AFTER BLOCKADE-RUNNERS
On arrival at Murrell Inlet, we sought the wooden buoy, and got it on
board; the line was put through the hawse-pipe, and we all tugged at it
until we got hold of the chain, when that was put around the windlass
and the anchor hove up. Having had enough of that locality, we anchored
farther out to sea in deeper water. In a couple of weeks, our nearest
neighbour, the gun-boat at Georgetown Bay, brought us our mail and some
fresh beef. They had a tale of woe to unfold. It seems they had captured
a small schooner and made use of it as a pleasure yacht. One night it
had broken adrift and stranded on some sand shoals. They had intended,
some pleasant day, to fasten a rope to it and have the gun-boat pull it
off, but they sorrowfully stated that the "--- rebs had burned it up."
We hadn't a word to say. It was the Old Abe.
The enemy was in the habit of making night attacks on our vessels
whenever they had the opportunity. It would have been an easy matter for
them to send small boats and men from Charleston overland and make
things quite lively for us. To prevent any surprise party coming on
board, we put up the "boarding nettings" and kept men on guard in
different parts of the brig. George Brinsmaid, one of the coloured men
on board, was useless for going aloft, or anything else, for that
matter, so he had extra guard duty to perform. He was given a loaded
rifle and stationed at the port gangway. It made no difference how often
the officer of the deck would go to him, that fellow was sure to be
found asleep. I had bucketful after bucketful of water thrown on him
during my watch, but it had no perceptible effect in keeping him awake,
for he was constitutionally sleepy. The fact that he was so useless
formed circumstances which resulted in his death.
I had become quite tired of doing nothing but fishing, so I asked the
captain if I could take the "dingey," the smallest boat on a man-of-war,
and with two men go into the Inlet on an exploring expedition. He was
desirous to have me go and find out if any vessels were in there, and,
selecting two volunteers from the crew, we were ready to leave the brig
about daylight. The boat was landed close to the southern point at the
entrance to the Inlet. I walked cautiously around the nearest house
without finding any footprints in the soft, white sand. That convinced
me that no one was in the house. Getting into the boat, I had the men
row slowly into the Inlet, the high, dry, soft marsh grass concealing us
from view of any one who might be in that locality. At the southern end
of the Inlet we saw a schooner, which probably had run the blockade,
and, as it was not prudent just then, we proceeded no farther in that
direction; the northern branch was also explored, but nothing was to be
found there. We had been absent from the brig nearly four hours; the
captain had become uneasy on our account and had taken the first cutter
with an armed crew to look for us. We met him at the entrance to the
Inlet. When told of what we had seen, he concluded to go ashore himself
on the northern point. There we managed to shoot a couple of razor-back
hogs that had been feeding on the beach. We raised such a rumpus that
the rebel cavalry were making preparations to give us a warm reception.
Their camp was in the woods about a mile from the beach. We could see
them saddling their horses and acting in an excited manner. We found out
afterward that the rebels had only sixteen men in camp at that time.
Having had all the fun and exercise we wanted on shore, and out of
respect to the rebels, we got into the boats and returned to the brig.
A few nights afterward, we discovered a boat nearing the vessel. Hailing
it, we were informed that some refugees wished to come on board. Consent
being given, they came alongside, and, after asking a few questions, we
allowed them to come on board. There were eight men in the party, all
desirous of joining the Federal army. Their boat being old and leaky, we
destroyed it. They gave us what information they could about the rebels.
Two regiments of Georgia cavalry were guarding the coast, being divided
into squads of sixteen to twenty men each, each squad a couple of miles
distant from the other. The schooner had run the blockade some time
previous, having brought in a general cargo of merchandise. As we were
anxious to know all about the schooner, it was decided that Ensign
Arrants and myself should take the first cutter, with the crew well
armed, and land at daybreak on the beach. By walking across the land
which separated the end of the Inlet from the beach, we would be safer
than rowing the boat into the narrow Inlet. We landed without being seen
by the rebels, and, getting on the schooner, we soon ascertained that
preparations were being made to run the blockade with a cargo of
turpentine. If we had only burned the old schooner there and then, it
would have been a wise act on our part. As my instructions were not to
destroy it, if there was any probability of its preparing for leaving
the Inlet, I reluctantly ordered the men back to the boat and returned
to the brig. A house was near the schooner in which was stored a large
quantity of the turpentine, and some of the cavalry slept there, as we
were informed by some of the refugees. By setting fire to everything we
could have done considerable damage, besides capturing some prisoners.
Captain Gregory was in favour of letting the schooner run out and then
taking her as a prize, for turpentine was very valuable at that time and
prize-money would make quite an addition to our pay.
About every week Arrants and myself would take a boat with six men and
land on the southern point at the deserted house. By climbing I would
get on the roof, and by the aid of powerful marine glasses I could see
what progress was being made with loading on the schooner. Our last
reconnoitring expedition nearly resulted in serious disaster. This time
we had landed on the north point first. Arrants and I each had a rifle,
but the six men forming the boat's crew were unarmed. While walking
between the sand dunes, we espied a razor-back sow with two young pigs.
