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ADMIRAL RAPHAEL SEMMES,
ADMIRAL RAPHAEL SEMMES,
OF THE LATE CONFEDERATE STATES NAVY, Author of “Service Afloat and Ashore, during the Mexican War.” Illustrated with Steel Engraved Portraits and Six Engravings from Original Designs printed in Chromo-Tints. BALTIMORE: KELLY, PIET & CO., 174 Baltimore Street . NEW YORK, L. P. LEVY; LOUISVILLE, KY., F. I. DIBBLE & CO.; ST. LOUIS, MO., J. HART & CO.; RICHMOND, VA., R. T. TAYLOR; NEW ORLEANS, LA., C. W. JARRATT; SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., H. H. BANCROFT & CO. LONDON: RICHA
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
A number of publications have appeared, first and last, concerning the author and his career, as was naturally to have been expected. The Alabama was the first steamship in the history of the world—the defective little Sumter excepted—that was let loose against the commerce of a great commercial people. The destruction which she caused was enormous. She not only alarmed the enemy, but she alarmed all the other nations of the earth which had commerce afloat, as they could not be sure that a simil
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CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER I.
A BRIEF HISTORICAL RETROSPECT. The disruption of the American Union by the war of 1861 was not an unforeseen event. Patrick Henry, and other patriots who struggled against the adoption of the Federal Constitution by the Southern States, foretold it in burning words of prophecy; and when that instrument was adopted, when the great name and great eloquence of James Madison had borne down all opposition, Henry and his compatriots seemed particularly anxious that posterity should be informed of the
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CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER II.
THE NATURE OF THE AMERICAN COMPACT. The two principal expounders of the Constitution of the United States, in the North, have been Daniel Webster and Joseph Story, both from Massachusetts. Webster was, for a long time, a Senator in Congress, and Story a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. The latter has written an elaborate work on the Constitution, full of sophistry, and not always very reliable as to its facts. The great effort of both these men has been to prove, that the Const
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CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER III.
FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOWN TO 1830, BOTH THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH HELD THE CONSTITUTION TO BE A COMPACT BETWEEN THE STATES. One of the great difficulties in arguing the question of the relative power of the States and of the Federal Government, consists in the fact that the present generation has grown up under the shadow of the great Federal monster, and has been blinded by its giant proportions. They see around them all the paraphernalia and power of a great government—i
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CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER IV.
WAS SECESSION TREASON? A few more words, and we shall be in a condition to answer the question which stands at the head of this chapter. Being a legal question, it will depend entirely upon the constitutional right the Southern States may have had to withdraw from the Union, without reference to considerations of expediency, or of moral right; these latter will be more appropriately considered, when we come to speak of the causes which impelled the Southern States to the step. I have combated ma
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CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER V.
ANOTHER BRIEF HISTORICAL RETROSPECT. In the previous chapters, I have given a brief outline of the history and formation of the Federal Constitution, proving, by abundant reference to the Fathers, and to the instrument itself, that it was the intention of the former to draft, and that they did draft, a federal compact of government, which compact was “ordained, and established,” by the States, in their sovereign capacity, and not by the people of the United States, in the aggregate, as one natio
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CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VI.
THE QUESTION OF SLAVERY, AS IT AFFECTED SECESSION. Great pains have been taken, by the North, to make it appear to the world, that the war was a sort of moral, and religious crusade against slavery. Such was not the fact. The people of the North were, indeed, opposed to slavery, but merely because they thought it stood in the way of their struggle for empire. I think it safe to affirm, that if the question had stood upon moral, and religious grounds alone, the institution would never have been i
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CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VII.
THE FORMATION OF THE CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT, AND THE RESIGNATION OF OFFICERS OF THE FEDERAL ARMY AND NAVY. As I am not writing a history of the war, but only of a very small portion of the war, it cannot be expected that I will follow events in a connected train. I have detained the reader, so far, as to give him a continuous, though hasty glance, of the causes of the war, but having brought him down to the final rupture of the sections, I must leave him to supply for himself many a link, here a
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CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER VIII.
AUTHOR PROCEEDS TO MONTGOMERY, AND REPORTS TO THE NEW GOVERNMENT, AND IS DISPATCHED NORTHWARD, ON A SPECIAL MISSION. On the evening of the 16th of February, the day after I had resigned my commission, I took a sorrowful leave of my family, and departed for Montgomery, by the way of Fredericksburg and Richmond. Virginia and North Carolina had not yet seceded, and anxious debates were going on, on the all-absorbing question, in each town and village in these two States, through which I passed. It
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CHAPTER IX.
CHAPTER IX.
THE COMMISSIONING OF THE SUMTER, THE FIRST CONFEDERATE STATES’ SHIP OF WAR. Fort Sumter surrendered on the 13th of April. The next day was a gala day in Montgomery. We had driven an insolent enemy from one of the strongest positions in the South, and the people were all agog to hear the news. A large Confederate flag was displayed from a balcony of the War Office, and the Hon. L. P. Walker, the Secretary of War, announced in a brief speech, to the assembled multitude below, amid repeated cheerin
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CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER X.
