AUTHOR LEAVES GIBRALTAR, AND ARRIVES IN LONDON--MR. MASON--CONFEDERATE
NAVAL NEWS--SOJOURN IN LONDON--AUTHOR EMBARKS ON BOARD THE STEAMER MELITA,
FOR NASSAU--SOJOURN IN NASSAU--NEW ORDERS FROM THE NAVY DEPARTMENT--AUTHOR
RETURNS TO LIVERPOOL--THE ALABAMA GONE.
We had been long enough in Gibraltar to make many warm friends, and some
of these came on board the mail-steamer in which we had taken passage to
take leave of us; among others, Captain Lambert, R. N., in command of her
Majesty's steam frigate, the _Scylla_, to whom I am much indebted, for
warm sympathy, and many acts of kindness. The captain was the son of
Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Lambert, whose hospitality I had enjoyed, for a
single night, many years before, under peculiar circumstances. When the
United States brig _Somers_ was capsized and sunk, off Vera Cruz, and half
her crew drowned, as briefly described some pages back, Sir Charles
Lambert, then a captain, was in command of the sailing frigate _Endymion_,
and it was on board that ship that I was carried, more dead than alive, on
the evening of the fatal disaster. I recollect distinctly the plight in
which I ascended the side of this English frigate. Like a waif which had
been picked up from the sea, I had nothing on me but shirt and trousers,
and these, as well as my hair, were dripping water. I had lost my ship
only an hour or two before, and had witnessed the drowning of many
helpless men, who had struggled in vain for their lives. My heart was
oppressed with the weight of my misfortune, and my strength nearly
exhausted. Sir Charles received me at the foot of the ladder, as I
descended to the deck of his ship, as tenderly, and with as much genuine
sympathy and compassion, as if I had been his own son, and taking me into
his cabin, had my wants duly cared for. There are said to be secret chords
of sympathy binding men together in spite of themselves. I know not how
this may be, but I felt drawn toward the son of my benefactor, even before
I knew him to be his son. I take this public mode of expressing to both
father and son my thanks for the many obligations under which they have
placed me.
As the swift and powerful steamer on which we were embarked, moved
silently, but rapidly out of the harbor, in the evening twilight, I took a
last, lingering look at the little _Sumter_. Her once peopled decks were
now almost deserted, only a disconsolate old sailor or two being seen
moving about on them, and the little ship herself, with her black hull,
and black mast-heads and yards, the latter of which had been stripped of
their sails, looked as if she had clad herself in mourning for our
departure.
A pleasant passage of a few days carried us rapidly past the coasts of
Spain, Portugal, and a portion of France, into the British Channel, and on
the sixth day, we found ourselves in Southampton, which I was afterward
destined to revisit, under such different circumstances. On the same night
I slept in that great Babel, London. I remained in this city during the
month of May, enjoying in a high degree, as the reader may suppose, the
relaxation and ease consequent upon so great a change in my mode of life.
There were no more enemies or gales of wind to disturb my slumbers; no
intrusive officers to come into my bed-room at unseasonable hours, to
report sails or land discovered, and no half drowned old quartermasters to
poke their midnight lanterns into my face, and tell me, that the bow-ports
were stove in, and the ship half full of water! If the storm raged without
and the windows rattled, I took no notice of it, unless it was to turn
over in my bed, and feel all the more comfortable, for my sense of
security.
Kell and myself took rooms together, in Euston Square; our windows looking
out, even at this early season, upon well-grown and fragrant grasses,
trees in leaf, and flowers in bloom, all in the latitude of 52 deg.
N.--thanks, as formerly remarked, to our American Gulf Stream. I called
at once upon Mr. Mason, whom I had often seen in his seat in the Senate of
the United States, as a Senator from the grand old State of Virginia, but
whom I had never known personally. I found him a genial Virginia
gentleman, with much _bon hommie_, and a great favorite with everybody. In
his company I saw much of the society of the English capital, and soon
became satisfied that Mr. Davis could not have intrusted the affairs of
the Confederacy, to better hands. English hearts had warmed toward him,
and his name was the sesame to open all English doors. I soon learned from
him the _status_ of Confederate States' naval affairs, on the European
side of the Atlantic. The gun-boat _Oreto_, afterward the _Florida_, had
sailed for Nassau, in the Bahamas, and the new ship being built by the
Messrs. Laird at Birkenhead, was well on her way to completion. Other
contracts were in hand, but nothing tangible had as yet been accomplished
under them.
