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retary of the Navy, which goes to prove his hearty interest in scientific investigations:

"During the cruise of the Portsmouth abundant opportunities are likely to occur to make collections in natural history. The surgeon of the ship, Dr. Henderson, will collect specimens for the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and perhaps also for Yale College. It is desirable, therefore, that a copy of Professor Dana's 'Report on Crustacea' (Exploring Expedition under Captain Wilkes) should be in the vessel. Believing myself, in common with two or three scientific gentlemen here, that it will meet the views of the government to encourage officers to contribute when abroad to the cause of science, I respectfully request that it may be purchased for the use of the Portsmouth during her approaching cruise."

The letter of Lieutenant Simpson, shortly before referred to, seems to have been sent for perusal by Foote to his friend Dupont, and called forth this expression in his reply:

"But let me say how rejoiced I should be to see you, my dear Foote, take hold of this establishment (Annapolis Naval Academy), from which the last hope must spring of our giving the country an efficient Navy by rearing officers of capacity and moral worth. I have ever followed the fortunes of the academy with deep interest, increased perhaps by the fact that I was a member of the first two boards which organized the school. It has steadily progressed, like West Point, which is the creation of over half a century. Yet you would find an abundant scope for your active and intelligent energies in developing improvements still needed, and which no one man could cover heretofore in the brief period allotted him there."

Both of these gallant men were soon to be summoned to a more stirring and arduous service.

We have called this brief period of Commander Foote's life-when he had in charge the New York Navy Yard-an "uneventful" one; but this is not literally true. The period of great events was rapidly drawing on, and they had already begun to cast their shadows over the scene. It was a time of agitation and popular excitement. Those especially who held

Beginnings of Political Agitation.

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offices of responsibility under the government were compelled to the exercise of constant watchfulness from foes within and without. The trial time, in fact, of this government was approaching. It was to be proved whether a republic was a strong or a weak government. It was to be proved whether there existed a principle of vital national unity, or whether this nation was but a loose confederation of independent States, bound together by a mere selfish tie easily dissolved. There is a principle of growth in a nation as in a man-an aspiration toward a higher civilization; in fact, a true moral lifeand it was to be seen if a century's apparent growth were no true life after all, but a false existence and progress. Was it a social compact or a living state? Could the republic die by simple disintegration or falling away of disaffected portions? Had it a life which was strong enough to throw off corruption, and which contained within itself the means of its own cure and preservation?

The election of Abraham Lincoln on the 6th of November, 1860, to the Presidency, brought an end to the hopes of plotters in regard to the future control of the national government; but they had still six months to work out their schemes during the waning administration of an imbecile executive, who held the view that it was constitutionally forbidden to protect the government against rebellion. Men in high official position were busily engaged in secretly undermining the national power. While faithful servants, of whom Commander Foote was one, were almost despairingly striving for the upbuilding and concentration of the Navy, the Secretary of the Navy was sending off our ships to distant regions, or rendering them useless for defense, and an easy prey to conspirators. Both in the Army and in the Navy there were treacherous men, who at heart were traitors while they nominally remained in the pay of a government they had deliberately resolved to destroy. Then came in rapid succession the actual events of the

Secession drama-the withdrawal of the Southern States one after another from the Union; the seizing upon navy yards, arsenals, and forts; the inauguration of a Southern Confederacy; and the open insults offered to the national flag. At the North as well as the South the atmosphere was surcharged with disloyal sentiment. Even good men were in a state of hallucination in regard to duty. One hardly knew his neighbor for a friend or a foe. Compromise was still the cry when the sacred treasures and household gods were stolen away by bold enemies of the state.