THE PREPARATION OF THE SUMTER FOR SEA—SHE DROPS DOWN BETWEEN THE FORTS JACKSON, AND ST. PHILIP—RECEIVES HER SAILING ORDERS—LIST OF OFFICERS. A great change was apparent in New Orleans since I had last visited it. The levée in front of the city was no longer a great mart of commerce, piled with cotton bales, and supplies going back to the planter; densely packed with steamers, and thronged with a busy multitude. The long lines of shipping above the city had been greatly thinned, and a general air
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CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER XI.
AFTER LONG WAITING AND WATCHING, THE SUMTER RUNS THE BLOCKADE OF THE MISSISSIPPI, IN OPEN DAYLIGHT, PURSUED BY THE BROOKLYN. Whilst we were lying at our anchors between the forts, as described in the last chapter, Governor Moore of Louisiana, who had done good service to the Confederacy, by seizing the forts, and arsenals in his State, in advance of secession, and the Hon. John Slidell, lately returned from his seat in the Federal Senate, and other distinguished gentlemen came down, on a visit o
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CHAPTER XII.
CHAPTER XII.
BRIEF SKETCH OF THE OFFICERS OF THE SUMTER—HER FIRST PRIZE, WITH OTHER PRIZES, IN QUICK SUCCESSION—HER FIRST PORT. Captain Poor , the commander of the Brooklyn , was greatly censured by his Government, for permitting the escape of the Sumter . It was even hinted that there had been treason, in the engine-room of the Brooklyn , as one or more of the engineers had been heard to express sentiments favorable to the South. There was no truth, of course, in this report. It had its origin in the brain
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CHAPTER XIII.
CHAPTER XIII.
RAPID WORK—SEVEN PRIZES IN TWO DAYS—THE SUMTER MAKES HER FIRST PORT, AND WHAT OCCURRED THERE. We burned the Golden Rocket , as has been seen, on the 3d of July. The next day was the “glorious Fourth”—once glorious, indeed, as the day on which a people broke the chains of a government which had bound them against their will, and vindicated the principle of self-government as an inalienable right; but since desecrated by the same people, who have scorned, and spat upon the record made by their fat
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CHAPTER XIV.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE SUMTER ON THE WING AGAIN—IS PUT UNDER SAIL FOR THE TIME—REACHES THE ISLAND OF CURAÇOA, AND IS ONLY ABLE TO ENTER AFTER A DIPLOMATIC FIGHT. From what has been said in the last chapter, the reader will have observed how anxious I was to conform my conduct, in all respects, to the laws of war. My hope was, that some of the nations of the earth, at least, would give me an asylum for my prizes, so that I might have them formally condemned by the Confederate States Prize Courts, instead of being o
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CHAPTER XV.
CHAPTER XV.
THE SUMTER AT CURAÇOA—HER SURROUNDINGS—PREPARATIONS FOR SEA, AND DEPARTURE—THE CAPTURE OF OTHER PRIZES—PUERTO CABELLO, AND WHAT OCCURRED THERE. The Sumter had scarcely swung to her anchors, in the small land-locked harbor described, before she was surrounded by a fleet of bum-boats, laden with a profusion of tropical fruits, and filled with men, and women, indifferently—the women rather preponderating. These bum-boat women are an institution in Curaçoa; the profession descends from mother to dau
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CHAPTER XVI.
CHAPTER XVI.
STEAMING ALONG THE COAST OF VENEZUELA—THE CORAL INSECT, AND THE WONDERS OF THE DEEP—THE ANDES AND THE RAINY SEASON—THE SUMTER ENTERS THE PORT OF SPAIN, IN THE BRITISH ISLAND OF TRINIDAD, AND COALS, AND SAILS AGAIN. There was a fresh trade-wind blowing, and some sea on, as the Sumter brought her head around to the eastward, and commenced buffeting her way, again, to windward. She had, in addition, a current to contend with, which sets along this coast in the direction of the trade-wind, at the ra
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CHAPTER XVII.
CHAPTER XVII.
ON THE WAY TO MARANHAM—THE WEATHER AND THE WINDS—THE SUMTER RUNS SHORT OF COAL, AND IS OBLIGED TO “BEAR UP”—CAYENNE AND PARAMARIBO, IN FRENCH AND DUTCH GUIANA—SAILS AGAIN, AND ARRIVES IN MARANHAM, BRAZIL. We passed out of the Gulf of Paria, through the eastern, or Mona passage, a deep strait, not more than a third of a mile in width, with the land rising, on both sides, to a great height, almost perpendicularly. The water of the Orinoco here begins to mix with the sea-water, and the two waters,
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CHAPTER XVIII.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE SUMTER AT MARANHAM—MORE DIPLOMACY NECESSARY—THE HOTEL PORTO AND ITS PROPRIETOR—A WEEK ON SHORE—SHIP COALS AND SAILS AGAIN. The day after our arrival in Maranham, was a day of feasting and rejoicing by the townspeople—all business being suspended. It was the 7th of September, the anniversary of the day on which Brazil had severed her political connection with Portugal—in other words, it was her Independence-day. The forts and ships of war fired salutes, and the latter were gayly draped in fla
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CHAPTER XIX.
