THE ALABAMA AT MARTINIQUE--IS BLOCKADED BY THE ENEMY'S STEAMER, SAN
JACINTO--HOW SHE ESCAPED THE "OLD WAGON"--THE ISLAND OF BLANQUILLA, THE
NEW RENDEZVOUS--COALING SHIP--A YANKEE SKIPPER--HOW THE OFFICERS AND MEN
AMUSED THEMSELVES--THE CAPTURE OF THE PARKER COOKE, UNION, AND STEAMER
ARIEL.
I found here at her anchors, as I had expected, my coal-ship, the
_Agrippina_. She had been lying here eight days. Her master, an old
Scotchman, who, like most old sailors, was fond of his grog, had been
quite indiscreet, as I soon learned, in talking about his ship, and her
movements. Instead of pretending to have come in for water or repairs, or
to hunt a market, or for something of the kind, he had frequently, when
"half seas-over," in the coffee-houses on shore, boasted of his connection
with the _Alabama_, and told his brother tars that that ship might be
daily looked for. Eight days were a sufficient space of time for these
conversations to be repeated, in the neighboring islands; and as I knew
that the enemy had several cruisers in the West Indies, I was only
surprised that some one of them had not looked in upon the _Agrippina_
before. It would not do for me to think of coaling in Martinique under the
circumstances, and so I ordered my coal-ship to get under way forthwith,
and proceed to a new rendezvous--a small island on the Spanish Main,
where, in due time, we will rejoin her. I had the satisfaction of seeing
her get a good offing before nightfall, and knew that she was safe.
It was well that I took this precaution, for on the very next morning,
before I had turned out, an officer came below to inform me that an
enemy's ship-of-war had appeared off the harbor! Dressing myself, and
going on deck, sure enough, there was one of the enemy's large steamships,
lying close within the mouth of the harbor, with one of the brightest and
largest of "old flags" flying from her peak. She did not anchor, lest she
should come under the twenty-four hours' rule; but pretty soon lowered a
boat, and communicated with the authorities on shore. It soon transpired
that she was the famous _San Jacinto_, a name which has become inseparably
connected in the American memory, with one of the greatest humiliations
ever put upon the Great Republic. Wilkes, and Seward, and the _San
Jacinto_ have achieved fame. They began by attempting to make a little
war-capital out of John Bull, and ended by singing, as we have seen, the
"seven penitential psalms;" or, at least, as many of these psalms as could
be sung in "_seven days_," _short metre being used_. I could not help
thinking, as I looked at the old ship, of Mr. Seward's elaborate despatch
to Lord Russell, set to the tune of "Old Hundred," and of the screams of
Miss Slidell, as she had been gallantly charged by the American marines,
commanded, for the occasion, by an officer bearing the proud old name of
Fairfax, and born in the State of Virginia!
We paid no sort of attention to the arrival of this old wagon of a ship.
She was too heavy for me to think of engaging, as she threw more than two
pounds of metal to my one--her battery consisting of fourteen eleven-inch
guns--and her crew was more than twice as numerous as my own; but we had
the speed of her, and could, of course, go to sea whenever we pleased. I
was glad, however, that I had gotten the _Agrippina_ safely out of her
way, as she might otherwise have been indefinitely blockaded. We remained
quietly at our anchors during the day; such of the officers visiting the
shore as desired, and the stewards of the messes being all busy in laying
in a supply of fruits and other refreshments. We were, in the meantime,
quite amused at the warlike preparations that were going on on board the
_San Jacinto_. The captain of that ship, whose name, I believe, was
Ronckendorff, made the most elaborate preparations for battle. We could
see his men aloft, busily engaged in slinging yards, stoppering topsail
sheets, getting up preventer braces, and making such other preparations,
as the _Victory_ or _Royal Sovereign_ might have made on the eve of
Trafalgar.
Poor Ronckendorff, what a disappointment awaited him! the _Alabama_ was
going to sea that very night. There was a Yankee merchant-ship in the
harbor, and just at nightfall, a boat pulled out from her to the _San
Jacinto_, to post her, probably, as to the channels and outlets, and to
put her in possession of the rumors afloat. The fates were much more
propitious as to weather, than they had been to the little _Sumter_, when
she eluded the _Iroquois_. The night set in dark and rainy. We ran up our
boats, lighted our fires, and when the steam was ready, got under way, as
we would have done on any ordinary occasion, except only that there were
no lights permitted to be seen about the ship, and that the guns were
loaded and cast loose, and the crew at quarters. In the afternoon, a
French naval officer had come on board, kindly bringing me a chart of the
harbor, from which it appeared that I could run out in almost any
direction I might choose. I chose the most southern route, and giving my
ship a full head of steam, we passed out, without so much as getting a
glimpse of the _San Jacinto_! The next news that we received from the
"States," informed us that the _San Jacinto_ was perfectly innocent of our
escape until the next morning revealed to her our vacant place in the
harbor. Her commander was even then incredulous, and remained cruising off
the harbor for a day or two longer, until he could satisfy himself that I
had not hauled my ship up into some cunning nook, or inlet, and hid her
away out of sight!
