BURNING THE GRAIN FLEET.
A week of tempestuous weather followed. The prisoners from the last two
prizes occupied the open deck, with no other shelter than an improvised
tent made from a sail. They were frequently drenched by driving rain or by
the waves which washed over the deck, and often awoke at night with their
bodies half under water. The seamen of the Alabama, who bunked below, were
not much better off, for the main deck above them leaked like a sieve. A
few days of pleasant weather were occupied in calking the decks.
The ship was now far to the westward of Flores and at no great distance
from the banks of Newfoundland. On the morning of October 3d two sails
were seen. The wind was light; both the strangers approached with all
sails set, and apparently without the slightest suspicion of any danger.
When within a few hundred yards the Alabama fired a gun and ran up the
Confederate flag. There was nothing to be done but to surrender. The
prizes proved to be the Brilliant and the Emily Farnum, both conveying
cargoes of grain and flour from New York to England. The boarding officer
clambered up the side of the Brilliant and ordered Captain Hagar to go on
board the Alabama with his ship's papers. Having been shown into the cabin
of the cruiser, the master was subjected to a sharp cross-examination, in
the course of which he said that part of his cargo was on English account.
"Do you take me for a d--d fool?" demanded Captain Semmes. "Where are the
proofs that part of your cargo is on English account?"
The papers not having any consular certificates attached, were not
accepted as proof of foreign ownership. The beautiful vessel, containing
all the worldly wealth of her captain, who owned a one-third interest in
her, was doomed to destruction.
The master of the Emily Farnum was more fortunate. His ship's papers
showed conclusively that the cargo was owned in England, and was therefore
not subject to seizure. He was ordered to take on board his vessel the
crew of the Brilliant and also the suffering prisoners on the Alabama and
proceed on his voyage. The Brilliant was then set on fire. Fullam wrote in
his diary:
It seemed a fearful thing to burn such a cargo as the Brilliant had,
when I thought how the Lancashire operatives would have danced for
joy had they it shared among them. I never saw a vessel burn with
such brilliancy, the flames completely enveloping the masts, hull and
rigging in a few minutes, making a sight as grand as it was
appalling.
The Alabama was now in the principal highway of commerce between America
and Europe. English, French, Prussian, Hamburg and other flags were
displayed at her summons upon the passing merchant vessels. If any doubt
arose as to the nationality of any vessel, she was boarded and her master
compelled to produce his papers. Masters' Mate Evans was an adept in
determining the nationality of merchant ships. Captain Semmes soon learned
that if Evans reported after a look through the glass, "She's Yankee,
sir," he was absolutely sure of a prize if he could get within gunshot;
and conversely, when Evans said, "Not Yankee, sir; think she's English,
sir," (or French or Spanish as the case might be), it was a waste of time
to continue in pursuit, for to whatever nation she might prove to belong,
she was invariably a neutral of some kind.
[Illustration: MASTER'S MATE G. T. FULLAM.]
On October 7th the bark Wave Crest, with grain for Cardiff, Wales, ran
into the Alabama's net. She was used as a target, and in the evening was
burned. The deceptive glare proved a decoy for the brigantine Dunkirk,
also grain laden, bound for Lisbon, and she, too, was fired. One of the
crew of the Dunkirk was recognized as George Forest, who had deserted from
the Sumter when she lay at Cadiz some ten months previously. He was duly
tried by court-martial and sentenced to serve without pay. This was found
later to be a grievous mistake. Forest was a born mutineer, was a glib
talker, and acquired great influence among the crew. Had he possessed the
added qualification of being able to hold his tongue, the career of the
Alabama might some day have been suddenly cut short. But having already
had his pay sacrificed, and so, as he said, having nothing to lose, he was
often openly defiant, and was constantly undergoing punishment of one sort
or another.
The next capture was that of the fine packet ship Tonawanda, bound from
Philadelphia to Liverpool with a large cargo of grain and about
seventy-five passengers, nearly half of whom were women and children.
Captain Semmes was in a dilemma. The Alabama was already crowded with
prisoners. But he was reluctant to release so valuable a vessel. A prize
crew was put on board, in the hope that the passengers and crew might be
transferred to some ship having a neutral cargo, or one of less value than
the Tonawanda. Her captain was sent aboard the Alabama as a precautionary
measure, and the prisoners of the Wave Crest and Dunkirk transferred to
the prize.
The next victim was the fine large ship Manchester. A bond for $80,000 was
now exacted from the captain of the Tonawanda, and having added the crew
of the Manchester to the crowds on his ship, he was suffered to proceed on
his way, much to the delight of his passengers. The Manchester was given
to the flames. October 15th the Lamplighter, with tobacco for Gibraltar,
was captured and burned. The weather was rough and boarding somewhat
dangerous, but the capture and burning were effected without accident.
