Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-02
The ShenandOah..A Letter from One Of
Her Officers.


| The ShenandOah..A Letter from One Of
Her Officers.
The Shenandoah is expected soon to ar
| rive in New York. The following letter Ia
private one) is from an officer of that vessel
1t is dated from France, November 81, 1865.
1t will speak for itself without explanation !:
"MY DEAR CoUsN-As you have, no
doubt, seen by the newspapers long ere this,
We arrived at Liverpool, England, on the
9th of this month, all we'll. l could write
page after page upon our cruise but l feel
that by so doing 1 might tire you, so that 1
will only make brief statement in con-
nection thereto before proceeding further.
While in the Arctic making our captures,
we learned from the prisoners and the few
papers they would give us, that Mr.. Lin
coin had been assassinated that Rich
mond had been captured after being evacu-
ated that General Lee with small portion
of his army had surrendered, while the lar
ger portion, some forty thousand men, had
reinforced General Johnston at Green's
boro, in North Carolina, and that President
Davis, with his Cabinet, had reached Mont
gomery, and there established himself, 80
that we concluded that although the South
had sustained graat reverses, we might still
look with hope to the armies of Generals
Johnston, Beauregard, Hood, Kirby Smith
and Magruder. We finished our work there
on the 18th of June, with no further infor-
nation except the opinions of some of our
prisoners, based alone on hope that the war
was over We left the Arctic on the 29th
of June, and Behring sea on the LIST of July.
We shaped onr course to intercept vessels
from San Francisco to China and Japan,
but saw no sail until the End of August,
when in latitude IA degrees north, we saw
vessel which we took to be Yankee, and
gave chase. We came up with her; she
proved to be the English bark Baracouta,
fourteen days from San Francisco, bound to
Liverpool. The captain gave us the sadand
heartbreaking intelligence that our cause
was lost, our country overrun, and our peo-
pie subjugated. By comparing dates we
found that some depredations were com.
mitted after the war deceased, and at once
saw and appreciated our position.
Full well did we know that our enemies
would call us pirates, and were convinced
that plenty of men could be found who
would perjure themselves to convict us If
we fell into their hands, The captain knew
also that the world at large would consider
US guilty. At once we stuck our guns,
pistols and muskets into the hold, thereby
disarming our vessel, and general mott
fcation to all on board was given that all
depredations would cease We shaped our
course for Cape Horn, and then for Liverpool
We arrived there on the 9TH of November,
and surrendered our vessel, arms, ammuDi-
ton, all captured money, Instruments and arti- I
cles to the captain ofthe English line-ofbattle
ship Donegal, which was lying in the harbor.
We were detained on board until plain |
statement was made to the English Govern
ment, when after Cabinet meeting, we were
Internationally released and taken on shore. |
By coming into port of one of the strongest |
Governments in the world and pursuing the |
course we did, laying ourselves liable, and \
being perfectly willing to undergo any trial !
before any criminal court in that country, / |
should think that the most partial minds |
would be convinced that we were innocent |
Of the vile charges brought against us. Still |
some Of the English papers are most abu-
sive, and persist in calling us pirates; but |
we simply want our friends to know that we
have done our duty like men and have lost
no honor. / know very well that the Yam
KEGS will continue to call US pirates, and, il
we were TO fall into their hands, would treat
us as such. would not be at all surprised
If they were sufficiently mad to demand
our persons, disregarding entirely the law
by which, if piracy was the charge against
us, as enemies Of mankind, we would be
tried in England.
have no faith in England, and believe
that even in this extreme case, If the two al
ternatives war or rendition were offered,
honor would be sacrificed and we would be
rearrested and given up. Under these cir
cumstances l viii remain here until the
whole thing ID settled. J.