The next afternoon I had joined my coal-ship, and we ran in to our
anchorage, together, in the little, barren island of Blanquilla, off the
coast of Venezuela, where we came to about nightfall. This was one of
those little coral islands that skirt the South American coast, not yet
fully adapted to the habitation of man. It was occasionally visited by a
passing fisherman, or turtler, and a few goat-herds, from the main-land,
had come over to pasture some goats on the coarse grass. As we ran in to
this anchorage, which I remembered well from having visited it once in a
ship of war of the old service, I was surprised to see a Yankee whaling
schooner at anchor. She was lying very close in with the beach, on which
she had a tent pitched, and some boilers in operation, trying out the oil
from a whale which she had recently struck. The master of this little
vessel, seeing us running down the island, under the United States colors,
came off, in one of his boats, to pilot us in, and was apparently quite
pleased to find himself on board one of his own gun-boats. He told us all
he had heard about the _Alabama_, and went into ecstasies over our fine
battery, and the marvellous accounts of our speed, which some of the young
men gave him, and declared that we were the very ship to "give the pirate
Semmes fits."
A terrible collapse awaited him. When I had let go my anchor, I sent for
him, and told him who we were. That we were no less than the terrible
_Alabama_ herself. He stood aghast for a moment. An awful vision seemed to
confront him. His little schooner, and his oil, and the various little
'ventures which he had on board, with which to trade with the natives
along the coast, and turn that "honest penny," which has so many charms in
the eyes of his countrymen, were all gone up the spout! And then he stood
in the presence of the man whose ship he had characterized as a "pirate,"
and whom he had told to his face, he was no better than a freebooter. But
I played the magnanimous. I told the skipper not to be alarmed; that he
was perfectly safe on board the _Alabama_, and that out of respect for
Venezuela, within whose maritime jurisdiction we were, I should not even
burn his ship. I should detain him, however, as a prisoner, for a few
days, I added, to prevent his carrying news of me to the enemy, until I
was ready myself to depart. He gladly assented to these terms, and was
frequently afterward on board the ship during our stay.
We lay five days at the little island of Blanquilla, coaling ship, and
getting ready for another cruise. We broke out our hold for the first
time, and cleansed and whitewashed it. We hoisted out our boats, and
rigged them for sailing; and in the afternoons, after the excessive heats
had moderated a little, sailing and fishing parties were formed, and the
officers had some very pleasant little picnics on shore. Fish were
abundant, and on occasion of these picnics, a fine red-fish, weighing
twenty pounds and more, would sometimes be found cut up, and in the
frying-pan, almost before it had ceased floundering. The crew were sent on
shore, "on liberty," in quarter watches, taking their rifles and
ammunition, and fish-spears, and fishing-lines along with them. The water
was as clear as crystal, and there being some beautiful bathing-places
along the beach, bathing became a favorite amusement. Although this coast
abounds in sharks of large size, they are not found to be dangerous, when
there is a number of bathers enjoying the sport together. The shark is a
great coward, and rarely attacks a man, unless it can surprise him.
My gig was a fine boat, fitted with a lug sail, and I used frequently to
stretch off long distances from the land in her, enjoying her fine sailing
qualities, in the fresh sea-breeze that would be blowing, the greater part
of the day. At other times I would coast the island along for miles, now
putting into one little cove, and now into another, sometimes fishing, and
at others hunting sea-shells, and exploring the wonders of the coral
banks. Pelican, gulls, plover, and sand-snipe were abundant, and my boat's
crew, when we would land, and haul our boat up for a stroll, would
sometimes make capital shots. Indeed, we generally returned on board laden
with fish, game, and marine curiosities, of various kinds,--prominent
among which would be specimens of the little coral insect, and its curious
manufactures. Miniature limestone-trees, with their pointed branches,
shrubs, fans, and a hundred other imitations of the flora of the upper
world would be fished up from beneath the sparkling waters, live their day
of wonder, and when they had faded and lost their beauty, be thrown
overboard again.
We found here flocks of the flamingo--a large bird of the crane species,
with long legs and bill, for wading and feeding in the shallow lagoons
which surround the island. Its plumage is of the most delicate pink,
inclining to scarlet, and when the tall birds are drawn up in line, upon a
sand beach, where there is some mirage, or refraction, they look not
unlike a regiment of red-coated soldiers. They are quite shy, but we
carried some of them on board, out of the rich plumage of which Bartelli
made me some fans. Officers and men, both of whom had been long confined
on board ship--it being now three months since the _Alabama_ was
commissioned--visibly improved in health whilst we lay at Blanquilla. The
reader may recollect that we captured in the brig _Dunkirk_, a deserter
from the _Sumter_. We had tried him by court-martial before reaching
Martinique, and sentenced him to serve out his term, under certain
penalties. At Martinique, we found him a chief spirit among the mutineers,
whose grog I had "watered" as described in the last chapter. Another court
now sat upon his case, and in obedience to its sentence, the fellow was
turned upon the beach at Blanquilla, with "bag and hammock." This worthy
citizen of the Great Republic joined the Yankee whaling schooner, and went
into more congenial company and pursuits.
Having finished our coaling, and made the other preparations necessary for
sea, I dispatched my coal-ship, which had still another supply of coal
left, to another rendezvous--the Arcas islands, in the Gulf of Mexico, and
gave the Yankee schooner leave to depart, telling the master to make a
free sheet of it, and not let me catch him on the high seas, as it might
not be so well for him a second time. He took me at my word, had all the
sail on his little craft in the twinkling of an eye, and I question
whether he stopped this side of Nantucket.
My object, in running into the Gulf of Mexico, was to strike a blow at
Banks' expedition, which was then fitting out for the invasion of Texas.
