harbor, and the one written 
 on the voyage. His farewells to his home are very 
 touching. As I read them again after all these years, 
 they make my heart swell and my eyes fill with tears- 
 of pity for the homesick boy. At sea he begins a jour 
 nal letter, where the poor boy s pangs at leaving his 
 native shore are succeeded by those of a hard attack 
 of seasickness. He says, 
 
 "I have, taken leave of good beds, clean food, and 
 all the comforts of my home, and have in exchange 
 the cramped-up steerage, a dark hole lighted by a 
 tallow candle, a hammock where I sleep, and my food 
 is salt beef and heavy bread, with an occasional dessert 
 of boiled dried apples mixed with bread and flavored 
 with whiskey." There were no cans of preserved 
 meats or fruits or condensed milk for midshipmen in 
 those days. I remember in one of his letters, which I 
 cannot find now, that he says, "Hullo! I must stop 
 writing, or I shall lose my supper ; there s a worm 
 running away with my biscuit ! " His discomforts are 
 increased by the officers being in " three watches," and 
 thus unable ever to get a good night s sleep. The 
 weather, too, is unusually bad, and brings on a long- 
 continued, heavy swell, in which the "ship for days- 
 almost rolls her guns under." 
 
 He thus proceeds: "I have a good deal to do on 
 board this ship ; one of my charges is the spirit room, 
 and another is the magazine ; but never fear, dear 
 mother, the whiskey is so bad I cannot touch it, and if 
 we get into a fight the magazine is below the water 
 line and no ball can reach me, and there is no danger 
 unless the ship gets on fire ; so in spite of being between 
 gunpowder and whiskey, be assured that your hopeful 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 13 
 
 son is quite safe. In fact, the cockroaches give me 
 more trouble than anything else." At a later date, 
 after they have entered a warm latitude, he writes in 
 great enjoyment of the beauty of the southern seas. 
 The waters are full of dolphins and new and curious 
 fish, which he amuses himself catching and studying, 
 .and which prove a great source of entertainment. 
 Above all he is enchanted with the beautiful tropical 
 nights. " These lovely evenings ! " he writes, " I can 
 not describe them ! I generally spend them on the 
 forecastle, and listen to the men playing on their vari 
 ous instruments and singing. Sometimes it seems as 
 if the ship were a floating music box, only the sounds 
 are not quite so delicate to the ear. We have some 
 good singers on board who really make very good 
 music." 
 
 But as the ship approaches Aspinwall his homesick 
 ness breaks out again, and he seems to realize his dis 
 tance and separation. He bursts out in declarations 
 like the following, frequent enough for many years in 
 his constant letters: " I think of you at home almost 
 all the time, and I love you all dearly. How I wish I 
 could be with you ! " This passionate love of home, 
 which amounts to worship, and which seems to spring 
 from a natural instinct to make it sacred, has been a 
 marked characteristic of great races. Among the 
 Romans it developed into the consecration of the hearth 
 stone and the beautiful worship of the Lares and 
 Penates. Every thoughtful person knows how much 
 this trait tends to the preservation of all that is best in 
 a family or a country. 
 
 George gives a dismal account of Aspinwall as he 
 found it in November of 1856. He says, "It is an 
 awful place. Everything about it is Io2v. It is built 
 on a low island ; the Americans here are of a low 
 
14 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 order, and the natives are a low, miserable set of 
 beings, and the situation of the town is so low and sur 
 rounded by marshes, whose odor is so disgusting, that 
 a low state of health and a low state of spirits is the 
 result of breathing such an atmosphere. There are 
 five great rickety hotels scattered among an equally 
 rickety group of smaller houses, which constitute the 
 town, which is not attractive in appearance. 
 
 "There is nothing raised on shore; all the fruit 
 comes from St. Thomas or Havana ; and there seems 
 to be nothing going on but dog-fighting and cock- 
 fighting. Yet the inhabitants are ready and willing 
 for a row with the Americans, and they think there 
 certainly will be one, as our minister does not get the 
 required satisfaction for the Panama massacre of last 
 April. If war is declared the Cyane will remain here, 
 so all the air castles I have built about my pleasant 
 times at home next summer must go to ruin. The 
 great excitement here is when the steamer gets in. 
 The amount of travel is immense, and the passengers 
 stay here over night. Most of them are very hard 
 looking cases. Those returning from California wear 
 revolvers in their belts, and look hard and reckless. 
 A great many" look sick and worn out, and as if they 
 were going home to die." 
 
 This was the year of General Walker s filibustering 
 expedition in Central America, and he was at this time 
 being besieged in Rivas by a force of seven thousand 
 natives. George says, "A great many of Walker s 
 men came in here on the English ships, and they were 
 in a most miserable condition ; many of them were 
 just dying with smallpox and yellow fever," and he 
 speaks of General Walker and his officers when they 
 leave Central America by the way of Aspinwall, say 
 ing, "A more desperate set I never saw." In June, 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 15 
 
 1857, the Cyane goes to Grey town to bring up the 
 sick and wounded of Walker s army, and George is 
 much affected by their sufferings. He writes, " I can 
 give you no idea of the sad time we have had. On 
 arriving at Greytown we found about one hundred and 
 twenty officers and soldiers in the hands of the Costa 
 Ricans. Most of them were in a horrible condition ; 
 many of them were at the point of death ; some were 
 covered with wounds, others with disgusting sores, and 
 all were lousy and dirt}-, and everything else you can 
 think of that is sickening. We took them all on board 
 and did all we could ior them, but we had very bad 
 weather on our way back to Aspinwall, and all had a 
 hard time; several died before we got there. I had to 
 go out in a boat and bury one man. We went well out 
 to sea and after I had read some prayers over him the 
 sailors threw the body over the side, all saying, God 
 bless you together, as it sank. It made me feel 
 pretty sober, and I read the prayers as well as I 
 could, but never having turned my attention to the 
 ministry as a profession, I suppose I did not do my 
 part in what was just the right manner." 
 
 In fact, during these months that he spent at Aspin 
 wall George saw a good deal that was sorrowful, and 
 was much affected at the death of Lieutenant Strain, 
 a brilliant naval officer, whose ill-fated expedition 
 across the Isthmus of Panama, in order to discover a 
 route for the canal, was the subject of a series of inter 
 esting articles in Harper s Magazine in 1855. George 
 describes his death and burial as follows : "A very sad 
 affair happened day before yesterday. Lieutenant 
 Strain, the same officer who suffered so much on this 
 Isthmus some time ago, was ordered to this ship and 
 came clown on the Illinois to join us. The steamer 
 arrived in the afternoon, and he did not come directly 
 
1 6 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 on board ship but stopped at a hotel on shore. He was 
 almost immediately seized with the fever and died that 
 very night. Only twelve hours after his death he was 
 buried, and twenty-four hours before his burial he was 
 laughing and talking. He was buried at a place called 
 Monkey Hill, among a lot of negroes, in a strange 
 land, where there was no one who cared the least for 
 him. His funeral was attended by a few officers who 
 were strangers to him, and, of course, showed but little 
 feeling. Twelve sailors fired a volley over his grave, 
 and three negroes covered him up ; and thus ended the 
 days of one of our distinguished naval officers. I won 
 der what they would do with me ! " 
 
 George hears soon after of the death of a classmate, 
 and writes: "I occasionally hear from the Academy, 
 and the news is generally cheering and awakens pleas 
 ant recollections, but this time it was the reverse. The 
 letters contained an account of the death of Midshipman 
 Oraham, an old friend of mine, who went out in the 
 Constellation. He died at Constantinople and was 
 buried there with military honors. He was very hand 
 some and a fine scholar." This fact is interesting to 
 the family, as George s uncle, John H. George, after 
 wards married, for his second wife, the sister of Mid 
 shipman Graham, although at this time the families 
 lived far apart and were totally unacquainted. It is not 
 surprising that such melancholy occurrences should 
 affect George s thoughts and turn them more than ever, 
 if that were possible, towards his home. He writes me, 
 *" If you could imagine the joy with which I greet the 
 letters from home you would intercede for me and have 
 many more written." Again it is, " Dear mother, when 
 I do not get a letter I am always afraid you are not 
 well. I try to think that all is right, but I am not 
 exactly easy in my mind. Tell me what you did during 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 17 
 
 the Christmas holidays, and if I can persuade myself 
 that you are only well and happy I will try and be con 
 tented." The choice of a profession for his next younger 
 brother is under discussion, and he writes home with 
 great seriousness: "When you go away from home 
 you will learn something of the coldness of the world, 
 and find out the importance of study. Always being at 
 home under the influence of advice from an affectionate 
 mother and with an over-indulgent father makes it hard 
 to tell if, when thrown on your own resources, you will 
 have the moral courage to withstand temptation." In 
 February, 1857, he says, "The talk about war grows 
 stronger, and the squadrons have been ordered to ren 
 dezvous here. I have just come down from general quar 
 ters where they read the Articles of War. I trembled 
 at that part which says, * Any man or officer who runs 
 while in action shall suffer death. I thought of the say 
 ing, He who fights and runs away shall live to fight 
 another day. So he was bound to be hopeful and 
 make the best of the matter, and these extracts from his 
 letters show that he did not get dull in spite of his mo 
 notonous life and depressing surroundings. He creates 
 some variety to furnish him new material for almost 
 every letter, and he is lively, if only with indignation. 
 He never spares himself if there is anything to be done, 
 but usually does far beyond his strength. The steamer 
 George Law gets aground on entering the harbor, and 
 he has " command of a boat to go to her assistance and 
 take off the passengers." He has the "fanciest boat 
 and lands all the ladies, "but gets " such a headache " he 
 can scarcely write. Again he is " out in the rain all 
 day picking up the cargo of our launch which was upset 
 on a pleasure excursion. The American minister, Mr. 
 Morse, was of the party. There were none drowned, 
 but I am nearly sick to-day with a cold." He enjoys 
 
1 8 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 getting up races " between the Cyane s gig and that of 
 the British ship Dolphin" and " finds it exciting." 
 
 Under date of Feb. 26, 1857, he writes, " I will now 
 give you an account of the way Washington s birthday 
 was celebrated on board the U. S. sloop-of-war Cyane. 
 The ship was dressed in flags and looked very hand 
 some. At meridian we fired a salute and spliced the 
 main braces, that is, gave the men two drinks of whis 
 key. The ward room officers gave a blowout and in 
 vited the midshipmen, who are never known to refuse 
 such invitations. It consisted of everything that blow 
 outs generally do. The captain was very entertaining, 
 but the midshipmen were particularly quiet, and only 
 distinguished themselves when it came time for eating 
 and drinking. Towards night it rained and blew fear 
 fully. The men had smuggled off a great deal of liquor, 
 and the crew were nearly all drunk, but they seemed 
 happy and jolly, and were singing all over the ship. 
 Suddenly the singing stopped, and as I was sitting 
 forward I heard whispers pass that a man had been 
 stabbed ! I fastened on to one of the men and made 
 him tell me where the man was. He took me down to 
 a dark hole underneath all the hammocks, and I sent 
 for the first lieutenant and a light. When he came we 
 found the man cut very badly, but he was very drunk, 
 and you know the saying, A druuken man can t be 
 killed, so this one is now in a fine way of recovery. The 
 man that stabbed him was found and confined." As he 
 closes his description George makes this moral reflec 
 tion : " I have no doubt but Washington s birthday is to 
 many people, and in many ways, a day of happiness, 
 but it is also the cause of a great many sore heads." 
 
 The following letter, which he wrote home during 
 this part of the cruise, is too characteristic to be omitted, 
 for it displays his spirit of adventure, and is a type of 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 19 
 
 many received during his youthful cruises. It begins, 
 as is frequently the case, by acknowledging with delight 
 his letters from home " which have made me happy 
 ever since they came." Then he says, " I have been 
 twice on shore hunting since I wrote last. The first 
 time I went, it was after parrots and monkeys, but 
 being warned, after we started, that the woods were 
 dangerous, we did not dare to go in very far, and were 
 not successful, for in trying to get at some monkeys 
 that we saw, we scared up three panthers, and as I had 
 nothing but shot in my gun I was afraid to fire, as they 
 are very bad when wounded ; so I decided that discre 
 tion was the better part of valor, and went to a hut 
 which I saw and which proved to be inhabited by an 
 old native woman and her two daughters. They were 
 very kind and pleasant, and I passed the afternoon 
 there trying to talk Spanish with them. But when we 
 went hunting again a few days after we did not have 
 quite such good luck. We went ashore, borrowed a 
 rickety old boat, and getting all ready, with the excep 
 tion of something to eat, we started across the bay, a 
 distance of four miles. We went across very well, but 
 in attempting to land we found it was very dangerous, 
 for the breakers ran so high that they upset our boat. 
 But we managed to land at last, and hauled the boat 
 ashore without much damage. After hunting three or 
 four hours and having pretty good luck, it came on to 
 blow very hard and we thought we had better go back, 
 though the natives told us to wait till the gale was over. 
 But it was getting so late we were afraid we should 
 have to stay all night and decided to try to get off. We 
 lashed our guns, and the natives shoved us well out 
 from shore, but the moment we tried to sail, our boat 
 keeled over on her beam ends and half filled with water. 
 This was not very pleasant, for in whatever direction 
 
20 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 you looked you could see the play of a shark s fin. The 
 boat soon righted but the wind blew so hard and the 
 waves were so high, that we found we could neither 
 return to the shore nor go towards the ship, which was 
 about seven miles awav, and in such a direction that we 
 should have to run before the wind. Then, whenever 
 we turned towards the shore the breakers drove us on 
 the rocks, which rose all about us. At last we saw a 
 little cove where it seemed as if we might be safe if we 
 could only reach it, and we decided to make for that at 
 all hazards. We got within forty feet of it, and began 
 to think we were safe at last, when our fore sheet got 
 foul, and a squall just then striking the boat, over she 
 went in spite of all, and if the foremast had not been 
 carried away I do not suppose I should be writing to 
 you now. We had to work hard to right the boat, and 
 all the time we were overboard, which was about two 
 hours, I expected to be bitten by a shark, and the 
 breakers were so strong they would continually knock us 
 off the boat. But at last she righted, and we just barely 
 cleared the rocks, landing in the smooth water beyond. 
 We were both nearly exhausted, having had nothing to 
 eat since morning, and it was now eight in the evening. 
 When we got on shore my companion told me he had 
 been bitten by a shark while in the water, so we rested 
 a little while, but the bite was not very deep, and then 
 we began to think what we would do. 
 
 44 We found we had landed close to an impenetrable 
 forest, but a river flowing into the sea just there made 
 a little beach where we could move about. We decided 
 to bail out the boat and sleep in that, if the wind did 
 not go down, and after bailing about an hour we got 
 most of the water out of her. The moon had come up 
 by this time and the wind had gone down, and we de 
 termined to try again and reach the ship. This time 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 2 I 
 
 we succeeded after about three hours sailing. When 
 we arrived on board we found the Captain and the other 
 officers had been very anxious about us. They were 
 afraid we had been driven on shore among the breakers 
 and lost. The Captain had ordered all the boats to be 
 ready at sunrise to search for us. When my companion 
 got on board he was hardly able to walk, but I was only 
 a little stiff the next morning. The natives thought we 
 had had a wonderful escape, for the bay is full of sharks. 
 This, I believe, is all that has happened to me since I 
 wrote last." 
 
 In June, 1857, he hears that he has been made an 
 uncle and writes, "I thought a great deal last night 
 about the new baby, and I do not know but that I ought 
 to write a special letter on her account, yet, although 
 her affectionate uncle has joyfully assumed his heavy 
 responsibility, he feels that he is not great at composi 
 tion. The only thing he could think of to do was to 
 speak for the under jaw of a large shark, which they 
 are now cutting up on deck, as a present for his new 
 niece. He is sure that she is pretty but he hardly knows 
 what to say about a baby." 
 
 Soon after this date the Cyane is ordered North. 
 She comes to Boston, but George s spirits sink when he 
 finds that although so near, he cannot come home. He 
 writes, " I could not help thinking as I walked up and 
 down on the morning watch, how completely I have 
 given up my home, and how little, during my lifetime, 
 I shall be at home and with those I love best. Just 
 think, if I go to the southward again I shall not see you 
 for a year more at least, and then seven long years 
 will have passed away since I left you all, and now little 
 I have seen of you in that time ! This naval life is 
 pleasant enough for those who have no ties to bind them, 
 and often seems pleasant enough to me, for I have many 
 
22 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 good friends in the service ; we are often anchored at 
 pleasant stations where I am able to see a great deal 
 and enjoy delightful society ; but yet I wish I could be 
 more at home ; and sometimes my only comfort and only 
 cheerful thought is the knowledge that you are all well 
 there." 
 
 The Cyane proceeds to the northward and George 
 writes from St. John s, Newfoundland, "As I had the 
 midwatch last night, I did not get up this morning when 
 the ship was brought to, so when I went on deck at 
 about eight o clock, I found we were anchored in the 
 most beautiful little harbor I had ever seen or imagined. 
 High hills nearly surrounded it, and most picturesquely 
 situated on one of these stood the city. It looks very 
 pretty from the ship, but they say it does not prove so 
 attractive on a nearer view, and smells throughout most 
 overpoweringly fishy. We have been at Halifax since 
 I had a chance to write, and I had a very gay time 
 there. But during my gaieties I often thought of you 
 all, and wished you were enjoying everything with me. 
 And when I am quiet, as well as when I am gay, I think 
 of you all, all the time ; and between all the alls you 
 get pretty much all my thoughts." 
 
 From Newfoundland the ship went directly to Hamp 
 ton Roads, Va., and he writes from there, " Your letters 
 were all received at last, and read with you do not know 
 what pleasure ! I was so glad to hear that you were all 
 well and passed a pleasant Thanksgiving. I wish I 
 could spend one at home with all the family ; it seems 
 as if I could be more contented then. Do you know 
 that when I read your request to send home a lock of 
 my hair, it gave me a regular fit of the blues? To think 
 that I cannot be at home enough to make that unnec 
 essary ! But you shall have my best looking lock. 
 Perhaps a little of my moustache would do. It is really 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 23 
 
 quite a respectable one now. Well, if the lock of hair 
 enclosed is not enough, please let me know quick, be 
 cause I am going to have my hair cut short." 
 
 " HAMPTON ROADS, VA., November 6, 1857. 
 "The steamer has just come in and they all got let 
 ters but me. You have no idea how much good a letter 
 does one on board ship. If you could only see with 
 what anxiety the officers and men gather around the 
 capstan when the letters are given out and especially 
 your brother I think you would never miss writing." 
 
 The Cyane was next ordered to Hayti to demand the 
 release of an American merchant captain whom the 
 Haytien authorities had imprisoned. But when she ar 
 rived, it was found that the difficulty had been settled 
 and that the captain had returned to the United States. 
 The Cyane, however, remained there a few days and 
 gave the officers a chance to see the island. George 
 writes, " We all went on shore and the place is really 
 worth seeing. Cape Haytien was built and owned by 
 the French, and was called Little Paris. In 1842 it 
 was shaken down by an earthquake and twenty thou 
 sand inhabitants buried beneath the ruins. It is 
 beautifully situated on a level plateau, surrounded on all 
 sides by lofty hills, except where it faces the bay. The 
 streets are paved and regularly laid out, and over the 
 ruined houses on each side beautiful vines and shrubbery 
 are growing luxuriantly, and it seemed to me as if every 
 branch was covered with beautiful, bright-colored birds 
 who sang the sweetest notes I ever heard. It all made 
 me feel very romantic as I walked about. There must 
 have been once much wealth here, judging from the re 
 mains of some of the houses, for they show a good deal 
 of splendor. About twelve miles from the city, on 
 one of the highest hills, is a very large and strong 
 
24 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 castle built by a Count Christophe. He used to bury 
 there every year a large sum of money which he 
 took from the revenues, and then he would shoot the 
 negro whom he made bury it, so that no one would 
 know the secret. I heard several other yarns about the 
 place, which I have not time to tell now. The negroes, 
 who are in possession of the island, assume all sorts of 
 titles. There is an emperor, and there are dukes, lords, 
 etc. Some of them are quite well educated, but they 
 all put on such dignified airs and are so afraid of not 
 being thought equal to white folks, that many of them 
 are very funny." 
 
 In January, 1858, George was detached from the 
 Cyane, and almost immediately ordered to the Release, 
 Commander Wm. G. Parker. This vessel was first 
 sent as supply ship to the Mediterranean, and after 
 wards to South America with the Paraguay expedition. 
 George s cruise to the Mediterranean occupied three 
 months, nearly all the time being spent at sea in the 
 slow sailing ship, but during his short stay at Spezia he 
 found time to make a rapid trip to some of the famous 
 Italian cities. He modestly deplores his own inability to 
 appreciate as he ought the wonderful works of art about 
 him, and wishes that others of his family could be with 
 him, " who," he says, " could understand and enjoy it 
 all." He found time to choose pretty and tasteful gifts 
 to bring home, and to make some pleasant acquaintances 
 who have never forgotten him. At this time he was 
 very fond of society, and in one social accomplishment 
 he was almost without a peer. His quick ear for music, 
 and perfect ease of movement, made him a remarkably 
 graceful dancer, and it was a pleasure to watch him on 
 the floor. 
 
 At the time of his return to the United States, diffi 
 culties had broken out between our government and 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 25 
 
 Paraguay. The notorious Lopez was at that time Pres 
 ident of the latter republic, and was not inclined to 
 make the needful amends for some infraction of inter 
 national law. The United States, therefore, sent out a 
 large fleet under command of Commodore Shubrick, 
 with orders to demand reparation, or to make war in 
 case of refusal. The Release was to accompany the 
 expedition as storeship ; and also to be used to ascend 
 the rivers where vessels of heavier draught could not 
 go. She fitted out in New York, and during that time 
 George gratified his spirit of investigation by becoming 
 familiar with every part of the city. He went to all 
 the theatres and places of amusement, and then, with a 
 policeman, visited the slums and low haunts. Of the 
 plays he sees he writes with all the brightness and 
 freshness of his time of life. " They seem to me most 
 beautiful, and perhaps it is because I am so fresh from 
 sea, but often the scenes on the stage bring tears to my 
 eyes." When he sees the horrible condition of the 
 other parts of the city, he says: "I could not have 
 imagined myself, nor can I possibly convey to you at 
 home, an idea of the misery and degradation to which 
 human nature is reduced in places like these." And 
 whatever he sees and hears, it seems but to strengthen 
 his love for home. 
 
 Being made the confidant of some family troubles 
 among his friends, he writes : " You cannot think how 
 glad I feel that I have such a good and happy home, 
 and I am very blue because I cannot be there now. 
 I suppose you will always keep Charlie and Tiger ;* 
 I often long to see them. It seems to me we are a 
 great deal happier and better off in many ways than 
 the majority of the world. So many people do not 
 seem to be really happy. They laugh and talk, but 
 
 * A favorite horse and dog. 
 
26 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 still it seems as though there was always a sort of 
 unhappy and discontented feeling underneath. If they 
 are rich, they are sick with dissipation, and if they are 
 poor, they are cross because they have n t money 
 enough to be dissipated, or there is something that is 
 wanting, while at our home it is always so cheerful and 
 healthy that it seems as if any one might live forever, 
 and every day be a pleasant one. I am going to try 
 and have a dog, something like Tige, to take to sea. I 
 miss Polly * very much, and when you have chicken 
 for dinner you must be sure and give him some, for he 
 is very fond of it." 
 
 " NEW YORK, U. S. S. RELEASE, Nov. i, 1858. 
 " We are about to haul out into the stream, and very 
 soon all communication with the shore will be broken 
 off and sea life will begin in its reality. If we have 
 good luck, we shall get to Buenos Ayres in forty-five 
 days. Forty-five days! Just looking at the horizon ! 
 But still, if I receive letters from you when I get to 
 Montevideo and you are well, it will be better to me 
 than seeing the land ; but oh, mother, I cannot help 
 wishing that I could stay at home, indeed, that we 
 could all always live at home. Yet I know we ought 
 to be satisfied, for so far our home is such a good one/ 
 To his sister he says, "When you write tell me every 
 little thing how you passed Thanksgiving especially. 
 I wish I could sit around the * festive board with you 
 then. It is now the eighth Thanksgiving since I have 
 been at home. How time flies, and we are all grow 
 ing old quite fast ! I believe now that mother and 
 father are younger than any of us, and it is such a 
 comfort to me to go from home leaving you all so 
 well. Be sure and write me all about Hattie s baby. 
 I should like to keep on writing and writing, for this let- 
 
 * A parrot he brought from Central America. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 2 7 
 
 ter seems a connecting link with you all, and I hate to 
 break it. I enclose my appointment as acting master ; 
 please put it with my other papers." 
 
 Instead of the forty-five days reckoned upon, it was 
 sixty-three before the Release arrived at Montevideo. 
 The first month of the voyage the weather was bad and 
 it was hard work, and much of the time it was " watch 
 and watch " between George and another officer. He 
 writes while at sea: "We had no pleasant weather 
 until we were well south, and then it came on calm, 
 since which time we have made but little progress ; 
 indeed, for a week we have almost lain still, and the 
 captain and all hands begin to think the old ship is 
 bewitched. I remained upon deck to-night when the 
 other officers went to the cabin, because it is one -of 
 those beautiful evenings at sea from which I cannot 
 take my eyes, but no sooner was I alone than I began 
 to think of you all. We get on finely together on board 
 this ship, which is lucky, as we have such a long pas 
 sage. A sailor is singing to a doleful tune something 
 about a fair lass he left behind him. We occasionally 
 see a sail on the horizon, and that is our greatest excite 
 ment, but we have not yet spoken any ship." 
 
 At a later date he writes : " We have passed through 
 the trade-winds and are now in the doldrums, and 
 expect the S. E. trades to-morrow. It is very warm. 
 I have been trying to catch a shark that has been play 
 ing about the ship for some time. We catch a good 
 many flying fish and they are very good eating." 
 
 The Release next had a long and tiresome time beat 
 ing around Cape St. Roque, and his next date is 
 " December 13, 1858. We are now further off than 
 we were eight days ago. We shall never get to Buenos 
 Ayres at this rate. A ship has just come in sight and 
 is dead ahead; we are all excited. If I am to get a 
 
28 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 chance to send this by her, I can write no more now. 
 I am very well. We are in latitude i north ; in longi 
 tude 35." 
 
 On the 2d of January, 1859, the Release arrived at 
 Montevideo, where George finds the climate delightful, 
 and is greatly pleased to discover that fine horses are 
 plentiful enough for him to have all the riding and 
 driving he wants. The fleet are all assembled, and 
 everything is animated and pleasant. The Spanish 
 customs are novel, and he has an opportunity to see a 
 bull fight, but does " not like it very much, though 
 three horses and five bulls are killed." 
 
 The fleet were now ordered to ascend the Parana 
 river, and Commodore Shubrick went up as far as 
 Corrientes to meet Lopez. George writes : "The dif 
 ficulty will probably be settled without fighting, though 
 Lopez has a large army and fine forts and is quite well 
 prepared to receive us ; and if we get into a row, it 
 may go rather hard with us at first, as this is a small 
 vessel and can go up the river whatever happens. I 
 shall probably be in it, which I shall like, on the whole, 
 now I am here. As we come up through the country 
 the lower classes seem to be almost in a wild state, and 
 the little huts they live in are wretched, but they are all 
 beggars on horseback, and ride so much that they 
 can hardly walk, horses are so plenty. In the towns 
 the business is chiefly carried on by English and Ger 
 mans. There is always a plaza in the towns, where 
 the band plays evenings, and where the ladies appear 
 dressed in the latest fashions, except that they wear 
 mantillas instead of bonnets. Game is plentiful and I 
 have fine times hunting, especially the large game of 
 the pampas, which is really exciting. I am anxious to 
 shoot a South American tiger." This George finally 
 accomplished after many efforts and much exposure. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 29 
 
 "JANUARY 20. 
 
 " Our fleet is now coming down the river, for our 
 difficulty with the Paraguayan government is settled. 
 We are taking it leisurely and I am enjoying myself 
 very much. I go hunting and fishing every day. I 
 never saw so much game. The trees are full of all 
 sorts of birds and fish are just as plentiful in the water, 
 and there are ducks and swans and monkeys and 
 snakes, and everything that flies or crawls or swims, 
 that I ever heard of; and there is large game enough, 
 too, to make it exciting. The river is high now, and 
 the country is so inundated that I can penetrate way 
 into the forest in a boat. I go every day, but don t get 
 any chance at a tiger, though I often think I am on the 
 track of one, but it generally turns out to be a river 
 hog. These are curious creatures ; the Spanish call 
 them Capinchas. I do n t know what they are like. 
 Their heads look like a woodchuck, only a great deal 
 larger, for some of them weigh four hundred pounds. 
 The flesh of the young ones is good eating. They live 
 in kinds of nests which they build, half in and half out 
 of the water. The other day I destroyed the peace of 
 one of their families by killing the mother of some 
 young ones, and the old father came for me in an awful 
 rage and I ran to the boat for mv life. He had big, 
 savage-looking tusks, and I was lucky to escape him. 
 
 " All along the river shore are villages, consisting of 
 clusters of straw huts, and in the evening I go ashore, 
 taking with me our pilot, who plays the guitar, and I 
 have a dance with some of the pretty native girls. 
 There is a dance called the samaquaker (I don t 
 know if that is spelled right, but that is the way it 
 sounds) which is a very pretty native dance. They go 
 through it so gracefully it is a pleasure to watch them. 
 The treat consists of the native drink called mate, 
 served hot, and we drink it from a silver cup." 
 
30 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 "JANUARY 20. 
 
 "I had quite an adventure to-day, and almost got 
 my tiger, but just missed it enough to get a good joke 
 on myself. I had gone in a boat up a lagoon to hunt 
 and fish, and coming to a little stream left the boat, to 
 hunt on shore, the boat following me. As I went along 
 I came to a place where a log was thrown across a 
 stream and I went over it ; but after I had crossed I 
 heard a noise behind me, and looking back I saw a 
 large tiger just crossing over on the log and apparently 
 on my trail. As I had nothing with me but a shotgun, 
 loaded for birds, it was no use to think of attacking 
 him, and I made the best time I could back to the boat. 
 He did not pursue me, but crawled in the tall grass 
 close by the water s edge where the stream was narrow, 
 and we had got to pass him rowing down. I could 
 see by the motion of the tall jungle grass that he was 
 lashing his tail, and as we drew near I could hear him 
 snarl. I can tell you the boat shot by that place like 
 an arrow. I went back to the ship as quick as I could, 
 and taking an officer with me and proper fire-arms to 
 attack such game, rowed back to the place where I left 
 the tiger. Sure enough, there he was, as I supposed. 
 We rowed up cautiously, for I did not want to miss fire, 
 knowing I had an ugly customer to deal with. At last, 
 I could see two bright eyes peering at me through the 
 grass then I was sure. I took aim and fired the eyes 
 disappeared and there was a short struggle under the 
 grass and bushes. I waited till all was quiet, and then 
 ventured in to the spot very carefully, but much elated 
 at the thought that I had got a tiger at last, when there, 
 stretched out at length, was an immense river hog ! 
 Well, we had a good laugh about it, but those river 
 hogs had cheated me so often when I had been after a 
 tiger, that I was really pretty mad." 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 31 
 
 "JANUARY 24. 
 
 * At last I have killed my tiger, and in the most 
 unexpected way. I did not have to go beating about 
 the jungle, or look for one at the water s edge at night, 
 or anything like that ; but to-day, as we were anchored 
 near the bank, three tigers plunged in the river right 
 ahead of the ship. I got out a boat in no time, and 
 was on the river pulling after them. The current 
 drew them towards us, and one of them turned and 
 made for the boat ; his ears curled back, his jaws wide 
 open and snarling, and looking terribly fierce and 
 angry. I was so afraid of not hitting him that I waited 
 till he was close on the boat before firing, and the men 
 cried out for they said afterwards that he was so near 
 that if he had been wounded, or I had missed, we 
 should have been done for. But the ball struck him 
 fair, and in an instant he turned over dead. The cur 
 rent swept him off and directly he sank out of sight. 
 At the noise of the report the other tigers swerved aside 
 and went down stream. I was sorry that I lost the one 
 I shot, for I wanted his skin ; but it is a comfort to 
 think I did shoot a tiger at last, and as it was in full 
 view of the ship I shall not lack proof, even if I do not 
 have his skin to show." 
 
 At Montevideo, George was transferred from the 
 Release to the Sabine in order to return with others of 
 his classmates to the United States, for their passed- 
 midshipman examination. 
 
 He received the following commendatory letters from 
 the officers with whom he had sailed, and he was much 
 gratified at their unwavering praise, for upon compar 
 ing notes with his other classmates he found that his 
 superior officers had written with unusual warmth in 
 his favor. And I will say here that, as a young man, 
 George was very modest in his estimate of himself, but 
 
32 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 inclined to think highly of the gifts of others. The old- 
 fashioned New England education of his early days had 
 not accustomed him to much flattery. As a young man, 
 he always " got along" with others, and always in his 
 letters spoke well of his officers, often affectionately, 
 and led a pleasant life with them on board ship. 
 
 FROM CAPTAIN KOBE OF THE CYANE. 
 " SIR : 
 
 "It affords me pleasure to state, that while you were under my 
 command on board the U. S. S. Cyane, your character was irreproach 
 able, your attention to duty prompt, and your obedience to orders 
 ready and willing. 
 
 "I am respectfully, yr. obt. servant, 
 
 "ROBT. G. ROBB, Comd r." 
 
 FROM CAPTAIN PARKER OF THE RELEASE. 
 " SIR : 
 
 " As you are about to return to the United States for the purpose 
 of attending your examination, allow me to wish you a successful ter 
 mination thereto. Since you have been attached to this vessel, during 
 a period extending over fourteen months, as a watch officer in charge 
 of the deck, and most of the time as acting master, I have always 
 found your judgment good and your navigation correct, thus meriting 
 my entire approbation. I wish you a speedy passage home and a 
 happy meeting with your family and friends. 
 
 " Sincerely and truly your friend, 
 
 "WM. A. PARKER, 
 " Lt. Comd g. U. S. S. Release." 
 "Mid n 
 
 " GEORGE H. PERKINS, 
 
 " ActV Master U. S. S. Released 
 
 FROM CAPTAIN ADAMS OF THE SABINE. 
 
 "Midshipman George H. Perkins, who came home on this ship 
 from Montevideo, displayed so much zeal and intelligence in discharge 
 of his duties during the time, that I have great pleasure in stating I 
 entertain the highest opinion of his abilities and correct morals." 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 33 
 
 After he had passed his examination, George was 
 able to spend three happy months at his " beloved 
 home." There everything was done to make his visit 
 pleasant, and his own bright, active, cheery spirit had 
 also made it a delightful time to his family and friends. 
 The last of August, 1859, he was ordered to the west 
 coast of Africa as acting master of the U. S. S. Sumter* 
 The cruising ground of our ships on this station was 
 from Liberia to St. Paul de Landa, which embraced 
 the gold, ivory, and slave coasts. It was a range that, 
 afforded strange adventures, and novel experiences in 
 life, if one would brave the dangers of landing through 
 the surf on an unfamiliar coast. On this coast, from 
 the Straits of Gibraltar to the Cape of Good Hope there 
 is scarcely a tolerable harbor, and the Atlantic rolls in 
 its huge breakers, with unbroken force, along this end 
 less stretch of shore. 
 
 This African station was usually considered very 
 dull and monotonous ; it lacked any attraction of civil 
 ized life, and was called the most unpleasant in a naval 
 officer s experience. It is only the older officers in the 
 service who can now speak of its trials, as since the 
 abolition of slavery our government no longer keeps a 
 squadron there. 
 
 But here George s adventurous disposition at least 
 found full play, and neither the dangers of the coast 
 and climate, nor the dullness of its few savage attrac 
 tions, could permanently depress his bright and deter 
 mined spirit. But when he first left home, and went to 
 New York to join his ship, he had such an attack of 
 homesickness that it is really heartrending to read his 
 last letters, even now when twenty-seven years have 
 passed since they were written. 
 
 Nothing that all the great and gay city of New York 
 contains can divert him. He goes with a naval friend 
 3 
 
34 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 to Islip, a quiet watering-place on Long Island, to pass 
 away the time until the officers can take up their abode 
 on the ship. 
 
 He writes : " All the officers of the ship are from 
 the South, and are strangers to me, except the doctor, 
 whose name is. Otis, and who came from Boston. I am 
 planning and trying to get home again if only for a 
 day." He finds this impossible, and then tries to per 
 suade some of the family to come to New York and 
 see him. He makes every suggestion he can think of 
 in favor of the trip, and plans the route, etc. Later on, 
 when settled onboard ship, he writes : " The Captain 
 tells us we are to have a pretty hard cruise ; that he 
 has strict orders to confine it to our cruising ground on 
 the African coast, and that we cannot stop at Madeira 
 at all. We are now settled on board ship, and I begin 
 to miss my room at home. The one that I am to 
 occupy the next two years is six feet long and three 
 feet wide some difference you see ! We have one offi 
 cer, a lieutenant, who is known throughout the service 
 as Little Jack Stewart, and who is so funny that 
 he keeps us in roars of laughter whenever he is on 
 board. He will be a great help in keeping up our 
 spirits, for the African coast is said to be trying to a 
 man, and will bring out all our characters. As I am 
 Master I have a great deal to do, and to-day I have 
 been busy all the time getting in stores. When I have 
 been ashore in New York I have met a good many of 
 my friends, and no doubt might have had a very gay 
 time, but I have wanted nothing except to go home, or 
 to see some one from home ; and now that I can do 
 neither I wish I was at sea, for the quicker I go 
 the quicker I shall come back. We are in three 
 watches, which is harder than I expected. The 
 arrangements for comfort on board the Sumter are not 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 35 
 
 very complete, and the ship is not very fast nor much 
 on beauty." 
 
 " SEPTEMBER 2, 1859. 
 
 "We have had full dress muster this afternoon and 
 I made my first appearance in my epaulettes and cocked 
 hat, and I have no doubt but that I was a glorious 
 sight ! 
 
 "Captain Armstrong is very pleasant and kind to 
 me. As these are the last days before the ship sails, his 
 wife stays on board a good deal, and she feels very 
 badly about his going away. She was talking with me 
 this afternoon and said that she could not realize that 
 her husband was going away for so long a while. 
 They have been married eighteen months and this will 
 be the first separation. I often see her in the cabin in 
 tears, and I feel very sorry for her, and so, I think, 
 this is what it is to be a captain s wife ! I have the mid- 
 watch to-night, and you bet I shall be awful home 
 sick, and think of you all the time during my lonely 
 watch." 
 
 Two days after this date the pilot brings back his 
 last good-by letter, and the Sumter is fairly off for the 
 dreaded West Coast of Africa. When the ship arrives 
 at Prince s Island, about sixty miles from the coast, he 
 writes under date of 
 
 " OCTOBER 25, 1859. 
 
 " We have come to anchor in a beautiful harbor on 
 the west side of Prince s Island. We came here for 
 water only, and we sail to-morrow for Fernando Po. 
 This island is a Portuguese possession, I mean under 
 the dominion of Portugal, but is owned by a French 
 woman who lives at the northern extremity. The pro 
 ductions are the same as in any tropical climate, and 
 the atmosphere is so humid that it makes the heat es- 
 
36 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 pecially intolerable. The inhabitants are mostly slaves 
 belonging to the French woman. I have not got over 
 my homesickness, and though I hear the scenery is 
 fine, I do not yet feel any inclination to go ashore." 
 
 " NOVEMBER i, 1859. 
 
 " We are now at Fernando Po, and are here to gain 
 what knowledge we can of its facilities for a coal depot. 
 It is an island close to the coast and belongs to Spain. 
 The Spanish are trying to establish a colony here, but 
 it is too unhealthy, and the whites will not live long 
 enough to get acclimated. The native inhabitants are 
 wild and warlike. They inhabit the mountains, and 
 subsist chiefly on wild fruits. They will not work for 
 love or money. 
 
 " At present there are several Spanish, French, and 
 English men-of-war here, and a week ago one of the 
 English ships captured an American slaver with five 
 hundred negroes on board. The English make a good 
 many captures, as their government sustains the efforts 
 to put down the slave-trade better than ours. 
 
 " I have suffered a good deal from a tarantula bite 
 on my hand, which swelled so badly that I was 
 alarmed about it, but it is getting well now, and I am 
 thankful to sav it is not so painful. The prospect now 
 for our cruise is that it will be very tiresome and have 
 very little variety. At our stations there is no one to 
 be found but a few white people scattered among a lot 
 of negroes. Last Saturday I dined with the Spanish 
 governor of Fernando Po, and he has succeeded in 
 living here thirty-three years. He has a black wife 
 and a family of black children. We did not see his 
 wife, but he gave us a fine dinner, and we passed quite 
 a pleasant day. 
 
 "Coming here we sailed by Cape Coast Castle,. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 37 
 
 where Governor McLean lived and where he is buried. 
 He was well known on the coast, and our officers liked 
 him very much. He was the husband of L. E. L., the 
 poetess, and I can remember when he came to America 
 in one of father s ships and visited us. 
 
 " We are going from here to Congo River, and I 
 have great hopes that we shall capture one or two 
 prizes ; that will be some compensation for being on 
 this station. 
 
 " What a happy time I had at home those last three 
 months ! I am constantly recalling it, and wishing those 
 days could come back again." 
 
 " NOVEMBER 29, 1859. 
 
 "We are back at Fernando Po, which is the most 
 civilized of any place we have visited yet. The old 
 Spanish governor is very hospitable, and when we go 
 ashore we spend the day at his home. We manage to 
 have a tolerably pleasant time, and among the Spanish 
 officers here are some fine fellows. 
 
 " Hammie and Frank must write often if they expect 
 me to bring them home a parrot, for I am going to get 
 some as soon as we go to the Congo. The other day we 
 boarded a ship called the Firefly^ and it was the same 
 one father took me on board of years ago in Boston. 
 She was suspected of being a slaver then, and might 
 lie under the same suspicion now. If father was in 
 business now and had some vessels here, I could attend 
 to his affairs for him, and might even send him a whole 
 cargo of negroes if he said so ! " 
 
 " NOVEMBER 30, 1859. 
 
 ** We started last night for a cruise in the Bight of 
 Benin, and the coast looks much more interesting than 
 I expected. The inhabitants though are miserable 
 wretches, whose whole business is the slave trade." 
 
38 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " DECEMBER 6, 1859. 
 
 " The Captain and myself took breakfast this morning 
 with King Te, a celebrated old negro on this part of the 
 coast. The breakfast was served up in great style, for 
 he is quite rich, having made a great deal of money in 
 the slave-trade; it was all very novel, but I found it a 
 little difficult to swallow some of the food. 
 
 " Speaking of one feast reminds me of another. I 
 forgot to tell you about the way we kept Thanksgiving. 
 The Commodore fixed it on Nov. 6 for the fleet. On 
 that clay we were off Lagos, a noted slave station. It 
 was very hot, and every single one of our surroundings 
 was as different from anything in New England as it 
 was possible for things to be. We had a big dinner, 
 though, and did our best to celebrate. The King of the 
 Dahomeys, which is a warlike tribe on the coast, sup 
 plies most of the slave-traders by selling them his pris 
 oners of war. He is very angry about so many vessels 
 being sent to stop the slave-trade. 
 
 " During the past year this cruel king has been sac 
 rificing a great many slaves on account of his father s 
 death. He never sacrifices less than five a day, and 
 sometimes he has killed as many as five hundred in one 
 day ! On hearing of the capture of the Harris, loaded 
 with slaves, he was so angry that he had all those vic 
 tims whom he sacrificed on that day dressed in European 
 costume, and then hung them up in all sorts of ways, 
 saying he would Let them know how he would treat 
 white slaves. A few days ago an English commodore 
 paid a visit to a tribe in the interior, and the chief enter 
 tained him by beheading fifty slaves in honor of his 
 visit!" 
 
 December 10, 1859, George writes his younger 
 brother that the Sumtcr has been cruising about without 
 seeing a sail, and that " When the ship is hove to we 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 39 
 
 make the time pass with a little shark fishing, which I 
 think such a fisherman as you are would enjoy. Yes 
 terday I harpooned a tremendous fellow, and we all had 
 a great time getting him on board. There are so many 
 sharks round the ship all the time that we have to be 
 very careful not to fall overboard, for once in the water 
 there would be no help for us. 
 
 * If we catch a slaver perhaps I shall come home in 
 charge of her, though the officers that have had charge 
 of prizes taken out here tell awful stories of the passage 
 to Monrovia with slaves on board. Even when there is 
 no disease or sickness among the slaves, the smell that 
 rises from the ship s hole is so horrible that it makes and 
 keeps one sick all the time. It is almost impossible to 
 learn to endure it so as to perform duty. One officer, 
 writing from Monrovia, says nothing would tempt him 
 to take charge of another prize, and he was quite lucky, 
 the slaves only dying at the rate of five a day ! " 
 
 " LAGOS, December 15, 1859. 
 
 " We have just come in here to mail our letters. We 
 hear that the King of Dahomey has finished his yearly 
 .sacrifices, and has killed slaves enough to float his 
 canoe in their blood ! 
 
 " We have been out to the Elobey Island, where we 
 were sent by the Commodore to survey the harbor and 
 make a general report about things there. But there 
 was nothing on or about these islands to make them of 
 any use, either as a coal depot or for any other of our 
 purposes, and we were glad to get away. 
 
 " Captain Armstrong expects to be ordered to the 
 San Jacinto, which is one of our largest side wheel 
 steamers. He says he has got permission from the 
 Commodore to take me with him. Our Captain stands 
 quite high in the Commodore s estimation, who is much 
 
40 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 pleased with his report and with the condition of this 
 ship, and he lets him do as he thinks best about things; 
 this makes it pleasanter all round, though our first lieu 
 tenant has become disgusted with the coast and re 
 signed. 
 
 " I must tell you that I let him have that overcoat 
 which I brought from home. I hated to part with it, 
 because whenever I put it on it wraps me up in so many 
 pleasant associations, and calls up so many pleasant 
 reminiscences, that I often have a good laugh thinking 
 over the good times that the old coat puts me in mind of. 
 
 "Our cruising is likely to become terribly monoto 
 nous at this rate. It is very hot and unhealthy and we 
 do not dare to go on shore ; and in spite of precautions, 
 we already have some cases of fever on board." 
 
 Later on. George does venture on shore, and comes 
 to grief by shaking hands with the King of the Boobes, 
 by which he catches an eruption in the skin of his 
 hands. This was the chief of a tribe, who occasionally 
 came down from the mountains to get supplies, and 
 George afterwards learns that they are never known to 
 wash themselves. Indeed, his experience in Africa 
 inclined him to endorse Darwin s evolution theories, 
 except that he asserts the monkeys are rather superior 
 to some negro tribes he saw. 
 
 The U. S. S. Fulton, which belonged to the squad 
 ron, sailed from the United States about the time of the 
 Sumler^ but was lost in a gale. The news had reached 
 George by this time, and he writes home, in answer to 
 inquiries, that " Coming over we encountered the same 
 gale that she did, but as you see we were more fortu 
 nate." 
 
 At some point a little north of St. Paul de Loanda he 
 hears of the gorilla, a creature whose existence was 
 hardly credited in 1859, an< ^ tnus ne writes of it: 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 4! 
 
 " They have lately discovered another species of the 
 monkey race called the gorilla. It is a large and very 
 hideous animal, walks erect on its hind legs, and the 
 largest ones are about seven feet tall. One was killed 
 the other day, and measured nine feet from the tips of 
 his fingers across his outspread arms. They are very 
 powerful and sometimes attack whole villages, and the 
 natives are very much afraid of them. It is dangerous 
 to attack them unless you are sure of your aim, for they 
 are worse than a lion when they are wounded. I should 
 like to see one, but in this part of the coast it is so un 
 healthy I cannot go on shore, so I spend all my spare 
 time thinking of you at home and of all the pleasant 
 times I had last summer." 
 
 George did, however, succeed in seeing a gorilla and 
 tried to capture one alive. A "gorilla boy " was at last 
 procured through his efforts, and fastened up on shore 
 in the most secure manner, but it escaped one night, for 
 growing stronger all the time it was capable to break 
 from any means of confinement they could use. George 
 afterwards obtained some gorilla skeletons which he 
 gave to Dr. Otis, who sent them home to the Massa 
 chusetts Natural History Society, and received their 
 most cordial thanks for such a "rare addition to the 
 museum." 
 
 " DECEMBER 29, 1859. 
 
 " For the last week we have been on the track of an 
 American slaver, which has been a little variety for us. 
 We were in company with the English man-of-war 
 Cedusa, and it being Xmas time we exchanged festivi 
 ties and had dinner parties, excursions on shore, etc. 
 We went to visit the different chiefs, and have * palavers 
 about the slave-trade. It is a rich sight to see one of 
 these old negro chiefs, with his wives and slaves; they 
 have quite an idea how to live and are often very sharp, 
 
42 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 and if one is not interested in the business part of the 
 palaver he cannot help being in such a phase of human 
 life, and in all the singularities of nature, both animal 
 and vegetable, on a coast like this. 
 
 " We meet a good many slavers who carry on the 
 traffic as palm oil traders, and there are a great many 
 vessels engaged in the slave-trade, so that I cannot help 
 hoping we shall make a capture ; but under the present 
 system it is almost useless for us to try to do anything 
 to stop the slave-trade: our cruisers cannot do much 
 under our laws, and the English make the principal 
 captures. Slaves are being constantly shipped, and the 
 King of Dahomey is now on a slave hunt to supply 
 some ships which he expects from the States. He is a 
 cruel old rascal, and says if he cannot sell his slaves he 
 will kill them for a sacrifice, and they will beg to go in 
 a slaver rather than be in his hands. We heard terri 
 ble accounts of him while we were in the Bight of 
 Benin." 
 
 "JANUARY iS, i860. 
 
 "Our cruising ground is now between the equator 
 and St. Paul de Loanda. Captain Armstrong has gone 
 to command the San Jacinto, but owing to resignations 
 and a short supply of officers, I could not leave this 
 ship to go with him. We now have Captain McDon- 
 ough. 
 
 "You ask me How I look? Well, I am just the 
 same size as ever just the same little fellow and I 
 have given up all hopes of growing any taller ; but I 
 think I look a good deal older, for this climate tells on 
 a man. A great many break down completely when 
 exposed to it. Five officers and several men have 
 already been condemned by medical survey and sent 
 home. 
 
 "All labor connected with the ships, that involves 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 43 
 
 going on shore, has to be done by negroes hired for the 
 purpose as no white sailor could do it and live, the cli 
 mate is so deadly." 
 
 " FERNANDO Po, February 12, 1860. 
 
 " Nearly all the squadron are here now, and the offi 
 cers enjoy seeing each other very much. As for me, I 
 feel as if I were having my last good time, for the Cap 
 tain showed me his orders last night, and we are to 
 cruise all the year on the wildest and most uncivilized 
 parts of the coast; recruiting finally at Elephant s Bay, 
 which is a miserable place, but has the merit of being 
 healthy. We have no hope of Madeira or any pleasant 
 change. 
 
 4 Lieutenant Stewart is to be married when we go 
 home, and I have just promised him to go to North 
 Carolina and stand up with him. Just now he is writ 
 ing a long letter to his sweetheart. He is so full of fun 
 I do not know what we should do without him, and we 
 have all lived on this ship very pleasantly together." 
 
 " FEBRUARY 13, 1860. 
 
 " The mail to-day brings us very exciting news, all 
 about the Southern insurrection. I cannot take much 
 stock in it, nor credit such an awful thing as any pros 
 pect of a dissolution of the Union. 
 
 "I see by the papers that General Peaslee is going 
 to settle in Concord, and I should think you would be 
 glad. A good many of the officers know him, and 
 speak of him in the highest terms." 
 
 " FEBRUARY 18, 1860. 
 
 "We are all ordered to Kabenda, as news has been 
 received that the negroes are going to rise on the white 
 people there, murder them and burn the factories, and 
 then run for the bush where no white man can follow 
 them. So we expect a big row." 
 
44 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " FEBRUARY 25, 1860. 
 
 " When we arrived at Kabenda we found the natives 
 at war with the Portuguese, whom they had whipped 
 badly and driven back to St. Paul de Loanda, with 
 quite a loss. The chiefs said they had nothing against 
 the Americans and would not touch or interfere with 
 them ; so we did not land our forces but stood up for 
 Majumba, in order to meet the mail steamer. When 
 we did so, I received my long-looked-for and much- 
 longed-for letter from home. 
 
 " Be sure and give the nicest messages you can think 
 of to those lady friends of mine at home, who remember 
 me and inquire for me ; for as I have not seen a white 
 woman for six months, I feel quite timid and self- 
 distrustful, and am afraid any messages of my own 
 composition would be sadly amiss. You will certainly 
 tell them the exact truth if you give them my love and 
 say that I have not spent a happy hour since I left 
 Concord. 
 
 " As I am caterer of the mess, I go on shore a good 
 deal, and have a good chance to see all there is of Afri 
 can life. I have become acquainted with all the prin 
 cipal chiefs on the cruising ground, and find that the 
 slave-trade is carried on to a great extent. 
 
 " Within the last two weeks three or four cargoes 
 have been taken from the mouth of the Congo, and one 
 of the chiefs told me of some slavers being up that 
 river. I gave the information to Captain McDonough, 
 and we started up, but although we ascended far 
 enough to find the navigation difficult, the slavers 
 draught was too light for us, and the Captain ordered 
 the Sumter back, and we returned with only the empty 
 honor of having gone farther up the Congo than any 
 other man-of-war. 
 
 " On our way down we stopped and ran up a creek 
 
LE ITERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 45 
 
 to visit a French slave factory. The French make a 
 government affair of the trade and have several slave 
 barracoons on the coast, and ship off large numbers. 
 But the slaves shipped, according to the French condi 
 tions, are liberated after serving seven years, and if 
 they choose can come back to this coast. 
 
 " These French people were very polite tons, showed 
 us their barracoons and slave ships, and all the slaves 
 that were there ready to be shipped. They amounted 
 to several hundred, and were kept in good discipline 
 by a few powerful negroes and a moderate allowance 
 of whipping. We found the barracoons in excellent 
 order, everything clean and well regulated, and the 
 slaves went through a series of performances for our 
 entertainment. They danced their native dances, and 
 sung native songs, and had some of their native games, 
 and it was peculiar and interesting, and we enjoyed it. 
 Indeed, our stay there was an improvement on any 
 thing we have had on the coast so far. 
 
 " We came down the Congo and started for Loango, 
 but finding we were short of coal went to St. Paul de 
 Loanda, where we met several of our squadron. Our 
 pleasant trip had rather a melancholy ending, for Cap 
 tain McDonough is to be superseded in his command 
 on account of the unsatisfactory state of his health." 
 
 " MARCH 12, 1860. 
 
 " Why do you people at home not write to me? Do 
 you not know how hard it is for me not to get letters 
 from you? When an unusual length of time goes by 
 and I do not hear from you, I get it into my head that 
 you are forgetting me, and that I am losing my place 
 among you. 
 
 "Tell Hammie and Frank that I have one of the 
 best parrots now that ever was. He talks better this 
 
46 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 minute than our little three-year-old niece ! I have 
 sent home a barrel of African coffee. Write me how 
 you like it. Our officers drink it, and some say it has 
 a flavor like Mocha, and like it very much. 
 
 4 Tell Frank I will bring him all the coins I can pick 
 up. The negroes use shells, called cowries, for money, 
 and have no coinage of course." 
 
 " APRIL 15, 1860. 
 
 " The clipper ship Nightingale has just gone ashore 
 with two thousand negroes on board. If she gets them 
 to Havana, they will bring, on an average, six hundred 
 dollars apiece ; so you can calculate how much money 
 will be made on her. This Nightingale is a powerful 
 clipper ship, and is the property of its captain, Bowen, 
 who is called the Prince of Slavers. The first time I 
 was up the Congo the Sumtcr went up fifteen miles 
 after a slaver under his command, called the Sultana. 
 I had information that slaves were fitting out up the 
 river, and told the captain, and he took the Sumter up. 
 We found the barque Sultana and the brig Kibby with 
 their slave decks all laid and everything perfectly ready 
 for that cargo. You ought to get some of the books on 
 slavery and read a description of the fitting up of a slave 
 ship. When I get home I will tell you all about it. 
 
 4 k We took both the ships and detained one of them 
 three days, and then, after all, our captain let her go, 
 declaring, against every proof, that there was nothing 
 in the ships but what was in her manifest. Of course 
 these ships at once filled up with slaves and escaped, 
 calmly sailed off; there was no escape about it and 
 with the money Bowen made from the sale of those 
 slaves he has purchased this Nightingale, one of the 
 fastest clipper ships known. When I saw Bowen in 
 command of the Sultana he was living very luxuri 
 ously ; everything in his cabin in the finest style, and 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 47 
 
 everything about his career as nearly as possible like 
 those romantic pirates, slave captains, etc., who are 
 introduced into novels." 
 
 When my brother was in New Orleans in 1864 he 
 met and talked with the former captain of the slave 
 brig Kibby, which the Sumter had overhauled at the 
 same time with the Sultana, and from her he learned 
 that the Nightingale was afterwards captured one night 
 off the coast of Africa, but that Bowen made his escape 
 and was soon the captain of another slaver and at his 
 old trade again. He was afterwards taken by the Eng 
 lish, but escaped a second time, and there being no 
 longer any profitable market for slaves, he went to 
 keeping a hotel in Aspinwall, and was living and flour 
 ishing at the time of this conversation. 
 
 " Our vessels cruise very little now after slavers. 
 The captains think it useless under existing laws. A 
 few days ago we overhauled a barque all ready to take 
 her negroes on board, but after detaining her two days 
 our captain decided there was nothing on board that 
 was not on her manifest, and so let her go. We lost a 
 fine prize and I lost a chance to get home, and I have 
 given up all hopes now of taking any prizes." 
 
