An ex-Confederate officer describing Wilmington during the blockade,
among many interesting things, said the following:
"Owing to the configuration of the coast it was almost impossible to
effect a close blockade. The Cape Fear had two mouths, Old Inlet, at
the entrance of which Fort Caswell stands, and New Inlet, nine miles
up the river, where Fort Fisher guarded the entrance. From the station
off Old Inlet, where there were usually from five to six blockaders,
around to the station off New Inlet, a vessel would have to make an
arc of some fifty miles, owing to the Frying Pan Shoals intervening,
while from Caswell across to Fisher was only nine miles. The plan of
the blockade runners coming in was to strike the coast thirty or forty
miles above or below the inlets, and then run along (of course at
night) until they got under the protection of the forts. Sometimes they
got in or out by boldly running through the blockading fleet, but that
was hazardous; for, if discovered, the ocean was alive with rockets and
lights, and it was no pleasant thing to have shells and balls whistling
over you and around you. The chances were then that if you were not
caught you had, in spite of your speed, to throw a good many bales of
cotton overboard.
"The wreck of these blockade runners not infrequently occurred by
being stranded or beached, and highly diverting skirmishes would
occur between the blockaders and the garrisons of the forts for the
possession. The fleet, however, never liked the Whitworth guns we had,
which shot almost with the accuracy of a rifle and with a tremendous
range. The soldiers generally managed to wreck the stranded vessel
successfully, though often-times with great peril and hardship. It
mattered very little to the owners then who got her, as they did
not see much of what was recovered--the soldiers thinking they were
entitled to what they got at the risk of their lives. But a wreck was
a most demoralizing affair. The whole garrison generally got drunk and
stayed drunk for a week or so afterwards. Brandy and fine wines flowed
like water; and it was a month perhaps before matters could be got
straight. Many accumulated snug little sums from the misfortunes of the
blockade runners, who generally denounced such pillage as piracy; but
it could not be helped.
"We recollect the wrecking of the _Ella_, off Bald Head, in December,
1864. She belonged to the Bee Company, of Charleston, and was a
splendid new steamer, on her second trip in, with a large and valuable
cargo almost entirely owned by private parties and speculators. She
was chased ashore by the blockading fleet, and immediately abandoned
by her officers and crew, whom nothing would induce to go back in
order to save her cargo. Yankee shells flying over, and through, and
around her, had no charms for these sons of Neptune. Captain Badham,
however, and his company, the Edenton (N. C.) Battery, with Captain
Bahnson, a fighting Quaker from Salem, N.C., boarded and wrecked her
under the fire of the Federals, six shells passing through the _Ella_
while they were removing her cargo. The consequence was that for a
month afterwards nearly the whole garrison was on 'a tight,' and
groceries and dry goods were plentiful in that vicinity. The general
demoralization produced by 'London Dock' and 'Hollands' seemed even to
have affected that holy man, the chaplain, who said some very queer
graces at the headquarters mess table."