THE PREPARATION OF THE SUMTER FOR SEA--SHE DROPS DOWN BETWEEN THE FORTS
JACKSON, AND ST. PHILIP--RECEIVES HER SAILING ORDERS--LIST OF OFFICERS.
A great change was apparent in New Orleans since I had last visited it.
The levee in front of the city was no longer a great mart of commerce,
piled with cotton bales, and supplies going back to the planter; densely
packed with steamers, and thronged with a busy multitude. The long lines
of shipping above the city had been greatly thinned, and a general air of
desolation hung over the river front. It seemed as though a pestilence
brooded over the doomed city, and that its inhabitants had fled before the
fell destroyer. The _Sumter_ lay on the opposite side of the river, at
Algiers, and I crossed over every morning to superintend her refitment. I
was sometimes detained at the ferry-house, waiting for the ferry-boat, and
on these occasions, casting my eyes up and down the late busy river, it
was not unfrequent to see it without so much as a skiff in motion on its
bosom.
But this first simoon of the desert which had swept over the city, as a
foretaste of what was to come, had by no means discouraged its patriotic
inhabitants. The activity of commerce had ceased, it is true, but another
description of activity had taken its place. War now occupied the thoughts
of the multitude, and the sound of the drum, and the tramp of armed men
were heard in the streets. The balconies were crowded with lovely women in
gay attire, to witness the military processions, and the Confederate flag
in miniature was pinned on almost every bosom. The enthusiasm of the
Frenchman had been most easily and gracefully blended with the stern
determination of the Southern man of English descent; the consequence of
which was, that there was more demonstrative patriotism in New Orleans,
than in any other of our Southern cities. Nor was this patriotism
demonstrative only, it was deep and real, and was afterward sealed with
some of the best Creole blood of the land, poured out, freely, on many a
desperate battle-field. Alas! poor Louisiana. Once the seat of wealth, and
of a gay and refined hospitality, thy manorial residences are deserted,
and in decay, or have been levelled by the torch of the incendiary; thy
fruitful fields, that were cultivated by the contented laborer, who
whistled his merriment to his lazy plow, have been given to the jungle;
thy fair daughters have been insulted, by the coarse, and rude Vandal; and
even thy liberties have been given in charge of thy freedmen; and all
this, because thou wouldst thyself be free!
I now took my ship actively in hand, and set gangs of mechanics at work to
remove her upper cabins, and other top-hamper, preparatory to making the
necessary alterations. These latter were considerable, and I soon found
that I had a tedious job on my hands. It was no longer the case, as it had
been in former years, when I had had occasion to fit out a ship, that I
could go into a navy-yard, with well-provided workshops, and skilled
workmen ready with all the requisite materials at hand to execute my
orders. Everything had to be improvised, from the manufacture of a
water-tank, to the "kids, and cans" of the berth-deck messes, and from a
gun-carriage to a friction-primer. I had not only to devise all the
alterations but to make plans, and drawings of them, before they could be
comprehended. The main deck was strengthened, by the addition of heavy
beams to enable it to support the battery; a berth-deck was laid for the
accommodation of the crew; the engine, which was partly above the
water-line, was protected by a system of wood-work, and iron bars; the
ship's rig was altered so as to convert her into a barkentine, with
square-sails on her fore and main-masts; the officers' quarters, including
my own cabin, were re-arranged; new suits of sails were made, and new
boats constructed; hammocks and bedding were procured for the crew, and
guns, gun-carriages, and ammunition ordered. Two long, tedious months were
consumed in making these various alterations, and additions. My battery
was to consist of an eight-inch shell gun, to be pivoted amidships, and
of four light thirty-two pounders, of thirteen cwt. each, in broadside.
The Secretary of the Navy, who was as anxious as myself that I should get
to sea immediately, had given me all the assistance in his power, readily
acceding to my requests, and promptly filling, or causing to be filled,
all my requisitions. With the secession of Virginia we had become
possessed of a valuable depot of naval supplies, in the Norfolk Navy Yard.
