Take Command of the "Whisper."--High Rates of Freight.--Confederate
Money and Sterling Exchange.--An Investment in Cotton.--The
Ill-fated Ironclad.--The Point Lookout Expedition and its
Failure.--A Faithful Servant and a Narrow Escape.--Futile
Projects.--Wilmington during the War.--Light Houses
reëstablished.--Gloomy Prospects of the South.
Arriving there, after a five or six day's voyage, we found many
blockade-runners at anchor in St. George's harbor; and application was
made to me to take command of one of them, called the "Whisper," just
out from England. She was a fair specimen of her class. Built expressly
for speed and light draft, her frame was very slight, but she was a
capital sea boat, and made several successful trips. There was a
striking contrast, however, between her and the solidly built,
magnificent "Lee." After all arrangements had been completed for the
transportation to the Confederacy of our party, I assumed command of the
little "Whisper," with six or eight of the party as passengers. I
remember my astonishment at learning the rates for freight at this
period. The "Whisper" was loaded and ready for sea, and I was dining
with Mr. Campbell, the agent of the company, when a person asked to see
him upon pressing business. The purpose of the visitor was, to ship by
the Whisper a small lot of medicines. As the vessel was already heavily
laden, Mr. Campbell referred him to me, and I consented to take the box
in the cabin. The freight upon it was £500 sterling![9]
Six blockade-runners, including the Whisper, sailed for Wilmington
within twenty-four hours of each other. The voyage across was stormy,
and the sky so overcast as to compel us to run by dead-reckoning, until
we had crossed the Gulf Stream, early on the third day. We had been
steaming against a strong gale the whole time. These cold north-westers
brought disaster upon many blockade-runners; for blowing over the tepid
water of the Gulf Stream, clouds of vapor would rise like steam, and be
condensed by the cold wind into a fog so dense as to obscure every
object. At such times, the skill and perseverance of the navigator would
be taxed to the utmost. A glimpse of the sun, moon, or north star,
caught through the sextant wet with spray, and brought down to a most
uncertain horizon, would furnish the only means of guidance, where an
error of a few miles in the calculation would probably prove fatal. Upon
reaching soundings on the western edge of the "stream," about eleven
o'clock in the forenoon, we succeeded in catching a glimpse of the sun,
and thus ascertaining our position. The sea was still running very high,
but the weather had moderated considerably, and we found ourselves not
more than forty miles south-east of the western bar. The Whisper had
fared badly, while running in the teeth of the gale; all of our boats,
except one, had been swept from the davits, and the wheel houses had
been stove in. As there was no further necessity to strain the hull and
engines, the little craft was brought near the wind under low steam, and
close-reefed mainsail; riding the long rolling seas like a sea-gull. To
windward the sky-soon became clear, but we took care not to get far
away from the dense fog to leeward of us. We did not see a cruiser,
while we lay for many hours anxiously waiting for night. As the sun set,
the order was given to go at full speed, and before midnight we had
passed safely through the blockading fleet, and had come to anchor off
Smithville. Out of the six steamers which sailed from St. George's, the
Whisper alone succeeded in getting in. Most of them were run ashore, and
their cargoes partially saved; but some fell, intact, into the hands of
the vigilant cruisers.
After a few weeks' service on board the ill-fated ironclad, built in
Wilmington, I was summoned by telegram to Richmond. The Confederate
authorities were then projecting an attempt to release the Point Lookout
prisoners. There appeared to be no insuperable obstacle in the way; and
it was believed that the prisoners, if released, and furnished with
arms, would be able to join the forces under the command of General
Early, then in the vicinity. Two steamers of light draft were to be
loaded with arms, etc., and were to carry, in addition to their crews,
an infantry force under the command of General Custis Lee. In the event
of success, the steamers were to be burned.
