Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-02-01
DUB GULF COAST CORREsPOND-
ENNR

Inc EHC o. TIE Jessie hLChdTdS, Lie.
MOBILE, January 30, 1862.
EDITORS APPEAL: An interval of neglect has
unavoidably elapsed, during which might have
given your readers more than one narrative Of
interesting events. These are no longer matters
of current news, and can only refer to them,
with such additional particulars as may not have
already found their way into print. Of course,
[ have reference to the various exploits in run
ming, and disasters in falling to run, the block
ade, which have lately made our coast waters
so lively; and to the recent gallant fight that
a troop Of Mobile cavalry gave the "Sea Hes
sisns," lengthy accounts of which have already
been narrated by the city press. In brief reea-
pituIaGon, the circumstances are as follows:
The schooner d" Wilder a small keeIed craft,
successful run the blockade, arrived out at Ha-
vsna, with the Confederate flag flying, took in a
valuable cargo for Mobile and succeeded well in
her return voyage to this port, until within sight
of " the haven where she would be-" Blu. it
was fated that her choice Rio, fragrant Havauas,
and various desirable sundries, should never
be luxurious superhuites, !" for the g~ratihca-
ton Of honest ConfedeTates, but become the
prize Of the thieving Yankees of the seas. As
the manner is with the vessels running the
blockade, the wilder" kept eli, until night
fall, to & sufficient distance to be out Of sight Of
the look-outs at the mastheads of the block,
aders, and when the day closed clapped on all
sail and stood in for Mobile harbor by the East
ern or " Swash" channel. But the wind failed
to serve her in making " westing" - enough, SO
that day dawned when she was close into the
shore o fifteen miles to the eastward Of the
harbor entrance.
The captain at once decided to beach her,
hoping to save the cargo. About eight o'clock
the fog lifted, and developed the unpleasant fact
that the Wilder was right under the guns of the
Lincoln war steamer Huntsville, which, as luck
would have it, had strayed down in that direc-
ton from her station of the harbor mouths. The
captain Of the Wilder and his men of course
lost no time in getting ashore leaving their yes
sci Just as boats loaded with armed men put off
from the steamer to board her. 1t this stage Of
the game new actors appeared upon the boards,
for, on landing, the crew Of the Wilder found
themselves among friends and allies, being an
outlying picket guard Of fifteen men of the
Mobile "City Troop of cavalry, commanded
by Capt Cottrell. These gallant fellows having
seen what was going on had tied their horses in
the woods, and crept down with their carbines
in hand close to the beach, within about seventy
FIVE yards of which the schooner lay.
They " tipped the wink " to the unfortunate
mariners, signsled them to the rear, while they
laid low and kept dark behind the sand
knobs, with their eyes running along the
sights of their carbines. Meuily advanced
the boats Of the blockaders-their crowded crews
gay with the hopes Of easily gained prize money,
chanting the song of " happy land" as they
bent to their oars. Just as the officers sang out
" way enough and they were taking in their
oars to board the schooner, a stream of FIRE flashed
along tn, beach, and simultaneously with the
crack Of the fifteen carbines Of the troopers, an
officer standing in the stern sheets of one Of the
boats, leaped high into the air and fell into the
water, dead or MORALLY wounded a~sailor stand
ing in the bow, with boat-hook in hand to fend
off from the schooner, tOpPled over into the gulf
" a. timber as as a rag and grOaus. shrieks,
and confusion made a pandemonium Of the boat
loads Of startled and wounded Yankees, a num-
Der Of whom, hurt or unhurt, incontinently
jumped overheard. Loading and firing rapidly,
the Troopers exhausted the four rounds Of car
trdgos on their victims before they could put
their boats about and get out Of range.
Thus ended operations until some six hours
later, the Huntsville meanwhile having sig-
nailed another steamer to her assistance, and
amused herself by wasting a deal Of shot and
shell in the bushes, which hurt nobody. At
about three o'clock in the afternoon a grand ex-
petition left the two steamers for the stranded
schooner. It consisted of a number Of heavy
launches and gigs, loaded with a couple of hum
dred men, who approached the schooner under a
covering Ere from the steamers. But the Troop
ers had been reinforced by twenty-seveu Of their
comrades, and now had fifteen rounds of car
fridge each. They poured in a deadly fire upon
the boats, and the men who crowded the deck
of the schooner, which was replied to with bin
ME muskets. They burnt all their cartridges
but one round each, when they fell back from
their posts on the beach-all save one man, a
who was determined to have one more
shot st the first Hessiau who showed himself
above the bulwarks or from the boats behind tie
A while after the fire of the Troopers
ended, a Hessian sprang up into the rigging Of
the schooner t.. see if the Confederates had To-
treated from behind the saudhills. This was
or corporaIs opportunity, and he did not neg
it. His carbine cracked, and the Hessian
crashing down from the rigging to the
deck, with a shock which must have shaken
the little schooner from stem to stern. They did
not show themselves again for long time, but
.ying psriu, quietly attached a hauser to the
schooner, carried out the end Of it in q fast boat,
was rowed as if a thousand rifles were
bearing on the oarsmen, and made fast to the {
steamer, which pulled the Wilder off, a dearly
prize. :
In compensation for the schooner, they left in
he hands Of the Troopers a ships boat which was {
iddled by balls from their c%arbines, md which !
vas capsized in the confusion caused on board G
y the deadly volleys of the Coufederatos, and S
which they did not dare attempt to rescue. Since 1
he fight twelve dead bodies of the slain Hes ,
ians have drifted ashore. and there is no know :
ng how many more were killed whose bodies d
carried off by their surviving comrades, or
dnfted out to sea, OF were devoured by fl
harks. The Mobile City Troop, Capt. Cvstrell, L
Who administered this terrible blow to the conf
ience of the biockading enemy on our coast,
re an old company Of citizen soIdiers-the only
aValry company which existed in the city prior ,
o the war. They IRE all good fellows, and that
hey are cool soldiers aud good marksmen, the v
avoc and slaughter they dealt among the foe a
lilly attest. Capt COttrell is an Englishnan .
2 birth, but a long time a citizen of Mobile. !.
company is about a hundred strong, half Il
f whom were engaged in " the beach fight on
be Alabama coast" which will live in the i
scords of the stirring incidents Of the war. q
BY the way, / should not omit to mention in a
ais connection a striking Illustration Of the con u
.stent policy of mendacity which the Hessians Ia
maintained during the war. a messenger Z
ON the British consul at this port, went off to e
re ship of the senior blockadiDg officer two or I
days after the fight. He inquired Of the
captain asto the casualties in the action, m
nd was answered that there was no loss on their p
~