CHAPTER XIX.
THE SUMTER AT MARTINIQUE—PROCEEDS FROM FORT DE FRANCE TO ST. PIERRE—IS AN OBJECT OF MUCH CURIOSITY WITH THE ISLANDERS—NEWS OF THE ARREST OF MESSRS. MASON AND SLIDELL, ON BOARD THE BRITISH MAIL STEAMER, THE TRENT—MR. SEWARD’S EXTRAORDINARY COURSE ON THE OCCASION. The Sumter having sailed from Maranham, on the 15th of September, and arrived at Martinique, on the 9th of November, had been nearly two months at sea, during all of which time, she had been actively cruising in the track of the enemy’s
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CHAPTER XX.
CHAPTER XX.
ARRIVAL AT ST. PIERRE OF THE ENEMY’S STEAM-SLOOP IROQUOIS—HOW SHE VIOLATES THE NEUTRALITY OF THE PORT—ARRIVAL OF THE FRENCH STEAMER-OF-WAR ACHERON—THE IROQUOIS BLOCKADES THE SUMTER—CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE GOVERNOR—ESCAPE OF THE SUMTER. Many rumors were now afloat as to the prospective presence, at Martinique, of the enemy’s ships of war. It was known that the enemy’s steam-sloop, Iroquois , Captain James S. Palmer, had been at the island of Trinidad, on the second of the then current month of No
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CHAPTER XXI.
CHAPTER XXI.
THE SUMTER PURSUES HER VOYAGE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC—CAPTURE AND BURNING OF THE ARCADE, VIGILANT, AND EBENEZER DODGE—A LEAKY SHIP, AND A GALE—AN ALARM OF FIRE. The morning of the 26th of November dawned clear, with the wind more moderate, and a smoother sea. A ship of war being seen to windward, running down in our direction, we beat to quarters, and hoisted the U. S. colors. She was a heavy ship, but being a sailing vessel, we had nothing to fear, even if she should prove to be an enemy. Indeed, i
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CHAPTER XXII.
CHAPTER XXII.
VOYAGE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC PURSUED—CHRISTMAS-DAY ON BOARD THE SUMTER—CAPE FLY-AWAY, AND THE CURIOUS ILLUSION PRODUCED BY IT—THE SUMTER PASSES FROM THE DESERT PARTS OF THE SEA, INTO A TRACT OF COMMERCE ONCE MORE—BOARDS A LARGE FLEET OF SHIPS IN ONE DAY, BUT FINDS NO ENEMY AMONG THEM—ARRIVAL AT CADIZ. The punishment administered to the two delinquent sentinels mentioned in the last chapter, had the most salutary effect. Seamen are very much like children, requiring the reins to be tightened upon t
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CHAPTER XXIII
CHAPTER XXIII
ANNOYANCE OF THE SPANISH OFFICIALS—SHORT CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE UNITED STATES CONSUL—THE TELEGRAPH PUT IN OPERATION BY THE OFFICIALS BETWEEN CADIZ AND MADRID—THE SUMTER IS ORDERED TO LEAVE IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS—DECLINES OBEDIENCE TO THE ORDER—PRISONERS LANDED, AND SHIP DOCKED AFTER MUCH ADO—DESERTERS—SUMTER LEAVES CADIZ. The Spanish officials began to annoy us even before we let go our anchor—a health officer boarding us, and telling us that he should have to quarantine us for three days, unless
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CHAPTER XXIV.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE SUMTER OFF CADIZ—THE PILLARS OF HERCULES—GIBRALTAR—CAPTURE OF THE ENEMY’S SHIPS NEAPOLITAN AND INVESTIGATOR—A CONFLAGRATION BETWEEN EUROPE AND AFRICA—THE SUMTER ANCHORS IN THE HARBOR OF GIBRALTAR—THE ROCK; THE TOWN; THE MILITARY; THE REVIEW AND THE ALAMEDA. The afternoon was bright and beautiful as the Sumter , emerging from the harbor of Cadiz, felt once more the familiar heave of the sea. There was no sail in sight over the vast expanse of waters, except a few small coasting-craft, and yet
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CHAPTER XXV.
CHAPTER XXV.