 APRIL iS, i860. 
 
 " I have just heard that the barque we overhauled 
 took a cargo of negroes on board that very week and 
 escaped ! Until our laws are different at home we shall 
 not dare to take many prizes out here. 
 
 " Lieutenant Stewart interrupts my writing and says, 
 Come, Perkins, let s go somewhere ; and I think I 
 will stop writing for a while and accept his invitation. 
 
 "Well, we went on shore, took a machala a sort 
 of hammock in which the negroes carry people about 
 and went out to the well. It would seem odd to a New 
 
48 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 England person to make a special visit to a well, but 
 they are rare things in this country, and it is the only 
 place to go to outside of St. Paul de Loanda. 
 
 " One other variety we have in our life here, which 
 is to go ashore and visit some negro king, who will 
 receive us under a palm-tree with his wives and slaves 
 about him ; but I generally find them all too disgusting 
 to be very amusing. Since McDonough left us Captain 
 Rooney has been our commander, and, like so many 
 officers on this coast, he begins to show signs of break 
 ing down. I really think he will not live but a short 
 time longer." 
 
 "APRIL 22, i860. 
 
 "The last accounts from home of the progress of the 
 rebellion are very exciting. A good many Southern 
 officers on this station have resigned, and a good deal 
 of feeling exists. It certainly begins to look as though 
 civil war was a sure thing for us, and the news of it 
 has already affected our position with foreigners. The 
 English officers are no longer polite when we meet 
 them, and do not show a friendly feeling. I really 
 think they are highly delighted at our political misfor 
 tunes, and, indeed, at any of our troubles. It pro 
 vokes me." 
 
 " OFF MAJUMBA, April 26, 1860. 
 
 "It is Sunday evening, and everything is very quiet 
 on board ship, for poor Captain Rooney is very sick, 
 and there is but little hope of his recovery. We all 
 pity him very much, but I do not think he cares to live, 
 for he has had a great deal of trouble. The other day 
 he received a letter from the woman who was once his 
 wife, but who has deserted him. It was an old letter 
 that had been following him all about for some time, 
 and he was terribly excited at receiving it ; since then 
 he has grown rapidly worse. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 49 
 
 " Even little Jack Stewart is quiet and downhearted, 
 not only on account of poor Rooney, but because his 
 sweetheart has stopped writing him. He says this is 
 the ninth time his faithful heart has been shattered by 
 Cupid s arrows ! 
 
 "We cruise in sight of land most of the time now, 
 and I do not have much navigation to do, for I am very 
 familiar now with the principal headlands, and I spend 
 my spare time reading home letters over and over." 
 
 " APRIL 28, i860. 
 
 "I cannot write but little or do much of anything 
 to-day, for I was up all night with the Captain, and I 
 am very tired. He has my room, as it is the coolest 
 one on board ship. I can hear him talking and mutter 
 ing now in a feverish way, and every now and then he 
 breaks out and raves in a wild delirium. It is dreadful ! 
 The doctor says that if there is no change for the better 
 very soon, he cannot possibly live. I wish he could 
 get better, for sickness and death on board ship are 
 very sad." 
 
 " APRIL 29, 1860. 
 
 44 It is all over now, and everything is very hushed 
 and still. The officers say but few words, in a low 
 tone, and the boys speak in whispers, but they need not 
 be afraid, they cannot wake poor Rooney ; his sleep 
 now is the sleep of death. He died a few hours ago in 
 a delirious state, not becoming conscious even at the 
 last, and unable to leave one parting word. 
 
 " The weather adds to our gloom and helps to remind 
 us that we are in the presence of an awful power. It 
 is a fearfully dark night, and the rain comes down in 
 torrents, with sharp lightning, and heavy thunder in 
 long, rolling peals." 
 4 
 
50 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " KABENDA, May i, 1860. 
 
 "We brought Captain Rooney s remains here, and 
 buried him with military and Masonic honors. We 
 had his grave dug under a large tree on shore, and the 
 spot is pleasant, but all about is very wild and the 
 inhabitants on this part of the coast are almost in a 
 savage state, but they say, We like the Americans, 
 and we will not touch the dead man. Our machinery 
 is out of order, and we shall have to remain here sev 
 eral days. 
 
 4< I received letters from you all by the last mail, and 
 it did me more good than anything else in the world. 
 I am afraid I shall not be able to get Hammie a bird- 
 of-paradise, or a mocking-bird either, for I cannot find 
 out that they exist on this coast, and I have made a good 
 many inquiries. I ought to find out if any one can, for 
 I trade in birds a good deal and keep a collection on 
 board ship in my room and about the rigging. I have 
 some splendid parrots, and I think they are very bright 
 birds, some of them know so much it almost scares 
 me. It seems as if they must be human. There is one 
 I mean to keep and bring home if I can ; I call him 
 * Bosen, for he is the only one that can exactly imitate the 
 boatswain s whistle.* I find, to my sorrow, that many 
 of the beautiful little birds I get here will not live long 
 on board ship, and I think I shall have to give up birds 
 and take to monkeys. I have a beautiful little blue- 
 nosed monkey who is very intelligent, but is always in 
 mischief. He has a special spite against little Jack 
 Stewart, and takes every opportunity to plague him. 
 No sooner does poor Stewart seat himself under the 
 skylight for a good, comfortable read than this little 
 scamp watches his chance, and then with one spring 
 
 * He did bring him home, and he lived a long time and was a wonderful 
 bird. He was stuffed after his death. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 51 
 
 lights exactly on the bald spot in the middle of Stew 
 art s head ! Poor Stewart jumps up in an awful rage, 
 swearing he will kill that monkey, who, by this time, 
 is sitting in the rigging out of his reach and chattering 
 and laughing at him. If Stewart were not so kind- 
 hearted he would carry out his threat, but he cannot 
 keep mad long enough. Sometimes this monkey will 
 deliberately plan some bit of foolery or mischief long 
 beforehand, and then wait till we are all looking at him 
 to carry it out, and then, quick as a flash, will do some 
 ludicrous thing that is also generally destructive ; but 
 it will make us burst out laughing, and then he clears 
 up the rigging like a streak of lightning." 
 
 "MAY 8, i860. 
 
 * The doctor and I have been on an excursion into the 
 interior to a place five miles from Point Pedras. The 
 natives there are very savage and treacherous, so that 
 white men do not venture among them. But with us 
 ignorance was bliss ; we did not know this about them, 
 and we started on our trip with no arms, but five bottles 
 of gin and two Kroomen to carry them. We went 
 to a large village, and soon after our arrival saw 
 how matters were, and we really feared for our lives, 
 for the inhabitants were not at all civil. We succeeded 
 at last in persuading the old king to take enough of our 
 gin to make him good-natured, and to say he was * our 
 friend. Then his subjects did not dare to act without 
 his orders, and we finally retired in safety. But we felt 
 safer when we were back on board ship, and we have 
 decided not to make any more such expeditions at 
 present." 
 
 " MAY 27, 1860. 
 
 " We are now anchored off shore between Point 
 Pedras and Majumba. At four o clock to-morrow morn- 
 
52 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 ing we shall get under way, and some time to-morrow 
 we shall arrive at Point Pedras. When we arrive we 
 shall fire a gun, which is the prevailing signal on this 
 coast for notifying the natives that we wish to trade. 
 A few hours after this signal the coast will be lined with 
 negroes loaded with all their produce, which consists of 
 goats, chickens, eggs, pigs, etc., with a few mats and 
 baskets. After the beach is well covered with natives, 
 we have our boat manned by the Kroomen. These are 
 huge black fellows that ship on this station for boat duty, 
 and the going ashore work that our men cannot perform 
 in this climate. They come from the Kroo country in 
 Upper Guinea, just south of Liberia. When they ship, 
 the officers usually christen them by some queer 
 name, the more ridiculous the better, and the Kroo- 
 man answers to this all through the service. A special 
 favorite of mine is called Upside Down ; then there 
 is another named Frying Pan, and a particularly black 
 and big one is named after a delicate Annapolis belle. 
 They seem to be almost amphibious, and it is astonish 
 ing to see them in the water. 
 
 " At this season of the year the surf runs very high 
 and it is dangerous to land ; at any rate, we rarely 
 escaped a ducking. But to go on with my story about 
 going ashore to trade. 
 
 "When the boat is ready and manned by the Kroo 
 men, all the old bottles, old cans, ship knives, cotton 
 handkerchiefs, old clothes, and several bottles of liquors 
 are passed into it, and then such of the officers as wish 
 to go take their places. After their first few trips to the 
 shore, though, to satisfy their curiosity when they first 
 come out, most of the officers give up going as they do 
 not like the surf. 
 
 <fc Your affectionate brother, however, always goes; 
 anything for variety, and there is a good deal of excite- 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS 53 
 
 ment about this. The Kroomen begin to row and strike 
 up a song to pull by, and after rowing four or five miles 
 we arrive on the edge of the surf. Then they lie on 
 their oars and all eyes are turned leeward, looking for 
 a big roller which will carry us on shore. These mo 
 ments of watching are very exciting, and you hold your 
 breath in spite of yourself. The roller looks like a great 
 live monster, and you do not feel at all sure how he will 
 treat you. At length when the looked-for wave comes, 
 the Kroomen give way with a shout, the natives on 
 shore yell with all their might, the boat shoots forward 
 on the top of the breaker at the rate of twenty knots an 
 hour, the surf thunders like the roar of a battery, and 
 altogether it seems as if the world had come to an end, 
 and all those fellows in the infernal regions were let 
 loose. 
 
 " Now we must trust wholly to luck. There is no 
 retreat and no help, for no human strength or power 
 can control the boat, and go on shore you must, either 
 in the boat or under it. After the few wild moments of 
 this rapid transi 1 ", the boat strikes the beach, the Kroo 
 men jump overboard, supposing they are not there 
 already, and you jump on the back of one of them, 
 who runs up the beach with you, out of the way of the 
 next roller, which immediately follows the one which 
 brought you in, and which breaks over the boat, often 
 upsetting it if it is still upright, and always wetting 
 everything inside. When the Krooman lands you from 
 his back high up on the dry beach, if you have escaped 
 a good thorough soaking, and are not half drowned in 
 fact, you are a lucky fellow." 
 
 "JuNE 17, 1860. 
 
 " I began this letter three weeks ago, and w^hile writ 
 ing the above description, little thought how soon I 
 
54 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 should be able to give you from actual experience a 
 most literal account of all and every danger connected 
 with landing through the surf on this coast. 
 
 "As I said before, at this season of the year, the 
 rollers are very heavy, and the risk is really very great. 
 But a short time ago, the ship being off the Settee river, 
 I thought it would be a good idea to try and discover the 
 river s mouth. So I volunteered to take a boat s crew 
 and attempt it, but I had no idea of trying to land, for 
 that I knew would be foolhardy. We pulled in, till 
 about half a mile from shore, and then rowed along 
 the coast. But while examining the shore for the river s 
 outlet, a roller which had started far off at sea caught 
 our boat and capsized it. Of course we were obliged 
 to swim for shore, though, in truth, we had little to do 
 with it, for the moment the boat was upset we were 
 driven into the surf. Not one of us thought we should 
 ever reach the shore ; for if we were not drowned the 
 sharks would eat us up. As I rose on the top of a wave, 
 I looked ahead and saw nothing but a wild stretch of 
 wild-tossing surf, it seemed perfectly impossible for any 
 one to live in it ; but when I looked back I could count 
 all my men striking out for the shore, and this was very 
 encouraging, for I was afraid one or two might be 
 under the boat. I thought for a moment of you all at 
 home, and wondered if mother would not feel a little 
 frightened if she knew where her oldest son was at that 
 moment, and it occurred to me how small the chances 
 were that I should ever receive my next letters from you, 
 for our ship was then on its way for the mail. At that 
 moment a roller struck me and carried me down so deep 
 that I was caught by the undertow and kept down a 
 long time, all the while being carried towards the sea. 
 When I came up again I tried to look out for the next 
 roller, but it was no use, the first one half drowned me. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 55 
 
 and the next kept me down so long that when I rose 
 I was still right in the worst of the surf, which was 
 tumbling and tossing me about in a manner which by no 
 means met my highest approbation. My eyes, nose, 
 and mouth were full of sand, and I certainly thought 
 my time had come. 
 
 "Just then I looked on shore and saw two of my men 
 dragging another one from the water, and at that I 
 struck out with one despairing kick, which brought me 
 where two of the men took hold of me. But that was 
 all I knew of the affair. My next sensation was that of 
 a person being well shaken about, and then my con 
 sciousness gradually returned, and I heard one of the 
 men say, Cheer up, Mr. Perkins, your boat and all the 
 men are on shore ! This was such good news that I 
 did not mind much the uncomfortable position in which 
 I found myself. I was covered with sand and stretched 
 across a log about two feet high, my head on one side 
 and my feet on the other, and the men were doing all 
 they could to bring me to. It was now a little after sun 
 set, and in looking about we found we were wrecked on 
 a sand-spit." 
 
 "JUNE 24, 1860. 
 
 " While writing this letter a week ago, I was taken 
 sick with the African fever, and this is the first time I 
 have attempted to sit up. But everything looks so 
 pleasant this morning I thought I would try to write 
 you a few lines. The doctor says I am still weak 
 and must not sit up long. I shall be well though pretty 
 soon. 
 
 " I want to finish writing you about our shipwreck. 
 After getting ashore and coming to my senses, I found 
 three of my men half drowned, and another one in 
 jured. We managed to get the boat up into the river, 
 but now having gone a whole day without food, we began 
 
56 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 to feel very weak and faint and to suffer awfully from 
 thirst. The next morning we lost our way, and after 
 pulling round till about two o clock in the afternoon, 
 we stumbled on some natives fishing. We followed 
 them to their village, but they were such a miserable, 
 bad-looking set of negroes that we were afraid of 
 trouble. Knowing that the native villages were left in 
 charge of the old men in the daytime, while the young 
 and strong are off hunting and fishing, we did not 
 know what might happen to us when these came back 
 at night. So after killing some chickens and making 
 a very good meal with these and some sweet potatoes, 
 the strongest of us which were myself and three 
 others made ourselves ready for a fight; the rest 
 manned the boat for our retreat. A short time after 
 this the chief came home and about, a hundred men 
 with him. 
 
 " I am getting tired, and you will be tired of reading 
 such a long yarn, so I will cut it short. I told the 
 chief that I had come to pay him a visit and we had a 
 great palaver ; but he would not give us anything to 
 eat, and we made up our minds that we did not dare to 
 stay long in his neighborhood. So we moved down on 
 a sand-spit in sight of our ship, and there we stayed 
 three days and three nights waiting for the surf to go 
 down so that we could return to her. For the same 
 reason she could not send to our aid. 
 
 " We made a sort of tent and built a fortification, 
 traded almost all our clothes off for something to eat, 
 and slept unpleasantly near about five hundred yelling 
 and howling savages. It was a pretty hard, disagree 
 able time, and all the while the ship was in sight, but 
 could render us no assistance. We learned afterwards 
 that they floated off casks of provisions in hopes the tide 
 would bring them in, but they never reached us. In 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 57 
 
 time, though, some Kroomen got on shore from the ship 
 and brought us some oars, and after trying all one day, 
 we managed, just at night, to get off, and through the 
 surf, and back to the ship. 
 
 " It was a happy time for us, and it seemed so for all 
 hands, for every one on board had been very anxious 
 about us. Not far north of this place, if you happen to 
 get cast ashore, the natives kill and eat you at once, 
 for cannibalism is by no means extinct among many of 
 the negro tribes. As it was the Kroomen were sure 
 we should all be drowned. The men that were with 
 me have all been down with the fever, and I am the 
 last case. The doctor has just come in and says I must 
 go to bed, so good-night." 
 
 "JuNE 27, 1860. 
 
 " Thank you all for the letters which I received by 
 the last mail. I see that Uncle John is keeping his 
 promise that there should be a new face in his family 
 for me to see every time I came back from a cruise ! 
 Give my love and congratulations to him and to Aunt 
 Anne. 
 
 " Half our men are now down with the fever, and 
 we need to go somewhere to recruit. I hope the Com 
 modore will order us to St. Helena. I have sent some 
 mats home by a merchant ship. Write me if you like 
 them and I will get some more." 
 
 o 
 
 Everything that it was possible to get on this savage 
 coast, George tried to send home. These mats, made 
 of long grasses, were very curious and pretty and rare, 
 and he sent many things that were interesting, consid 
 ering the savage human nature they represented. 
 
 "JuNE 30, 1860. 
 
 "By the last mail I heard from a young lady whom 
 I met up the Mediterranean. She had seen Mr. Sid- 
 
58 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 ney Webster and had talked with him about me ; and 
 he had spoken very highly of me to her. This was 
 very kind of him, and he has always been kind and 
 polite to me.* 
 
 "The fever left me at last, but it has taken away all 
 my strength. I must be well, though, by the 4th of 
 July, for the Mystic is in and we are going to celebrate 
 by a big dinner. 
 
 ***** 
 
 "Sometimes it seems to me as if my letters home 
 must be cold and could not half express my feelings for 
 you so that you could not have any idea how I do 
 love and think of you all the time. Indeed, I do not 
 believe any words I might use could tell you this, but I 
 hope you know and feel it just the same." 
 
 "JuNE 27, 1860. 
 " DEAR SUE : 
 
 "I have sent home by the Marion a box of things 
 that I ordered from Madeira where they were chosen 
 for you by a young lady who has excellent taste. f 
 
 " We are now off the Bonney River. I begin to feel 
 pretty well tired and worn out. The station is too- 
 monotonous and unhealthy, and we ought to be sent to 
 some place to recruit. There is a good deal of sickness 
 on board, and our old sergeant is at the point of death. 
 
 * Sidney Webster had been law partner of George s uncle, John H. 
 George of Concord, and had often been at our house when George was a 
 boy. He was afterward Private Secretary of President Pierce, and married 
 a daughter of Hamilton Fish, Secretary of State. He is now a lawyer in. 
 New York. 
 
 t This consisted of lovely specimens of the delicate and beautiful Madeira 
 work and embroidery, much rarer then than now. Besides boxes of fine 
 mosaic, chains of hair-work, feather flowers, a shawl, knit by hand, of the 
 finest thread, and yards of beautiful hand made trimming. I shall never 
 forget how delighted I was to receive this box, nor what a wonderful 
 brother George seemed to me ! 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 59 
 
 I am feeling very badly about him, for he is a gallant 
 old fellow and was with me on my first cruise ; and 
 you never forget those with whom you make your first 
 
 cruise." 
 
 44 AUGUST 27, 1860. 
 
 "Since I wrote you last I have visited two of the 
 wildest kind of places. One was on the Bonney River,, 
 which I ascended twenty-five miles, in an open boat,, 
 crossing one of the most dangerous bars on the coast. 
 I went to carry the mails to the English mail steamer, 
 and once at the station I had to remain three days on 
 account of the high surf, and at last had to come out on 
 the English steamer. One of the palm-oil traders gave 
 a big supper in honor of my arrival up the river, and 
 said I was the first American naval officer that had 
 ever been in Bonney. The officers of the mail steamer 
 told me that they never heard of such a boat as mine 
 crossing the bar, and that it was a great wonder that I 
 arrived safely. The natives on the Bonney River are 
 cannibals, and if I had been upset on the bar, they 
 would have killed and eaten me. 
 
 " The shark is a fetich among the negroes on this 
 river, who feed them till they grow very large and be 
 come very fierce. Every year they sacrifice to this hor 
 rible fetich an innocent child, brought up expressly to 
 be eaten by sharks. This child is generally about ten 
 years old, and must be sound and healthy and perfect 
 in every respect. The slightest scratch will make her 
 unfit for the sacrifice. On the appointed day this child 
 is placed on some planks across a canoe, and taken out 
 on the river. They do not let her know her horrible 
 fate, but all at once they tip the plank, and she is seized 
 and devoured the moment she touches the water by the 
 monster hovering about the boat. 
 
 " As I was gone so long they all thought on board 
 
<)0 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 ship that I was lost, and I got a warm welcome when I 
 came back safe and sound. 
 
 44 We started South directly after my return and an 
 chored in Camma Bay, up the Fernan Vas River. 
 Captain Laurens, an American merchant there, sent 
 for some of our officers to come on shore and have a 
 palaver with the natives. So Stewart and myself, and 
 some others of us, accepted the invitation, and found 
 when we went ashore that a large number of natives 
 with their chiefs were collected together to receive us. 
 As Captain Laurens was anxious to impress them with 
 the dignity of the officers of his government, I per 
 suaded Stewart to go in full uniform, cocked hat and 
 all. The rest of us followed and attended him with the 
 utmost ceremony, and gave the natives to understand 
 that his person was sacred. He made them a fine- 
 sounding address, which was interpreted to them, set 
 ting forth the power and glory of the United States, 
 which, however, was willing and even desirous to be on 
 good terms with such famous chiefs, and would protect 
 and befriend them if they would never harm the Amer 
 icans, especially Captain Laurens. 
 
 "They made a suitable reply, and the palaver being 
 done, they set themselves to preparing a feast. They 
 slaughtered an ox in the first place, which was to be 
 cooked and eaten whole, and began to prepare other 
 equally delicate dishes. But night was now coming on, 
 and in this climate one learns the truth of the poet s 
 
 line, 
 
 * At one stride comes the dark, 
 
 and I began to be anxious. Some of the savages had 
 never seen a white man, and they would slink up to us, 
 touch our white skins slyly and quickly, look at us for 
 a moment, with their fierce, wild eyes, and then run 
 away. So I collected my party and hurried them off. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 6 1 
 
 I had bought some wild dogs and a red-headed monkey, 
 which I tied in the boat, and then we got in and shoved 
 off. Bat in spite of everything, the boat was capsized 
 just as it rose on the last wave of the surf, and we had 
 to swim for it. At length, though, the boat was righted 
 and we were all picked up and reached the ship in 
 safety. But after all was over, I nearly died with laugh 
 ing when I thought of it, and so would you if you could 
 have seen it all. Of course the moment the boat upset 
 I struck out for the shore, which is all one can do. As 
 soon as I was able to look back and see where all the 
 rest were, there was poor little Stewart, who had wholly 
 abandoned himself to the rollers. He was bobbing up 
 and down between the wild dogs and the monkey. 
 First, his cocked hat would rise on a wave, and then 
 his little boots would come uppermost, or vice versa, 
 and all there were sputtering and howling and yelling 
 and unable to do anything else, but we soon rescued 
 them, and now we are all safe on shipboard, and can 
 afford to laugh at the picture they made. 
 
 " The ducking did not seem to agree with the ani 
 mals as well as with the human beings, for my wild 
 dogs have died, and as my monkey seemed to droop 
 and grow sickly I have sent him ashore, so Hammie 
 and Frank have lost their present this time. 
 
 " I keep pretty busy every day, and manage to fill in 
 almost every moment. I have a regular watch, four 
 hours in the day and four hours at night, and besides 
 my duties as master and navigator, I am caterer of the 
 mess. 
 
 "The Captain has received letters, and we are to have 
 five weeks to recruit, and are going to St. Helena. We 
 shall be busy now getting ready for it. The Relief \\ws> 
 come in, having on board my old friend, Dr. Page, who 
 was with me on the Release. He is going to be mar- 
 
62 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 ried when the squadron gets home, and wants me to 
 come to Virginia and be his groomsman." 
 
 In a letter of this date, to his younger brother, he 
 says : " I am very glad you had such a pleasant trip to 
 the mountains, and came home in such good health, 
 and that you are such good boys every way. I think 
 we all ought to do well after the good teaching and 
 good home influences we have always had. I bought 
 two fine parrots at Kabenda, and if you would like one, 
 I will send it to you. I keep all sorts of birds, and they 
 are beauties, but most of these birds would not live in 
 our climate. I have two little love-birds, and they are 
 the most cunning little birds you ever saw. I have a 
 * widow bird, too, and I wish you could see the beau 
 tiful plumage for which this bird is noted ; but it would 
 not live to get home." 
 
 " SHARK S POINT, CONGO RIVER, March 27, 1861. 
 
 "We do not know what to think about the dreadful 
 news from home. We take the New York Herald, but 
 it reaches us very irregularly now, and we do not know 
 what to believe. I cannot think our grand republic is 
 going to pieces ! Three of the Southern officers in our 
 squadron have resigned, and those others who are from 
 the South threaten to do the same." 
 
 About this time the Sumter went to St. Helena, but 
 did not make a long stay. The letters George wrote 
 from there are lost, but I remember he enjoyed hospi 
 talities from the English residents and the United States 
 consul, and was able for the only time during this cruise 
 to indulge in his favorite amusement, horseback rid 
 ing. He sent home a book of views of the interesting 
 spots on the island, and a wreath of immortelles from 
 Napoleon s tomb. The date of his next letter is 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 63 
 
 " MAY i, 1861. 
 
 " I am sorry you did not get my letters from St. 
 Helena, for on this coast we hardly can get a subject 
 like that to write about. The news which the last mail 
 "brings us confirms, without any hope of contradiction, 
 the fact that there exists a dreadful rebellion in our be 
 loved country. It has thrown the squadron into a great 
 state of excitement. For some time past the foreigners 
 on this coast have treated us with very little respect, 
 and it has been plain to see that they thought us a 
 broken power. I can tell you this has been a very pro 
 voking circumstance to loyal officers. I certainly can 
 not bring myself to believe but that it will be a longtime 
 yet before any government will have a right to despise 
 the United States. 
 
 " Is there a great deal of financial trouble at home? 
 We cannot get any money out here, and we suppose 
 the Department at Washington must be in great confu 
 sion. This news about our country is so absorbing we 
 cannot think or talk of anything else. It was the 2Oth 
 of June before we heard that Virginia had seceded. No 
 doubt many officers of our squadron will resign ; but, 
 as a Northern man I, for one, hope that all the North 
 will pull together and go in and win. One of the offi 
 cers on this ship is from a Western state, received his 
 appointment there, and draws his pay from our govern 
 ment ; but he married a wife from Virginia, and for that 
 reason is going to join the Southern navy. 
 
 " I think there is more excuse for a man born and 
 brought up at the South and holding property there, 
 and it needs a good excuse for any man to serve against 
 his own government, when it has fed and clothed him 
 and he has sworn to defend it, and when he has no 
 better reason for disloyalty than his desire to perpetu 
 ate slavery. 
 
64 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " I do not say much, but I feel and know that if I 
 had the power I would act, and I think the North has 
 been patient long enough. I am thankful to see by the 
 papers that at last it is becoming pretty much of one 
 mind throughout the North as to the course to be pur 
 sued with regard to the rebellion, that it must be put 
 down, and the Union must be saved. 
 
 " We did not get our orders, as we expected, by the 
 last mail, and we have been cruising again after leav 
 ing St. Paul de Loanda. We went to Gamma Bay, 
 which is, as I said before, about twenty miles up the 
 Fernan Vas River. Captain Laurens s factory is about 
 three miles above the bay. He is an American mer 
 chant, and he wanted one of the ships of the squadron 
 to visit him. The day we arrived the surf was so high 
 it was impossible to land, but the next day it looked a 
 little smoother and the captain, doctor, and myself 
 thought we would try it. We should not have been 
 able to make a landing with any of our ship s boats, 
 but we went in a large canoe rowed by twelve negroes, 
 which took us over the rollers very well. 
 
 "Captain Laurens is from Brooklyn, N. Y. He is 
 about fifty years old and has lived thirty years on this 
 coast, and has an immense number of negroes, who 
 take care of the island and factory. He got up a great 
 palaver for us, inviting a large number of negro chiefs, 
 with their trains of wives and slaves, to come and visit 
 the Great men from America. These chiefs are 
 dressed in all sorts of costumes. 
 
 " The surf was so high that we could not get back to 
 the ship for two days, and I amused myself by taking 
 a lot of negroes and going to hunt hippopotami. We 
 started up a big drove, who rushed into the water, 
 making a terrific noise. I shot and killed five, and I 
 have saved their tusks to bring home. I was afraid of 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 65 
 
 only wounding some, as that enrages them and makes 
 them dangerous, and they will rush upon a boat and 
 attack it with such fury that it is hard to escape ; but I 
 killed mine at the first fire, as we got pretty near. One 
 did make for the boat, but by good rowing the negroes 
 pulled away in season. 
 
 " Tell Uncle John there is a young rhinoceros here 
 which I can easily get and send to him for a family 
 pet, if he would like me to. 
 
 " I forgot to tell you that our first commander, Cap 
 tain Armstrong, has been back on this ship for some 
 time, and will remain in command till she goes 
 home. He takes me out fishing with him a good deal, 
 but fishing here is not much like the hard, exciting 
 work we have when we go home. We take some of 
 the men along with us and use a seine, which they set 
 and then haul in as it fills with fish, so you see it is 
 rather lazy work. 
 
 " I get a great deal of reading matter from the Cap 
 tain. His wife is very literary, and the books she sends 
 him are all * first chop. There are some novels by an 
 author named Trollope that I like very much." * 
 
 "JuNE 5, 1861. 
 
 "We are now in the Gaboon River, where the head 
 of our missionary settlement is established. The place 
 belongs to the French. There are two American mis 
 sionaries here with their families, and there are three 
 or four English factories. Thirty miles farther up the 
 river the natives are cannibals." 
 
 Under date of June 17, 1861, George writes with 
 great satisfaction that the Sumter has at last captured 
 
 *In the twenty-six years that have passed since this was written how 
 well known has become the " author named Trollope " wherever an Eng 
 lish book is read ! 
 
 5 
 
66 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 a slaver. It is the brig Falmotith, and George has the 
 promise of bringing her home. But Captain Arm 
 strong, who had become much attached to him, wished 
 him to remain and act as first lieutenant until the end 
 of the cruise, which must now be near. As George 
 was only twenty -four years old, this seems a high posi 
 tion to him, and he writes : 
 
 " Don t you think I have a right to feel highly flat 
 tered to be acting first lieutenant at my age? This 
 offer, and the persuasions of the Captain, have induced 
 me to give up my right to come home, though I hate to 
 see the brig sail off and not go in her. It is some con 
 solation, though, to have taken a slaver at all, for we 
 never expected to get such a chance after we found 
 how the laws worked." 
 
 "JuNE 15, 1861. 
 
 " My old captain on the Release, Captain Parker, 
 has sent me a file of papers by the last mail. I thought 
 it was very kind of him to remember me. The mail 
 brought me no letters from you, and I suppose you do 
 not write because you think I am on my way home. 
 But there is some unaccountable delay about our orders. 
 It is high time they came. They were published long 
 ago, and we saw them in a paper.* 
 
 "As I have been both navigator and caterer of the 
 mess, I have been making some calculations, and find 
 that since we left New York we have run over fifty 
 thousand miles, and that five of us have eaten three 
 thousand chickens ! 
 
 "I do not expect now that when I get back to the 
 United States I can stay at home but a little while, and 
 I ought not to care for rest and pleasure when such a 
 
 * The delay in recalling foreign squadrons at this time was owing to 
 rebel influence. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 67 
 
 war is going on, even if the government gave me the 
 time. 
 
 "This old Sumter is pretty well used up, and they 
 have not thought her fast enough to chase slavers ; but 
 now I am first lieutenant of her, her power of speed 
 will be thoroughly tested on her journey home you may 
 be sure." 
 
 This did not prove an idle assertion, and the news 
 papers of the day spoke of the return voyage of the 
 Sumter as the quickest ever made between Africa and 
 the United States. 
 
 George s last letters from Africa were full of sincere 
 expressions of loyalty to his country and ardor in her 
 cause, proving that his oaths to his government had a 
 meaning to him, which his heart, brains, and high 
 sense of honor enabled him to grasp and taught him 
 to keep. 
 
 After returning to the United States and being de 
 tached from the Sumter, George was fortunately left at 
 home for a little time before being ordered away. His 
 health had suffered much from the African climate, and 
 he greatly needed change and care, but still he was 
 impatient for active service. His natural zeal for the 
 performance of his duty was not lessened by his bodily 
 weakness, and all his thoughts and plans now turned 
 upon his opportunities to serve his country. 
 
 I give below portions of one of the letters of welcome 
 he received at this time, which well expresses the feel 
 ings so many were called upon to experience in the 
 time of the Civil War : 
 
 "Thank God, dear Perkins, you have at last got 
 back to this unhappy and distracted country ! Tell me 
 if you are to be in New York at any time, and I will 
 come on and shake hands with you and spend a day 
 
68 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 there. If vou are to be in Concord, come back by the 
 way of Boston. 
 
 " Father is gone to St. Louis to join Fremont. You 
 know father was born and appointed in Carolina, and 
 is one of the few loyal Southern officers. His father 
 and all his relations are there, and we have not heard 
 from them since Sumter fell. How horrid this must all 
 seem to you ! But \ve have grown almost used to any 
 thing. I have not written to you for a long time, for 
 all your squadron have been supposed to be coming 
 home for the last four months." 
 
 December n, 1861, George was ordered to the 
 United States steam gunboat Cayuga as first lieutenant. 
 It was a new gunboat and fitted out in New York. 
 Needless to say George obeyed his orders without any 
 delay, and after going, writes home with his old fre 
 quency,. In his first letter he says : 
 
 " I am very busy. None of the .officers, except the 
 Captain, have ever been to sea before in a man-of-war; 
 and besides the officers, there are ninety-five green 
 hands among the crew to be broken in and got into some 
 kind of discipline. So my berth as first lieutenant is as 
 onerous as honorary. 
 
 "The Cayuga is not very well fitted up for comfort, 
 though she is a fine gunboat. We are ordered to join 
 the Western Gulf blockading squadron, stop at Key 
 West for coal, and then report to Commodore Farragut 
 at Ship Island. It is evident we are going against New 
 Orleans ; and when we sail I shall say; Good-by to the 
 land till I land on Southern soil, or in the bottom of the 
 ocean. 
 
 " I send you home some photographs which I have 
 just had taken. Every one here thinks they are very 
 good, and they will prove to you that I always look very 
 sober and solemn when I am not with you all." 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 69 
 
 It was the wear and tear of more than two years in 
 Africa which the truthful sun revealed in these pictures, 
 and which caused us great anxiety for his health. 
 
 " KEY WEST, March 2, 1862. 
 
 " We arrived here yesterday after a very hard pas 
 sage from New York. The first night we left we had a 
 gale from the northwest, and it was very cold. The 
 men knew very little abbut a man-of-war, and it was 
 hard for them ; there was really great suffering among 
 us from freezing. Two of our yards were carried away. 
 Another gale followed this, and there was just a series 
 of them, more or less severe, all the way here. The 
 engines and all were so strained that we broke down 
 twice, and we were on our last legs when we got in. 
 
 " If I do my very best, I cannot get this ship in order 
 possibly before next week, though the Commodore is in 
 a great hurry to get us off, and tlie__attack on New 
 Orleans will be made as soon as possible." 
 
 " SHIP ISLAND, March 31, 1862. 
 
 " General Butler is embarking his troops, and we all 
 leaye this evening for New Orleans. Everything is all 
 excitement. The attack will be made at once, and they 
 say if we succeed it will end the war. 
 
 "I always told you everything would be settled as 
 soon as I went into action, and now I expect it will ! 
 It seems very strange, to be down here surrounded by 
 rebels. This morning one of our gunboats had a 
 skirmish with one of theirs. It was in plain sight of 
 our fleet. 
 
 "The Cayuga took a prize coming here from Key 
 West, which we have sent back to New York. 
 
 " Every one is writing home. I expect my next letter, 
 if I write at all, will be dated from New Orleans." 
 
70 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 "U. S. S. CAYUGA, 
 " OFF ATCHAFALAYA, LOUISIANA, 
 
 " April 4, 1862. 
 
 " Since I wrote you last we have had quite an excit 
 ing time. The next day after leaving Ship Island we 
 arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi. There we met 
 the Commodore and the rest of the fleet. A number of 
 his vessels had bad luck and got ashore. The Commo 
 dore felt sure of being able to take New Orleans, and 
 was getting ready for the attack ; but a good many of 
 the longest-headed officers thought it would be doubtful 
 about his success. The ports are well garrisoned, and 
 they have a fleet of gunboats and some iron-clads. 
 Beauregard is there and the city is under martial law. 
 Owing to the damage done our fleet by so many vessels 
 being on shore, the Commodore has been obliged to 
 delay the attack, and the Cayuga has been ordered off 
 this place to blockade. 
 
 "We spoke the Connecticut just outside, and I. re 
 ceived letters from you all, letters which I have read 
 over many times. 
 
 "This morning a gunboat, two steamers loaded with 
 troops and guns, and a schooner with one gun sailed over 
 the reef and came towards us. We cleared ship for 
 action, and, when they arrived in full sight, hoisted our 
 colors. They hoisted theirs and stood for us, and we 
 expected a hard fight, but before they arrived within 
 reach of our guns, we thought we would fire them off, 
 as they had been loaded several days, and then load 
 them fresh for the expected fight. So we took aim, 
 blazed away, and started for them. But as soon as we 
 did this, they just fired a couple of shot at us, and 
 turned tail and ran ! We chased them into shallow 
 water, but we had to give it up, as the Cayuga draws 
 ten feet, and we nearly grounded. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. J 1 
 
 "We are anchored off the channel, because we draw 
 too much to cross the bar and get into the harbor, 
 and we keep all ready for a fight at any time. We ex 
 pect the rebels will be out again to-morrow, perhaps 
 to-night, and we shall sleep with our boots on and all 
 our arms ready. I think Captain Harrison has the right 
 kind of pluck, and I get on with him very well, which, 
 they say, is an uncommon thing for a captain and first 
 lieutenant. 
 
 " Any way I hope the Cayuga will go down before 
 she ever gives up, and I guess she will. 
 
 " We return to-morrow afternoon to the Mississippi to 
 get ready for the fight at New Orleans. It must cer 
 tainly come off next week. If the Commodore had not 
 been unlucky about the ships several getting aground 
 it would all have been over by this time. 
 
 " In spite of there being so much going on as to keep 
 up a constant excitement, and my being so busy, I am 
 always thinking of you all at home. Give my love to 
 Aunt Anne and tell her I opened her pickles to-day, and 
 they were a great treat. 
 
 "The weather is very warm here, but we are all in 
 good health, and ready for anything that turns up. If 
 those vessels had not come out, I was going in with a 
 boat to take a look around, but I had to give it up, and 
 probably it is lucky I did. I have not the least idea 
 when I shall be able to send this letter ; but while I feel 
 well and hopeful about the future, I will make a request, 
 which I might as well make now, as at any time, and 
 then the subject need not be brought up again. 
 
 " If anything should happen to me, so that I should 
 not get home alive, I should like my remains, if 
 they can be found, to be taken home and buried with 
 the rest of the family ; but if they cannot be found, I 
 should like my place in our burial lot left vacant, and a 
 
72 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 small monument erected on that spot for me. I am not 
 going to think or speak of this subject again, but the 
 happiest of men must do so some time." 
 
 "U. S. S. CAYUGA, 
 
 " STORMING THE FORTS UP THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, 
 
 " April 20, 1862. 
 
 "The bombardment of the forts commenced three 
 days ago, and the first day we were in close action ; but we 
 all came out safe. The enemy s cannon-balls drop about 
 us constantly. Several of the vessels in the fleet have 
 been struck and a few men killed and wounded. To 
 day or to-morrow we start up the river. The chain 
 across it was cut last night, and I have no doubt but that 
 the forts will be ours before to-morrow evening. 
 
 " I have but a moment to write. The rebels are 
 continually sending down firerafts, and the bombard 
 ment from the mortars goes on night and day, so that 
 we have hardly any sleep. I will write as soon as we 
 reach New Orleans, and I hope you are not worrying, 
 for by the time you get this everything will be over. 
 
 "Unless we meet some unforeseen obstacle, New 
 Orleans must fall, though perhaps it will take a week s 
 hard fighting. We have just heard that Captain Bailey 
 has taken the Cayuga for his flagship, so we shall lead 
 the gunboats." 
 
 " NEW ORLEANS, April 27, 1862. 
 
 " We arrived here two days ago, after what was the 
 most desperate fight and greatest naval achievement on 
 record, so every one says. Wednesday- night, April 
 23, we were ordered to lead the way, and be ready to 
 run by the forts at two o clock in the morning ; and at 
 two o clock precisely the signal was made from the 
 Hartford to get under way. 
 
 " Captain Harrison paid me the compliment of letting 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 73 
 
 me_p.ilot the vessel, and though it was a starlight night 
 we were not discovered until we were well under the 
 forts ; then the) 7 opened a tremendous fire on us. I was 
 very anxious, for the steering of the vessel being under 
 my charge gave me really the whole management of 
 her. The Cayuga received the first fire, and the air 
 was filled with shells and explosions which almost 
 blinded me as I stood on the forecastle trying to see my 
 way, for I had never been up the river before. I soon 
 saw that the guns of the forts were all aimed for the 
 mid-stream, so I steered close under the walls of Fort 
 St. Philip, and although our masts and rigging got 
 badly shot through, our hull was but little damaged. 
 
 " After passing the last battery and thinking w r e were 
 clear, I looked back for some of our vessels, and my 
 heart jumped up into my mouth, when I found I could 
 not see a single one. I thought they all must have been 
 sunk by the forts. Then looking ahead I saw eleven 
 of the enemy s gunboats coming down upon us, and it 
 seemed as if we were gone sure. Three of these 
 made a dash to board us, but a heavy charge from our 
 eleven-inch gun settled the Gov. Moore, which was one 
 of them. A ram, the Mantissas, in attempting to butt 
 us, just missed our stern, and we soon settled the third 
 fellow s * hash. Just then some of our gunboats, which 
 had passed the forts, came up, and then all sorts of 
 things happened. There was the wildest excitement all 
 round. The Varuna fired a broadside into us, instead 
 of the enemy. Another of our gunboats attacked one 
 of the Cayugas prizes, I shouted out, Don t fire into 
 that ship, she has surrendered ! Three of the enemy s 
 ships had surrendered to us before any of our vessels 
 appeared, but when they did come up we all pitched in, 
 and settled the eleven rebel vessels, in about twenty 
 minutes.^ Our short fight with the Gov. Moore it used 
 
74 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 to be the Morgan was very exciting. We were along 
 side of each other, and had both fired our guns, and it 
 all depended on which should get reloaded first. The 
 large forward gun on the Gov. Moore was a ten-inch 
 shell, ours an eleven-inch, and we were so near they 
 were almost muzzle to muzzle. 
 
 "Ours was fired first, and Beverly Kennon, the cap 
 tain of the Gov. Moore, is now a prisoner on board the 
 Cayuga. He tells me our shot was the one that ruined 
 him, disabled his vessel, capsized his gun, and killed 
 thirteen of the gun s crew. Beverly Kennon used to be 
 an officer in our navy. 
 
 " The Cayuga. still led the way up the river, and at 
 daylight we discovered a regiment of infantry encamped 
 on shore. As we were very close in, I shouted to them 
 to come on board and deliver up their arms, or we 
 would blow them all to pieces. It seemed rather odd 
 for a regiment on shore to be surrendering to a ship ! 
 Th_ey_ hauled down their colors, and the colonel and 
 command came on board and gave themselves up as 
 prisoners of war. The regiment was called the Chal- 
 mette regiment, and has been quite a famous one. The 
 officers we released on parole and allowed them to 
 retain their side-arms, all except one captain, who I 
 discovered was from New Hampshire. His name is 
 Hickery, and he came from Portsmouth. I took his 
 sword away from him and have kept it. 
 
 "The next thing that happened was the sinking of 
 the Varuna, which had been disabled by one of the 
 enemy s vessels running into her. Soon after this the 
 Commodore came up in the Hartford and ordered us 
 all to anchor and take a little rest before attacking New 
 Orleans, which was now within twenty miles. 
 
 4i By this time our ship had received forty-two shots 
 in masts and hull, and six of our men had been 
 
MAP OF THE 
 
 MISSISSIPPI RIVER 
 
 SHOWING 
 
 FORTS JACKSON ANnSTPHHJP 
 
 
 From the U. S. Coats t S\irvey 
 
 Surveyed in 1810 
 Bv John N. Me Clintock. -^i?? 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 75 
 
 wounded ; one of the boys had to have one of his legs 
 cut off. All this time, night and day, firerafts and ships 
 loaded with burning cotton had been coming down the 
 river and surrounding us everywhere. Besides these, 
 the bombardment was continuous and perfectly awful. 
 I do not believe there ever was anything like it before, 
 and I never expect to see such a sight again. The river 
 and shore were one blaze, and the sounds and explo 
 sions were terrific. Nothing I could say would give 
 you any idea of these last twenty-four hours ! 
 
 " The next morning, April 25, we all got under wav 
 again, the Cayuga still leading, and at about nine 
 o clock New Orleans hove in sight. We called all 
 hands and gave three cheers and a tiger ! 
 
 "There were two more fortifications still between us 
 and New Orleans, called the Chalmette batteries, but 
 Captain Bailey thought they could not be of much 
 account, and that we had best push on. When we ar 
 rived in sight of these batteries, no flag floated over 
 them, and there was not a man to be seen nothing but 
 the guns, which seemed abandoned. In fact, though, 
 there were a lot of treacherous rascals concealed in 
 these batteries, and when we had come close enough to 
 make them feel sure they could sink us, they opened a 
 heavy fire. We gave them back as well as we could, 
 but they were too much for one gunboat; so, after get 
 ting hit fourteen times, and the shot and shell striking 
 all about us, we decided not to advance any further until 
 some of the ships came up. Soon we had the Hartford 
 on one side and the Pensacola on the other, and then 
 the rebel battery was silenced very quick. 
 
 " After this, there were no further obstacles between 
 us and the city, and the fleet were soon anchored before 
 it. The Commodore ordered Captain Bailey to go on 
 shore, and demand its surrender, and he asked me to 
 
76 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 go with him. We took just a boat and a boat s crew, 
 with a flag of truce, and started off. When we reached 
 the wharf there were no officials to be seen ; no one re 
 ceived us, although the whole city was watching our 
 movements, and the levee \vas crowded in spite of a 
 heavy rain-storm. Among the crowd were many 
 women and children, and the women were shaking 
 rebel flags, and being rude and noisy. 
 
 "They were all shouting and hooting as we stepped 
 on shore, but at last a man, who, I think, was a Ger 
 man, offered to show us the way to the council-room, 
 where we should find the mayor of the citv. 
 
 " As we advanced, the mob followed us in a very ex 
 cited state. They gave three cheers for JefF Davis and 
 Beauregard, and three groans for Lincoln. Then they 
 began to throw things at us, and shout, Hang them ! 
 * Hang them ! We both thought we were in a badjix, 
 but there was nothing for us to do, but just go on. 
 
 "We reached the city hall, though, in safety, and 
 there we found the mayor and council. They seemed 
 in a very solemn state of mind, though I must say, from 
 what they said, they did not impress me as having 
 much mind about anything, and certainly not much 
 sense. The mayor said he had nothing to do with the 
 city, as it was under martial law, and we were obliged 
 to wait till General Lovell could arrive. 
 
 " In about half an hour this gentleman appeared. He 
 was very pompous in his manner and silly and airy in 
 his remarks. He had about fifteen thousand troops 
 under his command, and said he would never surren 
 der, but would withdraw his troops from the city as 
 soon as possible, when the city would fall into the 
 hands of the mayor and he could do as he pleased 
 with it. 
 
 " The mob outside had by this time become perfectly 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 77 
 
 infuriated. They kicked at the doors and swore they 
 would have us out and hang us ! Of course Captain 
 Bailey and I felt -perfectly at our ease all this while! 
 Indeed, every person about us, who had any sense of 
 responsibility, was frightened for our safety. As soon 
 as the mob found out that General Lovell was not 
 going to surrender, they swore they would have us out 
 anyway ; but Pierre Soule and some others went out 
 and made speeches to them, and kept them on one side 
 of the building while we went out the other, and were 
 driven to the wharf in a close carriage. Finally we 
 got on board ship all right ; but of all the" blackguard 
 ing I ever heard in my life that mob gave us the worst. 
 
 "The mayor told the flag-officer this morning that 
 the city was in the hands of the mob, and was at our 
 mercy, and that he might blow it up or do with it as he 
 chose. They still fly the state flag on the custom 
 house, and as we have not yet any forces with which to 
 land and make an attack, we can do nothing at present, 
 unless we blow up the city. 
 
 " I do not know where General Butler is. So far, 
 only fourteen of our fleet have passed the forts out of 
 all the ships that started. None of us know what has 
 become of them, and the forts have not yet surrendered. 
 Until then, there can be no going up and down the 
 river. 
 
 "This morning we have been ordered to take Cap 
 tain Bailey down to a bayou, where he will pass out in 
 a boat, and taking a ship below will proceed home, as 
 bearer of despatches. 
 
 " We expect to make another attack on the forts 
 to-morrow or next day, if General Butler arrives with 
 the troops. The Southerners say our victory was one 
 of the greatest ever known. They never dreamed of 
 our being able to pass the forts ; and if the attempt had 
 
78 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 been made in the daytime, our fleet must surely all have 
 been sunk. We may be in a bad fix now, if the forts 
 do not fall, and it is not safe for any one to leave our 
 ships and go anywhere in a boat. The mob rule in 
 the city, and they are perfectly reckless. We are still 
 feeling the effects of the excitement which the attack 
 caused. Nothing is settled, arid there is danger and 
 risk about every movement. 
 
 " I have written this letter at railroad speed. I am 
 all right so far, as regards my health. We expect 
 another good fight to-morrow or next day, when we go 
 back to take the forts. 
 
 "I hope you are all well at home, and you must 
 excuse this letter, for it seems as though I could not 
 stop to form words. Should I ever see you again I 
 can tell it all so much better. I cannot say yet how 
 many men have been lost on our side, but I think the 
 number is quite small." 
 
 As is now well known, the forts surrendered soon 
 after the city, and it was not necessary to make any 
 further attack upon them. The passage of the river 
 thus becoming safe and free, Captain Bailey was able 
 to proceed home directly ; and as the Cayuga was 
 badly cut up by shot and shell, and needed to return 
 for repairs, she was ordered to bring him as far as 
 Hampton Roads on his journey. From there he went 
 to Washington by land, while the Cayuga kept on to 
 the Brooklyn navy yard. 
 
 The first intelligence received at the North of the 
 passage of the forts was a report from the rebels. It 
 appeared in the New York Times of Sunday, April 
 27th, 1862, and was headed, "An Important Report 
 from the Rebels ! One of our gunboats above Forts 
 Jackson and St. Philip, sixty miles below New Orleans !" 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 79 
 
 "WASHINGTON, Saturday, April 26th. The Rich 
 mond Examiner of the 25th announces that one of our 
 gunboats passed Forts Jackson and St. Philip, sixty 
 miles below New Orleans, on the 24th. The report 
 was telegraphed to Norfolk and brought to Fortress 
 Monroe, under a flag of truce, and received from there 
 
 c5 
 
 to-day by the Navy Department." 
 
 THE CAYUGA. 
 
 In the demand which Admiral Bailey made upon 
 Admiral Farragut that a correct diagram of the order in 
 which the ships passed the forts should be filed at the 
 Navy Department, and that in this the Cayuga should 
 be placed as leading, which she did, and, eventually, 
 far, far in advance, all the other vessels to the attack, 
 he quotes the above from the newspapers of the day to 
 prove how far ahead she was, and adds : 
 
8o LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " After passing the forts and capturing the Chal- 
 mette regiment, the Cayuga cut the telegraph between 
 the forts and New Orleans, and there could be no fur 
 ther telegrams sent about the progress of our ships 
 until the fleet arrived at New Orleans, that is, before 
 the city itself." 
 
 I insert here such extracts from Admiral Bailey s 
 pamphlet, entitled " History Set Right," as give an 
 account of the movements and the part taken by the 
 Cayuga in this famous naval battle. The Army and 
 Navy Journal copied this pamphlet into its columns 
 with this editorial heading : 
 
 " The following correspondence is reproduced from 
 the files of the Navy Department. We publish it, in 
 justice both to the truth of history and to the reputation 
 of those gallant officers whom it most concerns : " 
 
 REAR ADMIRAL BAILEY TO ADMIRAL FARRAGUT. 
 
 "WASHINGTON, D. C., April i, 1869. 
 <4 Mv DEAR ADMIRAL: 
 
 " I feel compelled to call your attention to an over 
 sight of which I spoke to you some time since, and 
 which has afforded me, and other officers, the keenest 
 annoyance, by historical statements growing out of the 
 omission to make the desired correction." 
 
 Admiral Bailey then proceeds to remind Admiral 
 Farragut, at greater length than I will here quote, of 
 the verbal arrangement by which the Cayuga was 
 assigned as his (Captain Bailey s) flag-ship, Captain 
 Bailey being second in command to Admiral Farragut. 
 On the 2Oth of April, 1862, Admiral Farragut issued a 
 written order and programme that the fleet should pass 
 the forts two columns abreast, but after the chains and 
 booms were cut, fearing that there would still be some 
 obstructions in the channel which would endanger the 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 8 1 
 
 vessels, he issued a verbal order, that they should 
 advance single file, line ahead, the Cayuga leading. 
 Or, as Admiral Bailey says : 
 
 "After the chain and booms, constituting the 
 enemy s obstructions, were cut, it became apparent 
 that if the fleet went up, in two columns abreast, accord 
 ing to your written order and programme, of the 2oth 
 of April, the parallel columns of vessels would proba 
 bly get foul of the obstruction on either side, and the 
 whole fleet hove into confusion under the fire of the 
 enemy s forts, especially as you had determined to 
 make a night attack. Therefore with your proverbial 
 foresight and sagacity, you ordered me to get my divi 
 sion of eight vessels under way as soon as the dusk of 
 the evening should obscure the movement from the ene 
 my, and anchor them line ahead near the east bank." 
 
 Admiral Bailey proceeds to describe the action of the 
 Cayuga, which, starting at the signal from the Hart 
 ford, passed up the river and ran by the forts success 
 fully. An accident to the Pensacola s machinery hav 
 ing caused a detention of those ships of Captain Bail 
 ey s division astern of her, he says : 
 
 " Losing sight of them, we, in the Cayuga alone, 
 encountered the rebel iron-clads, and their flotilla of 
 gunboats, and maintained the conflict unaided, until 
 Boggs in the Varuna came up, who, after delivering a 
 broadside which came into the Cayuga instead of the 
 enemy, passed up the river. The Oncida came up 
 soon after and fired into a steamer that had already 
 surrendered to us, being the Cayuga s third prize. We 
 then steamed up the river and captured the Chalmette 
 regiment encamped on the west bank of the river. 
 ***** 
 
 " To give a history of all the incidents of the battle 
 within my observation, or the part which each vessel of 
 6 
 
82 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 my division took, would make this communication too 
 long. The great object of this letter is to call your 
 attention to the fact that in the hurry of making up 
 your despatches after the battle, you sent home the 
 written order of the 2oth of April, which has been pub 
 lished and passed into history, instead of your verbal 
 order of the 23d, which was the one in accordance 
 with which the fleet passed up the river, and the battle 
 was fought. This error has resulted in an inextricable 
 historical muddle, as the history of the battle has been 
 written on the basis of the published programme of 
 April 2Oth never carried out. The formation and posi 
 tion of the attacking force is therefore entirely misunder 
 stood by the historians. 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 "The resolution of the United States senate of June 
 6th, 1862, and accompanying documents, of which two 
 thousand were printed, perpetuates the error of our 
 passing the forts in two columns abreast." 
 
 Admiral Bailey then enumerates the mistakes made 
 by several historians of the war, who had been led to 
 treat the part taken by the Cayuga with neglect and 
 injustice on account of Admiral Farragut s erroneous 
 reports, and continues thus : 
 
 "The leading up, and heavy single-hand fighting of 
 the Cayuga, her taking the surrender of three of the 
 enemy s gunboats, and the Chalmette regiment of 
 infantry ; and cutting the telegraphic communication 
 between the forts and New Orleans, and other circum 
 stances, are not mentioned." 
 
 Admiral Bailey closes with an earnest demand that 
 if the facts of history cannot be truthfully presented in 
 any other way, then a board of inquiry should be insti 
 tuted, and they should be ascertained and placed on 
 record correctly. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 83 
 
 To this first appeal of Admiral Bailey, Admiral Far- 
 ragut did not make a very satisfactory reply, which drew 
 the following clear and spirited statement from Admiral 
 Bailey : 
 
 "WASHINGTON, D. C., April 27, 1869. 
 
 " MY DEAR ADMIRAL : 
 
 "I have received, and carefully read, your letter of 
 the 3d, in reply to mine of the ist instant, and admit all 
 you say about prominently mentioning my name to the 
 department. But you remark, As to historians I can 
 do nothing. This is so ; but the difficulty is that the 
 historians derived their erroneous account of the battle 
 from your report of the 6th of May, 1862, and from the 
 diagram which you sent to the department, as the true 
 order of sailing into the battle with the forts. Those 
 who have written on the subject are not to be blamed 
 for citing the official reports. I hope to prevent similar 
 error and confusion for the future. I do so with the 
 greatest reluctance, as a duty to the officers under my 
 immediate command and myself, and I appeal to your 
 sense of justice whether I could do less. 
 
 "You state I have just re-read my [your] report 
 of May 6th, and your [my] two reports following, and 
 cannot conceive how you could be more prominently 
 mentioned to the department. 
 
 " In the former you are reported as leading the right 
 column in the gunboat Caytiga, and as having preceded 
 me to the quarantine station. 
 
 "How could there have been a right and a left 
 column practically, when I led my division to the 
 attack and passage of the forts, an hour before you 
 lifted anchors? What I did was done by your orders 
 and inspiration, and to you the world has given the 
 credit of the attack and its success, as fully as it gave 
 to Lord Nelson the credit of the battle of the Nile, but 
 
84 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 did it detract from his glory that the report of the battle 
 described how it was fought, and gave the exact posi 
 tion of his vessel and those of his subordinates? 
 
