26 Naval War of 1812 



deserves it, for the coolness and skill with which 

 he made his approaches and took his positions so 

 as to destroy his adversary with least loss to him 

 self, and also for the precision of his fire. The 

 Cherub's behavior was more remarkable for extreme 

 caution than for anything else. As regards the mere 

 fight, Porter certainly did everything a man could 

 do to contend successfully with the overwhelming 

 force opposed to him, and the few guns that were 

 available were served with the utmost precision. As 

 an exhibition of dogged courage it has never been 

 surpassed since the time when the Dutch captain, 

 Klaesoon, after fighting two long days, blew up his 

 disabled ship, devoting himself and all his crew to 

 death, rather than surrender to the hereditary foes 

 of his race, and was bitterly avenged afterward by 

 the grim "sea-beggars" of Holland; the days when 

 Drake singed the beard of the Catholic king, and 

 the small English craft were the dread and scourge 

 of the great floating castles of Spain. Any man 

 reading Farragut's account is forcibly reminded of 

 some of the deeds of "derring-do" in that, the heroic 

 age of the Teutonic navies. Captain Hilyar in his 

 letter says : "The defence of the Essex, taking into 

 consideration our superiority of force and the very 

 discouraging circumstance of her having lost her 

 main-top-mast and being twice on fire, did honor 

 to her brave defenders, and most fully evinced the 



