Life, 1886-04-22 · page 5 of 16
Life — April 22, 1886 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Historical Content from Life Magazine, Page 229 This page presents "Our War Papers," featuring accounts from the American Civil War, specifically about the USS Oldbummer and the CSS Korsage (likely the CSS Corsage). The top illustration shows "Lieut. Plog's Heroic Action," depicting an officer defending a ship's gun against enemy attack, quoted from Captain Kidd's Official Report. The portrait shows "Pore Admiral Bustle F. Skevt" from a photograph by Grady, taken after dinner, identified as a Confederate cruiser's cook named Billy McGee McCoo. The text describes the author's service aboard the Oldbummer, praising the captain and crew's conduct during naval conflict. The accompanying map charts the ship's course during an engagement. The satire appears to mock Civil War naval accounts and military pretension through absurdist character names and exaggerated reportage.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIEUT. FLUG’S HEROIC ACTION. “This gallant officer repeatedly planted himself against the muzzle of the enemy's 16inch pivot gun, ‘—Frem Captain Kid's Official Report. OUR WAR PAPERS. T is impossible to estimate correctly the value of the historical reminiscences which that able magazine, the Centurion, is now presenting to the American public, We realize this, and sincerely desire to aid in the important work of contributing to the history of the misunderstanding between the North and South, the testimony of living eye-wit- nesses ere the same shall have gone to their final resting placés beyond the reach of wars and rumors of wars, and yet, let us hope for their sakes, to a country where the disputed points can be argued to a final and satisfac- tory conclusion. To further complete the testimony already printed in the before-mentioned magazine in regard to the great naval contest between the Oldbummer and the Korsage, we herewith YORE ADMIRAL BUSTLE P. SKYRT. From a photograph by Grady, taken after dinner. present an article on the subject by Mr. Billy McGee McGoo, formerly cook of the Confed- erate cruiser. THE OLDBUMMER AND THE KORSAGE, THE CRUISE OF THE OLDBUMMER. I7 has ne¥er been my lot to meet a more polite and gentlemanly set of men than the gallant crew of the celebrated O/dbummer, From the captaindown to the low- liest tar that fore -reached the bound- ing bowsprit every man in the ship was the ideal sailor; cour- teous, refined and polite to a fault. bummer was, became a sincere pleasure to me ; my duties being light, I had much leisure to examine the gentlemanly crew and philoso- phize upon the stirring and exhilarating scenes around me, I cannot say too much for the kindness of the crew in providing innocent and entertain- The reader will under- stand, of course, that I joined the ship before she left Eng- land ; having signed the 39 Articles and qualified be- fore the Ma- rine’ Side- Board as an able-bodied, A No. , clipper-rigged cook, war- ranted to boil in any climate, and sworn to protect and defend the ship's disbrag against all its enemies. Sailing through the calm southern seas in a stout, trim, well-built vessel such as the O/d- CHART SHOWING COURSE OF THE “OLDBUMMER” DURING THE NIGHT PRECEDING ‘THE CONFLICT. ing amusement. Hardly a day passed but that one of them was playfully extended at the mast-head. Our captain frequently called his men together, especially before an engage- ment, and addressed them in terms of the most disinterested kindness. On several occasions comicbooks.com