I had also interviews with Commander North, and Commander Bullock, agents
of the Confederate States Navy Department, for the building and equipping
of ships, in these waters. It being evident that there was nothing
available for me, I determined to lose no time in returning to the
Confederacy, and it was soon arranged that I should depart in the steamer
_Melita_, an English steamer preparing to take a cargo of arms,
ammunition, and clothing to Nassau. This ship belonged to the Messrs.
Isaac, brothers, large blockade runners, who kindly tendered free passages
to myself, and to my first lieutenant, and surgeon, who were to accompany
me.
I trust the reader will pardon me--as I hope the family itself will if I
intrude upon its privacy--if I mention before leaving London, one of those
old English households, immortalized by the inimitable pen of Washington
Irving. One day whilst I was sitting quietly, after breakfast, in my rooms
at Euston Square, running over the column of American news, in the
"Times," Commander North entered, and in company with him came a somewhat
portly gentleman, with an unmistakable English face, and dressed in
clerical garb--not over clerical either, for, but for his white cravat,
and the cut of the collar of his coat, you would not have taken him for a
clergyman at all. Upon being presented, this gentleman said to me,
pleasantly, "I have come to take the Captain of the _Sumter_ prisoner, and
carry him off to my house, to spend a few days with me." I looked into the
genial face of the speaker, and surrendered myself to him a captive at
once. There was no mistaking the old-time English gentleman--though the
gentleman himself was not past middle age--in the open countenance, and
kindly expression of my new friend. Making some remarks to him about
quiet, he said, "That is the very thing I propose to give you; you shall
come to my house, stay as long as you please, go away when you please, and
see nobody at all unless you please." I dined with him, the next day, in
company with a few Confederate and English friends, and spent several days
at his house--the ladies president of which were his mother and maiden
sister. I shall return hereafter to this house, as the reader will see. It
became, in fact, my English home, and was but little less dear to me than
my own home in America. The name of the Rev. Francis W. Tremlett, of the
"Parsonage, in Belsize Park, near Hampstead, London," dwells in my memory,
and in that of every other Confederate who ever came in contact with
him--and they are not few--like a household word.
We embarked on board the _Melita_ in the latter part of May. The vessel
had already dropped some distance down the Thames, and we went thither to
join her by rail; one of the Messrs. Isaac accompanying us, to see us
comfortably installed. The _Melita_ was to make a _bona fide_ voyage to
Nassau, having no intention of running the blockade. I was particular to
have this point settled beyond the possibility of dispute, so as to bring
our capture, if the enemy should undertake it, within the precedent set by
the _Trent_ case. The _Sumter_ having dared to capture and destroy Yankee
ships upon the high seas, in defiance of President Lincoln's proclamation,
denouncing her as a "pirate," had wounded the ridiculous vanity of the
enemy past forgiveness, to say nothing of that other and sorer wound which
resulted from the destruction of his property, and he was exceedingly
anxious, in consequence, to get hold of me. I was resolved, therefore,
that, if another zealous, but indiscreet Captain Wilkes should turn up,
that another seven days of penance and tribulation should be imposed upon
Mr. Secretary of State Seward. We were not molested, however, and after a
pleasant run of about twenty days we entered the harbor of Nassau, about 2
P. M. on the 13th of June, 1862.
On the same evening of our arrival, I was quartered, with my small staff,
in the Victoria Hotel, then thronged with guests, Federal and Confederate;
for the Yankee, in obedience to his instincts of traffic, had scented the
prey from afar, and was here to turn an honest penny, by assisting the
Confederates to run the blockade! "It's an ill wind that blows nobody
good," and Nassau was a living witness of this old adage. The island of
New Providence, of which Nassau is the only town, is a barren limestone
rock, producing only some coarse grass, a few stunted trees, a few
pine-apples and oranges, and a great many sand-crabs and "fiddlers."
Before the war, it was the rendezvous of a few wreckers and fishermen.
Commerce it had none, except such as might grow out of the sponge-trade,
and the shipment of green turtle and conch-shells. The American war which
has brought woe and wretchedness to so many of our States, was the wind
which blew prosperity to Nassau.