On my way to Richmond, my life was saved by the presence of mind of my
faithful servant (Essex,) who accompanied me on a visit to his home in
Virginia. General Wilson had just made a very destructive raid along the
line of the Richmond and Danville Railroad, striking the road at
Burkeville, and effectually damaging it as far as Meherrin Bridge, a
distance of thirty miles or more, where his progress was stopped. He did
not return within General Grant's lines without heavy loss; and when I
arrived at Ream's Station, on the Petersburg and Weldon road, I found
there a strong force of Confederate cavalry, under General Chambliss,
waiting to intercept the retreat. As I was bearer of dispatches from
General Whiting to General Lee, a hand car, with two men to work it, was
detailed for me, and with my servant on board we started to run the
gauntlet between the lines. The distance to be accomplished was about
seven miles, and we had passed over more than half of it, when one of
our "videttes" suddenly made his appearance, and we halted to inquire
about the state of affairs ahead. His report was satisfactory, and we
started again, but had only gone a short distance when we saw a squad of
cavalry, which we supposed to be part of General Wilson's force,
charging rapidly after us. The highway lay close alongside the railroad,
and our pursuers were enveloped in a cloud of dust. The car was stopped,
or rather the men who were working the crank incontinently took to their
heels, and we followed their example. There was a fence a few rods from
the road, which I succeeded in reaching, and over which I jumped, just
before our pursuers overtook us. As they forced their horses over it, I
discovered my friend, the "vidette" among them, who cried out as he saw
me "_That_ is General Wilson, kill him?" and I have not the least doubt
his advice would have been followed, but for Essex, who cried out from a
snug corner, where he was ensconced, "For God's sake, don't shoot! He is
one of your best friends!" They lowered their pistols, and I had an
opportunity to explain matters. My gold watch and chain had probably
excited the cupidity of my friend above mentioned. I admit that I felt
uncharitable towards him, and when I hinted my suspicions of his motives
to the officer in command of the squad, he did not deny the probability
of a cause for them, but seemed to consider me unreasonable in expecting
to find _all_ the virtues in a "high private," who was receiving scanty
fare, and $8 a month in Confederate money! The party escorted us within
the lines.
After all the details of the expedition had been arranged in Richmond,
the naval portion of it was ordered to Wilmington under my command. On
our journey, we followed the route previously pursued by the raiders
from Burkeville to Meherrin Bridge. Nearly every foot of the way was
marked by evidences of the havoc of war; and the air was tainted with
the stench from the dead horses and mules, whose throats had been cut
when they could travel no farther.
There were sufficient reasons why I took no subsequent part in the
expedition, the naval portion of it being placed under the command of
Captain J. T. Wood, of the Confederate States Navy and also one of the
President's aids. It failed, however, owing to the fact that secretly as
all the preparations had been made, information of it was speedily
conveyed to the authorities at Washington, and prompt measures taken to
prevent its success. The steamers had dropped down the Cape Fear River,
and were on the very point of putting to sea when countermanding orders
were telegraphed from Richmond; for the Confederate Government, through
their secret sources of information, had been promptly notified of the
fact that the plot had been betrayed to the United States authorities.
How the Federal Government obtained its intelligence will, perhaps,
forever remain a mystery to the public; but there was a very general
belief in the Confederacy, that an individual near the President was a
paid traitor to the cause.
These futile projects for the release of prisoners, serve to show the
desperate straits to which the Confederacy was reduced, for want of
soldiers.
It was deemed expedient, at this period, to reëstablish the light on
Smith's Island, which had been discontinued ever since the commencement
of hostilities; and to erect a structure for a light on the Mound. At
the beginning of the war, nearly all of the lights along the Southern
coast had been discontinued; the apparatus being removed to places of
safety.
Under special instructions, I was charged with the duties of relighting
the approaches to the Cape Fear River, and of detailing pilots, and
signal officers to the blockade-runners. To provide the means of light,
every blockade-runner was required to bring in a barrel of sperm oil.
In addition to these aids to navigation, the signal stations were
extended farther along the coast, and compulsory service was required of
the pilots. Owing to the constantly increasing vigilance of the
blockading fleet, and the accession to the navy of fast cruisers, many
prizes had been captured of late. Their pilots were, of course, held as
prisoners of war; and the demand for those available for service,
increasing in proportion to their diminished number, there was much
competition between the rival companies, to the great detriment of the
public service.[10] It was considered necessary, therefore, to establish
an office of "Orders and Detail" at Wilmington, whence should proceed
all orders and assignments in relation to pilots and signal officers. In
a short time, the benefit of these arrangements was very perceptible.
The blockade-runners were never delayed for want of a pilot, and the
casualties were much diminished.
The staid old town of Wilmington was turned "topsy turvy" during the
war. Here resorted the speculators from all parts of the South, to
attend the weekly auctions of imported cargoes; and the town was
infested with rogues and desperadoes, who made a livelihood by robbery
and murder. It was unsafe to venture into the suburbs at night, and even
in daylight, there were frequent conflicts in the public streets,
between the crews of the steamers in port and the soldiers stationed in
the town, in which knives and pistols would be freely used; and not
unfrequently a dead body would rise to the surface of the water in one
of the docks with marks of violence upon it. The civil authorities were
powerless to prevent crime. "Inter arma silent leges!" The agents and
employès of the different blockade-running companies, lived in
magnificent style, paying a king's ransom (in Confederate money) for
their household expenses, and nearly monopolizing the supplies in the
country market. Towards the end of the war, indeed, fresh provisions
were almost beyond the reach of every one. Our family servant, newly
arrived from the country in Virginia, would sometimes return from
market with an empty basket, having flatly refused to pay what he called
"such nonsense prices" for a bit of fresh beef, or a handful of
vegetables. A quarter of lamb, at the time of which I now write, sold
for $100, a pound of tea for $500. Confederate money which in September,
1861, was nearly equal to specie in value, had declined in September
1862 to 225; in the same month, in 1863, to 400, and before September,
1864, to 2000!