This gentleman, who had been a prominent Massachusetts politician, but who
had no sort of military talent, had risen to the surface with other scum,
amid the bubbling and boiling of the Yankee caldron, and was appointed by
"Honest Abe" to subjugate Texas. Banks had mounted a stud-horse, on Boston
Common, on militia-review days, before the war, and had had himself
lithographed, stud-horse, cocked-hat, feathers, and all, and these were
credentials not to be despised. I had learned from captured Northern
papers, that he was fitting out at Boston and New York, a large
expedition, to consist of not less than 30,000 men. A large proportion of
this army was to consist of cavalry and light artillery. To transport such
an army, a large number of transport-ships would be required. The
expedition was to rendezvous at Galveston, which the enemy had captured
from us, not a great while before.
As there were but twelve feet of water on the Galveston bar, very few of
these transport-ships would be able to enter the harbor; the great mass of
them, numbering, perhaps, a hundred and more, would be obliged to anchor,
pell-mell, in the open sea. Much disorder, and confusion would necessarily
attend the landing of so many troops, encumbered by horses, artillery,
baggage-wagons, and stores. My design was to surprise this fleet by a
night-attack, and if possible destroy it, or at least greatly cripple it.
The Northern press, in accordance with its usual habit, of blabbing
everything, had informed me of the probable time of the sailing of the
expedition, and I designed so to time my own movements, as to arrive
simultaneously with the stud-horse and the major-general, or at least a
day or two afterward.
It was to be presumed, of course, that some of the enemy's gun-boats would
accompany the expedition, but I hoped to be able to fall so unexpectedly
upon their convoy, as to find them off their guard. There was no
Confederate cruiser in the Gulf, and I learned from the enemy's own
papers, that the _Alabama_ was _well on her way to the coast of Brazil and
the East Indies_. The surprise would probably be complete, in the dead of
night, and when the said gun-boats of the enemy would be sleeping in
comparative security, with but little, if any steam in their boilers. Half
an hour would suffice for my purpose of setting fire to the fleet, and it
would take the gun-boats half an hour to get up steam, and their anchors,
and pursue me.
It was with this object in view, that we were now getting under way from
the island of Blanquilla. But the Banks' expedition would not arrive off
Galveston, probably, before about the 10th of January, and as we were now
only in the latter days of November, I had several weeks on my hands,
before it would become necessary for me to proceed to my new rendezvous. I
resolved to devote this interval to the waylaying of a California
treasure-steamer, as a million or so of dollars in gold, deposited in
Europe, would materially aid me, in my operations upon the sea. I could
purchase several more _Alabamas_, to develop the "nautical enterprise" of
our people, and assist me to scourge the enemy's commerce.
There were two routes by which the California steamers returned from
Aspinwall--one by the east end of Cuba, and the other by the west end. I
chose the former for my ambuscade, as being probably the most used. To
reach my new cruising-ground, I put my ship under sail, and made a detour
by the way of the islands of Porto Rico and St. Domingo, passing through
the Mona Passage, through which much of the West India commerce of the
enemy passed, with the hope of picking up something by the way. We left
our anchorage at Blanquilla on the 26th of November, and made the island
of Porto Rico on the morning of the 29th. We coasted along the south side
of this island, with a gentle breeze and smooth sea, sufficiently near to
enjoy its fine, bold scenery, passing only a couple of sail during the
day--one a large French steamer, bound to the eastward, and the other an
English bark. We showed them the United States colors. The bark saluted
the "old flag," by striking her colors to it, but the "old flag" did not
return the salute, as it was hoisted at the wrong peak. The Englishman
must have thought his Yankee friend rather discourteous.
We entered the Mona Passage, lying between St. Domingo and Porto Rico,
after nightfall, but the moon was shining sufficiently bright to enable us
to get hold of the small islands of Mona and Desecho, and thus grope our
way in safety. The currents in this strait being somewhat uncertain, the
navigation is treacherous when the weather is dark. Early on the next
morning, we were off the Bay of Samana, and were running with a flowing
sheet along the coast of St. Domingo. I had approached the Mona Passage
with much caution, fully expecting to find so important a thoroughfare
guarded by the enemy, but there was nothing in the shape of a ship of war
to be seen. The enemy was too busy blockading the Southern coasts to pay
much attention to his commerce. In the course of the morning, we boarded a
Spanish schooner, from Boston, bound for the old city of St. Domingo, from
which we received a batch of late newspapers, giving us still further
accounts, among other things, of the preparation of the Banks' expedition,
about which all New England seemed, just then, to be agog.
The great Massachusetts leader had been given _carte blanche_, and he was
making the best possible use of it. He was fitting himself out very
splendidly, but his great expedition resembled rather one of Cyrus' or
Xerxes', than one of Xenophon's. The Boston papers dilated upon the
splendid bands of music, the superb tents, the school-marms, and the
relays of stud-horses that were to accompany the hero of Boston Common.
But the best feature of the expedition was the activity and thrift which
had suddenly sprung up in all the markets of New England, in consequence.
The looms, the spindles and the shoemakers' awls were in awful activity.
In short, every man or boy who could whittle a stick, whittled it, and
sold it to the Government. The whalemen in New Bedford, Nantucket, and
Martha's Vineyard were in especial glee. They were selling all their
whaling ships, which were too old, or too rotten for further service, to
the Government, for transports, at enormous prices. Many a bluff old
whaler that had rode out a gale under the lee of an iceberg at the
Navigators' Islands, or "scraped her keel on Coromandel's coast," forty
years before, was patched and caulked and covered over with pitch and
paint, and sold to an ignorant, if not corrupt, army quartermaster, for as
good as "bran new." No wonder that the war was popular in New England.