It had already put on the air of a commercial city; its fine harbor being
thronged with shipping, and its warehouses, wharves, and quays filled to
repletion with merchandise. All was life, bustle, and activity. Ships were
constantly arriving and depositing their cargoes, and light-draught
steamers, Confederate and English, were as constantly reloading these
cargoes, and running them into the ports of the Confederate States. The
success which attended many of these little vessels is surprising. Some of
them made their voyages, as regularly as mail packets, running, with
impunity, through a whole fleet of the enemy's steamers. Notwithstanding
this success, however, the enemy was reaping a rich harvest, for many
valuable prizes fell into his hands. It soon became a bone of contention
among the Federal naval officers, which of them should be assigned to the
lucrative commands of the blockading squadrons. The admiral of one of
these squadrons would frequently awake, in the morning, and find himself
richer, by ten, twenty, or thirty thousand dollars, by reason of a
capture made by some one of his subordinates, the night before. This was
the "mess of pottage" for which so many unprincipled Southern men, in the
Federal Navy, sold their "birthright."
Some of these men are enjoying princely fortunes, but they have purchased
these fortunes at the price of treason, and of blood, and by selling into
bondage to the stranger, the people of their native States. Whilst poor
old Virginia, for example, the "mother of States and statesmen," is
wearing the chains of a captive, and groaning under the tortures inflicted
upon her, by her hereditary enemy, the Puritan, some of her sons are
counting the "thirty pieces of silver" for which they sold her! "Pity
'tis, but pity 'tis, 'tis true." These gentlemen may wrap themselves in as
many folds of the "old flag" as they please, and talk as glibly as any
Yankee, of the great Federal "nation" which has swallowed up the States,
but future generations, if their ignoble names should descend so far down
the stream of time, will unwind these folds from about them, as we have
unwound from the mummy, its folds of fine linen, and expose the corruption
and deformity beneath.
I found several Confederate naval officers at Nassau--among others
Commander J. N. Maffitt, who had been assigned to the command of the
_Oreto_, afterward to become famous as the _Florida_; and Commander G. T.
Sinclair, who had been kind enough, as the reader may recollect, to send
me my guns for the _Sumter_, from the Norfolk Navy Yard. Captain Sinclair
was recently from the Confederate States, and had brought me a letter from
Mr. Mallory, the Secretary of the Navy, which put a material change upon
the face of affairs, so far as I was personally concerned. I was directed
by this letter, to return to Europe, and assume command of the new ship
which was being built on the Mersey, to be called the _Alabama_. My reply
to this letter, dated at Nassau, on the 15th of June, will put the reader
in possession of this new programme. It is as follows:--
NASSAU, NEW PROVIDENCE, June 15, 1862.
SIR:--I have the honor to inform you of my arrival here, on the 8th
inst., in twenty days from London. I found here Lieutenants Maffitt
and Sinclair, and have received your letter of May 29th, enclosing a
copy of your despatch to me, of May 2d. As you may conclude, from
the fact of my being here, the original of the latter communication
[assigning me to the command of the _Alabama_] has not reached me;
nor indeed has any other communication from the Department, since I
left the mouths of the Mississippi, in June, 1861. As you
anticipated, it became necessary for me to lay the _Sumter_ up, in
consequence of my being hemmed in, by the enemy, in a place where it
was impossible to put the necessary repairs upon my boilers, to
enable me to take the sea again; and where, moreover, it was
impossible, without long delay and expense, to obtain a supply of
coal. * * * [Here follows a description of the laying up of the ship,
which the reader has already seen.]
Upon my arrival in London, I found that the _Oreto_ had been
dispatched, some weeks before, to this place; and Commander Bullock
having informed me that he had your order assigning him to the
command of the second ship he was building [the _Alabama_], I had no
alternative but to return to the Confederate States for orders. It is
due to Commander Bullock to say, however, that he offered to place
himself entirely under my instructions, and even to relinquish to me
the command of the new ship; but I did not feel at liberty to
interfere with your orders.
While in London, I ascertained that a number of steamers were being
prepared to run the blockade, with arms and other supplies for the
Confederate States, and, instead of dispatching my officers at once
for these States, I left them to take charge of the ships mentioned,
as they should be gotten ready for sea, and run them in to their
several destinations--deeming this the best service they could render
the Government, under the circumstances. I came hither, myself,
accompanied by my first lieutenant and surgeon--Kell and Galt--a
passenger in the British steamer _Melita_, whose cargo of arms and
supplies is also destined for the Confederate States. It is fortunate
that I made this arrangement, as many of my officers still remain in
London, and I shall return thither in time to take most of them with
me to the _Alabama_.
