Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-07-21
The Alabama and the Kearsrge,


EFlench and German are full of it, and little
else was talked of in Paris and London up t.
the sailing of the last steamer There was
great rush to see the Keassdrgs, painters art
making pictures of the fight, officers are ex
aiming the big guns Of the hearsarge, ladie:
are getting relics from the two vessels to at
tach to their watch chains, the subject i:
discussed in Parliament and the newspapers
congratulations are pouring in on Captain
WINsLow and his crew.
| TheNew York papers have further letter:
from their correspondents, and extracts from
European papers, but we have not room te
tcopy.
Some new points are brought out Capt
/ WINsLow admits and regrets that a shot OF
/ two was fred after the alabama surrendered
The mistake arose from the fact that ten
/ minutes before the Ala5aana sunk she pulled
down her battle-hag, which was white, with
union-jack and blue stars in the upper cor.
ner, and tearing the colors out, ran it UP
again as white flag, in token of surrender.
! The flag looked about as white before the
eolors were torn out as after, and he did not
understand that the alabama had surrender
| ed till boat approached with an officer and
two men. The correspondent of the New
| York Times says Capt WINsLow hailed the
| officer thus. Do you surrender your ship,
sir ?" I'VE do" was the reply; 'our ship
is sinking, and we want to know if you won't
send ysur boats to help save the men ~
"Certainly, sir" replied Capt WINsLow At
the same time Capt. WINsLow hailed the En-
| glish boat, and asked them twice if they
would not also send their boats, and help to
take off the crew Of the Ala5anaa The Off
Ger who had come to surrender the alabama
| was also authorized by Capt. WNsLow to aid
in picking up the men. Capt. WINsLow, in
view Of the fact that the boat had surrender
ed, never doubted for moment but that ev-
erybody engaged in picking up men would
deliver them to him as his prisoners. He
never thought of anybody attempting to run
away under such circumstances, and supposed
the English boat, the Dee1hou,ad, like himself,
was going Ddch 10 CnerDOufS.
There were nineteen different nationalties
represented on the alabama, principally Eng
lishmen and not more than six Americans
One of the crew told the New York Herald
correspondent that the men shipped to make
money, but had not received any prize money
and thought themselves swindled. He did
not think majority would reship in the Con-
federate service.
As near as can be ascertained, the A2a5ano
lost over thirty men killed and wounded Her
crew was one hundred and fifty men and Off
GERS Sixty-seven of these were saved by the
hearsarge, forty were taken on board the
yacht Deerhoatnd, and nine were brought into
Cherbourg in a French pilot boat, leaving
thirty-four unaccounted for
There are but three things which mar our
pleasure in regard to the destruction of the
Atabanaa First, that SEMMEs should have es-
capped; Second that the Deerhoamd was not
sunk the moment it was ascertained that she
was running away with our lawful prisoners :;
Third, that the crew Of the alabama, rescued
by the hearsorye, should have been paroled.
For the first no blame can be imputed to
Commodore WINsLow. 1t is better to err On
the side Of humanity, and he could not have
supposed that the enemy would take so mean
an advantage of his clemency in saving their
lives. For the second, Commodore WINS
LOWS explanation is sufficient for his full jus.
LITIGATION. He did not fire upon the Deer
hound because he never imagined =" that any
one carrying the flag of the Royal Yacht
Squadron would act so dishonorably" He
could not know that this pretended British
Yacht was really Confederate tender. We
have been taught a new lesson as to the hon
or of the Confederates and their accomplices
In paroling his prisoners because he had not
room to comfortably accommodate them Com
modore WINsLow seems to have acted hastily
and unwisely.
An eye-witnes of the naval fight communi
Gates to the London Daily Nesrs the following
interesting narrative:
81 regret to see that some of the London
papers are perverting and classifying the facts,
so as to do great injustice to the gallant off.
GERS and men of the Kearsarge.
"The fight began at II a. NJ, and ended
few minutes after II, lasting little more
than an hour. The alabama fred seventeen |
shots at the Hearsarge before the latter fred |
gun. The KearSaTye fred one hundred and |
seventy-three shots. She was struck in the |
hull seven or eight times, but has sustained |
no important damage, and is perfectly ready |
for active service. -
"She has a crew Of about one hundred and |
sixty-fve men, that of the dLabama being !
one hundred and forty-seven. The. Aladasaa |
had eight guns, the Rearsarge only severn
The firing of the Ata6dna0 was very inaccu-
rate, that Of the Ksarsasge was excellent. A
large pivot gun was particularly effective
The Kearsarge is spoken of as being iron-clad:
might have been had they taken the precau-
ton. She simply had double row of chains
hanging over Der sides to protecther machin-
cry. Two shots from the alabama struck
these chains, and fell harmlessly into the wa
ter" s@-FAt Sc p F
The Kearsarge picked up sixty-three men,
one dead body, and two men who have since
died on board. She also took five officers.
Captain Winsloao would nor hare all the officers
and men of the alabama as prisoners had he not
placed too mach confidence in the honor of an
EatgliSbnaan rho carried the flag Of the Royol
Yacht Squadron. The Club will be indelibly
disgraced unless they take measures to repu-
diate and condemn the conduct of Mr.. John
Lancaster, owner of the yacht Deerhou,d. I
haze no doubt that this yacht was in the harborof
to assist the alabama by every means
IN her poauer; that she did so l kaoao; her move
nents before the action prove it. When the
alabama went down, the yacht, being near,
was hailed by Captain Winslow and requested (
20 aid in picking up the men in the water
The request was complied with. and the |