The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-11-15


water on which the brief battle has
been fought, was so situated that tn,
two American steamers were obliged {,
pass under the stern of one of tn,
largest in order TO penetrate their line
The Wachusett was challenged, bat die
not deign word of reply, and the Flor
! ida when hailed and commanded Il
half 3 moment after, replied that Q
pause was impossible as she towed By
the vessel IN front The Brazilians soon
guessed the state Of affairs, and in an
other moment or two the heavy guns OF
! the fort under the very muzzles oil
which the capture had been made
opened fire on the Wachusett, as she
disappeared in the morning darkness
Three shots were fred after her, all
passing harmlessly far above her PEN
nant, and striking the waters beyond
To the reader it seems that all this
must have taken a considerable time,
but the testimony OF q careful officer
on the Waehusett, corroborated by the
surgeon of the Florida, assures US that
from the time the Wsehusett first slip
/ ped her cable and steamed upon the
rebel cruiser TO the moment when the
echoes of the last gun from the Bra
lillian fortress had died away, was only
twenty minutes by the watch Certain
! ly no page of history can show a more
! daring achievement, or one executed
with more brilliant rapidity or more
complete success.
/ The Brazilian naval commander in
Bahia harbor acted with all the prompt
ness which could have been expected,
and in few moments the dawn of day
( disclosed two vessels of the Brazilian
! fleet doing their utmost to pursue and
/ overhaul the Wachusett and her prizs
They were a heavy sloop-ofwar and q
rsmall- armed steamer, neither of them
any match in point of speed for the
handiwork of New England mechanics,
and soon gave up the chase as the Union
and rebel steamers disappeared below
the horizon.
Capt. Collins soon ordered the ships
TO heaVe to and examine his prize He
found that neither vessel was material
ly damaged by the collision, and that
there had been no injury to life or limb
from the confused firing which followed
it Twelve officers and fifty-eight men
Of the Florida's crew were captured.
and all her stores, papers, records, etc,
were found undisturbed in the cabin.
The two vessels soon steamed for St
Thomas, arriving there on the 29th ult,
and finding the Kearsarge already in
port 1t was intended to keep the mat
ter at Bahia a secret at St Thomas, but
it was accidentally revealed by q sea
man of the Waehusett to one Of the
crew OF the Kearsarge, and some hints
of it got wind in the town, causing great
excitement there. The Florida remain
ed outside the bay, while the Wachu-
sett entered TO obtain coal
Acting Assistant Paymaster w. w.
Williams, of the Wa1husett, Surgeon
Charlton Of the Florida and sixteen of
the crew of the priyateer were trans
ferred tc the Kearsarge, which sailed
Oct. 3Ist, and arrived here at midnight
on Monday, as previously reported.
Paymaster Williams being charged with
dispatches for the Government, left by
the earliest train yesterday morning
for Washington The Wachusett and
Florida were to sail from St Thomas on
the I'd inst. for New York, where they
may now be daily expected
The cIeE of the Florida is composed |
of Englishmen, Irishmen, Germans, |
etc, and contains no citizens of the |
rebel States Among her officers, how |
ever, there are several Southerners.
Surgeon Charlton, wbO is now on board |
the Kearsarge, Is a native of Georgia |
He was before the war an officer in tie
United States Navy, and was stationed |
for several years IN Chelsea. He has
many acquaintance in Boston. He /
was here on the day of President Lin~
coins first election, and left shortly |
after to tender his services to the
Southern Confederacy. He is gentle
man in appearance and manner, and
not reluctant to speak of the circum--
stances of his capture and the condi-
ton our national affairs. He wears the
full uniform of the rebel naval service,
of plain gray cloth, with the rank in
dicated by shoulder straps, as in the
Union costume.
Surgeon Charlton expresses full con-
hdence that his captivity will last for
only limited period, believing that
the whole affair will terminate as did
the seizure of Mason and Slidell three
years ago If the demands which he
thinks viii he made by the Brazilian
government are disregarded by our
he looks tor an. indOrse-
ment of the claims by the governments
Of Great Britain, France and Spain, in
such a manner as 10 compel compliance
Tie rebel officers profess a complete
as to the result Of yester
days elections They say that the
North entirely mistakes the universal
sentiment Of the South, which they az
firm will never consent on any terms
10 a restoration of the Union.
They declare an unshaken confidence
IN the ultimate triumph Of their cause,
placing their reliance on the intrinsic
advantages Of their position in a mill,
.ary point Of view, moving co.'s antly
On interior lines They argue that vol
is entirely at an end in the
North, and that the CONSUMPTION can
not be enforced here, while the rebel
army Is kept up to a fighting standard
by steady recruiting, and has reserve
Dn hand Of three hundred thousand
negroes capable Of efficient military
service.
Surgeon Charlton estimates that the
Florida has steamed over forty thou
sand miles since she left Brest, not I
having spent ten days in port in nine
months. During her career she has cap
.ured about forty American vessels 8
The Kearsarge has on board one OF
NO prisoners taken from the ALBANIA 9
asst summer She still bears upon her
.ides the marks of that desperate en-
counter, and will have 70 UNDERGO a
thorough OYerhauling and reftting da-
ing her stay in this port She will pro
ably 90 out Of commission in few
lays, and wall receive new sails and rig :
,ing, and be repaired IN every part du-
ing the winter, sc Charlest0Wn Navy :
lard Her cruise has lasted three 4
ears, and she has steamed about 3D.
20 miles since she sailed on her mai Il
len voyage from Portsmouth in 1851 !,
he now lies just OF the Navy Yard, in
all view Of our wharFes, where hun \
reds of people will flock % see the =
allant little steamer that 50 nObly van r
uished and destroyed in romantic sin
le combat the freebooter which was a.
~ 50 long the terror Of our mercantile q
iarine. fhe officers and crew Of the / 81
.earsaFge, as is announced in another Il
lace, are to have = public reception To- "a
lorrow in Fanueil Hail, and we trust y
hey viii receive such an ovation IS pl