 ***** 
 
 " I enclose a copy of the, to us, unfortunate diagram 
 as attached to your report of the battle, which you will 
 notice places the Cayuga, my flag gunboat, third in 
 line of my division, whereas that gunboat should have 
 been recorded first in line leading. 
 
 " I would ask of your friendship and your fairness, 
 whether the diagram you sent gives the faintest idea of 
 the action, and whether if the names of the vessels were 
 altered, it would not apply equally well, or better, to 
 many other battles? 
 
 "As an evidence how far the Cayuga was ahead of 
 the rest of the fleet, the first news received at the North 
 is announced in the New York Times of Sunday, April 
 27th, 1862, thus : 
 
 " An important report from the rebels. One of our 
 gunboats above Forts Jackson and St. Philip, Wash 
 ington, Saturday, April 26th. The Richmond Exam 
 iner of the 25th announces that one of our gunboats 
 passed Forts Jackson and St. Philip sixty miles below 
 New Orleans on the 24th . The report was telegraphed 
 to Norfolk, and brought to Fortress Monroe under flag 
 of truce, and received from there to-day by the Navy 
 Department. 
 
 " The next rebel telegram announced the arrival of 
 the fleet before the city. The Cayuga in the interval 
 had captured the Chalmette regiment, five miles above 
 the forts, and cut the telegraphic communication be 
 tween forts and city, so that the fleet was not again 
 reported until it arrived opposite New Orleans. 
 
 "Now, my dear Admiral, you have entirely miscon 
 ceived the object of my addressing you. It is not to 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS 85 
 
 complain that you have not mentioned me prominently 
 in your despatch, but it is because in your report of the 
 battle dated May 6th, and the accompanying diagram, 
 you do not give the circumstances of the fight as they 
 occurred, but those which would apply to your former 
 plan, which was abandoned. 
 
 " From that report the reader would infer that the fleet 
 went to the attack of the forts in two columns abreast, 
 when it was done in single column, line ahead ; that 
 the Hartford was the leading vessel, when in realitv it 
 was the ninth in line astern of the Cayuga^ and there 
 was no left or right of line, but single file. That you 
 should for a moment leave so erroneous a report on rec 
 ord, uncorrected, is a matter of surprise to your officers, 
 and that you should not have made the correction as 
 soon as your attention was called to it, is still more 
 
 embarrassing to us. 
 
 ***** 
 
 " I have delayed my reply because I wished to be 
 certain that I said nothing in haste that would be annoy 
 ing to you or improper in me to say, and I hope you 
 will now see the matter as I and others do, and make 
 the correction so necessary to justice in your report 
 dated May 6, 1862, and substitute a diagram of the actual 
 positions your vessels and officers occupied in the line 
 of attack, in the place of those now on the files of the 
 Navy Department. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, 
 
 " Respectfully, vour obedient servant, 
 
 " THEODORUS BAILEY, Rear Admiral. 
 
 CORRECTION BY ADMIRAL FARRAGUT. 
 
 " NEW YORK, May 19, 1869. 
 
 " It affords me pleasure to make the correction you 
 
86 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 desire in the diagram of the Mississippi battle, as I now 
 fully comprehend what you wish in this matter. 
 
 " In fact, I cannot understand how this sketch of the 
 first proposed order of battle wherein you are placed 
 third instead of at the head of the column should have 
 been attached to the report, in lieu of the one which 
 was afterward adopted. 
 
 " By referring to this report you will observe that the 
 diagram accompanies a general order, issued four days 
 before the action, as a preparatory plan of attack, which 
 was subsequently changed. But still I cannot under 
 stand why, even in this sketch, you should not have 
 been placed at the head of the starboard column. 
 
 "This diagram, as you are aware, was the original 
 plan, to be changed, as a matter of course, as circum 
 stances might justify, and the vessels were placed 
 according to the rank of the officers respectively com 
 manding them, but should not have made part of the 
 report of the final action, as, on reflection, I decided 
 that when the chains were parted the plan ot line 
 ahead should be adopted, as the best calculated for the 
 preservation of the vessels, and for avoiding all chances 
 of fouling. Therefore when the time arrived, and the 
 signal given, the order of sailing was changed to line of 
 battle, the verbal instructions to which you allude were 
 carried out, and you led at the head of your division, and 
 it has always afforded me the greatest pleasure to say 
 that you performed your duties most fearlessly and 
 gallantly. 
 
 " For this reason I was, at the outset, a little surprised 
 that you should have apparently complained of my re 
 port, but my examination of the printed diagram has 
 fully satisfied me of the justice of your appeal. 
 
 "I shall, therefore, forward to the department a cor- 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 87 
 
 rect sketch of the final attack as we passed up the 
 river. " I am very truly, 
 
 "Your friend and obedient servant, 
 
 " D. G. FARRAGUT, Admiral, U. S. JV" 
 
 THE CORRECTED DIAGRAM. 
 
 Copied from the amended diagram on file in the navy 
 department, and certified to be a true copy : 
 
 HOLMES E. OFFLEY, Chief Clerk. 
 June 2, 1869. 
 
 Order of the fleet in passing up to the attack of forts 
 Jackson and St. Philip, April 24th, 1862 : 
 
 First Division leading 
 under command of 
 Capt. Theodoras Bailey. 
 
 Chain and obstructions, 
 Centre Division. 
 
 Admiral D. G. Farragut. 
 
 Third Division, 
 Capt. H. H. Bell. 
 
 Cayuga, Lt. Com. Harrison. 
 Pensacola, flag gunboat, 
 
 Capt. H. W. Morris. 
 Mississippi, Capt. M. Smith. 
 Oneida, Comd r S. P. Lee. 
 Varuna, Comd r C. S. Boggs. 
 Katahdin, Lt. Com. G. H. 
 
 Preble. 
 
 Kineo, Lt. Com. Ransom. 
 Wissahickon, Lt. Com. A. N. 
 
 Smith. 
 
 o Hartford, Com. Wainwright. 
 
 o Brooklyn, Capt. T. J. Craven. 
 
 o Richmond, Com. J. Alden. 
 
 o Sciota, Lieut. Com. Donald 
 son. 
 
 o Iroquois, Com. De Camp. 
 
 o Kennebec, Lieut. Com. Rus 
 sell. 
 
 o Pinola, Lieut. Com. Crosby. 
 
 o Itasca, Lieut. Com. Cald- 
 well. 
 
 o Winone, Lieut. Com. Nich- 
 
 olls. 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 D. G. FARRAGUT. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 LETTERS TO THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. 
 
 " NEW YORK, May 24, 1869. 
 
 " SIR : My attention having been called by Rear Ad 
 miral Bailey to an incorrect sketch which accompanied 
 my report of May 6, 1862, upon the passage of forts 
 Jackson and St. Philip, I have the honor to forward 
 herewith a corrected diagram, showing the position of 
 the vessels at the time they passed through the obstruc 
 tions after the chains had been separated. This will 
 demonstrate that Rear Admiral (then Captain) Bailey 
 led the fleet in the Cayuga up to the attack on the forts, 
 as had been previously ordered. 
 
 " This correction has not been made before, because 
 I was not aware of the existence of the mistake the 
 diagram being evidently a clerical error, and in opposi 
 tion to the text, in which I distinctly state, that Rear 
 Admiral Bailey not only led, but performed his duty 
 with great gallantry, to which I called the attention of 
 the department. 
 
 "Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 " D. G. FARRAGUT, Admiral, U. S. N. 
 
 " Hon. A. E. BORIE, Secretary of the Navy, Wash 
 ington." 
 
 "WASHINGTON, D. C., May 25, 1869. 
 " HON. A. E. BORIE, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY : 
 
 " SIR: I have the honor to enclose herewith, orig 
 inal and certified copies of a correspondence which I 
 have had with Admiral D. G. Farragut, relating to the 
 battle below New Orleans, and to request that the letters 
 marked from A to E be placed on the file in the Navy 
 Department as furnishing a correction of that officer s 
 report with an accompanying diagram heretofore made 
 to the department. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON. PERKINS. 89 
 
 "The object of my addressing Admiral Farragut is 
 now gained by the admission on his part of the correct 
 ness of my statements, that the fleet under his command 
 went up the Mississippi river to attack and pass Forts 
 Jackson and St. Philip in order of battle, line ahead 
 or single file ; that I led the fleet into battle at the head 
 of, and in command of, the Vanguard Division, and that 
 the Hartford, flagship with Admiral Farragut on board, 
 followed my division, he being thus ninth in line, and at 
 the head of the rest of the fleet in the order represented 
 by the list of vessels which I hereto annex. 
 
 "After this frank admission by my distinguished 
 commander, I have only the regret remaining that the 
 error into which he was led was not discovered and 
 corrected at an earlier date. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, 
 
 " Respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 " THEODORUS BAILEY, 
 
 " Rear Admiral, U. S. N." 
 
 Before opening this correspondence with Admiral 
 Farragut, Admiral Bailey wrote George a letter, from 
 which I make the following extracts : 
 
 " 349 FIFTH AVENUE, 
 " NEW YORK, March 19, 1869. 
 < Mv DEAR PERKINS: 
 
 " Since you left, I was ordered here on court-martial 
 duty, leaving my family in Washington. 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 " Will you please state to me what is your recollec 
 tion of the facts about Farragut and his general orders, 
 issued on the 2Oth April, 1862, with accompanying 
 programme? He contemplated going up the river in 
 two columns, the Hartford, with his blue flag, heading 
 
90 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 the left or western column of vessels, and the Cayuga, 
 bearing my fi* a gi the right or eastern column. But 
 after the chain and boom obstructions of the rebels were 
 cut, it became manifest that if we went up in two col 
 umns as proposed, both columns would (in the night) 
 be liable to get foul of the obstructions, under the guns 
 and fire of the forts. Admiral Farragut, therefore, 
 with his usual good sense and sagacity, on the after 
 noon of the 23d of April, verbally changed the pro 
 gramme and order of sailing, ordering me 
 to lead in the Cayuga with mv whole division past the 
 forts, which we successfully did. 
 
 "After the battles, Farragut sent home, and had pub 
 lished, the order and programme of the twentieth of 
 April, by which the false impression is recorded and 
 placed on the files of the department, and the error has 
 become history, that the fleet passed the forts in two 
 columns, headed by himself. He has made no mention 
 of his having annulled verbally said order, and order 
 ing me to lead up past the forts in the Cayuga in single 
 file, line ahead. Or, that my whole division so passed 
 up, and was fighting the enemy s fleet above the forts, 
 before Farragut in the Hartford got under fire. 
 
 "History, in consequence of the suppression of the 
 aforementioned facts in the report of the Commander- 
 in-Chief, has not done me or my command the justice 
 due us, and I must look to the young officers who 
 served with me on that glorious occasion to help me 
 
 make the correction. 
 
 ***** 
 
 " With kind regard, 
 
 " I remain, truly your friend, 
 " THEODORUS BAILEY, Rear Adni l. 
 " Lieut. Comd r, 
 
 " GEORGE H. PERKINS, Concord, N. H." 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 91 
 
 George replied to this letter and supported Admiral 
 Bailey in the entirely just claim which he made for a 
 correction of Admiral Farragut s report. 
 
 George s letters home, written almost in the midst of 
 the attack on the forts and while ascending to New 
 Orleans, bear evidence, which cannot be doubted, of 
 the truth of Admiral Bailey s claim, and give a report,, 
 whose genuineness cannot be disputed, of the part 
 taken by the Cayttga. Admiral Farragut s indifference 
 to the promotion and rewards of his junior officers was 
 the subject of much comment in the service, and was 
 a blot upon his fame. At meetings for the purpose, 
 which were held when the war was over, Farragut 
 manifested perfect indifference to the interests of those 
 who served him so faithfully. He was fully aware of 
 their merits, and, as regards my brother, often spoke 
 most appreciatively in his praise. Only a month before 
 Admiral Farragut s death, he said to a naval officer, in 
 talking over the battles of New Orleans and Mobile : 
 
 O 
 
 "Perkins was young and handsome, and as brave a 
 man as ever trod the deck of a ship." 
 
 I return to note Admiral Bailey s reply to George. 
 He says : 
 
 "Your letter has been received, and the narrative of 
 the facts very cleverly and lucidly written. I have 
 written to Admiral Farragut requesting that the records 
 of the light be corrected so as to conform to the facts. 
 I may have to quote from your letter, and beg you to 
 accept my thanks for it." 
 
 Extracts from the reports of the battle of New Orleans, 
 as given in the New York Herald at different dates 
 during the month of May, 1862 : 
 
 " Lieut. Beverly Kennon, late of the U. S. Navy, is 
 now our prisoner. In the engagement of Thursday 
 
92 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 morning he commanded the steamer Gov. Moore, for 
 merly the Morgan. Kennon states that the fight was 
 one of unparalleled fury. The Cayuga fired a stand of 
 grape at his pivot gun, where fifteen men were sta 
 tioned ; thirteen were killed by it, one man alone and 
 himself escaping. This Kennon is a secessionist and 
 a savage. Previous to the fight his steward in some 
 manner displeased him, and he hacked him to pieces 
 with his sword and threw him overboard half alive. 
 He set his ship on fire without making any attempt to 
 rescue his wounded." 
 
 " The little Cayuga deserves- more than a passing 
 notice, and Captain Bailey s and Lieutenant Com 
 mander Harrison s reports are full of interest. Her 
 gallant leading on the morning of the 24th, and the 
 eading of the fleet on the noon of the 25th, and thus 
 remaining, receiving, and returning a heavy fire for over 
 a quarter of an hour, ranks her primer o of her class. 
 
 " Late in the afternoon of April 28th, 1862, the 
 Cayuga turned her head down the river, bearing the 
 dispatches of the glorious victory. Captain Bailey 
 goes home in her as bearer of dispatches to the Navy 
 Department." 
 
 ARRIVAL OF TROPHIES FROM NEW ORLEANS. 
 
 " WASHINGTON, May 9, 1862. 
 
 " Captain Bailey of the gunboat Cayuga reached 
 here to-day with dispatches and trophies. Among 
 these is a splendid silk flag that was borne by the old 
 Chalmette regiment." 
 
 HERALD CORRESPONDENT S ACCOUNT OF THE PASSAGE 
 OF THE FORTS. 
 
 "Shot, shell, grape, and canister filled the air with 
 deadly missiles. It was like the breaking up of a 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 93 
 
 thousand worlds. Crash tear whiz ! Such another 
 scene was never witnessed by mortal man. And to 
 add to this state of affairs, thirteen steamers and the 
 floating battery Louisiana of the enemy were pouring 
 into and around us a hailstorm of iron perfectly inde 
 scribable. To add to this, fireraft after fireraft, burning 
 fiercely, was around or bearing down upon us." 
 
 Admiral Farragut s report gives a general confirma 
 tory statement of the preceding extracts. From Cap 
 tain Bailev s and Lieutenant Commander Harrison s I 
 will quote the following, premising that the first of 
 Captain Bailey s report explains the reason why the 
 Cayuga, a gunboat, was chosen for his flagship, which 
 was chiefly because a light draught vessel would be 
 required to cross the bar : 
 
 "At two a. m. on the morning of the 24th, the signal 
 to advance was thrown out from the flagship. The 
 Cayuga immediately weighed anchor and led on the 
 column. We were discovered at the boom, and at a 
 little beyond both forts opened their fire. When close 
 up with St. Philip we opened with grape and canister, 
 still steering on. After passing this line of fire, we 
 encountered the Montgomery flotilla, consisting of 
 eighteen gunboats, including the ram Manassas, and 
 iron battery Louisiana of twenty guns. 
 
 4 * This was a moment of anxiety, as no supporting 
 ship was in sight. By skilful steering,* however, we 
 avoided their attempts to butt and board, and had suc 
 ceeded in forcing the surrender of three, when the 
 Varunci) Captain Boggs, and Oneida, Captain Lee, 
 were discovered near at hand. 
 
 "At early dawn we discovered a rebel camp at the 
 right bank of the river. * * * This proved to be 
 
 * 1 cannot help calling attention to this unconscious compliment to George. 
 
94 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 the Chalmette regiment. On the morning of the 25th, 
 still leading, and considerably ahead of the line, the 
 Chalmette batteries, situated three miles below the 
 city, opened a cross-fire on the Cayuga. To this we 
 responded with our two guns. At the end of twenty 
 minutes the flagship ranged up alongside and silenced 
 the enemy. 
 
 "From this point no other obstacles were encoun 
 tered except burning steamers, cotton ships, firerafts, 
 and the like. Immediately after anchoring in front of 
 the city I was ordered on shore by the flag-officer to 
 demand the surrender of the city, and that the flag 
 should be hoisted on the post-office, custom-house, and 
 
 mint. 
 
 ***** 
 
 " On the 28th of April both forts surrendered to Com 
 mander Porter. * * * Lieutenant Commanding 
 N. B. Harrison was gallantly sustained by Lieutenant 
 George H. Perkins, and Acting Master Thomas H. 
 Morton. These officers have my unbounded admira 
 tion." 
 
 Lieutenant Commanding Harrison gives an extract 
 from the ship s log, repeating previous statements, and 
 then says : 
 
 " We were struck forty-two times. Both masts are 
 so badly hurt as to be unfit for further service. Our 
 eleven-inch Dahlgren carriage struck, but still fit for 
 duty. The smoke stack perforated, but not materially 
 injured. All other damages have been repaired. I 
 regret to add that six of our crew have been wounded, 
 but so far the surgeon has made but one amputation. 
 
 "It is needless for me to inform you, who had us 
 under your own eyes, that all did their duty fearlessly 
 and well ; but I must commend to your especial notice 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 95 
 
 my executive officer, Lieutenant George H. Perkins. 
 The remarkable coolness and precision of this young 
 officer, while aiding me in steering the vessel through 
 the barrier and past the forts, under their long and 
 heavy fire, must have attracted your attention." 
 ***** 
 
 " APRIL 25. I continue this report through the bat 
 tles of to-day. At u a. m., being at that moment some 
 half a mile in advance of the flag-ship, the batteries on 
 either hand opened on us at short range. Being pivoted 
 to port, I edged off with the port helm, and responded 
 with one n-inch and Parrott slowly, but with great pre 
 cision of aim. This unequal contest lasted just fifteen 
 minutes, when the flag-ship ranged up in splendid style, 
 diverting their fire. 
 
 ***** 
 
 "We were again repeatedly hulled and much cut up 
 in spars and rigging, and the iron stock of the port 
 anchor cut away. 
 
 ***** 
 
 " Respectfully, 
 " N. B. HARRISON, Lieutenant Commanding-. 
 
 " CAPTAIN T. BAILEY, Second in Command, 
 
 " Commanding Leading Division of Gunboat." 
 
 In this report of Lieutenant Commanding Harrison, 
 it is to be noticed that he addresses Captain Bailey as 
 * Commanding Leading Division of Gunboats." 
 
 In frank Leslie s Illustrated JVewspaper, published 
 May 3ist, 1862, there is a sketch by their special artist, 
 William Ward, who was on the spot, representing 
 "The landing of Captain Bailey and Lieutenant Per 
 kins on the levee, New Orleans, with a flag of truce to 
 demand the surrender of the city." 
 
96 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 It is a spirited sketch, and doubtless derives its spirit 
 from its truth. The frantic mob is depicted rushing 
 towards the little boat with only eight occupants, six 
 sailors and two officers, in whose faces rebel flags are 
 being shaken, with the accompaniment of pistols and 
 fists the howls and curses are easily imagined. 
 
 In the same paper is a picture of Captain Bailey and 
 a short notice of him, which speaks of his having taken 
 the first Confederate flag in the advance on New Or 
 leans, and as having been sent to Washington with 
 despatches and trophies, in compliment to the bravery 
 he had displayed. 
 
 From a rebel paper, the New Orleans Democrat, I 
 copy extracts of its account of Captain Bailey s and 
 Lieutenant Perkins s proceedings when they went to 
 demand the surrender of the city. The bombastic style 
 in which this is written, and the determination of the 
 writer to prove that New Orleans was not conquered 
 and could not be surrendered, are positively ludicrous, 
 and the whole thing is entertaining as a specimen of 
 Southern newspaper writing except that there is a 
 most tragic side to the folly and selfishness and wilful- 
 ness that caused a whole country such suffering. 
 
 The article describes fluently the rebel efforts to pro 
 tect the city ; gives minutely the genealogy and family 
 connections of the commanding officers, and though it is 
 reluctantly compelled to admit that one of them was a 
 sign-painter, yet vouchsafes to him the condescending 
 phrase of " good citizen." Our fleet, as it appeared 
 before New Orleans, is thus described : 
 
 * Slowly and majestically the large steamers moved 
 on until they rounded the bend and entered the cres 
 cent part of the city. There a scene confronted them 
 which must have been little gratifying to their highest 
 instincts, how much soever it may have pampered the 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 97 
 
 pride of physical force and the exultation of victory 
 over a defenceless but intrepid foe. 
 
 "There lay the sullen and gloomy city, still smoking 
 with the patriotic conflagration by which it had destroyed 
 everything that might minister to the pride and avarice 
 of the enemy. Its long levee and vast wharves bare of 
 everything that usually appertains to a great commer 
 cial city, and now densely packed by a multitude of 
 frowning, defiant, frantic men, women, and children. 
 This multitude seemed to be moved by one impulse, one 
 passion, by one bitter, burning, inextinguishable hate," 
 etc., etc., on through columns of pompous sentences, 
 whose language is inflated by sectional spite, untem- 
 pered by one ray of reason. The article is divided into 
 heads, and the next extract is from that portion entitled 
 " Elemental and Popular Wrath : " 
 
 ."Just as the fleet had taken position to anchor, a 
 sudden storm blew up and the rain began to fall with 
 great violence, dispersing or greatly reducing the 
 crowd on the levee. This rain continued for some 
 hours. In the midst of it a boat was seen to put oft 
 from a ship. It landed at the foot of Laurel street, 
 w r here a large crowd quickly gathered. Out of the 
 boat stepped an elderly, corpulent officer with a very 
 red face, a grave expression, and an air of command. 
 He wore his sword, and was accompanied by a young 
 and handsome naval officer. These proved to be Cap 
 tain Bailey, second in command of the fleet, and 
 Lieutenant Perkins. They asked the direction to the 
 mayor s office. There was no one in the crowd to 
 answer. They were told to find their own way. Ac 
 cordingly they started up the street, in the pelting, 
 furious rain, followed by the crowd, which increased in 
 their progress, yelling and shouting, Down with the 
 Yankees ! Kill them ! Hang them ! 
 7 
 
98 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " Several citizens here rushed forward to protect the 
 officers. They were repelled and roughly handled by 
 the furious mob. The Federal officers were in great 
 danger. At last two venerable and much respected 
 citizens William Freret and L. E. Forstall, a member 
 of the city council made their way through the crowd, 
 which was threatening the officers with speedy destruc 
 tion, and each seizing the arm of one of the officers 
 conducted them in safety to the mayor s office. 
 
 " SCENE IN THE CITY HALL. 
 
 "The mayor with his friends, several members of 
 the city government, several prominent citizens, includ 
 ing Mr. Soule, were present when Captain Theodorus 
 Bailey and Lieutenant Perkins were introduced. 
 Meantime a vast and excited crowd had collected 
 around the city hall, whose shouts and cries could be 
 distinctly heard within. Captain Bailey quickly stated 
 his mission to the mayor. He came by order of Com 
 modore Farragut, commanding the fleet now in the 
 port, to demand the surrender of the city and the eleva 
 tion of the flag over the custom-house, the mint, the 
 post-office, and the city hall. 
 
 " PROMPT ANSWER OF THE MAYOR. 
 
 "The mayor replied: I am not the military com 
 mander of the city. I have no authority to surrender 
 it, and would not do it if I had. There is a military 
 commander now in the city, who is charged by the 
 Confederate States with the defences of the city. To 
 him your command must be addressed. I will send for 
 him if you desire. Captain Bailey assented, and a 
 messenger was despatched for General Lovell. 
 
 " LOVELL APPEARS. 
 
 " Presently there was a hurrah without a parting of 
 the crowd and Major General Lovell made his way 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 99 
 
 up the steps and into the mayor s office. He was 
 introduced to Captain Bailey, who declared his charac 
 ter and credentials, as second in command of the 
 United States fleet now before the city. 
 
 "General Lovell I am Major-General Lovell, 
 Confederate Commander of this Department. 
 
 " Captain Bailey then stated his mission in the same 
 terms as he had made it known to the mayor, adding 
 that he was instructed by Commodore Farragut to 
 express his great regret at the destruction of private 
 property in the city. 
 
 "General Lovell In reply to his demand, say to 
 Commodore Farragut that I decline to surrender the 
 city, nor will I allow it to be surrendered ; that being 
 unable to fight him on water, I have sent my troops 
 out of the city; that there are now no armed troops in 
 the city, nothing but women and children, and if he 
 desires to shell them he can do so on his own responsi 
 bility, etc., etc. 
 
 " Lovell finally closed bv saying that he would retire 
 and leave the city authorities to pursue their own 
 course in the matter. For himself he would go back to 
 the army with which he would be happy to meet them 
 in fair and equal combat. 
 
 "Captain Bailey replied, and again said how much 
 Commodore Farragut regretted to see so much property 
 uselessly destroyed. 
 
 " General Lovell It was done by my orders, sir ! 
 With this the interview terminated. Captain Bailey 
 requested an escort back to his boat as a protection 
 against the mob, who seemed to be very violent 
 and threatening. It was suggested they be taken 
 out through the rear of the building in charge of two 
 Confederate majors, while Mr. Soule and General 
 Lovell addressed the crowd in front." 
 
100 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 Thus ended this scene, so full of ludicrous display of 
 Southern logic, and so fraught with deadly peril to the 
 lives of two brave men. 
 
 In this connection should be read the correspondence 
 of Commodore Farragut and the mayor of New 
 Orleans, in which the Commodore, after considering 
 several insolent and bombastic communications from 
 the city functionary, gave up the intercourse with min 
 gled despair and contempt, and referred the whole 
 affair to General Butler. 
 
 From an article published in the New York Century 
 of April, 1885, and written by the distinguished author, 
 George W. Cable, I extract the following description 
 of Captain Bailey and George as they went to demand 
 the surrender of New Orleans : 
 
 "The crowds on the levee howled and screamed 
 with rage, and now the rain came down in sheets. 
 About one or two o clock in the afternoon (as I remem 
 ber), I being again in the store with but one door ajar, 
 came a roar of shoutings and imprecations and crowd 
 ing feet down Common street Hurrah for Jeff Davis ! 
 Hurrah for Jeff Davis ! Shoot them ! Kill them ! Hang 
 them ! I locked the door on the outside and ran to 
 the front of the mob, bawling with the rest, Hurrah 
 for Jeff Davis ! About every third man there had a 
 weapon out. Two officers of the United States Navy 
 were walking abreast, unguarded and alone, looking 
 not to right or left, never frowning, never flinching, 
 while the mob screamed in their ears, shook cocked 
 pistols in their faces, cursed and crowded and gnashed 
 upon them. So through the gates of death these two 
 men walked to the city hall to demand the town s sur 
 render. It was one of the bravest deeds I ever saw 
 done." 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. IOI 
 
 The accompanying wood cut is also taken from the 
 Century. 
 
 When the Cayuga arrived in New York it was found 
 that the necessary repairs would detain her there for 
 some time, and this gave George an opportunity to 
 make a short visit home, where it is needless to say he 
 was received with enthusiasm by his family and 
 friends. Many congratulatory letters were written to 
 him and to his family at this time ; some from noted 
 people, but, I regret to say, they were not generally 
 preserved. 
 
 The following is from an old friend of George s 
 father, who had known George well as a little boy : 
 
 "My DEAR JUDGE : 
 
 "I received a paper in which was an article in rela 
 tion to the conduct of your noble boy at New Orleans ; 
 and in relating his story, and reading the notice of him 
 to my friends, I never have failed to add with some 
 pride that he was the son of my old friend, and that the 
 young hero, when he was a i little cuss, bit my finger 
 because I plagued him about his powny.* 
 
 "Among the photographs in our album, his stands 
 conspicuous, and I congratulate you and Mrs. Perkins 
 upon the honorable position he has taken in our gallant 
 navy. 
 
 "I knew of the part he had taken before I received 
 the paper, as from the deep interest I take in the sup 
 pression of this wicked rebellion there is little occurs 
 that escapes my observation. My oldest son is in the 
 Butler expedition, but was not at New Orleans. 
 
 "My second son is a volunteer officer in the navy ; 
 was on board the Hetzcl at Newberne, N. C., but 
 would have been at New Orleans had his vessel not 
 
 * \Vhich was George s childish way of pronouncing pony. 
 
102 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 been wrecked and burned at Currituck Island on the 
 25th of February last. He was in the naval fight at 
 Hilton Head, and his vessel shot away the rebel flag 
 staff. He was also off Fortress Monroe, in the 
 jRoanoke, when the engagement took place, in which 
 the fortunate advent of the Monitor saved our fleet. I 
 shall send an account of your son s action to my sons. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 " I am ashamed to think that the element of treason 
 is so rampant and defiant, and that while your boy and 
 mine are fighting for their country and its liberties, 
 there are those at home who would exult over our 
 misfortunes, and pray for the discomfiture of our arms. 
 May these traitors receive a traitor s doom ! 
 " I am, 
 
 " Very truly yours, 
 
 " WM. S. MORTON." 
 
 Mr. Morton, writing at a later date, says: "I re 
 ceived a letter from my son a few days since, and he 
 informs me that your son George had called upon him 
 in New Orleans, and that he had been to see George 
 on board ship. He writes that he likes your son very 
 much, that it is pleasant to fall in with such a true,, 
 loyal, and bold-spoken man. He says that George hates 
 a traitor, and makes it manifest whenever he speaks. " 
 
 The New Hampshire Patriot, of May i4th, 1862, 
 contained the following : 
 
 "LIEUTENANT GEORGE H. PERKINS. 
 
 " Among the naval officers who distinguished them 
 selves in the naval conflicts, resulting in the capture of 
 New Orleans, no one receives higher commendation, in 
 the official reports of the commanding officers, than our 
 young friend, Lieut. George H. Perkins, son of Judge 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 103 
 
 H. E. Perkins of this city. He was executive officer of 
 the gunboat Cayuga, Lieutenant Commanding N. B. 
 Harrison. This vessel led the column in the passage 
 of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, and Captain Bailey, 
 the Commander of the Division, was on board of her." 
 
 The article then gives an account of the Battle of 
 New Orleans, with extracts from Captain Bailey s and 
 Lieutenant Commanding Harrison s reports, and closes 
 by saying : 
 
 " No vessel of the fleet did better service than the 
 Cayuga, and no officer displayed greater gallantry, or 
 won more honorable distinction, than Lieutenant Per 
 kins." 
 
 After his short glimpse of home, George hastened 
 back to New York to resume his duties on the Cayuga. 
 His mother writes him : 
 
 "I hear you very highly spoken of by every one. 
 Your father was introduced to Professor Patterson yes 
 terday as the * father of Lieutenant Perkins of the 
 Cayuga. Professor Patterson at once said he was fa 
 miliar with your name, and had seen an account of your 
 bravery in the papers. I suppose now we shall be 
 known as the relatives of the brave Lieutenant Perkins ! 
 I confess I do not realize you as famous. You seem to 
 me the same little boy I used to scold about his spelling. 
 The mothers all say you are so fortunate because you 
 are so good and thoughtful of me." 
 
 George writes home from New York: " I have had 
 a letter from Captain Harrison telling me that he is not 
 coming back to this ship, and that he has applied for 
 me at the department, but I hardly think I shall be de 
 tached. 
 
 " I hear that Captain Fairfax is to have command, 
 and I shall be glad, for I like him. We are working 
 
104 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 at the ship all the time to have her ready as soon as 
 possible." 
 
 Captain Fairfax did receive the command, and wrote 
 to George : 
 
 " I was gratified yesterday to learn through Temple 
 that you are still attached to the Cayuga^ and are will 
 ing learning that I am detached to command her to 
 remain as her executive officer. I receive it as a com 
 pliment that my joining her determined you on staying 
 by the little gunboat that acted so important a part at 
 the great naval battle in the Mississippi. 
 
 " Really it is the bright feature in joining to find you 
 the first lieutenant; without flattery I say it, you are 
 my choice. I will be content to lie on my oars and give 
 you full charge. So go ahead and do anything you 
 think is necessary, as though really captain. I shall 
 really be delighted to take you by the hand again. It 
 will recall the associations out on the coast. How many 
 officers that we knew there have left us for the South ! 
 
 " Make such choice of steward, boys, etc., as you 
 please. I have confidence in your taste and judgment ; 
 and if you make a mistake, I will not think hard of it. 
 I am so much pleased at having you that I am content. 
 We must have a happy, efficient craft! 
 
 " Yours truly, 
 
 " DONALD M. FAIRFAX." 
 
 While he stays in New York, George writes at differ 
 ent dates as follows : 
 
 " JUNE 4, 1862. 
 
 " We are ordered to return to the Gulf and report to 
 Commodore Farragut, and the ship will soon be ready 
 for sea. She looks better than she ever did, and we 
 have a larger crew, and carry two more guns. But we 
 have suffered a great loss in the departure of Mr. Mor- 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 105 
 
 ton and Mr. Rogers. Mr. Morton has resigned, and 
 Mr. Rogers is detached, and I am very sorry for the 
 change." 
 
 " JUNE 8, 1862. 
 
 " Dr. Bogart, who is our surgeon, I like very much. 
 His father lives on Staten Island, and has a large fam 
 ily. I enjoy going there for it makes me think of home. 
 People are very polite to me, and I have a great many 
 invitations to visit, and might have a very gay time. 
 Last night I went to a delightful little dancing party at 
 the Commodore s, and I half fell in love with a beauti 
 ful girl from Troy ! It is fortunate I am going to sea so 
 soon. 
 
 " Love to the boys, who, I hope, will enjoy their trip 
 to the White Mountains. 
 
 " I have an idea that this cruise will be over about 
 next May, and, mother, if I am at home next summer, 
 you and I must certainly go to the mountains together. 
 
 " Well, I never sit down to write home without getting 
 homesick. I will send letters every opportunity I have, 
 and you must not feel anxious about me everything 
 comes out for the best." 
 
 The next letter is dated 
 
 4< BATON ROUGE, July 25, 1862. 
 
 " We left New Orleans on the ipth and arrived here 
 yesterday. It was quite exciting coming up the river. 
 We had received information that twelve thousand 
 guerillas were near Baton Rouge committing all sorts 
 of depredations on the Union people. 
 
 "We anchored one night to guard a poor woman 
 whose husband had been taken by the rebels the night 
 before, and they threatened her, if she told, to come 
 back and burn the house. I went ashore about, ten 
 
106 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 o clock at night to see that everything was right. They 
 told me it was very risky, but I was not molested. 
 Baton Rouge looks quite pretty from the river. We 
 expect attacks every night, and I think rather than have 
 us hold the place, they will destroy it. 
 
 "I am having rather a hard time, for I am not well 
 and am under the doctor s care. Being sick in this hot 
 climate and in such small quarters on board ship is not 
 very pleasant, and keeps one fretting all the time. Tell 
 father I have drunk up all the cider he gave me, and 
 it was just what I wanted this warm weather." 
 
 " OFF DONALDSONVILLE, 
 
 " MISSISSIPPI RIVER, July 28, 1862. 
 
 " Since I wrote last we have been on the qui vive 
 about a ram w r hich has appeared in the river. They 
 say it attacked Farragut s fleet, which is somewhere near 
 Vicksburg, and after causing a great deal of destruc 
 tion, actually went through the whole of the two large 
 fleets, and got safely under the guns at Vicksburg, and 
 that really this ram has the whole command of the 
 river." 
 
 " JULY 30, 1862. 
 
 " We had received orders to proceed up the Red 
 River, but this morning we saw all the Commodore s 
 fleet coming down the Mississippi from Vicksburg with 
 all the troops, and there is a change of programme. 
 It seems the Commodore has received positive orders 
 from the department to take the fleet to Pensacola and 
 prepare for more important service. 
 
 " I am sorry Commodore Farragut s winding up in 
 this river has turned out so. I cannot help thinking 
 that :f the department had sustained him, the river would 
 have been cleared long ago. Anybody would grow 
 inert with his wheels continually blocked ! 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. IO/ 
 
 " Before coming here we ran up to the mouth of the 
 Red River, and had a short engagement with two rebel 
 vessels ; but they ran away from us into shallow water. 
 We got aground in trying to follow them and were in 
 great danger, for if they had known it and had come 
 back, I am afraid they could have taken us." 
 
 44 NEW ORLEANS, August 4, 1862. 
 " We are staying here for a short time before going 
 to Pensacola, where we follow the fleet. I have met a 
 good many of my old friends, and have been about to- 
 see the sights of the city, have driven out on the 
 famous shell-road, etc., but I am much disappointed 
 in them all, and everything strikes me as rather miser 
 able and filthy. The people ought to have some grati 
 tude to General Butler, for he is trying to get the city 
 clean, and he keeps good order." 
 
 At this time our troops were driven back from Baton 
 Rouge by the rebels, and all the Mississippi River, 
 above New Orleans, was in their hands again. Natur 
 ally enough, George s letters home are full of indigna 
 tion at this state of things, for he feels sure that with 
 energy and earnestness, and proper support from the 
 government, this need never have happened, but that 
 the river might have been cleared and a stop put to the 
 rebel proceedings. 
 
 " OFF MOBILE, August 24, 1862. 
 
 " We have been from the Mississippi to Pensacola and 
 back here, since I had a chance to send a letter. We 
 stayed at Pensacola a week, and, as usual, I spent my 
 spare time hunting and fishing. I have not had such a 
 good chance for a long time, and there were quantities 
 of game wild turkeys, deer, all sorts of birds in 
 abundance. 
 
108 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " How long we shall blockade here I do not know. 
 I wish they would make an attack soon, and I shall be 
 glad when the war is over, anyway. I would rather 
 fight for nothing and not touch my pay, and give up all 
 I ever expect to possess, than make peace now, or until 
 we conquer. The rebels act so like a set of spoiled 
 children that it destroys all pity for them, and I do not 
 care whether their property is confiscated, their negroes 
 freed, or what is done to punish them. 
 
 " It gets very monotonous on the blockade, though 
 sometimes the sails will appear quite often, and we will 
 keep steam up all the time, and be on a continual chase. 
 
 "When we are lying off Mobile, the rebel boats 
 come down and have a look at us, and we look at them, 
 but there is to be no movement made towards the cap 
 ture of Mobile for the present. Galveston has fallen 
 into our hands without a struggle, and we are gradu 
 ally getting all the forts on the Gulf. But Mobile is 
 strongly fortified, and it will require iron-clads to accom 
 plish anything in this bay. I am sure wooden vessels 
 cannot do much. Buchanan has command of its naval 
 defences, and is building a powerful iron-clad." * 
 
 " AUGUST 28, 1862. 
 
 " I have been on shore hunting, and shot two beeves. 
 This sport is rather dangerous as guerillas are said to 
 be plentiful, but it serves to vary our diet, and the dull 
 ness of blockade duty. There are very severe gales off 
 this bay ; northers they are called ; some of our block 
 ading vessels have been almost destroyed by them. 
 Our ship has escaped so far, but when these gales do 
 come, they make lively work for all hands. 
 
 "I am very sorry to hear of Mrs. Gove s sad loss. 
 
 *This was the famous ram Tennessee, which George afterward captured 
 with the Chickasaw in the battle of Mobile Bay. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 109 
 
 Anything like that makes one realize the horrors of 
 war. How dreadful it really is ! And what sorrow 
 and mourning it causes ! Once I could never have 
 imagined the awful destruction of property, and the 
 recklessness and wickedness I have lived to see. 
 
 " This blockading duty is not very pleasant for an 
 impatient man. We do not live very well, it is so hard 
 to get provisions ; so when I think I can venture to take 
 the risk, I go ashore hunting, just to get something to 
 eat." 
 
 " OFF MOBILE, September 5, 1862. 
 
 ** Yesterday I went hunting after wild cattle and had 
 a hard time. My party consisted of two armed boats 
 crews, and when we reached the shore, I sent two of 
 my men ahead as scouts to look out for guerillas, and 
 then we started for some game. 
 
 " After hunting all the morning and not seeing any 
 thing, I sent one boat off and took the other with a few 
 men to go and pick up the scouts. We pulled a long 
 way, but could not find them, and I was just turning 
 about, when I saw a large drove of cattle on shore. We 
 pulled up on the beach and four of us started to get a 
 shot at them, but they caught sight of us and put for a 
 swamp, and in we went after them. We all separated, 
 too, thinking our chancesfor a shot would be better ; 
 but after chasing an hour we lost them, and ourselves 
 as well ; and not only could we not find each other, but 
 we could not find the boat ! 
 
 " We heard the ship firing for our return, and about 
 the same time we discovered a rebel steamer quite near 
 us, and then we thought we should certainly be found 
 and taken prisoners. We did not dare to halloo for 
 each other, nor make any signal to our vessel, which 
 we could hear firing for us every few minutes. I knew 
 the Captain must have some very good reason for being 
 
110 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 so anxious, and I looked everywhere about quietly, try 
 ing to find my way ; but no one was anywhere to be 
 seen, and I came to the conclusion that they must all 
 have been taken prisoners. I was bound that I would 
 not be taken, so I hid myself in the woods until sunset, 
 and then, after it was dusk, went down to the beach 
 and signaled for a boat. When the boat came the 
 men said there was great anxiety about us on board 
 ship, for they felt sure the rebels had taken us prison 
 ers. As soon as the boat and boat s crew came, I made 
 signals and fired guns, for the three men who had gone 
 after the cattle with me. To my great relief they soon 
 made their appearance. They had been as badly scared 
 as I was, and having come upon tracks of the enemy, 
 had concluded that I must have been taken prisoner, 
 and since then they had been hiding in the woods. Just 
 about this time the boat that I had left, to go after the 
 cattle, came along, and the scouts turned up, and we 
 were all safe. 
 
 " The men whom I had left in charge of the boat had 
 undertaken to beguile the time by a sail, and getting to 
 leewards a strong breeze sprang up, and they could not 
 return to land till it went down. But at last we were 
 all right, and got back to the ship safe and sound, and 
 there was great rejoicing over our return. The Captain 
 had been very anxious about our fate, for he had seen 
 the steamer and feared the rebels on board had seen 
 and taken us. How can Hammie or Frank beat this 
 for a hunting story? 
 
 " This afternoon we have had some more excitement. 
 A large steamer made her appearance coming in from 
 sea with the English colors set. Captain Preble of the 
 
 Oneida, and Thornton of the Winona^ blockading off 
 this place, saw her, and both got under way, and the 
 
 Winona stood for her; but Thornton soon decided that 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. I I I 
 
 it must be an English man-of-war, and therefore stood 
 off after another sail, which hove in sight. 
 
 "Then what they thought was an English man-of- 
 war came dashing up to the Oneida, near enough for 
 them to see that she carried five guns on a side, and a 
 pivot gun forward, and as she got abreast of the 
 Oneida, Captain Preble fired a shot across her bows to 
 bring her to ; he supposed she brought some important 
 news, and he would board her, as she was within our 
 lines. But the steamer stood on, and as soon as she 
 passed the Oneida, hauled down her English colors 
 and made for the harbor. She was very fast, and the 
 Oneida, having but one boiler in use, was unable to 
 catch her; so she reached Mobile in safety, and, no 
 doubt, carried to the rebels a valuable cargo of arms. 
 It was a smart thing on the part of the rebel captain. 
 
 "We hear that Admiral Farragut is to be here the 
 
 loth of this month." 
 
 " SEPTEMBER 12, 1862. 
 
 "The Admiral has not come yet; but since that 
 English steamer ran the blockade here our fleet has 
 been reinforced. We keep on the chase all the time 
 after every sail that appears. 
 
 " News comes that the rebels are in force again near 
 New Orleans. I cannot understand why our fleet is 
 kept so inactive. A few gunboats, rightly handled, 
 could have kept the Mississippi open from New 
 Orleans to Vicksburg ; but instead of being kept on 
 such duty, they have been concentrated at ports, while 
 the river has been easily retaken by the rebels, and 
 there will be more hard fighting there yet." 
 
 "SEPTEMBER 14, 1862. 
 
 " We have now seven gunboats here. This is get 
 ting to be a rendezvous for our men-of-war; but I do 
 not know what they intend doing. 
 
112 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " My captain is so scary and anxious about every 
 thing, that I cannot go hunting much ; but yesterday I 
 got ashore and shot two of the wild cattle about the 
 swamps, and that helps out our table a good deal. 
 
 "The only variety which we get nowadays, to the 
 monotonous duty of blockading, is the awful wind, 
 which blows a perfect gale here every few days, just 
 at this season, and which does not make it any more 
 agreeable. 
 
 " I think there is no hope of any attack on Mobile at 
 present. Galveston, as you know, is in the enemy s 
 hands again, and Admiral Farragut has sent two boats 
 to try and retake it. This ship is going to Pensacola, 
 if it will stop blowing a gale long enough for us to 
 start. 
 
 " I have been reading President Lincoln s Emanci 
 pation Proclamation, and I like it very much. I see 
 such actions among the rebels, that I think it high time 
 the negroes were freed, and everything done to bring 
 them to their senses. I believe without their negroes 
 they would soon starve out. 
 
 "I wish I could have more frequent letters from 
 home. I want to know all about Roger and Ham and 
 Frank. Is old Charley fat and looking well?" 
 
 "PEXSACOLA, September 28, 1862. 
 "At last I have received letters from home; but 
 though they told me many things I wanted to know, 
 yet they were quite old when they readied me, and I 
 long for later news. You speak again of Mrs. Gove s 
 great sorrow, and I do not wonder you feel sympathy 
 for her. This war is a cruel thing, and if it continues 
 much longer there will be hardly a family anywhere 
 that will not be in mourning. I wish it would be over 
 for one reason I do so long to get home. Home is 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 113 
 
 always so pleasant to me, and I love to help make 
 it so. 
 
 "It is lucky we came here just as we did, for the 
 gunboats that came over a few days after us en 
 countered a terrible gale and were much damaged, one 
 of them coming in in a sinking condition. 
 
 " We have been having a good deal of fuss about 
 the iip ht between the Essex and a rebel ram. The 
 
 o 
 
 Essex fired some shots at the ram, and her officers set 
 her on fire and she burned up. We were within sight at 
 the time, but Captain Fairfax did not think it necessary 
 to participate. He is a very anxious captain, feeling 
 his responsibility greatly, but he is brave enough. The 
 captain of the Essex, though, wishes to make out that 
 he had a desperate fight with the ram, and says that 
 we were so scared we ran away. 
 
 "This, of course, has made Captain Fairfax indig 
 nant, and he has demanded a court of inquiry. I must 
 say that although we did not take any part in what 
 fight there was, yet the captain of the Essex had no 
 right to say what he did. We shall return from here 
 to the Mobile blockade." 
 
 "OFF MOBILE, October 4, 1862. 
 
 "I have just got a chance to send home a line by 
 ship Island, and I am going to write something, though 
 my monotonous life does not give me a word worth 
 saying, for we cruise about everv day but we see 
 nothing. 
 
 "Buchanan is hard at work inside Mobile harbor, 
 and has four very good gunboats, besides an iron-clad. 
 
 "I am getting to be an old lieutenant now, and 
 will soon be ordered first lieutenant of a larger ship 
 than this. 
 
 "News comes that Captain Preble has been dis- 
 8 
 
114 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 missed for letting that English steamer run the 
 blockade. 
 
 "I wish they would make the attack here and have 
 it over. I believe that a few iron-clads could pass 
 these forts successfully ; and if we had some iron-clads, 
 we could dispense with this large fleet of wooden 
 vessels. 
 
 <k Don t forget when you write to tell me every little 
 thing even the last new thing Poll has learned to say. 
 The letters come so irregularly and I have so much 
 time to think of home, that I am always fancying some 
 thing happening there, and I want to know every 
 thing." 
 
 " OCTOBER 12, 1862. 
 
 * Since Captain Preble s dismissal, the blockade has 
 tried to be very vigilant, but for all that two large 
 steamers loaded with cotton the Cuba and the 
 Alice ran through in the night-time and got clear. 
 Everybody is sorry for Captain Preble, and hopes he 
 will get back, for he has been in the navy all his life 
 has a family, and nothing but his pay. 
 
 * The weather has changed and is cold enough for 
 New Hampshire, and my fingers are so numb I can 
 hardly write. We are lying now very near Mobile 
 Bay just beyond the range of the forts. The rebel 
 steamers come out and have a look at us, and positively 
 it seems strange that they are our enemies. But if I do 
 not realize it now, probably I shall some day ; perhaps 
 before the winter is over. 
 
 " We do not get much that is good to eat, and fresh 
 provisions come along irregularly, and only last about 
 
 three days." 
 
 " OCTOBER 18, 1862. 
 
 " We are now under orders to go to New Orleans 
 where Captain Fairfax will meet the court of inquiry 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 115 
 
 he has demanded about the affair between the Essex 
 and the rebel ram. I do not like the idea of being a 
 witness in such matters. It makes me feel cross, too, 
 that our commodore does not keep up the blockade 
 more strictly. Two steamers and seven schooners 
 have run through the last month, and it is a shame. I 
 wonder if the reason Farragut does not keep stricter 
 discipline in the fleet, is because the government does 
 not sustain his attempts heartily? 
 
 ** Do not repeat any of my remarks on the conduct of 
 officers, or on any naval matters. 
 
 " As soon as we take Mobile, all the hard righting 
 will be over. If they would only send two or three 
 iron-dads here, I believe the place could be taken 
 easily, and with small loss ; but if we attempt it with 
 our wooden vessels we shall have a hard time. 
 
 " Every now and then I hear of some friends of mine 
 being killed. Only the other day Swasey, first lieu 
 tenant of the Kineo, was shot by guerillas. It makes 
 me impatient to have this war over before more valu 
 able lives are sacrificed, and it ought not to last much 
 longer. We just lie here doing nothing but look at 
 Fort Morgan, which is about four miles off." 
 
 "NEW ORLEANS, November 2, 1862. 
 
 "We arrived here from Pensacola and went up the 
 river at once to attack some rebel gunboats, but we 
 could not find them. We went up as far as Baton 
 Rouge, but were not molested by anything except the 
 sharpshooters on the levee, but we did not lose any 
 men. 
 
 " I have just received my orders to report to Commo 
 dore Morris for duty as executive officer on board the 
 Pensacola. She is one of the finest vessels in the navy, 
 carries a battery of twenty-six large guns, and has 
 
Il6 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 about four hundred men. It is quite a promotion for 
 me, though I shall have to work hard. 
 
 "The Pcnsacola will remain here this winter to pro 
 tect the city, and you must direct all your letters here. 
 Captain Fairfax has spoken very highly of me to every 
 one, and he does not want me to leave him ; but he 
 must soon make a change, and this is a good position 
 for me. 
 
 "There is a good deal of rascality going on in this 
 city. One sees a great deal of depravity and a total 
 
 disregard of all moral obligations. I do not think the 
 
 & <-> 
 
 volunteer officers conduct themselves very creditably. 
 So far as attending to their duty and behaving in any 
 sort of a straightforward, honorable manner, the navy 
 officers are way ahead ; at least, they do not try to 
 make money out of the war, but they live on their small 
 salaries and try to serve their country. 
 
 " XMAS, 1862. 
 
 " I stayed on board ship all day, and, as I soon fell 
 to thinking about you all at home, I had quite a fit of 
 homesickness. So I am going to begin a letter, 
 though, as usual, I have little to write about except 
 myself. 
 
 " Commodore Morris is an old fellow and ranks next 
 to the Admiral. He lets me have my own way in 
 everything, and I have nothing to complain of; but 
 I have a great deal to do. Many of the officers are a 
 great deal older than I, and I have to appear dignified 
 and old, and often hard and stern. I do not especially 
 like that. I hope you are all having a pleasant Christ 
 mas at home to-day." 
 
 " DECEMBER 28, 1862. 
 
 " I am feeling very sadly about the death of Blodgett, 
 my dear old friend and classmate. The news has just 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 117 
 
 come. He was one of the finest young officers in the 
 navy, and was full of noble qualities. He has been in 
 command of one of Porter s fleet up the river, and in 
 some way caught a fever and died of it. I mourn him 
 very much. 
 
 " Lieutenant Terry of the Richmond, who is another 
 dear friend of mine, is in very poor health from expos 
 ure and the effects of the climate. He is in port just 
 now, and is much company for me. I wish you knew 
 him, for he is a fine fellow, and you could not help 
 liking him." 
 
 "JANUARY 12, 1863. 
 
 "A request for assistance has come from the boats up 
 the river. Just think ! At one time we held four hun 
 dred miles above this city, and now we only hold one 
 hundred and thirty, and we shall have a hard fight to 
 keep that. 
 
 " I cannot help wishing I could have taken this ship 
 into action. My place now is not a very dangerous one, 
 unless they biow up the ship with torpedoes. They 
 tried it once, but did not succeed. There is a large 
 fleet here now, and all hands are having a good time. 
 I should think we had better be put at work bringing 
 this war to an end. It is not the Admiral s fault. They 
 keep him in check at the department, otherwise he 
 would have had Mobile and all the Mississippi River 
 by this time." 
 
 "JANUARY l8, 1863. 
 
 "We have been very unfortunate in the Gulf lately. 
 Lost Galveston, and lost some of our finest officers at 
 Berwick s Bay. Buchanan was buried here to-day, 
 and I have just come from his funeral, which was a very 
 large one. He was beloved by everybody. The killing 
 of Lieutenant Lea on the Harriet Lane was a very dis- 
 
Il8 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 tressing affair. A letter from him came to me two days 
 after he was shot. His father was a major in the rebel 
 army, and was in the engagement in which his son 
 was killed. And now comes the news of the sinking 
 of the Hatteras by the Alabama, which is another sad 
 affair. All of her officers are either killed, made pris 
 oners, or sunk with the vessel. Things look very 
 shaky, and there seems no head nor tail either in the 
 army or navy. Spies here come and go at will, and 
 the chief and worst ones are ladies of the best families. 
 They take the oath of allegiance, and ask permission 
 to pass our lines for the purpose of getting a few sup 
 plies for their children, who, they say, are starving; 
 but when once through, they get everything thev can 
 sew up in their skirts quinine and everything else 
 and their supply comes from our army stores. They 
 get it, no matter if it is contraband of war. One lady 
 boasted that she wanted nothing more within our lines ; 
 that she had carried through over two hundred ounces 
 of quinine within the last week. 
 
 " Mrs. General Dudley is a very pleasant lady, 
 whose husband is stationed here, and I have enjoye-d 
 seeing her very much during the holidays. She knows 
 Mrs. Gove very well and has visited her in Concord, 
 and that gives us something to talk about. Still I do 
 not enjoy going about much, for I get quite stirred up 
 and out of temper at the irritating and annoying things 
 which I know the rebels are doing, and which a little 
 energy on our part might put a stop to. 
 
 "The Alabama is hanging around, picking off our 
 merchant ships and those that are laden with govern 
 ment stores, but she gets safely off by the time any of 
 our ships are sent after her. I feel about it in such a 
 way that if I am invited anywhere I either decline or 
 go in my uniform, for that is a protection against 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 119 
 
 remarks of a political character. It is fashionable T 
 among the gay people here to be * secesh, and talk of 
 that sort is not agreeable to a Northern officer ; but I 
 receive such a number of invitations that I should think 
 I must be invited to everything and everywhere. 
 
 " I am sorry to learn from your last letter that Mrs. 
 Jewell has lost her little daughter. I can remember 
 what a pretty child she was and how much her mother 
 was wrapt up in her, and I am very sorry for her. I 
 feel sad and sober myself all the time, for since so 
 many of my friends have been killed in this war, and 
 I have seen so much cruelty and treachery among the 
 rebels, I get very bitter in my feelings. 
 
 "Think how many noble young lives and beautiful 
 characters have been sacrificed to their vanity and 
 wickedness and miserable ambition ! Many of their 
 actions that I know of are enough to destroy all mercy 
 in any human heart, and I sometimes long to be in bat 
 tle, and I feel that every shot fired from this ship will 
 be aimed with a good will and an earnest desire to 
 slaughter them and remove such creatures from the 
 earth. 
 
 " I dare sav this may sound bloodthirsty, but there 
 are times when I cannot help such feelings, after what 
 I see and know of things the rebels are continually 
 doing. I feel more than willing to fight and lose my 
 life if it will only bring this war to an end. I do not 
 fear death, and if it were not for you at home and the 
 thought that my life is and will be something to you, 
 I should positively rather die if it would secure the 
 success of the cause, for which I am fighting. I feel 
 pretty sure now that I shall not be found wanting in 
 readiness to take the fortunes of war. 
 
 " As you like to know all the compliments that are 
 paid me, I will tell you one that I had the other day 
 
120 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 from General Weitzel. He wants me to take command 
 of a fleet of gunboats in Berwick Bay. He is getting 
 up an expedition of ten thousand men and a fleet of 
 gunboats to go up through the bayous into Red River, 
 and he wants me to take command of the naval force. 
 He said to me, Perkins, you are the only man that I 
 know of fitted to go through the desperate fighting we 
 shall have; but with you in command of those gunboats 
 and me with my troops, we can face the devil, and are 
 bound to win. But unless you will go with me, I have 
 my doubts about succeeding, and I shall think twice 
 before I go. 
 
 "We are soon to have a fight at Port Hudson, and 
 the Pensacola is to form part of the attacking fleet, and 
 if I come out of that all right, I shall certainly go with 
 Weitzel ; but Commodore Morris wants me to stay with 
 him for the present, and he has been so kind to me, I 
 shall do what I can to please him. 
 
