Death of a Naval hero.
Captain Samuel Chester Reid died in New York on the 28th inst. He was born in
New London, Ct., in 1784, and was famous as the hero of the wonderful defence of the privateer
General Armstrong, at the island of
Fayal, in 1814. A description of this desperate engagement is interesting just at the moment in which the chief actor has left the stage:
The General
Armstrong was a brigantine of only two hundred and forty-six tons, and carried a crew of ninety men, including officers, with an armament of only seven guns.
While lying in the neutral port of
Fayal, three British men-of-war, counting in all one hundred and thirty-six guns, entered the harbor and came to anchor within half a cable's length of the privateer.
As soon as the
British Admiral ascertained that the vessel which appeared to be almost in his power was the
General Armstrong, he made preparations for an immediate attack, notwithstanding the fact of his being in a neutral port.
Four large launches were speedily manned and sent against the brig, the brave commander of which was resolved to receive them in a becoming manner.
He made his preparations accordingly, and as soon as they pulled up close to the vessel, having previously warned them off, he ordered his men to fire, which they did, with terrible effect.
The boats pulled off in a sinking condition, and with the greater part of the attacking force killed or wounded.
Another assault was made upon the brig, and this time with a large fleet of boats, numbering fourteen, each of which had from forty to fifty men, but it was as unsuccessful as the first, and attended with more fearful loss to the
English.
Having failed in both these attempts, it was resolved to make a third, and the
Carnation, one of the fleet, carrying eighteen guns, stood close in for the
General Armstrong, and opened a heavy fire upon the little brig.
The fire was returned, and with such precision that the
Carnation was so cut up as to be obliged to withdraw from a conflict in which she was certain to be completely disabled, if not utterly destroyed.
Finding, however, that it was the determination of the
English Admiral to get possession of his vessel, and yielding to the solicitations of the
Governor of the
Island, as well as that of the
American Consul at the port,
Captain Reid scuttled her, and went on shore with the gallant fellows under his command.
The privateer was soon after boarded by the
English and blown up.
Captain Reid was confined to about a dozen men in killed and wounded, while the
English had, according to their own calculation, one hundred and twenty killed and one hundred and thirty wounded. The news of this action was received all over the country with the greatest rejoicing, and subsequently
Captain Reid was presented by the
State of New York with a gold sword, in company with
Gen. Scott,
Peter B. Porter and
Edmund P. Gaines.
In addition to this gift, he received from the city a service of silver plate.
It was
Captain Reid who gave the flag of the
Union its present form by placing all the stars in the form of one large star, whereas before they were scattered without order over a blue field.
One of these, which was made by his wife and some of her lady friends, he presented to Congress, and it was hoisted on the
Capital.
He also invented and erected the signal telegraph at the
Battery and the Narrows, communicating with
Sandy Hook, and while
Warden of this port regulated and numbered the pilot boats of New York.
We should have stated that he entered the navy at the age of thirteen as a midshipman, and in due time became an acting lieutenant.
For the past three years he has been on leave, his last active service being on board the receiving ship
North Carolina, at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard.