In obedience to your order, assigning me to the command of this ship,
I will return by the first conveyance to England, where the joint
energies of Commander Bullock and myself will be directed to the
preparation of the ship for sea. I will take with me Lieutenant Kell,
Surgeon Galt, and First Lieutenant of Marines Howell--Mr. Howell and
Lieutenant Stribling having reached Nassau a few days before me, in
the British steamer _Bahama_, laden with arms, clothing, and stores
for the Confederacy. At the earnest entreaty of Lieutenant-Commanding
Maffitt, I have consented to permit Lieutenant Stribling to remain
with him, as his first lieutenant on board the _Oreto_
(_Florida_)--the officers detailed for that vessel not yet having
arrived. Mr. Stribling's place on board the _Alabama_ will be
supplied by Midshipman Armstrong, promoted, whom I will recall from
Gibraltar, where I left him in charge of the _Sumter_. It will,
doubtless, be a matter of some delicacy, and tact, to get the
_Alabama_ safely out of British waters, without suspicion, as Mr.
Adams, the Northern Envoy, and his numerous satellites in the shape
of consuls and paid agents, are exceedingly vigilant in their
espionage.
We cannot, of course, think of arming her in a British port; this
must be done at some concerted rendezvous, to which her battery, and
a large portion of her crew must be sent, in a neutral
merchant-vessel. The _Alabama_ will be a fine ship, quite equal to
encounter any of the enemy's steam-sloops, of the class of the
_Iroquois_, _Tuscarora_, and _Dacotah_, and I shall feel much more
independent in her, upon the high seas, than I did in the little
_Sumter_.
I think well of your suggestion of the East Indies, as a cruising
ground, and I hope to be in the track of the enemy's commerce, in
those seas, as early as October or November next; when I shall,
doubtless, be able to lay other rich "burnt offerings" upon the altar
of our country's liberties.
Lieutenant Sinclair having informed me that you said, in a
conversation with him, that I might dispose of the _Sumter_, either
by laying her up, or selling her, as my judgment might approve, I
will, unless I receive contrary orders from you, dispose of her by
sale, upon my arrival in Europe. As the war is likely to continue for
two or three years yet, it would be a useless expense to keep a
vessel so comparatively worthless, so long at her anchors. I will
cause to be sent to the _Alabama_, the _Sumter's_ chronometers, and
other nautical instruments and charts, and the remainder of her
officers and crew.
In conclusion, permit me to thank you for this new proof of your
confidence, and for your kind intention to nominate me as one of the
"Captains," under the new navy bill. I trust I shall prove myself
worthy of these marks of your approbation.
I was delayed several very anxious weeks in Nassau, waiting for an
opportunity to return to Europe. The _Alabama_, I knew, was nearly ready
for sea, and it was all-important that she should be gotten out of British
waters, as speedily as possible, because of the espionage to which I have
referred. But there was no European-bound vessel in Nassau, and I was
forced to wait. Lieutenant Sinclair having had a passage offered him, in
an English steamer of war, as far as Halifax, availed himself of the
invitation, intending to take the mail-steamer from Halifax for England.
As he would probably arrive a week or two in advance of myself, I wrote to
Captain Bullock by him, informing him of my having been appointed to the
command of the _Alabama_, and requesting him to hurry that ship off to her
rendezvous, without waiting for me. I could join her at her rendezvous. As
the reader will hereafter see, this was done.
I passed the time of my enforced delay at Nassau, as comfortably as
possible. The hotel was spacious and airy, and the sea-breeze being pretty
constant, we did not suffer much from the heat. I amused myself, watching
from my windows, with the aid of an excellent glass, the movements of the
blockade-runners. One of these vessels went out, and another returned,
every two or three days; the returning vessel always bringing us late
newspapers from the Confederacy. The fare of the hotel was excellent,
particularly the fish and fruits, and the landlord was accommodating and
obliging. With Maffitt, Kell, Galt, Stribling, and other Confederate
officers, and some very pretty and musical Confederate ladies, whose
husbands and brothers were engaged in the business of running the
blockade, the time would have passed pleasantly enough, but for the
anxiety which I felt about my future movements.
