RAPID WORK--SEVEN PRIZES IN TWO DAYS--THE SUMTER MAKES HER FIRST PORT,
AND WHAT OCCURRED THERE.
We burned the _Golden Rocket_, as has been seen, on the 3d of July. The
next day was the "glorious Fourth"--once glorious, indeed, as the day on
which a people broke the chains of a government which had bound them
against their will, and vindicated the principle of self-government as an
_inalienable_ right; but since desecrated by the same people, who have
scorned, and spat upon the record made by their fathers, and repudiated,
as a heresy fraught with the penalties of treason, the inalienable right
for which their fathers struggled. The grand old day belonged, of right,
to us of the South, for we still venerated it, as hallowed by our fathers,
and were engaged in a _second_ revolution, to uphold, and defend the
doctrines which had been proclaimed in the _first_, but we failed to
celebrate it on board the _Sumter_. We could not help associating it with
the "old flag," which had now become a sham and a deceit; with the
wholesale robberies which had been committed upon our property, and with
the villification and abuse which had been heaped upon our persons by our
late co-partners, for a generation and more. The Declaration of
Independence had proved to be a specious mask, under which our loving
brethren of the North had contrived to draw us into a co-partnership with
them, that they might be the better enabled, in the end, to devour us. How
could we respect it, in such a connection? Accordingly, the Captain of the
_Sumter_ was not invited to dine in the ward-room, on the time-honored
day, nor was there any extra glass of grog served to the crew, as had been
the custom in the old service.
The weather still continued cloudy, with a few rain squalls passing with
the trade wind, during the morning. I had turned into my cot, late on the
previous night, and was still sleeping soundly, when, at daylight, an
officer came below to inform me, that there were two sails in sight from
the mast-head. We were steaming, as before, up the south side of Cuba,
with the land plainly in sight, and soon came close enough to distinguish
that the vessels ahead were both brigantines, and probably Americans.
There being no occasion to resort to _ruse_, or stratagem, as the wind was
light, and there was no possibility of the ships running away from us, we
showed them at once the Confederate colors, and at the same time fired a
blank cartridge to heave them to. They obeyed our signal, promptly, and
came to the wind, with their foretop-sails aback, and the United States
colors at their peaks. When within a few hundred yards, we stopped our
engine, and lowered, and sent a boat on board of them--the boarding
officer remaining only a few minutes on board of each, and bringing back
with him, their respective masters, with their ships' papers. Upon
examination of these, it appeared that one of the brigantines was called
the _Cuba_, and the other the _Machias_; that they were both laden with
sugar and molasses, for English ports, and that they had recently come out
of the port of Trinidad-de-Cuba. Indeed the recency of their sailing was
tested, by the way in which their stern-boats were garlanded, with
festoons of luscious bananas, and pine-apples, and by sundry nets filled
with golden-hued oranges--all of which was very tempting to the eyes and
olfactories of men, who had recently issued from a blockaded port, in
which such luxuries were tabooed. The cargoes of these small vessels being
neutral, as certified by the papers--and indeed of this there could be
little doubt, as they were going from one neutral port to another--I could
not burn the vessels as I had done the _Golden Rocket_, and so after
transferring prize crews to them, which occupied us an hour or two, we
took them both in tow, and steamed away for Cienfuegos--it being my
intention to test the disposition of Spain toward us, in this matter of
taking in prizes. England and France had issued proclamations, prohibiting
both belligerents, alike, from bringing prizes into their ports, but Spain
had not yet spoken, and I had hopes that she might be induced to pursue a
different course.
