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"ain't you never heard the story of the pantaloons just below the right knee, takGiascutis?" Seward sed he never had ing the piece of cloth with it. The thirl "Wal," ses the Kernel, "I must tell you. shot struck the gallant fellow's sword just Several yeas ago a couple of Yankees as he raised it in the air, and was ordering were travelin out West, an' they got out his men to give a rousing cheer for of money. So they konkluded to raise "Yankee Doodle." The cheer was given the wind' as follers: They were to go into in the storm of shot.

a village an' announce a show, pretendin 64 Charge! Chester, Charge!" that they had a remarkabal animil, which they had jest captured on the Rocky Captain Chester was a man of grit; Mountings. A bran new beast, such as without any of the oleaginious mixture. was never seen before. The name was He belonged to Pittsburg, and used to theGiascutis.' It was to be shown carry coal to Memphis. When the war in a room, and one of the fellers was to broke out, the Confederates seized his play Giascutis. He was put behind a steamboats and his coal-barges, and rescreen, an' had some chains to shake, an' fused to pay him for the coal they had alhe also contrived to growl or howl as no ready purchased. The act roused all his critter ever did before. Wal, the people ire. He was a tall, athletic man, and had of the village all cum to see the Giascutis, followed the river thirty years. Although an' after the room was filled, his compan- surrounded by enemies, he gave them plain ion began to explain to the audience what a terribal beast he had, how he killed ten men, two boys an' five hosses in ketchin him, an' now how he had got him, at 'enormous expense,' to show him. Jest as everybody was gapin an' starin, thar was, all at once, a most terrific growlin and howlin, an' rattlin of chains, an' in the excitement the showman almost breathless, yelled out at the top of his voice, "the Giascutis is loose! Run! run ! run An' away went the people down stairs, heels over head, losin all they had paid, an' seein nothin." "Now," ses Linkin, "the Merrymac is out, an' wen I read about the wessels, an' tug boats an' steam- words. ers all scamperin off as soon as she was seen, I thought she was the Giascutis sure, only I'm afraid she is real Giascutis an' no mistake." Since then, Linkin calls the Merrymac the Giascutis all the time.

Yankee Doodle in the Storm of Shot.

!"

"You are a set of thieves and rascals! You are cowards, every one of you!" he shouted.

He took off his coat, rolled up his shirtsleeves, bared his great brawny arms, dashed his hat upon the ground.

"Now come on! I'll fight every one of Master's Mate Arbane, of the Owasco, you, you infernal rascals. I'll whip you had a very narrow escape from death at all. I challenge you to fight me. You the battle of Galveston, three shot having call yourselves chivalrous people. You struck him in different places. One of say you believe in fair play. If I whip the bullets passed completely through the you shall give up my boats, but if I am crown of his cap, another penetrated his beaten, you are welcome to them."

They laughed in his face, and said, "Blow away, old fellow. We have got your boats. Help yourself if you can." A hot-headed secessionist cried out, "Hang the Yankee." The crowd hustled him about, but he had a few old friends, who took his part, and succeeded in making his

escape.

and the tremendous armament of Sumter vomited forth its fiery hail.

There now ensued a period of not more than thirty minutes, which formed the climax and white heat of the fight; for though, from the time when the fire was opened on the head of the approaching line, to the time when the retiring fleet passed out of the enemy's range, there was an interval of two hours and a half, yet the essence of the fight was shut up in those thirty tremendous minutes.

Thirty Tremendous Minutes. The bombardment of Fort Sumter by the iron-clads under Admiral Dupont was equally magnificent and terrible. UnforThe best resources of the descriptive tunately, the Ironsides got disabled by the art, are feeble to paint so terrific and awcurrent at a most critical hour. In this ful a reality. Such a fire, or anything plight, however, it only remained for Ad- even approaching it, was simply never miral Dupont to signal to the fleet to dis-seen before. The mailed ships were in the regard the movements of the flagship. focus of a concentric fire of those five This he did, and the ships then assumed such positions as were available and they could gain, the whole number being at the

powerful works, from which they were removed only some five to eight hundred yards, and which in all could not have mounted less than three hundred guns, viz., the finest and largest guns from the spoils of the Norfolk navy-yard, the splendid and heavy ten and eleven inch guns cast at the Tredegar Works, and the most approved English rifled guns, Whitworth and others, of the largest calibre made. There was something almost pathetic in the spectacle of those little floating circular towers, exposed to the crushing weight of those tons of metal, hurled against them with the terrific force of modern projectiles, and with such charges of powder as were never before dreamed of in artillery firing. During the climax of the fire a hundred and sixty shots were counted in a single minute, and the shot struck the iron-clads as fast as the ticking of a watch.