There was not only negro in it, but there was money in it also.
Filling away from the Spanish schooner, which we requested to report us,
in St. Domingo, as the United States steamer _Iroquois_, we continued our
course down the island. It was Sunday, and the day was fine. The crew was
dressed, as usual, for muster, and what with the ship in her gala-dress of
awnings, and glitter of "bright-work," the island, the sea, and the
weather, a more beautiful picture could not well have been presented to
the beholder. In the distance were the blue, and hazy hills, so fraught
with the memories of Columbus, and the earlier Spanish explorers. Nearer
to, was the old town of Isabella, the first ever built in the New World by
civilized men, and nearer still was the bluff, steep, rock-bound coast,
against which the most indigo of seas was breaking in the purest and
whitest of foam. The sailors had thrown themselves upon the deck in
groups, each group having its reader, who was reading aloud to attentive
listeners the latest war-news, as gleaned from the papers we had received
from the Spanish schooner; and the officers, through whose hands the said
newspapers had already passed, were smoking and chatting, now of Columbus,
and now of the war. Presently the shrill cry of "sail ho!" came ringing
from aloft; and the scene on board the _Alabama_ shifted almost as
magically as it does in a theatre. Every man sprang to his feet, without
waiting for an order; the newspapers were stuck away in cracks and
crannies; the helm was shifted, to bring the ship's head around to the
proper point for chasing, and studding-sails, and kites were given
simultaneously to the wind.
When we began to raise the spars and sails of the chase above the sea,
from the deck, there was a general exclamation of "Yankee!" The tapering
royal and sky-sail masts, with the snowiest of canvas, told the tale, as
they had told it so often before. A run of a few hours more brought us up
with the American bark _Parker Cooke_, of, and from Boston, bound to Aux
Cayes, on the south side of the island of St. Domingo. If the _Cooke_ had
been chartered, and sent out for our especial benefit, the capture could
not have been more opportune. The _Alabama's_ commissariat was beginning
to run a little low, and here was the _Cooke_ provision-laden. We had
found, by experience in the _Sumter_, that our Boston friends put up the
very best of crackers, and ship-bread, and sent excellent butter, and
cheese, salted beef and pork, and dried fruits to the West India markets;
nor were we disappointed on the present occasion. Both ships were now hove
to, under short sail, within convenient boating distance, and the rest of
the day was consumed in transporting provisions from the prize. It was
sunset before we concluded our labors, and at the twilight hour, when the
sea-breeze was dying away, and all nature was sinking to repose, we
applied the torch to the _Cooke_.
As we filled away, and made sail, I could not but moralize on the
spectacle. Sixty years before, the negro had cut the throat of the white
man, ravished his wife and daughters, and burned his dwelling in the
island of St. Domingo, now in sight. The white man, in another country,
was now inciting the negro to the perpetration of the same crimes against
another white man, whom he had called brother. The white man who was thus
inciting the negro, was the Puritan of New England, whose burning ship
was lighting up the shores of St Domingo! That Puritan, only a generation
before, had entered into a solemn league and covenant, to restore to the
Southern man his fugitive slave, if he should escape into his territory.
This was the way in which he was keeping his plighted faith! Does any one
wonder that the _Alabama_ burned New England ships?
We began now to receive some "returns" of the effect of our late captures
upon Northern commerce. The papers captured on board the _Cooke_ were full
of lamentations. Our pious brethren did not confine themselves to the
forms set down by Jeremiah, however, but hissed their execrations through
teeth grinding with rage. I will not treat my readers to any of these
specimens of the art Philippic, but will confine myself to a few business
excerpts instead, taken indiscriminately from the New York and Boston
papers.
_Boston crieth aloud._
"ADVANCES ON MARINE INSURANCE.--In consequence of the destruction
caused at sea by the privateer steamer _Alabama_, the officers of the
insurance companies of Boston have fixed the present war rates on
different voyages as follows:--To the north of Europe, 4@5 per cent.;
Mediterranean, 5@6; India, 4-1/2; Gulf ports, 4; California gold
steamers, 4; West India risks, 5; coastwise, 1/2@1-1/2. These rates
are liable to be altered according to the necessary requirements of
the times, consequent upon the unusual hazards to which commerce is
now exposed."
_New York responds to the cry of Boston._
"The damaging effect of the _Alabama's_ raid on our shipping upon the
maritime interests of this port were as conspicuous to-day as
yesterday. It was next to impossible for the owner of an American
ship to procure freight unless he consented to make a bogus sale of
his ship."
"Freights to Great Britain are rather more active, under favorable
foreign advices for breadstuffs, but rates by American vessels
depressed; foreign bottoms most in favor, but even these now find it
difficult to employ themselves profitably. To Liverpool, flour is
9d@2s."
I heard again from the New York Chamber of Commerce, by the _Cooke_. My
friend, Low, was still lamenting over his lost ships. Like Rachael weeping
for her children, he refused to be comforted because they were not.
Another grand _pow-wow_ had been called, and another set of resolutions
passed. SCENE: _A luxuriously furnished suite of apartments, with
well-padded arm-chairs, and big ink stands; a table; on the walls, several
pictures of burning ships, with the "pirate ship" in the distance; of John
Bull running off with the "carrying-trade," and Jonathan screaming after
him; and of Mr. Low tearing his hair._ Enter the _dramatis personae_. Low
loquitur:--
"Mr. A. Low read a very long preamble and resolution expressive of
the feelings of the American public in regard to the shelter afforded
to the _Alabama_ by British authorities. He also read a letter from
our Consul at Liverpool, Mr. Dudley, in which that functionary sets
forth the efforts he made to direct the attention of the British
authorities to the _Alabama_, and concludes by asserting that there
are now four large vessels fitting out at Liverpool to follow the
piratical example of the _Alabama_--three of iron and one of wood.
