The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-11-18
Capture ofthc Florida
Fsu .dccOsssst Ufthe Gnllnn1
.4Hats..
THE OORsAIR cur rROm rss,
MIDST OF rHE DRAZTLlAN
FLEET.

THE OORsAIR cur rROm rHu
MIDST OF rHE DRAZTLlAN
FLEET.
The wAchu.est Fired upsn y For
-. Marcellus.
Trrom the Boston AdvertisA, Nov.s1
Tho news which We announced yester
day morning that the arrival Of the IA.
nous steamer Kearsargs 1t this pprt, hac
brought the intelligence Of the capture il
baxilian vaters By The Union funboa,
Waehnsett OF the notorious rsbel cruise,
Florida, sent thrill Of surprise and ioy
through tho commuoitY even in the mid:,
OF the excitement aud suxiety Of Preside
tial day. The joyful news spread owe
tbe city like wiid6re, and VS. the mi YER.
sal subject Of discussion and mutual con
grstuiation. until the interest Of the con
gressional and national elections seemed
almost to be forgotten in comparison.-
0ne OF our reporters paid visit to the
hearsarse, during the day and BY the kind
courtesy OF one of ber officers, Paymaster
J. A. Smith being specially obIiginp. was
enabled to obtain detailed account of
the singular affair in the bay Of Bahia.
comprising all The particulars which are
accessible to the public.
Tae Confederate iron steamer Florida
arrived At Bahia. Bay Of San Salvador.
Brazil. OCTOBER 5.h, having captured and
burned the bark Mondamon, from Rio. of
Pernambuco. on the 28ih of September.
The United States steamer Wachusett.
Captain Napoleon Collins, had been lying
for several days in the port OF Bahia, and
the Florida frs, achored in the ot;ne,-
The Brazilian Admiral then sen. her a
message requesting her to come inside
which she did, ancboring in the middle of
the Brazilian feet. and close, uuder the
guns OF the principal fort. which is located
upon an island in the middle of the har.
bor
Certain parties in Bahia, which is q
commercial city of considerable import
auce, with one OF the beat hsrbors in the
world, being interested In American az
fairs bestirred themselves to bring about
an engagement between the Wachusett
and the Florida. firmly confident that the
result OF such al encounter would be an :
other Union victory as cowplets a that
Won last Summer in the British Channel.
On the morning of the 9th October they
carried challenge to Capt. Morris of the
Florida TO move outside the Limits of
Brazilian jurisdiction and fgbt the Wa
chussett. The rebel commander declined
to receive the missive which the Brazilian
residents had prepared on account OF some
inforwality in its address During the
afternoon of the same day a Hungarian
citizen living at Bahia, AID s,mpathzinp
With our government 10 its struggle with
the rebellion, waited upon Capt Morris
and endeavoreI to induce him to ednsen,
to an action between his ship and the
Union gunboai, but without success -
Capt. Morris. however stated that il hs
happened to fall iI with the Wachusetl
during cruise he should willingly enga
in contest with her, but on no accoun
would he consent to leave a safe harboI
for the express purpose of having an en-
gagemeot.
i all efforts on the part of outside par
ties to bring on naval battle in the opel
water between the two vessels proy,ns
unsvailing, Capt, Collins promptly tool
into consideration the other means which
suggested themselves for ridding the sea-
OF this most dangerous enemy OF our com
merce. In the evening Of The same da,
above mentioned. Thursday October 5.b
be- called council Of his officers to debat
tie subject. An important element il
the consideration was the fact that tn,
J convenient harbor o. Bahia had thre,
openings into the Atlantic, By any one 0
which the Florida might make her escap,
whenever the darkness Of the night favor
ed her purpose, without the possibilit
of one Union vessel preventing i. Iii
stated that the council Of officers were al
80 possessed of Information that the Flor
ida had repeatedly sei1ed and burne,
! American ships within three miles Of tb
D coast of Brazil, in defiance of every la,
, of neutrality, without the slightest objec
: tioo Of any sort being made BY the Bra
lillian authorities. Taking into consider
> ton all the facts 10 the case, the counci
. advised, with but one dissenting vot
$ among ell the officers OF the Wachusett.
: that the scheme proposed OF seizing tn
rebel cruiser at her anchorage, should b
$ carried out. Captain Collins immed
o stely gave orders for the Accomplishment
!. Of the design agreed upon saying th;
with the very deepest regret he felt th,
the conduct of the Brazllan Governmet
in permitting piracies within the shade
. Of its shores had made this step an in
d peritively necessary one. 1t may be r,
marked here that 1t was found, after I'll
i seizure Of the Florida, that ~rrapgemen
T. had been made for her escape from II
,. harbor on the very next nigh. for ne
career Of depreciation upon our shippinI
The preparations for the encount,
were made with great celebrity and cou
:. plete secrecy, and At about three o'clo,
= in the morning Of Friday October Z. tt
= cables were slipped and the Wachuse
. bore down upon the rebel vessel under
IfuIl head Of steam. So little expe ctatit
y = was there ofsuch proceeding, that on
. half OF the officers aud CREW Of the Fiol
da, 70 10 number and including CAPITA
Il