Captain Dave makes a demand upon me--How his vessel was captured--How
he re-captured her--A flag of truce--Dave has a parley with the
commander of the blockading fleet.
Almost immediately after we got up to Houston I had a visit from my
friend Captain Dave McLusky.
"Captain," said he, in his usual jocular way, "I have come to claim
that dozen of brandy from you; you see I got in before you."
"What do you mean?" said I; "I did not make any bet with you."
"I know you did not," said he; "but you will give it to me all the
same, because I have lost all mine. I also want you to give me
another of your _cartes_, I have lost the one you gave me, as well as
that of Captain Moore. They have, with all my clothes, liquors, and
other valuables, fallen into the hands of the Yankees."
"How did that happen," said I. "I have never had the full account of
your capture and your re-capture of the vessel."
He then related to me the whole affair, and as I had accounts of it
from others, both from his men, and from the officer and men whom he
overpowered and brought in prisoners, I am able to relate the affair
true as it happened.
Captain Dave had no pretensions to being a high-class navigator. He
had a good practical knowledge, and could get his latitude from a
meridian altitude, but he did not carry a chronometer, but worked up
his longitude and position from dead reckoning.
His usual way on the passage from Havana was to stand west to the
Yucatan Banks, and there find his position by soundings; then set his
course northwards for a port in Texas, finding his distance by
latitude as he went on.
In this case, the winds being light and easterly, he did not make
sufficient allowance for the leeway his flat, box-shaped vessel was
certain to make. The consequence was that, instead of striking St.
Louis Pass, he made a landfall about ten miles to the westward of the
Brazos River.
He was then standing to the eastward with a southerly breeze, when a
gunboat hove in sight and bore down upon him.
On seeing the gunboat Dave put his vessel before the wind, took up
his centre-board, and made for the Texas coast, which was direct
under his lee, intending to run his vessel on the beach. It was too
late, however, the gunboat was up and boarded him before he got
within ten miles of the beach. Of course there was no attempt at
excuse, and he was made a prize.
The captain of the gunboat let Dave and his crew remain on board
their vessel, but put on board an officer and six men, with orders to
bring the vessel along and follow the steamer to Galveston.
Dave and his crew began to pack up their effects, while the
lieutenant and his men took charge of the vessel.
Dave soon observed that the officer, in bringing the vessel up on the
wind, did not put down the centre-board, and in all probability he
had never seen a vessel of that kind, nor knew that the vessel
possessed such a thing, and Dave thought it was no part of his duty
to instruct him in the use of it.
Dave knew, however, that those prize crews were generally very fond
of rum, and also that as soon as they were put on board a captured
vessel, they generally found means to penetrate her hold and ransack
it, to see if there was anything which they might appropriate to
their own use.
To meet their wants in both cases, Dave took care to leave a jar of
rum on the top of the cargo in the hold, and as the bulkhead between
the hold and forecastle was of no great strength, it would be no
great deterrent to men in search of plunder.
Dave and his crew, having bundled up their effects, sat down under
the gunwale as if resigned to their fate, feigning as if glad to get
a little rest, and soon went apparently to sleep, but it is an old
saying that men are not always sleeping when they are nodding.
Dave and his mate and crew, emboldened by their last adventure, had
determined to take advantage of any chance that offered to recapture
their vessel.
They quietly watched the working of the vessel by the lieutenant and
his crew.
The men were armed with cutlasses, and the lieutenant carried in his
belt a revolver. The men while at work stuck their cutlasses in the
belaying rack at the mainmast.
On seeing the vessel making so much leeway, the lieutenant never
thinking of such a thing as a centre-board, kept ordering to luff and
haul aft the sheets. This, however, only checked her speed, and she
soon fell to leeward.
At the same time Dave began to perceive that the men were running up
and down to the forecastle very often, and he guessed what the
attraction was; and it was not long before the unsteady tread of the
men on deck showed plainly that they had broke through into the hold
and had discovered the jar, and were making free with its contents.
