New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-07-11
The Late Naval Engagement
LETTER PROM Mr.. LANCASTER.

barla and the Kearsargc have designated III! snaIc III
ths escape of Capt Semmes and portion OF the crew
~ the sunken ship az dsbonorable, and have more
over affirmed that my yacht the Deerhonnd was IN lhe
bsrbor Of Cherbourg before the engagement, nlu IN
ceeded thence on the morning of the engagement ~
order TO assist the Alabama, presume may .IesP
upon your kindness so far as 70 ask for an opporu!
70 repndiate the imputation and deny the assertion
They admit that when the Alabama went down the
yacht being near the Kearsarge was hailed by APT
Winslow and requested TO aid In picking up tno M
who were In the water; but they intimate tht my %
vices were expected TO be merely ministeriaii or III
other words that TO put myself undor Wy o 3
mand Of Capt Winslow and place my yacnt a. u, ucro
posal for The capture OF the poor fellows wy 70. is
STRUGGLING in the water for their lives Inc laos "a
that when we passed the kearsarge the oaP APP tben
out For Gods sake do what yon can 70 sun way for
and that was my warrant for interfering !" my wy
the aid ana succOr Of his enemies 49,, it,out that
10 NAV he question with some whetheI so,in 10
warrant should have been ustlnsdi ~ hat NV own
opinon rs that man drowning IN the open 20 ond 4.
h. regarded as an enemy at the tlme 10 az! by
therefore entitled to the ass Te1ncst Of Capt
Winslow TO rescue many OF we M. ~ Crcs, was
the water could lay hold o. pn ~ ' tbe effect that
not coupled with any stipulation 70 ine eGc. '
sd Ser mn the rescued men to him as his prison
ers II il had been L should have declined tne taSA
heeanse should have deemed 1t dishonofaDlet1"' 20
i"onsstenf with my notions of honor-to lend my
Yacht and for the purpose OF resculhg lhose U
men from drowning only 70 hand them over 70 ,ne ~.
mics for imprisonment, hi'treatmeni anu P*i"'p'
cution.
One Of your Correspondents opens his letter BY e.
pressing desire 70 bring TO the notice Of the Yacht
clubs OF Engahd tts conduct OF the COMMANDER OF te
DeeIhound which followed the engagements Of the Ala
hama and ReH sarge. Now that my conduct hsf been
inpngned I'm equally wishfll that It should CONE
under the motto. Of the yacht clubs ef England ana
an quite wiling TO leave the point OF honor 70 oe
decided By my brother yschtsmen. aDd indeed by any
tribunal OF genIemen. As 70 my legal right TO take
away Cspu SsumCs and ID friends fhavs been edues-
ted In tho belief that English ship Is English tern
tory and sI, therefore, unable even now 10 dte9!eI
Why WIS Ioore bound 10 surrender the people OF the
Alabama whom had on board my yacht than me owner
Of gar lon the south coast OF England Wouid nave
been thsS hsd 10 such place and
than the Mayor ofSouthampton was when they Were!o
ing in that city than the British Government i now
that il is known that they areSomewhere In Enga nd
Your other correspondent that Captain Winso"
decs that "tbe be did not pursue the Deer
bongd or fire into her that be cond NOT pelene NJ
thu time that any one carrying the nag OF INC oJs
Yscht Squadron could act dishonorsble par ~ 70
rry n the prisoners whom he had requested nun 70
save from feelings Of humanity wac no, s sws'e
saved were or ever had been his prsoners. hetnsf
any Of the circumstances which had preceded heslnk
ing Ct the Alabama constituted them prisoners was
Qne- tion that under my consideration ana
ore which am not disposed TO discuss even row;
car only say that II Is doctrine to me- that Whsn
one ship sinks another In warfare the crew OF the
srnkep shin are debarred lom swimming flr their lives
and seeking refuge wherever they can md H. and ~ h
| s doctrine which shall not except unless backed .!
