Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1857-10-24

still ragged in Its fury Two or three times
the vessel caught on fire SO reckless had
] become that when at night the cry was
heard, that the ship was on fire, never
rose from my bed Let it burn was nv
answer, for death will be a relief to US
Such is the desperation of sea sickness 1t
makes men pray. for death, and | believe
the vcriost coward, under violent sca-sick-
ness would welcome death.
For three days and nights the storm
spent its fury upon us without abatement,
after which it gradually subsidized, and the
fourth day broke on us as calm, as quiet as
an infants slumber. 1t was dead calm.
Not a breeze stirred, the sails hung droop-
ing with their weight, and the bosom of
the gulf was placid and wavcless as the
! blue sky above us
Such was the scene on the Oregou.-
I From the narrative of brother soldier,
who was on the Alhambra, will give dcs-
cription of the storm, and its effects on the
Alhambra:
"Thc Regiment embarked under sealed
orders, to be opened at sea, the purpose be-
ing to prevent newspaper publications CON
corning the object ofthc expedition All
were eager to learn their destination, and
as soon as the distant traces of the land had
disappeared, and the deep blue water was
reached, the seals were brokcn-thcir dcs-
tinatlon was! known--their hopes were re-
alizcd-they were bound for Vera Cruz
and the Halls of the Montezunas and the
Sti,ree transport ships, bearing their carcucs
OF living souls, crowded all sail and bore
away across the stormy gulf for the little
isle of Lobos.
Not tho least difficult and dangerous part
of the long transit to the field of operations
was this voyage. Most of the men were
from the rural districts of the State, and
unused to the water They were all hud-
died togcthcr-two or three hundred i'm
number, i'll small merchant ships, which
had been engaged in great haste for the oc-
casion, and were unsuitcd, both in struc-
ture and preparation, for the transport of
troops. Many ofthc vessels employed by
the Government as transports were utterly
unsafe, and others were commanded bymcn
who scarcely knew the rudi,nents of scion
tiic navigation. The Gulf of Mexico,
swept asit is frequently, indeed almost pc
riodically, by the terrible northcrs, which
pour themselves down from the frozen
peaks of the Cordlleras, is considered more
stormy and dangerous than the dreaded
Bay of Biscay Memory calls to mind
more than one fearful night, when amidst
the roaring of the storm, the matches were
nailed down upon suilocation, sea-sck sol
dicrs, who tumbled together in common
pile with barrels of mess pork and pilot
lo1f RI; i. Il
fusion, darkness and appalling uncertainty.
On deck, the horscs-broken from their
stalls, and frantic with fright, were only
saved from trampling each other to death,
by being swept together into the deep.
Captain Wilson and his motley crew stood
aghast, and the old Alhambra, cracking and
cscaking in all her joints, threatened with
every lcc-lurch to go down to tho bottom"
The Alhambra narrowly escaped ship
wreck She was blown upon the Mexican
coast, near enough to see it distinctly.
The steamer 0ndika, having ON board
about 800 men of tho Louisiana Regiment
under Col. DeRusscy, was wrecked during
this uorther, on the Mexican coast. They
we're soon discovered by a large body of
Mexicans under Gen. Cos, and summoned
to surrcnderimmsu&;atcly. They had lost
their guns IN thewrccRy-~and were at the
mercy of The Mcxicuns, yet t'f~a brave and,
willy Col pcRussey effected by strNrlcqem,
what, under other circumstances, Inc, woulut
have effected by force. i.c'.as..4..
lie drew up his men in the order of bat
tie, ms if awaiting an attack, and declined
the summons to surrender, by replying that
he would think of it, and answer that even
ing. Having thus gained time, until late
in the evening, he had camp fires lighted,
and made other preparations for passing the
night The Mexicans have no fancy for
night attacks, and postponed the attack TN
til morning. Ayailing himself of the dark
moss of the night, Col. DeRus$ey, leaving
his camp fires burning brightly, formed his
men aud drew off silently and stealthily.
l}y'a rapid march he reached Tampico in
safety, without the loss of man. 4
This was the coolest, and most brilliant
and mesterly act performed during the war.
Who bnt DeRussey, when assailed by
force three or four times as large as his own,
without a musket in his battalion, unarmo5
and defcnceless, and far Som help ON an
unknown coast, would fora moment have
hcsitated to surrender, or Thought of such
an apparent inlpossjbility as cscape2 Yet
he did sell the Mcxicam General most ele-
gantly. Who will not throw UP mis- cap,
and say three cheers for Col. hRusscy, as
! We, tho Palmettocs did, when We heard the
particulars Of his gallant action. / presume
| that fewgot the Palmesloes have forpotton
f..l a