President Lincoln was inaugurated on the 4th of March, 1861, in the deepest period of gloom. He came to the administration of a government whose resources were crippled, and which, indeed, had been rendered almost powerless in every department. Not to speak of the Army, the Navy was at an extremely low ebb. Its vessels of war were either away at foreign ports, or those at home were unready for action and but half-manned. "At the beginning of the year 1861, the total Navy of the United States was ninety vessels, carrying, or designed to carry, 2415 guns. Of this number only fortytwo were in commission. Twenty-eight ships, bearing in the aggregate 874 guns, were lying in ports dismantled, and none of them could be made ready for sea in less than several weeks' time; some of them would require at least six months."* The most of those in commission had been sent away to distant seas, and, with the exception of the store-ship Relief, of 2 guns, the steam-frigate Brooklyn, of 25 guns, which had just before arrived at Norfolk after a three-years' cruise, was absolutely the only armed vessel on the Atlantic coast; and the Brooklyn, moreover, drew too much water to enter Southern harbors, or to operate with efficiency in the first scenes of the war. Many of the naval officers, who were born at the South

"Lossing's Civil War in America," vol. i., p. 299.

Letter of S. F. Dupont.

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left their posts at the critical moment. No less than sixty, including eleven at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, resigned their commissions; and there were also continual desertions. In the Report of the Secretary of the Navy for the next year there were two hundred and fifty-nine desertions and dismissals of officers from the Navy alone. At length the thirteenth of April and the surrender of Sumter awoke the country, and the war began. These are facts fresh in the memory of this generation; and we live now to bless the day when the first gun was fired on Sumter, whose flash opened the eyes of the nation to see its peril.

We subjoin two or three letters addressed to Commander Foote while at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, from fellow officers, which go to show the intense disturbance in the Navy before the war had actually commenced and at its earliest beginning, and which also show that there were noble and loyal souls in the Navy as well as in the Army:

"NAVY YARD, PHILADELPHIA, January 25, 1861. "MY DEAR FOOTE,-I had intended writing you a New-Year's' letter, but about that time I had many irons in the fire.

"A previous order to that which brought me here carried me immediately after to Annapolis as president of an examination board. From this duty I only returned home last Saturday, finding our whole family circle in deep grief from the loss of Mrs. Dupont's eldest sister, who had been for many years a second mother to her.

"On reaching here on Tuesday I found your letter of the 16th instant, which should have been forwarded to me at Annapolis. At that place I saw your friends the Rodgerses and Simpson, who always spoke of you with earnest admiration, and seemed to think the coast was clear for you to come to the academy when Blake left.

"But, alas! my dear friend, are we to have any academy? My own belief is that the drift is all one way. I have very little more faith in the Border States than in the Cotton States; there are any number of traitors in Maryland. The Chief Justice is a Secessionist.

"I still hope against conviction, and that is about all that is left for a man to do.

"We have been living under a delusion that we had a national government, which has toppled over at the first breeze; and secession, disunion, and treachery are made the rule instead of the exception-so safe has it been made for a state to go out that the novelty alone encourages the attempt.

"What has made me most sick at heart is to see the resignations from the Navy. I had occasion to go to Washington the last week in November, and was astounded to find the extent of the demoralization, not only in every department of the government, but among the officers of the Navy. I spoke out plainly, I tell you; told them I had never believed that I had been serving two masters; that I had been nourished, fed, and clothed by the general government for over forty years; paid whether employed or not; and for what?-why, to stand by the country, whether assailed by enemies from without or from within; that my state had had no part or lot in this support; that my oath declared allegiance to the United States as one to support the Constitution.

"But if I feel sore at these resignations, what should a decent man feel at the doings in the Pensacola Navy Yard? Here I can not trust myself to speak; and the Department accepting these resignations, not waiting for a single particular after hearing that the Yard had been surrendered! So that, on a reconstruction, these two affairs will come back into the Navy by treaty, of course.

"Thank you for your kind congratulations about my orders here; they are very acceptable, particularly if we hold together.

"I stick by the flag and the national government as long as we have one, whether my state do or not, and well she knows it.

"I have Lardner and Drayton in the Yard with me-nice men; there is no nonsense about the latter, though he is from South Carolina.

"I have a thousand things to tell you, but must close for the present. Please remember me to Commodore Breese.

"Ever yours most truly,

"Captain Foote, U. S. N.

S. F. DUPONT.

"I see you had no idea of being surprised by mobs. Oh, why was not some one like you at Pensacola? I pass no judgment on the old commodore; he was in a tight place, and if he had only ironed well the traitors under him before he gave up, I should have been thankful.”

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