 " A rebel quartermaster has just been caught with a 
 list of the articles he intended to purchase within our 
 lines of our sutlers, though to be sure he had taken the 
 oath of allegiance ! He will probably be imprisoned a 
 few days and then let out, when he will at once go back 
 to the same rascally business, and we shall go on 
 furnishing the rebel army and people with food and 
 medicines. It makes me fairly vexed and unhappy to 
 see the United States and its government and its soldiers, 
 so scoffed and cheated and jeered at by the rebels. 
 
 " But I will not say any more now about the war, for 
 it does no good, and I had much better turn to a pleas- 
 anter subject, which is yourself, dear mother. I have 
 been hearing some very complimentary things about 
 your beauty and charms, in your youth. A few days 
 ago I was invited to a dinner party given to General 
 Dudley and his wife by a Mr. Malony. After the din- 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 121 
 
 ner, which was a very good one, he asked me if I was 
 the son of Hamilton Perkins of Hopkinton. When I 
 told him I was, he said, Your father married Clara 
 George, the belle of New England! Then he went 
 on to tell me all about you in your younger days, and 
 what wonderful sparkling black eyes you had, etc. 
 He talked about your father and about Uncle Paul and 
 Uncle John, and old times in Concord generally, for 
 nearly three hours, and I never was better entertained. 
 My next gayety is to be a party up the river. We are 
 going to visit a large sugar plantation which has quite 
 a reputation ; but that will wind up my visiting, as I 
 ought not to leave the ship much, for Commodore 
 Morris is growing more feeble, and I do not believe he 
 can hold out much longer. I hope the captain who 
 takes his place will be as line an officer and gentleman 
 as lie is. 
 
 " It would do you good to see the Pensacola now. 
 She is one of the finest ships in the navy, and by having 
 my own way, I have got her in splendid order, and the 
 
 crew perfectly drilled." 
 
 " MARCH i, 1863. 
 
 "The other morning I received orders from the 
 Admiral to take command of the Cayuga and go to 
 Galveston to assist in retaking it. I was delighted with 
 the orders, for I hate to lie here inactive, and I made 
 all haste to be off to her; but when the mail steamer 
 arrived, whom should it bring but Captain McDerrit, 
 who had been ordered at the department to relieve 
 Captain Fairfax as her commander, and my hopes are 
 dashed. 
 
 " My chief source of happiness, in being stationed 
 at New Orleans, is the regularity with which I get letters 
 from home, they are such a comfort to me. 
 
 "The attack on Port Hudson is given up for the 
 
122 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 present. The enemy have concentrated such a large 
 force there that any fight would be attended with great 
 loss, and we should run a great risk of getting whipped. 
 This city is threatened too, and the rebels are in high 
 glee. If the first conquests up the river, after the 
 taking of New Orleans, had been sustained by our 
 government, all the blood which has since been shed, 
 and all that must flow to recapture it, might have been 
 saved." 
 
 THE FLEET PASSING FORTS JACKSON AND ST. PHILIP. 
 
 " NEW ORLEANS, April 21, 1863. 
 
 "I spent last evening with a Mrs. Kimball, a very 
 agreeable woman, and a great friend of Mrs. James 
 Thornton s, who lived in Concord at one time. That 
 made her seem a little nearer something at home than 
 other people. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. I2J 
 
 " I have sent to Frank by the last steamer two guns. 
 The six-pounder is a fine gun, and was captured after a 
 desperate fight. The other is a rifle gun, and is quite 
 a curiosity ; it will throw a ball a long way. 
 
 " The Naval Register states that I have been a lieu 
 tenant commander since December 13, 1862, but I 
 have not received any notification of it from the depart 
 ment. 
 
 "Money is being made out here, hand over hand,, 
 much of it in a dishonest way. It makes me mad and 
 sad at the same time to see these rascally quartermasters 
 lying back in luxury, and never being exposed to 
 danger, while those who do all the hard work and fight 
 ing, and endure all the discomforts of the war, get 
 neither honor nor money. 
 
 " Photographs have come out of our ships passing 
 Forts Jackson and St. Philip, and I have enclosed you 
 one. Please keep it. 
 
 " I hear now that I am ordered to take command of 
 the Berwick Bay fleet with the steamer Arizona for my 
 vessel. She is much larger than the Caynga, and of a 
 different class of ships, and it will be a high promotion 
 for me. I hardly think, though, that the chief officers 
 feel ambition enough to organize the expedition." 
 
 " JUNE 4, 1863. 
 
 " Well, Berwick Bay has been captured by the rebels 
 since I sent my last just as we were beginning to think 
 about defending it. Our soldiers are discouraged, and 
 twelve hundred of them surrendered to six hundred of 
 the enemy. All the senior officers were away specu 
 lating, probably, which is a mild term for it, and there 
 was nobody in command but a major, and he was badly 
 scared. Our fine new guns are being captured by the 
 rebels, and the day after they are taken they will be 
 
124 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 mounted on the levee and trained on us. It is too dis 
 graceful ! I am now offered the command of the 
 steamer Tennessee; she is a tine ship, but I cannot yet 
 decide." 
 
 The last of June, 1863, General Banks, who was then 
 in command of the forces besieging Port Hudson, sent 
 word to Admiral Farragut that he must have more pow 
 der, or the siege could not be prosecuted. The Admiral 
 therefore ordered the gunboat New London to be de 
 tailed to carry powder to our forces ; and as her regular 
 captain had not arrived, he gave the command to 
 George. It was very dangerous duty, as there were 
 batteries all the way, including a very powerful one at 
 Whitehall s Point, and the explosive nature of the New 
 London s cargo put her at the mercy even of a sharp 
 shooter. George s first trip is described in a letter 
 dated 
 
 "JuLY 4, 1863. 
 
 " I am on my way down the river, and shall soon be 
 in New Orleans. I have taken command of this vessel 
 until her captain comes from Mobile ; but after that I 
 expect to go back to the Pensacola. My duty is to 
 convey powder to Banks s army. I left New Orleans in 
 the evening, convoying the steamer North America as 
 far as Donaldsonville. The river is now in possession 
 of the rebels, and they fire on all our vessels and 
 destroy our transports. I have been up all night, and 
 have had a hard and lively time. Within two miles of 
 Donaldsonville a rebel battery opened on us with artil 
 lery and sharpshooters. We were struck several times 
 and had quite a spirited engagement. I got the North 
 America by all right, with only four shots through her, 
 and then leaving her at Donaldsonville I returned to 
 the scene of action, and kept it up till they stopped fir- 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 125 
 
 ing. On my way down I trained my guns on every 
 thing I could see, as I was determined to make them 
 pay dear for their whistle this time ; but the levee is so 
 high that one is not able to see anything behind it, and 
 the rebels mass their sharpshooters at different points 
 and tire into our gunboats when they pass ; and, 
 although we blaze away back, we do not get a fair 
 revenge. In fact, the rebels are now doing pretty 
 much as they please everywhere. They go and come, 
 freely, in and out of New Orleans, and all our affairs 
 are in a confused and disorganized state." 
 
 4 k JULY 29, 1863. 
 
 " Since I wrote you last I have been through more 
 excitement, and it seems to me as if I had been in more 
 danger, than ever before in my life : and I am going to 
 try and describe to you my last trip in \\\e New London* 
 " I had passed the Whitehall Point batteries in her 
 successfully five times, but on the sixth trip, when the 
 New London was returning to New Orleans, just as 
 she was passing those batteries, at about quarter past 
 one, on the morning of the 2Oth of July, the enemy dis 
 covered her, and opened with artillery and sharpshoot 
 ers. One shot struck the New London s boiler, which 
 exploded, severely scalding six men, and another shot 
 penetrated the steam drum. This disabled the vessel, 
 and I ordered her to be run towards the eastern bank, 
 but the escaping steam made it impossible for the 
 helmsman to remain at the wheel, and the ship 
 grounded within range of the battery. The gunboat 
 Winona., which had been ordered to escort the New 
 London past Whitehall Point, ran away at the first 
 shot, and was out of sight by this time. I fired 
 rockets to inform her of my danger and to summon her 
 to my assistance, but received no response. 
 
126 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 "We were at the mercy of the sharpshooters, and 
 every shot dealt death and destruction. My first lieu 
 tenant was shot through the head, and the men now 
 became so terrified that they began to leap overboard. 
 I then ordered a boat to be manned and kedged off the 
 ship astern, till she drifted down stream out of the way 
 of the upper battery. But the most powerful fortifica 
 tion of the battery was still below us ; so I towed the 
 ship to the eastern bank and made her fast ; but danger 
 pursued me here, and it was soon plain that I had only 
 gained a respite from the murderous fire, for I could 
 see the enemy cutting embrasures to move their guns 
 down for a better range, and I knew that daylight 
 would seal the fate of my ship and crew. 
 
 "I determined to save them if I could. I sent the 
 ship s company ashore under the protection of the levee, 
 where they could use their muskets to repel an attack, 
 and stationed pickets along the road. I then despatched 
 messengers by land to Donaldsonville, where General 
 Weitzel was, for assistance, and sent a boat by the river 
 to the Monongahela and Essex with the same request. 
 These two ships were stationed some miles below on 
 the river to protect an encampment of our troops on the 
 eastern bank. 
 
 "The messengers returned from Donaldsonville say 
 ing no assistance could be rendered ; while, with regard 
 to the success of those I sent by the river I felt very 
 doubtful, so much was the passage of the Whitehall 
 Point batteries dreaded. Just at this time information 
 was brought me that a force of rebel cavalry five hun 
 dred strong was only a few miles in the interior. I 
 felt desperate, for I realized the whole peril of the situa 
 tion, and I was determined that my ship and crew should 
 not fall into the hands of the enemy. I resolved to fol 
 low the dictates of my own judgment. I knew that upon 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. I2/ 
 
 a personal application Weitzel would at once grant me 
 anything I wanted. I went ashore, and capturing a 
 horse that was tied to a fence, I rode back to Donald- 
 sonville. Arrived opposite, I signaled to the Princess 
 Royal to send a boat for me, and, to save time, I first 
 demanded assistance from her senior officer ; this he 
 thought fit to refuse. 
 
 "The Princess Royal was one of our gunboats sta 
 tioned at Donaldsonville to protect and help Weitzel. 
 I immediately hastened to him, and without delay he 
 started a body of troops down the river for my assist 
 ance. But when I returned to the spot where I had left 
 the J\ T ew London I found her gone, and I concluded 
 rightly, as it afterwards proved that the boat I had 
 sent early in the morning had succeeded in reaching 
 our ships, and that they had come up and taken her off. 
 I found afterwards that it was the iron-clad Essex ^ and 
 it towed her directly to New Orleans. 
 
 "This was a great relief to me, for now the lives of 
 my men were safe, and the ship was still under its own 
 flag ; but I began to realize that my own position w r as 
 now one of considerable danger. I fastened the horse 
 I had so unceremoniously borrowed to the spot I first 
 found him, and then hired a negro to drive me, in any 
 sort of vehicle he could get, down the levee road to our 
 lines. This proved to be a carryall harnessed to a 
 mule ; but it was the best he could do. I took the back 
 seat, and laid my loaded pistols by my side close under 
 my hand. At the negro s earnest entreaty I put on my 
 uniform coat wrong side out, that it might not attract 
 attention, and so I started a Union officer, miles from 
 our troops on my passage through the enemy s coun 
 try, along a road where rebel troops, bands of guerillas, 
 and sharpshooters were usually in constant movement. 
 Yet by some rare fortune it happened, just at this time, 
 
128 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 that my chief danger except the overhanging peril of 
 the whole situation was not incurred until I approached 
 our lines, except that around a grocery shop which I 
 passed there were lounging a group of armed rebels. 
 My driver was terribly frightened at this, and kept say 
 ing, Set back, massa, for God s sake, set back ! Mebbe 
 dey won t see you ! And then whipped up his mule 
 till we were safe beyond their reach. 
 
 ** But I had been seen and suspected by the rebel 
 troops on the other side of the river, and they had sent 
 a boat and some soldiers across to capture me. They 
 reached the bank on my side, landed, and came up the 
 road to intercept me just as I was nearing our lines. 
 Fortunately all this was perceived by our troops, and a 
 body of cavalry was sent out, which captured the rebels 
 and conducted me in safety to the camp by one and the 
 same proceeding. Here I found one of our ships the 
 Monoiigahela and I went on board of her in a per 
 fectly exhausted condition. Flinging myself in a bunk 
 I slept soundly for hours, undisturbed by the fact that 
 a short time before, while lying in that very same 
 place, the captain of the Monongahela Abner Read- 
 had been killed by a rebel shot which penetrated the 
 ship s side and struck him, and that his dead body was 
 then on board, being conveyed to New Orleans. 
 
 "I roused myself very early next morning in order 
 to continue my journey to New Orleans in a commis- 
 sarv wagon, but when daylight dawned I saw a gun 
 boat coming down the river in command of my friend 
 Captain Cooke, and I went on board of her and made 
 the rest ot my trip by water." 
 
 George alwavs regarded his escape during this trip 
 as little short of a miracle. Soon after an army officer, 
 with a heavy escort of cavalry, went over the same 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 129 
 
 road which George traversed alone, and this officer was 
 lauded to the skies in the newspapers of the day for his 
 "display of reckless daring." 
 
 Arrived in* New Orleans, George reported to Farra- 
 gut, who, although not wholly endorsing his course, 
 complimented him in conversation on his bravery, and 
 promised to give him the best command that was 
 vacant. I copy the official papers connected with this 
 affair : 
 
 " SIR : You will, upon the reporting of Lieutenant 
 Commander Potter, deliver over the command of the 
 New London to that officer, and consider yourself 
 detached from that vessel. You will then report to 
 Commodore Morris for duty on board the U. S. S. 
 Pensacola. I regret this necessity, but seniority must 
 have its precedence, and it is for no misconduct that 
 you are relieved. I am satisfied that you acted to the 
 best of your judgment in the case of the disabling of 
 the New London. 
 
 " Respectfully, 
 " D. G. FARRAGUT, Rear Admiral. 
 
 " Lieutenant Commander, 
 
 "GEORGE H. PERKINS." 
 
 Admiral Farragut endorsed his report to the depart 
 ment as follows : 
 
 " Lieutenant Commander Perkins was temporarily 
 in command of the New London, and was sent up the 
 river. His conduct was represented as cool. He made 
 every disposition of his men and managed his vessel 
 with ability ; but although he procured the assistance 
 he sought, I informed him the principle was wrong ; 
 but it could be looked upon only as an error of judg 
 ment." 
 
 9 
 
130 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 George, however, refuses to believe that the circum 
 stances did not warrant his action, as, after sending for 
 help and doing all that was possible, there was no way 
 remaining by which his vessel and the lives of his men 
 could be saved but the one he chose. He also consid 
 ers his experience in connection with the Neiv London 
 as the most perilous of any in all his varied and adven 
 turous life, and asserts that he was more helpless against 
 the surrounding dangers there than even at the battles 
 of New Orleans and Mobile. To return to his letters : 
 
 " NEW ORLEANS, July 31, 1863. 
 
 " The Admiral has given me command of the Sciota. 
 She is a fine gunboat and a good command for me. He 
 promised me a good command when I was relieved 
 from the New London, and he has kept his word. 
 Commodore Morris left the Pcnsacola this afternoon. 
 The old gentleman felt very sad, and so did we, for we 
 all loved him very much. He was so feeble that he 
 had to be lowered over the side in a chair, and I am 
 afraid he will not live to get home. 
 
 " The Sciota will lie off this city about a month. She 
 is a regular naval gunboat, and carries four twenty-four 
 pound howitzers, one eleven-inch gun, and one Parrott 
 gun, and her officers and crew number one hundred 
 and fifteen men, all told. 
 
 " Tell Uncle Paul that I am the youngest officer at 
 this time that has such a command. I expect my des 
 tination is to be blockade duty somewhere ofFGalves- 
 ton, Texas." 
 
 George s blockading experiences, which continued 
 for the next eight months, proved, as a general thing, 
 very quiet, and it gave his thoughts more time than 
 usual to dwell on his home. Its interests are again his 
 constant theme and the occupations and prospects of 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 131 
 
 all his family. Many fathers are not so anxious about 
 their sons as was George at this time for his younger 
 brothers. All his letters were full of plans for them 
 and advice to them. After his long absence and widely 
 differing occupation, the clearness and intensity with 
 which he enters into home matters is remarkable. 
 
 The brother who was next to George in years Roger 
 Eliot had, when quite young, gone into business with 
 a relative in Cincinnati, but about the second year of 
 the war, the elder member of the firm being obliged to 
 discontinue business on account of his health, this was 
 given up, and Roger returned home. He intended in 
 some way to identify himself with the war in its prog 
 ress, but George was so unwilling that he should put 
 himself in any position where his life would be endan 
 gered or his future prospects unsettled, that Roger 
 finally decided to study medicine, a plan which met 
 with George s cordial approbation. In this same year 
 of 1863, the next younger brother Hamilton was 
 appointed to the naval academy, an appointment which 
 gratified the dearest wish of his heart. The youngest 
 brother Frank was now about fifteen years of age, 
 very promising in every way, and George would plan 
 that this one should be the " home boy, going into busi 
 ness in Concord to be near the family." 
 
 It is sad and touching now to read George s letters of 
 those days, with their eager hopes and plans. Two 
 of the brothers, about whose future he was so earnest, 
 passed in the brightness and freshness of their youth 
 beyond all earthly joys and fears God made their 
 future safe by taking them to himself. 
 
 Roger, alter going through the proper course, gradu 
 ated at the Harvard Medical School, and late in the 
 autumn of 1866 went to St. Louis to establish himself; 
 but falling a victim to the typhoid fever, which raged 
 
132 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 there that winter, died, away from home, February 6, 
 1867, aged twenty-six. Just six months before, Frank 
 died at home, after a short and sudden illness, June 25, 
 1866, at the age of nineteen. 
 
 The following passage from one of George s letters 
 gives a pretty good summary of his life during the 
 winter of 1863 and 1864 : 
 
 "I do nothing but read and build castles in the air, 
 for no sails appear within the lines of coast allotted to 
 me. Once in three weeks the steamer comes along 
 with our letters and provisions fresh meat, potatoes, 
 and onions. Once or twice I have ventured on shore, 
 but it is very risky, and the last time I was so nearly 
 captured that it is a wonder now that I am not either 
 shot or a prisoner of war. I would go ashore, just for 
 a change, and, being unknown, would venture into the 
 towns and villages, buying something at the stores and 
 looking about a little, and even made some friends who 
 did not know my name; but the last time that I tried 
 this a man said to me, I know you ; you are the 
 captain of that Yankee gunboat that blockades off 
 here. Some one with whom I had been sociable con 
 tradicted him. A crowd began to gather, and while 
 they were disputing who I was, I hurried to my boat, 
 hidden in a cove, but not before they had started in 
 pursuit of me and got pretty close, too. I was well 
 frightened, for if I had not got away, it would have 
 been an awful scrape, even if my life had been saved. 
 
 " We have had a steady gale of wind which has 
 blown for weeks without cessation, and the ship has 
 done nothing but roll, roll, roll, all the time, and we 
 are perfectly tired out." 
 
 "APRIL 5, 1864. 
 "I caught a prize last night. It was the schooner 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 133 
 
 Mary Sorley, loaded with cotton. She was formerly 
 the U. S. revenue cutter here, and \vas loaded vu1,h 
 two hundred and fifty-seven bales of cotton. I have 
 sent her to New Orleans to be adjudicated, and if she 
 arrives there all safe, she will be sold, and bring me in 
 a nice little sum of money ; and you must look out for 
 it if anything happens to me. A good many officers 
 have made prize-money during the war, but I have not 
 had any luck before this. I am going now to lie oft 
 Brazos. The forts there are old friends of mine ; we 
 are everlastingly peppering each other, but so far with 
 no results." 
 
 "OFF SABINE PASS, TEXAS, June 12, 1864. 
 
 " The Circassian to-dav brought me only one letter 
 from my home, and did not bring me my relief. He 
 has been ordered some time, and I fully expected him 
 in this steamer. I find waiting for him a very tanta 
 lizing business, and I fall back on thinking that what 
 ever happens, I certainly shall not be left here all 
 summer. 
 
 "Just think how long\\.\s since I have been at home, 
 and what changes there have been ! Aunt Anne dead, 
 and now Uncle Paul, both of whom have been so much 
 a part of our lives. They were always so kind to me, 
 and so interested in me, I shall miss them very much. 
 It seems like a living death to be on the blockade. 
 When the Circassian, which is here now, goes, it will 
 be twenty days before we see another sail. We get all 
 talked out on board ship, and sometimes a week passes 
 and I do not speak a word, except those which my 
 duty requires. There is very little variety on my 
 blockade, though it is quite an extensive one, stretch 
 ing from Port Cavallo to Sabine Pass, and now it is 
 past time for my relief to come and I feel very impa 
 tient. 
 
134 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 "One would think I might grow fat leading such a 
 quiet life, but I stick at the old notch where I have been 
 for rive years, and only weigh one hundred and fifteen 
 pounds." 
 
 George s relief, which was ordered the 2Oth of April, 
 did not reach him till the last of June. George was 
 given leave of absence, but on arriving at New Orleans, 
 intending to take the first steamer for the North, he 
 found preparations going on for the battle of Mobile. 
 At once, giving up all thought of going home, he 
 offered his services to Admiral Farragut, who gladly 
 accepted them, and appointed him to the command of 
 the iron-clad Chickasaw, which had just arrived at New 
 Orleans from St. Louis, and was a new and untried 
 monitor. 
 
 The attacking force at Mobile was to include four 
 iron-clads, and indispensable as these had been proved 
 for any naval movement, yet the government furnished 
 them to Admiral Farragut with great delay and appar 
 ent reluctance ; or, as Commander Mahan says in his 
 recent book entitled " Our Navy in the Gulf and Inland 
 Waters during the Civil War," " after many askings 
 and months of delay." 
 
 As one reads the history of those times, it is impossi 
 ble to understand what could have influenced our gov 
 ernment to proceed at such a cost of life and treasure. 
 The need of iron-clads had been declared by the fore 
 most and most experienced officers of the navy ; notably 
 by Admiral Bailey, in all his speeches and remarks 
 after the battle of New Orleans. The rebels early rec 
 ognized their usefulness, and not only availed them 
 selves of all means of possessing them, but strove to 
 keep us in terror by circulating reports of those they 
 claimed to have received from England. It was some 
 times said that the older officers in our service preferred 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 135 
 
 wooden vessels. But there seems no proof of this, cer 
 tainly not after the victory of the Monitor in Hampton 
 Roads. Two years before the battle of Mobile, when 
 George lay off that bay blockading, he often wrote of 
 what he would like to do if he only had "command 
 of an iron-clad," and every fighting officer had been 
 asserting for a long time the folly of making attacks 
 with wooden vessels. 
 
 In a report made January 20, 1864, Admiral Farragut 
 says, immediately after a reconnoissance of Mobile 
 Bay : 
 
 "Without iron-clads we should not be able to fight 
 the enemy s vessels of that class with much prospect of 
 success, as the latter could lie in the flats where our 
 ships could not go to destroy them. Wooden vessels 
 can do nothing with them, unless by getting within one 
 hundred or two hundred yards, so as to ram them or 
 pour in a broadside." 
 
 Early in May the Tennessee, having been floated 
 over Dog River Bar, appeared in full view of the 
 blockading fleet, and the Admiral reports to the depart 
 ment : 
 
 "I fear it will be much more difficult to take Mobile 
 than it would have been one week ago." 
 
 At last the department put at the disposal of Admiral 
 Farragut four iron-clads. Two the Tecumsch and the 
 Manhattan were sent him from the Atlantic coast, and 
 two the Chickasaw and the Winnebago from the 
 Mississippi river. 
 
 These last two were built at St. Louis by Mr. Eads, 
 and there was great doubt expressed as to their being 
 either suitable or serviceable. It was even thought 
 that they might not be able to make the voyage from 
 New Orleans to Mobile. Mr. Eads, however, war- 
 
136 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 ranted them to the government, and declared that they 
 were certain to do good service if properly handled, 
 and that, in fact, if they did not prove to be all that he 
 claimed, he would bear the expenses incurred bv their 
 trial. 
 
 These monitors were built after favorite plans of Mr. 
 Eads, were of light draught, and could be used in 
 rivers. After the battle of Mobile Bay, Mr. Eads pub 
 lished in the St. Louis Democrat an article entitled "A 
 Chapter in History," written in defence of these iron 
 clads, where he relates his conversation with Secretary 
 Welles and Assistant Secretary Fox. He was very 
 indignant at the declaration of Admiral Porter that 
 "these vessels would break to pieces in the least 
 swell," and he denied it as an " utter falsehood;" 
 while as an evidence of his sincerity, and of his confi 
 dence in them, he promptly offered that if the sec 
 retary would send them to Mobile, he would replace 
 them at his own individual cost, if they should be lost 
 in any ordinary weather in their passage through the 
 Gulf. The article concludes : 
 
 "The result of the presence of Mr. Eads s monitors 
 in Mobile has passed into history, and the statement of 
 Admiral Porter can be compared with the fact that the 
 powerful and almost invulnerable Tennessee was mainly 
 whipped by the Chickasaiu in the memorable fight on 
 the fifth of August." 
 
 Of the four iron-clads that went into that battle, the 
 Chickasaw was the only one that remained in perfect 
 condition throughout the fight. The Tecumseh was 
 blown up in the beginning by a torpedo, the Manhattan 
 (Captain Nicholson) lost the use of one of her guns by 
 the dropping of a fragment of iron into the vent, and 
 as it could not be got out, she was able to fire but six 
 of her heavy shot during the entire action. The turrets 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 137 
 
 of the Winnebago were out of order and could not 
 revolve, forcing her to "yaw," in seaman phrase; 
 that is, to turn completely round whenever she fired. 
 Or as Commander Mahan says: "The guns could 
 only be trained by moving the helm, and her fire was 
 necessarily slow." 
 
 The Chickasaw entered the conflict in perfect condi 
 tion. George had, by untiring effort, made her, and 
 everything and everybody on board of her, as thor 
 oughly prepared as was possible for human foresight 
 and human endeavor. He examined, improved, and 
 tested everything up to the last moment before the 
 battle, and the result was that not only did she endure 
 the strain of firing fifty-two solid shot on the morning 
 of the 5th of August with, as has been said, "the pre 
 cision and rapidity of pocket pistols;" but that after 
 noon she bombarded Fort Powell, and the next day 
 Fort Gaines, and was engaged twenty-four hours in 
 succession in the reduction of Fort Morgan. 
 
 George writes from New Orleans as follows : 
 
 "JuLY 22, 1864. 
 
 " I arrived here from Texas a few days ago, and 
 have taken command of a large double-turreted moni 
 tor named the Chickasaw. I volunteered to take com 
 mand of her during the fight, which is to come off so 
 soon at Mobile. I hope I shall be successful and come 
 out all right. I shall write you again in a few days, or 
 as soon as I get off Mobile anyway, by the time you 
 receive this the action will be over." 
 
 The letter continues with directions about clothes and 
 other things he has sent home, and finishes : 
 
 " I have not time to accept any of the many invita 
 tions I receive. I have not even time to write, but will 
 write a long letter to mother as soon as I can. She 
 
138 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 must not worry about me. I hope everything will 
 come out for the best. Life is not very long anyway, 
 and I am not afraid to die. I should only dread leav 
 ing you all at home." 
 
 "JULY 27, 1864. 
 " MY DEAR MOTHER : 
 
 " I shall go to sea to-morrow night, and as soon as 
 the iron-dads arrive off Mobile the fight will come off. 
 I have a large command for my rank a crew of one 
 hundred and forty-five men and twenty-five officers. 
 She carries four eleven-inch guns and has two turrets, 
 and you can judge of her power by the fact that it 
 requires fifteen engines to work her. 
 
 " I am very busy, and am writing at this moment 
 among a lot of mechanics, who are working as fast as 
 they can to get the ship in order. There is so much 
 noise, and there is so much to be done, that I can 
 hardly think. The cabin is so hot that I cannot stay in 
 it. When we are under steam the thermometer, below 
 decks, goes up to 150, and in the engine-room to 
 214. You have heard of the man who lived in an 
 oven ! Well, the cabin of a monitor does not leave 
 much for the imagination to do in considering his case. 
 I am hurrying everything all I can, and live in the 
 midst of confusion. 
 
 "I hope to come home after the fight, as I only 
 volunteered for that fight ; but everything will be for 
 the best whichever way it turns. 
 
 "I shall write you at sea on my way to Mobile. 
 Everything will be over before, you receive the letters, 
 and I only hope you will not be worrying yourself 
 about me, but look at the bright side, and believe I 
 shall come out safe. I should liked to have seen you 
 once more before this fight. Remember if I get killed 
 it will be an honorable death, and the thought should 
 partly take away your sorrow." 
 
C *: 
 u p. 
 
 E- S 
 
 2: -o 
 
 <-> I 
 
 
 
 U. x 
 
 I! 
 
 ?: = 
 
 II 
 
 i-J >> 
 
 g 
 v - 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 139 
 
 When the Chickasaw had left New Orleans, and was 
 on its way down the Mississippi, an incident occurred 
 which well illustrated the saying, that " safety is the 
 price of eternal vigilance." 
 
 As the ship approached the bar, George was called 
 away from the pilot-house to attend to some other duty : 
 but a sudden suspicion causing him shortly to look 
 around, he saw that the pilot had changed her course, 
 and was heading for a wreck close aboard. To strike 
 this would have sunk her. George sprang back to the 
 pilot-house, and seizing the wheel turned the ship in the 
 right direction; then drawing his pistol, he told the 
 pilot, whom he was now convinced was a traitor, that 
 if the ship touched ground, or anything else, he would 
 blow his brains out. The pilot was very much fright 
 ened and said that the bottom of the river was lumpy 
 and that the best of pilots were liable to touch some 
 time ; but George told him to take his choice between 
 trying to serve the Confederacy, and saving his life, for 
 if the ship touched a single lump, he would shoot him. 
 Needless to say that the ship s further course out of the 
 river was uninterrupted.* 
 
 " OFF MOBILE BAY, August 2, 1864. 
 " MY DEAR MOTHER : 
 
 * I arrived here yesterday from New Orleans, and 
 am now anchored in company with the Manhattan, an 
 iron-clad, and the Winnebago, which is the same kind 
 of a vessel as mine. The Ch^ckasa^v looks just like 
 the back of a great turtle, 257 feet long and 57 feet 
 broad. I wish you could see her. We are about a 
 mile and a half from Fort Morgan. The wooden ves 
 sels cannot come so near, as this is within easy range 
 of the enemy s guns. 
 
 * This story is well told in Captain Belknap s sketch of my brother, pub 
 lished in t ^e Bay State Monthly of April, 1884. 
 
&4-0 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 "The Admiral visited me yesterday and inspected 
 this ship. He has paid me a great compliment by giv 
 ing me the command of her, for all the other iron-dads 
 have old captains for their commanders. It will be a 
 < feather in my cap if I come out all right; but don t 
 forget that if 
 
 " I have been very, very hard at work getting ready 
 for the right, which comes off in two days now. It is 
 expected to be a very desperate one, though I feel no 
 doubt but that we shall have the victory. 
 
 " I am very tired and cannot write to you as I would 
 wish ; but, my dear mother, I think of you nearly all 
 the time, and I know I have done as you would wish 
 me to. I have seen almost enough of life, and I only 
 care to live for you all at home. Life is but a dream 
 anyway, and we cannot always live : so whatever hap 
 pens, it will no doubt be for the best. 
 
 "You must look out for my prize-money. I shall 
 try and leave a few lines for you just before the action, 
 and if anything happens to me they will be sent you." 
 
 "AUGUST 4, 1864. 
 
 " This vessel is so hot that we are obliged to sleep 
 on deck ; and I am a little used up. I left a box of 
 clothes and other things on board the Bermuda. 
 Should you not get them in course of time, write for 
 them to Capt. Jerry Smith. I will also drop him a line. 
 I ought to have about eight thousand dollars of prize- 
 money, four for the capture of New Orleans and four 
 for the blockade runner, Mary Sorlcy* 
 
 44 I think of you all so much at home, and I love you 
 all so much, I wish I could receive a few lines from 
 you just before the tight. I know I shall not disgrace 
 
 *No prize-money was ever paid him for New Orleans, but he received 
 .some for the Mary Sorley. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 141 
 
 myself, no matter how hot the fighting may be, for I 
 shall be thinking of you all at the time. It seems such 
 a long time since I heard from home ; but it is too late 
 now. 
 
 "All your loved, familiar faces come before my eyes 
 to-night as plainly as if I really saw them ; and, 
 O mother ! mother ! I wish I could put my arms 
 around your neck and receive your blessing and 
 good-by once more." 
 
 The battle of Mobile Bay began on the morning of 
 August 5th, and the fleet and forts were fully engaged 
 between seven and eight o clock a. m. Some descrip 
 tion of the battle is given in a letter which George 
 wrote in answer to inquiries which were made of him 
 about the engagement, and about the orders which 
 the iron-clads received, the course which they pur 
 sued, etc. 
 
 These inquiries were in the first place about the 
 course of the Union fleet, followed by minute questions 
 about the orders received by the iron-clads, and then 
 questions about the Tennessee s original position, sub 
 sequent movements during the tight, and finally about 
 her surrender, and to whom. George said in answer: 
 
 " The iron-clads were ordered to follow according to- 
 rank, inside the fleet, between fleet and fort. The 
 Chickasaiv was placed last of the iron-clads, and had 
 orders to be reserve force, and remain with the wooden, 
 vessels. Our course was between a certain buoy, 
 marked on the chart, and the shore. This passage was 
 known to be free from torpedoes, and was left for the 
 blockade runners. It was a narrow passage, and was 
 protected by the guns of the fort. All the vessels had 
 orders to keep between that buoy and the shore ; but in 
 other respects the iron-clads had separate orders from 
 the wooden vessels. In the confusion resulting from 
 
142 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 the destruction of the Tecumseh and the movements of 
 the Brooklyn, the iron-clads received no orders, and 
 followed in the line of the other vessels. 
 
 " I pushed the Chickasaw forward as rapidly as pos 
 sible, and with the others fired at the fort to keep down 
 its fire until the wooden vessels had passed. 
 
 "When the Tennessee passed my ship first, it was 
 on my port side. After that she steered toward Fort 
 Morgan. Some of our vessels anchored, others kept 
 under way, and when the Tennessee approached the 
 fleet again, she was at once attacked by the wooden 
 vessels, but they made no impression upon her. An 
 order was now brought from Admiral Farragut to the 
 iron-clads, by Dr. Palmer, directing them to attack the 
 Tennessee ; but when they approached her, she moved 
 off towards the fort again. I followed straight after 
 her with the Chickasaiu, and overtaking her, I poured 
 solid shot into her as fast as I could, and after a short 
 engagement forced her to surrender, having shot away 
 her smoke-stack, destroyed her steering gear, and 
 jammed her after-ports, rendering her guns useless, 
 while one of my shots wounded Admiral Buchanan. 
 I followed her close, my guns and turrets continuing in 
 perfect order in spite of the strain upon them. 
 
 " When Johnston came on the roof of the Tennessee, 
 and showed the white flag as signal of surrender, no 
 vessel of our fleet except the Chickasaw was within 
 a quarter of a mile. But the Ossipce was approaching, 
 and her captain was much older than myself. I was 
 wet with perspiration, begrimed with powder, and 
 exhausted with constant and violent exertion ; so I 
 drew back and allowed Captain LeRoy to receive the 
 surrender, though my first lieutenant, Mr. Hamilton, 
 said at the time : Captain Perkins, you are making a 
 mistake. " 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 143 
 
 At the time of this battle, through which George 
 fought and manoeuvred the Chickasa-w, he was twenty- 
 seven years and nine months old. 
 
 When the Tecumseh was blown up by a torpedo, it 
 threw the fleet into the wildest excitement, and almost 
 demoralized it. Captain Alden, of the Brooklyn, gave 
 orders to back his ship, which further increased the 
 confusion. It was a moment when the courage of the 
 ships commanders was thoroughly tested. George 
 was in the forward turret of the Chickasaw, giving his 
 personal attention to the sighting of the guns. His 
 gunners turned pale when they saw the Tccumseh 
 blown to pieces, and rushed from their guns, but 
 George sprang before them, and drawing his pistol, 
 declared he would shoot the first man who deserted his 
 post ; then giving an energetic kick to one who had 
 flung himself at his feet, exclaiming, " Let me out, 
 Captain, let me out!" he brought him to his senses 
 and ordered him to his post. 
 
 I quote the following note from Commander Mahan s 
 book : 
 
 "Lieutenant Commander Perkins and the executive 
 officer of the Chickasaiv, Mr. Hamilton, were going 
 North from other ships, on leave of absence, the lat 
 ter on sick leave, but had offered their services for the 
 battle. The fire of the Chickasaw was the most dam 
 aging to the Tennessee. In her engagement with the 
 ram, she fired fifty-two solid shot, almost all into the 
 stern, where the greatest injury was done. 
 
 ** The Metacomet went to Pensacola that night under 
 a flag of truce, with the wounded from the fleet and the 
 Tennessee, and was taken out by the pilot of the latter. 
 He asked Captain Jewett, * Who commanded the mon 
 itor that got under the ram s stern? adding, Damn 
 him ! he stuck to us like a leech ; we could not get 
 
144 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 away from him ; it was he who cut away the steering- 
 gear, jammed the stern port shutters, and wounded 
 Admiral Buchanan." 
 
 Admiral Buchanan himself, in conversation with a 
 New Hampshire man, who saw and talked with him 
 not long after the battle, gave the whole credit of the 
 capture of the Tennessee to the Chickasaw. 
 
 It was found upon examination that only one fifteen- 
 inch shot from the Manhattan had penetrated the armor 
 of the Tennessee, and this did not come through the 
 woodwork, only breaking it and scattering splinters. 
 All other damaging shots to the Tennessee were found 
 by actual measurement to have been dealt by eleven- 
 inch solid shot. 
 
 In the report on the survey of the Tennessee ordered 
 by Farragut after the battle, the following statement is 
 made : 
 
 "There are unmistakable marks on the after part of 
 the casement of not less than nine eleven-inch solid 
 shot having struck within the space of a few square 
 feet, in the immediate vicinity of that port." 
 
 In his monograph on the battle of Mobile Bay, Cap 
 tain Foxhall A. Parker says : 
 
 "But the vessel that undoubtedly inflicted the most 
 injury upon the ram was the monitor Chickasaw, com 
 manded by Lieutenant Commander George H. Perkins, 
 4 which hung, said the pilot of the Tennessee, close 
 under our stern ; move where we would she was always 
 there, firing the two eleven-inch guns in her forward 
 turret like pocket pistols, so that she soon had the plates 
 flying in the air." 
 
 George s own report is as follows : 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 145 
 
 " U. S. IRON-CLAD CHICKASAW, 
 
 MOBILE BAY, August 7, 1864. 
 " SIR: 
 
 "I have the honor to submit the following report: 
 At 5 : 30 a. m., on Friday, August 5th, in obedience to 
 orders, I got under way, and took my position in rear 
 of the Winnebago on the right of the line. I passed 
 the forts with the rest of the fleet firing as rapidly 
 as possible. Afterwards, in obedience to orders, I 
 attacked the ram 7^enncsscc, following her up closely? 
 shooting awav her smokestack and firing solid shot 
 
 > 
 
 at her, until her flag was hauled down and a white 
 flag raised. Her steering gear having been shot away 
 I took her in tow, and brought her to anchor near the 
 Hartford. 
 
 " In the afternoon of the same day, I again got 
 under way, and brought a large barge the Ingomar 
 out from under the guns of Fort Powell, exchanging 
 several shots and being struck three times. On the 
 morning of the 6th, I proceeded again to Fort Powell, 
 which I found deserted and blown up. I towed out 
 another barge. In the afternoon I advanced and 
 shelled Fort Gaines." 
 
 George then enumerates the officers and men who 
 distinguished themselves on his ship, and closes with 
 the report of the injuries received by the Chickasaw. 
 There were no casualties among the men, but the ves 
 sel s "smokestack was almost shot away, and one shot 
 penetrated the deck on the starboard bow." 
 
 Admiral Farragut says in his report to the depart 
 ment : 
 
 "I cannot give too much praise to Lieutenant Com 
 mander Perkins, who, though he had orders from the 
 department to return North, volunteered to take com 
 mand of the Cy^ ^Y^tfz^, and did his duty nobly." 
 
146 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 As George s management of the Ckickasaw had 
 proved Mr. Eads s position, with regard to his iron 
 clads, in the most triumphant manner, its success was 
 a great gratification to this gentleman, and he told 
 George s father that he would " gladly walk fifty miles 
 to shake hands with the young man." He also request 
 ed him, as George was not easily accessible at the time, 
 to have some description of the Chickasaiu s part in the 
 battle prepared for him to publish, for all testimony to 
 the efficiency of his ships was valuable to him. 
 
 As it happened, Dr. E. R. Hutchins, who had been 
 surgeon on the Port Royal during the fight, was visit 
 ing in Concord, and George s father requested the infor 
 mation from him as he was an eye-witness. 
 
 Dr. Hutchins most kindly wrote the following letter, 
 giving an account of what he actually saw the Chicka- 
 sazv perform, as well as what was the general senti 
 ment of the fleet at the time of the battle, and my father 
 forwarded it to Mr. Eads, who had it published in the 
 St. .Louis Democrat: 
 
 "THE NAVAL FIGHT IN MOBILE BAY. 
 
 " The following communication, lately received by 
 James B. Eads, Esq., of St. Louis, and by him kindly 
 furnished to us, presents probably the most veracious 
 and accurate certainly one of the most graphic 
 accounts yet given of the great naval engagement in 
 Mobile Bay : 
 
 "PHILADELPHIA, PA., March 12, 1867. 
 
 " DEAR SIR: The reports of the Mobile fight, as published by the 
 Hon. Secretary of the Navy, fail to do justice to two or three officers 
 commanding their respective vessels during that justly celebrated 
 naval engagement, and the greatest, and the most palpable and appar 
 ent, is that done the iron-clad Chickasaw, commanded by Lieutenant 
 Commanding George H. Perkins. 
 
 " I speak without prejudice or bias, but simply for justice, being an 
 
.4-,: ..... : 
 
 -" - 
 
 
 1C] i If 
 
 tf* "-- h f f Y 
 
 ,:-. ! ?? V .) ..-" "--sS 1 -::. 
 
 ^i.\/ ^ / /,- ; :->-/.%;-;;^ 
 Wl^cS^l A 1 1 """"--; 
 
 ^ 
 
 m /" 
 
 iK^t 
 
 <?^ 
 
 l*ra 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 147 
 
 eye-witness to the \vhole engagement, and but reiterate what fell from 
 the lips of almost all the officers and men after the fight ceased. I 
 desire to give praise only where praise is due. 
 
 " I can now speak with freedom, my tongue no longer bridled by 
 the forms of the army or navy. At the time of the fight I was the 
 medical officer on board the United States ship Port Royal, com 
 manded by as brave an officer as the navy produced, Lieutenant 
 Commanding Gheracli. 
 
 "The morning of August 5, 1864, was sultry and dull, but found 
 the fleet active and busy, and, as the ship s bell rung out the hour of 
 six, they were under way, the Brooklyn taking the lead, followed by 
 the Hartford, on which was the intrepid chief, Farragut : 
 
 ist Brooklyn, with Octavia on port side. 
 
 2d Hartford, with Metacomet. 
 
 3d Richelieu, with Port Royal. 
 
 4th Lackaivanna, with Seminole. 
 
 5th Monongahela, with Kennebeck. 
 
 6th Ossipee, with Galena. 
 
 " Inside and over the bar the iron-clads had taken their positions 
 on the starboard side of the wooden ships, and were there exposed to 
 the open fire of Fort Morgan and to the first attack of the ram Ten 
 nessee, the boast of the Confederate navy. 
 
 " About one quarter to seven o clock, the Tecumseh, commanded 
 by the gallant Craven, fired the first shot. No answer came from 
 the fort, and still the fleet sailed proudly on, with every flag unfurled, 
 and with as proud and brave men as ever a fleet possessed. 
 
 " A few moments past seven the forts gave us a salute from one of 
 her guns, and this was immediately answered by the Brooklyn. This 
 was the prelude to the grand action, which was at once commenced. 
 
 "All eyes w r ere upon the Brooklyn and Tecumseh, which were still 
 in the lead. Presently the Brooklyn stopped, then backed, and trouble 
 was anticipated, and soon a gigantic uprising of water, and the 
 Tecumseh was swallowed up with her gallant commander and nearly 
 all her crew. Now, the Admiral, as if eager to avenge the loss of his 
 gallant men, dashes by the Brooklyn and takes the lead himself. 
 
 "Every vessel, as soon as it could, brought its guns to bear on 
 the fort. The fort also opened her guns, and it was one sheet of 
 blaze, and one long, awful boom of cannon. Up to this time we had 
 experienced no trouble from the rebel fleet; but now, with courage 
 and boldness worthy a better cause, 1 the rebel commanders dashed 
 out with their respective commands, and the Morgan, Selina, and 
 
148 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON 1 3 ERKINS. 
 
 Gaines kept up an annoying fire, and the Tennessee dashed at the 
 Hartford. 
 
 Imagine those old sea dogs, Farragut and Buchanan, the best 
 the navy had, who from early boyhood had been intimate friends, the 
 one a loyal man fighting for and beneath the flag of his country, the 
 other a traitor and rebel fighting against that flag. 
 
 " Every eye sought these commands, and when the ram failed to 
 harm the Hartford with her prow, every heart thanked God. The 
 Tennessee made an attempt in passing to ram every vessel in the line, 
 and failed every time. The Metacomet and Port Royal pursued the 
 Selina, which was steaming up the bay, and soon captured her. She 
 surrendered to the Metacomet, which was much faster than the Port 
 Royal. 
 
 The ram Tennessee at this time went under the guns of the fort, 
 like a great giant, resting for a moment but to renew the fight with 
 still greater fury. The Morgan and Gaines, drawing but little water, 
 retreated safely under the guns of the fort. 
 
 " The United States fleet steamed slowly westward, anxious and 
 eagerly waiting for the Tennessee to attack it ; and now it occurred. 
 Slowly, steadily, and bravely she steamed towards us ; and as my own 
 vessel was lying still near by, my opportunity for observation was 
 excellent. 
 
 "The Monongahela, Captain Strong, was the first to meet her, and 
 it seemed to us who saw her, that she absolutely rode upon her as she 
 struck her; and yet this blow was as harmless to the Tennessee as if 
 it had been given by Bennett s yacht Henrietta. The Lackawanna 
 followed, as did also the Hartford, both striking her powerfully, and 
 at the same time pouring their broadsides into her, and yet all this 
 did her apparently no harm, but inflicted serious injury upon them 
 selves. While the wooden ships were thus busy, the monitors took 
 up the attack, the Manhattan now and then giving her the benefit of 
 her fifteen-inch shot, while the Chickasaw was closely at her stern ; 
 as the Tennessee steered so steered the Chickasaw, keeping her guns 
 constantly pounding the Tennessee* s stern, carrying away her smoke 
 stack, breaking in her port-shutters, shattering her steering gear she 
 was positively held in this position by the Chickasaw. No vessel 
 under heaven could hold out under such punishment, and the Tennes 
 see soon hoisted the white flag of surrender. There ended this terri 
 ble fight. 
 
 " The praise of Commander Perkins for the superb management of 
 his command and the most admirable and efficient working of his ship 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 149 
 
 was upon the lips of all. I believe the Chickasaw did more to capture 
 the Tennessee than all others combined ; and I firmly believe, and I 
 unhesitatingly affirm that belief, that without the iron-clads that day 
 the laurels of victory would have fallen elsewhere. The iron-clads 
 saved the day. 
 
 " The chief glory and honor of the victory of course belong to that 
 brave old salammder, Farragut, and yet the pen of the knowing and 
 unprejudiced historian must give laurels to others than those upon 
 whom they chiefly fall in the official report of the fight. 
 
 " While Captain Jewett deserves praise and honor, he but did his 
 duty \ and just as well, just as bravely, and just as nobly did Gheradi 
 and Brown and Donnelson theirs ; and yet we are told, if the other 
 gunboats had done as much as the Metacomet, no rebel gunboat 
 would have escaped ! 
 
 " Where praise is due it should be given. The service of the Chick 
 asaw, so valuable and so indispensable, did not end here. That very 
 afternoon, before the heat of battle had fairly subsided, she, under a 
 heavy fire, and being struck three times, towed out a large barge from 
 under the guns of Fort Powell. The following day she kept up a 
 brisk fire upon Fort Gaines. Her light draft of water made her in 
 valuable, while her invulnerable sides and her excellent steering, and 
 her powerful armament seemed to me to render her decidedly the most 
 effective vessel in that memorable fight. 
 
 " I have thus written a lengthy letter. I have really not given half 
 the praise that is due the Chickasaw. 
 
 "A remark of Com. Johnston a rebel on board the Tennessee at 
 the time of her capture occurs to me. In speaking of the Chickasaw 
 
 in the fight he said : If it had not been for that d d black hulk 
 
 hanging on our stern we would have got along well enough ; she did 
 us more damage than all the rest of the Federal fleet." 1 
 
 The following extract is from Harper s Magazine, 
 which says, after describing the wooden ships ramming 
 the Tennessee : 
 
 " By this time young Captain Perkins had worked 
 his way close to the ram. He fought his vessel nobly, 
 but the Tennessee s heavy plating made strom* resist- 
 
 / i o o 
 
 ance against his eleven-inch shot. He disabled the 
 rebel s steering apparatus, and by continuous pounding 
 made the splinters fly among the rebels to their confu- 
 
150 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 sion. One of the shots striking the after-port killed 
 one man utterly demolishing him and wounding 
 Buchanan. 
 
 " Within a square often feet he planted a dozen solid 
 shot. The Manhattan fired six shots at the ram, one of 
 which seems to have struck. The Lackaivanna deliv 
 ered the fairest ramming blow at the Tennessee. The 
 affair was like a tournament, the fleet being spectators. 
 The Monongahela rushed upon the Tennessee twice ; 
 after her, came the Lackaiuanna, Hartford, and Ossi- 
 -pee, and no doubt every vessel in the fleet would have 
 punched her, had not the noble Perkins made her cry 
 enough." 
 
 The next extract is from a review written for the 
 Nation, by General J. C. Palfrey, on Captain Parker s 
 
 " BATTLE OF MOBILE BAY. 
 
 " Lieutenant Commander Perkins, of the Chickasaw, 
 had been ordered North, but asked for and obtained 
 permission to wait, till he had carried his monitor 
 through the expected fight. Though one of the 
 youngest officers in command of a ship, he had the 
 sagacity to reflect that in a strange harbor, full of torpe 
 does, he should be safest alongside of an enemy s ves 
 sel, which for its own safety might be expected to keep 
 clear of obstructions. 
 
 "Accordingly he kept close under the stern of the 
 Tennessee and would not be thrown off , and pounded 
 away at close quarters with his eleven-inch guns. 
 
 * He succeeded in jamming one of her ports and 
 opening a breach for his shells to her interior, and to 
 him Commodore Parker awards the praise of giving 
 the vital wound which caused her surrender." 
 
 The New York Herald of August 2oth, 1864, con 
 tains the following article : 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 151 
 
 "WHAT THE MONITORS DID AT MOBILE. 
 
 " At eight o clock our fleet had all passed, and were 
 beyond range of Fort Morgan. At that hour the fight 
 began earnestly and defiantly with the rebel ram. For 
 two hours this unequal contest lasted ; that single iron 
 gunboat skilfully defying the efforts of our largest and 
 fleetest vessels to run her down, and her thick iron mail 
 resisting our heaviest metal. It was a most desperate 
 struggle. Our great sloops of war, with the little mon 
 itor, sailed about her in a regular circle, pouring into 
 her a constant fire of all calibres, including the heaviest 
 known in modern naval warfare, and yet she withstood 
 it all and answered gun for gun. Her endurance was 
 certainly unparalleled. Even without any other effect 
 upon her, it would seem that her men would be ex 
 hausted, and compelled for very weariness to give in ; 
 but they fought on, showing no signs of fatigue. At 
 last the double-turreted monitor, Chickasaw, steamed 
 close under her stern, and at close range discharged 
 her two forward guns. When the smoke of these tre 
 mendous discharges cleared away, the smokestack of 
 the Tennessee was found to be gone, and the smoke of 
 her engines was suffocating her men beneath the case 
 mates. Game to the last, she finally surrendered when 
 she could no longer resist." 
 
 The Herald correspondent, in a more detailed ac 
 count of the fight, written two or three days later, again 
 alludes to the surrender of the Tennessee, and writes as 
 follows : 
 
 "The final shots that terminated the career of the 
 rebel vessel were fired by the monitor Ch^ckasa^v , which 
 passed close under her stern, giving her the full weight 
 of two eleven-inch solid shot from her bow turret, which 
 damaged the cover of the ram s stern-ports. 
 
152 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " Buchanan went aft with his engineer to readjust 
 the port-cover; while engaged in tins operation the 
 Chickasaw brought her after-turret to bear, one shot 
 from which carried away the tiller chains of the Ten 
 nessee, rendering her unmanagable, while the other 
 shot entered the damaged port, killing one man and 
 fracturing Buchanan s leg. Having already lost her 
 smokestack, the rebel ship was now utterly helpless. 
 She was therefore surrendered at once, hauling down 
 her colors to the Chickasaw^ Lieutenant Commander 
 Perkins, commanding." 
 
 On the afternoon of August 5th, after the action with 
 the Tennessee in the morning, Captain Perkins took the 
 Chickasaiu close under the guns of Fort Powell, ex 
 changing shots with the fort and bringing away a large 
 barge, the Ingomar. Of this occurrence, a New Or 
 leans paper speaks as follows : 
 
 "Lieutenant Commander Perkins, of the monitor 
 Chickasai.u , steamed off in the direction of Fort Powell, 
 and then discovered, a short distance from the fort, and 
 within easy range, a barge at anchor filled with stones. 
 It was the intention to sink it in the channel of Grant s 
 Pass for the purpose of obstructing it. The Chickasaiv 
 passed between the fort and the barge, secured the latter 
 with cables, and towed the barge off, the fort firing in 
 the meantime." 
 
 Col. J. M. Williams, the rebel commander of Fort 
 Powell, reports as follows : 
 
 " About 2 : 30 p. m., one of the enemy s monitors came 
 up within seven hundred yards of the fort, firing rapidly 
 with shell and grape. . . . The iron-clad s fire made 
 it impossible to man the two guns in the rear, and I 
 made no attempt to do so. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 153 
 
 "The shells exploding in the face of the work displaced 
 the sand so rapidly that I was convinced, that unless the 
 iron-clad was driven off, it would explode my magazine, 
 and make the bomb-proof chambers untenable, in two 
 days at the furthest. To drive it from its position I 
 believed to be impossible with my imperfect works, and 
 so telegraphed to Colonel Anderson, commanding Fort 
 Gaines, that unless I could evacuate I would be com 
 pelled to surrender within forty-eight hours." 
 
 The result of the Chickasaitfs bombardment was that 
 Fort Powell was evacuated after dark, and that a rebel 
 lieutenant was " left in the fort with orders to prepare a 
 train and match to explode the magazine as soon as the 
 garrison had reached the mainland. . . . The fort 
 was blown up at 10 : 30 p. m." 
 
 On going down with the Chickasaiv on the morning of 
 August 6, Captain Perkins, as stated in his report, found 
 Fort Powell blown up, and towed out another barge. 
 Of these Admiral Farragut speaks in his report of 
 August 8, where he says : 
 
 " We took some covered barges also from Fort Powell 
 and Cedar Point which do us as good service as a work 
 shop." 
 
 In hastening the surrender of Fort Gaines, \\~\eHcrald 
 correspondent thus speaks of the part taken by the 
 Chickasa-LU : 
 
 "Yesterday morning on discovering the full extent oi 
 Granger s operations, and being warned by a few eleven- 
 inch shell from the monitor Chickasaw, which created 
 some destruction within the works, the commandant, 
 Colonel Anderson, sent out a flag of truce proposing a 
 surrender." 
 
 Admiral Farragut thus reports it : 
 
 " On the afternoon of the 6th the Chickasaw went down 
 
154 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 and shelled Fort Gaines, and on the morning of the 7th, 
 I received a communication from Colonel Anderson, 
 commanding the fort, offering to surrender." 
 
 The Herald correspondence was copied into a Concord 
 paper, and the editor comments as follows : 
 
 " Lieutenant George H. Perkins, above mentioned, is 
 a son of Hon. Hamilton E. Perkins of this city. He 
 has been for more than two years on the West Gulf 
 Squadron, and at the capture of New Orleans, the 
 Cayuga, of which he was executive officer, led the 
 squadron up the Mississippi. On arriving at the city, 
 Mr. Perkins accompanied Admiral Bailey to the city 
 hall to demand the surrender of the place. Just before 
 the attack on Mobile he obtained leave of absence, but 
 learning of the preparations for the attack, he volun 
 teered to remain, and was assigned by Admiral Farragut 
 to the command of the Chickasaw. He is one of the 
 youngest officers of his rank in the navy." 
 
 The fleet engineer, W. H. Shock, being impressed 
 with the merits of the iron-clads furnished the govern 
 ment by Mr. Eads, wrote to the Hon. Henry T. Blow, 
 of St. Louis, the following letter, which Mr. Blow pub 
 lished in the Missouri Democrat, with a preface, from 
 which I take the following extract : 
 
 " It has been the good fortune of our city to have fur 
 nished to the government an iron-clad navy, whose 
 history, marked throughout by the most brilliant ex 
 ploits, has no parallel in this age of invention and 
 
 progress." 
 
