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THE DALE AT WAR IN MEXICAN WATERS

As always on board a man-of-war there were constant drills. Besides the time-honored exercises at the great guns, fire drills, etc., the old salts were now introduced to the intricacies of infantry warfare also. The exigencies of service in California had made this novelty a necessity because of the absence of the Army and the small number of marines available. As the then Commander DuPont wrote. "This deficiency of marines would have been still more sorely felt throughout all the operations in the Pacific, but for the admirable zeal with which these officers made themselves acquainted with the company, and to some extent, the battalion drill, a zeal which was fully responded to by the seamen themselves, who all became respectable infantry." The seamen on board the Dale were to have good use for their proficiency acquired through infantry drills on this voyage to and from Panama.

The sighting of another sail in those remote seas was a rarity, and day after day passed with nothing to greet the eye but rolling seas, white caps, horizon, clouds and sky. The Dale's crew seem to have been very well behaved as judged by the few entries of punishments that appear in her log. Drunkenness, riotous conduct and quarrelling were the most frequent offences, for which from six to nine lashes with "the cat" were given. Insolence to an officer appears but seldom and nine lashes was usually the penalty. One man deserted in Panama and when caught was awarded twelve lashes. In former years flogging had been much more severe, especially in foreign navies.

As a role all hands were called to witness punishment by flogging, for the sake of the general disciplinary effect. The culprit was stripped to the waist, stood on a grating and had his hands securely bound to a permanent fixture overhead. While the drummer beat time a petty-officer "laid on" the specified number of lashes to the poor victim's bared back. The "cat" which was used as an instrument consisted of a handle of thick rope ending usually in nine flexible tails of line or cord, each of which made an ugly welt as it landed and frequently drew blood. Sometimes the "colt" or single whip was wed instead of the "cat."

It was a brutal and revolting punishment that most officers deplored and the abolition of which some of them had advocated for several decades. It had been an established custom for so many centuries however that both men and officers generally feared a serious breakdown of discipline should it be done away with suddenly. Without taut discipline on shipboard, whether in men-of-war or merchant vessels, lives and property are seriously imperilled in every sudden emergency whether of battle, the elements or accident. Then it is that orders must come from a central authority and be instantly and almost most instinctively obeyed without question, and such a state of mind is impossible unless there has been adequate training in advance.

The ancient and barbarous institution of flogging was drastically restricted in our Navy only three years after the cruise of the Dale with which we are now concerned. Further restrictions were imposed in 1851-53 under laws sponsored by Commodore R. F. Stockton, the conqueror of California who had then become a Senator from New Jersey. In 1862 flogging was abolished entirely. It is greatly to the credit of the officers of that day that they found other and more humane mane means of maintaining indispensable discipline during the critical years of transition immediately following the laws forbidding flogging.

Upon the Dale's arrival at Panama on March 15th, Captain McKean left for the United States and was temporarily succeeded by the Executive Officer, Lieutenant Edward M. Yard. The sketch (Plate XII) shows the little Sloop-of-war at anchor off this lonely place. On the 21st she made sail for the nearby island of Taboga where five days were spent at the perennial task of "watering ship." This laborious process normally had to be done with the ship's boats and was one of the chief bug-bears of sailing-ship days. The very limited amount of water that could be carried severely restricted the daily allowance for each man and was a governing consideration in the operations of men-of-war with their large crews. Every convenient opportunity was taken to replenish the supply of water carried in wooden casks in the hold, which otherwise would be empty in about three months, unless the crew was put on a reduced allowance. Gunner Meyers has given us a sketch (Plate XIII) of this old-time watering rendezvous.

After a tedious return voyage the good ship was once more anchored at Monterey on May 24th, and the next day Commander Thomas O. Selfridge came an board to take command.

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