THE SUMTER STILL AT GIBRALTAR—SHIP CROWDED WITH VISITORS—A RIDE OVER THE ROCK WITH COLONEL FREEMANTLE—THE “GALLERIES” AND OTHER SUBTERRANEAN WONDERS—A DIZZY HEIGHT, AND THE QUEEN OF SPAIN’S CHAIR—THE MONKEYS AND THE “NEUTRAL GROUND.” The stream of visitors to the Sumter continued for some days after our arrival. Almost every steamer from England brought more or less tourists and curiosity-hunters, and these did us the honor to visit us, and frequently to say kind words of sympathy and encouragem
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CHAPTER XXVI.
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE SUMTER IN TROUBLE—FINDS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO COAL, BY REASON OF A COMBINATION AGAINST HER, HEADED BY THE FEDERAL CONSUL—APPLIES TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT FOR COAL, BUT IS REFUSED—SENDS HER PAYMASTER AND EX-CONSUL TUNSTALL TO CADIZ—THEY ARE ARRESTED AND IMPRISONED AT TANGIER—CORRESPONDENCE ON THE SUBJECT—THE SUMTER LAID UP AND SOLD. The Sumter’s boilers were very much out of condition when she arrived at Gibraltar, and we had hoped, from the fact that Gibraltar was a touching-point for several li
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CHAPTER XXVII.
CHAPTER XXVII.
AUTHOR LEAVES GIBRALTAR, AND ARRIVES IN LONDON—MR. MASON—CONFEDERATE NAVAL NEWS—SOJOURN IN LONDON—AUTHOR EMBARKS ON BOARD THE STEAMER MELITA, FOR NASSAU—SOJOURN IN NASSAU—NEW ORDERS FROM THE NAVY DEPARTMENT—AUTHOR RETURNS TO LIVERPOOL—THE ALABAMA GONE. We had been long enough in Gibraltar to make many warm friends, and some of these came on board the mail-steamer in which we had taken passage to take leave of us; among others, Captain Lambert, R. N., in command of her Majesty’s steam frigate, th
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CHAPTER XXVIII.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
A BRIEF RESUME OF THE HISTORY OF THE WAR, BETWEEN THE COMMISSIONING OF THE SUMTER AND THE COMMISSIONING OF THE ALABAMA—SECRETARY MALLORY, AND THE DIFFICULTIES BY WHICH HE WAS SURROUNDED—THE REORGANIZATION OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES NAVY. Although , as before remarked, I design only to write a history of my own proceedings, during the late war, yet it will be necessary, to enable the reader to understand these proceedings correctly, to run a mere thread of the general history of the war along para
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CHAPTER XXIX.
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE LEGALITY OF THE EQUIPMENT OF THE ALABAMA, AND A FEW PRECEDENTS FOR HER CAREER, DRAWN FROM THE HISTORY OF THE WAR OF 1776. Before I read my commission on the quarter-deck of the Alabama , I desire to say a word or two as to the legality of her equipment, and to recall to the recollection of the reader a few of the incidents of the war of the Revolution of 1776, to show how inconsistent our Northern brethren have been, in the denunciations they have hurled against that ship. Mr. Seward, the Fe
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CHAPTER XXX.
CHAPTER XXX.
THE EQUIPMENT OF THE ALABAMA ILLUSTRATED BY THAT OF SUNDRY COLONIAL CRUISERS, DURING THE WAR OF 1776—BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND SILAS DEANE, AS CHIEFS OF A NAVAL BUREAU IN PARIS—THE SURPRISE, AND THE REVENGE—WICKES AND CONYNGHAM, AND PAUL JONES. In the last chapter, I gave some account of the operations against British commerce, of certain ships of war and privateers, fitted out in the home ports of the enemy; but as stress has been laid, as we have already seen, upon the foreign origin of the Alabam
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CHAPTER XXXI.
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE AUTHOR LEAVES LIVERPOOL TO JOIN THE ALABAMA—ARRIVAL AT TERCEIRA—DESCRIPTION OF THE ALABAMA—PREPARING HER FOR SEA—THE PORTUGUESE AUTHORITIES—THE COMMISSIONING OF THE SHIP—A PICTURE OF HER BIRTH AND DEATH—CAPTAIN BULLOCK RETURNS TO ENGLAND—AUTHOR ALONE ON THE HIGH SEAS. Having cleared the way, in the last two chapters, for the cruise of the Alabama , by removing some of the legal rubbish with which Mr. Seward and Mr. Adams had sought to encumber her, we are in a condition to put the ship in co
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CHAPTER XXXII.
CHAPTER XXXII.