Nothing worthy of note occurred during the rest of this day; we steamed
leisurely along the coast, making about five knots an hour. Finding our
speed too much diminished, by the towage of two heavily laden vessels, we
cast off one of them--the _Cuba_--during the night and directed the
prize-master to make sail, and follow us into port. The _Cuba_ did not
rejoin us, and we afterward learned through the medium of the enemy's
papers, that she had been recaptured by her crew. I had only sent a
midshipman and four men on board of her as a prize crew; and the
midshipman incautiously going aloft, to look out for the land, as he was
approaching his port, and a portion of his prize crew proving
treacherous--they were not native Americans I am glad to say--he was fired
upon by the master, and crew of the brig, who had gotten possession of the
revolvers of the prize crew, and compelled to surrender, after defending
himself the best he could, and being wounded in one or two places. The
vessel then changed her course and made haste to get out of the Caribbean
Sea.
The morning of the fifth dawned cloudy, with the usual moderate
trade-wind. It cleared toward noon, and at two P. M. we crossed the shoal
off the east end of the _Jardinillos_ reef, in from seven to five fathoms
of water. The sea, by this time, had become quite smooth, and the rays of
a bright sun penetrated the clear waters to the very bottom of the shoal,
revealing everything to us, as clearly as though the medium through which
we were viewing it were atmosphere instead of water. Every rock,
sea-shell, and pebble lying at the bottom of the sea were distinctly
visible to us, and we could see the little fish darting into their holes,
and hiding-places, as the steamer ploughed her way through their usually
quiet domain. It was quite startling to look over the side, so shallow did
the waters appear. The chart showed that there was no danger, and the
faithful lead line, in the hands of a skilful seaman, gave us several
fathoms of water to spare, and yet one could hardly divest himself of the
belief, that at the next moment the steamer would run aground.
Crossing this shoal, we now hauled up N. E. by N., for the Cienfuegos
lighthouse. As we approached the lights, we descried two more sail in the
south-east, making an offing with all diligence, to which we immediately
gave chase. They were eight or nine miles distant from the land, and to
facilitate our pursuit, we cast off our remaining tow, directing the
prize-master to heave to, off the lighthouse, and await our return. We had
already captured three prizes, in twenty-four hours, and, as here were
probably two more, I could perceive that my crew were becoming enamoured
of their business, pretty much as the veteran fox-hunter does in view of
the chase. They moved about with great alacrity, in obedience to orders;
the seamen springing aloft to furl the sails like so many squirrels, and
the firemen below sending up thick volumes of black smoke, from their
furnaces. The _Sumter_, feeling the renewed impulse of her engines, sprang
forward in pursuit of the doomed craft ahead, as if she too knew what was
going on. We had just daylight enough left to enable us to accomplish our
purpose; an hour or two later, and at least one of the vessels might have
escaped. Coming up, first with one, and then the other, we hove them to,
successively, by "hail," and brought the masters on board. They both
proved to be brigantines, and were American, as we had supposed:--one, the
_Ben. Dunning_, of Maine, and the other, the _Albert Adams_, of
Massachusetts. They had come out of the port of Cienfuegos, only a few
hours before, were both sugar laden, and their cargoes were documented as
Spanish property. We hastily threw prize crews on board of them, and
directed the prize masters to stand in for the light, still in sight,
distant about twelve miles, and hold on to it until daylight. It was now
about ten P. M. Some appeal was made to me by the master of one of the
brigantines, in behalf of his wife and a lady companion of hers, who were
both invalids from the effects of yellow fever, which they had taken in
Cienfuegos, and from which they were just convalescing. I desired him to
assure the ladies, that they should be treated with every tenderness, and
respect, and that if they desired it, I would send my surgeon to visit
them; but I declined to release the captured vessel on this account.