It was filled with guns, shot, shell, cordage, and everything that was
useful in the equipment of a ship, but it was far away from New Orleans,
and such was the confusion along the different lines of railroad, that it
was difficult to procure transportation. Commander Terry Sinclair, the
active ordnance officer of the yard, had early dispatched my guns, by
railroad, but weeks elapsed without my being able to hear anything of
them. I was finally obliged to send a lieutenant in search of them, who
picked them up, one by one, as they had been thrown out on the road-side,
to make room for other freight. My gun-carriages I was obliged to have
constructed myself, and I was fortunate enough to obtain the services of a
very ingenious mechanic to assist me in this part of my duties--Mr. Roy, a
former employee of the Custom-House, within whose ample walls he had
established his work-shop. He contrived most ingeniously, and constructed
out of railroad iron, one of the best carriages (or rather, slide and
circle) for a pivot-gun, which I have ever seen. The large foundry of
Leeds & Co. took the contract for casting my shot, and shells, and
executed it to my satisfaction.
Whilst all these various operations are going on, we may conveniently look
around us upon passing events, or at least upon such of them as have a
bearing upon naval operations. President Davis, a few days after the
secession of Virginia, and when war had become imminent, issued a
proclamation for the purpose of raising that irregular naval force, of
which I have spoken in a previous page. Parties were invited to apply for
letters-of-marque and reprisal, with a view to the fitting out of
privateers, to prey upon the enemy's commerce. Under this proclamation
several privateers--generally light-draught river-steamers, with one or
two small guns each--were hastily prepared, in New Orleans, and had
already brought in some prizes captured off the mouths of the Mississippi.
Even this small demonstration seemed to surprise, as well as alarm the
Northern government, for President Lincoln now issued a proclamation
declaring the molestation of Federal vessels, on the high seas, by
Confederate cruisers, _piracy_. He had also issued a proclamation
declaring the ports of the Confederacy in a state of blockade. The mouths
of the Mississippi were to be sealed on the 25th of May.
The European governments, as soon as it became evident, that the two
sections were really at war, took measures accordingly. Great Britain took
the lead, and declared a strict neutrality between the combatants. It was
of the essence of such a declaration, that it should put both belligerents
on the same footing. This was apparently done, and the cruisers of both
sections were prohibited, alike, from taking their prizes into British
ports. I shall have something to say of the unequal operation of this
declaration of neutrality, in a future part of these memoirs; for the
present it is only necessary to state, that it acknowledged us to be in
possession of belligerent rights. This was a point gained certainly, but
it was no more than was to have been expected. Indeed, Great Britain could
do nothing less. In recognizing the war which had broken out between the
sections, as a war, and not as a mere insurrection, she had only followed
the lead of Mr. Lincoln himself. Efforts had been made it is true, both by
Mr. Lincoln, and his Secretary of State, to convince the European
governments that the job which they had on their hands was a small affair;
a mere family quarrel, of no great significance.
But the truth would not be suppressed, and when, at last, it became
necessary to declare the Confederate ports in a state of blockade, and to
send ships of war thither, to enforce the declaration, the sly little game
which they had been playing was all up with them. A blockade was an act of
war, which came under the cognizance of the laws of nations. It concerned
neutrals, as well as belligerents, and foreign nations were bound to take
notice of it. It followed that there could not be a blockade without a
war; and it equally followed, that there could not be a war without at
least two belligerent parties to it. It will thus be seen, that the
declaration of neutrality of Great Britain was a logical sequence of Mr.
Lincoln's, and Mr. Seward's own act. And yet with sullen, and singular
inconsistency, the Northern Government has objected, from that day to
this, to this mere routine act of Great Britain. So much was this act
considered, as a matter of course, at the time, that all the other powers
of the earth, of sufficient dignity to act in the premises, at all,
followed the example set them by Great Britain, and issued similar
declarations; and the four years of bloody war that followed justified the
wisdom of their acts.
We may now return to the equipment of the _Sumter_. A rendezvouz had been
opened, and a crew had been shipped for her, which was temporarily berthed
on board the receiving ship, _Star of the West_, a transport-steamer of
the enemy, which had been gallantly captured by some Texans, and turned
over to the Navy. New Orleans was full of seamen, discharged from ships
that had been laid up, and more men were offering themselves for service,
than I could receive. I had the advantage, therefore, of picking my crew,
an advantage which no one but a seaman can fully appreciate. My
lieutenants, surgeon, paymaster, and marine officer had all arrived, and,
with the consent of the Navy Department, I had appointed my engineers--one
chief, and three assistants--boatswain, carpenter, and sailmaker. My
provisions had been purchased, and were ready to be put on board, and my
funds had already arrived, but we were still waiting on the mechanics,
who, though doing their best, had not yet been able to turn the ship over
to us. From the following letter to the Secretary of the Navy, inclosing a
requisition for funds, it will be seen that my demands upon the department
were quite moderate, and that I expected to make the _Sumter pay her own
expenses_, as soon as she should get to sea.
