The severity of flogging with the rope’s end is justly described in Mr. Dana’s excellent book, called “Two Years before the Mast.” Though not _so_ cruel as the cat, it is nevertheless a harsh, degrading punishment. Our men used to say that “they would as lief be cut up on the bare back with the cat, as have back and shirt cut up together,” as was poor Daily’s. In truth, that flogging was both unjust and illegal. The articles of war provide, that not more than _twelve_ lashes shall be given for a crime; but here _one hundred_ were inflicted for _no crime_--for an accident, which might have happened to the best pilot who ever ascended the Mississippi. But though the captain was thus rendered amenable to the law, who would believe a poor sailor? Had he complained, it would doubtless have been to his own injury; for law, and especially naval law, is always on the side of the strong. This was not the only case of illegal flogging; but the justification of these excessive whippings, was found in the pretended existence of _several_ crimes in the helpless offenders.
On one occasion we were at our quarters, exercising in the various evolutions of war; now at our guns, and then going through the forms of boarding an enemy; now running aloft, as if in the act of cutting down our enemy’s rigging, and then rushing below, as if to board her, firing our pistols, stabbing with our boarding-pikes, and cutting on all sides with our cutlasses. In the midst of this excitement, the movements of one of the men not happening to please the captain, he seized a cutlass and struck him a tremendous blow with its flat side; heated with passion, he let it glance as he struck, and the edge, entering the man’s back, made a deep flesh wound, which was very sore a long time. Some of our men swore that if they had been the sufferer, they would have shot the captain dead on the spot! Are men of such brutal tempers fit to command a man of war? Is it not wonderful that mutiny is so rare under such a discipline? Such an officer might do to command a crew of pirates, but not of freemen, such as Americans feel proud to entrust with the keeping of their national honor on the deep.
On reaching New Orleans, our ship was overhauled and repaired. We were sent on board the _Louisiana_, an old guard-ship, but had to cross the river every morning to assist in working on the brig. Several of our men, and myself among them, were quite sick here, owing to the free use of river water. The _Louisiana_ had a number of men confined on board, for some crime; they wore chains round their legs, which were fastened to a large ball: the nature of their offence I did not ascertain.