Page:St. Nicholas (serial) (IA stnicholasserial321dodg).pdf/116

 82

bright morning in the year 1862, a wooden sloop of something over one (howsand tons, fitted with steam-power, dropped down the Mersey and sailed away. She touched in southern England, and after taking on more men, sailed to the Azores. On arriving there she was met by two steamers, which brought supplies and war materials to her.

When these were transhipped, the English flag, which she flew, was replaced by the Confederate flag, and it was announced that she was the Confederate steamer Alabama.

Semmes, for such was the Confederate captain’s name, had orders to destroy all vessels flying the flag of the United States. From that time on, for two years, she destroyed many vessels—in all, about sixty- five.

At the end of that time, Semmes put in to Cherbourg for repairs, and two days later the United States ship Kearsarge appeared. Semmes, who wished to signalize himself by sinking a large war-ship, asked Captain Winslow of the Keasarge to fight. This challenge was immediately accepted.

On Sunday, June 19, 1864, the Alabama, accompanied by a French ship, to see that they left French waters, steamed out to sea. An English yacht also went out with them to observe that which they expected would be a victory for the Alabama. No two vessels were more evenly matched, although the Kearsarge was the faster.

When they were seven miles from land, the Kearsarge, who was ahead, turned and steamed straight at the Alabama. The Alabama fired a broadside, which went wild, When nine hundred yards away the Kearsarge turned and fired a broadside. It told fearfully. Then the Alabama got a terrible hammering. She tried to close up with the Kearsarge, but the Kearsarge steamed round and round, firing constantly. Shots cleared the Alabama’s decks; they smashed her engines, they core her sides, and broke the masts. Then the Alabama put her bow toward France; but the Kearsarge was ahead of her, and the pounding continued until she struck her colors, and, throwing her bow in the air, disappeared in the sea.

The Kearsarge put out her boats to rescue the crew, and gave the English yacht permission also. In that way Semmes escaped to England, but he brought no more ships out.

favorite episode in America history is the first Thanksgiving,

The Pilgrims had a hard voyage over the Atlantic, and when they landed in America it was autumn, and the shores were bleak and desolate.

Think what must have been their feelings as they gazed on this, their future home, and then remember that they had left their own comfortable homes and their dearest friends for the sake of their religion!

Daring the long, hard winter that followed, when they had such poor, unsheltered homes, and when they had few comforts, no luxuries, and often not even the bare necessities of life, half of their number died.