Maffitt, in particular, was the life of our household. He knew everybody,
and everybody knew him, and he passed in and out of all the rooms, _sans
ceremonie_, at all hours. Being a jaunty, handsome fellow, young enough,
in appearance, to pass for the elder brother of his son, a midshipman who
was to go with me to the _Alabama_, he was a great favorite with the
ladies. He was equally at home, with men or women, it being all the same
to him, whether he was wanted to play a game of billiards, take a hand at
whist, or join in a duet with a young lady--except that he had the good
taste always to prefer the lady. Social, gay, and convivial, he was much
courted and flattered, and there was scarcely ever a dining or an evening
party, at which he was not present. But this was the mere outside glitter
of the metal. Beneath all this _bagatelle_ and _dolce far niente_, Maffitt
was a remarkable man. At the first blast of war, like a true
Southerner--he was a North Carolinian by birth--he relinquished a fine
property in the city of Washington, which was afterward confiscated by the
enemy, resigned his commission in the Federal Navy, and came South, to
tender his services to his native State. Unlike many other naval men, he
had the capacity to understand the nature of the Government under which he
lived, and the honesty to give his allegiance, in a cross-fire of
allegiances, where his judgment told him it was due.
He was a perfect master of his profession, not only in its practical, but
in its more scientific branches, and could handle his ship like a toy.
Brave, cool, and full of resource, he was equal to any and every emergency
that could present itself in a sailor's life. He made a brilliant cruise
in the _Florida_, and became more famous as a skilful blockade-runner than
any other man in the war. This man, whose character I have not at all
overdrawn, was pursued by the Yankee, after his resignation, with a
vindictiveness and malignity peculiarly Puritan--to his honor be it said.
With Maury, Buchanan, and other men of that stamp, who have been denounced
with equal bitterness, his fame will survive the filth thrown upon it by a
people who seem to be incapable of understanding or appreciating noble
qualities in an enemy, and devoid of any other standard by which to try
men's characters, than their own sectional prejudices. We should rather
pity than contemn men who have shown, both during and since the war, so
little magnanimity as our late enemies have done. The savage is full of
prejudices, because he is full of ignorance. His intellectual horizon is
necessarily limited; he sees but little, and judges only by what he sees.
His own little world is _the_ world, and he tries all the rest of mankind
by that standard. Cruel in war, he is revengeful and implacable in peace.
Better things are ordinarily expected of civilized men. Education and
civilization generally dispel these savage traits. They refine and soften
men, and implant in their bosoms the noble virtues of generosity and
magnanimity. The New England Puritan seems to have been, so far as we may
judge him by the traits which have been developed in him during and since
the war, an exception to this rule. With all his pretensions to learning,
and amid all the appliances of civilization by which he has surrounded
himself, he is still the same old Plymouth Rock man, that his ancestor
was, three centuries ago. He is the same gloomy, saturnine fanatic; he has
the same impatience of other men's opinions, and is the same vindictive
tyrant that he was when he expelled Roger Williams from his dominions. The
cockatrice's egg has hatched a savage, in short, that refuses to be
civilized.
The _Oreto_ was in court whilst I was in Nassau; the Attorney-General of
the colony having libelled her for a breach of the British Foreign
Enlistment Act. After a long and tedious trial, during which it was proved
that she had left England unarmed, and unprovided with a warlike crew, she
was released, very much to the gratification of my friend, Maffitt, who
had been anxiously awaiting the result of the trial. This energetic
officer throwing himself and Stribling on board of her, with such other
officers and men as he could gather on short notice, ran the blockade of
the enemy's cruisers, the following night, and the next morning found
himself on the high seas, with just five firemen, and fourteen deck hands!
His hope was to get his armament on board, and after otherwise preparing
his ship for sea, to recruit his crew from the neutral sailors always to
be found on board the enemy's merchant-ships.
Arriving at Green Key, the rendezvous, which had been concerted between
himself, and our agent at Nassau, Mr. J. B. Lafitte, he was joined by a
schooner, on board which his battery and stores had been shipped, and
forthwith set himself at work to arm and equip his ship. So short-handed
was he, that he was obliged to strip off his own coat, and in company with
his officers and men, assist at the stay-tackles, in hoisting in his heavy
guns. The work was especially laborious, under the ardent rays of an
August sun, but they toiled on, and at the end of five days of incessant
labor, which well-nigh exhausted all their energies, they were enabled to
dismiss their tender, and steam out upon the ocean, and put their ship in
commission. The English flag, which the _Oreto_ had worn, was hauled down,
and amid the cheers of the crews of the two vessels, the Confederate
States flag was hoisted to the peak of the _Florida_.
