Charles Stuart Boggs--His Coolness in the Presence of Danger--His
Desperate Fight Below New Orleans--His Subsequent Services.
When the gallant Lawrence, mortally wounded on the _Chesapeake_, was
dying, he called out in his delirium, "Don't give up the ship!" thus
furnishing a motto that has served times without number for the American
navy. Among the mourning relatives left by Lawrence was a married
sister, Mrs. Boggs, who lived in New Brunswick, N.J., where a son was
born to her in January, 1811, and named Charles Stuart.
It was probably the admiration formed for his heroic uncle which led the
boy to determine to follow in his footsteps, for he was appointed a
midshipman when fifteen years old, and saw active service in the
Mediterranean against the Greek pirates, to which reference has been
made in a previous chapter. He was made lieutenant in 1833. One of the
most marked traits in young Boggs was his perfect coolness in times of
peril and his instant perception of the best thing to do. The following
incident will illustrate this remarkable power on his part, which was
united to a gentleness of disposition that made one wonder at his daring
and intrepidity.
During the war with Mexico Lieutenant Boggs was ordered to the steamer
_Princeton_, which took a leading part in the bombardment of the Castle
of St. Juan de Ulloa and of Tampico. The brig _Truxton_ unfortunately
ran aground on the bar of Tuspan River and had to be surrendered to the
Mexicans. The _Princeton_ was ordered to destroy her. Anchoring near the
wreck, a boat was manned and placed in charge of Lieutenant Boggs, to
whom the work of destruction was intrusted.
The boat had nearly reached the stranded vessel when it was caught in
one of the tropical tempests, which sometimes appear with cyclonic
suddenness in that part of the world. It was impossible to board the
wreck, and equally impossible to get back to the _Princeton_. A powerful
current set in toward shore, in which direction the gale was blowing.
The combined efforts of the sturdy rowers could not check the progress
of the boat, which perhaps would have been the right course to take but
for an alarming discovery.
On the beach a company of Mexican soldiers were drawn up with a field
piece, making ready to annihilate the little American company, as they
could do without the slightest difficulty before the gallant sailors
could land and make a charge. Here was a dilemma indeed. Nothing could
extricate the boat and its crew from their peril and not a man could
raise a finger to help himself.
There was only one person who saw the only possible thing to do.
Lieutenant Boggs ordered the single white shirt in the party to be torn
up, tied on the end of a boathook and displayed as a flag of truce.
Then, by his directions, the men rowed with all speed straight for the
enemy, who were thus disarmed of their hostile purpose. Walking up to
the leader of the company, the lieutenant explained that he had been
sent to destroy the _Truxton_, but had been driven ashore against his
will. He hastened to explain to the officer that he had no intention of
attacking the town, but he should do so if any one tried to prevent his
destruction of the stranded vessel.
When the insignificance of the American party is remembered, there was
something amusing in this; but the Mexican officer not only gave his
promise, but entertained his visitors until the gale was over. Then the
_Truxton_ was fired and Boggs returned to his ship.
He was on the Pacific coast when the Civil War broke out, serving as
inspector of lighthouses. Chafing under idleness, he petitioned the
Government to give him active employment afloat. His wish was granted
and he was placed in command of the _Varuna_, a passenger steamer,
purchased by the Government and changed into a gunboat. Admiral Farragut
was making his preparations to attack New Orleans, and the _Varuna_ was
added to his fleet. She was a very swift but frail craft, a fact which
led Farragut to grant Boggs' request to be allowed to run ahead of the
position that had been assigned him.
In order to get up all the steam possible, the pork among the ship's
store was flung into the blazing furnace under the boilers. The craft
went through the water at a tremendous speed, and upon coming opposite
the forts, Boggs fired his starboard battery and then ordered grape and
canister to be used as rapidly as possible. Work had hardly begun when
the Confederate gunboats appeared on every hand. With the same coolness
that he had shown when driven ashore in Mexico, the command was given
for the guns to be fired "on both sides." Indeed, there were so many
targets that it would have been about as difficult to miss as to hit
one.
[Illustration: ATTACK ON ROANOKE ISLAND--LANDING OF THE TROOPS.]
The _Varuna_ did terrific work, her gunners displaying fine markmanship.
The formidable craft _Governor Moore_ had detected her in the early
morning light, and steaming after her, fired a shot when only a
hundred yards away, but missed. The _Varuna_ replied, killing and
wounding men on the _Governor Moore_ at every shot. One of the enemy's
shot, however, raked the _Varuna_, killing four men and wounding nine.
Another struck the _Varuna's_ pivot gun and killed and wounded a number
more. Then the _Governor Moore_ rammed the _Varuna_ twice in quick
succession.
But while the Confederate was doing so, Boggs planted three 8-inch
shells into his antagonist, which set her on fire and compelled her to
drop out of action. Her loss had been heavy and her engines were so
battered that her commander ran her ashore, where she was burned to the
water's edge.
Out of the misty light burst the _Stonewall Jackson_ and rammed the
_Varuna_ on the port side, repeating the blow with a viciousness that
stove in the vessel below the water line; but the _Varuna_ swung the ram
ahead until her own broadside guns bore, when she planted several 5-inch
shells into the _Stonewall Jackson_, which set her on fire and caused
her to drift ashore.
But the _Varuna_ had been mortally hurt and was sinking fast. To quote
the words of Commodore Boggs: "In fifteen minutes from the time the
_Varuna_ was struck by the _Stonewall Jackson_, she was on the bottom,
with only her topgallant forecastle out of the water."
But those were exceedingly lively minutes for the _Varuna_ and the other
craft in her neighborhood. Commander Boggs turned her prow toward shore
and crowded all steam, firing his guns as the water rose about the
trucks. When the last shell left the side of the sinking vessel the
current had reached the mouth of the piece, and some of it was blown out
like mist with the shrieking missile.
The moment the bow of the _Varuna_ struck the bank a chain cable was
fastened around the trunk of a tree, so as to prevent her from sliding
into deep water as she went down and taking the wounded and dead with
her. This was a precaution which would not have occurred to every man in
the situation of Commander Boggs.
The daring conduct of this officer brought a tribute from one of our
poets, which contains the stanzas:
"Who has not heard of the dauntless _Varuna_?
Who shall not hear of the deeds she has done?
Who shall not hear while the brown Mississippi
Rushes along from the snow to the sun?
"Five of the rebels like satellites round her,
Burned in her orbit of splendor and fear,
One like the Pleiad of mystical story
Shot terror-stricken beyond her dread sphere."
When Boggs' native city heard of his gallant conduct it voted him a
sword, and the State of New Jersey did the same. He came North and was
appointed to the command of the blockading squadron off Wilmington. He
would have preferred active service, and finally his health broke down
under the exposure and fatigue to which he was subjected, and he was
compelled to return home to recruit. Upon his recovery, he was appointed
to duty in New York, but the war ended without his having another
opportunity to distinguish himself in the service of his country. He
died a few years after the close of hostilities.