We now stood in for the light ourselves, and letting our steam go down, to
the lowest point consistent with locomotion, lay off, and on, until
daylight. The next morning dawned beautiful, and bright, as a tropic
morning only can dawn. We were close in under the land, and our prizes
were lying around us, moving to and fro, gracefully, to preserve their
positions. The most profuse, and luxuriant vegetation, of that peculiarly
dark green known only to the tropics, ran down to the very water's edge;
the beautiful little stream, on which Cienfuegos lies, disembogued itself
at the foot of the lighthouse perched on a base of blackened limestone
rock; and the neat, white fort, that sat a mile or two up the river, was
now glistening in the rays of the sun, just lifting himself above the
central range of mountains. The sea breeze had died away during the night,
and been replaced by the land breeze, in obedience to certain laws which
prevail in all countries swept by the trade-winds; and this land breeze,
blowing so gently, as scarce to disturb a tress on the brow of beauty,
came laden with the most delicious perfume of shrub and flower.
But, "what smoke is that we perceive, coming down the river?" said I, to
the officer of the deck. "I will see in a moment," said this active young
officer, and springing several ratlines up the rigging, to enable him to
obtain a view over the intervening foliage, he said, "There is a small
steam-tug coming down, with three vessels in tow, two barks and a brig."
"Can you make out the nationality of the ships in tow?" I inquired.
"Plainly," he replied, "they all have the American colors set." Here was a
piece of unlooked-for good fortune. I had not reckoned upon carrying more
than three, or four prizes into port, but here were three others. But to
secure these latter, a little management would be necessary. I could not
molest them, within neutral jurisdiction, and the neutral jurisdiction
extended to a marine league, or three geographical miles from the land. I
immediately hoisted a Spanish jack at the fore, as a signal for a pilot,
and directed the officer of the deck, to disarrange his yards, a little,
cock-billing this one, slightly, in one direction, and that one, in
another, and to send all but about a dozen men below, to give the
strangers the idea that we were a common merchant steamer, instead of a
ship of war. To carry still further the illusion, we hoisted the Spanish
merchant flag. But the real trouble was with the prizes--two of these must
surely be recognized by their companions of only the day before! Luckily
my prize masters took the hint I had given them, and hoisted their
respective flags, at the fore, for a pilot also. This mystified the
new-comers, and they concluded that the two brigantines, though very like,
could not be the same. Besides, there was a third brigantine in company,
and she evidently was a new arrival. And so they came on, quite
unsuspiciously, and when the little steamer had towed them clear of the
mouth of the harbor, she let them go, and they made sail. The fellows
worked very industriously, and soon had their ships under clouds of
canvas, pressing them out to get an offing, before the sea breeze should
come in. The steam-tug, as soon as she had let go her tows, came alongside
the _Sumter_, and a Spanish pilot jumped on board of me, asking me in his
native tongue, if I desired to go up to town; showing that my ruse of the
Spanish flag had even deceived him. I replied in the affirmative, and said
to him, pleasantly, "but I am waiting a little, to take back those ships
you have just towed down." "Diablo!" said he, "how can that be; they are
_Americanos del Norte_, bound to Boston, and _la Nueva York_!" "That is
just what I want," said I, "we are _Confederados_, and we have _la guerra_
with the _Americanos del Norte_!" "_Caramba!_" said he, "that is good;
give her the steam quick, Captain!" "No, no," replied I, "wait a while. I
must pay due respect to your Queen, and the Captain-General; they command
in these waters, within the league, and I must wait until the ships have
passed beyond that." I accordingly waited until the ships had proceeded
some five miles from the coast, as estimated both by the pilot, and
myself, when we turned the _Sumter's_ head seaward, and again removed the
leash. She was not long in pouncing upon the astonished prey. A booming
gun, and the simultaneous descent of the Spanish, and ascent of the
Confederate flag to the _Sumter's_ peak, when we had approached within
about a mile of them, cleared up the mystery of the chase, and brought the
fugitives to the wind. In half an hour more, their papers had been
examined, prize crews had been thrown on board of them, and they were
standing back in company with the _Sumter_, to rejoin the other prizes.
