A Victorious Union
by Oliver Optic
Chapter XIII: “The First Shot of Blumenhoff”
Additional Information
- Year Published: 1893
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: United States of America
- Source: Optic, O. (1893). A Victorious Union. Boston, MA: Lee and Shepherd Publishers.
-
Readability:
- Flesch–Kincaid Level: 9.0
- Word Count: 2,152
- Genre: Adventure
- Keywords: 19th century literature, american literature, blue and the gray, civil war
- ✎ Cite This
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Captain Breaker watched the Tallahatchie with the most earnest attention; and it was not five minutes after he had given out the new course before she changed her direction, though not to the south, but enough to carry her clear of the Passes of the Mississippi. Paul Vapoor was still crowding the engine to the utmost that could be done with safety, and he spent no little of his time in the fire room, personally directing the men in the work of feeding the furnaces.
It was evident to the commander that his ship was gaining on the Tallahatchie, at least a knot an hour, as he estimated it, and the chase could not now be more than four miles distant. This was within the range of her Armstrong gun, if it was of the calibre reported by Bokes, whose information was mere hearsay, and was open to many doubts.
“She is changing her course again, Captain Breaker,” said Mr. Ballard, who had been observing the chase with the best glass on board.
“Probably she has discovered a man-of-war in the distance,” added the captain.
“I cannot make out anything to the westward of her,” said Mr. Ballard, who had directed his glass that way.
“She knows very well that she is liable to encounter a Federal ship on the course she is running. How does she head now?”
“As nearly south as I can make it out.”
“Then we have made something on her by going to the south south-west in good season; and I am sorry I did not do it sooner,” replied the commander, as he went into a fine calculation, estimating sundry angles, and figuring on the gain he was confident he had already made.
“I think she is headed due south now, Captain,” said Mr. Ballard.
“So I should say, and we are headed a little too much to the westward. Make the course south by west half west, Mr. Ballard.”
This course was given to the quartermaster conning the wheel. For another hour the two steamers kept on the course taken, at the end of which time the captain believed they were within three miles of each other; and the appearance, as viewed by skilful and experienced officers, verified his estimate of the relative speed of both—that the Bellevite was gaining about a knot an hour on the chase.
They had hardly agreed upon the situation before a cloud of smoke was seen to rise from the waist of the Tallahatchie, followed by the report of a heavy gun. The projectile struck the water at least a quarter of a mile ahead of the Bellevite, at which the watch on deck gave a half-suppressed cheer.
“They must have better gunners than that indicates on board of that steamer, for she has been fitted out as a cruiser,” said the commander with a quiet smile.
Twenty minutes later another puff of smoke, followed by a second report, excited the attention of an officer on the deck of the loyal ship. The shot struck the water only a little less ahead of the ship than the former, and the crew gave a more vigorous cheer: but it was observed that it hit the sea a little on the starboard bow, so that if it had been better aimed it would not have reached the ship.
“She is wasting her ammunition,” said the captain. “She seems to be jesting, or else she is trying to frighten us.”
“I think it is some thing worse than that, Captain Breaker,” replied Mr. Ballard.
“What could be worse?”
“I am inclined to the opinion that she cannot swing the gun around so as to make it bear on an object so far astern of her as this ship is at the present moment.” said the lieutenant.
“He has an all sufficient remedy for that,” added the captain. “He can swing his ship’s head around so his gun will bear on us.”
“But that would cause him to lose a quarter of a mile or more of his advantage; and she seems to be more inclined to run away from the Bellevite than to fight her,” suggested the lieutenant.
“Call all hands, Mr. Ballard,” said the commander; and in a few minutes all the officers and seamen were at their stations.
The call awoke Christy from his slumber, which the report of the gun and the cheering of the men had failed to do. But he understood the summons, and thought the action was about to begin. He adjusted his dress and hastened to the quarter deck, where he reported in due form to the captain. Mr. Ballard was relieved of his duties as acting executive officer, and went to his proper station to take command of his division. Christy took a careful survey of the situation, and saw that the Bellevite had gained at least two knots on the chase. The Holyoke and the West Wind were no longer in sight, though the fog seemed to be still hanging about the entrance to Mobile Bay.