The vessel had got nearly abreast of Brazos River, but by the amount
of leeway she was making she was not more than six miles from the
shore, and it so happened that there was no blockading vessel lying
there at the time.
Some of the lieutenant's men were now pretty reasonably drunk. The
gunboat was a long way ahead. The lieutenant was getting uneasy, and
was looking after her as if he would signal, when Dave, making a
signal to his men, he himself sprang upon the lieutenant, pinned his
hands to his sides, and got hold of his revolver, while his mate,
with the rest of his crew, sprang upon the prize crew, got hold of
some of their cutlasses; others seized handspikes, and a desperate
fight took place. While Dave was struggling with the lieutenant, one
of the prize crew, who was a negro, drew a knife, and rushed up to
stab Dave in the back; but just as he raised his hand for the blow he
was felled to the deck with a handspike by the mate. The struggle
lasted for some time, but the prize crew were overpowered, some badly
wounded, but none killed.
The lieutenant struggled hard, but Dave held him down on the deck,
while he threatened Dave with the awful consequences of the act. In
the meantime some of Dave's men had put the helm hard up, and eased
off the sheets, and the vessel was put before the wind, heading for
the shore. Suddenly a gun was heard from the cruiser, which
signified that she had observed that something was wrong.
"Do you hear that?" cried the lieutenant, who was fairly overpowered.
"For God's sake heave to, or the captain will sink you."
"Let him fire away," said Dave; "he is there, and I am here."
The change in the vessel's course had been observed from the cruiser,
and as she was now off before the wind, heading towards the shore,
they knew something must be wrong, and they had put about, and was
bearing down upon her. They were, however, about four miles'
distant, and the schooner was before the wind, heading direct for the
Forts at the mouth of the Brazos River, now about five miles' distant.
Unfortunately now for Dave the wind began to die away, and it was
questionable whether they could make the shoal water, and get under
cover of the Forts before the cruiser would be upon them. The wind
got less and less, and then, as Dave said, what would he not have
given for the sweeps which he had laughed at me for taking with me
from Havana.
Dave now began to fear much that he was going to be taken again by
the cruiser, and, if so, it would likely be hard with him. He
therefore determined to escape in the boat, which he got quickly out,
and put into it his chest and all his valuables, not forgetting his
boxes of brandy. He kept the boat towing astern, to be ready to jump
into at the last moment.
Just then, however, the breeze freshened up a little, and the
schooner moved along faster, but they expected every moment that the
cruiser would open fire upon them, which she did, but the shot fell
short.
The breeze continued to freshen, and there was again a good chance of
getting out of reach of the cruiser, when the negro, who had
attempted to stab Dave, thinking perhaps that if carried into the
Confederacy his fate might be hard, watched his opportunity, and
jumped into the boat which was towing astern and cut the tow rope.
He knew that the schooner could not lose the time to turn round and
pick him up, while the cruiser would be certain to pick up the boat.
Dave was so exasperated at seeing his chest, his liquors, and all his
valuables so adroitly taken away by the negro that he fired every
shot from the lieutenant's revolver at him. Mr. Negro crouched down
in the bottom of the boat, and whether he was hit or not Dave did not
know.
The breeze continued, and the schooner got under the cover of the
Confederate Forts at the mouth of the river. The cruiser picked up
the boat, but did not come within reach of the guns of the Forts.
Dave got in over the bar, and reported to the commander at the Forts,
saying, "I brought you only two men last time, but I have brought you
a whole prize crew and an officer this time."
The prize crew and officer brought in by Dave being now declared
lawful prisoners of war were detained. Such as were wounded were
sent to the hospital till recovered. The officer was sent to board
at one of the hotels in Houston, with orders to report at the Marine
Department every day. I saw him very often; he sometimes came on
board of the _Rob Roy_; he wished to get something to read. He got
some paper-backed novels which were lying about; he said they would
help him to pass the time. He seemed to feel his position very much,
was very reserved in referring to the matter. He seemed, so far as
he cared to express himself, to blame the captain of the cruiser for
leaving the schooner so far astern. Of course the captain of the
cruiser, having only seen the schooner from a distance, had no idea
of what an unmanageable thing she was. He allowed that if he had
been in Captain McLusky's place he would very probably have done just
as he did.