I had now a fleet of six sail, and when the sea breeze set in next
morning, which it did between nine and ten o'clock, I led into the harbor,
the fleet following. The three newly captured vessels were the bark _West
Wind_, of Rhode Island; the bark _Louisa Kilham_, of Massachusetts, and
the brigantine _Naiad_, of New York. They had all cargoes of sugar, which
were covered by certificates of neutral property. When the _Sumter_ came
abreast of the small fort, which has already been noticed, we were
surprised to see the sentinels on post fire a couple of loaded muskets,
the balls of which whistled over our heads, and to observe them making
gestures, indicating that we must come to anchor. This we immediately did;
but the prizes, all of which had the United States colors flying, were
permitted to pass, and they sped on their way to the town, some miles
above, as they had been ordered. When we had let go our anchor, I
dispatched Lieutenant Evans to the fort, to call on the Commandant, and
ask for an explanation of his conduct, in bringing us to. The explanation
was simple enough. He did not know what to make of the new-born
Confederate flag. He had never seen it before. It did not belong to any of
the nations of the earth, of which he had any knowledge, and we might be a
buccaneer for aught he knew. In the afternoon, the Commandant himself came
on board to visit me, and inform me, on the part of the Governor of
Cienfuegos, with whom he had communicated, that I might proceed to the
town, in the _Sumter_, if I desired. We drank a glass of wine together,
and I satisfied him, that I had not come in to carry his fort by
storm--which would have been an easy operation enough, as he had only
about a corporal's guard under his command--or to sack the town of
Cienfuegos, after the fashion of the Drakes, and other English
sea-robbers, who have left so vivid an impression upon Spanish memory, as
to make Spanish commandants of small forts, cautious of all strange craft.
It had only been a week since the _Sumter_ had run the blockade of New
Orleans, and already she was out of fuel! having only coal enough left for
about twenty-four hours steaming. Here was food for reflection. Active
operations which would require the constant use of steam, would never do;
for, by-and-by, when the enemy should get on my track, it would be easy
for him to trace me from port to port, if I went into port once a week. I
must endeavor to reach some cruising-ground, where I could lie in wait for
ships, under sail, and dispense with the use of steam, except for a few
hours, at a time, for the purpose of picking up such prizes, as I could
not decoy within reach of my guns. I was glad to learn from the pilot,
that there was plenty of coal to be had in Cienfuegos, and I dispatched
Lieutenant Chapman to town, in one of the ship's cutters, for the double
purpose of arranging for a supply, and communicating with the Governor, on
the subject of my prizes, and the position which Spain was likely to
occupy, during the war. The following letter addressed by me to his
Excellency will explain the object I had in view in coming into
Cienfuegos, and the hopes I entertained of the conduct of Spain, whose
important island of Cuba lay, as it were, athwart our main gateway to the
sea--the Gulf of Mexico.
CONFEDERATE STATES STEAMER SUMTER,
ISLAND OF CUBA, July 6, 1861.
