The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1861-11-19
From the Newbern Progress

\
! Of Var by a Confederate steamer on the coast
Of North Carolina.
From the Newbern Progress.
We are enabled to lay before the public, the
| following account of the wreck O. the French
steamer Prony, Cat Ocracoke,) and the inhu-
man conduct of the Yankee feet from the lips of
Captain, officers and crew, of that steamer. The
frigate Prony of about eighteen hundred tons bur
then left Toulon in France the 22nd of July,
1861, with Instructions to sail in the American
waters, touching at the various West India Islands
Whilst on the voyage the Commodore of the Prony
received orders from the Admiral on board the
flagship OF the squadron, to go to Hal flax, aud
thence to Charleston, in South Carolina, and
thence to New York When they received the
order to sail for New York, the Commodore of
the Prony was shore at Charleston, and the
weather being boisterous and heavy, one Of the
Confederate steamers undertook to convey the
Commodore on board the Prony, and whilst un-
der weigh, and as the Confederate steamer ap-
preached the Prony, the steamer was fired upon by
one of the Federal steamers, and thereupon a
boat was dispatched from the Prony to meet the
Confederate steamer and bring him on board.
This action on the <part Of the Federal steamer,
which the French Commodore characterised as a
''mean Yankee trick" gave him no favorable opn-
ion Of the morals Of the Federal Navy The
Prony left Charleston in rough and heavy wealth
err and the officers making mistake in their cal
culaton whilst off the coast Of North Carolina the
ship struck upon shoal at Ocracoke Bar-alI
steam was put upon her and every effort made to
get her of-they fired guns, and sent up rockets
as signals Of distress, with the hope that some one
would come to their aid and relief In the mean
time the little Confederate steamer Albemarle,
Capt. Salyear being at Beacon Island, boat and
men commanded by Capt d. D Sirmond was des-
patched by order of Col Singetary to visit the
trigate Prony. BY the aid and efficient manage
ment OF Capt Sirmond the large anchor of
the Prony gotten out and carried so as to
heave the ships head around for her relief; and
after rendering every assistance that could be Civ
en-all which was frustless-Capt Sirmond re-
turned with his men to the Albemarle for the pur-
pose of having her brought to the aid of the
French ship, but unfortunately he found that the
Albemarle had got aground and could not be got
ten off that day and not until the making of the
| next tide. In the meantime four Federal steam
ers hove III sight, coming from the direction of
Hatteras, and visited the French ship, and advs-
ed the French Commodore to keep his ship on the
strain OF the large anchor Capt. Sirmond had
adjusted it and they would 90 off and bring other
steamers to their assistance and aid. The four
Federal steamers then left him. and never return
ed sent him any aid That night the weather
came on TO be exceedingly heavy and the sea ran
high, which caused the French ship to break to-
pieces, and the French Commodore believing the
Yankee steamers intended to play Yankee
trick and were only waiting for the destruction
OF his ship SO that they might plumber the wreck
threw overheard all the small arms, one cannon
&c. to prevent them from falling into their hands
The Commodore, officers aud crew, were loud
and deep their curses and execrations of the
Yankees At daylight i'll the morning the Con
federate steamer Albemarle having got off the
shoal, made two attempts to get to the French
ship, the sea running very high, which, for the
time, rendered it impossible for the Albemarle to
reach the steamer.
At 2 clock p the wind changed to the
Westward, and the Abemarle made a third at
tempt to make the French steamer and having
at the imminent risk of all on board, run as near
to the Prony it was safe to do, came to anchor,
and having but one small boat, the same command
ed by d. d.. Sirmond, with Col Slngletary on
board, succeeded i'll reaching the French steamer
and having put Col. Smgletary on board the Pro-
ny, where he was most cordially received and
greeted by all the officers and men, Capt Sirmond,
with the aid Of the boats Of the Prony, removed
the entire from the wreck to the Confeder-
ate steamer Albemare and Curlcw. On one of
the trips in his boat to the Albemare from the
French steamer, the boat with five of the French
seamen and her crew, overwhelmed with the
waves and sunk-the boat turning completely
over and casting the whole crew into the sea- In
this perilous condition, after the men had been
struggling in the water for the half of an hour,
the French sailors came to their relief in a yawl
boat and rescued the whole Of them from watery
grave, and Capt Sirmond and all of the men were
safely placed on board the Albemarle. Nothing
daunted by this disaster, Capt. Sirmond and his
men soon bailed out the little boat of the Abe
marie, and Immediately proceeded to the relief
OF the French crew, and continued to ply on this
errand of mercy until the whole ofthe crew were
safely rescued aud put on board Of the Confcder-
ate steamers Curlew and Albemarle. Fifty-six of
the officers and crew Of the Prony were brought
up in the steamer Albemarc and comfortably pro-
vided and cared for by the citizens Of the town,
the Commodore aud the rest of the crew intend
ing to follow them in another Of the Confederate
steamers. In the mean time the French Com
mander after comforting with Commodore Lynch
of the Confederate steamers, resolved to go to
Norfolk en- route tor New York, and accordingly
the whole crew were taken to that place by Com
modore Lynch in the Confederate steamer Curlew,
the Officers and men leaving Newbe on Thurs
day night last, at IL O'Clock, for that purpose.
The French Commodore is not sparing Of his
denunciations Of the Yankees and unhesitatingly
declare their conduct to be both unchriStain and
fatuHsdn-he says, well knowing as they did,
that he, his vessel, and crew were in the most i'm
minent peril nd distress, and receiving assurances
from them that they should be aided by the whole
force that they could command, and believing that
they had in truth left him and gone to Hatteras
for the purpose Of procuring and returning With