“The Tallahatchie has fired two shots at us, Mr. Passford; but she wasted her ammunition,” said the commander. “I am inclined to agree with Mr. Ballard that she cannot swing her Armstrong gun so as to cover the Bellevite.”
“She has stopped her screw, sir!” exclaimed the first lieutenant, who was looking at the chase through the best glass.
“Make the course west, Mr. Passford!” said the captain with energy.
“Quartermaster, make it west!” shouted Christy.
“West, sir!” repeated the quartermaster, as he caused the helmsmen to heave over the wheel.
Directing his glass to the chase again, Christy saw the Tallahatchie swing around so that she was broadside to the Bellevite. Almost at the same moment the smoke rose from her deck, and the sound of the gun reached the ears of the officers and crew. The shot passed with a mighty whiz between the fore and main mast of the ship, cutting away one of the fore topsail braces, but doing no other damage. The seamen cheered as they had before. The Tallahatchie started her screw as soon as she had discharged her gun, and resumed her former course, the Bellevite doing the same.
If the loyal ship had not promptly altered her course, the projectile would have raked her, and must have inflicted much greater injury in the spars and rigging. But both vessels promptly resumed their former relative positions, though the Tallahatchie had lost some of her advantage by coming to, while her pursuer had only made a small circuit without stopping her engine for a moment.
“If she does that again, Mr. Passford, we must be ready to return her fire,” said the captain. “Have the pivot gun ready, and aim for her Armstrong, which seems to be sufficiently prominent on her deck to make a good target.”
Christy hastened forward, and gave the order to Mr. Ballard, in whose division the great Parrot was included. The signal was promptly given for manning the gun, and seventeen men immediately sprang to their stations. The men were armed with cutlasses, muskets, battle-axes, pistols, and pikes, which were so disposed as to be in readiness for boarding the enemy, or repelling boarders.
“A solid shot, and aim at the pivot gun of the enemy,” said Christy in a low tone to the second lieutenant, who had the reputation of being an expert in the handling of guns of the largest calibre.
There were two captains to the pivot gun, one on each side, stationed nearest to the base of the breech. Seventeen men were required to work the pivot gun, whose duties were defined in the names applied to them, the powderman being the odd one. The first and second captains were numbers one and two; the odd numbers being on the right, and the even on the left of the piece: number three was the first loader, four the first sponger, five the second loader, six the second sponger, seven the first shellman, eight the second shellman, nine the first handspikeman, ten the second handspikeman, eleven the first train tackleman, twelve the second train tackleman (the last two at the breech, next to the captains), thirteen first side tackleman, fourteen second side tackleman, fifteen first port tackleman, sixteen second port tackleman.
The gun crew had been frequently drilled in the management of the piece, and the men were entirely at home in their stations. Other hands had been trained in serving the gun, so that the places of any disabled in action could be replaced. The service at the Parrot was not all that was required of the men forming the gun crew, for each was also a first or second boarder, a pumpman, or something else, and to each number one or two weapons were assigned, as musket and pike, sword and pistol, battle-axe. When the order to board the enemy was given, every man knew his station and his proper officer.
“Silence, men!” commanded the second lieutenant, “Cast loose and provide!”
These orders were repeated by the first captain of the gun. It is his duty to see the piece cleared and cast loose, and everything made ready for action. He and the second captain “provide” themselves with waist belts and primers, and the first with some other implements. But the handling of one of these great guns is about as technical as a surgical operation would be, and it would be quite impossible for the uninitiated to understand it, though it is every-day work to the ordinary man-of-war’s-man.
Prompted by the executive officer, who had been further instructed by the captain, all the series of steps had been taken which put the piece in readiness to be discharged, and all that remained to be done was to adjust the aim, which is done by the first captain. At this time the distance between the two ships had been considerably reduced. The captain and the first lieutenant were closely watching the chase with glasses.
The crew of the Tallahatchie could be seen at work at the long gun, and another shot from it was momentarily expected. The instant the bow of the enemy began to swerve to port, the captain of the Bellevite gave the order to put the helm to starboard. Almost at the same instant the enemy stopped her screw, swung round and fired her long gun. The projectile crashed through the bulwarks between the foremast and top-gallant forecastle, wounding two men with the splinters which flew in every direction.