A few days after the prisoners had been brought to Houston, both
officers and men found that they were without a change of clothing,
and as the Confederacy was not a place where these wants could be
very easily supplied, the lieutenant made a request that General
Magruder would communicate with the commander of the fleet at
Galveston, and deliver a message from him, requesting that his
clothes and those of the men might be sent ashore to them.
The General agreed to this, and directed that a boat with a flag of
truce should be sent off to the fleet. On learning this, Dave
applied to General Magruder for permission to go in the truce-boat,
to try if he could persuade the commander of the fleet to return to
him his chest and effects. The General at first tried to dissuade
him, but afterwards consented to let him go.
The truce-boat, after being met about midway by a boat from the
fleet, was taken alongside of the Commodore's ship.
The commander of the fleet, who had had the whole story from the
negro who had escaped in the boat, was greatly irritated at the
event. He agreed to send the lieutenant's clothes, but would not
allow those of the men to be sent, as a punishment to them for
getting drunk.
Dave now represented his case to the commander, and humbly requested
that his effects might be returned to him, adding, by way of giving
effect to his appeal, that such humble toggery could be of no use to
men of such high standing and position as United States naval
officers.
The commander, on ascertaining who he was, was enraged at his
audacity; said he would return none of his effects; told him he had
been guilty of piracy, and if he fell into the hands of the United
States authorities he would be tried and hanged for piracy. But Dave
was a character, and the commander's threats were lost upon him.
"Oh! now, Captain," said Dave, "don't put yourself in a passion.
Don't you know that I hold a commission in the Confederate States
Navy? And if you don't respect that now, you did, not very long ago,
when you made a truce here one morning" (referring to the defeat of
the Federals at Galveston on the morning of January 1, 1863).
"Therefore what I did was not piracy, but a lawful act of war; and
you know I was very good to your men."
"A little too good, confound you," said the commander, "to fill them
drunk."
"Oh! no, Captain," said Dave, "that is not true. I never offered
them drink; they broke through into the hold and stole it; and you
know, Captain, when thieves break through and steal they are always
sure to be punished. Such are the ways of Providence, you know. And
another thing let me tell you, Captain. That black nigger of yours,
who ran away with the boat, and my things in it, and who has told you
the whole story about the men getting drunk, he will, no doubt, be
lionized by the Abolitionists, and placed on the list for promotion.
But I doubt much if he has told you that he was the cause of the men
getting drunk, and the whole trouble that followed."
"How do you make that out?" said the commander. "He did not drink;
he was quite sober."
"No," said Dave, "but he was the one that first set about plundering.
It was him that broke down the bulkhead between the forecastle and
the hold, and went into the hold to see what he could steal. The
men, seeing the bulkhead broken down, went into the hold and
discovered the jar of rum, and that was the cause of them getting
drunk. So thank your nigger for the whole affair, and don't accuse
me of piracy or of filling your men drunk."
"What is your authority for that statement?" said the commander.
"One of my men was down in the forecastle getting out his clothes,
and saw the nigger breaking down the bulkhead; and, furthermore,
every one of your own men are ready to swear to it as soon as they
are exchanged."
The commander stood silent for a few minutes, and Dave continued:
"So now, I think, for that bit of information you might give me back
my things. I think I have as good a right to them as the nigger, who
will, no doubt, be expecting to get them for his honesty."
"I won't deliver anything to you," said the commander. "That story
of yours may be inquired into, but I don't believe a word of it."
"Will you not give me back one of my boxes of brandy? I am sure that
neither you nor any of your officers have any use for such a thing,"
said Dave, with a smile of ironical simplicity.
The commander scowled, but made no reply.