NEW ORLEANS, May 14, 1861.
SIR:--I have the honor to inclose, herewith, a requisition for the
sum of $10,000, which I request may be remitted to the paymaster of
the _Sumter_, in specie, for use during my contemplated cruise. I may
find it necessary to coal several times, and to supply my crew with
fresh provisions, &c., before I have the opportunity of replenishing
my military chest from the enemy.
The ammunition remained to be provided, and on the 20th of May, I
dispatched Lieutenant Chapman to the Baton Rouge Arsenal, which had been
captured a short time before, for the purpose of procuring it, under the
following letter of instructions:
NEW ORLEANS, May 20, 1861.
SIR:--You will proceed to Baton Rouge, and put yourself in
communication with the commander of the C. S. Arsenal, at that point,
for the purpose of receiving the ammunition, arms, shot, shell, &c.,
that may be required for the supply of the C. S. steamer _Sumter_,
now fitting for sea at this port. It is presumed that the proper
orders [which had been requested] have been, or will be dispatched
from Montgomery, authorizing the issue of all such articles, as we
may need. Should this not be the case, with regard to any of the
articles, it is hoped that the ordnance officer in charge will not
hesitate to deliver them, as it is highly important that the _Sumter_
should not be detained, because of any oversight, or informality, in
the orders of the War Department. Be pleased to present the
accompanying requisition to Captain Booth, the superintendent, and
ask that it may be filled. The gunner will be directed to report to
you, to accompany you to Baton Rouge, on this service.
The reader will thus perceive that many difficulties lay in the way of
equipping the _Sumter_; that I was obliged to pick up one material here,
and another there, as I could best find it, and that I was not altogether
free from the routine of the "Circumlocution Office," as my requisitions
had frequently to pass through many hands, before they could be complied
with.
About this time, we met with a sad accident in the loss of one of our
midshipmen, by drowning. He, with other young officers of the _Sumter_,
had been stationed, temporarily, on board the receiving ship, in charge of
the _Sumter's_ crew, whilst the latter ship was still in the hands of the
mechanics. The following letter of condolence to the father of the young
gentleman will sufficiently explain the circumstances of the disaster:
NEW ORLEANS, May 18, 1861.
SIR:--It becomes my melancholy duty to inform you, of the death, by
drowning, yesterday, of your son, Midshipman John F. Holden, of the
C. S. steamer _Sumter_. Your son was temporarily attached to the
receiving ship (late _Star of the West_) at this place, whilst the
_Sumter_ was being prepared for sea, and whilst engaged in carrying
out an anchor, in a boat belonging to that ship, met his melancholy
fate, along with three of the crew, by the swamping of the boat, in
which he was embarked. I offer you, my dear sir, my heartfelt
condolence on this sad bereavement. You have lost a cherished son,
and the Government a valuable and promising young officer.
W. B. HOLDEN, ESQ., _Louisburg, Tenn._
War had begun, thus early, to demand of us our sacrifices. Tennessee had
not yet seceded, and yet this ardent Southern youth had withdrawn from the
Naval Academy, and cast his lot with his section.
A few extracts from my journal will now, perhaps, give the reader a better
idea of the progress of my preparations for sea, and of passing events,
than any other form of narrative. _May 27th._--News received this morning
of the appearance, at Pass a L'Outre, yesterday, of the U. S. steamer
_Brooklyn_, and of the establishment of the blockade. Work is progressing
satisfactorily, and I expect to be ready for sea, by Sunday next.
News of skirmishing in Virginia, and of fresh arrivals of Northern troops,
at Washington, _en route_ for that State. The Federal Government has
crossed the Potomac, in force, and thus inaugurated a bloody, and a bitter
war, by the invasion of our territory. So be it--we but accept the
gantlet, which has been flung in our faces. The future will tell a tale
not unworthy of the South, and her glorious cause.