Dr. Linscott and his mates had established themselves in the cockpit, to which the wounded are conveyed, in action, for treatment. The two men who had been injured by the splinters were not disabled, and they were ordered to report to the surgeon. Before the enemy could resume her course, the captain of the pivot gun had caught his aim, and discharged the Parrot. All hands watched for the result of the shot, and the glasses of the captain and the first lieutenant were directed to the chase.
She was near enough now to be observed with the naked eye with tolerable accuracy, and a shout went up from the men at the pivot gun, in which the rest of the crew on deck joined, as they saw that the shot had struck the midship gun of the enemy, or very near it; and this was the point where old Blumenhoff, the captain of the gun, had been directed to aim. He was a German, but he had served for twenty-one years in the British navy, and had won a brilliant reputation in his present position.
It could not be immediately determined whether or not the Armstrong had been disabled. The Tallahatchie had swung round again and resumed her flight; but her commander must have realized by this time that he was getting the worst of it. Paul Vapoor had not left his post in the engine and fire room, to ascertain how the battle was going, but still plied all his energies in driving the Bellevite to the utmost speed she could possibly attain. The log was frequently heaved, and the last result had been sent down to him by Midshipman Walters, and it was twenty-one knots.
During the next hour the long gun of the enemy was not again discharged, and the officers of the loyal ship were assured that it had been rendered useless by Blumenhoff’s only shot.


Optimized for glider operation. Suitable both for self-starters and tow flights. Designed for motor plane flight logging as well.
Manage the airfield, club fleet and member data.
Keep track of the planned duties for each club member. Easily coordinate if someone wants to swap duty shifts.


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Project Title
One Paragraph of project description goes here
Getting Started
These instructions will get you a copy of the project up and running on your local machine for development and testing purposes. See deployment for notes on how to deploy the project on a live system.
Prerequisites
What things you need to install the software and how to install them
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Built With
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* [Popper](https://www.google.com/search?q=popperjs) - Used to generate RSS Feeds
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Please read [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://gist.github.com/PurpleBooth/b24679402957c63ec426) for details on our code of conduct, and the process for submitting pull requests to us.
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We use [SemVer](http://semver.org/) for versioning. For the versions available, see the [tags on this repository](https://github.com/your/project/tags).
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Contents
I'm once again in the process of trying to organise my stuff... 2013-01-13
Docs : Web-related
From IEEE Internet Computing
- The Shortest Path to the Future Web
- From Here to There
- Evolving the Link
- A Difficult Abstraction
- Graph Farming
- Delivered Deliverables (The State of the Semantic Web, Part 1)
Docs : Electronics-related
From Electronics World & Wireless World
- The Twisted World of Non-Linear Electronics
- The Versatile World of Operational Transconductance Amplifiers
- Circuit Design for RMS Measurement
Other Stuff
- Homemade Woodcarving Mallet
- Darwin Software Synth
- CSS Fisheye
- The Vinocaster
- The Vinotone
- Gallery of Woodcarvings
- Woodcarving Tips
About
I enjoy making stuff. Most of the information I've needed to make stuff has come from the Web. I've also got a terrible memory, and finding things on the Web can be time-consuming. Altogether it makes sense for me to write stuff up on the Web. If this material is useful for anyone else, great. I reckon making stuff is a very good idea, and it's almost always good fun. Things rarely turn out the way they were planned, on the upside you can get serendipity, one the downside things can go horribly wrong - so you learn stuff.
So this is a list of dedicated write-ups. There may be related material scattered on my blog, for now there's only search, though I do plan to add cross-linking of some description before very long.
Each of these documents is based on my own experiences, drawing on other Web resources for references. I'm not an expert on any of these things, still learning, so the information is just my best effort at the time of writing. Expect incomplete, patchy, rambling and incoherent.
Colophon
As a break from content management systems I've put these pages together manually using:
- Ubuntu's text editor
- Amaya HTML editor
- HTML Tidy (tweaking to something approximating XHTML, though served as text/html)
CSS is homemade, except for the image effect which is Lightbox 2(the images having being previously resized using a little script - three versions are in the directories, original/preferred (after cropping etc and some resizing)/thumbs). Another script (hmm, filesystem-based CMS anyone?).