SIR:--I have the honor to inform you, of my arrival at the port of
Cienfuegos, with seven prizes of war. These vessels are the
brigantines _Cuba_,[1] _Machias_, _Ben. Dunning_, _Albert Adams_, and
_Naiad_; and barks _West Wind_, and _Louisa Kilham_, property of
citizens of the United States, which States, as your Excellency is
aware, are waging an aggressive and unjust war upon the Confederate
States, which I have the honor, with this ship under my command, to
represent. I have sought a port of Cuba, with these prizes, with the
expectation that Spain will extend to the cruisers of the Confederate
States, the same friendly reception that, in similar circumstances,
she would extend to the cruisers of the enemy; in other words, that
she will permit me to leave the captured vessels within her
jurisdiction, until they can be adjudicated by a Court of Admiralty
of the Confederate States. As a people maintaining a government _de
facto_, and not only holding the enemy in check, but gaining
advantages over him, we are entitled to all the rights of
belligerents, and I confidently rely upon the friendly disposition of
Spain, who is our near neighbor, in the most important of her
colonial possessions, to receive us with equal and even-handed
justice, if not with the sympathy which our identity of interests and
policy, with regard to an important social and industrial
institution, are so well calculated to inspire. A rule which would
exclude our prizes from her ports, during the war, although it should
be applied, in terms, equally to the enemy, would not, I respectfully
suggest, be an equitable, or just rule. The basis of such a rule, as
indeed, of all the conduct of a neutral during war, is equal and
impartial justice to all the belligerents, without inclining to the
side of either; and this should be a substantial and practical
justice, and not exist in terms merely, which may be deceptive. Now,
a little reflection will, I think, show your Excellency that the rule
in question--the exclusion of the prizes of both belligerents from
neutral ports--cannot be applied in the present war, without
operating with great injustice to the Confederate States. It is well
known to your Excellency, that the United States are a manufacturing
and commercial people, whilst the Confederate States are an
agricultural people. The consequence of this dissimilarity of
pursuits was, that at the breaking out of the war, the former had
within their limits, and control, almost all the naval force of the
old government. This naval force they have dishonestly seized, and
turned against the Confederate States, regardless of the just claims
of the latter to a large proportion of it, as tax-payers, out of
whose contributions to the common Treasury it was created. The United
States, by this disseizin of the property of the Confederate States,
are enabled, in the first months of the war, to blockade all the
ports of the latter States. In this condition of things, observe the
_practical_ working of the rule I am discussing, whatever may be the
seeming fairness of its terms. It will be admitted that we have equal
belligerent rights with the enemy. One of the most important of these
rights, in a war against a commercial people, is that which I have
just exercised, of capturing his property, on the high seas. But how
are the Confederate States to enjoy, to its full extent, the benefit
of this right, if their cruisers are not permitted to enter neutral
ports, with their prizes, and retain them there, in safe custody,
until they can be condemned, and disposed of? They cannot send them
into their own ports, for the reason already mentioned, viz.: that
those ports are hermetically sealed by the agency of their own ships,
forcibly wrested from them. If they cannot send them into neutral
ports, where are they to send them? Nowhere. Except for the purpose
of destruction, therefore, their right of capture would be entirely
defeated by the adoption of the rule in question, whilst the opposite
belligerent would not be inconvenienced by it, at all, as all his own
ports are open to him. I take it for granted, that Spain will not
think of acting upon so unjust, and unequal a rule.
But another question arises, indeed has already arisen, in the cases
of some of the very captures which I have brought into port. The
cargoes of several of the vessels are claimed, as appears by
certificates found among the papers, as Spanish property. This fact
cannot, of course, be verified, except by a judicial proceeding, in
the Prize Courts of the Confederate States. But if the prizes cannot
be sent either into the ports of the Confederate States, or into
neutral ports, how can this verification be made? Further--supposing
there to be no dispute about the title to the cargo, how is it to be
unladen, and delivered to the neutral claimant, unless the captured
ship can make a port? Indeed, one of the motives which influenced me
in making a Spanish colonial port, was the fact that these cargoes
were claimed by Spanish subjects, whom I was desirous of putting to
as little inconvenience as possible, in the unlading and reception of
their property, should it be restored to them, by a decree of the
Confederate Courts. It will be for your Excellency to consider, and
act upon these grave questions, touching alike the interests of both
our governments.
I have the honor to be, &c., &c.,
RAPHAEL SEMMES.
I did not expect much to grow immediately out of the above communication.
Indeed, as the reader will probably surmise, I had written it more for the
eye of the Spanish Premier, than for that of the Governor of a small
provincial town, who had no diplomatic power, and whom I knew to be timid,
as are all the subordinate officers of absolute governments. I presumed
that the Governor would telegraph it to the Captain-General, at Havana,
and that the latter would hold the subject in abeyance, until he could
hear from the Home Government. Nor was I disappointed in this expectation,
for Lieutenant Chapman returned from Cienfuegos, the next morning, and
brought me intelligence to this effect.