Nine vessels are preparing to run the blockade.
"Mr. Low explained at some length the object and scope of his
proposed resolution. He declared that American ships could no longer
get cargoes, in consequence of the depredations of the _Alabama_.
"Hon. F. A. Conkling spoke in behalf of granting letters-of-marque.
He saw no other alternative between this and a complete paralyzation
of our commerce. He read extracts from Cogswell's 'Maritime History,'
showing the effectiveness of privateers in our previous wars.
"C. H. Marshall spoke in favor of the adoption of Mr. Low's preamble
and resolution.
"Mr. Maury stated that he had received a letter from Liverpool,
saying that the new pirate ships building for the Confederates are
vastly more formidable than the _Alabama_.
"The preamble and resolutions set forth at length the evil
consequences likely to ensue from a repetition of such piratical acts
as the fitting out of more vessels like the _Alabama_, in the ports
of Great Britain; that information has been received of other vessels
having sailed to prey upon the commerce of the United States; that
the English Government does not interfere to put a stop to the
aggressions of the pirate, though British goods have been destroyed;
that the _Alabama_ is continually supplied from Great Britain with
coal and ammunition, by which she is enabled to pursue her piratical
courses against American commerce, the consequence being to raise the
premium upon American vessels and their cargoes, and to depress the
rates of freight upon American ships, and to transfer our
carrying-trade to the ships of other nations. Therefore the Chamber
is led to the following conclusions:
"_1st._ That through the active instrumentality of the subjects of
Great Britain, the so-called Confederate States are furnished with
ships, men, arms, and ammunition, with which to war upon the commerce
of the United States;
"_2d._ That without such foreign aid the States in revolt against the
Government of the United States would be powerless to effect any
injury to our commerce on the high seas.
"_3d._ That this war upon American commerce carried on by ships built
and manned in Great Britain, is not rebuked by the British press
generally; is not discouraged by the public sentiment of a once
friendly nation claiming to be governed by high and honorable
principles, and is not effectively and thoroughly arrested by the
stronger arm of the British Government.
"_4th._ That as a result of the foregoing acts and conclusions, the
merchants of the United States are subject in a certain degree to the
evils that would attend a state of war with Great Britain, and are
compelled to witness the carrying-trade of their country transferred
from their own vessels to British bottoms, under all the sanctions
and advantages of peace and neutrality to the latter--while the
source of this great peril, threatening to drive American commerce
from the ocean, is of British origin.
"Now, therefore, resolved, that a Committee of ten be appointed to
take into consideration the foregoing, and to report, at a special
meeting to be called for the purpose, what action it becomes this
Chamber to take in the premises."
How astonishing it is, that these gentlemen when they were denouncing
Great Britain for supplying the Confederates with men and munitions of
war, did not think of the supplies they were themselves drawing from the
same source. I have before referred to a speech of Mr. Laird, the builder
of the _Alabama_, in the British House of Commons. I now refer to another
passage of the same speech, as a sufficient answer to Mr. Low's
complaints:--
"If a ship without guns and without arms, [he is alluding to the
_Alabama_ when she left the Mersey,] is a dangerous article, surely
rifled guns and ammunition of all sorts are equally--(cheers)--and
even more dangerous. (Cheers.) I have referred to the bills of entry
in the Custom-houses of London and Liverpool, and I find there have
been vast shipments of implements of war to the Northern States,
through the celebrated houses of Baring & Co.--(loud cheers and
laughter),--Brown, Shipley & Co., of Liverpool, and a variety of
other names, which I need not more particularly mention, but whose
Northern tendencies are well known to this House. (Hear! hear!) If
the member for Rochdale, or the honorable member for Branchford
wishes to ascertain the extent to which the Northern States of
America have had supplies of arms from this country, they have only
to go to a gentleman who, I am sure, will be ready to afford them
every information, and much more readily than he would to me, or to
any one else calling upon him--the American Consul in Liverpool.
Before that gentleman, the manifest of every ship is laid, he has to
give an American pass to each vessel; he is, consequently, able to
tell the exact number of rifles which have been shipped from this
country for the United States--information, I doubt not, which would
be very generally desired by this House. (Loud cries of 'hear!') I
have obtained from the official custom-house returns, some details of
the sundries exported from the United Kingdom to the Northern States
of America, from the 1st of May, 1861, to the 31st of December, 1862.
There were--Muskets, 41,500--(hear! hear!)--rifles,
341,000--(cheers)--gun-flints, 26,500--percussion-caps,
49,982,000--(cheers and laughter)--and swords, 2250. The best
information I could obtain, leads me to believe that from one third
to a half may be added to these numbers for items which have been
shipped to the Northern States as hardware. (Hear! hear!) I have very
good reason for saying that a vessel of 2000 tons was chartered six
weeks ago, for the express purpose of taking out a cargo of
"hardware" to the United States. (Cheers.) The exportation has not
ceased yet. From the 1st of January to the 17th of March, 1863, the
customs bills of entry show that 23,870 gun-barrels, 30,802 rifles,
and 3,105,800 percussion-caps were shipped to the United States.