_Monday, May 30th._ My patience is sorely tried by the mechanics. The
water-tanks for the _Sumter_ are not yet completed. The carriage for the
8-inch gun was finished, to-day, and we are busy laying down the circles
for it, and cutting the holes for the fighting-bolts. The carriages for
the 32-pounders are promised us, by Saturday next, and also the copper
tanks for the magazine. Our ammunition, and small arms arrived, yesterday,
from Baton Rouge. Besides the _Brooklyn_, at the Passes, we learn, to-day,
that the _Niagara_, and _Minnesota_, two of the enemy's fastest, and
heaviest steamships have arrived, to assist in enforcing the blockade, and
to lie in wait for some ships expected to arrive, laden with arms and
ammunition, for the Confederacy. _May 31st._--The tanks are at last
finished, and they have all been delivered, to-day. Leeds & Co. have done
an excellent job, and I shall be enabled to carry three months' water for
my crew. We shall now get on, rapidly, with our preparations.
_Saturday, June 1st_, finds us not yet ready for sea! The tanks have all
been taken on board, and stowed; the gun carriages for the 32s will be
finished on Monday. The circles for the 8-inch gun have been laid down,
and the fighting-bolts are ready for placing. On Monday I shall throw the
crew on board, and by Thursday next, I shall, _without doubt_ be ready for
sea. We are losing a great deal of precious time. The enemy's flag is
being flaunted in our faces, at all our ports by his ships of war, and his
vessels of commerce are passing, and repassing, on the ocean, in defiance,
or in contempt of our power, and, as yet, we have not struck a blow.
At length on the 3d of June, I was enabled to put the _Sumter_, formally,
in commission. On that day her colors were hoisted, for the first
time--the ensign having been presented to me, by some patriotic ladies of
New Orleans--the crew was transferred to her, from the receiving ship, and
the officers were ordered to mess on board. The ship was now hauled off
and anchored in the stream, but we were delayed two long and tedious weeks
yet, before we were finally ready. During these two weeks we made a trial
trip up the river, some ten or twelve miles. Some of the principal
citizens were invited on board, and a bright, and beautiful afternoon was
pleasantly spent, in testing the qualities of the ship, the range of her
guns, and the working of the gun-carriages; the whole ending by a
collation, in partaking of which my guests were kind enough to wish me a
career full of "_blazing_ honors."
I was somewhat disappointed in the speed of my ship, as we did not succeed
in getting more than nine knots out of her. There was another great
disadvantage. With all the space I could allot to my coal-bunkers, she
could be made to carry no more than about eight days' fuel. We had masts,
and sails, it is true, but these could be of but little use, when the coal
was exhausted, as the propeller would remain a drag in the water, there
being no means of hoisting it. It was with such drawbacks, that I was to
take the sea, alone, against a vindictive and relentless enemy, whose Navy
already swarmed on our coasts, and whose means of increasing it were
inexhaustible. But the sailor has a saying, that "Luck is a Lord," and we
trusted to luck.
On the 18th of June, after all the vexatious delays that have been
described, I got up my anchor, and dropped down to the Barracks, below the
city a short distance, to receive my powder on board, which, for safety,
had been placed in the State magazine. At 10.30 P. M. of the same day, we
got up steam, and by the soft and brilliant light of a moon near her full,
threw ourselves into the broad, and swift current of the Father of Waters,
and ran rapidly down to the anchorage, between Fort Jackson, and Fort St.
Philip, where we came to at 4 A. M. In the course of the day, Captain
Brand, an ex-officer of the old Navy, and now second in command of the
forts, came on board to make us the ceremonial visit; and I subsequently
paid my respects to Major Duncan, the officer in chief command, an
ex-officer of the old Army. These gentlemen were both busy, as I found
upon inspecting the forts, in perfecting their batteries, and drilling
their men, for the hot work that was evidently before them. As was
unfortunately the case with our people, generally, at this period, they
were over-confident. They kindly supplied some few deficiencies, that
still remained in our gunner's department, and I received from them a
howitzer, which I mounted on my taffarel, to guard against boat attacks,
by night.
