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Show THE FIGHTING BLOOD . OF AMERICA. On Thursday The Standard referred to the planting of American guns at Funchal, In the Madeira islands, as a reminder of tho earlier history of America's armed invasion of the old world, when Commodore Decatur fought the buccaneers of northern Africa. Af-rica. Charles Stewart was a member of the expedition to the Mediterranean Mediterran-ean and was selected by Decatur to help in the burning of the Philadelphia, Philadel-phia, an American ship which had been captured by the Barbary coast pirates. Stewart did heroic vork. and afterward added to his fame as captain cap-tain of the "Constitution," known as Old Ironsides." The history of the Constitution's greatest fight is supplied sup-plied The Standard by an eastern writer, writ-er, who is appealing to the patriotism of this country by reciting the early deeds of our battling forces In the latter part of 1814 the Constitution arrived ar-rived in Boston for a thorough overhauling over-hauling after her battle with the Java. On December 18 she sailed under command com-mand of Captain Stewart, and on February' Feb-ruary' 20 of the following year, while cruising in the neighborhood of Madeira, Ma-deira, two sails were sighted. The nearest was the British frigate Cyane, 34 guns. Captain Falcon; the other the 'sloop of war Levant, 21 guns, Captain Douglas The Constitution bore down upon I be enemy and opened fire at 5 o'clock B the afternoon but the shot fell short. Tho two British ships tried to get to windward of the Constitution,! with the Intention of delaying the action ac-tion until after dark, when they hoped i to cripple the American ship. Failing In this, the British ships formed in line, the Levant ahead, and the Constitution Constitu-tion at 6 o'clock opened the battle with a shot between the two. Then, with broadsides, began one of the most re-markable re-markable battles in history, a battle In which one ship vanquished two and never once during tho entire engaRe-ment engaRe-ment exposed herself to the raking fire that was so disastrous to ships of a century ago. For the first fifteen minutes of the action heavy firing was continued, and i when the smoke cleared away the Con-1 stltutlon was abreast of the Levant, j with the Cyane slipping up to delis i r a raking fire. Captain Stewart, equal i to the occasion, sent a close range .broadside into the Levant, and then, screened by the smoke of his own ; guns, poured a heavy fire into the j Cyane as his ship gathered sternway. As the Levant attempted to go to the assistance of the Cyane. the Constitu- tion's sails were again filled and, as . she shot ahead, two broadsides were sent into the stern of ihe T,evnnt. The Cyane then took the brunt of tho fighting fight-ing ami the Levant withdrew to make i enaire. The Cyane attempted to pet away, liui the Constitution wore short around and gave bar n rakinp: fire over the Btern In a few minutes, exactly forty for-ty minutes from the time the first broadside was fired, the Cyane slru k. Captain Stewart then went in pursuit pur-suit of the Levant, and, as he passed lent B broadsido Into her, then nwung nround and raked her. When the Le- ' ;mi discovered the f'yane had surrendered, surren-dered, she attempted to escape. Her wheel had been shot away and her lower masts badly damaged, and within with-in a hrilf hour Bhe surrendered. On her wny home with her prizes the Constitution was chased by a Brit- ' ish floci and the Levant was recap-' tured at Porto Traya, but the Cyane was landed safely In New York and waj finally taken Info the American service The skill of Captain Stewart in thla battle became one of the famous chapters chap-ters of history and even yet 1 studied and dlBCUaaed among nautical men |