The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-18 00:00:00

The Capture of the United States Mail

Steamer Roanoke.

A passenger gives the following account of the capture :
On the 29th September the United States mail steamship,
Roanoke, Francis A. Drew, Master, left the port of Haven-
nah, bound for New York, passing the Moro Castle at five
p.m., with 24 passengers, end 16 in the steerage, the officers
and crew numbering 50, reeking 90 persons on board. The
steamer proceeded on her voyage at a speed of some 12
knots per hour, running within sight of and a short distance
from the coast during some two or three hours, the time
passing agreeably and without anything unusual having
occurred until about 9 20 p.m., when, about 25 miles off
the Coast of Cuba, the passengers were not a little sur-
prised at hearing proclaimed, by a man dressed in the Con'
federate naval uniform, who proved to be no less a per-
sonage than the capturer of the Chesapeake—viz., Lieut.
John C. Brain, and who in a loud voice said, " 11l the name
of the Confederate States of America I demand the surren-
der of this vessel as a lawful priz^," and calling upon Capt.
Drew to surrender as a prioner of war. This announcement
was immediately followed by the discharge of several pistols,
with which the attacking party were armed. From that
moment the work of the capture commenced. Lieut. Brain,
taking the upper neck of the vessel, accompanied by officer
Little, the purser, and a seaman, secured the captain and
officers on that deck, placing them in irons, while officer
Parr, the first and second engineers, and three seamen pro-
ceeded with the officers and crew on the main deck, until
Lieut. Brain and officer Little, leaving the upper eck in
charge of the purser and a seaman, went below to the assist-
ance of officer Parr, when at 15 minutes past 10 o'clock, in
the space of 55 minutes, the capture bad been consummated,
and the vessel was proceeding on her voyage as the Confe-
derate States Prize Steamship Roanoke.

There was but little violent resistance made, except by
the carpenter of the vessel, who, after surrendering, seized
an axe and aimed a blow at the head of officer Parry,but the
axe falling short of its mark four balls pierced the body of
the man, from the effect of which he fell and expired in a
few minutes.

In a short time after the capture Captain Drew was re-
leased upon his parole.
Having been favoured with a perusal of the register of the
Roanoke, 1 learn from it that she was built in New York
by the New York and Virginia Navigation Company,lwho
were her sole owners; her dimensions being in length 218 ft ;
breadth, 32ft ; depth, 10ft Gin, and measuring 1,071
tons. Also, from a certificate attached to her register, it ap •
pears that the vessel was seized at the port of New Yolk
under the Confiscation Act of the United States, and re-
leased on bond.

Lieutenant Brain exhibited to me his orders and commis-
sion from the Secretary of the Navy of the Confederate States
to make the capture of the Roanoke. Whether the fact of
her having been owned by the Navigation Company afore-
said, some of the members being citizens of the Confederate
States, and on whose account she was seized, as above stated,
thus dispossessing said citizens of their property, caused the
Government to order her capture, I am not advised. It
would not, however, require any extraordinary stretch of
imagination to enable one to arrive at that conclusion.

The following are the names and residences of the cfficers
and crew who made the capture of the Roanoke :—John C.
Brain, acting master, Holly Springs, Missouri—H. Parr,
master's mate, Nashville, Tennessee—Thomas R. Little,
master's mate, Mobile, Alabama—Alex. Lathrop, purser,
Kentucky—Robert Truth, first engineer, New Orleans—
James Conlen, second engineer, Galveston, Texas—Robert
Gage, seaman, Mobile, Alabama—Arthur Morehead, sea-
man, Louisiana—H, Braddock, seaman, Union Town, Ken-
tucky—J. D. Van Amburg, seaman, Staunton, Virgiaia.
Lieutenant Brain informed me that on his arrival off St.
George's it was his intention to provision and coal the vessel,
parole and land the passengers, officers and crew, and take
the vessel to Wilmington. But it having been found im-
possible to take the vessel into said port, the only thing he
could do was to burn the Roanoke, and with his officers and
crew go ashore at St. George's, which he accordingly did
(after transferring. the passengers, of s, and crew to a
brig five miles off the coast) at 4 o'clock on the morning of
Sunday the 9th of October.