THE ALABAMA A SHIP OF WAR, AND NOT A PRIVATEER—SKETCH OF THE PERSONNEL OF THE SHIP—PUTTING THE SHIP IN ORDER FOR SERVICE—SAIL AND STEAM—THE CHARACTER OF THE SAILOR—THE FIRST BLOW STRUCK AT THE WHALE FISHERY—THE HABITAT AND HABITS OF THE WHALE—THE FIRST CAPTURE. The reader has seen in the last chapter, that the Alabama is at length upon the high seas, as a commissioned ship of war of the Confederate States, her commission having been signed by Mr. Jefferson Davis, who had all the de facto right,
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CHAPTER XXXIII.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
CAPTURE OF THE STARLIGHT, OCEAN ROVER, ALERT, WEATHER-GAUGE—A RACE BY NIGHT—CAPTURE OF THE ALTAMAHA, VIRGINIA, AND ELIJA DUNBAR—A ROUGH SEA, TOILING BOATS, AND A PICTURESQUE BURNING OF A SHIP IN A GALE. We were running in, while the muster described in the last chapter was going on, for the little town, or, rather, sea-side village of Lagens, on the south side of the island of Flores, and, having approached the beach quite near, we hove the ship to, and hauling alongside, from the stern, where t
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CHAPTER XXXIV.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
THE YANKEE COLONY IN THE ISLAND OF FLORES—WHAT THE CAPTAINS OF THE VIRGINIA AND ELISHA DUNBAR SAID OF THE ALABAMA, WHEN THEY GOT BACK TO THE LAND OF THE “SAINTS”—THE WHALING SEASON AT THE AZORES AT AN END—THE ALABAMA CHANGES HER CRUISING GROUND—WHAT SHE SAW AND DID. The reader has seen how rapidly we had been peopling the little island of Flores. I had thrown ashore there, nearly as many Yankee sailors as there were original inhabitants. I should now have gone back with the crews of two more shi
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CHAPTER XXXV.
CHAPTER XXXV.
CAPRICIOUS WEATHER OF THE GULF STREAM—CAPTURE OF THE PACKET-SHIP TONAWANDA, THE MANCHESTER, AND THE LAMPLIGHTER—A CYCLONE. Though the month of October is remarkable for its fine weather, along the American coast, yet here in the Gulf Stream, we had a constant succession of changes, the wind going regularly around the compass every two or three days, and thick, rainy weather predominating. We were now, besides, experiencing a south-easterly current of about two knots per hour, and as we were boun
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CHAPTER XXXVI.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
THE PHYSIOGNOMY OF SHIPS—CAPTURE OF THE LAFAYETTE—DECREE OF THE ADMIRALTY COURT ON BOARD THE ALABAMA IN HER CASE, AND IN THAT OF THE LAURETTA—THE CRITICISMS OF THE NEW YORK PRESS—FARTHER PROOF OF THE ROTARY NATURE OF THE WIND—THE LAURETTA CAPTURED—THE CRENSHAW CAPTURED—THE NEW YORK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CRIES ALOUD IN PAIN—CAPTURE OF THE BARON DE CASTINE, AND THE LEVI STARBUCK—CAPTURE OF THE T. B. WALES—LADY PRISONERS. The day after the gale recorded in the last chapter, we set all hands at work r
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CHAPTER XXXVII.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
THE CALM-BELTS, AND THE TRADE-WINDS—THE ARRIVAL OF THE ALABAMA AT THE ISLAND OF MARTINIQUE—THE CURIOSITY OF THE ISLANDERS TO SEE THE SHIP—A QUASI MUTINY AMONG THE CREW, AND HOW IT WAS QUELLED. We captured the Wales , as described in the last chapter, on the 8th of November. On the 10th of the same month, we observed in latitude 25°. We were approaching the calm-belt of Cancer. There are three of these calm-belts on the surface of the earth, and the phenomena which they present to the eye of the
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CHAPTER XXXVIII.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
THE ALABAMA AT MARTINIQUE—IS BLOCKADED BY THE ENEMY’S STEAMER, SAN JACINTO—HOW SHE ESCAPED THE “OLD WAGON”—THE ISLAND OF BLANQUILLA, THE NEW RENDEZVOUS—COALING SHIP—A YANKEE SKIPPER—HOW THE OFFICERS AND MEN AMUSED THEMSELVES—THE CAPTURE OF THE PARKER COOKE, UNION, AND STEAMER ARIEL. I found here at her anchors, as I had expected, my coal-ship, the Agrippina . She had been lying here eight days. Her master, an old Scotchman, who, like most old sailors, was fond of his grog, had been quite indiscr
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CHAPTER XXXIX.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
THE ALABAMA IS DISABLED, AND STOPS TO REPAIR HER MACHINERY—PROCEEDS TO HER NEW RENDEZVOUS, THE ARCAS ISLANDS, AND THENCE TO GALVESTON—COMBAT WITH THE UNITED STATES STEAMER HATTERAS. The Alabama was disabled for two or three days, soon after the events recorded in the last chapter, by an accident which occurred to her engine—the giving way of one of the valve castings. I was, in consequence, obliged to withdraw from the tracks of commerce, and lie as perdue as possible, until the damage could be
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CHAPTER XL.
CHAPTER XL.
