The morning after our departure from Southampton, the crew were
mustered into the service of the Confederate States and signed
the articles. I was rated as a “landsman,” or a “boy.” The crew
were divided into two watches, and the regular routine of duty at
sea began. I found that I had twelve hours on duty out of every
twenty-four, and at no time more than four consecutive hours to
call my own. For instance, to-day I would be on duty from 12 to 4
A. M., 8 A. M. to 12 M., 4 to 6 P. M., and 8 to 12 P. M., and so
on in uninterrupted succession. This was rather hard work for one
who was fond of comfort and late breakfasts, but I speedily learned
not to lose any time in going to sleep, and undressing appeared
a useless indulgence. This was not the worst of it. The wind was
fair, and we had been running under the foresail, foretopsail and
spanker, when some evil genius inspired the officer of the deck to
order all hands aloft to reef the foretopsail. Now I knew nothing
of gymnastics. I had never attempted to climb a greasy pole or a
rope in my life, and was unaccustomed to any more difficult mode
of reaching a given elevation than by the use of easy stairs, with
a strong baluster. The _Nashville_ was rolling handsomely, and I
was not eager to respond to the call that had been made, hoping
that my assistance would not be needed or expected by my hardy
companions. But Sawyer, the boatswain, had no idea of allowing
me to escape in that way, and enquired, in his usual polite way,
whether I intended to be all day making up my mind. I told him I
thought not, and started up the shrouds. Making a desperate effort
to be lively, I missed every second or third ratline and scraped
most of the skin off my shins. At last I reached the mast-head and
got on the topsail yard. My calculation was that the best place for
me was close to the mast, which I might hug with one arm while I
helped to manipulate the flapping sail with the other; but the men
who were up there would not hear of this. With much profanity, they
told me that the proper place for me was out at the extreme end of
the yard. Suspended under the yards, as customary, and parallel
with it, was a foot rope. Planting my feet squarely against this,
and resting my chest upon the yard and holding on like grim death
with my hands, I got out to the yard-arm, but here the foot rope
was so close to the yard that it was of little use to me. Just then
one of the men gave the rope a jerk. My heels went up and my head
went down, but I saved myself from falling by a violent effort
and trusted the foot rope no more. Using both hands in lifting
the sail, I balanced my body as well as I could upon the yard,
and at this moment I confess I would not have given a sixpence
for my chance of seeing the next morning’s sun. I came down safe,
however, as you perceive, and more scared than hurt. The men said
that I left the marks of my fingers on the stays, and that the
wood was indented where I grasped the yard. After a while I became
accustomed to going aloft, although I never could make myself
believe that it was better to be at the yard-arm than nearest the
mast. The men were right, however, in regarding the former as the
easiest berth, as the weight of the sail to be lifted is the least
there.
The _Nashville_ having been originally a passenger steamer, as I
have already mentioned, carried only enough coal in the bunkers
for six or eight days steaming, so we were soon employed in
hoisting coal from the lower hold forward, and running it aft to
the bunkers. So long as the work was at the windlass on deck I
got along very well, but, when I was sent down into the stifling
atmosphere of the lower hold to fill the baskets with coal, I
quickly ended the difficulty by fainting. When I revived, I went
on deck and told Mr. Sawyer what had taken place. As one of the
officers whom I knew was looking at him, he contented himself with
saying that “I was no account anyhow, and might as well stay on
deck.”
This is as good a place as any to give the names of the officers:
The commanding officer, as I said before, was Captain Robert B.
Pegram, of Virginia; the First Lieutenant and Executive officer
was Mr. Bennett; Lieutenant John J. Ingraham, of South Carolina,
was the Sailing-master; the Second Lieutenant was Mr. Whittle,
of Norfolk, Virginia; Dr. John L. Ancrum, of Charleston, was
the Surgeon; Mr. Richard Taylor, of Norfolk, Virginia, was the
Paymaster. The Midshipmen were: Thomas, of Georgia; McClintock,
of Mississippi; J. W. Pegram (the Captain’s son), of Virginia;
Clarence Cary, of Virginia; Hamilton, of South Carolina; Sinclair,
of Virginia; Dalton, of Mississippi. The Master-at-arms was Lewis
Hill, of Richmond, Virginia. We had aboard, also, a Charleston
pilot, Captain James Evans.
My intercourse with the officers was very pleasant while at
Southampton, and I was on excellent terms with Cary, Pegram,
Dalton, Hamilton and McClintock while we were at sea. They were
careful, of course, not to allow their personal consideration for
me to interfere in any way with a proper regard for the discipline
of the ship. Cary was anxious to improve himself in French, and I
gave him a lesson nearly every day. To one of the other midshipmen
I gave some lessons in music. The sailors were very much disgusted
that any special kindness should be shown me, and really, until
we reached Bermuda, this kindness on the part of the officers
was confined necessarily to a friendly nod, or other greeting,
excepting when I was giving any of the midshipmen such little
assistance in French and music as I have mentioned.
The second day after we left Southampton my trunk was broken open
and nearly everything I had in it was stolen by the sailors. I
complained to Mr. Bennett, who suggested that I ought to have
expected it, and should have been careful to keep my trunk securely
locked, or to have had in it nothing that was worth stealing.
Captain Pegram did not appear to know that I was on board until
we had been several days at sea. I was engaged one morning in
sweeping the deck, or cleaning paint, when he stepped out from the
pilot house, and seemed to recognize me. He nodded and said “good
morning,” and that was all. My heart sank and I felt forsaken.