To dispose of the questions raised, without the necessity of again
returning to them, the reader is informed, that Spain, in due time,
followed the lead of England and France, in the matter of excluding prizes
from her ports; and that my prizes were delivered--to whom, do you think,
reader? You will naturally say, to myself, or my duly appointed agent,
with instructions to take them out of the Spanish port. This was the
result to be logically expected. The Captain-General had received them, in
trust, as it were, to abide the decision of his Government. If that
decision should be in favor of receiving the prizes of both belligerents,
well; if not, I expected to be notified to take them away. But nothing was
further, it seems, from the intention of the Captain-General, than this
simple and just proceeding; for as soon as the Queen's proclamation was
received, he deliberately handed back all my prizes to their original
owners! This was so barefaced a proceeding, that it was necessary to
allege some excuse for it, and the excuse given was, that I had violated
the neutral waters of Cuba, and captured my three last prizes within the
marine league--my sympathizing friend, the Spanish pilot, and an English
sailor, on board the tug, being vouched as the respectable witnesses to
the fact! Such was the power of Spanish gold, and Yankee unscrupulousness
in the use of it. When I heard of these transactions a few months
afterward, I planned a very pretty little quarrel between the Confederate
States and Spain, in case the former should be successful in establishing
their independence. Cuba, I thought, would make us a couple of very
respectable States, with her staples of sugar and tobacco, and with her
similar system of labor; and if Spain refused to foot our bill for the
robbery of these vessels, we would foot it ourselves, at her expense. But
poor old Spain! I ought perhaps to forgive thee, for thou wast afterward
kicked, and cuffed by the very Power to which thou didst truckle--the
Federal steamers of war making a free use of thy coast of the "Ever
Faithful Island of Cuba," chasing vessels on shore, and burning them, in
contempt of thy jurisdiction, and in spite of thy remonstrances. And the
day is not far distant, when the school-ma'am and the carpet-bag
missionary will encamp on thy plantations, and hold joint conventicles
with thy freedmen, in the interests of Godliness, and the said ma'am and
missionary.
Great excitement was produced, as may be supposed, by the arrival of the
_Sumter_, with her six prizes, at the quiet little town of Cienfuegos.
Lieutenant Chapman was met by a host of sympathizers, and carried to their
club, and afterward to the house of one of the principal citizens, who
would not hear of his spending the night at a hotel, and installed as his
honored guest. Neighbors were called in, and the night was made merry, to
a late hour, by the popping of champagne-corks and the story, and the
song; and when the festivities had ceased, my tempest-tossed lieutenant
was laid away in the sweetest and whitest of sheets, to dream of the eyes
of the houries of the household, that had beamed upon him so kindly, that
he was in danger of forgetting that he was a married man. For weeks
afterward, his messmates could get nothing out of him, but something
about Don this, and Dona that. There was a hurrying to and fro, too, of
the stewards, and mess boys, as the cutter in which he returned, came
alongside of the ship, for there were sundry boxes, marked Bordeaux, and
Cette, and sundry baskets branded with anchors; and there were fruits, and
flowers, and squalling chickens to be passed up.
The principal coffee-house of the place had been agog with wonders; the
billiard-players had rested idly on their cues, to listen to Madam Rumor
with her thousand tongues--how the fort had fired into the _Sumter_, and
how the _Sumter_ had fired back at the fort, and how the matter had
finally been settled by the _Pirata_ and the _Commandante_, over a bottle
of champagne. Yankee captains, and consignees, supercargoes, and consuls
passed in, and out, in consultation, like so many ants whose nest had been
trodden upon, and nothing could be talked of but freights, and insurance,
with, and without the war risk; bills of lading, invoices, consul's
certificates to cover cargoes, and last, though not least, where the
d----l all the Federal gunboats were, that this Confederate hawk should be
permitted to make such a flutter in the Yankee dove-cot.