 ** FLAGSHIP HARTFORD, 
 
 "WESTERN GULF BLOCKADING SQUADRON, 
 " ENGINEER S DEP T, OFF MOBILE BAY, 
 
 " August n, 1864. 
 
 " HON. HENRY T. BLOW, ST. Louis, Mo. : 
 
 "My Dear Sir: Last Friday, the 5th, we met the 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 155 
 
 enemy in Mobile Bay, and it was comparatively short 
 work say one and a half hours before he was ours, 
 with the monster ram Tennessee lying quietly under the 
 protection of the Admiral s flagship, the Hartford, a 
 mass of invulnerability, with the old flag waving over 
 
 her. 
 
 ***** 
 
 " You are doubtless aware that it was confidently pre 
 dicted by some, that the Chickasaw and Winnebago 
 could not go to sea ; and further that their armor was 
 not sufficiently heavy to contend against heavy guns ; 
 that they were calculated only for river service, etc. 
 Against each and all of these propositions I stoutly con 
 tended, and expressed my views to Assistant Secretary 
 Fox, while in Washington, giving it as my opinion that 
 they could not only go to sea, but render efficient service 
 at the attack on Mobile. Shortly after my return to New 
 Orleans, I was agreeably astonished to see them coming 
 to anchor off the city. They were soon prepared for 
 
 sea and sent over to the Admiral. 
 
 ***** 
 
 " The Chickasazu in the meanwhile was quietly watch 
 ing the movements about Fort Morgan and the rebel 
 gunboats close by, and thus the time was disposed of 
 until Friday, the 5th, when the squadron was arranged 
 
 in line of battle for final attack. 
 
 ***** 
 
 " Soon the Tccumseh went down from a torpedo, 
 she having fired but twice. The Manhattan, for some 
 reason, seemed to work rather sluggishly. She suc 
 ceeded, however, in getting a fifteen-inch shot well 
 directed on the side of the casemate of the ram Tennes 
 see which crushed in the iron plating, broke through the 
 wooden backing, and was turned off. This shot showed 
 the great power of resistance which this monitor pos 
 sessed. 
 
156 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " It was soon evident that whatever else had to be 
 done, the ram Tennessee was either to be destroyed or 
 captured. That was a fixed fact, and a portion of the 
 squadron went at her with a will. She was rammed, 
 she was jammed, and broadside after broadside was 
 hurled at her, which rebounded from her side and fell 
 harmless in the water. 
 
 " In the meantime the Chickasaw was playing around 
 her, endeavoring to find a weak spot if one existed. It 
 was soon discovered that she had one, and that was the 
 after-gun port. Into this the Chickasazu sent a shell, 
 which killed part of the gun crew, and wounded Admi 
 ral Buchanan. Another disabled the steering apparatus, 
 and up went the white flag. The rebels did everything 
 to shake the little Chickasaw off, but it was impossible ; 
 she held on with a tenacity that secured success. 
 
 "In the fight the Tennessee lost her smoke-pipe. I 
 have had a new one made, and by this time the boast 
 of the Confederate navy is battering the walls of Fort 
 Morgan, with the stars and stripes waving over her, 
 having in the last few days changed her base of opera 
 tions. The Chickasaw and Winnebago are both engaged 
 in the same good work. 
 
 " I beg you will remember me most kindly to your 
 family, and to my St. Louis friends generally, and 
 " Believe me as ever, 
 " Yours most truly, 
 
 " W. II. SHOCK, 
 
 " Fleet Engineer " 
 
 From the " Chapter in History " before alluded to, 
 as published by Mr. Eads in defence of his monitors, I 
 copy these closing sentences : 
 
 "The Chickasazu obtained a position under the stern 
 of the rebel ram, and poured in such a storm of eleven- 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 157 
 
 inch solid steel and cast-iron shot that the flag of the 
 ram was finally hauled down to her. 
 
 " Throughout the fight the Tennessee found it impos 
 sible to o-et out of the raking fire in which she was held 
 
 O O 
 
 by this iron-clad, in which position the latter delivered 
 fifty-two eleven-inch shot at her. Her commander, 
 George H. Perkins, was handsomely complimented by 
 Farragut." 
 
 This " Chapter in History" was copied into the Con 
 cord Statesman, with the following editorial comment: 
 
 " TOO MODEST. 
 
 "There is an article in this paper entitled A Chapter 
 in Elistory, which we have printed because of its gen 
 eral interest, and especially because of its few words of 
 just mention for our townsman, Commander George H. 
 Perkins of the navy. 
 
 "The battle of Mobile Bay was one of the great bat 
 tles of the war, and no ship s commander engaged in it 
 was entitled to half as much credit for gallantry, good 
 judgment, and persistency as Perkins. He captured 
 the Tennessee, and lay beside her modestly waiting for 
 an officer of higher rank to come up in his ship and 
 receive the surrender. By this the reader will infer, 
 what is the fact, that Commander Perkins is as modest 
 as he is brave. His record all through the war is of 
 the very highest character." 
 
 Accompanying this is a diagram of the vessels as 
 they advanced to the attack in Mobile Bay, and the 
 spot where the Tennessee surrendered ; also Forts Pow 
 ell and Gaines. 
 
 As soon as George has a moment s rest from the toil 
 and turmoil of the fight, he writes his mother the fol 
 lowing line : 
 
158 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " U. S. IRON-CLAD CHICKASAW, 
 
 " MOBILE BAY, August 6, 1864. 
 4 k DEAR MOTHER: 
 
 "AH right. 
 
 "Your affectionate son, 
 
 " GEORGE." 
 August 8th he writes : 
 
 "My DEAR MOTHER: 
 
 " I have but a moment to write. I only want to tell 
 you I am well. We had a desperate fight on the morn 
 ing of the 5th. No one was hurt on board my vessel, 
 but the squadron lost a good many. Captain Craven 
 of the Tecumseh was blown up by a torpedo just ahead 
 of me. I will write you more about it when I have 
 time. I had a hard fight with the rebel ram Tennessee, 
 and have been highly complimented by the Admiral 
 and other old officers for the part I took in the engage 
 ment. I have been fighting forts every day since, and 
 Fort Gaines surrendered this morning. I shelled Fort 
 Powell the afternoon of the 5th, and during the night 
 the rebels blew it up. I think Fort Morgan will sur 
 render soon. The other iron-clads are more or less 
 disabled. I told you I would come out all right ! 
 
 " As you like to hear all the complimentary things 
 about me, I must tell you that I have the credit of tak 
 ing the rebel ram Tennessee and of wounding Admiral 
 Buchanan, and doing all the damage that caused her 
 surrender. 
 
 " Captain Jenkins of the Richmond told Admiral Far- 
 ragut that I ought to be promoted at once for my gal 
 lantry in this fight. I only tell you this because I 
 thought you would like to hear it. It is nothing now 
 but fight, fight, fight, all the time, so excuse haste. 
 Will write you again soon. Love to all. 
 
 "Your affectionate son, 
 
 " GEORGE. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 159 
 
 "P. S. As soon as Fort Morgan surrenders, I go 
 to Dog River Bar, and attack the batteries there." 
 
 " U. S. IRON-CLAD CHICKASAW, 
 "MOBILE BAY, August n, 1864. 
 
 " It is a rainy, stormy day, and we are lying quiet 
 about fifteen hundred yards from Fort Morgan. The 
 fort has not surrendered yet, but must in a short time. 
 The army has landed in the rear, and is putting up bat 
 teries about five hundred yards distant from it. We 
 have not opened on the fort to-day, and so far not a 
 single gun has been fired. The rebels are all inside, 
 and we can see each other very plainly. I do not 
 think they like the looks of the iron-dads. I have no 
 idea whether the Admiral intends attacking Mobile ^ 
 or not. This was a brilliant victory, and should be fol 
 lowed up. 
 
 " I suppose you have all felt anxious about me lately, 
 but I feel much better now than if I had come home. 
 The Admiral and all give me credit for the manner in 
 which I fought my ship, and Admiral Buchanan said 
 himself that if it had not been for me, he should have 
 escaped. I have been hard at work since I have been 
 in here. I expect to go to Dog River Bar to attack the 
 batteries there to-morrow. 
 
 "The reason my ship is of so much importance is 
 because the other monitors cannot work their turrets. 
 I cannot help feeling very much flattered at the confi 
 dence that is placed in me and at the things that are 
 said about me. I suspect you would think I was flat 
 tered too much ! I do not know when I shall come 
 home, but not, I suppose, till the fighting is over here." 
 
 "U. S. IRON-CLAD CHICKASAW, 
 
 " FOUR MILES BELOW MOBILE CITY, 
 
 "August 16, 1864. 
 " I have been hard at work since I have been in this 
 
l6o LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 ba\ T , fighting almost continually. We are all nearly 
 used up on board this vessel. As mine is the only 
 effective iron-clad, I am obliged to be constantly in 
 motion. 
 
 " The city and its defences are now in plain sight of 
 me its iron-clads, batteries, rams, and all. Yesterday 
 I had a little fight with the rams across the obstructions. 
 The channel to Mobile is filled up with spiles, sunken 
 vessels, and torpedoes. The rebs have two very good- 
 looking rams, and the obstructions are formidable obsta 
 cles which it may be a good deal of trouble for me to 
 clear, as I am now on the advance. 
 
 "For your sakes I am happy to say the Chickasaw 
 has won for herself quite a name. I was mighty glad 
 to get letters from home to-day, for it had been such a 
 long while since I had heard. Do write, for now the 
 mails will probably come with some regularity, and I 
 am always thinking of you all and longing to hear from 
 you. I am pretty well, but a little New Hampshire air 
 would improve me." 
 
 " CHICKASAW, August 17, 1864. 
 
 " I am now almost near enough to shell Mobile, and 
 I have plenty of excitement. Yesterday two of my 
 boats had quite a little fight with some guerillas on 
 shore. The Admiral says that he shall take Mobile 
 soon and that I shall come, too. Fort Morgan has 
 not surrendered yet, but this does not affect us much, as 
 we can get all our supplies through Grant s Pass." 
 
 "AuousT 18, 1864. 
 
 "We are still having lively times around Fort Mor 
 gan. Last night a couple of rebel rams came out, and 
 we lay looking at each other all night. This morning 
 I expected a fight, but they went back to the city. 
 
 " I have not been very well for a day or so. I have 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. l6l 
 
 to be around all the time, day and night, and these hot 
 iron-clads use me up. I am writing now on board Cap 
 tain Jewett s ship, the Metacomet. He is a great friend 
 of mine, and a mighty fascinating fellow." 
 
 "AUGUST 20, 1864. 
 
 " Have just received your letters. I was so glad to 
 get a letter from Aunt Harriet, and to know that she is 
 with you. I am so sorry that I cannot be at home 
 while she is there, for it is such a long time since I 
 have seen her. I shall write her a long letter as soon 
 as I can. 
 
 "I am ordered to shell Fort Morgan, and I shall 
 probably be under the fort two or three days. I cannot 
 write more now ; but you will hear as soon as possible 
 if I am not all right. Give Aunt Harriet a good kiss 
 for me. I shall go and see her if ever I get home 
 again. Shelling Fort Morgan will be such hot work 
 that I hope it will surrender soon." 
 
 " CHICKASAW, August 24, 1864. 
 
 "Fort Morgan surrendered yesterday, and I have 
 been having a rest to-day. We were very glad of the 
 surrender on board this ship, for all my officers and 
 men were getting perfectly worn out from having been 
 so constantly under fire. And now for Mobile ! The 
 Admiral is in a hurry for me to get up the bay, for, as 
 I have said before, I am the only effective iron-clad 
 he has. 
 
 "You know, dear mother, I have to tell you all my 
 compliments, so I must write what Captain Strong of 
 the Monongahela has just said to me. He is going to 
 Washington on official business, and as he bade me 
 good- by, he said, When I come back, Perkins, I shall 
 bring your promotion with me ! Yes, it is true that I 
 
1 62 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 get much praise and flattery for my success, and I am 
 glad for vour sake. The Admiral speaks of me in the 
 highest terms to every one. 
 
 " Captain Jenkins, of the Richmond, who is one of 
 the kindest and best of men, talks about me as enthusi 
 astically as if he was my father, and always calls me 
 * his pet. After the battle of Mobile Bay, he told 
 Admiral Farragut on no account to let me go home till 
 all the fighting here was over, for they could not get 
 along without me. 
 
 " The other day when I was sick he sent his surgeon 
 up, on a steamer from the lower bay, to take care of 
 me, and to bring me a lot of good things to eat. 
 I called on him to-day, and he asked if my sisters 
 would not thank him for making a hero of me. 
 Perhaps I ought not to tell you all these tilings ; but I 
 do like to have you know of any pleasant or successful 
 thing that happens to me. 
 
 "I am getting very anxious to hear from home. 
 I have heard something good about Hamilton. Captain 
 Johnson, who is stationed at the naval school, wrote a 
 friend, who told me, that Hamilton was a very smart 
 boy, and would make a brilliant officer. Well, I wish 
 I could see him and all of you to-night. 
 
 " I was talking to the Admiral to-day he talks a 
 great deal to me when I go to see him when, all at 
 once, he fainted away. He is not very well, and is all 
 tired out. It gave me quite a shock, and shows how 
 exhausted he is, and his health is not very good any 
 way. He is a mighty fine old fellow. I want to come 
 home just to tell you about all I have been doing. It 
 has been so exciting that it seems as if I had a great 
 deal to say. If I could only talk instead of writing, 
 I could tell you all so much better." 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 163 
 
 " CHICKASAW, August 31, 1864. 
 
 "I have not been very well. These iron-dads are 
 pretty rough on a fellow ; they are hot, and have no 
 comforts. I often think of my nice little cabin on the 
 Sciota, and of her officers and crew who seemed so 
 fond of me. But this is a fine command, and much as 
 I want to come home, I shall keep it till the fighting 
 is over. I am only waiting till the repairs on the 
 machinery are completed to go up to Mobile. The 
 army is landing and marching up. I do not know 
 what the Admiral will do, but he says he is waiting for 
 this ship to be ready. 
 
 "When I have been up the bay I have been near 
 enough to have a good view of Mobile, and the rebels 
 may give us some trouble yet, for they are strengthen 
 ing their defences. But now, though, there is only one 
 way for it all to end, they are as completely shut off 
 from the bay as an inland town, and the arm} - is clos 
 ing in the rest. . 
 
 " We received the papers to-day describing our fight 
 in the bay, and I see the Ckickasaw is spoken well of 
 by every one. I am glad of it, for I know it will please 
 you. I am getting anxious for more letters and more 
 news from home. How does Frank like the gun that 
 I sent him from New Orleans?" 
 
 "CHICKASAW, September 9, 1864. 
 " I enclose you a list of such mementoes of the fights 
 which I have been in, as I have sent home, and wish 
 to have kept. In the first place, one of the pistols, 
 which I sent home after the fight at New Orleans, 
 came from the forts, and the other came from the rebel 
 gunboat Governor Moore, which surrendered to the 
 Cayuga\ the double-barrelled shotgun, which I sent to 
 Hamilton, came from the Chalmette regiment; the 
 
164 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 rebel flag came from New Orleans before the surrender 
 of the city ; the sword came from a New Hampshire 
 captain in the rebel service ; the last double-barrelled 
 gun was taken near Donaldsonville, on the Mississippi, 
 where I was fired into and nearly destroyed on the 
 New London. 
 
 "The Whitworth shells are curiosities, owing to 
 their construction, and the long range of the gun, 
 which throws them easily five miles. These guns are 
 of English make, and the one that was at Fort Morgan 
 annoyed the blockading fleet more than anything else. 
 There is also a pistol that was on the rebel ram 
 Tennessee, and a pistol from Fort Gaines, and a shot 
 from Fort Powell. I will send you soon a sword taken 
 from a field-officer in Fort Morgan, and with it the 
 rebel flag that floated over the fort during the entire 
 bombardment. This latter I obtained in a rather 
 remarkable manner. 
 
 "The sailors from this ship drew down the flag, and 
 one of them seized it and hid it in his bosom. There 
 was not much left of it it was so riddled and torn. 
 The sailor brought it to me, saying that no one had a 
 right to it but the captain of the Chickasaw. I hardly 
 knew what to do about it, but he seemed so earnest I 
 could not refuse to take it from him. It is a mere frag 
 ment anyway, so I send it home. I wish you would 
 have all these things kept together, for perhaps some 
 day, somebody would like to see them, and while I live 
 I shall like to have a look at them once in a while." 
 
 The New Orleans Era, of Tuesday morning, August 
 30, 1864, says of the capture of Fort Morgan : 
 
 " It was a glorious sight to see the gallant Captain 
 Perkins, in the Chickasaw, nearly all the morning 
 almost touching the wharf, and pouring in his terrible 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 165 
 
 missiles, two at a time, and making bricks and mortar 
 fly in all directions, then moving a little ahead or astern 
 to get a fresh place. 
 
 44 He stayed there till nearly noon, when he hauled 
 off to cool his guns and give his men some refreshment. 
 In the afternoon he took his ship in again and turret 
 after turret was emptied at the fort." 
 
 George remained in command of the Chickasa^u until 
 after the fall of Mobile in the spring of 1865. He 
 wrote home frequently, and his letters show the pride 
 which he took in his ship, which was called the 
 " crack " iron-clad, and was an object of interest and 
 curiosity. Among them on board they invented a 
 protection against torpedoes, and a picture of the 
 Chickasaw with this attachment appeared in Harper s 
 Weekly. 
 
 While Admiral Farragut remained in command at 
 Mobile he made several visits to the Chickasaw and 
 praised the order in which it was kept, and spoke of 
 the dependence he placed upon it, and of his confidence 
 in its commander. He was most kindly and flattering 
 in his intercourse with George, and praised him warmly 
 to others. 
 
 Years after, in the organization of the 44 Society of 
 the Army and Navy of the Gulf," Admiral Farragut s 
 secretary writes : 
 
 44 It will be most agreeable to Admiral Farragut to 
 have Commander Perkins associated with him on the 
 Committee of the Society. He is one of his favorite 
 officers, having served most gallantly with him in 
 Mobile Bay, and at all times proving himself a most 
 accomplished gentleman and officer." 
 
 George s old commander on the coast of Africa, 
 Captain Armstrong, writes to him from New Orleans : 
 
1 66 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " Mrs. Armstrong and Admiral Farragut had a long 
 talk about you ; both belong to your admiration society, 
 and your ears must have tingled." 
 
 I have once before in these pages recorded what was 
 Admiral Farragut s latest expression with regard to my 
 brother, but as the letter lies before me now, I cannot 
 help copying the whole sentence : 
 
 "Mr. McRitchie tells me that Farragut said to him 
 less than a month before the Admiral s death, when 
 talking about the Gulf squadron, that Captain Perkins 
 was young and handsome, and that no braver man 
 ever trod a ship s deck ; that his work in the Chickasaw 
 did more to capture the Tennessee than all the guns of 
 the fleet put together." 
 
 The commander of the Chickasaw earned a reputa 
 tion for her management, in other respects than that of 
 her handling in warlike manoeuvres. I have letters 
 and reports of official inspection, and comparisons of 
 estimates, which prove that she was always kept in 
 order and ready for duty at much less expense than 
 any of the other monitors. The letters express sur 
 prise, and contain compliments on its commander s 
 ability, and manner of doing this. Indeed, all the 
 ships, with which he has been connected, have had a 
 superlative reputation for neatness and order. 
 
 George remained in command of the CJl^ckasa^v for 
 more than a year. It was not a very comfortable 
 home. The heat of the furnaces made it impossible to 
 stay in the cabin for any length of time. He finally 
 arranged a tent to live in on deck, where, at least, he 
 could have fresh air; but this did not prove a very 
 secure protection when the autumn and winter gales 
 began to blow. They would frequently take off the 
 whole affair, and he and his belongings would be 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 167 
 
 deluged with rain and nearly blown overboard. When 
 nothing else was doing, he would resort to his old 
 amusement of hunting, and for much the same reason, 
 namely, to supply his table. Having a good steward 
 he achieved fame in a new direction, that of an Amphi 
 tryon ; and officers, both of the navy and army, found 
 at his table a grateful variety from their usual scanty 
 fare. 
 
 July 10, 1865, the commander of the Chickasazv was 
 detached, and returned home to enjoy his well-earned 
 leave of absence. He \vas received with enthusiasm 
 by all who knew him, and complimentary letters 
 poured in on him and on his family. He was at that 
 time the embodiment of an attractive naval officer, and 
 might have figured in the pages of romance. He was 
 possessed of the high spirits, the daring, the confidence 
 in others, and, as was said of him, the " frank, sailor- 
 like way and bonhomie, which excites the admiration 
 of all:" It is not my prejudice which says this ; it is 
 but an epitome of the remarks made about him at that 
 time, and which still confront me from letters, now fast 
 growing yellow with age. 
 
 A brother officer from New Hampshire writes me at 
 this time, and is most anxious that "The state of New 
 Hampshire should do itself the honor of having a 
 painting hung up in its capitol, representing Perkins, 
 standing at the bow of the little Cayuga, literally pilot 
 ing the fleet through the hurricane of shot and shell 
 in that battle of New Orleans, which was, in some 
 respects, the grandest naval achievement of the war. 
 Certainly our state house, where naval subjects are 
 entirely unrepresented, has no worthier or more heroic 
 subject on its walls." 
 
 Again, later, the same officer writes: "No state in 
 the Union was better represented in the naval field 
 
1 68 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 during the war than was New Hampshire, in the 
 person and deeds of Captain Perkins. Had he been 
 an army man, especially a volunteer, his portrait would 
 long since have been hung, and his praises continually 
 sounded from one end of the state to another." This 
 officer returns frequently, in his letters, to the subject 
 of the portrait for the state house, and seems to desire 
 earnestly that his own state should do George this 
 honor. 
 
 Another friend writes of him : " He is a rare charac 
 ter. Every one will rejoice when he receives the 
 reward which is his due, for every one loves him. He 
 is fitted always to take the lead, and makes no ene 
 mies." 
 
 When my brother returned North in the summer of 
 sixty-five, his friends urged that the members of con 
 gress from New Hampshire should be applied to, and 
 asked to demand from the government a recognition of 
 his services. But this was repugnant to his feelings ; 
 for it seemed to him that such acknowledgment would 
 and should come spontaneously. In answer to the 
 remonstrances of his friends, he would say, " Well, I 
 shall get my thirty numbers anyway," an advance in 
 rank to that degree being one of the rewards prescribed 
 by naval ruling for gallantry in action. 
 
 That winter he was ordered as superintendent of 
 iron-clads in the harbor of New Orleans, and the next 
 year, in May, 1867, he was sent on a three years 
 cruise in the Pacific, as first lieutenant of the Lacka- 
 ivanna. 
 
 As Farragut s conduct began to attract attention in 
 not securing for the officers who served under him any 
 acknowledgment from the government, or any special 
 promotion, this neglect on his part was greatly com 
 mented on. All turned to my brother, and his war 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 169 
 
 record, as an instance of such shining merit, that it 
 must be plain to all, he could not be overlooked, that 
 reward in his case would be but the simplest act of 
 justice. The advancement of thirty numbers in his 
 rank was looked upon as a certainty, and as he was 
 about to leave the country in the Lackawanna^ Ad 
 miral Jenkins writes to wish him " A pleasant and 
 profitable cruise, and the thirty numbers to which you 
 are entitled for your services." 
 
 I will quote here a letter from the same admiral, 
 written more than two years previously, which will 
 prove how confidently the officers of the fleet in Mobile 
 Bay, ever after the action, expected that by every gov 
 ernment mail, or by every officer who came out on 
 detail, would be sent promotion and thanks from the 
 government to the commander of the Chickasaw : 
 
 " U. S. S. RICHMOND, 
 " MOBILE LOWER BAY, October 5, 1864. 
 " MY DEAR BOY: 
 
 " I was very glad to hear of your approach in your 
 iron cage. I send over papers, although they may not 
 be as late as you have. I hope with all my heart that 
 before many weeks you will receive from the President 
 a substantial testimonial of your gallantry, coolness, 
 and good judgment in our action on the 5th, and yours 
 especially with Gaines, Powell, and Morgan. 
 " I am, sincerely your friend, 
 
 " THORNTON A. JENKINS, 
 "Commander, U. S. TVV 
 
 A story is told of my brother, at the time of his join 
 ing the Lackawanna.) which gives perhaps as good an 
 idea of the quickness of his wit as any one which I 
 know of him, or have been told. It is a favorite 
 
170 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 anecdote among his naval comrades, and I have been 
 assured that it should not be omitted from any sketch 
 which pretends to preserve his characteristics. 
 
 While the Lackawanna was fitting out in New York 
 harbor, her captain thought fit to absent himself at his 
 own pleasure, though doubtless it was with the knowl 
 edge and consent of the commandant of the yard, 
 Admiral Godon. This left all the task of preparing 
 the ship for sea on my brother s shoulders, and as he 
 had been anticipating a week s leave of absence before 
 starting on the long voyage, he found his chance fast 
 slipping away. He therefore resolved to take it, 
 whether or no. Naval discipline, just after the war, 
 was not what it is nowadays. 
 
 Admiral Stringham was, at that time, port admiral, 
 and Admiral Godon, commandant. The latter had 
 rather a grudge against George ever since the old coast 
 of Africa days, because my brother had determined not 
 to be delayed about getting the Sumter ready for her 
 return vo}^age, and had played the part of " the early 
 bird who caught the worm;" or, in other words, had 
 gone to the coal station so quickly upon the squadron 
 getting orders for home, that he had coaled ship and 
 started before Godon, then flag-officer of that station, 
 had arrived, and the flagship, therefore, had to wait for 
 the next supplies. 
 
 The absence of the captain and the executive officer 
 of the Lackawanna left the navigator in command, and 
 when, one morning, Admiral Godon sent for the com 
 manding officer of the Lackawanna, the navigator pre 
 sented himself, and, in answer to Godon s remark, "I 
 wish to see the commanding officer of the Lacka- 
 wanna, " answered, " I am the commanding officer of 
 the Lackawanna." "Where is Lieutenant Perkins?" 
 said the admiral. " On shore, sir," said the navigator. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 17 I 
 
 " Very well. Tell him, when he comes aboard, that I 
 wish to see him." 
 
 The next day the admiral sent again for the " com 
 manding officer of the Lackaiuanna." Again the navi 
 gator appeared. " I don t want you," said the admiral. 
 " I want the commanding officer of the Lackaiuanna." 
 "I am the commanding officer of the Lacka-wanna" 
 again answered the navigator. " Where is Lieutenant 
 Perkins?" screamed Godon, in the high voice always 
 peculiar to him, but now raised to a much higher pitch 
 by wrath. " On shore, sir." " How long has he been 
 ashore?" shouted the admiral. "About four days, 
 sir," answered the navigator. "That ll do, sir," said 
 the angry admiral. " When he comes back tell him to 
 report to me." 
 
 As soon as possible the navigator communicated the 
 state of things to George, and warned him of " shoals 
 ahead." But George finished his week s leave tran 
 quilly, and, having returned to the ship, proceeded to 
 report to the commandant. He was coldly received by 
 that officer, who reproved him with great severity, and 
 wound up his remarks by saying, in a fiercely ironical 
 tone, " Now, Lieutenant Perkins, one of three people 
 is responsible for this irregular proceeding, this gross 
 neglect of the duties of an officer while his ship is in 
 this yard, and it is either you, Admiral Stringham, or 
 myself. One of us must be subjected to trial by court- 
 martial, and be prepared to stand its sentence. Now, 
 sir, which shall it be, sir? Which shall it be?" 
 
 George approached the angry official in a most affec 
 tionate manner, and, with a bland smile, remarked, 
 confidentially, "Between you and me, Admiral, let s 
 put it all on old Stringham !" 
 
 This was more than Godon s sense of fun could 
 resist. His anger vanished in an uncontrollable burst 
 
172 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 of laughter, and the executive officer of the Lacka- 
 wanna pursued his further course unmolested. In due 
 time the ship was ready for sea, and George received 
 high praise for her thorough preparation, despite his 
 week s leave of absence. 
 
 Acting Lieutenant Hamilton, who served with my 
 brother on the Chickasaw, was a very fine man, of an 
 excellent family, and greatly respected. He entered 
 the war from conscientious motives, and meeting my 
 brother and liking him, gladly volunteered for the 
 battle of Mobile as first lieutenant of the Chickasaw. 
 He deplored, with all his heart, the youthful modesty 
 which influenced its commander to defer to Captain 
 LeRoy of the Ossipee, in the matter of the Tennessee s 
 surrender. Among the letters, both of praise and 
 remonstrance, which were showered upon him during 
 these years, I quote from two of Mr. Hamilton s, writ 
 ten at different dates : 
 
 * MY DEAR CAPTAIN : 
 
 "The last Army and Navy Journal has my name 
 among the list of promotions, and I am glad that it 
 is dated soon enough to report it as of the Chicka 
 saw. ^ For me, the Mobile cruise, with its hardships 
 and pleasures, rams and obstructions, has been one of 
 great interest. By the excitement I gained my health, 
 and, by your kind interest in my behalf, my promotion. 
 
 " Even in her retirement, the old Chickasaw main 
 tains her prestige, for she is clean, and in better order 
 than any of the other monitors. History must record 
 the fact that the cruise of the Chickasaw was the most 
 interesting and successful of the war. I hope you will 
 soon receive the promotion you deserve. 
 
 " Yours sincerely, 
 
 * WILLIAM HAMILTON." 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 173 
 
 A year later he writes : 
 
 " Perkins, I am proud of my connection with the 
 Chickasaw. Truth is mighty and will prevail ! The 
 old Chickasaw is being immortalized in prose and verse 
 as the vessel that did the solid work in Mobile. The 
 fabulous to say the least statements of Nicholson 
 have done their end, and many have been gulled 
 thereby. Had these deceived persons been in a single 
 vessel in Mobile Bay, with none but the Manhattan to 
 protect them, they would have made another tale not 
 quite so flattering to the war-horse. " : 
 
 On account of his habit of bragging, this commander 
 received the nickname of "War-horse Nicholson." 
 
 But, as I have said, my brother was ordered in May, 
 1867, as first lieutenant of the Lackawanna, for three 
 years cruise in the Pacific, and he sailed away from 
 his country > find boards and committees on naval mat 
 ters met and dissolved. Chancres were made in the 
 
 & 
 
 service, from which some officers reaped advantage, 
 chiefly through political influence. Nothing was done 
 for him, and his career furnishes but another illustra 
 tion of the proverb that " Republics are always un 
 grateful." 
 
 He was stationed about three years in the Pacific. 
 During this time he lost his brothers Roger and Frank, 
 of whom he was very fond, and by whose loss his life 
 was much saddened. The headquarters of the Lacka 
 wanna were at Honolulu, Sandwich Islands, and he 
 spent much of his spare time traveling over these, 
 even to their remotest corners. He enjoyed visiting 
 the ranches, and joining in the exciting though peril 
 ous occupation of driving the wild cattle down from 
 the mountains, where one s safety depended almost 
 wholly on skilful horsemanship. He ascended the 
 
174 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 great volcano of Kiliau ; went to every interesting 
 locality ; studied the natives ; attended their feasts and 
 learned their customs ; and the delicious climate ren 
 dered it possible for him to enjoy, all the year round, 
 the open air life, of which he is so fond. As usual, 
 he wrote frequently, and occasionally newspaper bits, 
 like the following, informed us that he was attending 
 to his country s reputation : 
 
 "The commander of the British war vessel Chanti 
 cleer, at Honolulu, set his band playing Dixie, along 
 side the United States steamer Lackazvanna. The latter 
 retorted with Wearing of the Green. 
 
 " The whaling bark, Daniel Wood, of New Bedford, 
 was wrecked on the French Frigate Shoals, April i/j-th. 
 Captain Richard, and a portion of the crew, arrived at 
 Honolulu after a passage of 450 miles in an open boat. 
 The U. S. S. Lackazvanna immediately sailed for the 
 scene of the wreck to rescue the remainder of the crew." 
 
 While the Lackawanna was at Honolulu, an event 
 occurred which was referred to in the discussions of 
 congress with regard to Hawaiian matters in the session 
 of i892- 93, as illustrating the policy of our government. 
 The official records of the government afford a very 
 complete and entertaining history of how the United 
 States became the possessor of an important island in 
 the Pacific Ocean, far beyond the present confines of 
 the United States. That island is called "Midway 
 Island," so named by our navy department, principally 
 on the unofficial suggestion of the Pacific Mail Steam 
 ship Company, in recognition of the geographical 
 position of these islands on the route from the Sandwich 
 Islands to Japan. Midway Island is not far from the 
 much talked of Hawaiian Islands, being one of a chain 
 of small islands in the North Pacific Ocean, stretching 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 175 
 
 from the Hawaiian group in a general northwesterly 
 direction. 
 
 The attention of Secretary Welles was called to this 
 island as possibly destined to prove of early importance 
 as a coaling station for United States vessels cruising 
 in these waters. Secretary Welles issued an order to 
 Rear Admiral Thatcher, commanding the North Pacific 
 squadron, to detail the Lackawanna,or some other suit 
 able vessel, to search for the island, and having found 
 it, to take possession in the name of the United States. 
 
 How completely and formally that order was carried 
 into execution, is shown in the very interesting report 
 made by Captain William Reynolds, the officer in com 
 mand of the Lackaiuanna. The gallant captain was very 
 proud of having been concerned in taking possession of 
 the first island ever added to the dominion of the United 
 States beyond our own shores, and in his report he well 
 describes the somewhat dramatic and spectacular per 
 formance of taking possession of Midway Island in the 
 name of the United States. Captain Reynolds says : 
 
 " I have the honor to report that on Wednesday, the 
 28th of August, 1867, in compliance with the orders of 
 the Hon. Secretary of the Navy of May 28, I took 
 formal possession of Brook s Island and reefs for the 
 United States. Having previously erected a suitable 
 flagstaff, I landed on that day, accompanied by all the 
 officers who could be spared from the ship, with six 
 boats armed and equipped, and under a salute of twenty- 
 one guns, and with three cheers, hoisted the national 
 ensign, and called on all hands to witness the act of 
 taking possession in the name of the United States. 
 
 " The ceremony of taking possession ove>r, the how 
 itzers and small-arm men and marines were exercised 
 at target firing. Having hauled the seine and procured 
 an abundant supply offish, the men cooked their dinner 
 
176 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 on shore, and the rest of the day was spent pleasantly, 
 picnic fashion, upon the island. It is exceedingly grati 
 fying to me to have been thus concerned in taking 
 possession of the first island ever added to the dominion 
 of the United States beyond our own shores, and I sin 
 cerely hope that this will by no means be the last of our 
 insular annexations. I ventured to name the only har 
 bor at this island after the present Hon. Secretary of the 
 Navy, and to call its roadstead after the present Hon. 
 Secretary of State (Seward)." 
 
 The official reports as to the character of this island 
 represent that, with the exception of Honolulu, it pos 
 sesses advantages for a coaling depot superior to any 
 other place on the line from California to China. 
 
 The allusions to this event in Captain Perkins s letters, 
 at that time, are as follows : 
 
 "AT SEA, U. S. S. LACK AW ANN A, 
 
 "August, 1867. 
 
 " I received your letters from home by the last mail 
 and should have answered them before leaving Hono 
 lulu, but I went into the country to pass a few days, 
 never dreaming that the ship was going to sea ; but on 
 my return I found we were going to leave the next day. 
 
 " We are now on our way to survey an island, discov 
 ered by Captain Brooks a few years ago, which the 
 Pacific Mail steamship wants for a coal depot, and we 
 shall probably return to Honolulu in about six weeks. 
 Ever since we left there the sea has been very rough, 
 and we have been tumbling about in every imaginable 
 way, and now the old ship is rolling so I can hardly 
 write. I wish I could come home if only for a few days." 
 
 "AUGUST 4TH. 
 
 " I have been thinking of Roger and Frank all this 
 morning. In Roger s last letter to me, which was 
 written in November, he says, In a little while there 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 177 
 
 will be no more partings. He was so fond of Frankie 
 that he never recovered from his loss : and now they 
 are both gone ! It seems so strange and so hard. They 
 were both noble boys, and you could have better spared 
 Ham my or myself. 
 
 " It is such a beautiful day it makes me homesick, but 
 we are so far at sea that there is nothing in sight with 
 a shore look. When the ship is in Honolulu I enjoy 
 the best of anything getting a few days off, and going 
 back in the country to the cattle ranches where I get 
 plenty of excitement riding on first-class horses and 
 helping drive in the wild cattle. 
 
 " I hope you are saving some of the colts for me. I 
 am glad mother s horse is such a nice one. 
 
 " These islands, where we are going, are said to 
 abound in fish, sea fowl, turtles, and turtles eggs. 
 
 "Just now we are sailing along quietly, although we 
 have been greatly startled and had a few moments of 
 terrible anxiety. One of the men. while furling the top 
 gallant sail, lost his hold and fell overboard. Of 
 course, falling from such a height, we all thought he 
 was killed. The life-buoys were cut away, the ship 
 hove to, and a boat sent for him, which picked him up 
 and found him but little hurt after all. It was such a 
 narrow escape, we were all greatly relieved when we 
 got him aboard all right. Except this, we are sailing 
 along day after day in perfect monotony, and for two 
 months or more we shall not see a strange face or hear 
 a word of news from home. But the weather is delight- 
 
 c? 
 
 ful, and my health is good. I hope you have good 
 news from Hammy. He is so far away from me that 
 it will take my letters three months to reach him." 
 
 " AUGUST 24. 
 
 " Breakers have been reported from the mast-head, 
 and I hope it is the island we are looking for. I must go. ?> 
 
1 78 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " AUGUST 27. 
 
 "Yes, it proved to be the land we are seeking, and 
 now we are lying at anchor off Brooks s Island, named 
 after the captain who discovered it a few years ago ; 
 and probably never before or since has there been any 
 one there. It is low and sandy, about six miles long, 
 and its inhabitants are only seagulls and other sea 
 birds, seals, and turtles. Never having seen any 
 human beings before, they are not in the least afraid of 
 us, and we can catch as many of them as we wish. I 
 have been fishing and caught a boatload of fish and 
 eleven turtles, each one of the latter weighing two 
 hundred pounds and over. We are going to remain 
 here and survey the islands, but to-day it has come 
 on to rain, and we are all cooped up on board the 
 ship a dull prospect for me. I think as I grow older 
 I grow more nervous, and it is hard for me to sit still 
 more than a few minutes at a time. I wish I could 
 keep more quiet, for I think it would be better for me." 
 
 " AUGUST 28. 
 
 "Pleasant weather has come again and I have 
 been out hunting and fishing. Shot seventeen curlew, 
 hauled the seine, caught a boatload of fish and three 
 large turtles; hunted for shells, but could not find any. 
 
 "We are going to have quite a ceremony, and take 
 possession of the islands for the United States." 
 
 Then follows his description of the ceremony, which 
 I have anticipated in the quotations from Captain Rey- 
 nolds s report. 
 
 After his cruise in the Pacific my brother was ordered 
 on ordnance duty in Boston, March 19, 1869, and con 
 tinued in that position until March, 1871, with the 
 interruption of a month when he took the new steamer 
 Nantasket on her trial trip out of New York. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 179 
 
 In September, 1870, he was married to Anna Minot 
 Weld, daughter of William F. Weld of Boston, Mass. 
 His marriage called forth warm and friendly letters from 
 his naval associates. Admiral Bailey writes as follows : 
 
 " MY DEAR FRIEND : 
 
 "Remembering the support you gave me in battle, 
 and through the hostile mob at New Orleans, I shall 
 accept the invitation to your wedding, and be present 
 to support you through this important step in your life." 
 
 January 19, 1871, he was appointed Commander in 
 the Navy. In March, 1871, he was ordered to com 
 mand the Relief, which carried stores from the United 
 States to France, at that time suffering from famine, 
 resulting from the disorders of the Communists. 
 
 After an absence of six months, he returned to the 
 Boston navy yard, but was soon after transferred to 
 the position of lighthouse inspector of the Second Dis 
 trict, and continued to reside in Boston, which had now 
 become his home. In 1877 he was ordered to China, 
 to take command of the U. S. S. Ashuclot. After his 
 arrival, the newspapers spoke of an interesting and 
 valuable report which he sent to the Navy Department, 
 giving the results of his visit and investigations at the 
 nevvlv-opened ports of Hoi-how and Pak-hoi, on the 
 island of Hainaw. 
 
 My brother s friends at home were soon gratified at 
 hearing that the admiral of the United States squadron 
 in China was no exception to his other superiors in rec 
 ognizing his merits as a naval officer. The admiral 
 wrote that it was due to Captain Perkins that he should 
 say that his ship was in the best order and had the best 
 discipline of any ship he ever saw, and he did not 
 believe he ever could see a better one ; that he felt 
 entire confidence in him, and that he wished other 
 
l8o LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 officers were like him, etc. These kind praises of the 
 admiral greeted my brother from every quarter. 
 
 As a station he found Japan preferable to China. The 
 swarming population of the latter gives rise to habits 
 and customs that are repulsive, even disgusting. But 
 it was astonishing to him to journey from city to city, 
 both on the coast and in the interior, where the very 
 names were unknown to Western visitors, and yet these 
 places had inhabitants numbering anywhere from one 
 hundred thousand to four hundred thousand people. 
 
 The merchants, and foreign residents of large means, 
 lived in great luxury, far beyond those of their class in 
 most Christian countries, and in Hong Kong, Canton, 
 and Shanghai there is constant and really splendid gay- 
 ety. Visits of ceremony, dinner parties, and European 
 amusements of all kinds succeed each other perpetu 
 ally. From Shanghai he went one hundred and fifty 
 miles into the interior on a hunting expedition, which 
 was conducted in a manner different from any in which 
 he had ever participated. The country about Shanghai 
 being level and intersected by rivers and canals, the 
 traveling there is chiefly by boats, and one of the 
 belongings of a wealthy family is what is called a 
 house-boat, which is luxuriously fitted up. Going up 
 into the country in one of these, a hunting party can 
 anchor in the vicinity of the large game which is found 
 on the plains, and carry on their sport with little incon 
 venience or exposure. From Canton he writes as fol 
 lows, under date of 
 
 " MAY 13, 1877. 
 
 " Since I have been here my time has been taken up 
 exchanging visits with both natives and foreigners and 
 going to all the places of interest. Most of the foreign 
 ers in China who live at all live very handsomely. 
 They keep up the English customs so far as the climate 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. l8l 
 
 will allow, dining at eight in the evening, and the din 
 ner parties and entertainments are very rich and elab 
 orate. The other day in Pack-hoi I went to a Chinese 
 dinner at a Chinese gentleman s house, and there were 
 twenty different courses, two of them being birds-nest 
 soup and shark s fins, which are esteemed such delica 
 cies by the Chinese. We had nothing but chopsticks 
 to eat with. 
 
 "Canton is one of the finest of the Chinese cities, 
 and there were a great many pretty things to buy here. 
 Coming up the river from Hong Kong the scenery is 
 beautiful ; it reminds one a little of some parts of the 
 Hudson. In many places the hills are terraced and 
 cultivated to their very summits. The manner of work 
 ing in the fields here has not changed for a thousand 
 years and more. Many agricultural customs spoken 
 of in the Bible are in full force now among these peo 
 ple, and one is constantly reminded of Bible descrip 
 tions and allusions. 
 
 " These Chinese are the hardest-working and most 
 industrious people I ever saw. They live on a little 
 rice and will work hard all day for ten cents. There 
 are always a great many boats about my ship, pulled 
 by women, who live in them with their children, and 
 who usually have a little baby, which they strap on 
 their backs and carry in that way when they have to 
 row or anything to do. You hardly ever hear a Chi 
 nese baby cry. They have a funny custom about their 
 babies. A child does not sit till it is four months old, 
 but on that day the grandmother gives it a gaily-painted 
 chair and some molasses candy ; this candy is stuck to 
 the bottom of the chair, and the child is then stuck to 
 the candy ! They think that in this way the child 
 learns to sit quietly and will not require to be carried 
 about in the arms. It amuses me to watch them from 
 
1 82 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 the ship, where I can look down upon them and see 
 just how they live. They are continually going through 
 their forms of worship, keeping little sticks burning 
 before their images, making prayers, and setting papers 
 on fire to keep off evil spirits. 
 
 "A few days ago I visited the prisons here. They 
 keep the prisoners in pens, as you would an animal, 
 with chains on them, until they are led out to be 
 beheaded or tortured. There is a Temple of Horrors, 
 where they have images representing the different Chi 
 nese ways of punishment, and frightfully cruel some of 
 them are. 
 
 "To-day I have been to see the hall of the literary 
 examinations, where about ten thousand students have 
 a competitive examination every three years, and as 
 they come with their friends from all over China, it is 
 a time of fun or feasting, like class-day at Harvard, 
 only more so. The hall where the candidates prepare 
 for examination is furnished with little stalls, which are 
 not so good as those we give our cattle, and the candi 
 dates are shut in them for three days. They carry in 
 their own food, which is to last them through, and they 
 sleep on a shelf of boards ; they are constantly and 
 closely watched, the doors are fastened and sealed, and 
 they are entirely separated from the outside world. 
 This is to prevent their receiving any aid from others 
 in preparing their essays. 
 
 " In the children s schools of the Chinese the customs 
 are just the reverse of ours. They all study out loud, 
 and it sounds like a perfect babel ; and when they 
 recite their lessons, they stand with their backs to the 
 teacher." 
 
 From Tientsin, November 9, 1877, my brother writes, 
 describing a trip into Northern China : 
 
 44 1 returned from Peking two days ago, where I 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 183 
 
 have had a very interesting visit. I met our minister 
 and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Seward, at Hong Kong, 
 and I promised to visit them when I took the Ashuelot 
 north. This port being the nearest to Peking, I made 
 my arrangements as soon as I arrived here to accept 
 their invitation, and am very glad I did so, for I have 
 had a delightful visit, and they have been very polite 
 and kind to me. 
 
 "The distance from here to Peking is eighty miles, 
 and I went by boat. The Chinese have made this 
 mode of traveling very luxurious, but all other ways 
 of getting about here are uncomfortable enough. They 
 go in rough carts, or in wheelbarrows drawn by mules, 
 and no provision is made for travelers which deserves 
 the name. 
 
 " Peking must have been a beautiful city once ; but 
 the government is so bad now it is fast going to decay. 
 There was a great deal to see there, palaces, temples, 
 pagodas, all wonderful, and representing an amount 
 of skill and labor to be found nowhere but in China. 
 Among the photographs which I send you there are 
 two of a monument to Buddha, which, in its way, is 
 the most beautiful thing I ever saw. One of the photo 
 graphs represents a section of it, and that will show 
 you what the carving is ; it is equally fine all over its 
 surface, and it is an immense monument. They told 
 me all the life of Buddha was portrayed on it. It is of 
 white marble, and stands on a terrace with a pagoda at 
 each of the four corners. 
 
 "The Temple of Heaven seemed to me the finest of 
 the temples, and that is another wonder of elaborate 
 carving in marble. The upper part and the dome are 
 of blue tiles. It stands on a large platform of white 
 marble at the top of three terraces, each one sur 
 rounded with white marble balustrades, and with mar- 
 
184 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 ble steps, and everything very handsome. You will 
 see in the photograph what an immense furnace is 
 attached to this temple where a whole ox can be 
 burned for sacrifice. In one of the temples is an idol 
 of Buddha sixty feet high the largest idol in the 
 world. All the buildings, palaces, temples, etc., where 
 the imperial family live or worship, are covered with 
 yellow tiles, which is the imperial color. 
 
 " During my whole stay in Peking I was going from 
 one wonderful thing to another, each one worthy of 
 long study by the curious or learned in such matters. 
 I was shown an immense bell that weighed one hun 
 dred thousand pounds ; it was covered outside and in 
 with Chinese characters, and I do not see how any 
 thing so huge could have been cast, and cast at one 
 time, and that over two hundred years ago. 
 
 " To show how these Chinese lavish time and labor, 
 you will see, in the photographs I send you of the 
 astronomical apparatus belonging to the Observatory, 
 how the standards and every part are wrought into 
 dragons heads and figures, and carved and orna 
 mented. These instruments are kept on a platform on 
 the city wall, and stand exposed to the open air. They 
 were built about two hundred years ago under the 
 superintendence of the Jesuit missionaries, who about 
 that time were in favor with the Chinese Emperor, and 
 accomplished a great deal by their influence. 
 
 "We went out on horseback from Peking on an 
 excursion to the great wall. So much has been writ 
 ten about this that I will not undertake to describe it, 
 just leaving it to the photographs to help you out. 
 They will give you some idea how impressive it is to 
 come upon such a work as this in the midst of the 
 roughness and wildness of Northern China. We went 
 to the wall and out through the Nankow Pass. In the 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 185 
 
 pictures I send you, you will see how the wall runs 
 down here to a savage place between two mountains, 
 where there are rough rocks and boulders heaped all 
 about, as if they had rolled down in an avalanche. In 
 a place like this, think what a surprise it is to find 
 one s self close to an arched opening, and on looking 
 up to see a magnificently-built archway covered with 
 elaborate carving, and crowned with two dragons sup 
 porting an image of Buddha? 
 
 " Through this Pass goes all the immense trade with 
 outlying China, with Siberia, and with Russia, and all 
 the overland trade of Northern China, and this is all 
 carried on beasts of burden. No carriages, carts, or 
 articles of any sort, are allowed to go through the 
 Nankow Pass, though the need for that Ja\v, or for this 
 gateway, or for the wall itself, which was built to 
 protect the original Chinese from the incursions of the 
 Tartars, passed away long ago, when those Tartars 
 conquered the Chinese. 
 
 "By the way, I find camels much used in Northern 
 China, though it was a surprise to me to come upon 
 them as I approached Peking. I went through the 
 Pass and had a glimpse of the great Mongolian Plain 
 beyond, where the Tartars herd their flocks, and live 
 in tents and wander about, just as shepherd tribes have 
 done since the days of Abraham. I was sorry my time 
 was so limited that I could not follow on the track of 
 Mr. Williams the author of one of the best books on 
 China who traveled all over this plain. 
 
 "We found a curious arrangement for a bed in 
 Northern China. They build a brick platform about 
 two feet high, sometimes lar^e enough to accommo- 
 
 3 7 o <"> 
 
 date several persons. This is built over a funnel which 
 passes back and forth until it ends in a sort of chimney. 
 The fire is put at one end of the funnel, where it comes 
 
1 86 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 out beneath the brick, and the fire, smoke, and heated 
 air pass back and forth, and out at the chimney, until 
 the bricks of this queer bedstead which is called a 
 kong become heated, and then the fire is put out, 
 and the servant spreads the bedding which in China 
 a traveler always carries with him on the warm sur 
 face. 
 
 " Returning from the great wall we made a detour 
 to see the tombs of the emperors, or Ming Tombs, as 
 they are called ; it means the same thing. Ming is 
 Chinese for emperor. I am very glad I have seen 
 them. They were the most singular, the most novel, 
 and the most imposing of anything I have seen at all, 
 well worth making a great effort to visit. They are 
 sixty miles north from Peking, and are situated in a 
 long, sandy plain, encircled by an amphitheatre of 
 high mountains. There they have stood in their lonely 
 grandeur for more than a thousand years, and their 
 state of preservation is wonderful. It is such that it 
 gives you that rare sensation of being suddenly dropped 
 into another world. 
 
 "From the entrance-gate to the first tomb there is 
 an avenue of three miles. The avenue gateway con 
 sists of five marble archways, supported on pillars, 
 whose bases are carved with lions and dragons, and 
 whose tops support a roof worked up with that strange 
 Chinese elaboration which I have no words to describe. 
 This avenue is formed first by a row of white marble 
 columns on each side; then by lines of sculptured ani 
 mals of colossal size ; and, lastly, by twelve gigantic 
 statues. The lines of animals are the strangest sight, 
 camels, lions, and winged dragons, immense creatures 
 lying or standing on the barren plain as if petrified 
 there. Their size and immobility are singularly affect 
 ing. They are all cut from single blocks of granite. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 1 87 
 
 It is wonderful what work the Chinese do in this hard 
 stone. They use it a great deal ; and the time and 
 patience it must require to cut and carve as they do, 
 make one tired to think of. 
 
 "The great statues that finish the avenue to the 
 inner gateway are said to be those of the emperors 
 buried there. They are supposed to be dressed like 
 ancient Chinese warriors. Their high square head 
 gear is called a helmet, and something like a cuirass 
 covers the upper part of the figure, but otherwise their 
 garments are long and flowing, and the effect to me 
 was not warlike, but solemn and dignified. They 
 seemed to stand for types of the sages of old, and 
 embodiments of the faith and philosophy of this ancient 
 people. 
 
 "At the end of the avenue is another gateway, con 
 sisting of a single arch, embellished on the upper cor 
 ners with huge Chinese lions. The roadway of great 
 flags, which leads through it, and the pathways on 
 each side are in good order and look so fresh that it 
 is hard to believe their date is 830 A. D. Entering 
 this, you perceive that the great tombs are arranged in 
 a semicircle around the valley, and that each tomb is 
 a temple in itself. All around them is a thick growth 
 of evergreen trees, which, though dark and solemn, 
 softens the effect of loneliness which the great, bare 
 plain and the high, rocky mountains give. Just the 
 trees seemed to give a sense of companionship and take 
 away the sense of something weird, and of another 
 world, which was almost oppressive. 
 
 "I have spoken of their size. The one that we 
 measured was sixty-seven yards long and twenty-seven 
 yards wide. White and red marble, porphyry, and 
 teak wood, all covered with sculptures, are used in the 
 construction of the tombs. They called my attention to 
 
1 88 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 the pure and severe style of the architecture dif 
 ferent from what is usual in China, but which gives an 
 effect of grandeur. The evergreens give quite a sepul 
 chral shade, and as we stood there in one of the tombs 
 one of their appointed guardians struck loudly on a 
 gong. The noise rang through the halls with curious 
 vibrations, and almost made the flesh creep. They say 
 that the ashes of the emperors were deposited in golden 
 coffins, and in order to keep their final resting place a 
 secret, and secure from robbers, the grave diggers 
 were killed." 
 
 After this visit at Peking, my brother continued in 
 the performance of the routine duties of his station until 
 October, 1878, when he received the following letter 
 from the admiral : 
 
 "SiR: When the vessel under your command is in 
 all respects ready for sea, proceed with her on a cruise 
 to the southward as far as Bangkok, visiting, on the 
 way, Kobe, Nagasaki, Foochow, Amoy, Hong Kong, 
 and Manila, and, if practicable, reach Bangkok about 
 the 2Oth of December next. Thence proceed to Saigon, 
 Pak-hoi, Hoi-how, and return to Hong Kong about the 
 middle of February next. Regulate your stay at each 
 place as American interests may demand." 
 
 On receipt of this, the Ashuclot began preparations 
 to go to the southward, and left Yokohama the fourth 
 of October. She visited Kobe and Nagasaki, and 
 investigated the reports as to the existence of cholera. 
 Finding these unfounded, she proceeded to Foochow, 
 where there had been disturbances and riots, in which 
 a missionary s house had been burned. Here a com 
 missioner, favorable to the interests of foreigners, was 
 appointed to settle affairs, and the Chinese made 
 amends. The Ashuclot then continued on its way to 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 189 
 
 Hong Kong, where it was found necessary to "dock" 
 the ship and have her scraped and painted. In that 
 harbor, full of men-of-war of all nations, and with the 
 British government officials and residents, there is a 
 constant exchange of visits and dinner parties and 
 entertainments, which do not make especially interest 
 ing records in letters. 
 
 On Monday, the second of December, the Ashuclot 
 left Hong Kong for Manila, where it remained until 
 the 27th, and the following letter gives an account of 
 a visit to the Philippine Islands : 
 
 "AT SEA, 
 " December 2, 1878. 
 
 "Yesterday I left Manila, where I have been since 
 the sixth of this month. Manila, you know, or will if 
 you look on the map, is the capital of the Philippine 
 Islands, and is on the largest of them, which is called 
 Luzon. It belongs to the Spaniards, and the governor 
 is a Spanish Marquis with a very long and high- 
 sounding name, which is, however, quite equalled by 
 those of some of his subordinates. My clerk has 
 written them down in the journal, so you can read 
 them when I get home, but they take up too much 
 room in a letter. 
 
 " Our first days there were spent in firing salutes, 
 and exchanging visits, and going through all the forms 
 which are customary when a government vessel comes 
 into a foreign port. Admiral Patterson sent me here 
 to settle a stabbing affray on board the American 
 barque Masonic, and that took up my attention at first. 
 In the evenings I went to the opera, and visited the 
 sights of the city. On account of earthquakes, all 
 the buildings are but one story high. The customs, 
 fashions, etc., are Spanish. Every one was polite, 
 and I found it very pleasant ; but, as you might expect, 
 
1 90 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 after a little while I grew restless. I heard that there 
 was some beautiful scenery in the interior, and I re 
 solved to go on an investigating trip and see it. Our 
 vice-consul, Mr. Yongs, and another gentlemen went 
 with me, and we took servants, guides, etc. 
 
 "From Manila we went in a boat up a short river, 
 which had its rise in a large lake, about twenty-five 
 miles long, and which we crossed in a steamer. I 
 think I never saw such quantities of two things as were 
 on that lake namely, ducks and mosquitoes. 
 