THE ALABAMA PROCEEDS TO JAMAICA, AND LANDS HER PRISONERS—THE CAPTAIN VISITS THE COUNTRY—INTERCOURSE WITH THE ENGLISH NAVAL OFFICERS—EARL RUSSELL’S LETTER—PREPARATIONS FOR SEA—A BOAT-RACE BY MOONLIGHT—CAPTAIN BLAKE COMPLAINS OF “DIXIE”—HOW THE MATTER IS SETTLED. The little by-play, in the Gulf of Mexico, related in the last chapter, being over, I determined to make the best of my way to the island of Jamaica, there land my prisoners, on parole , patch up the two or three shot-holes the enemy had
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CHAPTER XLI.
CHAPTER XLI.
DEPARTURE FROM JAMAICA—CAPTURE OF THE GOLDEN RULE—COASTING THE ISLAND OF HAYTI—CAPTURE OF THE CHASTELAINE—THE OLD CITY OF ST. DOMINGO, AND ITS REMINISCENCES—THE DOMINICAN CONVENT, AND THE PALACE OF DIEGO COLUMBUS—THE CAPTURE OF THE PALMETTO, THE OLIVE JANE, AND THE GOLDEN EAGLE—HOW THE ROADS ARE BLAZED OUT UPON THE SEA—CAPTAIN MAURY. On the 25th of January, 1863, or just five days after our arrival at Jamaica, we had completed all our preparations for sea, and at half-past eight P. M. steamed ou
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CHAPTER XLII.
CHAPTER XLII.
THE “CROSSING” OF THE THIRTIETH PARALLEL—THE TOLL-GATE UPON THE SEA—HOW THE TRAVELLERS PASS ALONG THE HIGHWAY—CAPTURE OF THE WASHINGTON; THE JOHN A. PARKS; THE BATHIAH THAYER; THE PUNJAUB; THE MORNING STAR; THE KINGFISHER; THE CHARLES HILL; AND THE NORA—CROSSES THE EQUATOR—CAPTURE OF THE LOUISA HATCH—ARRIVAL AT FERNANDO DE NORONHA. Reaching the blazed road, of which I spoke in the last chapter, I shortened sail, at the crossing mentioned, that I might waylay such of the passengers as chanced to
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CHAPTER XLIII.
CHAPTER XLIII.
FERNANDO DE NORONHA—ITS FAMOUS PEAK—IS A PENAL SETTLEMENT OF BRAZIL—A VISIT FROM THE GOVERNOR’S AMBASSADORS—A VISIT TO THE GOVERNOR IN RETURN—THE ARISTOCRACY OF THE ISLAND—CAPTURE OF THE LAFAYETTE AND THE KATE CORY—BURNING OF THE TWO LAST SHIPS, WITH THE LOUISA HATCH—PRISONERS SENT TO PERNAMBUCO—THE CLOUD RING, AND THE RAINY AND DRY SEASONS. Fernando de Noronha lies not a great way from Cape St. Roque in Brazil. It forms the western end of a chain of volcanic islands and deep-sea soundings that
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CHAPTER XLIV.
CHAPTER XLIV.
THE ALABAMA LEAVES FERNANDO DE NORONHA FOR A CRUISE ON THE COAST OF BRAZIL—ENTERS THE GREAT HIGHWAY AND BEGINS TO OVERHAUL THE TRAVELLERS—CAPTURE OF THE WHALER NYE; OF THE DORCAS PRINCE; OF THE UNION JACK; OF THE SEA LARK—A REVEREND CONSUL TAKEN PRISONER—ALABAMA GOES INTO BAHIA—WHAT OCCURRED THERE—ARRIVAL OF THE GEORGIA—ALABAMA PROCEEDS TO SEA AGAIN—CAPTURES THE FOLLOWING SHIPS: THE GILDERSLIEVE; THE JUSTINA; THE JABEZ SNOW; THE AMAZONIAN, AND THE TALISMAN. The 22d of April having arrived, we ga
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CHAPTER XLV.
CHAPTER XLV.
THE ALABAMA CONTINUES HER CRUISE ON THE COAST OF BRAZIL—AMERICAN SHIPS UNDER ENGLISH COLORS—THE ENEMY’S CARRYING-TRADE IN NEUTRAL BOTTOMS—THE CAPTURE OF THE CONRAD—SHE IS COMMISSIONED AS A CONFEDERATE STATES CRUISER—THE HIGHWAYS OF THE SEA, AND THE TACTICS OF THE FEDERAL SECRETARY OF THE NAVY—THE PHENOMENON OF THE WINDS IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE—ARRIVAL AT SALDANHA BAY, ON THE COAST OF AFRICA. We captured our last ship off the Abrolhos, as related in the last chapter. We have since worked our w
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CHAPTER XLVI.
CHAPTER XLVI.
