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A Man-of-war Of 1814

A Man-of-war Of 1814 image
Parent Issue
Day
25
Month
February
Year
1898
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The Impreguable of 1814 was of 2,278 4ons, a 98 gun ship by the official rating, though her ten carronades brougbt her total battery up to 108 guns. She was thorefore by do means one of the largest shijw; indeed we had ten of ■greater siza and force at sea or in reserve. Her heaviest gun was the old 32 pouuder sroooth bore, mounted on the rudest truck carriage, without sights or elevating screw. Her broadside was 1,018 pounds. Her total crew was, wben she was fully ruanned, 743 - officers, ruen and boys. The men were Taised by impressmeat or recruited voluntarüy for the sbip's commission. We had not as yet adopted our present admirable system of manning the fieet. The discipline was arbitrary and cruel; there were merciless floggiugs with the cat for the smallest offenses, and the jaumber of lashes inflicted varied from a dozen or half dozen to 500 and even 1,000. Reading the conrt martials of those ■days, one alternately wonders how the offlcers held down the gaugs of rufflans they commauded and how the men endnred the mauifold brutalities of their officers. Brave to a superlativo degree as these men were, with that fiery courage which welcomes battle and death, they cannot compare in quality with the officers aud men who now take our ships to sea. Everywhere except in the highest ranks, where our captains and admiráis are too old, the change has been one wholly for the good. Yet it has not kept pace with the times, and today our sailors are poorly paid and not too well

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Argus
Old News