WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1856
336
the thanks of Congress, who were presented with swords and medals for their valorous deeds, and who seven times saw the British lion cower beneath the wings of the American eagle. They are sent adrift, in their old age--cut loose from every hope. Others, in the vigor of life, in the fullness of manhood, in the prime of chivalry and gallant bearing, have been stricken down. I will, in one particular instance, call the attention of the Senate to the language of a gentleman who is entitled, by his associa- tions, by his simplicity, and the laconic character of his memorial, to the consideration of the special committee, where nothing can be smothered, but where the facts, glaring as the noonday sun, can be investigated, and a just award made on his merits. [Here we omit a considerable discussion of the services of Lieutenant Brownell. Mallory defended the action by which he was dropped from service; Toombs and Allen joined Houston in asserting that he was treated unjustly.] Mr. Houston. Well, Mr. President, suppose he had only been qualified for shore duty; had he not, by his sufferings, by his wounds, by his gallantry, by the estimation in which his acts were held by the Congress of the United States, entitled himself to a shore situation for life, if necessary, or might he not have been placed on the retired list? Vf as he not dropped? [Mr. Mallory. Yes, sir.] Mr. Houston. Instead of being placed on the retired list he was dropped. He might have been placed either on the furloughed or the retired list; but, no, sir·; these memorials of his country's gratitude, the admiration and high approval of Congress, were enough to excite the envy of the men on that board who conspired to strike down members of the navy, and dishonor men equal to themselves in position. How is it with the gentleman whose memorial I have now before me--Lieutenant Gibson, the first officer on board the ship with the gallant Ingraham, when he sustained your flag and your country's honor abroad in a foreign port, by not permitting a foreign hand to touch or defile the hem of the garment of even an imputed citizen of the United States? What does Gibson say? After respectfully presenting his case to the consideration of Congress, he says : "... I have never skulked from my duty, but have obeyed with alacrity the orders which I have received for sea duty. This is proven by·the fact (as shown by the Naval Register of 1856)
Powered by FlippingBook