I remained three days at my anchors between the forts, for the purpose of
stationing, and drilling my crew, before venturing into the presence of
the enemy; and I will take advantage of this lull to bring up some matters
connected with the ship, which we have hitherto overlooked. On the 7th of
June, the Secretary of the Navy--the Government having, in the mean time,
removed to Richmond--sent me my sailing orders, and in my letter of the
14th of the same month, acknowledging their receipt, I had said to him: "I
have an excellent set of men on board, though they are nearly all green,
and will require some little practice, and drilling, at the guns, to
enable them to handle them creditably. Should I be fortunate enough to
reach the high seas, you may rely upon my implicit obedience of your
instructions, 'to do the enemy's commerce the greatest injury, in the
shortest time.'"
Here was a model of a letter of instruction--it meant "burn, sink, and
destroy," always, of course, within the limits prescribed by the laws of
nations, and with due attention to the laws of humanity, in the treatment
of prisoners. The reader will see, as we progress, that I gave the
"implicit obedience" which had been promised, to these instructions, and
that if greater results were not accomplished, it was the fault of the
_Sumter_, and not of her commander. In the same letter that brought me my
sailing orders, the Secretary had suggested to me the propriety of
adopting some means of communicating with him, by cipher, so that, my
despatches, if captured by the enemy, would be unintelligible to him. The
following letter in reply to this suggestion, will explain how this was
arranged: "I have the honor to enclose herewith a copy of 'Reid's English
Dictionary,' a duplicate of which I retain, for the purpose mentioned in
your letter of instructions, of the 7th instant. I have not been able to
find in the city of New Orleans, 'Cobb's Miniature Lexicon,' suggested by
you, or any other suitable dictionary, with but a single column on a page.
This need make no difference, however. In my communications to the
Department, should I have occasion to refer to a word in the copy sent, I
will designate the first column on the page, A, and the second column, B.
Thus, if I wish to use the word 'prisoner,' my reference to it would be as
follows: 323, B, 15; the first number referring to the page, the letter to
the column, and the second number to the number of the word from the top
of the column." By means of this simple, and cheap device, I was enabled,
at all times, to keep my dispatches out of the hands of the enemy, or, in
other words, prevent him from interpreting them, when I had anything of
importance to communicate.
Before leaving New Orleans, I had, in obedience to a general order of the
service, transmitted to the Navy Department, a Muster Roll of the
officers, and men, serving on board the _Sumter_. Her crew, as reported by
this roll, consisted of ninety-two persons, exclusive of officers. Twenty
of these ninety-two persons were marines--a larger guard than was usual
for so small a ship. The officers were as follows:
_Commander._--Raphael Semmes.
_Lieutenants._--John M. Kell; Robert T. Chapman; John M. Stribling;
William E. Evans.
_Paymaster._--Henry Myers.
_Surgeon._--Francis L. Galt.
_1st Lieutenant of Marines._--B. Howell.
_Midshipmen._--William A. Hicks; Albert G. Hudgins; Richard F. Armstrong;
Joseph D. Wilson.
_Engineers._--Miles J. Freeman; William P. Brooks; Matthew O'Brien; Simeon
W. Cummings.
_Boatswain._--Benjamin P. Mecasky.
_Gunner._--Thomas C. Cuddy.
_Sailmaker._--W. P. Beaufort.
_Carpenter._--William Robinson.
_Captain's Clerk._--W. Breedlove Smith.
Commissions had been forwarded to all the officers entitled to receive
them, and acting appointments had been given by me to the warrant
officers. It will thus be seen, how formally all these details had been
attended to. These commissions were to be our warrants for what we were to
do, on the high seas.
And now the poor boon will be permitted to human nature, that before we
launch our frail bark, on the wild sea of adventure, before us, we should
turn our thoughts, homeward, for a moment.
"'And is he gone?'--on sudden solitude
How oft that fearful question will intrude!
'Twas but an instant past--and here he stood!
And now!--without the portal's porch she rushed,
And then at length her tears in freedom gushed;
Big, bright, and fast, unknown to her they fell;
But still her lips refused to send 'farewell!'
For in that word--that fatal word--howe'er
We promise--hope--believe--there breathes despair."
Such was the agony of many a fair bosom, as the officers of the _Sumter_
had torn themselves from the embraces of their families, in those scenes
of leave-taking, which more than any other, try the sailor's heart.
Several of them were married men, and it was long years before they
returned to the homes which they had made sad by their absence.