A number of the men by this time, were unwell. Their sickness was
attributed to the severity of the labor they had undergone, in the
excessive heats that were prevailing. The Captain's steward died, and was
buried on the afternoon on which the ship was commissioned. At sunset of
that day, Captain Maffitt called Lieutenant Stribling into his cabin, and
imparted to him the startling intelligence that the yellow fever was on
board! The sick, now constantly increasing in number, were separated from
the well, and the quarter-deck became a hospital. There being no surgeon
on board, Maffitt was compelled to assume the duties of this officer, in
addition to his own, already onerous. He devoted himself with untiring
zeal to the welfare of his stricken crew, without intermission, by night
or by day. On the fifth day after leaving Green Key, the _Florida_ found
herself off the little island of Anguila. By this time the epidemic had
reduced her working crew to one fireman, and four deck hands.
It was now no longer possible to keep the sea, and Maffitt evading the
blockade of the enemy--a happy chance having drawn them off in chase--ran
his ship into the port of Cardenas, in the island of Cuba. Here he was
received kindly by the authorities and citizens, but as the yellow fever
was epidemic on shore, no medical aid could be obtained. Stribling was now
dispatched to Havana for a surgeon, and to ship a few men, if possible.
Helpless and sad, the suffering little crew awaited his return. One by
one, the officers were attacked by the disease, until Maffitt was left
almost alone, to nurse, and administer remedies to the patients. But
things were not yet at their worst. On the 13th of August, Maffitt was
himself attacked. On the afternoon of that day he sent for his clerk, and
when the young gentleman had entered his cabin, said to him: "I've written
directions in regard to the sick, and certain orders in relation to the
vessel; also some private letters, which you will please take charge of."
Upon the clerk's asking him why this was done, he informed him that "he
had all the symptoms of yellow fever, and as he was already much broken
down, he might not survive the attack." He had made all the necessary
preparations for his own treatment, giving minute written directions to
those around him how to proceed, and immediately betook himself to his
bed--the fever already flushing his cheeks, and parching his veins. There
was now, indeed, nothing but wailing and woe on board the little
_Florida_.
In two or three days Stribling returned from Havana, bringing with him
twelve men; and on the day after his return, Dr. Barrett, of Georgia,
hearing of their helpless condition, volunteered his services, and became
surgeon of the ship. On the 22d, young Laurens, the captain's son--whilst
his father was unconscious--breathed his last; black vomit having
assailed him, in twenty-four hours after he had been taken down with the
fever; so virulent had the disease now become. He was a fine, brave,
promising lad, greatly beloved, and deeply regretted by all. On the 23d,
the Third Assistant Engineer died. The sick were now sent to the hospital
on shore, and nearly all of them died. Dr. Gilliard, surgeon of a Spanish
gun-boat in the harbor, now visited the Captain, and was exceedingly kind
to him. On the 24th, a consultation of physicians was held, and it was
decided that Maffitt's case was hopeless. But it so happened that the
disease just then had reached its crisis, and a favorable change had taken
place. The patient had not spoken for three days, and greatly to the
surprise of all present, after one of the physicians had given his
opinion, he opened his eyes, now beaming with intelligence, and said in a
languid voice: "You are all mistaken--I have got too much to do, and have
no time to die."
He convalesced from that moment. On the 28th, Major Helm, our agent in
Havana, telegraphed that, for certain reasons, the Captain-General desired
that the _Florida_ would come round to Havana, and remain until the health
of her crew should be restored. The Captain-General probably feared that
in an undefended port like Cardenas, some violence might be committed upon
the _Florida_ by the Federal cruisers, in violation of Spanish neutrality.
Accordingly, on the 30th the _Florida_ got under way, and proceeded for
Havana, where she arrived the next day. The reader naturally wonders, no
doubt, where the Federal cruisers were, all this time. Maffitt remained
here only a day, finding it impossible, owing to the stringent orders of
neutrality that were being enforced, to do anything in the way of
increasing his crew, or refitting his ship. Getting his ship under way,
again on the 1st of September, he now resolved to run into Mobile. At two
P. M. on the 4th of that month Fort Morgan was made, when it was found
that three of the enemy's cruisers lay between the _Florida_ and the bar.