If everything's working as it should, the body typeface you can see is Chantelli Antiqua Regular (source: Font Squirrel, loaded via @font-face).


When you delete a course, all data associated with this course will get deleted, this includes Student credits! Suspending is preferred option if the course was a successfully completed. Furthermore, all deletions are permanent, your course cannot be retrieved once deleted.


--- layout: showcase title: "A showcase of the most beautiful apps built with Ionic" ---
By Gregg Pratt
2.26.14
By ChefSteps Inc
By Brighton Resort
By Young Minds Creation
By JoCo Cruise Crazy
By Promofix


| Filling | Sandwich | Baguette | Eat In |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacon | £2.55 | £3.45 | £4.45 |
| Sausage | £2.35 | £3.25 | £4.25 |
| BLT | £2.65 | £3.65 | £4.65 |
| (Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato) | |||
| Ham & Mustard | £2.45 | £3.35 | £4.35 |
| Premium Beef & Horseradish | £2.60 | £3.60 | £4.60 |
| Corned Beef & Pickle | £2.35 | £3.25 | £4.25 |
| Ham & Cheese | £3.00 | £3.85 | £4.85 |
| Turkey & Cranberry | £2.55 | £3.45 | £4.45 |
| Egg Mayonnaise | £2.55 | £3.45 | £4.45 | Just Salad | £2.20 | £2.80 | £3.80 |
| Filling | Sandwich | Baguette | Eat In |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken Mayo | £2.65 | £3.70 | £4.70 |
| (Seasoned Strips of Chicken Breast) | |||
| Chicken Mexican | £2.65 | £3.70 | £4.70 |
| (Hot & Spicy with Kidney Beans) | |||
| Chicken Indian | £2.65 | £3.70 | £4.70 |
| (Mild CUrry Mayo) | |||
| Chicken American | £2.65 | £3.70 | £4.70 |
| (Sweet & Savoury Pineapple Mayo) | |||
| Chicken Tikka | £2.65 | £3.70 | £4.70 |
| (Spicy Tikka Mayo) | |||
| Chicken Sicilian | £3.05 | £3.95 | £4.95 |
| (Pesto, Sundried Tomato Olive Oil) | |||
| Chicken Caeser | £3.05 | £3.95 | £4.95 |
| (Lettuce, Bacon & Caeser Dressing) | |||
| Chicken Cajun | £3.05 | £3.95 | £4.95 |
| (Crunchy, Hot & Spicy) |
| Filling | Sandwich | Baguette | Eat In |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuna Mayo & Cucumber | £2.45 | £3.35 | £4.35 |
| Seafood Cocktail | £2.55 | £3.45 | £4.40 |
| (with Lettuce, Lemon & Black Pepper) | |||
| Prawns in Marie Rose Sauce | £3.20 | £4.05 | £5.05 |
| (with Lettuce) | |||
| Chilli Prawns | £3.20 | £3.05 | £5.05 |
| (with Lettuce & Hot Chilli Sauce) | |||
| Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese | £3.20 | £3.05 | £5.05 |
| (Deli Delight) |
| Filling | Sandwich | Baguette | Eat In |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mild Cheddar | £2.45 | £3.35 | £4.35 |
| Cream Cheese & Cucumber | £2.45 | £3.35 | £4.30 |
| French Brie & Grape | £2.60 | £3.60 | £4.60 |
| Mozzarella & Tomato | £2.60 | £3.60 | £4.60 |
| Feta & Red Onion | £2.60 | £3.60 | £4.60 |
| Filling | Take Away | Eat In |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire Baguette | £3.95 | £4.95 |
| (Indian Chicken, Mango, Chilli Pickle, Chilli Sauce, Onions & Peppers) |
||
| Inferno Baguette | £4.05 | £5.05 |
| (as above Plus Fresh Chillies) | ||
| Scorcher Melt Ciabatta | £4.00 | £5.00 |
