Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-02-22
James yretlell WNddell.

/ The subioined letter from Can't. Waddell, of the
Shenandoah, will not be without peculisr interest
to his many relations and friends, who reside in
this his ancestral region:
| I am now in exile, hut far from being ruined
man. won't go to sea any more if can help it.
The feeling shown toward me through the restrlc-
ton placed my wife is decided. 1t is just the
feeling like, though the tyranny to her is hulnll
iating to the nature of man. / have written her
to release her bondsmen and inform the govern
ment that she owes her allegiance to her husband.
AS my case now stands, I do not think the bond
is worth the paper 1t is written on. In court OF
law I know it would fail
You have seen Mr.. Wells report, I suppose. He
does me justice when he writes that "ceased my
depredations when heard Mr.. Davis was q prls-
oner." He wilfully lies when he writes that L
continued "cruising against unarmed whale ships
when knew that the armies of the south had sur
rendered" The facts are these:
After reaching Behring's Sea, l captured the
ships William Thompson and Susan Abigail Both
had left San Francisco in April last. These cap
lures were made about the 23d of June, and from
each I received the San Francisco papers. These
professed to have the correspondence between
Generals Lee and Grant, concerning the surren-
der of Gen. Lees army. They also stated that
Mr.. Davis and cabinet were in Danville, to which
the Confederate Government had been removed,
and that Mr.. Davis had issued proclamation in
forming the southern people that the would
be carried on with renewed vlgOr
made pOsseSsOr of as late news by these
two captures as any the whaers had, ana con-
tinued my work until it was completed i'll the Arc
tic Ocean on the 2Sth of June, when / had
ceeded in destroying or dispensing the New Eng
land whaling feet. left the Arctic on the goth
of June, and shipped from some of the whalers
eight men on that very day-nen of intelligence,
all trained soldiers. It is not to be believed those
men would have taken service in the Shenandoah
If they believed the ended.
After leaving Behring's Sea, fell in with
vessel until communicated with the British bark
Barracouta, from San Francisco I'd August, four
teen days, bound for Liverpool She informed me
of the capture of Mr.. Davis and part of his Cab
met also of the surrender of Generals Johnstons,
Smiths and Magruder's armies The Barracuda
furnished that news the first time had heard it,
and instantly ceased to cruise, and steered for
Cape Horn. Before communicating with the Bar
racouta I intended to look into the Gulf of Lower
California and then to await the arrival OF Cali
fornia steamer bound for Panama. The Barra-
couta's news surprised MS, and among some of the
officers l witnessed a terror which mortified me-
was mplored to take the vessel to Australia that
to try to reach European port would be fatal to
all concerned petitions were signed by three
fourths of the officers asking to be taken to Cape
Town, arguing and picturing the horrors of cap
ture and al that sort of stuff called the officers
and crew to the quarter deck and said calmly to
them 81 intend taking this ship to Liverpool; I
know there is risk to be run, but that has been
associate all this time We will be sought after in
the Pacific and not in the Atlantic.
They supported my views, and then followed a
letter from the crew-signed by II out of 10
saying that they had confidence in me- and were
willing, nay, desired to go with me wherever I
thought best to take the vessel. had, of course
very anxious time, painfully anxious, because the
officers had set bad example to the crew. Their
conduct nothing less than mutiny. | was
very decided with some of them; had to tell one
officer would be captain or die on deck, and the
vessel should go to no other port than Liverpool
So ended my trouble with complaints and suppl
cations from the officers. The men behaved no.
bly,, and stood firmly to their decision