Not long ago, the United States did claim the ashes of her illustrious citizen, and buried them in the country his courage had defended—under the flag his own hand first gave to the skies. After the lapse of more than a century, his remains were recently discovered in a tomb at the French capital. They were brought to the United States in grand state, on one of our large war vessels. How surprised the hero would have been could he have known of the great steel man-of-war that was at last bearing him home. A solemn funeral was held, and the ashes of the restless patriot were placed in the chapel crypt of our Naval Academy at Annapolis.
But his fame lives and increases as time goes on. He fought against fearful odds, and the vessels that he captured were always better than his own. His country, now grown large and powerful, has lately turned to honor him, and future generations will come to think of him