Many of the permanent residents of the town had gone into the country,
letting their houses at enormous prices; those who were compelled to
remain kept themselves much secluded; the ladies rarely being seen upon
the more public streets. Many of the fast young officers belonging to
the army would get an occasional leave to come to Wilmington; and would
live at free quarters on board the blockade-runners, or at one of the
numerous bachelor halls ashore.
The convalescent soldiers from the Virginia hospitals were sent by the
route through Wilmington to their homes in the South. The ladies of the
town were organized by Mrs. De R. into a society for the purpose of
ministering to the wants of these poor sufferers; the trains which
carried them stopping an hour or two at the depot, that their wounds
might be dressed, and food and medicine supplied to them. These
self-sacrificing, heroic women patiently and faithfully performed the
offices of hospital nurses.
"O! there are angels in this world unheeded,
Who, when their earthly labor is laid down,
Will soar aloft, with pinions unimpeded,
And wear their starry glory like a crown!"
Liberal contributions were made by companies and individuals to this
society, and the long tables at the depot were spread with delicacies
for the sick, to be found nowhere else in the Confederacy. The remains
of the meals were carried by the ladies to a camp of mere
boys--homeguards outside of the town. Some of these children were
scarcely able to carry a musket, and were altogether unable to endure
the exposure and fatigues of field service; and they suffered fearfully
from measles, and typhoid fever. General Grant used a strong figure of
speech, when he asserted, that "the cradle and the grave were robbed, to
recruit the Confederate armies." The fact of a fearful drain upon the
population was scarcely exaggerated, but with this difference in the
metaphor, that those who were verging upon both the cradle and the
grave, shared the hardships and dangers of war, with equal self-devotion
to the cause. It is true that a class of heartless speculators infested
the country, who profited by the scarcity of all sorts of supplies, but
it makes the self-sacrifice of the mass of the Southern people more
conspicuous, and no State made more liberal voluntary contributions to
the armies, or furnished better soldiers, than North Carolina.
When General A. P. Hill asked for the promotion of some of his officers
in June, 1863, the President laid down the rule of selection for the
guidance of the Secretary of War, viz: "the State which had the greatest
number of regiments should be entitled to the choice of positions; to be
taken from the candidates of its citizens, according to qualifications,"
etc. It appeared that North Carolina stood first on the list, Virginia
second, Georgia third, etc.
On the opposite side of the river from Wilmington, on a low marshy flat,
were erected the steam cotton presses, and there the blockade-runners
took in their cargoes. Sentries were posted on the wharves, day and
night, to prevent deserters from getting on board, and stowing
themselves away; and the additional precaution of fumigating the outward
bound steamers at Smithville, was adopted; but in spite of this
vigilance, many persons succeeded in getting a free passage abroad.
These deserters, or "stowaways," were in most instances sheltered by one
or more of the crew; in which event they kept their places of
concealment until the steamer had arrived at her port of destination,
when they would profit by the first opportunity to leave the vessel
undiscovered. A small bribe would tempt the average blockade-running
sailor to connive at this means of escape. The "impecunious" deserter
fared more hardly; and would, usually, be forced by hunger and thirst to
emerge from his hiding place, while the steamer was on the outward
voyage. A cruel device, employed by one of the captains, effectually put
a stop, I believe, certainly a check to the escape of this class of
"stowaways." He turned three or four of them adrift in the Gulf Stream,
in an open boat, with a pair of oars, and a few days' allowance of bread
and water.
The ironclad, to which I had been attached for a short time, made her
first and last essay while I was on special duty at Wilmington. Having
crossed New Inlet Bar early one morning, she steamed at her best speed
towards the blockading-fleet, which kept beyond the range of her guns
with much ease. After "raising the blockade" for an hour or two, she
steamed back across the bar, grounded upon the "rip," broke her back,
and doubtless remains there to this day, buried fathoms deep in the
quicksands.
The prospects of the South were growing more and more gloomy with each
succeeding day; and the last hopes of the country now rested upon that
gallant army of Northern Virginia, which, under its great captain, still
confronted General Grant's forces around Petersburg. It is easy now by
the light of subsequent events to censure Mr. Davis for the removal of
General Johnston from the command of the army in Georgia; but who does
not remember how, previous to that unfortunate measure, the whole
Southern press, almost without an exception, were urging it? It may be
that the President was not indisposed to gratify his inclination, and at
the same time appease the public. I do not presume to express an opinion
on this point; being no partisan of either, but a sincere admirer of
both these distinguished individuals, and crediting both with strict
veracity and unselfish honesty of purpose. But the fact remains that the
press teemed with articles denouncing General Johnston's retrograde
movements. A spurious telegram, concocted by some facetious editor, to
the effect that General Johnston had ordered means of transportation for
his army to Nassau, was circulated through all the newspapers for the
public amusement. But the old army officers were shocked at the
intelligence of his removal from command. When the fact was officially
announced, all of them, whom I had an opportunity of hearing speak upon
the subject, expressed the gravest fears of the consequences; General
Whiting, especially, declaring his conviction that it was a fatal
measure; and it is certain that General Johnston's army was
enthusiastically devoted to him; officers and men, with few exceptions,
reposing unbounded confidence in him.