It was less of the character of an ordinary artillery duel, and more of the proportions of a war of the Titans in the elder mythologies.

mouth of the harbor, between Cumming's Point and Sullivan's Island, and opposite the northeast and eastern face of Fort Sumter, at distances of from six hundred to a thousand yards. While the manoeuvres of the Admiral were thus going on, the enemy was not inactive. The powerful work on Cumming's Point, named Battery B, opened; the long range rifle Final Scene Aboard the Steamer Mississippi. ordnance of Fort Beauregard joined in;| There is a startling combination of the Moultrie hurled its heavy metal, the fifty romantic and tragical in the destruc guns lining the Redan swelled the fire;tion of the United States steam frigate

Mississippi. The most exciting scenes The abandoned ship was soon wrapt in portrayed in the best English and Ameri- flames, and presently the fire reached the can naval novels hardly exceed in vividness of description the matter-of-fact narrative of this staggering event.

magazine, blowing up the ship with a tremendous explosion;-and that was the finale of the United States steam frigate Mississippi.

The Mississippi was the last in the line of the fleet which attempted the passage of the Port Hudson batteries, on the night Roberts's Half-Hour's Visit at Island No. 10. of March 14th. In going up, she was One Wednesday night, five launches, one struck by three or four shot only, and the from each gunboat, and carrying in all fifty damage done was comparatively insignifi- seamen and soldiers, armed to the teeth, cant. But when she was at a point near-"might have been seen," a little after dark, ly in the centre of the range of batteries, pushing out from the various gunboats at the smoke and steam from the boats in Island No. 10, and gathering under the advance, and from the batteries on shore, so enveloped the ship that her pilot lost his bearings, and the frigate grounded on the right bank of the river.

shadows of the willows that fringe the Kentucky shore. Each boat had an officer in command, and the whole were in charge of Lieutenant-Colonel Roberts, of the Forty-second Illinois infantry.

For forty minutes she was exposed to a terrific fire from all the batteries. During The strictest silence was observed-not this time she fired two hundred and fifty a whisper nor even the splash of an oar rounds; but her guns, one after another, broke the stillness. At length everything were nearly all dismounted; her portholes was ready, and giving themselves to the on the starboard side were knocked into

one; twenty-five or thirty men were killed, and four wounded; she was riddled through and through with shot; there was no prospect of her ever floating again -and, at last, in the utter hopelessness of the case, Captain Smith gave the order for her abandonment.

It is said that during all the time she was under fire there was no particular excitement on board. The orders were quietly given and executed. The crew were told to load and fire at the batteries as rapidly as possible, and they did so as long as there was a mounted gun to fire. current, the boats started down the stream, After the order to abandon the ship had the oarsmen quietly giving each boat suffibeen given, and the crew had all left, cient motion only to enable the steersman Captain Smith and Lieutenant Dewey to it to keep close within the shadows. In went around to see if there were any living men among those lying on the deck, and sprinkled turpentine in the ward-room, setting it on fire. The Captain of the forehold was ordered to fire the ship forward, and they then abandoned her, leaving the dead on deck. The Captain and Lieutenant pulled in a boat for the Essex.

this mysterious manner they departed, and speedily disappeared in the darkness.

An hour later, and the solitary rebel sentry, who, musket in hand, paced forward and backward along the parapet of the upper battery, had his thoughts disturbed by a remarkable appearance. He had just entered the depths of a cogitation,

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the main features of which probably were the boat on its arrival at that place,—and that Yankees are vulgar, base, low-born which would all have been carried out but mud-sills; that Southerners are chivalrous, for the interposition of a brave woman. noble, knightly, superior; and that one of On approaching Commerce, the mate, the latter is just an equal match for from who was on the watch, saw a woman (Mrs. five to twenty-five of the former,-when Eversoll) on the bank, gesticulating viosuddenly happening to glance toward the lently, surrounded by a few men, and ever river, his eyes caught sight of numberless and anon her two little girls would tug at black objects drifting slowly toward him, her dress, as if to induce her to keep and above these dark masses were lumi- quiet. The mate was uncharitable enough nous points and flashes, which seemed to to think that the woman had been indulgenvelope them like a net-work of ghostly ing in liquor, and knew not what she did; phosphorescent flame. He rubbed his but there was 'method in her madness.' eyes, looked again at these mysterious The mail was to be put out, and wood to be phenomena, and was about to conclude taken, and despite the continued waving that something was abroad, when suddenly of the woman's hand northward, the boat a voice was heard, "Give way!"-fifty stood into shore. At last the boat was oars dropped in the water, and the dark- about to touch the shore, and the plank looking objects, with the swiftness of was half way over the bow, when-the thought, shot straight for his position. He knot of persons of which the guardian had only time to see that the supernatural angel' formed the most attractive object, light was the gleam of bayonets, and then being about fifty steps from the water— the mate heard her exclaim:

to his disordered vision there appeared to be coming at him a hundred boats, each carrying a thousand Yankees. With a yell of horror he pulled off his piece in the air, and fled with the darkness, no more to be

seen.