 " From the lake we continued our journey in two- 
 horse vehicles, like the volantes of Havana, and in 
 these we went from village to village on our way to the 
 mountains. We were very well treated. The Spanish 
 authorities at Manila provided us with papers which 
 commanded the chief men of the villages through 
 which we passed to furnish us with whatever we 
 required. The villages were clusters of thatched huts 
 around a church, and the religion seemed to be a 
 curious mixture of Roman Catholic Christianity and 
 pagan superstition, as I concluded from the style of 
 the pictures with which these churches were adorned. 
 These were chiefly representations of hell and its 
 torments. Devils, with the traditional tails and horns, 
 and armed with pitchforks, were turning over sinners 
 in lakes of burning brimstone. I thought from the 
 
 t^ c? 
 
 decided majority of these hell-fire pictures that the 
 priests thought fear an important element of the faith. 
 "We found the natives very musical; they sang, 
 and played on a variety of instruments, and the}^ were 
 quite handsome. The women had, without exception, 
 the longest and most luxuriant hair I ever saw in all 
 my travels. You know it is quite a rare thing among 
 us for a woman to have hair that sweeps the ground, 
 but here the exception is the the other way ; nearly 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 19 1 
 
 every woman I saw had hair between five and six feet 
 in length ! 
 
 <k I was told that back among the mountains there 
 existed tribes of Indians whom the Spaniards have 
 never been able to conquer, and no one dares to ven 
 ture among them, not even the priests. Our road was 
 constantly ascending, and as we advanced towards the 
 interior the scenery became beautiful. Peaks of moun 
 tains rose all about us ; plains and valleys stretched 
 out, covered with tropical vegetation ; picturesque vil 
 lages, clustering around their churches, were visible 
 here and there ; and in the distance were glimpses of 
 the sea, either sparkling and bright in the sun, or 
 1 deeply, darkly, beautifully blue. 
 
 " I was told of a wonderful ravine among the moun 
 tains that was worth seeing, and I decided to visit it, 
 especially as it was a favorable time ; the river, by 
 which it had to be approached, was then high, and its 
 fifteen cascades, which usually had to be climbed past, 
 dragging the canoe, were reduced to four. I took 
 three Indians with me, and we ascended successfully. 
 I have called it a ravine, but a gorge would be a 
 better term, for it is worn directly through the moun 
 tain by a large river, and the rock rises up on each 
 side, as sheer and straight as if cut by machinery. 
 
 "After I had ascended a certain distance, I stopped 
 for a time to examine all the wild magnificence about 
 me. The rocky wall on each side was so high that 
 when I looked up I could see the stars shining in that 
 bright noonday, as if it were night. Huge birds came 
 flapping up the gorge far above my head ; and yet they 
 were far below the top of the mountain of rock. I do 
 not know how many feet it rose, but I never saw any 
 precipice where the impression of height was so effect 
 ually given it seemed immense. 
 
192 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " Beneath us was the deep, broad stream, looking 
 very dark in such a twilight as such a shadow made, 
 and I could not help feeling awestruck. But the open 
 ing of the gorge framed as smiling and cheerful a 
 landscape as could possibly be devised, to contrast with 
 the inner gloom. It was a wide, varied, and splendid 
 view of the country beyond, sloping to the distant sea, 
 and all of it as aglow with light and color as sea and 
 land could be, beneath a tropic sun. 
 
 " Descending the river on our way out, I had a 
 characteristic adventure, which will make me satisfied 
 for a time. We had passed two of the rapids in safety, 
 but as we approached the third, the canoe struck on a 
 rock, or something in the current, bow on, and swing 
 ing round, half filled with water. The Indians in the 
 end of the canoe nearest the rock sprang out and clung 
 to the vines which hung over its sides, but the other 
 Indian and I went over the fall in the half-swamped 
 canoe, and were wholly at the mercy of the stream, 
 with an unusually good prospect of getting a good deal 
 more of it. 
 
 "The fall once passed through, the current drove us 
 towards the shore, if that is what you would call a 
 precipice of rock, running straight down far below the 
 surface of the water. I succeeded in grasping the 
 vines, and pulling the canoe after me by my feet. The 
 water was quiet close by the rock, and the other two 
 Indians, crawling down to us, hung on with me, and 
 bailed out the boat till it was safely afloat, and then we 
 went down the rest of the way without accident. 
 
 " Xmas I passed quietly on board ship till evening, 
 when I went to dine at the consul s. Of course all 
 such holidays are rather sad to me. I am getting old, 
 and it seems as if I should never be at home already 
 more than half my life has been spent away. We are 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 193 
 
 now on our way to Bangkok, Siam, where I expect to 
 see more new sights. We shall reach there in about a 
 
 & 
 
 week, if the weather permits." 
 
 For a description of the interesting visit which the 
 Ashuelot made at Siam, I make the following extracts 
 from my brother s letters : 
 
 "JANUARY 4, 1879. 
 
 " Last Wednesday we sighted Palo Obi a small 
 
 / C*> 
 
 island near the coast and passing between that and 
 Cambodia Point, entered the Gulf of Siam, which we 
 were two days ascending. This morning the pilot 
 came aboard at six, and we started ahead for Bangkok, 
 which we reached at noon. We fired a salute, and ran 
 up the Siamese flag at the fore, and soon after anchor- 
 inn the consul came off to visit us." 
 
 o 
 
 "JANUARY 12, 1879. 
 
 " I am having a very pleasant visit in this strange 
 part of the world, and if I were younger and could 
 shake off my homesickness I should be greatly enter 
 tained. The day after I arrived in Bangkok, the 
 American consul Mr. Sickles took me, with some of 
 my officers, to call on the minister of state. He was 
 very polite, and after our visit we received an invitation 
 to be present at a * Sokan Festival, as it is called, which 
 was held in honor of the hair cutting of a royal princess. 
 
 " It seems the hair of Siamese children is not cut till 
 a certain age, but is worn in a knot at the top of the 
 head, where it is fastened with gay pins and often deco 
 rated with flowers. When they are old enough, this 
 knot of hair is cut off, and there is always some cere 
 mony about it, even among the poorest. But this 
 Sokan Festival was in honor of the princess of the high 
 est rank in the kingdom, and the ceremonies were as 
 
194 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 splendid and elaborate as it was possible to make them. 
 They last for six days, and are held in a square 
 adjoining 1 the royal palace. Around this square are 
 halls and seats for spectators, according to their rank, 
 and the square itself is covered with puppet shows, 
 booths I use an English synonym for what I cannot 
 describe in any other way and refreshment stands, 
 where the people are regaled at the expense of the gov 
 ernment. But what was really splendid, and perfectly 
 dazzling to look at, was what was called the Trailaht, 
 which was seemingly a mountain of gold, on the top of 
 which was a gilt temple, where the final ceremonies 
 of this Royal Sokan Festival took place. On this 
 mountain and about the temple were artificial trees, 
 which were full of automatic birds, monkeys, snakes, 
 etc., and there were pools of water full of artificial fish, 
 and there were images of people moved by machinery, 
 and on the steps of the temple stood Lukuan girls with 
 huge wings attached to their garments, which had some 
 machinery by which they waved them and flapped them 
 about. All the attendants and every one in the temple 
 had these wings, and I was given to understand that 
 within the precincts of the temple everything was sup 
 posed to represent heaven. 
 
 " The city is crowded with people from every part of 
 the kingdom, who have come to do honor to the occa 
 sion. Every afternoon, while the festival lasts, there is 
 a procession around the square, which is one of the 
 great features of the performance. This procession is 
 barbaric and grotesque to a degree, but is also very 
 gorgeous. The mines of this country furnish the finest 
 precious stones in the world, and they flash upon one 
 in great abundance, often in necklaces and bracelets 
 strung together on the necks and arms of naked chil 
 dren. One of the titles of the king of Siam is Lord of 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 195 
 
 the Rubies. Portions of the procession, I judged, had 
 some national significance. It was composed of men 
 and women, and the costumes of every province of the 
 kingdom were represented ; also Chinese and Japanese. 
 There were besides a large number in masquerade. 
 Then there was a military display, and the music con 
 sisted both of native music and European bands. The 
 second king has a very good band. Altogether the 
 procession presented as brilliant an appearance as it is 
 possible to imagine. 
 
 " The first afternoon that I went with some of my 
 officers to see it, \ve were given conspicuous seats on 
 the line of the procession, and I was engaged intently 
 watching the strange sight. Of course I wore my uni 
 form, but did not expect any especial notice, having 
 gone as a spectator. The king, in a gilded chair of 
 state, carried by six bearers, constitutes a part of the 
 procession, and when he arrived opposite me, I saw 
 him give an order, and everything came to a full stop. 
 Then a messenger came to me and said that the king 
 wished to see me. I followed the messenger and 
 approached the chair, when the king said to me in a 
 full, clear voice, and in good English, What is your 
 mission to this country? I replied that my mission 
 was a friendly one, that I had only come to express the 
 good-will of the United States to his kingdom, etc. ; to 
 which he replied, We are very glad to see you, and 
 signalled for the procession to pass on. I was never 
 more taken by surprise in my life, and felt as if I were 
 enacting a scene in the Arabian Nights. 
 
 " Immediately after the king came the gorgeously 
 decorated chair of the Princess Royal. She wore a 
 gold crown, and was covered with gold chains and 
 jewelry, and was attended by a group of ladies who 
 carried the insignia of her rank on gold salvers. 
 
196 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 "After the procession had made its circuit, the king 
 took his place in a sort of hall, on one side of the 
 square, which was handsomely decorated and arranged 
 for him, and then he received the Princess Royal, and 
 placed her by his side. Then envoys from all parts of 
 the kingdom, and from neighboring ones, advanced 
 and presented her with gifts. All the noble families of 
 the kingdom also follow this example, and this cere 
 mony is gone through with every day. 
 
 "After the royal party was seated, a sort of enter 
 tainment began. Some very pretty Siamese women I 
 was told they were ladies of rank went through a slow 
 dance, before the king and princess, in which a silver 
 tree was passed from one to the other. They were 
 richly dressed and danced to native music. 
 
 "After this, some Lakuan girls, dressed in bright col 
 ors, with wings fastened to their shoulders, descended 
 from the gilded temple and danced. It was all very 
 strange and diverting for the time, and I never saw 
 anything so showy and glittering as was the whole 
 scene. I witnessed it several times during the festival, 
 but it w r as much alike each day. 
 
 " Before I go on with an account of my visitings and 
 entertainments I will tell you something about Bangkok. 
 It is on the Meinam Chow Phya River, stretched out 
 about five miles, and contains about five hundred thou 
 sand people. These all live on the river, in floating 
 houses built on rafts of bamboo poles and fastened to 
 posts, except the consulates, kings palaces, temples, 
 and places of that sort, which require a firm foundation 
 on the land. All these latter buildings are tiled with 
 green and yellow, and have an immense amount of 
 porcelain used in their construction, with elaborate fig 
 ures of gods and animals adorning them. One temple 
 has four white porcelain elephants, more than halfway 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 197 
 
 up from its base, facing the four points of the compass, 
 and this same temple is hung with little bells from the 
 top of its spire to its base, which have fans for tongues, 
 that catch the wind s slightest movement and ring very 
 sweetly. The roofs of the temples turn up at every 
 angle with a curved and pointed projection, shaped 
 something like a horn and something like an aspiring 
 flame. They would be very beautiful and interesting 
 if they were only clean, but half their beauty is con 
 cealed under dirt and slime, and for this same reason 
 all their attractions are made repulsive. 
 
 " I find it very warm here, but they say the heat is 
 nothing now compared to the summer. The mornings 
 are the pleasantest part of the day, and then Bangkok 
 seems like a great, active city. The river is covered 
 with boats and there are throngs of people out. The 
 royal boats and those of the wealthy are handsomely 
 decorated, and are a pretty sight, as they dart about on 
 the river, with their high-pointed prows. I was sur 
 prised to find so much of the shipping belonging directly 
 to Siamese merchants. Vessels flying the flag of the 
 white elephant were far more plentiful than those of 
 any other nation. It is a very showy flag, but I should 
 think it might present a funny appearance when hoisted 
 as a signal of distress ; that is, upside-down. 
 
 "On account of so many houses being on the river, 
 some romantic individuals endeavor to dub Bangkok 
 the Venice of the East, but I could not get very 
 enthusiastic over any place so slimy and muddy, and 
 infested with reptiles and insects of every description. 
 The mosquitoes are terrible, no ordinary protection 
 suffices against them. Snakes are as plenty as frogs. 
 The sailors have to resort to all sorts of devices to keep 
 them out of the boats, both day and night, when we go 
 ashore. The fireflies, though, merit all that has been 
 
198 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 said about them. Not only are they the biggest and 
 brightest that I have seen in all my wanderings, but 
 their nocturnal displays are a marked feature among 
 Siamese curiosities. 
 
 "Speaking of snakes, our consul told me he had 
 tried to raise chickens in the grounds attached to the 
 consulate, which are in the heart of the city, but could 
 not succeed because boa-constrictors came boldly in, 
 night and day, and carried them off. 
 
 "The day after the Royal Sokan Festival closed I 
 went to a croquet party at our consul s, and this was a 
 strong contrast to the gorgeousness of the day before, 
 with its half barbaric procession, succeeded by the 
 dances of a great number of Lakuan girls in rich, 
 high-colored dresses, which made the whole scene one 
 of flashing, shifting splendor. 
 
 "The croquet party was as Western as it could be 
 made by English and American residents in so very 
 Eastern a place as Siam. The second king sent his 
 band to enliven it. After the Sokan Festival, I paid 
 a series of visits to royal personages and ministers, and 
 to the places of interest about Bangkok. 
 
 " The Siamese are polite and gentle in their manners 
 and cordial to strangers, who are rarities. The foreign 
 community here is only about two hundred. The Siam 
 ese children are beautiful, and very pretty and attrac 
 tive in their ways. 
 
 " I went to see the ex-regent and the ministers of war 
 and of state. Mr. Sickles, and the king s interpreter, 
 Mr. Alabaster, took me all over the royal palaces and 
 temples, parts of which are very gorgeous, and all very 
 curious. I had a good look at the famous emerald 
 image of Buddha, which is about a foot and a half 
 high, and said to be carved from a single emerald. 
 The figure sits cross-legged, and is always spoken of 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 199 
 
 as the emerald idol, but it did not look any better to 
 me than dull, green glass. It is kept in the most 
 splendid of the temples in the king s gardens. His 
 gardens, and those of the minister of state, are beauti 
 ful, and in what is called the King s Lotus Garden 
 there are a number of temples and halls of fine archi 
 tecture, according to Eastern ideas, and of exquisite 
 workmanship. Surrounded as they are by everything 
 rich and tropical, they fulfil one s dreams of an oriental 
 scene. There is a botanic garden and a zoo, both 
 full of fine and rare specimens. I saw the stables where 
 the king s elephants are kept, and also paid a visit 
 to the sacred white elephants, which are only freaks of 
 nature, and though their skin is lighter than common 
 elephants, it is far from white. The sight of the troop 
 of war elephants, in all their trappings and housings of 
 war and glittering with gold and silver, is a magnifi 
 cent spectacle. 
 
 "After I had paid my visits, all those whom I had 
 called upon, including the second king, came and 
 returned the attention, so I had to keep up a firing of 
 salutes and entertaining for two or three days. I also 
 received from the second king and other dignitaries 
 presents of a bear, a monkey, a cat, and an odd sort of 
 a necklace and some other queer things. The monkey 
 is an immense specimen, and we are all afraid of him. 
 The boatswain has him in charge and has dressed him 
 in clothes, and it is a pity some of those Middle Age 
 painters did not have him for a model to paint the devil 
 from, for he is a terrible looking fellow and makes you 
 think of him at once. He is always devising means to 
 get himself free, and then he makes for my cabin, and 
 every now and then he will get in. As monkeys are 
 very imitative, I adopt a course of high politeness, and 
 he proceeds to follow my example, only this does not 
 
200 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 prevent him from suddenly seizing some article and 
 flinging it to the floor with a crash while he gives me 
 an engaging grin. As soon as I can, I get word to 
 the boatswain, who comes and captures him. The cat 
 is tailless and of singular color and shape. 
 
 "Last Friday arrangements were made for me to 
 visit the first king. Mr. Sickles went with me and 
 some of my officers. We arrived at the palace about 
 four o clock p. m., when we were met by the king s 
 interpreter, Mr. Alabaster, who conducted us to the 
 king s presence. We passed through a gateway 
 guarded by soldiers, who presented arms in European 
 fashion, and then through a passage, by the harem 
 apartments, where we caught glimpses of dark eyes 
 peering at us. The last hall we passed through, I 
 noticed, was surrounded with busts and portraits of 
 European kings. The next room was a large saloon, 
 and here the king \vas waiting to receive us, which he 
 did in a most friendly manner. He was dressed in 
 white stockings, reaching nearly to the knee, and low 
 shoes, Siamese trowsers, and a black European frock- 
 coat. He invited us to be seated, and cigars were 
 passed, and then proceeded to talk to us very pleasantly 
 in good English, which he pronounces very carefully. 
 He inquired if we had seen the temples, gardens, and 
 places of interest in Bangkok, and suggested anything 
 interesting that remained for our sightseeing, and made 
 polite inquiries. At the end of about a half an hour we 
 rose to depart, but the king asked us to remain and see 
 some dancing by his Lakuan girls. This was the same 
 brilliant spectacle that I have spoken of before, the 
 graceful girls moving about in rich, high-colored 
 dresses and jewels, and making a dazzling picture. 
 
 k The next day (Saturday) we paid a visit to the sec 
 ond king. All the ceremonies of receiving us were 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 2OI 
 
 like those of the day before, except that the surround 
 ings were not quite so fine. This king is bright and 
 agreeable, asked many questions, and seemed much 
 interested about the United States. He invited us to 
 accompany him to the cremation of a nobleman, whose 
 funeral pile he was to honor by applying the torch. 
 
 " The place where the ceremony was to be performed 
 was across the river, and we proceeded to it in the royal 
 boats. Here we found the hero of the occasion, namely, 
 the corpse, in a coffin, which rested on a bier of fire 
 proof masonry. The bier was built in the centre of a 
 square, and the funeral was being celebrated like a fes 
 tival. Soldiers were parading to music, puppet shows 
 and showmen were performing, and everything looked 
 very bright and gay. We ascended to a sort of veranda 
 on one side of the square, and presently the second 
 king was handed a torch. By his side was a large, 
 artificial crocodile, and when he applied his torch to 
 the tail of this animal, the fire passed through its body 
 and was spit from its mouth, so that it struck the com 
 bustible material within the bier, and, igniting the pile, 
 consumed the corpse. This singlar firework, I was told, 
 had some religious significance. I have found a good 
 deal of fetich worship among the Siamese that reminds 
 me of my old discoveries in Africa. 
 
 " Going to dinner one clay with the minister of state, 
 the entertainment lasted till about midnight, and the 
 conversation flowed in an easy manner, as at any gen 
 tleman s table. Dinner finished, the minister showed 
 me the women s quarters. They were below the state 
 apartments, and we descended first to a sort of court, 
 where a fountain was playing in the centre of a large 
 pool of water. It was surrounded by handsome col 
 umns, and, so far as I could see in the dim light, was 
 an elegant and ornamental spot. I was rather startled 
 
202 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 when a big crocodile splashed up in the water close by 
 me. The women were asleep in latticed compartments 
 that reminded me of our cattle-cars ; there were passage 
 ways between, and the ventilation seemed good. The 
 minister is said to be kind to his harem, which com 
 prises about three hundred and fifty women. 
 
 "All the great officials returned my visits and came 
 on board the Ashuelot, and I have had about all the 
 salutes and ceremony that I can stand. The Siamese 
 greatnesses have names that can only be measured by 
 the yard. The king s is Prabat Somdetch Phra Para- 
 menda Maha Ehulaloukoru. But this is beaten by that 
 of the minister for the Northern Provinces, which is 
 Chow Somdetch Pou Broma Wong-tee-to Chowfah 
 Mahah Malah Krom Pra Bamrap-parapak." 
 
 "JANUARY 19, 1879. 
 
 "The time has been filled since I wrote last with 
 sight-seeing and entertainments, and I am too tired to 
 give you much of a description. Mr. Sickles gave us 
 a very handsome reception, and the decorations of the 
 consulate were remarkably fine. The second king sent 
 his band for the occasion, and there was dancing in 
 European fashion to European tunes. The minister of 
 state gave us a garden party, and we sat in a beautiful 
 pavilion and watched the Lakuan girls dance ; and I 
 dined at the British consul s and at the Portuguese. 
 
 " The chief event, though, was my trip to Ayuthia, the 
 ancient capital of Siam. It is one hundred miles up the 
 river, and we went in a house-boat, towed by a steam 
 launch, both placed at our disposal by the foreign min 
 ister. Ayuthia is ten miles beyond Bang-pa-in, which 
 is the first king s summer residence, and where we 
 stayed, everything being arranged beforehand for our 
 accommodation. Indeed, we had large and handsome 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 203 
 
 quarters. From there we made an excursion to Ayuthia, 
 of which little remains now but the temples, and those 
 are disgusting with slime and insects and birds, and 
 are falling into rapid decay. The idols are fallen over, 
 and everything is cracked and crumbling that belonged 
 to the old city ; but the elephant stockade there is an 
 interesting thing to strangers. The elephants through 
 out the state are looked upon as the property of the king, 
 and they are not allowed to be killed. At certain times 
 of the year the wild elephants are driven into the stock 
 ade by the help of tame ones. There they are kept till 
 subdued, the most intelligent are selected, and the rest 
 turned loose again. They are very useful in Siam, 
 especially in traveling through the country, and they 
 are trained for war purposes, and a variety of uses. 
 The king once proposed sending a number to America 
 and turning them loose in our forests, thinking we might 
 find them as useful here as in Siam ; but the offer was 
 declined, with thanks, by our government. 
 
 "It is rather dangerous business being about, when 
 the elephants are tamed. The stockade is immensely 
 high and strong, and within it are huge posts to which 
 the beasts are fastened. There is a high platform built 
 for spectators ; but when the elephants are being driven 
 in, there is no place which is very safe, but it is a most 
 exciting scene. They tell a great many stories here 
 about the wisdom of the elephants, and what they can 
 be taught, but I did not have time to verify them. The 
 king is trying to make a fine summer resort of Bang- 
 pa-in. He is laying out the grounds about his palace in 
 artificial lakes and grottos, and is making use of a good 
 many European ideas in his architecture and gardening. 
 He is intending to build villas, and a church for the use 
 of visitors. 
 
 "In the great statues of granite about the kings pal- 
 
204 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 aces and temples, and in much of the solid work done 
 for the past kings, I am reminded of old Chinese stone 
 work, and have an idea the same class of workmen 
 must have been employed. I did not stay long enough 
 to make much of a study of Siam ; but it seemed to 
 me to be a very interesting problem. 
 
 " There is an odd mixture of Western ideas, and an 
 interest in Western matters, which is not found in other 
 Oriental countries. They all speak English well, in 
 what I might call the court circle, and there certainly 
 must have been some rulers here of marked ability and 
 of active minds. I heard much admiration expressed 
 for the United States, and they were eager to hear about 
 it. One of the princes is named George Washington." 
 
 < ; AT SEA, 
 "January 21, 1879. 
 
 " I am now on my way to Saigon. Have been inter 
 ested in having target practice, and in testing the speed 
 of the ship. I took on board, for first-class boys, two 
 of the nephews of the foreign minister, at his request. 
 I had to return the huge monkey with which I was pre 
 sented in Siam. He proved intractable, and was a terror 
 to most of the seamen. I sent him back with the most 
 polite explanations I could think of. 
 
 " I forgot to mention that at the consul s reception I 
 met the wife of a missionary who was a very intelligent, 
 sensible woman, and found in talking with her that she 
 had been at school with Aunt Anne, and with Mrs. 
 Jewell, when they and she were girls. It seemed very 
 odd to talk to an American woman about such things 
 and such people in the centre of the kingdom of Siam. 
 Naturally, as an American missionary, this lady was 
 greatly interested in the Ashuclot and everything on 
 board. She found out everything about me, and pub- 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 205 
 
 lished some very complimentary things in the Siam 
 Advertiser, which I send you." 
 
 The notices in the Advertiser of January, 1879, are 
 as follows : 
 
 " The visit of the U. S. S. Ashuclot to our port was 
 a rich treat to the foreign residents, and especially to 
 the American community, who had good reason to be 
 proud of the noble men who have cheerfully exposed 
 their lives in defence of their country and compatriots 
 in all parts of the w^rld. 
 
 " The captain, George H. Perkins, is an historic 
 character, and his heroic deeds in the service of his 
 country, in crushing the late rebellion in the United 
 States, made him an object of much interest. His very 
 modest and unassuming manners made him all the 
 more a great favorite. 
 
 "Were Stanley about to visit us, we should receive 
 him as a hero, and feel there should be an ovation in 
 his honor. He traveled amid great dangers, and was a 
 pioneer in the most arduous and perilous enterprise. 
 When General Grant comes here, every one will be 
 eager to honor him, not only because he was president, 
 but for his efforts in putting down a great rebellion. 
 
 " Are we aware that in Captain Perkins of the AsJme- 
 lot, Bangkok entertained a hero, combining in himself 
 the interests which we centre both in Stanley and in 
 General Grant? 
 
 " Captain Perkins was engaged three years in Africa, 
 before the last American war, in putting down the slave- 
 trade, and was an explorer up the very Congo river 
 which at present claims so much attention. He was a 
 very prominent man in the United States navy through 
 out the struggle in putting down the rebellion. He was 
 the first to steam through those hot lines of defence on 
 
206 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 both sides of the Mississippi, to enter New Orleans, and 
 demand the city s surrender. He was a great favorite 
 of the renowned Farragut, and was with him in his 
 most prominent battles. In the following article on the 
 taking of Mobile, there is evidence which shows that 
 Captain Perkins is really the man who decided the vic 
 tory for the loyal side." 
 
 Here follows an extract from Captain Parker s book 
 on the battle of Mobile. 
 
 Again the Siam Advertiser says : 
 
 "It is a pleasure to see such intelligent service as 
 one witnesses on board the Ashuelot where everything 
 is done with a will. Captain Perkins, by his genial, 
 hearty manner, good common-sense, and quick and 
 ready tact, has won for himself high consideration in a 
 short space of time, and great regret is expressed that 
 his orders called him away so soon and compelled him 
 to decline much hospitality. The trip to Ayuthia, the 
 dinners at II. B. M. s consulate, and at the foreign 
 minister s, concluded the festivities in honor of Captain 
 Perkins." 
 
 "WEDNESDAY, February 5, 1879. 
 
 " We are now steaming up the Gulf of Tonquin, and 
 so along the coast to Hong Kong. After coming down 
 the Gulf of Siam, we rounded Cambodia Point, and 
 went to Saigon in Cochin-China. Saigon belongs to 
 the French. Rear Admiral Lafont is the governor- 
 general, and there were three naval vessels in the har 
 bor, and several small gunboats. The town is regu 
 larly laid out, and seemed fairly clean, and has a popu 
 lation of five thousand Europeans besides the Chinese, 
 or, more properly, Anamese. 
 
 " If I thought Siam a terrible place for beasts and 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 207 
 
 insects, I do not know what to say of Saigon and its 
 surroundings. Snakes of the worst description abound, 
 and as for tigers they infest the country, and are very 
 bold. One carried off the lighthouse keeper the other 
 day, and as they soon become man-eaters, you are 
 never safe from them. There is only one American 
 resident in Saigon, and there is no trade with us ; but 
 the exports of rice are very large. There is an arsenal, 
 dock-yard, coal depot, etc., and everything for supply 
 ing and building vessels, and the revenues support the 
 government well. I received visits and civilities from 
 the French officers, and was entertained at dinner by 
 Admiral Lafont at the Government House, but did not 
 regret leaving very much. If you look up Saigon on 
 the map, you will find it in Cochin-China, just on the 
 borders of Anam. 
 
 "It seems strange enough to steam along this coast, 
 to stop at these populous cities, and see all this strange 
 and teeming life, of beasts as well as human beings, all 
 so different from each other, and so wholly different 
 from what one is in the habit of considering and com 
 prehending. It seems as if I were in a dream. 
 
 "Just before coining here, we went into Touron Bay 
 on the coast of Anam. You will not find this on ordi 
 nary maps, but it is quite a large bay and town, never 
 theless. We found the inhabitants in a terible state of 
 destitution, owing to the failure of last year s crops. 
 There were two vessels of war in the bay flying the 
 Anamese flag, but they were falling to pieces ; and 
 there were two barques, one French and one English, 
 which had brought cargoes of rice. About the bay 
 were villages with starving people and there was no 
 trade, and all was dilapidated and forlorn. We have 
 been detained somewhat by unfavorable weather, but 
 to-morrow expect to make the harbor of Pak-hoi." 
 
208 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " FEBRUARY n, 1879. 
 
 " Look to the left of the Gulf of Tonquin, and you 
 will see the island of Hainan. It is a large island, and 
 has a million of inhabitants. I visited it when I first 
 came out, and sent home a report about it. It is almost 
 unknown to us, and is difficult of access anyway. The 
 people are hostile to strangers, and in the interior they 
 are perfect savages and are fierce. The island was in 
 a state of commotion owing to a feud between two pow 
 erful clans. Imperialist troops had been sent from 
 China, but they had been well beaten, and were wait 
 ing for reinforcements. There was, of course, no trade 
 and no shipping in the harbors, either of Pak-hoi or 
 Hoi-how 7 . There are five white persons at Pak-hoi 
 and twelve at Hoi-how. The ports were only open 
 to foreign trade about two years ago. The number 
 of savages in the interior is four thousand. Every 
 thing was paralyzed by the warlike state of things, but 
 they say the increase of trade since the Chefoo con 
 vention has been very marked. We have just passed 
 through Now Chow channel on our way to Hong Kong, 
 and are steaming along among numerous islands. We 
 are not having much good weather, and the rain and 
 mist deprive us of much fine scenery." 
 
 " HONG KONG, March 12, 1879. 
 
 " My life now is such an exchange of saluting and 
 visiting and naval ceremony that I feel tempted to give 
 you a little journal of it, for it will do you inland people 
 good to know more about a man-of-war. 
 
 "Wednesday, February 12, we passed Green Island 
 and arrived off the tower in Hong Kong harbor. We 
 fired salutes to the port and the English and French 
 admirals. Our salute is returned by the shore battery, 
 the English man-of-war Ironduke, and the French 
 man-of-war Armide. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 209 
 
 * The next day the commanding officers of the ships of 
 war in the harbor call on me ; then the consuls from various 
 nationalities pay me visits, which are always recognized 
 with a salute ; then I send an officer and begin investi 
 gating the shipping and everything that comes within 
 my province to attend to, in connection with American 
 interests. In the meantime mails, official and otherwise, 
 are arriving, reports are to be made out, inquiries 
 coming from the admiral, meteorological blanks to be 
 filled up, and countless duties, naval and otherwise. 
 Invitations come from dignitaries for various entertain 
 ments. 
 
 "Monday, February 16, I went to the races, which 
 are attended by the governor and his wife, and all the 
 fashion of Hong Kong. February 22d we dressed ship 
 rainbow, as it is called, in honor of the day, and as I 
 had invited the English and French ships to participate, 
 they also dressed ships, American ensign at the main. 
 This was at sunrise. Then at noon we fire a salute of 
 twenty-one guns, and so did the shore battery, and the 
 English and French men-of-war. 
 
 "February 24th the English troop-ship Himalaya 
 arrived with the Twenty-fourth regiment, called the 
 Inniskillings, which has come to relieve the Seventy- 
 fourth. In the course of time the officers of the regi 
 ment pay me visits, and my evenings are filled with 
 dinners, with the different admirals and officials. 
 Nearly every day ships of war come in. A German 
 one has just arrived from Singapore. A Japanese 
 corvette, the Seiki, has also arrived lately, after an 
 absence of a year, being the first Japanese man-of-war 
 ever sent to Europe from Japan. Sir Thomas Wade 
 and suite, arriving by the English mail, are received 
 with salutes, and provided with a guard of honor." 
 14 
 
II O LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " MARCH 19, 1879. 
 
 "You must not expect anything but skeleton letters 
 from me after this, just the merest journals, for to-day 
 the mail brought me my detachment from the Ashuelot, 
 as soon as Captain Johnson should report. I may be 
 here much longer, perhaps two months, but I shall be 
 so excited preparing for and thinking about coming 
 home, that I shall be too impatient to write much. My 
 navigating officer, Lieutenant Chipp, was detached and 
 sailed for home the lyth. He is a splendid officer, and 
 I shall feel his loss greatly if I am here much longer.* 
 That same day was St. Patrick s day, and the governor 
 of Hong Kong, being of Irish descent, gave a dinner 
 party and reception in its honor, which I attended with 
 
 imy officers." 
 
 " MARCH 29, 1879. 
 
 "Just as the time comes for me to leave China, I am 
 picking up acquaintances and ceasing to feel so much 
 of a stranger. To-day I dined at the Forbes s, success 
 ful American merchants here, who live delightfully, 
 and whose hospitality is refreshing, after all the foreign 
 ceremonies I have to go through. The harbor is filling 
 up with English men-of-war, and dining and exchang 
 ing visits, and saluting, are incessant. 
 
 "News has come that General Grant and his suite 
 will arrive here about the middle of April. The 
 Vigilant, the Victor Emanuel, the Ironduke^ the Juno, 
 the Sheldrake, the Charybidis, and the Moorhen ; the 
 French vessels Armide and Cham-plain^ and ten Ori 
 ental mail steamers, are in port just now." 
 
 "WEDNESDAY, April 30, 1879. 
 
 The French mail steamer Irawaddy has just come 
 in flying the American ensign at the main, with Gen- 
 
 *This was the Lieutenant Chipp who lost his life in Ue Long s ill-fated 
 Arctic Expedition in the Jeannette. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 211 
 
 eral Grant and suite on board. They are coming to 
 visit this ship. It has been arranged that the General 
 on leaving the Iraivaddy shall first come here and 
 remain forty-five minutes. He is to be brought here 
 by the steam launch Victoria" 
 
 " APRIL 22, 1879. 
 
 " I will describe to you a little what has been going 
 on with reference to General Grant and his reception 
 here, \vhile I have a little quiet. His arrival was 
 announced by a gun from the Peak, in time for most of 
 the shipping in the harbor to dress ship, and it made a 
 pretty sight. When the Iraivaddy came in, all the 
 ships dipped flags, and the mail steamer acknowledged 
 it. Then quite a party, including all the prominent 
 American officials in China, went on board the mail 
 steamer to receive the General. The next move was 
 to come to the As/ntelot." 
 
 I quote an account of this visit from the Hong Kong 
 papers : 
 
 "At five minutes to four the double party, consisting 
 of General Grant and suite, and those who were calling 
 upon him, entered the Victoria, and proceeded to the 
 U. S. S. Ashuelot. The gallant General, on setting 
 his foot on the deck, over which floated the stars and 
 stripes, received a salute of twenty-one guns, and the 
 national flag was run up at the fore and the yards 
 manned. [We may here mention that General Grant 
 is the only living American the President excepted 
 who is entitled to this honor of the flag at the fore.] 
 General Grant was then introduced to Captain Perkins, 
 and introductions ensued between the entire party and 
 the officers of the ship. 
 
 ** Captain Perkins and his officers, in full uniform, 
 
212 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 received the General and party near the gangway. 
 The seamen and marines, who presented arms to the 
 General, were formed on deck. The whole vessel 
 seemed in beautiful order -and condition, everything 
 shining as brightly as a new pin. Captain Perkins, 
 giving his arm to Mrs. Grant, then led the party from 
 the quarter-deck and offered them refreshments. The 
 time allotted for their visit to the Ashuelot was three 
 quarters of an hour. Captain Perkins then escorted 
 his visitors on board the Victoria, which, lying to, 
 until the General had received the salute of departure 
 of twenty-one guns, the marines presenting arms, 
 and the seamen manning the yards, steamed slowly 
 towards Murray Pier. The Japanese corvette Nisson 
 
 then saluted." 
 
 " MAY 4, 1879. 
 
 " I have sent you papers from Hong Kong giving an 
 account of General Grant s arrival and stay of a few 
 days. As he and his party wished to visit Canton, the 
 Ashuelot has been chosen to carry them, and I expect 
 to have a busy time. They have been handsomely 
 entertained here by the English, and there has been a 
 great deal of visiting and dining and decorating. The 
 General gets up early mornings and walks about the 
 city and seems to take in everything. I am a good 
 deal impressed by him. I never saw less airs or pre 
 tension, which I believe is like all really great men. 
 
 "I was interested in hearing from Grant s party, all 
 about their visit at Bangkok, as I had been there so 
 recently. The Siamese government had sent a steamer 
 to take the General s party from the mail steamer, but 
 the latter had run aground and was sticking in the mud 
 down the gulf. An awful storm came on, and every 
 body on the mail steamer was drenched through. 
 Finally the officers on the government launch got 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 213 
 
 anxious, and started down the gulf to explore, and 
 found the General s party in a dismal condition. The 
 party was large for the steam launch, and everybody 
 was wet and crowded and uncomfortable. The rain 
 poured and there were heavy squalls, and they had to 
 be transferred in boats. After getting under way the 
 party were very mad to find that two Boston globe 
 trotters, as they called them, had, with the character 
 istic cheek of persons from that locality, crowded 
 unperceived into the General s party without leave or 
 license. 
 
 "The General and his party said that they were 
 magnificently lodged in Bangkok, and they were enthu 
 siastic about their visit. The king had a display of 
 war elephants for them, and they were given a ball, 
 a trip to Ayuthia, and had every attention during their 
 visit of six days only the weather was rainy. I extract 
 from the Hong Kong Press the following description of 
 General Grant s visit to Canton : 
 
 " On Monday, May 5, General Grant and party left 
 Hong Kong on a visit to Canton and the Portuguese 
 colony of Macao. They arrived at Murray Pier shortly 
 before eight o clock, accompanied by Governor and 
 Mrs. Hennessey, and the government steam launch 
 being ready, they embarked for the U. S. S. Ashuclot, 
 Captain Perkins. Having saluted the General with 
 twenty-one guns on his stepping aboard, the Ashuelot 
 left her moorings for the " City of Rams." 
 
 " k Upon gaining the quarter-deck of the Ashuelot^ 
 Captain Perkins, in an elegant little speech, presented 
 Mrs. Grant with a magnificent bouquet sent on board 
 by the American shipmasters at present in Hong Kong. 
 Mrs. Grant thanked her countrymen for their kind 
 attention, and Captain Perkins for the complimentary 
 manner in which it was conveyed to her. 
 
214 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 " The weather, on leaving, was anything but pleas 
 ant, and the rain squalls and gusts of wind were such 
 as to drive most of the party below. This weather con 
 tinued for some time, but when approaching Ma-chow, 
 it began to clear, and by the time the Ashuelot reached 
 the island of Suichan at about noon, the sun shone out, 
 and a cool breeze blowing made it very pleasant on deck. 
 
 " It seemed to be well understood on the river boats 
 and Chinese gunboats that were encountered on the 
 way up that the Ashuelot carried a distinguished per 
 sonage, as the dipping of the ensign was never omitted 
 in a single instance, and on the arrival of the steamer 
 near Chuempee she was met by a Chinese gunboat 
 specially sent to escort the Ashuelot up the river, the 
 Chinese admiral at Canton sending down his card to 
 General Grant. 
 
 " At certain points of the river, salutes were fired as 
 the vessel passed up, and at Anunghoy Island, the bat 
 teries w r ere manned by troops, who displayed their ban 
 ners, while at Wantong hundreds of flags of every color, 
 floating on staves stuck in the ground, and backed up 
 by the green hills, presented a very gay appearance. 
 At half-past one the captain and officers of the Ashue 
 lot entertained the distinguished party at tiffin, which 
 was in this case a most sumptuous banquet. 
 
 " * Soon after five o clock, when at the bottom 01 
 Whampoa Reach, the Ashuelot was boarded by the 
 captain of the Viceroy s gunboat Tsing--po, accom 
 panied by two mandarins, bearing the cards of the 
 Viceroy of Canton, the Tartar General, the Governor 
 of Canton, the Provincial Judge, and the Intendant of 
 Customs. Salutes were fired, the Tsing-po manned 
 yards, and the Ashuelot was hove to. After the man 
 darins had fulfilled their mission, they left the Ashuelot, 
 which proceeded on its journey. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 215 
 
 " At nine o clock she reached Shameen, having been 
 delayed by wind and tide. Here there was a great 
 display of lanterns at the consulate, and twenty war 
 junks, anchored in line opposite, were illuminated. 
 The Chinese gunboats also illuminated and burned 
 signal lights and fired rockets in answer to the 
 AsJmelot. The United States consul then came off to 
 the steamer and General Grant and party returned with 
 him to the consulate. 
 
 " At the landing place of Shameen a mat erection 
 had been raised, which was wreathed with green and 
 tastefully decorated with pot plants and ferns, and a 
 large display of bunting. It was too late to carry out 
 the arrangement which had been made for a reception, 
 and this, therefore, did not take place in a formal man 
 ner, but a great number went down to meet the party 
 as they landed, and the three cheers given, as the 
 General appeared on Shameen, must have been heard 
 over the greater part of Honan. 
 
 " At eight o clock on Tuesday, salutes were ex 
 changed by the AsJmelot and the Chinese gunboats, 
 and the AsJmelot was kept constantly saluting through 
 out the morning by Chinese displays of bunting. At 
 the consulate, the General and his party received vis 
 itors. At ten o clock, the General and his party, and 
 the captain and officers of the AsJmelot, went to pay 
 a visit to the Viceroy at his Yamen. They went in 
 chairs, and the party were headed by mounted man 
 darins and a body of troops. Traffic had been stopped , 
 and each crossing, or end of a street, was kept by 
 troops. This was necessary, as the pressure to get 
 a sight of the illustrious warrior and statesman was in 
 some places tremendous, and it was as much as the 
 soldiers could do to keep the crowd back. The dis 
 tance from the- United States consulate to the Viceroy s 
 
2l6 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 Yamen is three miles, and the whole route was lined 
 by Chinese, to the number of tens of thousands. 
 General Grant said he never saw such a line of faces, 
 and his estimate is, that at least a hundred thousand 
 persons saw r the procession of chairs pass by. 
 
 " On arriving at the Ti Ping Gate, the General was 
 saluted in Chinese fashion, and this salute was repeated 
 on entering the city at the Qui Dehr Gate. On arriv 
 ing at the gate of the Viceroy s Yamen, a salute of 
 twenty-one guns was fired, and the party filed through 
 two lines of Tartar troops armed with rifles. These 
 presented arms in European fashion, as was also done 
 on passing the city boundary, and the word of com 
 mand was given in English. The chairs were depos 
 ited inside the Yamen proper, and here four or five 
 hundred military, and other mandarins, lined the 
 approach to the Viceroy and his suite. 
 
 " The party were then introduced according to their 
 rank to the Viceroy, the Governor General, and the 
 Acting Governor of Canton ; to the Tartar General, the 
 Imperial Commissioner, the Deputy Tartar General, 
 and the Assistant Tartar General. The party being 
 received by the Chinese officials, the Viceroy himseh 
 led General Grant to a seat. The officials distributed 
 themselves among the foreigners, while the party were 
 being seated in a semicircle in the reception-room. 
 By the side of each guest was placed, on massive tea 
 poys, in delicate Chinese cups, tea made a la Chinoise, 
 and a lively conversation took place between the prin 
 cipal officials and principal visitors, which was inter 
 preted by Mr. Chester Holcombe, charge d affaires of 
 the United States, who had come from Peking to wel 
 come General Grant ; and by the Chinese interpreter 
 attached to the United States consulate at Canton. 
 
 " The Chinese mandarins were cordial in their man- 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 217 
 
 ner and laid aside much restraint. They wore the 
 different buttons of their rank, and the Viceroy had an 
 extra batch of aides-de-camp in attendance. At the 
 sounding of a bell, the Viceroy rose and conducted 
 General Grant to another apartment, which was, how 
 ever, so distant that it required about a five-minutes 
 walk to reach it. The party and officials formed a pro 
 cession, with due regard to precedence, and marched 
 to a room where refreshments had been laid on a large 
 table in a very handsome apartment. Seats had been 
 placed for the exact number of guests, whose cards had 
 been sent early in the morning, and when all were 
 arranged in place, the sight presented was a very fine 
 spectacle, as will be easily imagined, the naval, mil 
 itary, and consular uniforms contrasting well with the 
 rich dresses of the Chinese, and the throng of at least 
 three hundred servants in fresh costumes, of different 
 nationalities, forming the background. With the excep 
 tion of the glasses and knives and forks, all the mate 
 rial of the table was Chinese, and consisted of the finest 
 of that ceramic ware for which China is so celebrated. 
 The Viceroy pledged his guests repeatedly, and seemed 
 to enjoy his Clicquot. After about eighty dishes had 
 been discussed, and tea had again been served, a signal 
 was given by the Viceroy, and each guest was pre 
 sented with his hat by a servant, while other servants 
 brought lights, and cigars being handed round, the 
 procession reformed and returned to the reception-room, 
 where the visitors took their leave. General Grant s 
 party returned to the consulate by the same route as 
 they came, receiving the same salutes. 
 
 " On the evening of this day (Tuesday) invitations 
 to dinner for Wednesday were received at the consulate 
 from the Viceroy for the same party who visited him 
 Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday morning the Vice- 
 
2l8 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 roy and other officials called upon General Grant at the 
 consulate. The Tartar General came first, with an 
 escort of attendants and Tartar soldiers. He came in 
 a chair and his aides-de-camp were mounted on stout 
 little ponies. He took his leave at the end of half an 
 hour, and about ten o clock the noise of gongs and loud 
 shouting announced the approach of the Viceroy. His 
 procession presented quite an imposing appearance as 
 it advanced through the trees from the east gate. The 
 other military mandarins succeeded him, and the visit 
 ing continued till about two, after which the Shameen 
 returned to its usual quiet. 
 
 " Mr. Lincoln, the United States consul at Canton, 
 entertained a party at tiffin to meet General Grant, and 
 at five in the afternoon the General and suite, and Cap 
 tain Perkins and two of the officers of the Ashuelot^ left 
 the consulate in chairs for the Viceroy s Yamen, where 
 they were to be entertained at dinner. The heat was 
 very great, and for the naval and military men in uni 
 form and civilians in evening dress the journey in chairs 
 of three miles to the Yamen was expected to be a severe 
 task; but, fortunately, a cool breeze sprang up, and, 
 clouds obscuring the sun, the atmosphere became com 
 paratively cool, and they traveled comfortably. 
 
 " * The marines of the Ashuelot marched in front of 
 the party, and the route, as on the previous day, was 
 kept by soldiers, while the crowd was nearly as great. 
 The salutes of the previous day were also repeated. It 
 was getting towards dusk when the party arrived at the 
 Yamen, and a crowd of servants were lighting up the 
 palace. The effect of the thousands of tiny lamps, with 
 here and there enormous lanterns, lighting the halls 
 and rooms to the top of their vaulted ceiling, was beau 
 tiful, and a single glance brought to the mind at once 
 whole chapters of the "Arabian Nights." 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. -219 
 
 " The Yamen and its premises are of great extent, 
 and the attendants on the high officials and the attend 
 ants on the guests, and the servants attached to the 
 place, were so numerous that they could be numbered 
 by hundreds. They were all dressed in silk and rich 
 materials of various colors, which added to the bril 
 liancy of the scene. The Viceroy and five of the high 
 est officials received the guests, and after the ceremony 
 of shaking hands and much kotowing was gone through 
 with, the Viceroy led the way to a large apartment 
 where seats were arranged in a semicircle. Here tea 
 was served while the guests were fanned cool by a row 
 of servants with palm-leaf fans, one of whom stood 
 behind each seated guest. Soon after "the chimes of 
 silver-sounding bells " announced dinner, and the party, 
 forming a stately procession according to rank, inarched 
 slowly through several courts and corridors, crossed an 
 illuminated garden, and ultimately reached the dining- 
 hall. " 
 
 I quote now from my brother s letters : 
 
 " The scene here was brilliant beyond description. 
 The dining-hall was more brilliantly illuminated than 
 any apartment we had previously visited. It opened 
 on three sides to the garden, which was also lighted, 
 and the tables were arranged in rows on these three 
 sides of the room. They were loaded with exquisite 
 china and glittering with massive silver. In the cen 
 tre of the room, and in the garden beyond, moved 
 about hundreds of servants in bright, gay-colored 
 dresses. Each table was laid for about six per 
 sons, which included one or two Chinese who spoke 
 English. 
 
 " The Chinese young men of rank who were present 
 were very handsome ; nobody could have thought of 
 
220 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 them as belonging to an inferior race in any way, and 
 although they were very polite and did everything that 
 the occasion and its ceremonies required of them, yet 
 it seemed to me that they could hardly conceal the 
 thought that we were of a much inferior race to them 
 selves, and they put a restraint on themselves to help 
 showing their contempt for us. 
 
 "Everything about the dinner was Chinese except 
 the knives and forks and glasses. Chopsticks of carved 
 ivory and silver were also at every plate. The dinner 
 I was told by those who knew was a combination 
 of Chinese and Mantehu cookery. They say that in 
 suggestions to appetite and appeals to luxurious living 
 the Chinese surpass Europeans in the arrangement of 
 their feasts ; that these are intended as works of art, 
 and that every course is planned with a purpose and 
 intention with regard to the appetite. I have heard 
 that there were French cooks who claimed the same 
 merit for their dishes and dinners. The dinner was 
 very interesting, as most of the dishes were calculated 
 to excite the curiosity of a foreigner. 
 
 " Before appealing to the Chinese gentlemen at the 
 table to explain them to us, we would make attempts to 
 guess what the dishes were. I should think there were 
 a hundred courses, and you will find them enumerated 
 in the newspaper accounts which I send. The menu 
 was in gold characters on red paper." 
 
 From a newspaper I copy that part of the bill of fare 
 which includes the most curious dishes : 
 
 "The banquet began with sweetmeats, cakes, fruit- 
 rolls, apricot and melon seeds, passed in little dishes ; 
 then eight courses of meats, fish, and vegetables; then 
 fruits, cakes, preserves, and honey ; then birds-nest 
 soup, roast duck, mushrooms, pigeons eggs, shark fins, 
 
LETTERS X)F CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 221 
 
 and seacrabs ; then, succeeding each other, steamed 
 cakes, ham-pie, vermicelli, baked white pigeons, stewed 
 chicken, lotus seeds, pea-soup, ham in honey, radish 
 cakes, date cakes, sucking pigs (served whole), French 
 confectionery, bellies of fat fish, roast mutton, pears in 
 honey, the soles of white pigeons feet, wild ducks 
 in thorn-apple jelly, egg-balls, lotus seed soup, roast 
 chicken, fruit and vegetables, Mongolian mushrooms, 
 sliced flag-bulbs, fried egg-plant, salted shrimps, orange 
 tarts and cakes, prune-sauce, biche-de-mer, ham with 
 white and with red sauce, ham combined with pump 
 kins and squash, almonds and beans, and so on beyond 
 count. Cigars and pipes were constantly passed, and 
 the Chinese showed themselves familiar with European 
 liquors. 
 
 " The bill of fare was very handsome ; the represen 
 tations in gold or red being emblematic of good wishes 
 for the happiness, honors, and longevity of the guest. 
 The dinner occupied an unconscionable time. Many 
 smoked water-pipes, held by the servants who attended 
 for the purpose, while General Grant and Mr. Borie 
 walked about the garden between some of the courses. 
 At last, the dinner finished, the company adjourned to 
 another apartment, and after a little time spent here, 
 they reformed in order of precedence, returned to the 
 reception-hall, and soon after the guests took leave and 
 returned to the consulate. A Chinese state dinner is 
 certainly a thing to be remembered. 
 
 "The evening of the next day (Thursday) Captain 
 Perkins and other officers of the Ashuelot attended a 
 dinner at the United States consulate, where an elab 
 orate dinner was given in English style, with speech- 
 making and complimentary addresses to the honored 
 guest ; while the consulate was made a mass of beauti 
 ful decorations in flowers and bunting, and the whole 
 
222 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 was concluded by a display of fireworks from a bamboo 
 erection of sixty feet in front of the house, where there 
 were scenic representations in the finest Chinese style. 
 
 " Friday morning, May 10, General Grant and party 
 went on board the Ashuelot and started for Macao. The 
 Viceroy sent magnificent presents, and expressed a 
 desire to come and see them off; but they started too 
 early in the morning. As the Ashuelot proceeded down 
 the river, the same saluting and ceremonies were ob 
 served as on her ascent. Chinese gunboats met her at 
 different points with mandarins bringing cards of the 
 different officials. The same military display was made 
 at the Amunghoy and Wantong batteries. Salutes were 
 fired from each side of the river, which were returned 
 gun for gun from the Ashuelot. 
 
 " On arriving off the bay at the back of Chuenkee, a 
 line of war junks were also at anchor ; it was hardly to 
 be expected that these would salute, but not to be out 
 done in compliments to the General, they blazed away, 
 and the gunners of the Ashuelot were again piped to 
 quarters for saluting, which was the last of the powder 
 burning, coming down the Canton river. 
 
 ** As they approached MaCao, the fine view of the 
 Portuguese peninsula was obscured by a cloud of mist. 
 Here saluting began again, and soon a steam launch 
 came alongside with the Portuguese governor and other 
 officials. The General and party went to the hotel at 
 Macoa, where they passed the night, and the next morn 
 ing visited the grotto of Camoens and fantan. At the 
 entrance of the garden of Camoens, an arch was raised, 
 bearing, in English, the words, Welcome to General 
 Grant. The General seemed to enjoy the much needed 
 rest he obtained here, and on Saturday morning the 
 Ashuclot, with the General s party on board, steamed 
 out of the harbor, receiving and returning salutes. She 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 223 
 
 expects to arrive in Hong Kong in season for the grand 
 Chinese chow-chow dinner and garden party." 
 
 When the Ashuelot reached Hong Kong, it was found 
 that Commander Johnson, who had been appointed to 
 succeed Captain Perkins in command of the Ashuelot, 
 had arrived, and the latter lost no time in going through 
 the ceremony of transferring the ship to him, in order 
 to be free for immediate departure for his beloved 
 home. 
 
 In the Hong Kong papers of Monday, May 12, ap 
 peared the following : 
 
 " Captain Perkins gave up the command of the 
 U. S. S. Ashuelot on Saturday afternoon to Captain 
 Johnson, who arrived the same day on the P. M. steamer 
 Alaska. We hope the new commander will be as pop 
 ular during his term as has been Captain Perkins, both 
 afloat and ashore. He leaves Hong Kong in the after 
 noon steamer City of Tokio for San Francisco." 
 
 The following is a letter from John Russell Young, 
 the well-known author and newspaper correspondent, 
 who accompanied General Grant : 
 
 " HONG KONG, May 13, 1879. 
 4< DEAR CAPTAIN : 
 
 <k I think I will accept your offer to carry my pack 
 age of photographs to the United States. If you will 
 have them put in the express office in California, and 
 mark them C. O. D., I will be very much obliged. I 
 hope it will not be too much trouble ; but I have already 
 had so much kindness from you that I am tempted to 
 tax you further, in the hope that when we meet in 
 America I may have the opportunity of, in a slight 
 degree, repaying it. 
 
 " Yours faithfully, 
 
 " JNO. RUSSELL YOUNG." 
 
224 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 In 1880 there was a decided effort again made to 
 induce the government to recognize the services of those 
 naval officers who had distinguished themselves during 
 the Rebellion ; and the following letter is a specimen of 
 several which George received with reference to the 
 matter. Such letters have a value to his friends, as they 
 show the estimation in which he was held by those capa 
 ble of appreciating his merits and his deserts : 
 
 " MARE ISLAND, CAL., 
 
 "March 18, 1880. 
 " MY DEAR PERKINS : 
 
 "It is seldom I venture to give advice, or offer sug 
 gestions concerning other people s affairs, but the 
 senate s action in Jewett s case has opened afresh the 
 old sore of Farragut s injustice to those officers who 
 served under him so faithfully at Mobile ; and this cir 
 cumstance has induced me to depart from my rule, and 
 urge you to demand your right and claim the promotion 
 your services entitle you to. 
 
 " Your war record, prior to the fifth of August,* is 
 well known to most of the older officers in the service, 
 and your fight with Buchanan in Mobile Bay should 
 have been rewarded by advancement to a higher grade. 
 This is not my opinion alone, but that of all the officers 
 who participated in that action. Admirals Strong, Le 
 Roy, Jenkins, or, in fact, any of the old commanders in 
 Mobile Bay, could, and doubtless would, recommend 
 your promotion. I have no other object in this sugges 
 tion than a wish to see justice done, and I offer you my 
 services most heartily." 
 
 At about this time I began to collect and arrange the 
 letters and papers belonging to my brother. Request 
 had been previously made at various times for such of 
 
 *That is, at New Orleans. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 225 
 
 these as I might have, which bore upon my brother s 
 part in the war. But I was chiefly stimulated to make 
 an effort for their arrangement and preservation by 
 Capt. George E. Belknap s expressed desire to write a 
 sketch of my brother s life. 
 
 Captain Belknap came from New Hampshire, and 
 stands high in the naval profession, being distinguished 
 for his connection with the scientific labors of the service 
 and for his literary attainments. Though in an older 
 class than my brother, he writes : 
 
 " I took a fancy to your brother when we were at the 
 Naval Academy together. His career all through since 
 that time has strengthened my regard, and I shall be 
 only too glad to help preserve his fame and make his 
 deeds better known to the people of our own state, who 
 have too much overlooked what their naval representa 
 tives did during the war. 
 
 " The writing of the sketch will be a labor of love on 
 my part. I feel that your brother s admirable service 
 can only be done justice to by one versed in naval ways 
 and matters. Then, too, besides the personal regard I 
 have for him, a feeling of state pride enters into my 
 desire to do the work. 
 
 " Pray send me extracts from his correspondence 
 with regard to New Orleans. I think the passage of 
 the forts and the capture of New Orleans more impor 
 tant in the results at the time than the battle of Mobile ; 
 and your brother s part in it was most brilliant. 
 