Concurrent testimony has since conclusively proven how grave a mistake
was committed. General Hooker, who served in that campaign under General
Sherman, writes "This retreat was so masterly, that I regard it as a
useful lesson for study for all persons who may hereafter elect for
their calling the profession of arms." "The news that General Johnston
had been removed from the command of the army opposed to us, was
received by our officers with universal rejoicing." "One of the
prominent historians of the Confederacy ascribes the misfortunes of the
'Lost Cause' to the relief of General Johnston. I do not think this, but
it certainly contributed materially to hasten its collapse." Indeed the
Confederate Government seems subsequently to have admitted its mistake,
and the injustice inflicted upon General Johnston, by reinstating him in
the command of the "army of the South," and with orders "to concentrate
all available forces, and drive back Sherman." This, however, was not
till February, 1865, when the "available forces" amounted to about
16,000 men, and General Sherman's army of 70,000, had reached the State
of North Carolina unopposed. When General Johnston turned over the
command to General Hood, the army consisted of 36,900 infantry 3,750
artillery, and 9,970 cavalry, a total of 50,620 well equipped troops.
"In returning from its disastrous expedition against Nashville, the army
of Tennessee had halted in north-eastern Mississippi. A large
proportion of these troops were then furloughed by General Hood, and
went to their homes. When General Sherman's army invaded South Carolina,
General Beauregard ordered those remaining on duty to repair to that
State * * * The remaining troops of that army were coming through
Georgia in little parties * * * at least two-thirds of the arms of these
troops had been lost in Tennessee."[11] In General Johnston's Narrative,
page 351, he says "The troops themselves, who had been seventy-four days
in the immediate presence of the enemy, laboring and fighting daily;
enduring trial and encountering dangers with equal cheerfulness; more
confident and high-spirited even than when the Federal army presented
itself before them at Dalton; and though I say it, full of devotion to
him who had commanded them, and belief of ultimate success in the
campaign, were then inferior to none who ever served the Confederacy, or
fought on the Continent," and on page 356: "I believed then, as firmly
as I do now, that the system pursued was the only one at my command,
that promised success, and that, if adhered to, would have given us
success." Many among those most competent to judge entertained the same
conviction. His removal from the command was, indeed, a mortal blow to
the cause.
FOOTNOTES:
[9] Mr. Campbell had given me a bill of exchange for just this amount to
take command of the steamer during the inward trip. As the Whisper
belonged to a private company, I accepted the bonus without scruple.
What became of it, and the value of Confederate currency at that time
may be seen by the following--
"Invoice of 123 bales cotton purchased and stored at Columbus, Georgia,
for account of
Captain John Wilkinson.
Feb. 27, 1864. By W. W. Garrard.
2 Bales weighing 1,085 lbs.
4 " " 2,219
5 " " 3,241
5 " " 2,655
107 " " 52,833
------
62,033 at 72-5/8 $45,051 46
CHARGES.
State tax on investment, $225 26
Commission for purchasing. 2252 57
C. S. war tax 337 89
2815 72
-------
E. & O. E. $47,867 18
Signed, POWER, LOW & CO.
Wilmington, March 2, 1864.
Captain J. Wilkinson
In acc. with POWER, LOW & CO.
March 2, 1864. To Invoice 123 bales cotton
at Columbus, Georgia, 47,867 18
Cr.
Feb. 17. By proceeds W. L. Campbell's
Exchange on London £500 at 2100 46,666 66
---------
Wilmington, Balance due us, $1,200 52
March 2, 1864. Signed, POWER, LOW & CO.
"The cotton was destroyed at the very close of the war by a party of
raiders commanded, I believe, by General Wilson. If he were the same
individual for whom I was once mistaken (as will be seen in the sequel)
he served me two very ill turns."
[10] One or two agents of the blockade-running companies were opposed to
any project for increasing the facilities of entrance to or exit from
Wilmington. The profits were of course proportionate to the risks, and
these heartless worshipers of Mammon, having secured the services of the
best captains and pilots, would have rejoiced to see every
blockade-runner, but their own, captured. They protested vehemently, but
unavailingly, against interference with their pilots.
[11] General Johnston's Narrative page 374. It appears from the same
distinguished authority that of all that gallant array not more than
5,000 were ever reassembled; and a large portion of these continued
without arms to the end of the war.