better hoity than that of the master Of the hesr
sarge. What Captain Wiusows notion Of hu,na Al,
J may be. is point beyond my knowledge put 40,
good reason for believing that not many members OF we
Royal Yacht Squadron would, from motives OF hu
mainly" have taken Capt Ssmnes from the wslsr Ia
order to give him UP 10 The tender ineIces Of ,hF
Another reason than thai assigned by your CORE
sponden: for that heros orbcaance may be imagined In
the reflection that such performance ~ that 81 zap
tain wilkes who dragged two enemies" or Rebels
from an English ship would not bear repetition your
ANONYMOUS correspondent further says that captain
| winsloy would now have all tho officers aud men OF
the Alabama as prisoners had he not placed 100 much
confidence in the honor Of an Englshn Az who carried
the Tag of TIE Royal Yscht Squsdrcn This IL very
questionable assertion for why did aptaln mihsow
copfide In that Fnglishmani Why did he nplore his
interference calling out: g. or GODS sake do "haI
yop car 10 save themI' ] presume twas because he
could no; or would Tot save them himself The nie IL
that II the captain and OF the Alabama had de-
pended for safety altogether upon captain ln'iOS
NOT one half of them would have been saved lie got
quite many Of them a. he could lay hold OF nme
enough 10 deliver them from drowning
come now to the definite charges sdyanced BY
your correspondents, and these viii soon dispose d.
They maintain that my yacht was in the harbcr Of
Cherbourg FOR the purpose Of assisting the Alabama
and that her movements before the action prove thai
she attended her for the object NJ impression
is that the Yacht was in CherbOurg 10 sut my con.
yenieBee and pleasure, and ain quite sure that when
there ] neither did intended TO do anything To
serve the Alabama Ne steamed out ON Sunday morn
ling 10 see the engagement and the resolution 20 do 90
VISA the result Of family council whercat the question
10 go out. or " not u go out was duly discussrd
and Tie decision in affirmative carried by the
juveniles rather against the wish of both myself and my
wife Had contemplated taking any part IN the
movements OF the AaDapld 40 NOT tlllhh huNnlu
have been accompanied with my wife and several
Young children. One Of yolr correspondents, however
saws that he knows that the Deerhonnd did assist the
Alabama aud II DC does know this he knows more than
j do As 10 the movements Of the Dcerhoand before
the action, all the movements with which was
acquainted were fr the objects Of enjoying the Summer
morning. and getting good and rafc place ron which
20 watch the engagement.
Another OF your correspondents declares Tint since
the affair il has been discovered that the Oeerbonnd
WAS cOnsor Of the Alabama and on The night before
had received many valuable articles for safe keeping
from that vessel This is simply untrue Before the
| engagement neither nor any Of my family had any
knowledge of or communication with either Capt.
Semmes any Of his ofboei or any OF his crew. Since
the fight have inquired from my Captain whether be
Tor any Of roy crew had had AZ! c0nmunica
Ition with the captain or crew Of the Alabama
prior W meeting them this Deerhonnd after the
engagement, aud his answer given in the most en-
phatic manner has been - None ~fsteVer ~ 70 tho
deposit OF chrUnOme and other valuable articles the
whole story is myth. Nothing was brought from the
Alabama 20 the Deefhound, and never heard Of the
tale nntil II In an extract from your own column.
After the eight over, the drowning men picked W,
| and the Deeriosnd stesung away 90 Southampton.
.ome Of the officers who had been saved began to
press the Acknowledgements FOR my services ana my re
ply 10 them which Was addressed also Ia all who stood
| around was "1evJsnen. you have no need 10 give
me Any special shanks should have done exactly the
Same toI The other people they had needed ~ ms
speech would have been needless, and indeed an alb
surd piece Of hypocrisy II there lad been any league or
alliance between the AlabaDls and The Decrhould
Both your corYaspontfTrS agree in maintaining that
csntain sm,os, and .neb ~ lbs crew as were taken
avsy by the Deerhoild bound 10 honor 70 consider
themselves still a. prisoners and 10 render themselves
to tlelr laval cap,OiS as soon practicable Ihs Is
point which have nothing 10 do With and therefore
shall discuss II. Ny object in this letter Is merel,
10 vndicste my conduct from micprese and
trust tia. in aiming al this have not trsusgressed any
0f your Iulcs 81 correspondence and shall therefore bo
entitled 10 spsce in your columns.
| an. &c. J0BS LAsCAsIfR
| Hadey HsR WtSGs, june u.
coRRbsPoSDKNcS BETWEEN MR.. MASON AND
! HR. LANCASTER.
| The following correspondence between Mr.