"If you do," continued Dave, "I will give half of it to the poor
lieutenant, as I know he cannot get a drop on shore."
"He doesn't want it; he doesn't require it," roared the commander.
"Confound you, and your liquor; it has done too much harm already."
And the commander turned away.
The boat was still waiting for the lieutenant's chest, which was
being packed up, when another officer, who had been standing by while
Dave was reasoning with the commander, and who, Dave thought, seemed
rather to enjoy the story of the negro breaking into the hold of the
prize vessel, came and talked over the side to Dave in a sort of
bantering way.
Dave still asked about his chest--if it was on the commodore's ship,
and if they had opened it. The officer said the chest was on board
their ship, and that they had opened it and taken a note of the
contents.
"Then," said Dave, "I am sure you would not find anything that would
be of any value to you, or afford you any information whatever."
"Oh, I beg your pardon," said the officer; "we have got some valuable
information. We have got your carte, and also the figure-heads of
some of your blockade-running friends, so that we will be able to
identify them when we come across them."
"Oh, you ought not to keep them," said Dave; "they don't belong to
me, and these gentlemen will be annoyed."
"Oh, tell them to make themselves easy," returned the officer. "We
will be very glad to recognize both you and them when we get hold of
either of you, and these cartes will greatly assist us in tracing
you. In the meantime you can inform Captain M. and Captain W. that
their cartes, along with yours, will be honoured with a place in the
'Rogues' Gallery' in New York."
The lieutenant's things were now in the boat, and she shoved off.
When at a certain distance from the fleet the white flags on the boat
and on the ships were hauled down, and the truce was ended. Soon
after, Dave came laughing to tell me about the honourable place where
my carte was to be hung up.
Notwithstanding the danger of the undertaking, Dave determined to
bring his vessel, which was lying in Brazos River, through to
Galveston by way of St. Louis Pass. To do this it would be necessary
to come out of the Brazos River into the open sea, and run along the
coast about eight miles and enter the pass. He chose night to make
the run, and succeeded in entering the pass before daylight; but he
was still about twenty miles from Galveston, up a narrow channel,
with nothing but a low, sandy point betwixt it and the sea. Over
this the vessel could be easily seen from seawards, and the cruisers,
recognizing the hated craft which had brought a disgrace upon them,
displayed their revenge by opening fire upon her, which they
continued the whole day as the vessel worked her way up the narrow
channel.
I was watching the proceedings, and I am certain that one half of the
shot which was fired at her, had it been put into her hold, would
have sunk her by its weight. But as the land lay between the vessel
and the sea her hull could not be seen, but only her masts, and she
was not easy to hit, and not many of the shots took effect.
Nevertheless, from such a prolonged firing she was considerably cut
up, and I thought she could never be made fit to go to sea again.
She was, however, sold and fitted up again, and took out a cargo of
cotton to Tampico. I certainly should not have liked to have gone
upon her.
It was now about the middle of June, and I had nothing before me but
to remain idle for about two months. The weather was intensely hot,
and there was not a breath of wind. The vessel, however, lay in
fresh water, where her bottom would not get damaged by sea-worms,
which are so destructive in these seas to the bottoms of vessels
which are not sheathed.
One of the first things I did after discharging was to have the
vessel careened and scraped down as far as possible, but owing to the
flat model of the vessel and her extraordinary stability it was
impossible to careen her very far. The men were employed in
overhauling the rigging, and doing any necessary repairs, and putting
everything in good order, but there was much time to spare. I spent
some of the time in looking around the country, of which I do not
mean here to give a description.
During the time we lay, one or two schooners got into Galveston Bay,
but several others were captured in making the attempt. The first
that got in was the _Mary Elizabeth_, Captain Shaeffer, who had
sailed with us out of the Brazos River last trip, but he had not been
to Havana, but came from Vera Cruz, and got in by St. Louis Pass.
Two steamers also got in during that time--about the first arrivals
of steamers in Galveston. Another steamer had attempted, but was
captured.