 " Some day an historian will write New Hampshire s 
 part in the war, and then your brother s letters pertaining 
 to it, both as to personal experience and opinion, will 
 be valuable to coming generations. They ought to be 
 edited and placed on file with the New Hampshire His 
 torical Society. 
 
 " I am glad to hear such pleasant news of your 
 15 
 
226 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 brother Hamilton.* Your mother will begin to think 
 she rears boys only for Massachusetts girls to carry off! 
 But then with such boys as hers, she can only be proudly 
 content ! Both your brothers have been nominated for 
 the Historic-Genealogical Society of Boston, and I hope 
 they will accept." 
 
 When preparing that part of his sketch descriptive of 
 the battle of Mobile Bay, Captain Belknap writes : 
 
 " My manuscript does not include all that is to be 
 said of Mobile Bay, and I have thought of writing 
 and asking your opinion of a separate sketch to be 
 entitled, Captain Perkins at Mobile Bay. With re 
 gard to all the histories, monographs, etc., about it, I 
 think your brother may well exclaim with Walpole, 
 Anything but history, or history must be false ! 
 
 In a letter thanking me for my assistance in furnish 
 ing information, data, etc., for his sketch, Captain Bel- 
 knap says : 
 
 " Fortunate as your brother ha"s been in all that he 
 has undertaken, his letters show the source of his in 
 spiration and success, a happy home, where he ever 
 found love and sympathy and praise and appreciation, 
 wherever they were due. Not all have been so happily 
 circumstanced, else the world would have seen more 
 heroes and better men." 
 
 In April, 1884, Captain Belknap s sketch of George s 
 life and services to his country was published in the 
 Bay State Monthly, afterwards called the Massachu 
 setts Magazine, and was reprinted in the Granite 
 Monthly. After its publication, Captain Belknap re 
 ceived many letters from naval officers expressing the 
 satisfaction with which they read his account of the 
 
 * His marriage to Miss Bliss, of Boston, about this time. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 227 
 
 deeds of one of their number. He kindly sent some of 
 these letters to me, and I give extracts from them here : 
 
 "I received with much pleasure the Bay State 
 Monthly, and read with peculiar interest your eloquent 
 sketch of the life and services of Capt. George Ham 
 ilton Perkins. In these prosaic times I fear that ser 
 vices like those of Captain Perkins are passing rapidly 
 from the memory of our people, and, I fear, from that 
 of our own comrades. 
 
 " Your pen has furnished a truthful narrative of one 
 who deserves to be singled out for the distinguished 
 part he bore in the great conflict, and I, for one, thank 
 you for it. How well Captain Perkins bore himself at 
 the battle of New Orleans, you have gloriously set 
 forth. 
 
 " I wish that a naval record might be made, in whose 
 pages could be found the acts of heroism and self-devo 
 tion of those who go down to the sea in ships. It is 
 right that their deeds should be noted ; that now, and 
 in time to come, they may warm the hearts and fire 
 the blood of their countrymen, and win for them the 
 merited love and admiration which are their due." 
 
 Another friend and officer writes : 
 
 " You have only expressed in fitting terms what I have 
 always understood, that in any other country Captain 
 Perkins would have received handsome recognition from 
 the government. Had he been less of a true hero he 
 would have demanded it loudly ; but he was always 
 modest. I know a gentleman, a near connection of 
 Perkins, by marriage, who told me that as long as he 
 had known George, and as intimately, he had never 
 heard him allude to the Mobile fight, or indeed to any 
 of his active services during the war." 
 
 In March, 1882, my brother received his appointment 
 
228 LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 as captain in the navy by regular promotion. In the 
 years of i884~ 85, he made a year s cruise in command 
 of Farragut s famous old Hartford, then flagship of our 
 Pacific squadron. 
 
 The cruise included the Pacific ports of North and 
 South America and Honolulu. At this last place, he 
 was welcomed by many old friends of the Lack aw anna 
 days. Years did not seem to have dimmed his spirit of 
 adventure. He went over his old cruising grounds to 
 observe with interest the immense progress which all 
 that western coast had made in sixteen years. What 
 had then been the wilds of California, to be penetrated 
 with caution, with guides and on horseback, could now 
 be comfortably traversed in parlor cars on railways, 
 whose course lay through tracts which fairly laughed 
 with their harvests, and where immense establishments 
 for the production of California wine and the preserva 
 tion of her fruits gave astonishing proof of the country s 
 progress. 
 
 In South America he found the Andes scaled by a 
 railway which took one to a height where the very con 
 formation of the natives was changed by constantly 
 breathing the rarefied air, their chests becoming of an 
 enormous size. But all this progress had perhaps 
 robbed the cruise of the charm of the new and difficult 
 to attain. With his letters home came packages of 
 photographs which formed an illustrated comment on 
 the cruise. 
 
 I had thought at one time of printing in this volume 
 all the pictures in my possession which were connected 
 with my brother s career ; but as this book is compiled 
 solely with reference to preserving what I believe to be 
 important to his daughter, and as such a course would 
 delay greatly its being put in print, I have resolved to 
 defer a plan which, however, might add much to its 
 interest. 
 
LETTERS OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 229 
 
 As this, then, is intended as a memorial of his char 
 acter and deeds, I place as its final words those of 
 George W. Cable who saw him with Admiral Bailey 
 confront the mob at New Orleans, and declared that 
 "It was one of the bravest deeds I ever saw done." 
 And also Admiral Farragut s almost dying statement to 
 his friend McRitchie, when he said : 
 
 "Perkins was young and handsome, and no braver 
 man ever trod a ship s deck. His work in the Chicka- 
 sazu did more to capture the Tennessee than all the guns 
 of the fleet put together." 
 
CAPTAIN GEORGE HAMILTON PERKINS, 
 
 I". S. Navv, 1884. 
 
A SKETCH OF THE LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 CAPT. GEORGE HAMILTON PERKINS, 
 
 U. S. N. 
 
 BY CAPT. GEORGE E. BELKNAP, U. S. N. 
 
 Reprint from the Massachusetts Magazine. 
 
SKETCH. 
 
 In passing up the Concord and Claremont Railroad 
 from Concord, the observant traveler has doubtless 
 noticed the substantial and comfortable-looking home 
 stead with large and trim front yard, shaded by thickly 
 planted and generous topped maples, on the right-hand 
 side of the road after crossing the bridge that spans 
 
 " Contoocook s bright and brimming river, 1 
 
 at the pleasant-looking village of Contoocookville in 
 the northern part of Hopkinton. 
 
 There, under that inviting roof, the subject of this 
 sketch, George Hamilton Perkins, the eldest son in a 
 family of eight children, was born, October 20, 1836. 
 
 His father, the Hon. Hamilton Eliot Perkins, inher 
 ited all the land in that part of the town, and, in early 
 life, in addition to professional work as a counsellor-at- 
 law and member of the Merrimack County bar, built 
 the mills at Contoocookville, and was, in fact, the 
 founder of the thriving settlement at that point. 
 
 His paternal grandfather, Roger Eliot Perkins, came 
 to Hopkinton from the vicinity of Salem, Mass., when 
 a young man, and by his energy, enterprise, and pub 
 lic spirit, soon impressed his individuality upon the 
 community, and became one of the leading citizens of 
 the town. 
 
 His mother was Miss Clara Bartlett George, daugh 
 ter of the late John George, Esq., of Concord, whose 
 
234 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 ancestors were among the early settlers of Watertown, 
 Mass. He is said to have been a man of active 
 temperament, prompt in business, stout in heart, bluff 
 of speech, honest in purpose, and never failing in any 
 way those who had dealings with him. 
 
 As " the child is father of the man," so the boyhood 
 and youth of Captain Perkins gave earnest of those 
 qualities whicli in his young manhood the rude tests of 
 the sea and the grim crises of war developed to the full. 
 4 No matter" was his first plainly-spoken phrase, a 
 hint of childish obstinacy that foreshadowed the persist 
 ence of maturer years. Among other feats of his boy 
 ish daring, it is told that when a mere child, hardly 
 into his first trousers, he went one day to catch a colt in 
 one of his father s fields bordering on the Contoocook. 
 The colt declined to be caught, and after a sharp 
 scamper took to the river and swam across. Nothing 
 daunted, the plucky little urchin threw off his jacket, 
 plunged into the swift current, and safely breasting it 
 was soon in hot pursuit on the other side ; and after 
 a long chase and hard tussle made out to catch 
 the spirited animal and bring him home in triumph. 
 Always passionately fond of animals and prematurely 
 expert in all out-door sports, he thus early began to 
 master that noblest of beasts, the horse. 
 
 When eight years old, his father removed with his 
 family to Boston, and, investing his means in shipping, 
 engaged for a time in trade with the west coast of 
 Africa. The son was apt to run about the wharves 
 with his father, and the sight of the ships and contact 
 with "Jack" doubtless awoke the taste for the sea that 
 was to be gratified later on. 
 
 Returning to the old homestead on the Contoocook, 
 after the lapse of two years or more, the old, quiet, 
 yet, for young boyhood, frolicsome outdoor life was 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 235 
 
 resumed, and the lad grew apace amid the rural scenes 
 and ample belongings of that generous home ; not over- 
 studious, perhaps, and chafing, as boys will, at the 
 restraint imposed by the study of daily lessons and 
 their recital to his mother. 
 
 At twelve years of age, he was sent to the Hopkinton 
 Academy, and afterwards to the academy at Gilmanton. 
 While at Gilmanton, Gen. Charles H. Peaslee, then 
 member of congress from the Concord congressional 
 district, offered him the appointment of acting midship 
 man to fill a vacancy at the Naval Academy, Annap 
 olis, Maryland, which, after some hesitation, his parents 
 permitted him to accept, and he was withdrawn from 
 Gilmanton and sent to Concord to prepare for entrance 
 at Annapolis, under a private tutor. He remained 
 under such pupilage until the age of fifteen, when the 
 beginning of the academic year, October, 1851, saw 
 him installed in " Middy s" uniform at that institution, 
 and the business of life for him had begun in earnest. 
 
 To a young and restless lad, used to being afield at 
 all times and hours with horse, dog, and gun, and 
 fresh from a country home where the " pomp and cir 
 cumstance " of military life had had no other illustra 
 tion than occasional glimpses of the old " training and 
 muster days " so dear to New Hampshire boys forty 
 years ago, the change to the restraint and discipline ; 
 the inflexible routine and stern command ; the bright 
 uniforms and novel ways ; the sight of the ships and 
 the use of a vocabulary that ever smacks of the sea ; 
 the call by drum and trumpet to every act of the day, 
 from bed-rising, prayers, and breakfast, through study, 
 recitation, drill, and recreation hours, to tattoo and 
 taps, when every student is expected to be in bed, 
 was a transformation wonderful indeed ; but the flow of 
 discipline and routine is so regular and imperative that 
 
236 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 their currents are imperceptibly impressed upon the 
 youthful mind and soon become a part of his nature, as 
 it were, unawares. So we may conclude that our 
 young aspirant for naval honors proved no exception 
 to the rule, and soon settled into these new grooves 
 of life as quietly as his ardent temperament would 
 permit. 
 
 The discipline at the Academy, in those days, was 
 harsher and more exacting, and the officers of the insti 
 tution of a sterner and more experienced sea-school, 
 than now ; and the three months practice cruises 
 across the Atlantic, which the different classes made 
 on alternate summers, when the "young gentlemen" 
 were trained to do all the work of seamen, both alow 
 and aloft, and lived on the old navy ration of salt junk, 
 pork and beans, and hard-tack, with no extras, were 
 anything but a joke. The Academy, too, was in a 
 transition state from the system in vogue, up to 1850 
 inclusive, prior to which period the midshipmen went 
 to sea immediately after appointment, pretty much after 
 the fashion of Peter Simple and Jack Easy, and after 
 a lapse of five years came to the school for a year s 
 cramming and coaching before graduating as passed 
 midshipmen. The last of such appointees was grad 
 uated in 1856, and the sometime hinted contaminating 
 influence of the * oldsters " upon the " youngsters " was 
 a thing to be known no more forever, albeit the hint of 
 contamination always seemed, to the writer, question 
 able, as, in his experience, the habit and propensity of 
 the youngsters for mischief appeared to require neither 
 promotion nor encouragement. Indeed, their methods 
 and ingenuity in evading rules and regulations and 
 defying discipline were as original as they were per 
 severing, and could the third-story room of the build 
 ing occupied by the subject of this sketch be given 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 237 
 
 tongue, it would tell a tale of frolic and drollery that 
 would only find parallel in the inimitable pages of 
 Marryatt. 
 
 Convenient apparatus for the stewing or roasting of 
 oysters, poaching of eggs, or the mixing of refreshing 
 drinks, could be readily stowed away from the inspect 
 ing officer, or a roast goose or turkey be smuggled by 
 a trusty darky from some restaurant outside ; and it 
 was but the work of a moment after taps to tack a 
 blanket over the window, light the gas, and bring out 
 a dilapidated pack of cards for a game of California 
 jack or draw-poker ; or to convert the prim pine table 
 into a billiard-table, with marbles for balls, with which 
 the ownership of many a collar, neckerchief, shirt, 
 and other articles of none too plentiful wardrobes, was 
 decided in a twinkling, while the air of the crowded 
 room grew thick and stifling from the smoke of the 
 forbidden tobacco. 
 
 One of the company would keep a sharp lookout for 
 the possible advent of the sometimes rubber-shod passed 
 midshipman doing police duty, and, if necessary, dan 
 ger signals would be made from the basement story, by 
 tapping on the steam-pipes, which signal would be re 
 peated from room to room, and from floor to floor, 
 generally in ample time for the young bacchanalians to 
 disperse in safety. If, perchance, the revellers got 
 caught, they would stand up at the next evening s 
 parade and hear the offense, and the demerits accorded, 
 read out in presence of the battalion, with an easy 
 sang-froid that piqued the sea-worn experience of the 
 oldsters while they marveled. Let no one judge these 
 lads too harshly, for the day came, all too soon, when 
 they were to stand up and face the enemy, and, with 
 equally nonchalant but sterner courage, go into battle 
 in defense of the flag they were being trained to defend, 
 
238 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 many winning undying honor and fame, some meeting 
 untimely but heroic graves, in " the war that kept the 
 Union whole." 
 
 Our midshipmite soon became a favorite with all, from 
 the grufF old superintendent down to the littlest new 
 comer at the school. His bright, cheery* and genial 
 disposition, and frank, hearty ways, were very winning ; 
 and if in his studies he did not take leading rank, nor 
 become enraptured over analytics, calculus, and binomi 
 als, he was esteemed a spirited, heartsome lad of good 
 stock and promise, bred to honorable purpose and aspi 
 ration, with seemingly marked aptitude for the noble 
 profession, which, more than any other, calls for a hero 
 ism that never hesitates, a courage that never falters ; 
 for, aside from its special work of upholding and de 
 fending the flag, and all it symbolizes, on the high seas 
 to the uttermost parts of the globe, " they that go down 
 to the sea in ships" come closer to the manifestations of 
 the unspeakable might and majesty of Almighty Power 
 than any other. The seaman, with but a plank sepa 
 rating him from eternity, never knows at what moment 
 he may be called upon to put forth all the skill and re 
 source, the unflinching effort and sacrifice, that his call 
 ing ever, in emergency, unstintedly requires. 
 
 " Where er the surge may sweep, the tempest s breath prevail, 
 He searches all its stormy deep, its dangers all unveil. 1 
 
 Of medium height, slight and trim of figure, clear 
 complexion and piercing gray eyes of peculiar brilliancy, 
 softened by a merry twinkle betokening latent mischief, 
 voung Perkins was a youth fair and interesting to look 
 upon. He walked with quick, elastic step, carried 
 his head a little on one side, and had a habit, when 
 anything struck his fancy pleasantly, of shrugging his 
 shoulders and rubbing his hands together in a vigorous 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 239 
 
 way, that seemed to declare in unmistakable terms that 
 he was glad all over ! 
 
 During one of the wonted summer cruises he made 
 himself somewhat famous at great-gun practice, the 
 details of which are given in one of his home letters, as 
 follows : 
 
 4 We had target practice one day, and it came my 
 turn to shoot. There was quite a swell on, which made 
 it very difficult to get any kind of a shot, but when I 
 fired I hit the target, which was a barrel with a small 
 flag on it, set up about three quarters of a mile distant. 
 Such a thing as hitting a small target at sea, with the 
 ship in motion , and a swell on , is considered almost out of 
 the question, so they all said it was luck. But another 
 target was put out, and I fired again and stove it all 
 to pieces. Then the crew all cheered, and made quite 
 a hero of me. Still some said it must be luck, and 
 another target was put out in exactly the same manner. 
 This one I did not quite hit, but the shot fell so near 
 that all gave it up it was not luck, and that I was a first- 
 rate shot with broadside guns." 
 
 After such demonstration, it is not strange that he 
 was looked upon as having a very correct eye for dis 
 tances, and was ever afterward called upon to fire 
 whenever experiments were wanted. Naval gunnery, 
 be it remarked in passing, is quite a different matter 
 from army practice. In the former, with its platform 
 never at rest, it is like shooting a bird on the wing, 
 when distance and motion must be accurately gauged 
 and allowed for; in the latter, from its gun on a 
 fixed platform, it is but a question of measurement from 
 the object, by means of instruments if need be, and of 
 good pointing. The seaman stands immediately in rear 
 of the gun, with the eye along the sight directing its 
 train, now ritjht, now leit, now well, and with taut lock- 
 
240 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 string in hand in readiness to pull the moment the object 
 is on, and on the alert to jump clear of the recoil. The 
 soldier handles his piece with greater deliberation, sights 
 it leisurely on its immovable platform, and, if mounted 
 en barbette^ retires behind a traverse before firing. 
 
 Graduating in June, 1856, the now full-fledged Mid 
 shipman Perkins could look back upon the five years 
 probationary experience with many pleasant recollec 
 tions, though doubtless thanking his stars that his 
 pupilage was over. 
 
 During his time there had been two superintendents 
 at the Academy. The first was Capt. C. K. Stribling, 
 a fine seaman of the old school, of rigid Presbyterian 
 stock, stern, grim, and precise, with curt manners, 
 sharp and incisive voice that seemed to know no soften 
 ing, and whose methods of duty and conception of 
 discipline smacked of the " true-blue " ideal of the 
 Covenanters of old in their enforcement of obedience 
 and conservation of morals. The second was Capt. 
 L. M. Goldsborough, a man of stalwart height and pro 
 portions and a presence that ennobled command ; learned 
 and accomplished, yet grufF and overwhelming in 
 speech and brusque and impatient in manner, but 
 possessing, withal, a kindly nature, and a keen sense of 
 humor that took in a joke enjovably, however practical ; 
 and a sympathetic discrimination that often led him to 
 condone moral offenses at which some of the straight- 
 laced professors stood aghast. His responses at church 
 service resounded like the growl of a bear ; and when 
 reprimanding the assembled midshipmen, drawn up in 
 battalion, for some grave breach of discipline, he would 
 stride up and down the line with the tread of an elephant, 
 and expound the Articles of War in stentorian tones that 
 equaled the roar of a bull ! But if, perchance, in the 
 awesome precincts of his office, he afterwards got hold 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 241 
 
 of a piece of doggerel some witty midshipman had 
 written descriptive of such a scene, none would enjoy it 
 more than he ! 
 
 After an enjoyment of a three months leave of ab 
 sence at home, Midshipman Perkins was ordered to join 
 the sloop-of-war Cyane, Captain Robb. That ship was 
 one of the home squadron ; and in November, 1856, 
 sailed for Aspinwall, to give protection to our citizens, 
 mails, and freight, in the transit across the Isthmus of 
 Panama to California, back and forth. At that period, 
 safe and rapid transit in that region of riots and revolu 
 tion was much more important than now, the Pacific 
 Railroad existing only in the brains of a few sagacious 
 men, and the maintenance of the thoroughfare across 
 the pestilential isthmus was a national necessity. For 
 years our naval force on either side had had frequent 
 occasion to land expeditions to protect the life and 
 property of our citizens, and a frightful massacre of 
 passengers had but lately occurred at the hands of a 
 mongrel mob at Panama. The situation was critical, 
 and for a time it looked as though the United States 
 would be obliged to seize and hold that part of Colom 
 bian territory. But time wore on without outbreak on 
 the part of the fiery freemen of that so-called republic, 
 the continued presence of ships, both at Panama and 
 Aspinwall, doubtless convincing them of the folly of 
 further attempts to molest the hated Yankees. 
 
 Meanwhile the notorious Walker had been making a 
 filibustering raid in Central America, which ended in 
 failure, and the Cyane went over to Greytown to bring 
 the sick and wounded of his deluded followers to Aspin 
 wall for passage to New York. Some hundred and 
 twenty officers and men found in the hands of the Costa 
 Ricans were taken on board, most of them in a deplor 
 able condition. Some died before weighing anchor for 
 16 
 
242 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 Aspinwall, and as midshipmen have no definable duties 
 except to obey orders, whatever they may be, Midship 
 man Perkins was sent in a boat one day to take a chap 
 lain s part in the burial of one of the victims. " When 
 we got out to sea," he wrote, " I read some prayers 
 over him, and then he was thrown over the side, the 
 sailors saying God bless you ! as the body sunk." 
 This sad duty made him feel solemn and reflective, but 
 more than likely as not he was called upon immediately 
 on arrival on board, as " master s mate of the spirit- 
 room," to attend the serving out of grog to the ship s 
 company ! Extremes meet on board a man-of-war, and 
 the times for moralizing are short and scant. 
 
 So time sped, Midshipman Perkins performing his 
 multifarious duties with alacrity and approval, and hav 
 ing some perilous adventures by flood and field in pur 
 suit of wild game, until July, 1857, when the monotony 
 of the cruise was broken by a trip to the banks of New 
 foundland for the protection of our fishing interests, and 
 including visits at Boston, St. John s, and Halifax. 
 
 The people of the Provinces were very hospitable, 
 and the contrast between the dusky damsels of the 
 isthmus and the ruddy-cheeked belles of St. John s and 
 Halifax was brightening in the extreme, and young 
 Perkins, ever gallant in his intercourse with the sex 
 and a good dancer, found much favor with the Provin 
 cial beauties, and doubtless made up for past depriva 
 tions in the alluring contact with their charms. 
 
 Returning southward in the fall, the ship cruised 
 among the West Indies, visiting, among other ports, 
 Cape Haytien, the old capital of the island of Hayti, 
 to inquire into the imprisonment of an American mer 
 chant captain. This place before the French Revolu 
 tion had been a city of great magnificence and beauty 
 the Paris of the Isles, and the old French nobility, 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 243 
 
 possessing enormous landed estates and large numbers 
 of slaves, lived in a state of almost fabled grandeur and 
 luxury; but negro rule, the removal of the seat of gov 
 ernment to Port-au-Prince, and the great earthquake of 
 1842, have destroyed all but a semblance of its former 
 glory and importance. 
 
 Among other sights visited by the officers was the 
 old home of Count Cristoll, a castle of great size and 
 strength, built on one of the highest hills, some twelve 
 miles back of the town. It was told of the old Count 
 that he used every year to bury large sums of money 
 from his revenues, and then shoot the slave who did 
 the work, that the secret of the spot might be known 
 only to himself. 
 
 In January, 1858, Midshipman Perkins was detached 
 from the Cyauc, and he bade adieu forever to her dark, 
 cramped-up, tallow-candle-lighted steerage, baggy ham 
 mock, and hard fare, where the occasional dessert to a 
 salt dinner had been dried apples, mixed with bread 
 and flavored with whiskey ! There were no eleven- 
 o clock breakfasts for midshipmen in those days, and 
 canned meats, condensed milk, preserved fruits, and 
 other luxuries now common on shipboard, were almost 
 unknown. 
 
 A few brief days at home, and orders came to join the 
 storeship Release, which vessel, after a three months 
 cruise in the Mediterranean, returned to New York to 
 fill up with stores and provisions for the Paraguay ex 
 pedition. That expedition had for its object the chas 
 tisement of the dictator Lopez, for certain dastardly 
 acts committed against our flag on the River Parana. 
 
 Owing to the paucity of officers, so many being 
 absent on other foreign service, Midshipman Perkins 
 was appointed acting sailing master, a very responsible 
 position for so young an officer, which, with the added 
 
244 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 comforts of a stateroom and well-ordered table in the 
 ward-room, was almost royal in its contrast with the 
 duty, the darksome steerage, and hard fare on board 
 the Cyane. It would be difficult to make a landsman 
 take in the scope of the change implied, but let him 
 in imagination start across the continent in an old- 
 fashioned, cramped-up stage-coach, full of passengers, 
 with such coarse fare as could be picked up from day 
 to day, and return in a Pullman car with well-stocked 
 larder and restaurant attached, and he will get a glim 
 mering as to the difference between steerage and ward 
 room life on board a man-of-war. 
 
 The Release was somewhat of a tub, and what with 
 light and contrary winds and calms took sixty-two days 
 to reach the rendezvous, Montevideo, arriving there in 
 January, 1858. She found the whole fleet at anchor 
 there, and officers and men soon forgot the weariness 
 of the long passage in the receipt of letters from home, 
 and in the joyous meetings with old friends. All 
 admired the fine climate, and as that part of South 
 America is the greatest country in the world for horses, 
 the young sailing master rejoiced in the opportunity 
 offered to indulge in his favorite pastime of riding. 
 He also showed his prowess as a devotee of the chase 
 in fine sport afforded on the pampas that enabled him 
 to run down and shoot a South American tiger. 
 
 Meanwhile Commodere Shubrick, in command of the 
 expedition, had completed his preparations for ascend 
 ing the Parana, and the fleet soon moved up to a con 
 venient point, the Commodore himself continuing on 
 up the river in a small vessel to Corrientes to meet 
 Lopez and convey to him the ultimatum of the United 
 States. After some "backing and filling," as an old 
 salt would characterize diplomacy, Lopez concluded 
 " discretion to be the better part of valor," and making 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 245 
 
 a satisfactory amende, the Paraguayan war came to a 
 bloodless end, and the hopes of expectant heroes, with 
 visions of promotion, dissolved like summer clouds. 
 
 Young Perkins was now, August, 1858, transferred 
 to the frigate Sabine for passage home to his examina 
 tion for the grade of passed midshipman. Passing that 
 ordeal satisfactorily, aided by handsome commendatory 
 letters from his commanding officers, he spent three 
 happy months at homeland then received orders for 
 duty on board the steamer Sumter, as acting master, 
 the destination of that vessel being the west coast of 
 Africa, where, in accordance with the provisions of 
 Article 8 of the Webster- Ashburton treaty (1842), the 
 United States maintained a squadron, carrying not less 
 than eighty guns, in cooperation with the British gov 
 ernment, for the suppression of the slave trade. That 
 article continued in active observance nineteen years, 
 when the United States, having a little question of 
 slavery to settle at home, gave the stipulated prelimi 
 nary notice and recalled the ships. 
 
 The Sumter arrived on the coast in October, 1859, 
 making her first anchorage in the lovely harbor on the 
 west side of Prince s Island. That island, in about 
 i 30 north latitude, covered with all the luxuriance of 
 tropical growth and verdure, and broken into every 
 conceivable shape of pinnacle, castellated rock and 
 chasm, and frowning precipice, streaked with silvery 
 threads of leaping streams in their dash to the sea, is 
 indeed one of the most enchanting spots the eye ever 
 rested on. The chief inhabitant of the lovely isle was 
 Madame Ferrara, a woman of French extraction, who 
 lived alone in a big, rambling house, surrounded by 
 slaves, who cultivated her plantations and prepared the 
 cocoa, palm oil, yams, and cocoanuts for the trade that 
 sought her doors. 
 
246 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 Filling up with water, the Suniter proceeded to the island 
 of Fernando Po, a Spanish possession close in to the 
 mainland, in the Bight of Biafra, where she met several 
 English and French men-of-war, and received orders 
 for her future movements. 
 
 The first thing to do, in accordance with the custom 
 of the squadron, was the enlisting of fifteen or twenty 
 negroes, known as Kroomen, whose home is in the Kroo 
 country in upper Guinea, just south of Liberia. They 
 did all the heavy boat work of the ship, thus lightening 
 the work of the crew, and saving them as much as pos 
 sible from exposure to the effects of the deadly climate. 
 Great, strapping, muscular fellows, many of them with 
 forms that an Apollo might envy, they were trained 
 from infancy to be as much at home in the water as upon 
 the land, and could swim a dozen leagues at sea or pull 
 at the oar all day long without seeming fatigue. Won 
 derfully expert in their handling of boats, especially 
 in the heavy surf that rolls in upon the coast with 
 ceaseless volume and resistless power, its perilous line 
 almost unbroken by a good harbor, from the Cape of 
 Good Hope to the Straits of Gibraltar, their services in 
 communicating with the shore were simply invaluable. 
 The head Kroomen exercised despotic power over their 
 respective gangs, and the men were given fanciful 
 names, and so entered on the purser s books. Bottle-o- 
 Beer, Jack Fry ing-Pan, Tom Bobstay, Upside Down, 
 and the like, were favorite names ; and our fun-loving 
 young sailing master hints, in his letters of the time, 
 that the archives of the fourth auditor s office at Wash 
 ington may possibly embalm the names of certain 
 Annapolis belles that had been borne by some of these 
 sable folk ! 
 
 The cruising ground embraced the coasts of Upper 
 and Lower Guinea, and the coast of Biafra, with occa- 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 247 
 
 sional visits of recruit and recreation to Cape Town and 
 St. Helena. The work was arduous, monotonous, and 
 exhausting, especially during the rainy season, where 
 the decks were continually deluged with water, and dry 
 clothing was the exception, not the rule. The weather 
 was always hot, often damp and sultry, and the atmos 
 phere on shore so pestilential that no one was permitted 
 to remain there after sundown. But that rule was no 
 deprivation, as the dangers of the passage through the 
 relentless breakers, alive with sharks, were so great that 
 few cared to visit the shore except when absolutely 
 necessarv. The vessels cruised mostly in sight of the 
 coast to watch the movements of the merchantmen, all 
 more or less under suspicion as slavers, watching their 
 chances to get off with a cargo. On the one hand was 
 the rounded horizon dipping into the broad Atlantic ; 
 on the other, the angry line of rollers with their thunder 
 ous roar, backed by white beach and dense forest, with 
 occasional glimpses of blue hills in the distant interior. 
 This and nothing more, from day to day, save when a 
 small village of thatched huts came into view, adding a 
 scant feature to the landscape ; or a solitary canoe out 
 side the line of breakers ; or strange sail to seaward ; 
 or school of porpoises, leaping and blowing, windward 
 bound ; or hungry shark prowling round the ship, lent 
 momentary interest to the watery solitude. 
 
 It was a privilege to fall in with another cruiser, 
 whether of our own or of the English flag. On such 
 occasions, down would go the boats for the exchange of 
 visits, the comparison of notes, and sometimes the dis 
 cussion of a dinner. The English officers had numerous 
 captures and handsome sums of prize money to tell of, 
 while our people, as a rule, could only talk of hopes 
 and possibilities. Our laws regulating captures were as 
 inflexible as the Westminster Catechism, and a captain 
 
248 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 could not detain a vessel without great risk of civil 
 damages, unless slaves were actually on board. Sus 
 pected ships might have all the fittings and infamous 
 equipage for the slave traffic on board, but if their 
 masters produced correct papers the vessels could not 
 be touched ; and our officers not infrequently had the 
 mortification of learning that ships they had overhauled 
 and believed to be slavers, but could not seize under 
 their instructions, got off the coast eventually with large 
 cargoes of ebon humanity on board. 
 
 Not so with the English commanders, whose instruc 
 tions enabled them to take and send to their prize courts 
 all vessels, except those under the American flag, under 
 the slightest showing of nefarious character ; and their 
 hauls of prize money were rich and frequent. 
 
 The intercourse with the English officers, notes Master 
 Perkins, at first cordial and agreeable, became, after a 
 few months, cold and indifferent. Her majesty s officers 
 no longer cared to show politeness or friendly feeling. 
 The first premonitions of the rebellion in the John 
 Brown raid, the break-up of the Democracv at Charles 
 ton, and the violence of the Southern press concerning 
 the probable results of the pending presidential election, 
 convincing them that the long-predicted and wished-for 
 day the breaking up of the Republic was nigh at 
 hand, and their real feelings as Englishmen cropped out 
 but too plainly ; but of this, more anon. 
 
 Despite the perils of the surf, the dangers of the in 
 hospitable climate, and the unfriendly character of some 
 of the savage tribes to be met with, the adventurous 
 spirit and dauntless courage of Master Perkins was not 
 to be balked. Volunteering for every duty, no matter 
 how dangerous, hardly a boat ever left the ship that 
 he was not in. The life of the mess through his unfail 
 ing good humor and exuberant flow of spirits, he was 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 249 
 
 the soul of every expedition, whether of service or 
 pleasure ; and before the cruise of some twenty-two 
 months was up, he came to know almost every promi 
 nent tribe, chief, and king on the coast. Now dining 
 with a king off the strangest viands ; now holding 
 44 palaver" with another; now spending a day wnth the 
 chief and his numerous wives ; now visiting a French 
 barracoon, where, under a fiction of law, the victims 
 were collected to be shipped as unwilling apprentices, 
 not slaves, to be returned to their native wilds, if they 
 lived long enough; now ascending a river dangerous 
 for boats, where, if the boat had capsized, himself and 
 crew would but have served a morning s meal to the 
 hungry sharks held as fetich by the natives along the 
 stream, who yearly sacrifice young girls reared for the 
 purpose to their propitiation ; now scouring the bush in 
 pursuit of the gorilla or shooting hippopotami by the 
 half dozen, and other adventures and exploits wherein 
 duty, excitement, and gratified curiosity were intermin 
 gled with danger and hair-breadth escape that few would 
 care to tempt. 
 
 On one occasion, he volunteered to go with a boat s 
 crew and find the mouth of the Settee river, not dreaming 
 of landing through the unusually heavy surf. " But," 
 said he, " in pulling along about half a mile from shore, 
 a roller struck the boat and capsized it. Of course we 
 were obliged to swim for shore ; in fact, we had little to 
 do with it, for the moment the boat was upset we were 
 driven into the surf, and. not one of us thought we should 
 ever reach the shore ; for if w<e were not lost in the surf, 
 the sharks would eat us up. 
 
 " As I rose on the top of a wave I could look ahead 
 and see the stretch of wild, tossing surf, which it seemed 
 impossible for any one to live in ; but when I looked 
 back I could count all my men striking out, which was 
 
250 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 very encouraging, as I feared one or two might be under 
 the boat. I thought for a moment of you all at home, 
 and wondered if mother would not feel a little frightened 
 if she knew how strong the chances were against her 
 son s receiving any more letters from home. Just then 
 a roller struck me and carried me down so deep I was 
 caught by the undertow and carried toward the sea in 
 stead of the land. When I came to the surface I tried 
 to look out for the next roller, but it was no use ; the 
 first one half drowned me, and the next kept me down 
 so long that when I rose I w r as in the wildest of surf, 
 which tumbled and rolled me about in a way I did not 
 like at all. My eyes, nose, and mouth were full of 
 sand, and, in fact, I thought my time had come. Just 
 then I looked on shore, and saw two of my men drag 
 ging some one from the water, and at that sight I struck 
 out with one despairing kick, and managed to get near 
 enough for two of the men to reach me ; but that was 
 all I knew of the affair until a little after sunset, when 
 I became conscious of the fact that I was being well 
 shaken, and I heard one of the men say, Cheer up, Mr. 
 Perkins ! Your boat and all the men are on shore. 
 
 " This was such good news that I did not much mind 
 the uncomfortable position in which I found myself. I 
 was covered with sand and stretched across a log about 
 two feet high, my head on one side and my feet on the 
 other. The men had worked a long while to bring me 
 to. Three of the men were half drowned and one in 
 jured. We managed to get the boat in the river, but 
 suffered awfully from thirst. The next morning we lost 
 our way, and, after pulling around till mid-afternoon, 
 we stumbled on some natives fishing. We followed 
 them home, but found them such a miserable, bad-look 
 ing lot of negroes that we expected trouble. Knowing 
 that the native villages in the daytime are left in charge 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 251 
 
 of the old men and women, and not knowing what 
 might happen when the men came back, we killed some 
 chickens, and, with some sweet potatoes, made quite a 
 meal. The strongest of us, myself and three others, 
 got ready for a fight, while the rest manned the boat 
 ready for our retreat. 
 
 " Shortly after this the chief came back, and about a 
 hundred men with him. I told the chief I had come to 
 pay him a visit, and we had a great palaver ; but he 
 would not give us anything to eat, and we made up our 
 minds that it was a dangerous neighborhood ; so we 
 moved down on a sand-spit in sight of the ship, and 
 there we stayed three days and nights. We built a tent 
 and fortification, traded off most of our clothes for some 
 thing to eat, and slept unpleasantly near several hundred 
 yelling savages. All this while the ship could render 
 no assistance ; but on the third day the Kroomen came 
 on shore with some oars, and, after trying all one day, 
 we managed, just at night, to get through the surf and 
 back to the ship. It was a happy time for us, and I may 
 say for all on board, as they had been very anxious 
 about us. Not far north of this, if you happen to get 
 cast ashore, they kill and eat you at once, for cannibal 
 ism is by no means extinct among the negroes." 
 
 The sequel of this perilous experience was that all of 
 them were stricken down with the dread African fever, 
 which, if it does not at all times kill, but too often shat 
 ters the constitution beyond remedy ; and the fact that 
 five officers, including one commanding officer, and a 
 proportionate number of men, had been invalided home, 
 and another commanding officer had died, all due to 
 climatic causes, attests the general unhealthfulness of 
 the coast. Other interesting incidents and narrow 
 escapes, in which Master Perkins had part, might be 
 told, did not lack of space forbid ; but enough has been 
 
252 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 shown to impress the fact that African cruising, even in 
 a well-found man-of-war, is not altogether the work and 
 pleasure of a holiday ; yet, in looking over young Per 
 kins s letters, we cannot forbear this description of the 
 expertness of the Kroomen in landing through the surf: 
 
 "When the boat shoves off from the ship, the Kroo 
 men, entirely naked with the exception of breech-clout, 
 strike up a song, and pulling grandly to its rhythmic 
 time, soon reach the edge of the surf, and lie on their 
 oars. All eyes are now cast seaward, looking for a big 
 roller, on the top of which we shall be carried on shore, 
 and there is a general feeling of excitement. In a short 
 time, the looked-for roller comes ; the Kroomen spring 
 to their oars with a shout, the natives on shore yell with 
 all their might, the boat shoots forward on top of the 
 wave at incredible speed, the surf thunders like the roar 
 of a battery, and altogether it seems as if the world had 
 come to an end, and all those fellows in the infernal 
 regions were let loose. 
 
 " Now we must trust to luck whollv ; there is no re 
 treat and no help, for the boat is beyond the power of 
 any human management, and go on shore you must, 
 either in the boat or under it. The moment the boat 
 strikes the beach, the Kroomen jump overboard, and 
 you spring on the back of one of them, and he runs with 
 you up on the beach out of the way of the next roller, 
 which immediately follows, breaking over the boat, often 
 upsetting it, and always wetting everything inside. If 
 you have escaped without a good soaking you may con 
 sider yourself a lucky fellow." 
 
 In the midst of this work came the startling news of 
 the portentous events at home. The infrequent mails 
 began to bring the angry mutterings, the fateful tidings, 
 that preluded the Rebellion. Every fresh arrival but 
 added to the excitement and increased the bewilderment 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 253 
 
 that had so unexpectedly come upon the squadron ; for, 
 far removed from the scene, and not daily witnesses 
 of the overt acts of the maddened South, they mostly 
 believed that the threatened conflict would be tided over, 
 and the government be enabled to continue on in its wont 
 ed peaceful course. Now a wall, as of fire, rose up 
 between the officers ; every mess in every ship was 
 divided against itself; brothers-in-arms of yesterday 
 were enemies of to-day ; and no one spoke of the out 
 look at home except in bated breath and measured 
 speech, from fear that the bitter cup would overflow then 
 and there, and water turn to blood. Many Southern 
 officers sent in their resignations at once, and all, both 
 from North and South, were anxious to get home to do 
 their part on one side or the other. 
 
 "For some time past," wrote Master Perkins, "the 
 foreigners here have shown us but little respect, and 
 seem to regard us as a broken power ; and this has 
 been very provoking, for in my opinion it will be a 
 long time before any power can afford to despise the 
 United States/ And he notes the fact that no more 
 money could be had, that the credit of the government 
 was gone ! Ah ! how happy the day to loyal but wearied 
 hearts on that inhospitable shore, when the news came 
 of the President s call for seventy-five thousand men, 
 giving assurance that we still had a government, and 
 meant to preserve it through the valor, the blood, the 
 treasure of the nation, if need be ! 
 
 After unaccountable and vexatious delay, the Sumter 
 received orders, July, 1861, to proceed to New York; 
 meanwhile she had captured the slave brig Falmouth^ 
 a welcome finale to the cruise, and what with the officers 
 transferred to her and the resignations that had taken 
 place, Mr. Perkins now became executive officer, a fine 
 position at that day for one of his years. 
 
254 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 Making the homeward run in thirty-six days, the 
 officers and men dispersed to their homes for a brief 
 respite before entering upon the stern duties that await 
 ed them, and Mr. Perkins had the satisfaction of re 
 ceiving his commission as master. 
 
 Recruiting his shattered health for a short time at his 
 welcoming home, he was ordered as executive officer of 
 the Cayuga, one of the so-called ninety-day gunboats, 
 carrying a battery of one eleven-inch Dahlgren gun, a 
 twenty-pounder Parrot rifle, and two twenty-four pounder 
 howitzers, and commanded by Lieutenant-Commanding 
 N. B. Harrison, a loyal Virginian, who had wavered 
 never a moment as to his duty when his state threw 
 down the gauntlet of rebellion. 
 
 The exigencies of the war had soon exhausted the lists 
 of regular officers and the few thousand seamen that had 
 been trained in the service, and large drafts of officers 
 and men were made upon the merchant marine as well 
 as big hauls of green landsmen who had never dreamt 
 of salt water; and First Lieutenant Perkins, as the only 
 regular officer on board except the captain, soon found 
 himself an exceeding busy man in organizing, disci 
 plining, drilling, and shaping into place and routine, 
 some ninety officers and men, all equally new to man- 
 of-war-life and methods, and requiring the necrssary 
 time and instruction to fit them for their new duties. A 
 fair soldier may be made in three months a good sea 
 man not in three years. 
 
 The vessel was ordered to join Farragut s fleet in the 
 Gulf, but, with the usual delays incident to new ships, 
 did not get off from New York until the first week in 
 March, arriving at Ship Island March 31, by way of Key 
 West, and having made a prize on the way. As the young 
 executive had been promoted to a lieutenancy on the eve 
 of departure from New York his visions of prize money 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 255 
 
 were doubtless proportionately enhanced by the cap 
 ture ! 
 
 The next day she sailed for the mouth of the Missis 
 sippi, where, and at the head of the passes, the rest of 
 the fleet was assembled, and Flag Officer Farragut 
 busily engaged in completing the preparations for the 
 attack on New Orleans. 
 
 The fleet consisted of four heavy sloops-of-war of the 
 Hartford class ; three corvettes of the Iroquois class ; 
 nine gunboats of the Cayuga class, and the large side- 
 wheel steamer Mississippi, carrying in the aggregate 
 one hundred and fifty-four guns, principally of nine-inch 
 and eleven-inch calibre ; but as the large ships carried 
 their batteries mostly in broadside, the actual number 
 that could be brought to bear, under the most favorable 
 conditions, on every given point, would be cut down to 
 the neighborhood of ninety guns. 
 
 Supporting this force as auxiliary to it, for the bom 
 bardment of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, was Porter s 
 mortar fleet of twenty schooners, each mounting a thir- 
 teen-inch mortar, and a flotilla of five side-wheel 
 steamers, and the gunboat Owasco, carrying, in all, 
 thirty guns. 
 
 The forts in question, forming the principal defenses 
 of New Orleans, were heavy casemated works, with 
 traverses on top for barbette guns, some ninety miles 
 below the city at a point where the river makes a sharp 
 bend to the southeast. Fort St. Philip, on the left bank, 
 mounted forty-two guns, and Fort Jackson, including 
 its water battery, had sixty-seven guns in position, all of 
 calibre from the long twenty-four pounder to the heavy 
 ten-inch Columbiad, and including several six-inch and 
 seven-inch rifles. 
 
 Stretching across the river from bank to bank to bar 
 the channel, nearly opposite Fort Jackson and exposed 
 
256 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 to the perpendicular fire of St. Philip, were heavy ship s 
 chains, supported and buoyed by hulks, rafts, and logs, 
 and half a dozen large schooners. The rebels had also 
 established some works on the banks of the river about 
 four miles from town, known as the McGehee and Chal- 
 mette batteries, the latter being located at the point ever 
 memorable in American history as the scene of General 
 Jackson s overwhelming defeat of the British in 1815. 
 
 Their reliance afloat was in the Louisiana, an iron 
 clad, carrying nine rifles and seven smooth bores of 
 heavy calibre ; the ram Manassas, one gun ; the 
 McRae, seven guns ; the Moore, and Quit-man ^ with 
 two guns each ; six river steamers, with their stems 
 shod with iron to act as rams, and several iron-protected 
 tugs. 
 
 Assembling the fleet at the head of the passes, after 
 much difficulty in getting the heavy ships over the bar, 
 Farragut ordered the ships to strip like athletes for 
 battle. Down came mast and spar till nothing was left 
 standing but lower masts, and even those were taken 
 out of some of the gunboats, and soon everything best 
 out of reach of shot was landed, leaving clear decks, 
 and no top hamper to be cut away by the enemy s pro 
 jectiles and come tumbling down about the heads of 
 guns crews. 
 
 About this time the English and French men-of-war 
 that had lain before New Orleans, giving aid and com 
 fort to the enemy and making merry in singing rebel 
 songs on board, especially on board the English vessels, 
 left the river, their officers declaring it an impossibility 
 for the fleet to pass the forts and obstructions. 
 
 In this connection, it may be mentioned that the 
 cruisers of John Bull prowled along the coast during 
 the entire war, with sometimes permission to enter the 
 blockaded ports, conveying information and lending 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 257 
 
 encouragement to the enemy, and rejoicing at every 
 disaster that befell the Union arms, which, together with 
 the tacit connivance ot the British government in letting 
 out the Alabama, and other hostile acts, ought to be 
 treasured against Great Britain so long as the Republic 
 endures. 
 
 On the sixteenth of April, Farragut moved up to a 
 point just below the forts, and on the eighteenth, having 
 established the vessels of the mortar fleet at distances 
 ranging from twenty-nine hundred and fifty yards to 
 four thousand yards, from Jackson, and partially hidden 
 by trees on one side the river, and disguised with 
 bushes on the other, opened the bombardment, which 
 was kept up with little interruption for six days and 
 nights ; the corvettes and gunboats taking part by turns 
 in running up, delivering their fire, and dropping down 
 with the current out of range again. The forts replied 
 vigorously, and every night the enemy sent clown fire- 
 rafts, but to little purpose. 
 
 Meanwhile, under cover of the night and the fire of 
 the fleet, Fleet Captain Bell, and Lieutenants-Com 
 manding Crosby and Caldwell of the gunboats Pinola 
 and Itasca, had succeeded in forcing a channel through 
 the obstructions, a piece of duty that had required the 
 most robust and dauntless courage, and in which Cald 
 well a son of Massachusetts shone preeminent by the 
 coolness of his methods and thoroughness of his work. 
 And now, on the night of the twenty-third, after a lat>t 
 examination by Caldwell in a twelve-oared boat, all was 
 pronounced clear, and the fleet was to weigh at two 
 o clock in the morning. 
 
 The fleet was formed in three divisions, the first 
 
 comprising the Hartford, flagship, the Brooklyn, and 
 
 Richmond , the second composed of eight vessels with 
 
 the divisional flag of Captain Bailey on board the 
 
 17 
 
258 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 Cayuga; and the third of six vessels, with Fleet Cap 
 tain Bell s flag flying from the Sciota; but was ordered 
 to pass through the obstructions in one column or single 
 line ahead, the Cayuga leading. Farragut had intended 
 to lead himself, but at Bailey s urgent request yielded 
 that honor to him. 
 
 The letters of Lieutenant Perkins, ever glowing with 
 ardor for the good cause, were, at this time, full of 
 patriotic fervor and aspiration, and when he said, "I 
 hope the Cayuga will go down before she ever gives up, 
 and I guess she will," he certainly meant it! And 
 the supreme moment had now come for him to inform 
 this hope by valorous deeds, and all unfalteringly did 
 he walk in the blazing light of heroism that none but 
 the brave may dare to tread. 
 
 The signal to weigh was promptly made at two 
 o clock a. m., but work at night is always behind, and 
 it was half-past three o clock before the little Cayuga, 
 leading the line, pressed gallantly through the obstruc 
 tions at full speed, eager for the fray, closely followed 
 by the heavy Pensacola, and ship after ship in the order 
 assigned ; but lack of space forbids a general descrip 
 tion of the battle, and we propose to do hardly more than 
 to follow the fortunes of the Cayuga. 
 
 Lieutenant-Commanding Harrison had paid his ex 
 ecutive the high compliment of allowing him to pilot 
 the vessel, and Perkins took position in the eyes of her, 
 on the top-gallant forecastle, while Lieutenant-Com 
 manding Harrison and Captain Bailey stood aft, near 
 the wheel, and all the men, except the helmsmen, were 
 made to lie flat on the deck until the time came for them 
 to serve the battery. Prone on the deck at Perkins s 
 feet, and with his head close down over the bow, was 
 the captain of the forecastle, to watch the channel and 
 give timely warning of anything barring the way that 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 259 
 
 might escape the wider-ranging eye of the intrepid young 
 pilot; and as the Cayuga pressed on, receiving the 
 first shock of the outburst from the forts, what finer 
 subject for the painter than that lithe young figure stand 
 ing up in bold and unflinching relief, at the extreme bow 
 of the ship, peering ahead in the morning starlight to 
 pilot her safely on her way, amid the blinding flame and 
 screaming bolts, the hurtle of shot and crash of shell, 
 the explosion and deafening roar of a hundred shotted 
 guns, as the vessel steamed into the jaws of death, lead 
 ing the fleet into one of the most momentous and 
 memorable conflicts in naval annals. Nor should cool 
 and phlegmatic Harrison nor grand old Bailey be over 
 looked, as the constant flashes of the thick exploding 
 shells revealed them standing calm and grim at their 
 posts, in readiness to direct the movements of vessel and 
 column, and engage the foe, ashore and afloat; nor the 
 impatient officers and crew, who eagerly waited the order 
 to spring to their guns and make reply to the withering 
 fire pouring in upon them as yet unavenged. 
 
 " Noticing," said Perkins, " that the enemy s guns 
 were all aimed for mid-stream, I steered right close 
 under the walls of St. Philip, and although our masts 
 and rigging were badly shot through, the hull was 
 hardly damaged. After passing the last battery, I 
 looked back for some of our vessels, and my heart 
 jumped into my mouth when I found I could not see a 
 single one. I thought they must all have been sunk by 
 the forts. Looking ahead, I saw eleven of the enemy s 
 gunboats coming down upon us, and I supposed we 
 were gone. Three made a dash to board us, but a 
 charge from our eleven-inch settled one, the Governor 
 Moore. The ram Manassas just missed us astern, and 
 we soon disposed of the other. Just then some of our 
 gunboats came to the assistance of the Cayuga, and all 
 
260 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 sorts of things happened ; it was the wildest excite 
 ment all round. The Varuna fired a broadside into us 
 instead of the enemy. Another attacked one of our 
 prizes ; three had struck to us before any of our ships 
 came up, but when they did come up we all pitched in 
 and sunk eleven vessels in about twenty minutes." 
 
 The brief encounter with the Moore had been very 
 exciting. The vessels were alongside each other, and 
 both were reloading, the guns muzzle to muzzle, and 
 but a few feet apart. The gun that could fire first would 
 decide the fate of one or the other. Perkins sprang down, 
 and, taking personal charge of the smoking eleven-inch, 
 put fresh vigor into its loading, and, firing the instant 
 the rammer was withdrawn, swept the Moore s gun from 
 its carriage, and killed or disabled thirteen of its crew. 
 
 The Cayuga still leading the way up the river came 
 upon a regiment at daylight encamped close to the bank, 
 and Perkins, as the mouthpiece of the captain, hailed 
 them and ordered them to come on board and deliver 
 up their arms or he would " blow them to pieces." 
 
 It proved to be the Chalmette regiment, and, surren 
 dering, the officers and men were paroled and the for 
 mer allowed to retain their side-arms, " except," said 
 Perkins, k one captain, whom I discovered was from 
 New Hampshire. I took his sword away from him and 
 have kept it." 
 
 Now Farragut came up in the Hartford and sig 
 naled the fleet to anchor. This was near Quarantine, 
 some five miles above the forts. All the vessels had 
 succeeded in running the gauntlet of their fire except 
 three gunboats, and New Orleans was now practically 
 at the mercy of the fleet ; but the Varuna had been 
 rammed and sunk in the hot fight with the enemy s 
 flotilla just above St. Philip. 
 
 The Cayuga had received forty-two hits in mast and 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 261 
 
 hull, and six men had been wounded. The hurricane 
 of projectiles had passed mostly too high to do mortal 
 harm to her crew, due in part to the skilful manner in 
 which Perkins had sheered in toward the bank from 
 mid-stream so early in the fight. 
 
 Resting until the next morning to care for the dead 
 and wounded, and the repair of damages, the fleet again 
 weighed, the Cayuga still in advance ; and when the 
 spires of the city hove in sight from her deck, " three 
 rousing cheers and a tiger " went up from her gallant 
 crew. But the plucky little gunboat was getting ahead 
 too fast, for arriving close abreast the Chalmette battery, 
 which seemed to be deserted, she suddenly received a 
 fire that compelled a halt. Over-matched five to one, 
 and having been struck fourteen times, with shot and 
 shells dropping thick and fast about her, she slowed and 
 dropped back a little with the current, until the Hartford 
 and Brooklyn coming up quickly silenced the enemy 
 with their heavy broadsides, while the Pensacola cared 
 for the hostile works on the opposite bank in like man 
 ner. The fleet then kept on without further obstruction, 
 and arrived and anchored off the city about noon; find 
 ing the levee along its entire length aflame with burning 
 cotton, coal, ships, steamboats, and other property the 
 infuriated enemy had devoted to destruction. The loss 
 to the fleet in this daring and brilliant feat had been 
 thirty-seven killed and one hundred and thirty-seven 
 wounded. 
 
 It is needless to say that Lieutenant Perkins not only 
 received high commendation from Captain Bailey and 
 Lieutenant-Commanding Harrison, but won the praise 
 and admiration of all on board and in the fleet, by the 
 coolness and intrepidity shown by him in every emer 
 gency of the fight and passage up the river. 
 
 The first tidings received in Washington foreshad- 
 
262 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 owing the success of the attack was through rebel tel 
 egrams, announcing "one of the enemy s gunboats" 
 the Cayuga "above the forts." Some question 
 subsequently arose between Bailey and Farragut as 
 to the Cay it-go s position in the passage, which in the 
 diagrams accompanying the official reports contradicted 
 the text, putting the Cayuga third instead of first in 
 the van. Farragut cheerfully made the correction. 
 
 Soon after anchoring, Bailey was ordered to go on 
 shore and demand the unconditional surrender of the 
 city, and he asked Lieutenant Perkins to accompany 
 him. This duty was almost as dangerous and conspic 
 uous as the passage of the forts had been, for an 
 infuriated and insolent mob followed them from the 
 landing to the mayor s office and, while there with the 
 mayor and General Lovell, besieged the doors, demand 
 ing the " Yankee officers " to be given up to them to be 
 hung. The demonstration at last became so threatening 
 that the mayor drew off the attention of the mob by a 
 speech to them in front of the building, while the Union 
 officers took a close carriage in its rear and, driving rap 
 idly down to their boat, reached the ship in safety. 
 
 Bailey had managed to hoist the flag over the mint, 
 which a party of rebels tore down the next day, but the 
 authorities refused to surrender the city or to haul down 
 the insignia of rebellion. Then ensued a correspond 
 ence which, to read at this day, makes the blood boil 
 at rebel insolence and the wonder grow at Farragut s 
 forbearance ; but on the 2pth of April, he sent Fleet 
 Captain Bell on shore with two howitzers manned by 
 sailors and a battalion of two hundred and fifty marines 
 and took possession of the city. Meanwhile the forts 
 had surrendered to Porter of the mortar fleet, and Gen 
 eral Butler, arriving on the first of May, relieved 
 Farragut of further responsibility as to the city. 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 263 
 
 The Cayuga had been so badly cut up by shot and 
 shell that she was selected to take Captain Bailey north 
 as bearer of despatches, and landing him at Fortress 
 Monroe, proceeded on to New York to be refitted. This 
 enabled Lieutenant Perkins to make a short visit to 
 Concord, where his father, now become judge of pro 
 bate of Merrimack county, had removed, and both 
 himself and the family received many congratulations, 
 personal and written, at the brilliant record he had 
 made in the recent memorable operations on the Mis 
 sissippi. 
 
 Modest and unassuming, with a genial frankness of 
 manner that told pleasantly alike on quarter-deck or 
 street, in family circle or drawing-room, he wore his 
 honors in the quietest way possible, never speaking of 
 his own part in the brave deeds of the time, except when 
 pressed to do so, and then with a reticence all too provok 
 ing, from the well-grounded suspicion that he kept back 
 the pith of the real story of personal participation he 
 might tell without tinge of exaggeration or boastful- 
 ness. 
 