* * * * *
The newspapers found on the prizes kept Captain Semmes informed in regard
to the events of the war and often gave the whereabouts of the Northern
cruisers which he wished to avoid. The escape of the "290" was known in
New York, but that she would develop in so short a time into the pest of
the Atlantic was not thought of. The tactics of Captain Semmes were always
the same. A false flag was invariably used until the victim got within
striking distance, and then hauled down, to be replaced by the stars and
bars. For this purpose flags of various nations were used--French,
Spanish, Portuguese and the like, and often that of the United States; but
the one most frequently employed was that of Great Britain.
The crew of the Alabama taken as a whole were a turbulent lot. Boarding
officers had little or no control over their boats' crews. Knowing that
the guns of the Alabama would answer for their safety, they would rush
below like a gang of pirates, staving open chests and boxes and carrying
off anything that took their fancy. The clothing and personal effects of
sailors were often heartlessly destroyed After being transferred to the
Alabama, however, the prisoners were comparatively free from this sort of
persecution; and with the exception of being placed in irons, their
treatment seems to have been as good as circumstances permitted. As all
private looting was contrary to the captain's orders, the sailors
belonging to the boarding crews did not often venture to carry anything on
board their own ship which could not readily be concealed. Whisky they
frequently did find, and occasionally one of them had to be hoisted over
the Alabama's side, very much the worse for his explorations among the
liquid refreshments.
Although directly in the path of American commerce and only a few hundred
miles from New York, the United States flag now began to be a rarity.
From the 16th to the 20th of October nine vessels were chased and boarded
and their papers examined, but all of them were neutrals. The reason is
not far to seek. The captain of the Emily Farnum had promised Captain
Semmes as one of the conditions of his release, that he would continue his
voyage to Liverpool; but the moment he was out of sight, he put his ship
about and ran into Boston and gave the alarm. The American shipping
interests throughout the seaboard were thrown into an uproar of terror.
The experience of Captain Tilton in trying to escape in the Virginia had
led him to believe that the Alabama was considerably swifter than she
really was, and extravagant estimates of her speed were accepted as true.
Secretary Welles hastily dispatched all the available warships in search
of the Alabama, but he put too much trust in the report of her probable
future movements, which had been brought in innocently enough by Captain
Hagar, and much valuable time was lost beating up and down the banks of
Newfoundland and the coast of Nova Scotia, while the Alabama had shifted
her position to a point much nearer New York, and thence southward. The
sober second thought of the navy department, that with the advent of cold
weather the Alabama would seek a field of operations farther
south--probably in the West Indies--proved to be correct. But the West
Indies was a very large haystack and the Alabama, comparatively, a very
small needle.
The Northern newspapers found on the prizes were carefully scanned by the
captain and his secretary for valuable information, after which they were
passed on to the other officers in the ward room and steerage and thence
into the hands of the crew. These teemed with denunciation of the
"pirates," and the members of the crew were described as consisting of
"the scum of England," an expression which rankled in the sailor's heart
and for which he took ample vengeance when his opportunity came.
The name of Captain Semmes became a synonym of heartless cruelty. Captain
Tilton said he treated his prisoners and crew like dogs, and Captain
Hagar said that it was his custom to burn his prizes at night, so that he
might gather round him fresh victims among those who sailed toward the
burning ships in order to save human life. The British premier, Lord
Palmerston, and his minister of foreign affairs, Lord John Russell, were
denounced for letting loose such a fire-brand.
The officers and crew were almost universally referred to as pirates.
Indeed, the newspapers had some official warrant for this appellation. In
his proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteers after the capture of Fort
Sumter, President Lincoln had declared "that if any person, under the
pretended authority of said states or under any other pretence shall
molest a vessel of the United States, or the persons or cargo on board of
her, such persons will be held amenable to the laws of the United States
for the prevention and punishment of piracy."
This proclamation may have served the purpose of frightening off a horde
of privateers until the blockading fleets could get into place, but the
position taken was clearly untenable when the Confederacy was recognized
as a beligerant.
Few United States vessels could get cargoes after the presence of the
Alabama off the coast became known. This was true on both sides of the
Atlantic. Ship captains on the coast of Portugal offered in vain to
transport salt free of charge as ballast. American craft which ventured
out took care to have their cargoes well covered with consular
certificates of foreign ownership.
On October 16th several days of bad weather culminated in a cyclone, and
the Alabama was probably saved from foundering by the prompt action of
Lieutenant Low, who was in charge of the deck, and who took the
responsibility of wearing ship without waiting to call the captain. The
main yard was broken and the main topsail torn to shreds.