(Hear! hear!) So that if the Southern States have got two ships
unarmed, unfit for any purpose of warfare--for they procured their
armaments somewhere else--the Northern States have been well supplied
from this country, through the agency of some most influential
persons. (Hear! hear!)"
"The American Consul in Liverpool," alluded to in the above extract, is
the same gentleman--Dudley--who was assisting Mr. Low to denounce Great
Britain for supplying the Confederate States!
The _Parker Cooke_ made a beautiful bonfire, lighting up the sea and land
for leagues; and as the wind continued light, it was near midnight before
we had run it below the horizon. Before morning we gave chase to another
sail, but at daylight, by which time we were within a couple of miles of
her, she showed us the Spanish colors. We chased, and overhauled soon
afterward a Dutch galliot, and later in the day, a Spanish bark. The land
was still in sight on our port beam, and toward nightfall, we passed Cape
Francois.
Between midnight and dawn, on this same night, we had quite an alarm. A
large ship-of-war came suddenly upon us, in the darkness! Like ourselves,
she was running down the coast, but she was under both steam and sail,
having her studding-sails set on both sides, whereas the _Alabama_ was
entirely without steam, with her propeller triced up. If the stranger had
been an enemy, we should have been almost entirely at her mercy. The
reader may imagine, therefore, how anxious I was for the next few minutes.
She soon dispelled my fears, however, for she passed rapidly on, at no
greater distance from us, than a hundred yards, her lights lighting up the
countenances of my men, as they stood at their guns--for by this time I
had gotten them to their quarters--quite distinctly. She did not take the
least notice of us, or swerve a hair's-breadth from her course. I knew,
from this, she could not be an enemy, and told my first lieutenant, even
before she had well passed us, that he might let his men leave their guns.
She was, probably, a Spanish steam-frigate, on her way to the island of
Cuba.
On the evening of the 2d of December, we passed the little island of
Tortuga, so famous in the history of the buccaneers and pirates who once
infested these waters, and on the next day, found ourselves in the passage
between St. Domingo and Cuba. There were many sails passing in different
directions, all of which we overhauled, but they proved to be neutral.
Here was another important thoroughfare of the enemy's commerce entirely
unguarded. There was not only no ship-of-war of the enemy to be seen, but
none of the neutrals that I had spoken, had fallen in with any. We had,
therefore, a clear sea before us, for carrying out our design of waylaying
a California steamer. In the afternoon, we stretched over to the east end
of Cuba, and took our station in "watch and wait."
On the same night, we chased and overhauled a French bark. The sea was
smooth, and a bright moon shining. The chase paid no attention to our
blank cartridge, though we were close on board of her, and stood a shot
before she would come to the wind. As we threw this purposely between her
masts, and pretty close over the heads of her people, she came to the
conclusion that it would not be safe to trifle longer, and rounded to and
backed her main yard. When asked by the boarding-officer, why he did not
heave to, at the first signal, the master replied naively that he was a
Frenchman, and at war with nobody! Philosophical Frenchman!
We had accurate time-tables of the arrivals and departures of the
California steamers, in the files of the New York papers, that we had
captured, and by these tables, the homeward-bound steamer would not be due
for a few days yet. We spent this interval in lying off and on the east
end of Cuba, under easy sail, chasing more or less during the day, but
without success, all the vessels overhauled being neutrals, and closing in
with Cape Maize during the night, and holding on to its very brilliant
light until morning. The weather was clear, and the moon near her full, so
that I had almost as good a view of the passage by night as by day.
On the 5th of December, a prize ran into our arms, without the necessity
of a chase. It was a Baltimore schooner called the _Union_, old, and of
little value. She had, besides, a neutral cargo, properly documented, for
a small town called Port Maria, on the north side of Jamaica. I
transferred the prisoners of the _Cooke_ to her, and released her on
ransom-bond. My original orders were not to capture Maryland vessels, but
that good old State had long since ceased to occupy the category in which
our Congress, and the Executive had placed her. She was now ranged under
the enemy's flag, and I could make no discrimination in her favor.
On the next day the California steamer was due, and a very bright lookout
was kept; a number of the young officers volunteering their services for
the occasion. In the transparent atmosphere of this delightful climate, we
could see to great distances. The west end of St. Domingo, about Cape
Tiburon, was visible, though distant ninety miles. But not so much as a
smoke was seen during the entire day, and the sun went down upon
disappointed hopes. The next day was Sunday, and the holy-stones had been
busy over my head during all the morning watch, putting the decks in order
for muster. I had turned out, and dressed, and swept the entire horizon
with my telescope, without seeing anything to encourage me. The crew had
breakfasted, and the word, "All hands clean yourselves, in white frocks
and trousers, for muster!" had been growled out by the boatswain, and
echoed by his mates. The decks were encumbered with clothes-bags, and Jack
was arraying himself as directed. I had gone down to my own breakfast, and
was enjoying one of Bartelli's cups of good coffee, hopeless for that day
of my California steamer, and my million of dollars in gold. Suddenly the
prolonged cry of "S-a-i-l h-o!" came ringing, in a clear musical voice,
from aloft; the look-out having at length descried a steamer, and being
anxious to impart the intelligence in as emphatic a manner as possible, to
the startled listeners on the deck below. The "Where-away?" of the officer
of the deck, shouted through his trumpet, followed, and in a moment more
came the rejoinder, "Broad on the port bow, sir!" "What does she look
like?" again inquired the officer of the deck. "She is a large steamer,
brig-rigged, sir!" was the reply. An officer now came below to announce to
me what I had already heard.