 Returning to the Cayuga he found a new command 
 ing officer, Lieutenant-Commanding D. McN. Fairfax, 
 another loyal Virginian, who not only stood faithful to 
 the flag under all circumstances, but had, as the officer 
 from the San Jacinto, boarded the Trent and taken 
 from her the arch conspirators, Mason and Slidell, suf 
 fering the contumely of rebel womanhood in the reception 
 accorded him by Mr. Commissioner Slidell s daughter. 
 
 Fairfax and Perkins had known each other on the 
 coast of Africa, and it was the meeting of old friends 
 made doubly pleasant by the senior s hearty apprecia 
 tion of the laurels so gallantly won by the junior, and 
 self-congratulation in the promised comfort of retaining 
 an executive of so much energy, ability, and reputation. 
 
264 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 Rejoining Farragut s squadron, Perkins saw other 
 gallant and varied service in the Cayuga until Novem 
 ber, 1862, when he was transferred to the Pensacola^ 
 and the following month commissioned lieutenant-com 
 mander, a new grade created by Congress to correspond 
 with that of major in the army. 
 
 In June, 1863, General Banks, then besieging Port 
 Hudson, sent word to the now Rear Admiral Farragut 
 that he must have more powder or give up the siege, 
 wherefore the Admiral ordered the gunboat Neiv Lon 
 don on the important service of powder transportation 
 and convoy, assigning Perkins to the command until 
 the officer ordered from the North by the department 
 should arrive. The enemy had possession at that time 
 of some three hundred miles of the river below Port 
 Hudson, with batteries established at various points and 
 sharpshooters distributed along the banks. 
 
 Five times Perkins ran the fiery gauntlet successfully, 
 but on the sixth his vessel was disabled in a sharp fight 
 at Whitehall s Point. One shot from the enemy ex 
 ploded the JVew London s boiler, and another disabled 
 her steam chest. In that critical condition, directly 
 under the guns of the hostile battery, and exposed to 
 the fire of sharpshooters on the bank, and deserted by 
 his consort, the Winona^ his position seemed desperate 
 almost beyond remedy ; but fertile in expedients and 
 daring to rashness in their execution, he finally suc 
 ceeded, after almost incredible exertion and perilous 
 personal adventure, in communicating with the fleet 
 below, and the vessel was saved. 
 
 Now the commanding officer from the North having 
 arrived, Perkins was transferred to the command of the 
 ninety-day gunboat Sciota, the best command at that 
 time in the squadron, for an officer of his years, and as 
 signed to duty on the blockade off the coast of Texas. 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 265 
 
 To one of his social disposition and active temperament, 
 the blockade, ever harassing and monotonous, was, as 
 he wrote, a " living death," adding that " we are all 
 talked out, and sometimes a week passes and I hardly 
 speak more than a necessary word." Venturing ashore 
 several times on hunting excursions, he at last came 
 near being captured by the enemy, and held after that, 
 that " cabhrd confinement was preferable to a rebel 
 prison," and so kept on board. Once during that weary 
 nine months, the tedium was broken by the capture of a 
 fat prize a schooner loaded with cotton. Let us hope 
 that the prize court and its attendant officials did not 
 absorb too big a share of the proceeds ! 
 
 Relieved from that command late in May, 1864, with 
 leave to proceed home, he arrived at New Orleans in 
 June, to find active preparations for the Mobile fight 
 going on, and though he had not been at home for two 
 years, he could not stand it to let slip so glorious an 
 opportunity for stirring service, and so volunteered to 
 remain. Farragut, delighted at such determination, 
 quite different from the experience he had had with some 
 officers, assigned to Perkins a command above his rank 
 the Chickasaiu a double-turreted monitor, carrying 
 four eleven-inch guns and a crew of one hundred and 
 forty-five men and twenty-five officers. She had been 
 built, together with the Winnebago, a sister vessel, at 
 St. Louis, by Mr. Joseph B. Eads, the eminent engi 
 neer, on plans of his own. Of light draught and frame, 
 and peculiar construction, some officers distrusted her 
 strength and sea-going qualities. The Chickascwv, too, 
 was notyet completed, the mechanics being still atwork 
 on her machinery and fittings, and her crew, with the 
 exception of half a dozen men-of-war s-men, were river 
 men and landsmen, knowing nothing of salt-water 
 sailing or of naval discipline. But time pressed; every 
 
266 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 moment was of priceless value ; and Perkins, declining 
 all social invitations, set about with characteristic energy 
 to prepare his ship for the coming conflict. Nor did his 
 work of preparation and drill cease, either in the river 
 or outside, until well into the night preceding the event 
 ful day in Mobile Bay that was to add another brilliant 
 page to the annals of the navy. 
 
 On the 28th of July, he left New Orleans to join the 
 fleet off Mobile, and on the way down the river an epi 
 sode occurred that came nigh settling the fate of the 
 Chickasaw without risk or chance of battle ; for on 
 nearing the bar, Perkins left the pilot house a moment 
 to look after some matters requiring attention outside. 
 He hardly reached the spot he sought, when, turning 
 round, he saw that the pilot had changed the ship s 
 course and was heading directly for a wreck close 
 aboard, which to strike would end the career of the 
 Chickasaw then and there. Springing back into the 
 pilot house, he seized the wheel and brought the ship 
 back on her course, then snatching a pistol from his 
 belt, said to the traitorous fellow: " You are here to 
 take this ship over the bar, and if she touches ground 
 or anything else, I 11 blow your d d brains out ! " Pale 
 with suppressed rage, and trembling with fear, the pilot 
 expostulated that "the bottom was lumpy, and the best 
 pilot in the river could not help touching at times." 
 " No matter," rejoined Perkins, " if you love the Con 
 federacy better than your life, take your choice ; but if 
 you touch a single lump, I 11 shoot you ! " Needless to 
 say, no lumps were found, nor that the pilot made haste 
 to get out of such company the moment he was per 
 mitted to do so ; neither may we doubt that the recording 
 angel traced, with lightest hand, the strong language 
 used by the nearly betrayed captain ! 
 
 The Chickasaw arrived off Mobile bar August i, 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 267 
 
 where all was expectancy and preparation for the com 
 ing fight, a fight w r hich perhaps had more in it of dramatic 
 interest than any other naval battle of the war. The 
 wooden ships pushing into the bay through the torpedo- 
 strewn channel and under the fierce storm of shot and 
 shell from Fort Morgan, lashed together in pairs for 
 mutual support in case of disaster ; the sudden and 
 tragic sinking of the Tecumseh by torpedo stroke, with 
 the loss of the heroic Craven and most of his brave 
 officers and men ; the halt of the Brooklyn in mid- 
 channel in face of that dire disaster, which, with the 
 threatened huddling of the ships together by the inward 
 sweep of the tide, portended swift discomfiture and pos 
 sible defeat ; the intuitive perception and quick decision 
 that literally enabled Farragut to take the flood that led 
 to fortune, in the instant ordering of the Hartford to 
 push ahead with his flag and assume the lead he had 
 relinquished only at the urgent request of the Brooklyn s 
 commander ; the restored order and prompt following of 
 the fleet, regardless of torpedoes, on the new course 
 blazed out by the eagle eye and emphatic tongue of the 
 fearless old admiral as he grappled with the emergency 
 from the futtock shrouds of the flagship ; the little boat 
 putting oft from the Metacoviet, suddenly lighted up by 
 its saucy ensign, in the midst of the fiery chaos and 
 thunderous roar of battle, to save the few souls strug 
 gling in the water from the ill-fated Tecumseh, calling 
 forth admiration, alike from friend and foe, at the intre 
 pidity of its mission : the dash of the enemy s powerful 
 ram Tennessee, clad in heaviest armor, down the Union 
 line, endeavoring to strike each vessel in turn ; the sep 
 aration of the coupled ships when beyond the reach of 
 Morgan s guns, and the dash of the gunboats led by 
 Jouett, of the Metacomet, like hounds released from 
 the leash, at the enemy s flotilla ; the reappearance of 
 
268 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 leviathan Tennessee and the fierce tournament that 
 ensued, with turtle-backed Chickasaiv following close 
 under her stern with bulldog grip that knew no release ; 
 the intrepid skill and desperate valor never surpassed, 
 with which the ram manoeuvred and withstood the ham 
 mering and ramming of the wooden ships, the pounding 
 and shattering of the iron-clads, before she yielded to 
 the inevitable fate that awaited her, all conspired to 
 form a scene of grand and dramatic circumstance almost 
 without parallel in naval warfare. 
 
 The youngest officer in command on that day the 
 5th of August so fateful to the fading fortunes of the 
 Confederacy, so glorious to the re-ascendant star of 
 Union, no one contributed more to its glories and suc 
 cess than Perkins of the Chickasaiv ; and in any other 
 service under the sun he would have received immediate 
 promotion for what he did on that day. Had he been 
 an Englishman, the honors of knighthood would have 
 been conferred on him, as well as promotion, but as an 
 American he still waits adequate recognition for deeds 
 as brave as they were conspicuous and telling. 
 
 Said Mr. Eads, the builder, when he heard the 
 results of the battle and the surpassing part of the 
 Chickasaw in it: "I would walk fifty miles to shake 
 hands with the young man who commanded her!" 
 And remembering the disparagement that had been put 
 on the vessel and her sister ship, the Winnebago, his en 
 thusiasm knew no bounds, and he took pains to gather 
 all the details of the Chickasaw s brilliant work. 
 
 With the loss of the Tecumseh, the iron-clad portion 
 of the fleet was reduced to the Manhattan, armed with 
 two fifteen-inch guns, and the Chickasaw and Winne- 
 bago of two eleven-inch guns each ; but one of the 
 Manhattan s guns became disabled early in the action, 
 by a bit of iron lodging in the vent, and the Wtnne- 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 269 
 
 bago s turrets would not turn, so that her guns could 
 be pointed only by manoeuvring the vessel. But the 
 Chickasa-W) owing to Perkins s foresight and hard work, 
 was in perfect condition, as illustrated in all her service 
 on that eventful day, as well as on all subsequent occa 
 sions, until the capitulation of Mobile ended the drama 
 of rebellion on the Southern seaboard. 
 
 The wooden ships, stripped as at New Orleans for the 
 stern work in hand, numbered fourteen, and the number 
 of guns carried by the fleet was one hundred and fifty- 
 five, throwing, by added facility of pivot and turret, 
 ninety-two hundred and eight pounds of metal in broad 
 side, from which thirteen hundred and twenty must be 
 deducted through the early loss of the Te.cumseh and 
 the disabled gun of the Manhattan. 
 
 The enemy s defenses consisted of Fort Morgan, com 
 manding the channel at Mobile Point, mounting seventy 
 guns ; Fort Gaines on the eastern point of Dauphin 
 Island, some three miles northwest of Fort Morgan, 
 armed with thirty guns, and Fort Powell, about four 
 miles from Gaines northwest, at Grant s Pass, with four 
 guns. 
 
 Across the channel, which runs close to Morgan, 
 several lines of torpedoes were planted, and just beyond 
 them to the northward of the fort, in" line abreast wait 
 ing their opportunity, was the rebel squadron, compris 
 ing the Tennessee, flagship of Admiral Buchanan, and 
 the gunboats Morgan, Gaines, and Selma, carrying in 
 the aggregate twenty-two guns, eight rifles and four 
 teen smooth-bores. The Tennessee, the most powerful 
 ship that ever flew the Confederate flag, was two hun 
 dred and nine feet in length, and forty-eight feet in width 
 with a heavy iron spur projecting from the bow some 
 two feet under water. Her sides "tumbled home" at 
 an angle of forty-five degrees and were clad in armor 
 
270 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 of five and six inches thickness, over a structure of oak 
 and pine of twenty-five inches. Her guns, six heavy 
 Brooke s rifles, were arranged, by port and pivot, for 
 an effective all-round fire, and her speed was six knots. 
 
 All was ready for the attack on the evening of the 
 4th of August, and at half-past five the next morning 
 the signal was thrown out to weigh and fall into the 
 order prescribed ; the wooden ships in couples, and the 
 iron-dads in line by themselves ; the Tecumseh in the 
 van and the Chickasaiv in rear, according to the rank 
 of their commanding officers. 
 
 At half-past six the fleet was across the bar and in 
 order of battle. No starlight or favoring clouds now to 
 partially mask its movements as at the passage of Forts 
 Jackson and St. Philip, but the joyous sunshine flood 
 ing land and sea with its brightness, and mirroring its 
 revealing gleams upon fort and ship and pennon, serv 
 ing friend and foe alike impartially. Alas ! for the 
 brave souls to whom that gracious morning light was 
 the last of earth, but we may hope they awoke in a 
 light of still more radiance and glory, and amid pasans 
 of a joyous host, choiring "Well done, thou good and 
 faithful servants, that didst give thy lives to God and 
 country !" 
 
 The soft south wind of that fair morn came like a 
 benediction to the fleet now sweeping on with the flood- 
 tide, and stillness like a sentient presence, only disturbed 
 by the sound of screw or paddle-wheel as they turned 
 ahead, hung over the ships till broken by the belching 
 roar of the Tecumsetts monster guns, as she threw two 
 fifteen-inch shells into Morgan her first and last! 
 And now, at seven, " by the chime," the action became 
 general, and the Tecumseh, having loaded with heaviest 
 charge and solid steel shot, steamed on ahead of the 
 Brooklyn to attack the Tennessee ; but Craven, think- 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 271 
 
 ing he saw a movement on the part of the ram to get 
 out of the way, together with the seemingly too narrow 
 space between the fatal buoy and the shore for man 
 oeuvre in case of need, gave the order to starboard the 
 helm, and head directly for the watchful Tennessee, 
 waiting with lock-strings in hand to salute the monitor 
 as she closed gallant foeinen worthy of her steel ! So 
 near and yet so far, for hardly had the Tecumseh gone a 
 length to the westward of the sentinel buoy, than the 
 fate, already outlined, overwhelmed her, and her iron 
 walls became coffin, shroud, and winding-sheet to 
 Craven and most of the brave souls with him, and all so 
 suddenly that those who had seen the disaster could 
 hardly realize what had taken place. 
 
 Ours is not the purpose to follow further the details 
 of the fight, but to go with Perkins in the Chickasaw 
 and see things as he saw them on that stirring day, as 
 gathered from his letters and as fortified from other 
 sources. Of tireless energy and restless activity, and 
 sternly intent upon making the Chickasatv second to 
 none in the grand work demanded of the fleet, hs 
 imparted nerve and enthusiasm throughout the vessel ; 
 now in the pilot-house, looking after the helmsman ; 
 then in the forward turret, personally sighting the guns ; 
 anon on top of the turret, taking in the surroundings. 
 
 His fine spirit and high moral courage had charac 
 teristic illustration when, the night before the fight, 
 calling his officers into the cabin, he thus addressed 
 them : * Gentlemen, by this time to-morrow the fate of 
 this fleet and of Mobile will be sealed. We have all a 
 duty to perform and a victory to win. I have sent for 
 you to say that not a drop of wine, liquor, or beer is to 
 be drunk on board of this vessel from this hour until the 
 battle is over and the victory won, or death has come to 
 us. It is my wish that every officer and man shall go 
 
272 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 into battle with a clear head and strong nerves. I 
 rely upon you to comply with this requirement, confi 
 dent that the Chickasaw and her crew can thus best 
 perform their whole duty." 
 
 An officer who held high position on board the flag-ship 
 writes : "Perkins went into the fight in his shirtsleeves 
 and a straw hat, and as he passed the Hartford, he was on 
 top of the turret waving his hat and dancing around with 
 delight and excitement." "The iron-dads," said Per 
 kins, "were ordered to follow inside the fleet, between fleet 
 and fort. I had orders to be reserve force and remain 
 with wooden vessels after passing obstructions. Our 
 course was between a certain buoy and the shore. This 
 passage was known to be free from torpedoes, and was 
 left for the blockade runners. All the vessels had 
 orders to keep between that buoy and shore, but in 
 other respects the iron-clads had separate orders from 
 the wooden vessels. In the confusion resulting from 
 the destruction of the Tecumseh and the movements of 
 the Brooklyn, the monitors received no orders and fol 
 lowed in the line of the other vessels." Be it said in 
 passing that Perkins had no pilot, and at sight of the 
 Tccumsctis doom, one of the men in the pilot-house 
 fainted, leaving only Perkins and one man to steer the 
 vessel until the vigorous methods applied brought the 
 man to and freshened his pluck ! The pilot-house was 
 abaft the forward turret, not on top, as in the case of 
 the Tecumseh class, and was entered through a trap 
 door which was kept open during the fight, for the 
 vessel being unfinished there was no way of opening it 
 from inside when closed. 
 
 "I pushed forward as rapidly as possible, but my 
 ship anyway was stationed last of the iron-clads, as I 
 was youngest in command. We fired at the fort to 
 keep down its fire till the wooden ships had passed. 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 273 
 
 When the Tennessee passed, it was on my port side ; 
 she then steamed toward Fort Morgan. Some of our 
 vessels anchored, others kept under way, and when 
 the Tennessee approached the fleet again she was at 
 once attacked by the wooden vessels, but they made no 
 impression upon her. An order was now brought to 
 the iron-clads by Fleet Surgeon Palmer for them to 
 attack the ram, but as they stood for her, she seemed 
 again to move as if retiring toward the fort, but the 
 Chickasaw overtook her, and after a short engagement 
 succeeded in forcing her to surrender, having shot 
 away her smoke-stack, destroyed her steering gear, and 
 jammed her after ports so that her stern guns were 
 rendered useless. As she could not steer she drifted 
 dovvn the bay head on, and I followed her close, firing 
 as fast as I could, my guns and turrets, in spite of the 
 strain upon them, continuing in perfect order. When 
 Johnston came on the roof of the Tennessee and showed 
 the white flag as signal of surrender, no vessel of the 
 fleet was as near as a quarter of a mile, but the Ossipee 
 was approaching, and her captain was much older than 
 myself. I was wet with perspiration, begrimed with 
 powder, and exhausted by long-continued exertion. I 
 drew back and allowed Captain LeRoy to receive the 
 surrender, though my first lieutenant, Hamilton, said 
 to me at the time: Captain, you are making a mis 
 take. " 
 
 Knowing full well that the Chickasaiv s eleven-inch 
 shot would not penetrate the stout side-armor of the 
 Tennessee, Perkins made for the weakest part of the 
 vessel her stern and hung there close aboard, pour 
 ing solid shot of iron and steel into that vital part with 
 the accuracy of pistol-shooting, until the ram surren 
 dered ; then taking her in tow, carried her near the 
 flagship. He had fired fifty-two shots, aud says the 
 18 
 
274 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 officer of the Hartford already quoted, "The guns of 
 the Chickasaw jammed the steering gear of the ram, 
 also the port stopper of the after port, disabling the after 
 gun, and a shot from the Chickasaw broke Admiral 
 Buchanan s leg." 
 
 But said Commander Nicholson of the Manhattan, in 
 his official report: " Of the six fifteen-inch projectiles 
 fired from this vessel at the rebel iron-clad Tennessee, 
 I claim four as having struck, doing most of the real 
 injuries that she has sustained ; " then enumerating the 
 injuries inflicted, which included most of those claimed 
 for the Chickasaw. Upon which claim put forth by the 
 Manhattan, the writer ventures the opinion : First, 
 that four hits out of six shots were poor shooting for a 
 monitor at a target like the Tennessee, and suggestive 
 of considerable distance between the vessels ; second, 
 that eye-witnesses have affirmed that only one of the 
 Manhattan s shot took effect, a solid shot that struck 
 the ram on the port beam, crushing her armor and 
 splintering the backing, but not entering the casemate, 
 though leaving a clean hole through ; third, that the 
 effect of that one shot showed what the Manhattan 
 might have accomplished had she taken as favorable a 
 position as that chosen by the Chickasaw, fourth, that 
 it is believed the report of a board of survey confirmed 
 the opinion as to that one shot; fifth, that, as between 
 the great difference of sound in the firing of the fifteen- 
 inch gun and an eleven-inch, and the greater destructive 
 effect of the larger projectiles which could not but be 
 felt by those receiving it, the enemy would best be 
 likely to know from what source they sustained the 
 most vital damage ; sixth, that the concurrent opinions 
 of the day, as given by press correspondents, eye-wit 
 nesses to the conflict, magazine summaries, official 
 reports, the praise of Perkins on every lip, the talk of 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 275 
 
 his promotion by distinguished officers, and the testi 
 mony of the enemy themselves, including Admiral 
 Buchanan and Captain Johnston, all go to show that 
 the surrender of the Tennessee was due more to the 
 dogged and unrelenting effort and skilful manage 
 ment of Perkins of the Chickasaiu than to any other 
 cause. 
 
 Asked the Tennessee s pilot of Metaccmet Jouett : 
 44 Who commanded the monitor that got under our 
 stern?" adding, "D n him! he stuck to us like a 
 leech ; we could not get away from him. It was he 
 who cut away the steering gear, jammed the stern port 
 shutters, and wounded Admiral Buchanan." 
 
 Said Captain Johnston, in the same vein : " If it had 
 not been for that d d black hulk hanging on our stern 
 we would have got along well enough ; she did us more 
 damage than all the rest of the federal fleet." 
 
 " The praise of Commander Perkins," wrote a son of 
 Concord, himself an active participant in the fight, 4 on 
 the superb management of his command, and the most 
 admirable and efficient working of his ship, was upon 
 the lips of all." 
 
 Pages of similar commendation might be quoted, but 
 what need to multiply testimony so direct and conclusive 
 as to Perkins s gallantry and achievement, questioned 
 only in quarters where the discretion of silence and sug 
 gestion of modesty had best been observed ! 
 
 It only remains to add, in this connection, that so 
 long as the Tennessee continued to flaunt her flag in face 
 of the fleet, so long the work of that glorious day was 
 of naught ; that her capture, due in greatest part to the 
 efforts of the Chickasaw^ completed the work, and en 
 sured, without embarrassment, the continued operations 
 against Fort Morgan and other defenses in the bay. 
 
 Perkins, not content with laurels already won, got 
 
276 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 under way after dinner, and steamed up to Fort 
 Powell, taking that work in rear. The shots from the 
 Chickasaw destroyed the water-tanks, and Captain 
 Anderson reported that, believing it to be impossible to 
 drive the iron-clad from its position, and fearing that a 
 shell from the Chickasaw would explode the magazine, 
 he decided to save his command and blow up the fort, 
 which was done that night at 10 130. In the afternoon 
 the Chickasaw had seized a barge loaded with stores, 
 from under the guns of Fort Powell, and towed it to the 
 fleet. 
 
 The next afternoon, the ever-ready and alert Chicka- 
 saw, under her indefatigable commander, went down 
 to Fort Gaines and shelled that work until dusk with 
 such telling effect that, coupled with the fact that the 
 land force under General Granger, investing its rear, 
 was now ready to open fire in conjunction with the fleet, 
 the rebel commander capitulated the next morning. 
 
 Morgan was now the only remaining work of the 
 outer line of Mobile s defenses to be <4 possessed and 
 occupied," and General Granger, after throwing a suf 
 ficient garrison into Gaines, transferred his army and 
 siege train to the other side of the bay, and landing at 
 Navy Cove, some four miles from Morgan, began its 
 investment. 
 
 While this was going on, the Chickasaiv was not idle, 
 but continually using her guns at one point and another, 
 with occasional exchanges of shotted compliments \\ith 
 the rams and batteries across the obstructions in Dog 
 River, forming the inner line of defense of the citv, 
 some four miles distant. 
 
 On the 22cl of August, the approaches having been 
 completed, the land and naval forces opened A terrific 
 fire on devoted Morgan, and continued it throughout 
 the day with such effect that General Page, command- 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 277 
 
 ing the garrison, struck his colors and surrendered the 
 next day. 
 
 The Chickasaiu was as conspicuous in the bombard 
 ment as she had been in all her work since entering 
 the bay. It was not in Perkins s temperament to be 
 otherwise, and said an eye-witness at the time : 
 44 It was a glorious sight to see the gallant Per 
 kins in the Chickasaiu, nearly all the morning al 
 most touching the wharf, and pouring in his terrible 
 missiles, two at a time, making bricks and mortar 
 fly in all direction, then moving ahead or astern 
 a little to get a fresh place. He stayed there till nearly 
 noon, when he hauled off to cool his guns and give his 
 men some refreshment. In the afternoon, he took his 
 ship in again, and turret after turret was emptied at the 
 poor fort." 
 
 Perkins sent home the flag that had flown over the 
 fort during the bombardment ; he obtained it in this 
 wise : "The sailors from this ship," said he, hauled 
 down the flag, and one of them seized it and hid it in 
 his bosom ; there was not much left of it ; it was rid 
 dled and torn. He brought it to me, declaring that no 
 one had a right to it but the captain of the Chickasaw. 
 I hardly knew what to do about it ; but the man seemed 
 so earnest I could not refuse to take it from him." 
 
 The bay was now sealed to blockade runners, and 
 Mobile, measured as to its commercial importance to 
 the Confederacy, might as well have been located 
 among the mountains of northern Alabama as on the 
 gulf; and owing to strategic reasons, operations for its 
 immediate reduction came to a halt. But on the 27th 
 of March, 1865, the land and naval forces began a joint 
 movement against the defenses surrounding the city* 
 and on the I2th of April the Union forces were in full 
 possession. In these last operations, which cost the 
 
278 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 loss of two light draught iron-dads, a gunboat, and sev 
 eral other smaller vessels by torpedoes, we may know 
 that the Chickasaw was never in the background. 
 
 In July, Perkins was relieved from the command and 
 ordered home. He had volunteered for the Mobile 
 fight but had been detained on board the Chickasaw 
 nearly thirteen months. 
 
 On his arrival home he was overwhelmed with con 
 gratulations upon his gallantry and achievements in 
 Mobile Bay ; but his friends felt indignant that no pro 
 motion had followed them, believing that at least the 
 thirty numbers authorized by statute, " for eminent and 
 conspicuous conduct in battle," could not be reasonably 
 denied him. But he would not work personally toward 
 that end, nor pull political wires to attain it. With him, 
 the promotion must come unasked or not at all. It 
 never came, and others disputed, with unblushing 
 effrontery, the laurels he had won. Not only that, but 
 he has seen, as well as others, those who did the least 
 service during the war, given recognition and place 
 over those who " bore the heat and burden of the day," 
 during those four years so momentous in the annals of 
 the republic. 
 
 The following winter he was stationed at New 
 
 o 
 
 Orleans, in charge of iron-clads, and in May, 1866, 
 was ordered as executive officer of the Lackawanna, 
 for a cruise of three years in the North Pacific. The 
 " piping times of peace" had come, and officers who 
 had had important commands now had to take a step 
 back to the regular duties of their grade. Returning 
 from the Pacific in the early spring of 1869, he was 
 ordered to the Boston navy yard on ordnance duty, 
 and in March, 1871, received his commission as com 
 mander. Two months later he was selected to com 
 mand the storeship Relief ] to carry provisions to the 
 
SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 279 
 
 suffering French of the Franco-German War. On his 
 return, after a lapse of six months, he resumed his 
 duties at the Boston yard, until appointed lighthouse 
 inspector of the Boston district, which position he held 
 until January, 1876. 
 
 Meanwhile he had taken to himself a wife, having, 
 in 1870, married Miss Anna Minot Weld of Boston. 
 The issue of the marriage has been one child, a daugh 
 ter, born in 1877. 
 
 From March, 1877, until May, 1879, he was in com 
 mand of the United States steamer Ashuelot on the 
 Asiatic station, making a most interesting cruise, and 
 having, for a time, the pleasure of General Grant s 
 company on board as a guest. 
 
 Since his return from that cruise he has been on 
 "waiting orders," varied by occasional duty as mem 
 ber of courts-martial, boards of examination, and the 
 like. 
 
 In March, 1882, he was promoted to a post-captaincy, 
 as the grade of captain in the navy was styled in the 
 olden time, which grade corresponds with that of 
 colonel in the army. 
 
 Captain Perkins has a house in Boston, where he 
 makes his home in winter, but nothing has ever weak 
 ened his affection for the old Granite state, and noth 
 ing delights him more, when possible to do so, than to 
 put behind him the whirl and distraction of the city for 
 the quiet enjoyment of the fresh, exhilarating air, 
 unpretentious, wholesome life, and substantial ways 
 that await him among his dear native hills. 
 
 In glancing over the " Portraits for Posterity," the 
 writer notes the conspicuous absence of naval repre 
 sentation among the "counterfeit presentments" that 
 adorn the walls of the capitol at Concord and the halls 
 of Dartmouth, and ventures to suggest to Governor 
 
280 SKETCH OF CAPT. GEO. HAMILTON PERKINS. 
 
 Prescott, the distinguished and indefatigable collector 
 of most of the pictures, that portraits of Thornton of the 
 Kearsarge, and Perkins of the Cayuga and Chickasaw, 
 might fittingly be given place among those who, in the 
 varied walks of life, have lent distinction and added 
 lustre to the Province and State of New Hampshire 
 from colonial times to this. Let not the men of the 
 sea be forgotten ! 
 
COMMODORE GEORGE H. PERKINS. 
 
ADDENDA. 
 
 After the first edition of this book was printed, I met 
 Capt. Horace Herbert of the i6th New Hampshire, 
 who had served daring the war. When I found that 
 he had been a witness ot the part Captain Perkins bore 
 in the battle of Mobile Bay I was sorry that I had not 
 met him before, as I found his statements fully con 
 firmed the strongest claims made for the Chickasaiv. 
 
 Captain Herbert s regiment was stationed at Pensa- 
 cola in 1864, and on the morning fixed for our fleet to 
 move up Mobile Bay, General Ashboth, who com 
 manded at Pensacola, took the transport Clyde and 
 with a number of officers, among whom was Captain 
 Herbert, went to witness the advance. That need not 
 be recapitulated here, as my only wish is to preserve 
 Captain Herbert s statements about my brother. 
 
 He said, " When the (^hickasaw went past, the only 
 officer visible above -her deck was Captain Perkins, 
 and she was watched with the greatest interest, on 
 account of her wonderfully rapid and skiltul manoeu 
 vring. Being assured of the successful passage of the 
 forts, the Clyde returned to Pensacola. The next day 
 the Metacomct arrived there from Mobile, bringing 
 both the federal and rebel wounded. Among the latter 
 was Admiral Buchanan, who was feverish from his 
 wound by the time he reached Pensacola, and was 
 longing for ice. I had a little in the storehouse at 
 Barrancas, which I brought down for him, and he was 
 very grateful. He sent for me, that he might express 
 
282 ADDENDA. 
 
 his thanks in person. After this I often saw him, and 
 he conversed very freely with me. He would talk by 
 the hour about the Mobile fight, and he gave the whole 
 credit of the capture of the Tennessee to the Chickasaw. 
 He said the Tennessee would have beaten our entire 
 fleet if it had not been for that monitor, which seemed 
 to move by magic ! it would turn round three times to 
 the Tennessee s once and seemed to be everywhere. 
 He said that the Tennessee s crew became exhausted 
 repelling its attacks, while the Chickasaw s were as 
 fresh as ever, and in fact, she seemed like a very 
 
 d 1, to quote Admiral Buchanan s words. He said 
 
 over and over again how different would have been the 
 
 result if he could have shaken off that d d little 
 
 Chickasaw After the battle Pensacola filled up with 
 officers and men from the ships at Mobile, and no ship 
 but the Chickasaw was mentioned in connection with 
 the capture of the Tennessee. All were full of enthu 
 siasm about little Perkins, as they called him. It 
 seemed as if they could not praise his courage and 
 good judgment enough ; they said his ship was in per 
 fect condition, and the way she was handled was won 
 derful, for the monitors were hard to manage and she 
 was the only one perfectly available, for the Tecumseh 
 was blown up, the Winnebago s turrets were out of 
 order, and one of the Manhattan s guns disabled. 
 Above all they talked about his great deserts at the 
 hands of the government, and what a shining reward 
 he was sure to receive for his brilliant services. Every 
 mail was expected to bring his promotion." 
 
 I was very glad to hear this from Captain Herbert, 
 a perfectly well-known citizen and a man of undoubted 
 truth. I regretted not having met him in season to 
 incorporate his testimony in the body of the book, and 
 now can only preserve it in this form. 
 
ADDENDA. 283 
 
 The following extract is from the New York Tribune: 
 
 To the Editor of the Tribune : 
 
 SIR : The article in yesterday s edition of your paper entitled 
 
 "Three Generations of Naval Officers, 11 will doubtless surprise many 
 officers of the navy, and they will wonder where the writer obtained 
 his information. I am not at all disposed to be hypercritical, and 
 would not attempt to correct the mistakes contained in the article, 
 were it not for the fact that one of the statements detracts from the 
 credit which properly belongs to another. My first acquaintance with 
 the late Rear Admiral T. W. A. Nicholson was on board the Raritau 
 in 1849, ar "d he was then known as War Horse Nicholson, and from 
 that time to the present I have seldom heard his name mentioned 
 without that prefix. I was on board the Tennessee shortly after the 
 Mobile fight and made a careful examination of that vessel, and can 
 testify that but two of the Manhattan s shots struck her, one doing 
 no damage whatever, and the other merely breaking the iron plating, 
 splintering the wooden backing, and then dropping into the water. 
 
 The real cause of the surrender, as was well known and freely 
 admitted by all at the time, was the fortunate jamming of the rudder 
 chains by the eleven-inch guns of the Cliickasaiv, Lieutenant (now 
 Captain) George H. Perkins in command, that officer in the most 
 gallant style placing his vessel immediately under the stern of his 
 formidable adversary and pegging away until he had succeeded in 
 rendering her an almost helpless hulk, and the only shot that pen 
 etrated the Tennessee was one fired from Perkins s vessel, which pen 
 etrated by the way of one of the after ports of the casemate, and 
 which in its flight struck a gun carriage, a splinter from which 
 wounded Admiral Buchanan. It is also a mistake to say that 
 the Manhattans boats were shot away, as Commander Nicholson 
 promptly repaired on board the flag-ship in one of his own boats 
 immediately after the surrender of the Tennessee. 
 
 I trust that you will give the foregoing a place in your paper, in 
 justice to "The Hero of Mobile Bay, 11 whose gallantry will never be 
 forgotten by those who witnessed his daring attack of the Tennessee, 
 and whose bravery on that occasion saved Admiral Farragufs fleet 
 from almost certain destruction. 
 
 J. H. G.* 
 
 BINGHAMTON, July 16, 1 888. 
 
 * Capt. James H. Gillis, U. S. Navy. 
 
PROMOTION TO COMMODORE. 
 
 Time passed away, and with the country restored to 
 quiet, the survivors of the " Great Conflict" began to 
 analyze and dwell on its events. Many of them wrote 
 down their experiences, and a period of inquiry and re 
 search began. Under these circumstances it was not 
 strange that Captain Perkins s name became prominent 
 or that the question (old as the days of King Ahasue- 
 rus), " What honor and dignity hath been done him 
 for this?" was often asked again. 
 
 In the meantime it was most gratifying to receive a 
 vast amount of testimony as to the value of the records 
 contained in this book. A single specimen is selected, 
 subjoined from almost countless letters. It is from Prof. 
 Charles S. Sargent, of Harvard University, who, dur 
 ing the war, was an officer in a Massachusetts regiment 
 sent to the attack on Mobile, where he formed his friend 
 ship with Captain Perkins. He writes : 
 
 MY DEAR PERKINS : I have read your book from end to end, and 
 am delighted with it. I wish you would send copies to the Boston 
 Public Library, the Boston Atheneum, the Brookline Public Library, 
 the Library of Harvard College. 
 
 As you are modest, you may, if you like, put my name to the 
 packages. 
 
 Your records are too important to be lost, and the only way to 
 make sure of their preservation is to put them in public libraries. 
 
 Professor Sargent s request was complied with in the 
 form he suggested. 
 
 At last in 1896, Senator Gallinger, always full of en 
 ergy and enthusiasm to advance the interests of his state 
 
ADDENDA. 285 
 
 and enhance the lustre of its name, experienced a desire 
 to demand from the government a recognition of Captain 
 Perkins s services, and gave to his kindly feeling the 
 following practical expression. On December 3, 1895, 
 he introduced the following bill into the senate which 
 was read twice, and referred to Committee on Naval 
 Affairs : 
 
 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 DECEMBER 3, 1895. 
 
 Mr. GALLINGER introduced the following bill, which was read twice 
 and referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs: 
 
 A BILL FOR THE RELIEF OF CAPTAIN GEORGE H. PERKINS. 
 
 1 lie it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
 
 2 the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Captain 
 
 3 George H. Perkins, who was retired as captain after forty years 
 
 4 faithful service upon the active list of the United States Navy, as 
 
 5 provided by section fourteen hundred and forty-three, Revised 
 
 6 Statutes, and who had honorable service in the late civil war, 
 
 7 shall be placed on the retired list with the rank, of commodore 
 
 8 without the corresponding increased pay, but receiving only the 
 
 9 retired pay of captain of the Navy. 
 
 When this bill was returned from the Naval Commit 
 tee, Mr. Chandler submitted the following report : 
 
 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 JANUARY 27, 1896. Ordered to be printed. 
 
 Mr. CHANDLER, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, submitted 
 the following 
 
 REPORT: 
 
 [To accompany S. 129.] 
 
 The Committee on Naval Affairs favorably report the bill (S. 129) 
 giving Capt. George H. Perkins, now upon the retired list, the rank 
 of commodore upon such list. The bill does not increase his pay nor 
 give to him any pecuniary emoluments or benefits whatever, but 
 
286 ADDENDA. 
 
 merely awards special recognition and honor to an officer of such dis 
 tinguished merit as to fairly call for this mark of approbation from 
 Congress. This is one of the few opportunities remaining to extend 
 such gratifications to living officers of the Navy on account of their 
 personal gallantry in battle, shown in this case when the officer was 
 lieutenant and executive officer of the Cayuga in the battle below New 
 Orleans in April, 1862, and when he was lieutenant-commander in 
 command of their iron-clad Chickasaw in the battle of Mobile Bay in 
 August, 1864. 
 
 Captain Perkins s military career is in every respect highly credit 
 able. He was born in Hopkinton, N. H., December 20, 1836, and 
 was educated at the Naval Academy, becoming an acting midshipman 
 in 1851, a lieutenant February 2, 1861, a lieutenant-commander 
 December 13, 1862, a commander January 19, 1871, and a captain 
 March 10, 1882. He was executive officer of the Cayuga under 
 Lieut. Commander N. B. Harrison at the passage of Forts Jackson 
 and St. Philip and the capture of New Orleans by Farragut s fleet on 
 April 24, 1862. Capt. Theodorus Bailey (afterwards rear admiral) 
 was the second in command, and, heading the whole fleet in the 
 Cayuga, led the second division past the forts. 
 
 Admiral Bailey s biographer says : 
 
 He led the attack in the gunboat Cayuga, passing up ahead of the fleet 
 through the fire of five of the forts, sustaining unaided the attack of the Con 
 federate vessels, rams, and fire rafts, and passed through them to the city. 
 
 Admiral Bailey says : 
 
 We in the Cayuga alone encountered the rebel iron-clads Louisiana and 
 Manassas and their flotilla of gunboats and maintained unaided a conflict 
 with them until Boggs, in the Varuna, came up, and after delivering a 
 broadside, which came into the Cayuga as well as the enemy in conflict with 
 us, he passed up the river out of sight. . . . After seeing our (Cayugcfs) 
 third prize in flames we steamed up the river and captured the Chalmette 
 regiment. . . . Lieut. Commander N. B. Harrison was gallantly sus 
 tained by Lieut. George H. Perkins and Acting Master Thomas H. Morton. 
 These officers have my unbounded admiration. 
 
 Commander Harrison, in his report to Captain Bailey, says : 
 
 It is needless for me to inform you you had us under your own eyes that 
 all did their duty fearlessly and well ; but I must commend to your special 
 notice my executive officer, Lieut. George H. Perkins. The remarkable 
 coolness and precision of this young officer while aiding me in steering the 
 
ADDENDA. 287 
 
 vessel through the barrier and past the forts under their long and heavy fire 
 must have attracted your attention. 
 
 After the passage of the forts, Farragut sent Bailey to receive the 
 surrender of the city of New Orleans, and he took Lieutenant Perkins 
 with him. Nicolay and Hay say : 
 
 It was an imprudent exposure of his most valuable officer, for as Bailey 
 with a single companion walked from the landing to the city hall they were 
 followed by a noisy and insulting street rabble, cheering for Jefferson Davis 
 and uttering wild threats of violence ; the resolute and self-possessed bear 
 ing of the two officers alone saved them. 
 
 After Perkins was promoted to be lieutenant-commander he was 
 given the command of the New London on the Mississippi river, ran 
 the batteries at Port Hudson successfully five times, and had a severe 
 skirmish with the enemy at Whitehall Point. 
 
 From July, 1863, he was in command of the Sciota of the Gulf 
 Squadron until April, 1864, when he was relieved, but volunteered to 
 stay for the battle of Mobile Bay. Admiral Farragut reported : 
 
 I cannot give too much praise to Lieutenant-Commander Perkins who, 
 although he had orders to return North, volunteered to take command of 
 the Chickasaw and did his duty nobly. 
 
 How well he performed that duty appears from the graphic account 
 given by Nicolay and Hay of the fight below Mobile. After Farragut s 
 fleet had successfully passed the batteries at Fort Morgan, and there 
 was a lull in the fighting, the formidable rebel ram Tennessee was seen 
 making directly for the Hartford, Farragufs flagship. All the Union 
 ships were signaled to attack her, but her capture was no easy task, 
 although finally accomplished. 
 
 The Chickasaw got under the stern of the Tennessee and hung on like a 
 bulldog, keeping up an obstinate fire with her four eleven-inch guns. A 
 lucky shot severed the tiller chains of the Tennessee; her smoke-stack was 
 shot away and the smoke poured, in suffocating volumes, upon the gun 
 deck. . . . The Tennessee was a noble prize, despite her injuries, which 
 were such as could be easily repaired. . . . The Chickaiaiv, the most 
 efficient of the iron-dads, energetically continued the day s work. After 
 towing the prize to her anchorage near the flagship she steamed down to 
 Fort Powell, taking the work in reverse, and bombarded it for an hour. 
 When night came on the fort was evacuated and blown up. On the 7th, 
 after a heavy shelling from the Chickasaw^ Col. C. D. Anderson, command 
 ing Fort Gaines, surrendered with his entire garrison of over 800 men. 
 
288 ADDENDA. 
 
 On such authentic records as the above concerning the p issage of 
 the New Orleans forts, the capture of the city, and the battle of Mobile 
 Bay, Captain Perkins s fame securely rests After his promotion to 
 his present grade he continued in active service, and was in command 
 at sea for eleven months, as captain of the fl.igship in the Pacific 
 Squadron, with Rear Admiral John H. Upshur. On his retirement, 
 after forty years in the Navy, he had been on shore duty ten years and 
 seven months and at sea fifteen years and four months, making his 
 full share of sea service. 
 
 Without exaggerating his achievements or merits, it may be said 
 that no naval officer in the War of the Rebellion exceeded him in 
 military skill and personal courage, or is more entitled to the grati 
 tude of his countrymen. 
 
 Further details of his notable career may be found in a skt tch of 
 his life written by Rear Admiral George E. Belknap, and published 
 in April, 1884, in the Bay State Monthly, afterwards called the 
 Massachusetts Magazine, and also printed in the Granite Monthly at 
 Concord, N. H. Many official letters throwing a bright light upon 
 his naval exploits may be found (edited and arranged by his sister, 
 Miss Susan G. Perkins, and published with a reprint of the sketch of 
 Admiral Belknap) in a volume issued at Concord in 1886. 
 
 The action now proposed in Captain Perkins s behalf is recom 
 mended by the present Secretary of the Navy in a letter, as follows : 
 
 NAVY D E P A R T M K N T, 
 
 WASHINGTON, December n, 1894. 
 
 SIR: Referring to the letter, dated the 6th instant, of the Committee on 
 Naval Affairs of the Senate, transmitting, for si.ch recommendation as this 
 Department may deem proper to make, Senate bill 2,340, " For the relief 
 of Capt. George H. Perkins," and referring also to the Department s letter 
 of the 8th idem, acknowledging the receipt thereof, I have the honor to 
 state that in view of the exceptionally distinguished record made by this 
 officer during the late war, as fully set forth in Report No. 1,498, Fifty- 
 second Congress, fiist session, made by the Committee on Naval Affairs of 
 the House of Representatives under date of May 26, 1892, and in view also 
 of the fact that the bill now pending does not provide for any increase of 
 the pay of Captain Perkins, I recommend the bill to the favorable consider 
 ation of the committee. 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 H. A. HKRBERT, Secretary. 
 THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS, 
 
 United States Senate. 
 
 The proposition to give Captain Perkins the rank of commodore on 
 the retired list passed the Senate on July i, 1892, in Senate bill No. 
 
ADDENDA. 289 
 
 2,965, hereafter alluded to, but did not pass the House, although 
 favorably reported on July 15, 1892, as hereafter appears. 
 
 The reasons for the passage of the bill have been given in various 
 reports of the Senate and House committees, as appears by the copies 
 hereto annexed, as follows : 
 
 [House Report No. 1,899, Fifty-second Congress, first session.] 
 
 The Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (S. 
 2,965) for the relief of Capt. George H. Perkins, having had the same 
 under consideration, beg leave to submit the following report: 
 
 A House bill identical in its provisions (H. R. 8,264) has been con 
 sidered and favorably reported from this committee. (House Report No. 
 1,498, Fifty-second Congress.) 
 
 Your committee adopt the report as filed with the bill already on the Cal 
 endar, and for the reasons therein set forth herewith recommend the pas 
 sage of the Senate bill (S. 2,965) in lieu of the bill of the House. 
 
 [House Report No. 1,498, Fifty-second Congress, first session.] 
 
 The Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 
 8,264) f r the relief of Capt. George H. Perkins, United States Navy, 
 respectfully report : 
 
 Your committee having examined into the merits of this case, find that 
 the Senate report of this session fully sets out the facts, as this committee 
 has ascertained upon its own investigation, and the Senate report, with its 
 recommendation, we adopt as to the present bill. The said report is as 
 follows : 
 
 [Senate Report No. 665, Fifty-second Congress, first session.] 
 
 The Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (S. 
 2,965) for the relief of Capt. George H. Perkins, have considered the same 
 and recommend its passage. 
 
 It should be borne in mind that this bill does not propose any increase of 
 pay for Captain Perkins, it being expressly stipulated that his pay shall not 
 be that of a commodore, but that which he is now receiving as a captain. 
 It does provide, however, for his promotion to the rank of commodore 
 without the corresponding pay, and your committee believes that by 
 reason of his brilliant record and term of service it is but just to allow him 
 such rank. 
 
 Captain Perkins entered the naval service of the United States on Octo 
 ber i, 1851, and served actively and continuously for forty years, retiring on 
 October i, 1891, with the rank of captain. During this period his services 
 were of the most brilliant character, as is evidenced by the following: 
 
ADDENDA. 
 
 Extracts from testim ony relating to the services of Capt. George f]. Perkins, 
 United States Navy, retired, performed in the battle below New Orleans in 
 April, 1862, and the battle of Mobile Bay in August, 1864. 
 
 In the battle below New Orleans Lieut. George H. Perkins was the 
 executive officer of the Cayuga, of which Capt. T. Bailey, second in com 
 mand of the fleet, afterwards Admiral Bailey, makes the following report : 
 
 . . . " On the 28th of April both the forts surrendered to Commander 
 Porter. . . . Lieut. Commander N. B. Harrison was gallantly sustained 
 by Lieut. George H. Perkins and Acting Master Thomas H. Morton. 
 These officers have my unbounded admiration." 
 
 Commander N. B. Harrison, in his report to Captain Bailey, command 
 ing the leading division of the gunboats, says : 
 
 " It is needless for me to inform you you had us under your own eyes 
 that all did their duty fearlessly and well ; but I must commend to your 
 special notice my executive officer, Lieut. George H. Perkins. The remark 
 able coolness and precision of this young officer while aiding me in steer 
 ing the vessel through the barrier and past the forts under their long and 
 heavy fire must have attracted your attention." 
 
 Lieutenant Perkins was the officer who with Captain Bailey was selected 
 to make the landing on the levee at New Orleans with a flag of truce to 
 demand the surrender of the city. 
 
 In the battle of Mobile Lieutenant-Commander Perkins was placed in 
 command of the iron-clad Chickasaw. 
 
 The following extract is from a review written for the Nation by Gen. J. C. 
 Palfrey on Commander Parker s account of the battle of Mobile Bay : 
 
 " Lieutenant-Commander Perkins, of the Chickasaw, had been ordered 
 North, but asked for and obtained permission to wait until he had carried 
 his monitor through the expected fight. Though one of the youngest offi 
 cers in command of a ship, he had the sagacity to reflect that in a strange 
 harbor, full of torpedoes, he would be safer alongside of the enemy s vessel, 
 which for its own safety might be expected to keep clear of torpedoes. 
 Consequently he kept close under the stern of the Tennessee and would not 
 be thrown off, and pounded away at close quarters with his n-inch guns. 
 He succeeded in jamming one of her ports and opening a breach for his 
 shells to her interior, and to him Commodore Parker awards the praise of 
 giving the vital wound which caused her surrender." 
 
 The New York Herald correspondent, under date of August 20, 1864, 
 alluding to the surrender of the Tennessee, writes as follows : 
 
 " The final shots that terminated the career of the rebel vessel were fired 
 by the monitor Chickasaw, which passed close under her stern, giving her 
 the full weight of two n-inch solid shot from her forward turret, which 
 damaged the covering of the ram s stern ports. 
 
 " Buchanan went aft with his engineer to readjust the port cover. While 
 
ADDENDA. 29 I 
 
 engaged in this operation the Chickasaiv brought her after turret to bear, 
 one shot from which carried away the tiller chains of the Tennessee, render 
 ing her unmanageable, while the other shot entered the damaged port, kill 
 ing one man and fracturing Buchanan s leg." 
 
 From a " Chapter in History," published by Captain James B. Eads in 
 defense of his monitors, we copy the following closing sentence : 
 
 " The Chickasaiv obtained a position under the stern of the rebel ram 
 and poured in such a storm of n-inch solid steel and cast-iron shot that 
 the flag of the ram was finally hauled down to her. 
 
 "Throughout the fight the Tennessee found it impossible to get out of 
 the raking fire in which she was held by this iron-clad, in which position the 
 latter delivered fifty-two ii-inch shot at her. Her commander, George H. 
 Perkins, was handsomely complimented by Farragut." 
 
 The Concord (N. H.) Statesman, commenting upon this paper, in an 
 editorial, with excusable local pride, says: 
 
 " The battle of Mobile Bay was one of the great battles of the war, and 
 no ship s commander engaged in it was entitled to half as much credit for 
 gallantry and good judgment and persistency as Perkins. He captured the 
 l^ennessee and laid beside her modestly awaiting an officer of higher rank to 
 come up in his ship and receive the surrender. By this the reader will 
 infer, which is a fact, that Commander Perkins is as modest as he is brave. 
 His record all through the war is of the very highest character." 
 
 Commodore Parker, in his account of the battle of Mobile Bay, writes: 
 
 " But the vessel that undoubtedly inflicted the most injury upon the ram 
 was the monitor Chickascnu, commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Per 
 kins, which hung, said the pilot of the Tennessee, close under our stern. 
 Move as we would, she was always there, firing the two ii-inch guns in her 
 forward turret like pocket pistols, so that she soon had the plates flying in 
 the air. " 
 
 The following extract is taken from the report of Rear Admiral D. G. 
 Farragut, of August 12, 1864: 
 
 " Our iron-clads from their slow speed and bad steering had some diffi 
 culty in getting into and maintaining their position in line as we passed the 
 forts, and in the subsequent encounter with the Tennessee from the same 
 causes were not as effective as could have been desired; but I cannot give 
 too much praise to Lieutenant-Commander Perkins, who, though he had 
 orders from the Department to return North, volunteered to take command 
 of the CJiickasaw, and did his duty nobly." 
 
 Such was the impression made by Perkins s services in this battle that 
 Captain James B. Eads, the builder of the Chickasaw, when he heard the 
 results of the battle and the surpassing part of the Chickasaw in it, said : 
 " I would walk fifty miles to shake hands with the young man who com 
 manded her." 
 
2Q2 ADDENDA. 
 
 Said Captain Johnston, who commanded the Tennessee (in the same vein) : 
 
 " If it had not been for that d d black hulk hanging on our stern we 
 
 would have gotten on well enough. She did us more damage than all the 
 rest of the federal fleet." 
 
 Capt. Horace Herbert, Sixteenth New Hampshire regiment, whose regi 
 ment was stationed at Pensacola, was present with General Ashboth, who 
 commanded at Pensacola, on board of the Clyde, which went out to wit 
 ness the advance of the fleet. The next day, when the wounded were 
 brought back, Admiral Buchanan, who was under obligations to Captain 
 Herbert for courtesies extended him, sent for him that he might express 
 his thanks in person. To him he conversed freely about the Mobile fight. 
 The following is Captain Herbert s account of it: 
 
 " He [Buchanan] said the Tennessee would have defeated the entire 
 fleet if it had not been for that monitor, which seemed to move by magic. 
 It would turn around three times to the Tennessee s once, and seemed to be 
 everywhere. He said that the Tennessee s crew became exhausted replying 
 to his attacks, while the C hie ka saw s was as fresh as ever, and, in fact, they 
 
 seemed like a very d 1, and to quote Admiral Buchanan s words, he 
 
 said over and over again how different would have been the result if he 
 could have shaken off that d d little Chickasaw." 
 
 As an evidence of Admiral Farragut s appreciation of Perkins we quote 
 from a letter of a distinguished officer: 
 
 " Mr. McRitchie tells me that Farragut said to him less than a month be 
 fore the Admiral s death, when talking about the Gulf Squadron, that Cap 
 tain Perkins was young and handsome, and that no braver man ever trod a 
 vessel s deck, and further commended in the highest terms his work in the 
 Chickasaiv against the Tennessee." 
 
 These extracts are made not in disparagement of the splendid services 
 rendered by other officers, but to show the excellency of Perkins s achieve 
 ments, and the appreciation of them at that time, and from that period to 
 his voluntary retirement, after forty years active service in the navy, on the 
 ist day of October, A. D. 1891, he enjoyed an unbroken reputation as a 
 most accomplished officer. 
 
 The bill now recommended for passage was introduced in the 
 Senate on December 3, 1895, by Senator Gallinger of New Hamp 
 shire, and is as follows : 
 
 A BILL for the relief of Captain George H Perkins. 
 
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
 States of America in Congress assembled, That Captain George H. Perkins, 
 who was retired as captain after forty years faithful service upon the active 
 list of the United States Navy, as provided by section fourteen hundred 
 
ADDENDA. 293 
 
 and forty-three, Revised Statutes, and who had honorable service in the late 
 civil war, shall be placed on the retired list with the rank of commodore 
 without the corresponding increased pay, but receiving only the retired pay 
 of captain of the navy. 
 
 May 4, 1896, Mr. Baker of New Hampshire rose in 
 the House and addressed the speaker, asking unani 
 mous consent for the present consideration of the bill 
 for the promotion of Captain George H. Perkins. 
 
 The bill was read, and the speaker asked, " Is there 
 any objection to the present consideration of the bill?" 
 
 Mr. Bailey of Texas. Mr. Speaker, there seems to 
 be a special stipulation that this shall not increase the 
 pay of this officer. May I inquire, then, what the pur 
 pose of the bill is except to merely increase the rank? 
 
 Mr. Baker. The purpose is to increase the rank. 
 This gentleman, I will state, is so fortunately situated 
 that he does not care for the additional pay. His 
 friends ask this, as an appropriate recognition of his 
 services. 
 
 There being no objection, the bill was considered, 
 and then ordered to a third reading ; and being read a 
 third time it was passed. 
 
 Captain Perkins s commission for commodore received 
 the signature of the president, Grover Cleveland, and 
 dates from May 9, 1896. 
 
SPECIAL ORDERS NAVY DEPARTMENT, 
 
 No. 90. ( WASHINGTON, November i, 1899. 
 
 The Department deems it proper to give official notice of 
 the death of Commodore GEORGE HAMILTON PERKINS, who 
 died in Boston on the 2gth ultimo, in the 64th year of his age. 
 
 Commodore PERKINS was appointed an Acting Midshipman 
 in October, 1851, and placed on the Retired List, October i, 
 1891. During this long period he earned the high respect and 
 confidence of the Navy and the country. Conspicuous among 
 his services was the well-remembered part which the iron-clad 
 Chickasaiv, commanded by him, took in the capture of the ram 
 Tennessee, at the battle of Mobile Bay. On May 9, 1896, 
 Commodore PERKINS was promoted to Commodore, by a 
 special act of Congress, for his distinguished services during 
 the Rebellion, an honor seldom conferred. 
 
 As a mark of respect to his memory, the flags of the navy 
 yards and stations, and vessels in commission, will be displayed 
 at half-mast from sunrise to sunset, and eleven minute guns 
 will be fired at noon from the navy yards and stations, on the 
 day after the receipt of this order. 
 
 JOHN D. LONG, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
RETURN CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 
 
 TO ^ 202 Main Library 
 
 LOAN PERIOD 1 
 HOME USE 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 
 
 Renewals and Recharges may be made 4 days prior to the due date. 
 
 Books may be Renewed by calling 642-3405 
 
 DUE AS STAMPED BELOW 
 
 JAN 1 ? 1995 
 
 
 
 RECEIVED 
 
 
 
 DEC \ 5 1^ 
 
 
 
 CIRCULATION Dt 
 
 Pi 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 FORM NO. DD6 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY 
 BERKELEY, CA 94720 
 
U.C.BERKELEY LIBRARIES 
 
 37365:* 
 
 i -I 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY