_Heroism of Negroes.--William Tillman re-captures “The S. G.
Waring.”--George Green.--Robert Small captures the Steamer
“Planter.”--Admiral Dupont’s Opinion on Negro Patriotism._
In the month of June, 1861, the schooner “S. J. Waring,” from New
York, bound to South America, was captured on the passage by the rebel
privateer “Jeff. Davis,” a prize-crew put on board, consisting of a
captain, mate, and four seamen; and the vessel set sail for the port of
Charleston, S.C. Three of the original crew were retained on board,
a German as steersman, a Yankee who was put in irons, and a black man
named William Tillman, the steward and cook of the schooner. The latter
was put to work at his usual business, and told that he was henceforth
the property of the Confederate States, and would be sold, on his
arrival at Charleston, as a slave. Night comes on; darkness covers the
sea; the vessel is gliding swiftly towards the South; the rebels, one
after another, retire to their berths; the hour of midnight approaches;
all is silent in the cabin; the captain is asleep; the mate, who has
charge of the watch, takes his brandy toddy, and reclines upon the
quarter-deck. The negro thinks of home and all its endearments: he sees
in the dim future chains and slavery.
He resolves, and determines to put the resolution into practice upon the
instant. Armed with a heavy club, he proceeds to the captain’s’room. He
strikes ‘the fatal blow: he feels the pulse, and all is still. He next
goes to the adjoining room: another blow is struck, and the black man
is master of the cabin. Cautiously he ascends to the deck, strikes the
mate: the officer is wounded but not killed. He draws his revolver, and
calls for help. The crew are aroused: they are hastening to aid their
commander. The negro repeats his blows with the heavy club: the rebel
falls dead at Tillman’s feet. The African seizes the revolver, drives
the crew below deck, orders the release of the Yankee, puts the enemy in
irons, and proclaims himself master of the vessel.
“The Waring’s” head is turned towards New York, with the stars and
stripes flying, a fair wind, and she rapidly retraces her steps. A
storm comes up: more men are needed to work the ship. Tillman orders the
rebels to be unchained, and brought on deck. The command is obeyed; and
they are put to work, but informed, that, if they show any disobedience,
they will be shot down. Five days more, and “The S. J. Waring” arrives
in the port of New York, under the command of William Tillman, the negro
patriot.
“The New-York Tribune” said of this event,--
“To this colored man was the nation indebted for the first vindication
of its honor on the sea.” Another public journal spoke of that
achievement alone as an offset to the defeat of the Federal arms at
Bull Run. Unstinted praise from all parties, even those who are usually
awkward in any other vernacular than derision of the colored man, has
been awarded to this colored man. At Barnum’s Museum he was the centre
of attractive gaze to daily increasing thousands. Pictorials vied with
each other in portraying his features, and in graphic delineations of
the scene on board the brig; while, in one of them, Tillman has been
sketched as an embodiment of black action on the sea, in contrast with
some delinquent Federal officer as white inaction on land.
The Federal Government awarded to Tillman the sum of six thousand
dollars as prize-money for the capture of the schooner. All loyal
journals joined in praise of the heroic act; and, even when the news
reached England, the negro’s bravery was applauded. A few weeks later,
and the same rebel privateer captured the schooner “Enchantress,” bound
from Boston to St. Jago, while off Nantucket Shoals. A prize-crew was
put on board, and, as in the case of “The Waring,” retaining the colored
steward; and the vessel set sail for a Southern port. When off Cape
Hatteras, she was overtaken by the Federal gunboat “Albatross,” Capt.
Prentice.
On speaking her, and demanding where from and whence bound, she replied,
“Boston, for St. Jago.” At this moment the negro rushed from the
galley, where the pirates had secreted him, _and jumped into the sea_,
exclaiming, “They are a privateer crew from The ‘Jeff. Davis,’ and
bound for Charleston!” The negro was picked up, and taken on board “The
Albatross.” The prize was ordered to heave to, which she did. Lieut.
Neville jumped aboard of her, and ordered the pirates into the boats,
and to pull for “The Albatross,” where they were secured in irons. “The
Enchantress” was then taken in tow by “The Albatross,” and arrived
in Hampton Loads. On the morning of the 13th of May, 1862, the rebel
gunboat “Planter” was captured by her colored crew, while lying in the
port of Charleston, S.C., and brought out, and delivered over to our
squadron then blockading the place. The following is the dispatch from
Com. Dupont to the Secretary of War, announcing the fact:--
“U. S. Steamship Augusta, off Charleston, May 13, 1862.
“Sir,--I have the honor to inform you that the rebel armed gunboat
‘Planter’ was brought out to us this morning from Charleston by eight
contrabands, and delivered up to the squadron. Five colored women
and three children are also on board. She was the armed despatch
and transportation steamer attached to the engineer department at
Charleston, under Brig.-Gen. Ripley. At four in the morning, in the
absence of the captain who was on shore, she left her wharf close to the
government office and head-quarters, with the Palmetto and confederate
flags flying, and passed the successive forts, saluting as usual, by
blowing the steam-whistle. After getting beyond the range of the last
gun, they hauled down the rebel flags, and hoisted a white one. ‘The
Onward’ was the inside ship of the blockading squadron in the main
channel, and was preparing to fire when her commander made out the white
flag.
“The armament of the steamer is a thirty-two pounder, on pivot, and a
fine twenty-four-pound howitzer. She has, besides, on her deck, four
other guns, one seven-inch, rifled, which were to be taken on the
following morning to a new fort on the middle ground. One of the four
belonged! to Fort Sumter, and had been struck, in the rebel attack, on
the muzzle. Robert Small, the intelligent slave; and pilot of the boat,
who performed this bold feat so skilfully, is a superior man to any who
have come into our lines; intelligent as many of them have been. His in
formation: has been most interesting, and portions of it of the utmost
importance. The steamer is quite a valuable acquisition to the squadron
by her good machinery and very light draught. The bringing out of this
steamer would have done credit to any one. I do not know whether, in the
view of the Government, the vessel will be considered a prize; but, if
so, I respectfully submit to the Department the claims of the man Small
and his associates. Very respectfully, Your obedient servant,
“S. F. DUPONT,
“_Flag-Officer Commanding._”
The New-York “Commercial Advertiser” said of the capture, “We are forced
to confess that this is a heroic act, and that the negroes deserve great
praise. Small is a middle-aged negro, and his features betray nothing of
the firmness of character he displayed. He is said to be one of the most
skilful pilots of Charleston, and to have a thorough knowledge of all
the ports and inlets of South Carolina.”
A bill was introduced in Congress to give the prize to Robert Small and
his companions; and, while it was under consideration, the “New-York
Tribune” made the following timely remarks: “If we must still remember
with humiliation that the Confederate flag yet waves where our national
colors were struck, we should be all the more prompt to recognize the
merit that has put in our possession the first trophy from Fort Sumter.
And the country should feel doubly humbled if there is not magnanimity
enough to acknowledge a gallant action, because it was the head of a
black man that conceived, and the hand of a black man that executed it.
It would better, indeed, become us to remember that no small share of
the naval glory of the war belongs to the race which we have forbidden
to fight for us; that one negro has captured a vessel from a Southern
privateer, and another has brought away from under the very guns of the
enemy, where no fleet of ours has yet dared to venture, a prize whose
possession a commodore thinks worthy to be announced in a special
despatch.” The bill was taken up, passed both branches of Congress,
and Robert Small, together with his associates, received justice at the
hands of the American Government.
The “New-York Herald” gave the following account of the capture:--
“One of the most daring and heroic adventures since the war commenced
was undertaken and successfully accomplished by a party of negroes in
Charleston on Monday night last. Nine colored men, comprising the pilot,
engineers, and crew of the rebel gunboat ‘Planter,’ took the vessel
under their exclusive control, passed the batteries and forts in
Charleston Harbor, hoisted the white flag, ran out to the blockading
squadron, and thence to Port Royal, _via_ St. Helena Sound and Broad
River, reaching the flagship ‘Wabash’ shortly after ten o’clock last
evening.
“‘The Planter’ is just such a vessel as is needed to navigate the
shallow waters between Hilton Head and the adjacent islands, and will
prove almost invaluable to the Government. It is proposed, I hear, by
the commodore, to recommend the appropriation of $20,000 as a reward to
the plucky Africans who have distinguished themselves by this gallant
service, $5,000 to be given to the pilot, and the remainder to be
divided among his companions.
“‘The Planter’ is a high-pressure, side-wheel steamer, one hundred and
forty feet in length, and about fifty feet beam, and draws about five
feet of water. She was built in Charleston, was formerly used as a
cotton boat, and is capable of carrying about 1,400 bales. On the
organization of the Confederate navy, she was transformed into a
gunboat, and was the most valuable war-vessel the Confederates had at
Charleston. Her armament consisted of one thirty-two-pound rifle-gun
forward, and a twenty-four-pound howitzer aft. Besides, she had on
board, when she came into the harbor, one seven-inch rifle-gun, one
eight-inch columbiad, one eight-inch howitzer, one long thirty-two
pounder, and about two hundred rounds of ammunition, which had been
consigned to Fort Ripley, and which would have been delivered at that
fortification on Tuesday had not the designs of the rebel authorities
been frustrated. She was commanded by Capt. Relay, of the Confederate
Navy, all the other employees of the vessel, excepting the first and
second mates, being persons of color.
“Robert Small, with whom I had a brief interview at Gen. Benham’s
headquarters this morning, is an intelligent negro, born in Charleston,
and employed for many years as a pilot in and about that harbor. He
entered upon his duties on board ‘The Planter’ some six weeks since,
and, as he told me, adopted the idea of running the vessel to sea from
a joke which one of his companions perpetrated. He immediately cautioned
the crew against alluding to the matter in any way on board the boat;
but asked them, if they wanted to talk it up in sober earnestness, to
meet at his house, where they would devise and determine upon a plan to
place themselves under the protection of the Stars and Stripes, instead
of the stars and bars. Various plans were proposed; but finally the
whole arrangement of the escape was left to the discretion and sagacity
of Robert, his companions promising to obey him, and be ready at a
moment’s notice to accompany him. For three days he kept the provisions
of the party secreted in the hold, awaiting an opportunity to slip away.
At length, on Monday evening, the white officers of the vessel went on
shore to spend the night, Intending to start on the following morning
for Fort Ripley, and to be absent from the city for some days. The
families of the contrabands were notified, and came stealthily on board.
At about three o’clock, the fires were lit under the boilers, and the
vessel steamed quietly away down the harbor. The tide was against her,
and Fort Sumter was not reached till broad daylight. However, the boat
passed directly under its walls, giving the usual signal--two long pulls
and a jerk at the whistle-cord--as she passed the sentinel.
“Once out of range of the rebel guns, the white flag was raised, and
‘The Planter’ steamed directly for the blockading steamer ‘Augusta.’
Capt. Parrott, of the latter vessel, as you may imagine, received them
cordially, heard their report, placed Acting-Master Watson, of his ship,
in charge of ‘The Planter,’ and sent the Confederate gunboat and crew
forward to Commodore Dupont.”