He had no more than left when the five boats struck the bank, their contents poured ashore and took possession of the battery, guards were posted around, and their rattail files and sledge-hammers were brought into requisition with a success that, in the course of half an hour, effectually spiked every gun-there were seven-in the battery. The party remained in the works about an hour, and then, without hearing a word from the enemy, returned to the fleet. A very profitable evening call at 'No. 10.

Western Steamboat Saved by a Woman.

"Go back! go back!" Jeff. Thompson is here with soldiers!"

The mate instantly appreciated the state of affairs on shore, and rapidly gave the order to "back her strong." Captain Barnes at this moment rushed out of his room, coat and boots off, to find the boat backing out and the balls plunging into his room and all around. When the mate issued the order mentioned above, he retreated behind the chimney, in time to escape a ball which struck the bell with a thud and broke into fragments. He then saw the full force of the assailants springing up from behind the wood pile, and rushing like madmen down a lane to the bank of the river. One of the balls went through the pilot house directly over the head of the pilot.

There were Minie balls, The steamer City of Alton, belonging musket balls, and buck-shot. One ball to St. Louis, and plying between that city struck the office bulkhead between the and Cairo, was nearly surprised and taken clerk and barkeeper, who were in quiet by the rebels under Jeff. Thompson, who conversation; they prudently ceased talkhad stolen down the river at the town of ing and went to the other side of the bulkCommerce, and were prepared to board head.

The boat swiftly sped to an island be- | surgents of Maryland were plotting her low, where lived a loyal Frenchman, and destruction or capture. She had four anprocured forty muskets and one pistol. chors and seven chains out when the MaryThe boat returned, her crew eager for the land was ordered by General Butler alongfray, and determined to give Jeff. and his side. One anchor alone was hove up, the rascals battle, but all were gone, leaving rest were slipped, and finally by lighting not a wreck behind. The lady who thus and careening, and by dint of hard labor, saved the boat, as well as saved lives, re- she was dragged over the bar. The crew sided in Commerce, and her husband was of the Maryland were only kept to their made a prisoner by the bandits that same work and duty by placing a guard over day. When they were cutting down a them with armed revolvers. After dragpole, from which had floated a loyal flag, ging her over the bar, the vessel grounded she boldly said to them, with flashing eyes, on the Outer Spit. About ten P. M., inand in a tone which all could hear, that if formation having been brought off that she was a man she would kill at least one the channel outside the ship would be obof them, and if she had no better weapon, structed, kedges were laid out, and it was she would break their heads with a brick. endeavored to warp the ship over the Spit, She herself was a glorious "brick." part of the men being at the guns. The Maryland having been run aground by her

Glorious Success of General Butler in saving officers during the warping, a squall came

"Old Ironsides."

up and drove the ship ashore again. At One of General Butler's first acts, on daylight, a steam-tug from Havre de Grace taking possession of the city of Annapolis, came in sight, and was taken at once to was to save the glorious old ship Constitu- tow the ship out. She was then taken in

tion-used by the cadets of the Naval tow by the R. R. Cuyler, and brought to School as an exercise ship, and universally New York. Subsequently she was sent known as "Old Ironsides," one of the most to Newport, Rhode Island, whither the revered of our national relics—from the Naval School formerly at Annapolis was clutch of some insurgents who were about removed. Surely, it was worth a greento pounce upon her, after the usual fashion back of the largest numeral, to see the of Southern honesty and chivalric honor. plucky General, as he presented himself The General, learning of the helpless con- at the Navy Department, and narrated dition, from want of a crew, of the old to white-bearded Gideon, this glorious ship, of historic fame, mustered his men achievement. and declared to them that "if there are any men in the ranks who understand how

Generosity of Poor Jack.

to manage a ship, let them step forward." There were present almost every day of Fifty-three presented themselves, and they the Sailors' Fair in Boston, some of the were immediately put on board. The gallant but unfortunate fellows whose steam ferry-boat Maryland, which General names and deeds on the sea had given Butler had seized on the Susquehanna, them renown-such as Walter Greenwood, then took her in tow, and she was safely borne out of harm's way.

U. S. gunboat Massasoit, of Nashua, N. H.; R. D. Dunphy, coal passer, U. S. ship The honored frigate had for a long time Hartford, of New York City; and A. lain at Annapolis, substantially, at the Mack, of the U. S. ship of war Brooklyn. mercy of an armed rebel mob. For four Greenwood was struck blind by the indays and nights, previous to the arrival of tense heat of the fires in the fireroom General Butler, her crew had been at while in search of the privateer Tallahasquarters with the guns shotted. The in- see; Dunphy had both arms carried away