The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-02-14
Letter from Capt Waddall, late Of
the Shenandoah.
Fran the Mobile News.

A gentleman Of this city has received q
letter from Capt. Waddell, formerly, in
command Of the cruiser Shenandoah, dated
December 9th, Waterloo, near Liverpool,
from which we are permitted to make such
|extracts as may he,of interest,te the gene
lral public.
The Captain appears to feel bitter disap-
Ipeiatment ever the result Of the late war.
He says that the South has played false to
her ,caase-he has very. little respect, for
|her- heNoes not believe she was in earnest
she will never again take the field, etc.
Regarding himself, he says:
| ] am now in exile, but far from being a
ruined rnssa. / won't 90 to sea any more il
| can help it. The feeling shown towards
me through the restriction placed on my
wife is decided. It sjust thefeeling ] like,
though the tyranny to her is hamiGating to
the nature OF man. i have written her to
release her bo1dsmen and Inform the Gov
eminent that she owes her allegiance to her
husband. AS my case now stands, I do
not think the bond is worth the paper it is
written on. ms court oflaw, / know it
would fall. ' 3s
You have seen Mr.. Welles's report,
suppose. He does me justice when he
|svrtes that I" ceased my depredatiens when
| heard Mr.. Davis was a prisoner" lie
laciBEAy lies when he writes that / contiDu-
| ed cruising against unarlned whale ships
IWhen | knew that the armies of the South
had surrendered" The facts are these:
After reaching Behring's Sea, / captured
the ship William Thomson and brig Susan
Abigail; both had left San Francisco ii
| Apml aast. These captures were made
aabout the Esd of June, and from each, /, re.
ceived San Francisco papers. Those pa.
lpers protested to have the correspondence
between Generals Lee and Grant, concern
ing the surrender Of Lees army. They also
stated that MIR. Davis and Cabinet were in
Danville, toswhich the Confederate Govern
ment had been removed, and that Mr.. Da-
Wis had issued proclamation Informing
the Seataern people that the war would be
carried on with renewed viger.
| was made possessor of as late news BY
| these tSo captures Is sHy the whalecs had
and / continued my work sn6i it was com
lpleted in the Arctic ocean on the 2cth Of
june, whenI had succeeded in destroying
or dispensing the New England whaling
fleet. left the Arctic on the 29th Of June,
and skipped from some Of the wha!ers eight
men on that very day --men Of intelligence
and trained soldiers. It's not to be beliey.
| ed that those men would have taken service
in the Shenandoah if they believed the iva,
ended. Giif &c
After leaving Behring's Sea, I fell in
with no vessel until / communicated with
the British bark Barracouta, from San
Francisco, ID August, IA days, bound fol
Liverpool. She informed me eef tile cap.
ture Of Mr.. Davis and part efhis cabinet
also of the surrender of Gems. Johnston
Smiths, and Magpuder's armies. The Bar.
lracouta furnished that news the first time
heard it, and instantly ceased to cruise
and steered for Cape Horn. ~ ea
| Before communicating with the Bara.
couta, intended to look into the Gulf Of
Lower California, and then to await the ar
rival Of California steamer bound fol
Panama. TnF,I
| The Barracouta's news surprised us, and
among some of.thc officers WITNESSED d
terror which mortified me. / was implored
TO take the vessel TO Australia; that to try
to reach a European port would be fatal ii
all concerned petitions were signed BY
three-fourths of the officers, asking to be
taken to Cape Town, arguing and pictarine
1.-The horrors of capture, and all that sort Of
Istuff ] called the Gficers and crew to the
quarterback, and said calmly to them: -
intend taking this ship to Liverpool;
4 know there is risk to be run, but that has
been our associate all this time. We vii
belsought alter in the Pacific aud not in thu
] Atlantic" s45l
4 They supported NJ views, and then col
lowed a letter from the crew--signed by Il
out of ll0-sayiAg they had confidence il
me, and were willing, nay, desired, to e
with me wherever / thought best to tax,
the vessel ! had of Course, a very anxious
time, painfully anxious, because the officer;
| had set,a bad example to the crew. Thei
conduct was nothing less that mutiny.
was very decided with some ofthem; [ has
to tell one officer / would be captain, or di,
on the deck, and the vessel should 90 to nc
other port than Liverpool. So ended m,
trouble with complaints and application.
from the,officers. The men behaved nobly
and stood firmly otheirdecision.
i When the ship was 400 miles from til,
Azores. a suspicious looking vessel wa.
lseen ahead, and apparently lying-to, waitin.
! for us to come up with her. ltwas sunset
1.-THE wind very light, and my suspicious
being aroused, ! steered my course steadily
until darkness closed upon us, and then /
wore ship and stood southwest till steam
|could be gotten up--for had not ever
banked fires since parting with the Bara
|couta. It took two hours to. get steam up
when it was ready, I furled sails, steerel
due east for 16 miles, and hauled OR my
course, steaming for 100 miles. I believe
4 she was Yankee cruiser. She was only
Isk miles off when night came on, but
tevaded her successfully. s. asis 7
The Shenandoah, under sail, is a sixs,ser
knot vessel under steam, nine knots;
lime sea craft. She ran from the Arctic tt
Liverpool in $50 days; from the line On the
Pacific side to the Cape in rs days; from
the Cape to the line on the Atlantic ia &c
days, and from the line to ,Liverpoolin ~
days. Two Of my crew died of disease
lwhea near Liverpool otherwise nothing
happened to mar our cruise; no accident