THE CONNECTING THREAD OF THE HISTORY OF THE WAR TAKEN UP—A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE EVENTS OF THE TWELVE MONTHS DURING WHICH THE ALABAMA HAD BEEN COMMISSIONED—ALABAMA ARRIVES AT CAPE TOWN—CAPTURE OF THE SEA BRIDE—EXCITEMENT THEREUPON—CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE AMERICAN CONSUL AND THE GOVERNOR ON THE SUBJECT OF THE CAPTURE. The Alabama has been commissioned, now, one year. In accordance with my plan of connecting my cruises with a thread—a mere thread—of the history of the war, it will be necessary to
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CHAPTER XLVII.
CHAPTER XLVII.
A GALE AT CAPE TOWN—ALABAMA GETS UNDER WAY FOR SIMON’S TOWN—CAPTURE OF THE MARTHA WENZELL—THE TUSCALOOSA; HER STATUS AS SHIP OF WAR CONSIDERED—THE TUSCALOOSA PROCEEDS TO SEA—THE ALABAMA FOLLOWS HER—THEY, WITH THE SEA-BRIDE, RENDEZVOUS AT ANGRA PEQUENA. Having brushed away Mr. Seward’s gadfly, as described in the last chapter, we may turn our attention again to the Alabama . On the 7th of August, we took one of the gales so common at the Cape, in the winter season. Dense banks of black clouds hov
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CHAPTER XLVIII.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
THE ALABAMA ON THE INDIAN OCEAN—THE PASSENGERS QUESTIONED, AND CONTRACTED WITH—THE AGULHAS CURRENT—THE “BRAVE WEST WINDS”—A THEORY—THE ISLANDS OF ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL—THE TROPIC OF CAPRICORN—THE SOUTH-EAST TRADES AND THE MONSOONS—THE ALABAMA ARRIVES OFF THE STRAIT OF SUNDA, AND BURNS ONE OF THE SHIPS OF THE ENEMY—RUNS IN AND ANCHORS UNDER THE ISLAND OF SUMATRA. When Bartelli awakened me, at the usual hour of “seven bells”—half-past seven A. M. ,—on the morning after the events described in the
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CHAPTER XLIX.
CHAPTER XLIX.
THE ALABAMA PASSES THROUGH THE STRAIT OF SUNDA, SEEING NOTHING OF THE WYOMING—BURNS THE WINGED RACER JUST INSIDE THE STRAIT—THE MALAY BOATMEN AND THEIR ALARM—ALABAMA MAKES FOR THE GASPAR STRAIT, AND BURNS THE CONTEST, AFTER AN EXCITING CHASE—PASSES THROUGH THE CARIMATA PASSAGE—DISCHARGES HER PRISONERS INTO AN ENGLISH SHIP—MINIATURE SEA-SERPENTS—THE CURRENTS—PULO CONDORE—ARRIVAL AT SINGAPORE. Soon after anchoring as described in the last chapter, we had a false alarm. It was reported that a bark
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CHAPTER L.
CHAPTER L.
THE ALABAMA AT SINGAPORE—PANIC AMONG THE ENEMY’S SHIPPING IN THE CHINA SEA—THE MULTITUDE FLOCK TO SEE THE ALABAMA—CURIOUS RUMOR CONCERNING HER—AUTHOR RIDES TO THE COUNTRY, AND SPENDS A NIGHT—THE CHINESE IN POSSESSION OF ALL THE BUSINESS OF THE PLACE—ALABAMA LEAVES SINGAPORE—CAPTURE OF THE MARTABAN, ALIAS TEXAN STAR—ALABAMA TOUCHES AT MALACCA—CAPTURE OF THE HIGHLANDER AND SONORA—ALABAMA ONCE MORE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN. It turned out as I had conjectured in the last chapter. The Wyoming had been at
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CHAPTER LI.
CHAPTER LI.
ALABAMA CROSSES THE BAY OF BENGAL—THE PILGRIMS TO MECCA AND THE BLACK GIANTS—BURNING OF THE EMMA JANE—THE TOWN OF AUJENGA, AND THE HINDOOS—THE GREAT DESERTS OF CENTRAL ASIA, AND THE COTTON CROP OF HINDOSTAN—ALABAMA CROSSES THE ARABIAN SEA—THE ANIMALCULÆ OF THE SEA—THE COMORO ISLANDS—JOHANNA AND ITS ARAB POPULATION—THE YANKEE WHALERS AT JOHANNA—ALABAMA PASSES THROUGH THE MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL, AND ARRIVES AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. On the afternoon after leaving the Strait of Malacca, we overhauled a
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CHAPTER LII.
CHAPTER LII.
ALABAMA AGAIN IN CAPE TOWN—THE SEIZURE OF THE TUSCALOOSA, AND THE DISCUSSION WHICH GREW OUT OF IT—CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE AUTHOR AND ADMIRAL WALKER—FINAL ACTION OF THE HOME GOVERNMENT, AND RELEASE OF THE TUSCALOOSA. After our long absence in the East Indies, we felt like returning home when we ran into Table Bay. Familiar faces greeted us, and the same welcome was extended to us as upon our first visit. An unpleasant surprise awaited me, however, in the course the British Government had recen
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CHAPTER LIII.
