WE live in a land of heroes. If there is any one thing for which a true son of America is always ready, it is for a deed of heroism. We have among us heroes of the workshop, of the railroad, of field, forest, and city, heroes of land and heroes of water, heroes in war and heroes in peace. When the time comes for any deed of valor to be done, the American ready and able to do it will not be found wanting. It is not glory the gallant son of our land is seeking. It is to do his duty in whatever situation he is placed, whether high or low, on quarter-deck or forecastle. He does not stop to think of fame. To act bravely for his fellows or his country is the thing for him to do, and he does it in face of every peril.
The history of the United States is full of the names of heroes. They stand out like the stars on our flag. It is not our purpose to boast. The world has had its heroes in all times and countries. But our land holds a high rank among heroic nations, and deeds of gallant daring have been done by Americans which no men upon the earth have surpassed.
This book is the record of our heroes of the sea, of the men who have fought bravely upon the ocean for the honor of the Stars and Stripes, the noble tars who have carried their country's fame over all waters and through all wars. Look at Paul Jones, the most gallant sailor who ever trod deck! He was not born on our soil, but he was a true-blue American for all that. Look at Perry, rowing from ship to ship amid the rain of British shot and shell! Look at Farragut in the Civil War, facing death in the rigging that he might see the enemy! Look at Dewey in the war with Spain, on the bridge amid the hurtling Spanish shells! These are but types of our gallant sailors. They have had their equals in every war. We have hundreds to-day as brave. All they wait for is opportunity. When the time comes they will be ready.
If all our history is an inspiration, our naval history is specially so. It is full of thrilling tales, stories of desperate deeds and noble valor which no work of fiction can surpass. We are sure that all who take up this book will find it vital with interest and brimming with inspiration. Its tales deal with men who fought for their land with only a plank between them and death, and none among us can read the story of their deeds without a thrill in the nerves and a stir in the heart, and without a wish that sometime they may be able to do as much for the land that gave them birth. This is a book for the American boy to read, and the American girl as well; a book to fill them with the spirit of emulation and make them resolve that when the time comes they will act their part bravely in the perilous work of the world.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I | |
| First Sea Fight of the Revolution. | PAGE |
| The Burning of the "Gaspee" in Narragansett Bay | [1] |
CHAPTER II | |
| A British Schooner Captured by Farmers. | |
| Captain Jerry O'Brien Leads the Patriots of 1775 | [11] |
CHAPTER III | |
| Benedict Arnold, the Soldier-Sailor. | |
| A Novel Fight on Lake Champlain | [21] |
CHAPTER IV | |
| Captain Paul Jones. | |
| The Greatest of America's Naval Heroes | [32] |
CHAPTER V | |
| How Paul Jones Won Renown. | |
| The First Great Fight of the American Navy | [44] |
CHAPTER VI | |
| Captain Bushnell Scares the British. | |
| The Pioneer Torpedo Boat and the Battle of the Kegs | [60] |
CHAPTER VII | |
| Captain Barry and His Rowboats Win a Victory Over the British. | |
| A Gallant Naval Hero of Irish Blood | [70] |
CHAPTER VIII | |
| Captain Tucker Honored by George Washington. | |
| The Daring Adventures of the Hero of Marblehead | [81] |
CHAPTER IX | |
| The Last Naval Battle of the Revolution. | |
| The Heroic Captain Barney in the "Hyder Ali" Captures the "General Monk" | [90] |
CHAPTER X | |
| The Moorish Pirates of the Mediterranean. | |
| Our Navy Teaches them a Lesson in Honor | [99] |
CHAPTER XI | |
| The Young Decatur and His Brilliant Deeds at Tripoli. | |
| How Our Navy Began and Ended a Foreign War | [108] |
CHAPTER XII | |
| The Gallant Old "Ironsides" and How She Captured the "Guerriere." | |
| A Famous Incident of the War of 1812 | [126] |
CHAPTER XIII | |
| A Famous Vessel Saved by a Poem. | |
| "Old Ironsides" Wins New Glory | [140] |
CHAPTER XIV | |
| The Fight of Captain Jacob Jones. | |
| The Lively Little "Wasp" and How She Stung the "Frolic" | [155] |
CHAPTER XV | |
| Captain Lawrence Dies for the Flag. | |
| His Words, "Do not give up the ship," Become the Famous Motto of the American Navy | [166] |
CHAPTER XVI | |
| Commodore Perry Whips the British on Lake Erie. | |
| "We have met the enemy and they are ours" | [176] |
CHAPTER XVII | |
| Commodore Porter Gains Glory in the Pacific. | |
| The Gallant Fight of the "Essex" Against Great Odds | [189] |
CHAPTER XVIII | |
| Commodore MacDonough's Victory on Lake Champlain. | |
| How General Prevost and the British Ran Away | [201] |
CHAPTER XIX | |
| Four Naval Heroes in One Chapter. | |
| Fights with the Pirates of the Gulf and the Corsairs of the Mediterranean | [210] |
CHAPTER XX | |
| Commodore Perry Opens Japan to the World. | |
| A Heroic Deed Without Bloodshed | [220] |
CHAPTER XXI | |
| Captain Ingraham Teaches Austria a Lesson. | |
| Our Navy Upholds the Rights of an American in a Foreign Land | [231] |
CHAPTER XXII | |
| The "Monitor" and the "Merrimac." | |
| A Fight which Changed all Naval Warfare | [239] |
CHAPTER XXIII | |
| Commodore Farragut Wins Renown. | |
| The Hero of Mobile Bay Lashes Himself to the Mast | [252] |
CHAPTER XXIV | |
| A River Fleet in a Hail of Fire. | |
| Admiral Porter Runs by the Forts in a Novel Way | [268] |
CHAPTER XXV | |
| The Sinking of the "Albemarle." | |
| Lieutenant Cushing Performs the most Gallant Deed of the Civil War | [278] |
CHAPTER XXVI | |
| How the "Gloucester" Revenged the Sinking of the "Maine." | |
| Deadly and Heroic Deeds in the War with Spain | [288] |
CHAPTER XXVII | |
| The Great Victory of Manila Bay. | |
| Dewey Destroys a Fleet Without Losing a Man | [294] |
CHAPTER XXVIII | |
| Hobson and the Sinking of the "Merrimac." | |
| An Heroic Deed Worthy of the American Navy | [304] |
CHAPTER XXIX | |
| Sampson and Schley Win Renown. | |
| The Greatest Sea Fight of the Century | [313] |