Here was a steamer at last, but unfortunately she was not in the right
direction, being in the north-west instead of the south-east--the latter
being the direction in which the California steamer should appear. All was
excitement now on deck. The engineers and firemen were set at work, in
great haste, to get up their steam. The sailors were hurried with their
"cleaning," and the bags stowed away. "All hands work ship!" being called,
the first lieutenant took the trumpet, and furled the sails, making a
"snug roll-up of it," so that they might hold as little wind as possible,
and lowered the propeller. In twenty minutes we were ready for the chase,
with every thing snug "alow and aloft," and with the steam hissing from
the gauge-cocks. The strange steamer came up very rapidly, and we
scrutinized her anxiously to see whether she was a ship of war, or a
packet-ship. She showed too much hull out of the water to be a ship of
war, and yet we could not be sure, as the enemy had commissioned a great
many packet-steamers, and put heavy armaments on board of them. When she
was within three or four miles of us, we showed her the United States
colors, and she responded in a few minutes, by hoisting the same. Like
ourselves, she had her sails furled, and was carrying a very large "bone
in her mouth" under steam alone.
We could now see that she was fast, and from the absence of guns at her
sides, a packet-ship. I now put my ship in motion, with a view to lay her
across the stranger's path, as though I would speak her. But I missed
doing this by about a couple of ship's lengths, the stranger passing just
ahead of me. A beautiful spectacle presented itself as I passed under the
stern of that monster steamship. The weather was charming, there being a
bright, clear sky, with only a few fleecy trade-clouds passing. There was
just enough of the balmiest and gentlest of winds, to ruffle, without
roughening the surface of the sea. The islands of Cuba, St. Domingo, and
Jamaica--the two latter, in the blue and hazy distance, and the former
robed in the gorgeous green known only to the tropics--were in sight. The
great packet-steamer had all her awnings set, and under these awnings, on
the upper deck, was a crowd of passengers, male and female. Mixed with the
male passengers were several officers in uniform, and on the forward deck,
there were groups of soldiers to be seen. This crowd presented a charming
picture, especially the ladies, most of whom were gayly dressed, with the
streamers from their bonnets, their veils, and their waste ribbons
flirting with the morning breeze. We were sufficiently close to see the
expression of their countenances. Many of them were viewing us with opera
glasses, evidently admiring the beautiful proportions, fine trim, and
general comeliness of one of their own gun-boats--for the reader will
recollect, we were wearing still the United States flag.
As I passed the wake of the steamer, I wheeled in pursuit, fired a blank
cartridge, and hauling down the Federal, threw the Confederate flag to the
breeze. It was amusing to witness the panic which ensued. If that old
buccaneer, Blue Beard, himself, had appeared, the consternation could not
have been greater. The ladies screamed--one of those delightful, dramatic
screams, half fear, half acting, which can only ascend from female
voices--and scampered off the deck in a trice; the men running after them,
and making quite as good, if not better time. The effect of my gun, and
change of flags on the steamer herself, seemed to be scarcely less
electric. She had no intention, whatever, of obeying my command to halt.
On the contrary, I could see from the increased impetus with which she
sprang forward, and the dense volumes of black smoke that now came
rushing, and whirling from her smoke-stack, that she was making every
possible effort to escape. She had gotten a little the start of me, as I
was wheeling to pursue her, and might be now, some three or four hundred
yards distant.
The reader has been on the race-course, and seen two fleet horses, with
necks and tails straightened, and running about "neck and neck." This will
give him a pretty good idea of the race which is now going on. We had not
stretched a mile, when it became quite evident that the stranger had the
heels of me, and that, if I would capture her, I must resort to force. I
ordered my "persuader," as the sailors called my rifled bow-gun, to be
cleared away, and sent orders to the officer, to take aim at the
fugitive's foremast, being careful to throw his shot high enough above the
deck not to take life. When the gun was ready to be fired, I yawed the
ship a little, though the effect of this was to lose ground, to enable the
officer the better, to take his aim. A flash, a curl of white smoke, and a
flying off of large pieces of timber from the steamer's mast, were
simultaneous occurrences. It was sufficient. The mast had not been cut
quite away, but enough had been done to satisfy the master of the steamer
that he was entirely within our power, and that prudence would be the
better part of valor. In a moment after, we could see a perceptible
diminution in the motion of the "walking-beam," and pretty soon the great
wheels of the steamer ceased to revolve, and she lay motionless on the
water.
We "slowed down" our own engine, and began to blow off steam at once, and
ranging up alongside of the prize, sent a boat on board of her. It was
thus we captured the steamer _Ariel_, instead of going to muster, on
Sunday, the 7th of December, 1862. But Fortune, after all, had played us a
scurvy trick. The _Ariel_ was indeed a California steamer, but instead of
being a homeward-bound steamer, with a million of dollars in gold, in her
safe, I had captured an outward-bound steamer, with five hundred women and
children on board! This was an elephant I had not bargained for, and I was
seriously embarrassed to know what to do with it. I could not take her
into any neutral port, even for landing the passengers, as this was
forbidden, by those unfriendly orders in council I have more than once
spoken of, and I had no room for the passengers on board the _Alabama_.
The most that I could hope to do, was to capture some less valuable prize,
within the next few days, turn the passengers of the _Ariel_ on board of
her, and destroy the steamer. Our capture, however, was not without useful
results. The officers and soldiers mentioned as being on board of her,
were a battalion of marines, going out to the Pacific, to supply the
enemy's ships of war on that station. There were also some naval officers
on board, for the same purpose. These were all _paroled_, and deprived of
their arms. The rank and file numbered 140.