I shot at the sow as she was running away. The bullet ploughed a deep
gash in her back, which only increased her speed. We did not get her,
but did capture the two little pigs alive. We were laughing and the
porkers squealing, when I happened to look around and discovered a
couple of mounted Confederates behind one of the sand dunes. They
probably thought the boat's crew was armed, and for that reason did not
attack it. However, we lost no time in getting into the boat with our
pigs. The sand dunes are pyramids of sand from fifteen to twenty feet in
height, and are caused by the strong winds drifting the dry, white sand
on the beach. If those two men had had spunk enough, by keeping behind
the dunes they could have made it very unpleasant for us in the boat, as
the Inlet was not over fifty yards in width. We then landed on the
southern point a distance from the house and, telling the crew to row
slowly up the beach, pursued our investigations. We had reason to
believe some one had been watching us, as there were fresh footprints in
the sand leading from the deserted building to the one near the
schooner, about half a mile distant.
When we got to the house I told Arrants that I would get on the house
and take a look at the blockade-runner. The building stood on piles
about six feet in height and, as the steps leading to the house were
gone, it was necessary for me to do some climbing. I turned around to
give my rifle to Arrants, and just then caught sight of about twenty
cavalrymen coming from the other house towards us, and they seemed to be
in a big hurry about it, too. We Yankees did not have any particular
business to detain us there, so we made a hasty retreat for the boat.
The latter was about fifty feet from the shore. I told the men to pull
in quick. Arrants and myself ran into the water about knee deep. We
caught the boat and stopped it from coming any farther. My companion and
I then got into the craft in a very undignified style for officers. If
the enemy had come right up to us they could have captured us without
firing a shot, as we should have been perfectly helpless. Instead of
doing so, they dismounted at the edge of the sand dunes and fired quite
an assortment of lead at us from rifles, double-barrelled shotguns, and
old-fashioned muskets carrying large bullets with three buckshot
additional. They made us fellows feel nervous with their careless
shooting. While the Southerners were shooting, we had to turn the boat
completely around and head out to sea. The man with the bow oar tried to
push the bow around by putting the blade of the oar on the hard sandy
bottom and shoving it, and was so energetic that the oar snapped in two.
At last we got around, and for a few minutes some good sprinting was
done.
The coxswain in the stern then had the best chance of being struck by
the bullets, and doubled himself in a way that would have aroused the
envy of a contortionist. The men at the oars laid as low as possible for
them to row. I was shoved out at full length, shoving at the stroke oar
while the men pulled. Arrants was doing the same thing with the second
oar. My left cheek was badly stung in different places--I supposed at
first by buckshot--but a rifle ball had struck the handle of the oar on
which I was shoving, and, my head being close to it, the splinters from
the dry ash wood had struck in my face. That bullet had just barely
missed my head. As soon as we got out of the range of the buckshot,
Arrants and myself returned the fire with our rifles. The Confederates
then quickly took their horses and got behind the sand dunes. The battle
was over. One of our men had his right eyelid grazed by a buckshot just
enough for a single drop of blood to ooze out. A rifle bullet went
through the stern of the boat, passing between the coxswain's legs,
thence between the whole boat's crew, until it reached the man in the
bow, where it passed his left side and elbow, removing some cuticle from
each. That fellow was scared, sure enough, at first, but after we pulled
his shirt off to stop the blood and found the skin was only peeled off,
he concluded to live a little while longer. It was a miracle that every
one of us was not killed or seriously wounded. We were in a compact
space and the enemy had nothing in the way of a counter-fire to prevent
taking deliberate aim.
We got back to the brig, and handed up our prize pigs for Christmas
gifts, then told of our adventure with the rebels. The boat was hoisted
up and inspected. It had twenty-two buckshot marks, and was pierced
through and through by six bullets. My face was badly spotted by the
splinters from the oar. We were all congratulated upon our narrow
escape. Captain Gregory vowed vengeance on the Southerners for their
conduct, and, that night, plans were arranged for the next day to "carry
the war into Africa." Then we went to bed, excepting those on duty.
Next morning at eight o'clock we tried again and sailed as close to the
beach as possible and anchored. An officer was stationed aloft with a
pair of marine glasses, that he might see over the sand dunes and have a
good view of the rebel schooner. For three hours we tried to put a
shell into the blockade-runner with our guns, but could not do so on
account of the sand dunes interfering with our range. At twelve o'clock
Captain Gregory decided to land a boat's crew; and that was his mistake
No. 3. We all well knew there would be resistance offered to our
landing, under the circumstances, but I received orders to set fire to
the schooner, and therefore had nothing to say. Sixteen of the best men
were selected and armed with rifles, and to each was also given a navy
revolver, or else a boarding-pistol, carrying an ounce bullet. Arrants
was ordered to assist me. The paymaster, a new officer from Boston,
volunteered his services, for he thought he would have a picnic, and,
besides, his admiring friends had presented him with an expensive sword
and revolver, and these weapons he intended taking back home with him
all covered with rebel gore. We three officers carried a whole
arsenal--sword, rifle, and revolver. As we expected to meet not more
than twenty Confederates, we felt confident of victory, especially as
we were better armed and could load our guns more rapidly, having
improved cartridges. The enemy had to tear the paper on theirs with
their teeth, while ours could be used without that process, as they were
encased in combustible paper.