| (Tuna, Chilli Pickle & Melted Cheese) | ||
| Texan Special Baguette | £3.90 | £4.90 |
| (Bacon, Hot Salsa & Melted Cheese) | ||
| Ham & Cheese Melt | £3.85 | £4.85 |
| Tuna Meltdown | £3.85 | £4.85 |
| (Tuna & Melted Cheese) | ||
| Pepperoni Pizza Ciabatta | £3.90 | £4.90 |
| (Tomato Sauce, Pepperoni & Melted Cheese) | ||
| Houmous & Roasted Peppers | £3.75 | £4.75 |
| Filling | Take Away | Eat In |
|---|---|---|
| American | £3.95 | £4.95 |
| Mexican | £3.95 | £4.95 |
| Indian | £3.95 | £4.95 |
| Prawns | £4.00 | £5.00 |
| Cajun | £4.00 | £5.00 |
| Sicilian | £4.00 | £5.00 |
| Tuna | £3.70 | £4.70 |
| Cheese | £3.70 | £4.70 |
| Beans | £3.70 | £4.70 |
| Chilli | £4.10 | £5.10 |
| Cheese & Beans | £4.10 | £5.10 |
| Filling | Price |
|---|---|
| Curry Egg Mayo Baguette | £3.35 |
| ALT Baguette | £3.55 |
| (Avocado, Lettuce, Tomato & Mayonnaise) | |
| Cheese & Marmite Baguette | £3.35 |
| Nutella & Banana Panini | £3.50 |
| Peanut Butter Explosion Baguette | £3.85 |
| (Peanut Butter, Chilli Pickle, & Melted Cheese) |
| Filling | Price |
|---|---|
| Vegan Cheese & Pickle Baguette | £3.60 |
| Houmous & Roasted Peppers Baguette | £3.75 |
| Vegan Bushfire Baguette | £3.90 |
| (Houmous, Chilli Pickle, Chilli Sauce, Onions & Peppers) | |
| Vegan Inferno Baguette | £4.00 |
| (as above Plus Fresh Chillies) | |
| Couscous Salad Box | £3.60 |
| Creamy Beetroot Houmous & Crunchy Peppers Wrap | £3.95 |
| Sundried Tomato Butterbean Pate & Salad Baguette | £3.95 |
| Filling | Baguette | Eat In |
|---|---|---|
| Light Chicken Italienne | £3.70 | £4.70 |
| (A little red pesto topped with tomatoes) | ||
| Light Chicken Mayo | £3.70 | £4.70 |
| (Low Fat Mayo) | ||
| Light Chicken Lebanese | £3.95 | £4.95 |
| (Reduced fat houmous topped with chicken, tomatoes and black pepper) |
||
| Turkey & Cranberry | £3.55 | £4.55 |
| Turkey Dijon | £3.55 | £4.55 |
| (Light Dijon Mayo) | ||
| Light Tuna Mayo | £3.55 | £4.55 |
| (Topped with Baby Gherkins & Red Pepper) | ||
| Smoked Salmon & Light Philadelphia | £4.05 | £5.05 |
| (with Lemon & Black Pepper) | ||
| Prawns | £4.05 | £5.05 |
| (with Lettuce & Light Thousand Island Dressing) | ||
| Greek Salad | £3.90 | £4.90 |
| (Feta, Red Onion & Lettuce with a Vinagerette Dressing) |
| Filling | Take Away | Eat In |
|---|---|---|
| Brie & Bacon | £4.15 | £5.15 |
| Cheese & Tomato | £3.40 | £4.40 |
| Ham & Cheese | £3.90 | £4.90 |
| Tuna & Cheese | £3.90 | £4.90 |
| Bacon & Cheese | £4.00 | £5.00 |
| Chicken & Cheese | £4.25 | £5.25 |
| Mozzarella & Tomato | £3.65 | £4.65 |
| Sicilian | £4.00 | £5.00 |
| Pepperoni Pizza | £4.05 | £5.05 |
| Filling | Price |
|---|---|
| Tea | £1.50 |
| Regular Coffee | £1.80 |
| Cappuccino | £2.00 |
| Caffee Latte | £2.00 |
| Hot Chocolate | £2.00 |
| Fresh Smoothies | £2.99 |
| Frappes | £2.50 |
| (with or without Coffee) |
| Find Us | Phone |
|---|---|
| 35A High Street | 01480 435535 |
| Huntingdon | |
| PE29 3AQ |
Opening Times: Monday & Tuesday: 9am - 3pm Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: 9:30am - 3:30pm Saturday: 9:30am - 2:45pm Sunday: Closed