When my boarding-officer returned, he reported to me that there was a
great state of alarm among the passengers on board. They had been reading
the accounts which a malicious, and mendacious Northern press had been
giving of us, and took us to be no better than the "plunderers," and
"robbers" we had been represented to be. The women, in particular, he
said, were, many of them, in hysterics, and apprehensive of the worst
consequences. I had very little sympathy for the terrors of the males, but
the tear of a woman has always unmanned me. And as I knew something of the
weakness of the sex, as well as its fears, I resorted to the following
stratagem to calm the dear creatures. I sent for my handsomest young
lieutenant--and I had some very handsome young fellows on board the
_Alabama_--and when he had come to me, I told him to go below, and array
himself in his newest and handsomest uniform, buckle on the best sword
there was in the ward-room, ask of Bartelli the loan of my brightest
sword-knot, and come up to me for his orders. Sailors are rapid dressers,
and in a few minutes my lieutenant was again by my side, looking as
bewitching as I could possibly desire. I gave him my own boat, a beautiful
gig, that had been newly painted, and which my coxswain, who was a bit of
a sea-dandy, had furnished with scarlet cushions, and fancy yoke and
steering ropes, and directed him to go on board the _Ariel_, and coax the
ladies out of their hysterics. "Oh! I'll be sure to do that, sir," said
he, with a charming air of coxcombry, "I never knew a fair creature who
could resist me more than fifteen minutes." As he shoved off from the
side, in my beautiful little cockle-shell of a boat, with its
fine-looking, lithe and active oarsmen, bending with the strength of
athletes to their ashen blades, I could but pause a moment, myself, in
admiration of the picture.
A few strokes of his oars put him alongside of the steamer, and asking to
be shown to the ladies' cabin, he entered the scene of dismay and
confusion. So many were the signs of distress, and so numerous the
wailers, that he was abashed, for a moment, as he afterward told me, with
all his assurance. But summoning courage, he spoke to them about as
follows:--"Ladies! The Captain of the _Alabama_ has heard of your
distress, and sent me on board to calm your fears, by assuring you, that
you have fallen into the hands of Southern gentlemen, under whose
protection you are entirely safe. We are by no means the ruffians and
outlaws, that we have been represented by your people, and you have
nothing whatever to fear." The sobs ceased as he proceeded, but they eyed
him askance for the first few minutes. As he advanced in their midst,
however, they took a second, and more favorable glance at him. A second
glance begat a third, more favorable still, and when he entered into
conversation with some of the ladies nearest him--picking out the youngest
and prettiest, as the rogue admitted--he found no reluctance on their part
to answer him. In short, he was fast becoming a favorite. The ice being
once broken, a perfect avalanche of loveliness soon surrounded him, the
eyes of the fair creatures looking all the brighter for the tears that had
recently dimmed them.
Presently a young lady, stepping up to him, took hold of one of the bright
buttons that were glittering on the breast of his coat, and asked him if
he would not permit her to cut it off, as a memento of her adventure with
the _Alabama_. He assented. A pair of scissors was produced, and away went
the button! This emboldened another lady to make the same request, and
away went another button; and so the process went on, until when I got my
handsome lieutenant back, he was like a plucked peacock--he had scarcely a
button to his coat! There were no more Hebes drowned in tears, on board
the _Ariel_.
But what struck my young officer as very singular was the deportment of
the male passengers. Some of these seemed to be overhauling their trunks
in a great hurry, as though there were valuables in them, which they were
anxious to secrete. Their watches, too, had disappeared from some of their
vest-pockets. "I verily believe," said he, as he was giving me an account
of the manner in which he performed his mission, "that these fellows think
we are no better than the Northern thieves, who are burning
dwelling-houses, and robbing our women and children in the South!"
I take pleasure in contrasting, in these memoirs, the conduct of my
officers and crew, during the late war, in the uniform respect which they
paid to the laws of war, and the dictates of humanity, with that of some
of the generals and colonels of the Federal Army, who debased our common
nature, and disgraced the uniforms they wore by the brutality and
pilferings I have described. There were 500 passengers on board the
_Ariel_. It is fair to presume, that each passenger had with him a purse,
of from three to five hundred dollars. Under the laws of war, all this
money would have been good prize. But not one dollar of it was touched, or
indeed so much as a passenger's baggage examined.
I carried out my intention, already expressed, of keeping the _Ariel_ in
company with me, for two or three days, hoping that I might capture some
less valuable ship, into which to turn her passengers, that I might
destroy her. I was very anxious to destroy this ship, as she belonged to a
Mr. Vanderbilt, of New York, an old steamboat captain, who had amassed a
large fortune, in trade, and was a bitter enemy of the South. Lucrative
contracts during the war had greatly enhanced his gains, and he had
ambitiously made a present of one of his steamers to the Federal
Government, to be called after him, to pursue "rebel pirates."
Failing to overhaul another ship of the enemy in the few days that I had
at my disposal, I released the _Ariel_, on ransom-bond, and sent her, and
her large number of passengers, on their way rejoicing. I found Captain
Jones of the _Ariel_ a clever and well-informed gentleman, and I believe
he gave a very fair account of the capture of his ship when he reached New
York. He pledged me that Vanderbilt's ransom-bond, which he signed as his
agent, would be regarded as a debt of honor. The bond is for sale, cheap,
to any one desiring to redeem Mr. Vanderbilt's honor.