Maffitt was assisted on deck, being too weak yet to move without
assistance. Having determined that his ship should not fall into the hands
of the enemy, he had made suitable preparations for blowing her up, if it
should become necessary. He now hoisted the English ensign and pennant,
and stood boldly on. His very boldness staggered the enemy. He must
certainly be, they thought, an English gunboat. The _Oneida_, the
flag-ship of Commander Preble, the commanding officer of the blockading
squadron, attempted to throw herself in the _Florida's_ path, first having
hailed her and commanded her to stop. But the latter held on her course so
determinedly, that the former, to prevent being run down, was obliged to
stop, herself, and reverse her engine.
Preble, now undeceived as to the possibility of the _Florida's_ being an
Englishman, opened fire upon her, as did the other two ships. The
_Oneida's_ broadside, delivered from a distance of a few yards only, cut
away the _Florida's_ hammocks, smashed her boats, and shattered some of
her spars. The three enemy's vessels now grouped themselves around the
daring little craft, and fired broadside after broadside at her, during
the chase which ensued. One eleven-inch shell entering the _Florida's_
side, only a few inches above the water-line, passed entirely through her,
before the fuse had time to explode it. If the enemy had been a little
farther off, the _Florida_ must have been torn in pieces by the explosion.
Another shell entered the cabin. The fore-topmast and fore-gaff were shot
away. In short, when it is recollected that she was nearly two hours under
this tremendous fire, the wonder is that she escaped with a whole spar, or
a whole timber.
Maffitt, meantime, had not cast loose a gun. He had no crew with which to
man his battery. What few sailors he had, he had sent below, except only
the man at the wheel, that they might be less exposed. But they were not
safe, even here, for the shell which we have described as passing through
the ship, took off one man's head, and seven others were wounded by
splinters. My ex-lieutenant of the _Sumter_, Stribling, merited, on this
occasion, the praise I have bestowed on him, in drawing his portrait. He
is described by an eye-witness to have been as cool and self-possessed, as
if there had been no enemy within a hundred miles of him. To make a long
story short, the gallant little _Florida_ finally escaped her pursuers,
and, in a shattered condition, ran in and anchored near Fort Morgan. As
the reader may suppose, her English flag was exchanged for her own stars
and bars, as soon as the enemy opened upon her. This was the most daring
and gallant running of a blockade that occurred during a war so fruitful
of daring and gallant acts. After repairing and refitting his vessel, my
gallant friend dashed again through the enemy's fleet, now much increased
in numbers, and commenced that career on the high seas, which has rendered
his name one of the notable ones of the war. He lighted the seas with a
track of fire, wherever he passed, and sent consternation and alarm among
the enemy's shipping. A correspondent of a Northern paper, writing from
Havana, thus speaks of Maffitt and his craft:--
"The rebel man-of-war, privateer or pirate _Florida_, otherwise known
as the _Oreto_, has safely arrived in this port, although she was
chased up to the very walls of the Moro Castle by the Mobile
blockading squadron, nine in number. The chase was a most exciting
one, but, unfortunately, without the result so much to be desired.
"It appears that the pirate Maffitt came out of the port of Mobile
with as much impudence as he entered it. The steamer seems to have
been well punished with shot and shell from the Federal ships, and it
is reported that she lost her first lieutenant, and sixteen men
killed by a shell from one of the men-of-war.
* * * * *
"From reliable information, I am enabled to state, or, rather, I am
convinced, that this vessel will sail for the East Indies in a few
days. Our Government had better look out for her advent in those
waters. Captain Maffitt is no ordinary character. He is vigorous,
energetic, bold, quick, and dashing, and the sooner he is caught and
hung, the better will it be for the interests of our commercial
community. He is decidedly popular here, and you can scarcely imagine
the anxiety evinced to get a glance at him."
We may return now to the movements of the writer. After long waiting at
Nassau, the _Bahama_, the steamer in which Stribling and Howell had come
over from Hamburg, was ready to return, and I embarked on board of her,
with my staff, and after a passage of some three weeks, landed in
Liverpool, just in time to find that the bird had flown. The _Alabama_ had
steamed a few days before, for her rendezvous, where, in due time, we will
follow her.