CHAPTER LIII.
THE ALABAMA AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE—LEAVES ON HER RETURN TO EUROPE—CAPTURE OF THE ROCKINGHAM AND OF THE TYCOON—CROSSES THE EQUATOR INTO THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, AND ARRIVES AND ANCHORS AT CHERBOURG ON THE 11TH OF JUNE, 1864—THE COMBAT BETWEEN THE ALABAMA AND THE KEARSARGE. We entered Table Bay on the 20th of March, and on the next day we had the usual equinoctial gale. The wind was from the south-east, and blew very heavily for twenty-four hours. We let go a second anchor, and veered to ninety
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CHAPTER LIV.
CHAPTER LIV.
OTHER INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE ALABAMA AND THE KEARSARGE—THE RESCUE OF OFFICERS AND SEAMEN BY THE ENGLISH STEAM-YACHT DEERHOUND—THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT DEMANDS THAT THEY BE GIVEN UP—BRITISH GOVERNMENT REFUSES COMPLIANCE—THE RESCUED PERSONS NOT PRISONERS—THE INCONSISTENCY OF THE FEDERAL SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. Notwithstanding my enemy went out chivalrously armored, to encounter a ship whose wooden sides were entirely without protection, I should have beaten him in the first thirty
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CHAPTER LV.
CHAPTER LV.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE BRITISH STEAM-YACHT DEERHOUND—MR. SEWARD’S DESPATCH, AND MR. LANCASTER’S LETTER TO THE “DAILY NEWS”—LORD RUSSELL’S REPLY TO MR. ADAMS ON THE SUBJECT OF HIS COMPLAINT AGAINST MR. LANCASTER—PRESENTATION OF A SWORD TO THE AUTHOR, BY THE CLUBS IN ENGLAND—PRESENTATION OF A FLAG BY A LADY. The howl that went up against Mr. Lancaster, the owner of the Deerhound , for his humane exertions in saving my crew and myself from drowning, was almost as rabid as that which had bee
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CHAPTER LVI.
CHAPTER LVI.
AUTHOR MAKES A SHORT VISIT TO THE CONTINENT—RETURNS TO LONDON, AND EMBARKS ON HIS RETURN TO THE CONFEDERATE STATES—LANDS AT BAGDAD, NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE RIO GRANDE—JOURNEY THROUGH TEXAS—REACHES LOUISIANA, AND CROSSES THE MISSISSIPPI; AND IN A FEW DAYS MORE IS AT HOME, AFTER AN ABSENCE OF FOUR YEARS. I considered my career upon the high seas closed by the loss of my ship, and had so informed Commodore Barron, who was our Chief of Bureau in Paris. We had a number of gallant Confederate naval offi
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CHAPTER LVII.
CHAPTER LVII.
AUTHOR SETS OUT FOR RICHMOND—IS TWO WEEKS IN MAKING THE JOURNEY—INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT DAVIS; WITH GENERAL LEE—AUTHOR IS APPOINTED A REAR-ADMIRAL, AND ORDERED TO COMMAND THE JAMES RIVER SQUADRON—ASSUMES COMMAND; CONDITION OF THE FLEET—GREAT DEMORALIZATION—THE ENEMY’S ARMIES GRADUALLY INCREASING—LEE’S LINES BROKEN. I telegraphed my arrival, immediately, to the Secretary of the Navy at Richmond, informing him of my intention to proceed to that capital after resting for a few days. The following
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CHAPTER LVIII.
CHAPTER LVIII.
THE EVACUATION OF RICHMOND BY THE ARMY—THE DESTRUCTION OF THE JAMES RIVER FLEET—THE SAILORS OF THE FLEET CONVERTED INTO SOLDIERS—THEIR HELPLESS CONDITION WITHOUT ANY MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION—THE CONFLAGRATION OF RICHMOND AND THE ENTRY OF THE ENEMY INTO THE CONFEDERATE CAPITAL—THE AUTHOR IMPROVISES A RAILROAD TRAIN, AND ESCAPES IN IT WITH HIS COMMAND, TO DANVILLE, VA. As I was sitting down to dinner, about four o’clock, on the afternoon of the disastrous day mentioned in the last chapter, on board
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CHAPTER LIX.
CHAPTER LIX.
INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT DAVIS AND SECRETARY MALLORY—MY COMMAND ORGANIZED AS A BRIGADE OF ARTILLERY—BRIGADE MARCHES TO GREENSBORO’, NORTH CAROLINA—CAPITULATION BETWEEN GENERAL JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON AND SHERMAN—DISPERSION OF JOHNSTON’S TROOPS—AUTHOR RETURNS HOME, AND IS ARRESTED—CONCLUSION. My memoirs are drawing to a close, for the career of the Confederacy, as well as my own, is nearly ended. I found, at Danville, President Davis, and a portion of his cabinet—the Secretary of the Navy among the re
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