The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-06-16
THE DAYS OF THE VAR.
A AReminiscence by John Mitchell.


The following extract from the war Journal
OF John Mitchell, the distinguished Irlshman,
will be read with interest:
RICHMOND, January, 1864.
During the late months, have obtained,
from time to time, only few intimations, and
at long intervals, of how 1t has Jared with my
family In Ireland. mercantile firm in Baltl-
more has been good enough TO receive letters
for me, and then 10 send them to me through
the guarded lines as occasion offered. So l
knew not, all through the month OF January,
That nv wife, with my two little daughters,
was ut sea, on board one of the small blockade
running steamers, on their way to Virginia. l
should never have given my sanction to their
enterprise. If had known OF it; yet the step
thew took was very natural. My wife knew
that not only her eldest daughter was dead IN
Paris, but that her youngest son had lallen IN
the field at Gettysburg. She could not know
at what moment she might hear Of the slaugh-
ter of her two other sons both engaged In the
very forefront Of the war-one In South Caro-
lima, the other in Virginia; and at last she had
determined, without consulting Inc, to attempt
the running of the blockade by means OF such
vessels as were available. Our friends In Ire
land had heard q great deal OF our privatlons In
these bockaGed States; u matter which was al
WAYS greatly exaggerated In the North, and
those prIvations had been dwelt upon compla-
Gently in Yankee newspapers. They all
Thought we were almost starving and almost
naked; and at last my wife had determined to
run the gauntlet. She would at least see her
children before they would be all Killed,
and would bring us some supplies. Ac- &C.
cordIngly she had set to work In Ireland, by
help of our friends there, to collect such stores
of various kinds US were said 10 be most scarce
amongst us. She had purchased materials for
clothing, boots und shoes, tea and coffee, uor
the stories or our rye cunec mao ueen current
10 be packed in cases and shipped ut Plymouth
on board the Vesta, Que Of the little swift
Confederate steam vessels, bound to Whining
ton, N. G. She brought away our youngest
daughter from her convent school IN Paris,
anu started with the two girls In this mlsera-
BILE little Vesta, knowing that she was running
imminent risk OF capture by the Yankee block
aiding squadron. OF all this l knew nothing,
and 80 much the better for me. believed my
family to be still amongst our friends In Ire
land.
They made their voyage safely and pleasant
" enough as far as Bermuda; and, alter de-
lay of few days there, set forth again TO en-
counter the greater and most serious danger,
that OF capture by the Yankee blockade-run-
ming squadron. Coming near the coast OF
North Carolina, the little Vesta very soon
found herself chased by some eight or ten
Federal ships-of-war. For several hours she
was under lire, and shot and shell tore through
her rigging; but the Vesta was very fleet, was
gaining ground upOn her pursurers, and
HAVING good prospect now OF running into
Cape Fear River, when 1t was found that
the fuel was exhausted. A large part OF
the cargo consisted Of bacon, shipped for
the Confederate Commissary Department.
This bacon was, without scrnple, used as
fuel and was thrown into the fire. Steam
was thus kept up, and the little Festa actu-
ally ran past and through her pursurersi and
when night fell was out Of their reach and on
the direct course for Cape Fear River. NOW,
the cuptuin OF the Vrsta was an Englishman-
nm officer supplied by Messrs. Collie Co., who
had built anu loaded the vessel for the Conled-
crate service. The first mate was an English
man; and, so soon Us night came on, ana IL
was evident that the Vesta had run through
the blockadins squadron, aud there was moth
ing 10 hinder her 10 come to her port, TINS cap.
tain and this mate made themselves drunk, anu
il becume evident that some mischief was afO0t.
When men are about to commit some peculi-
larly ulrocious villany, 1t Is always great
comfort 70 them to make themselves drunk.
Alarm soon began to spread OH board the Vesta.
NV wife and two daughters were the only ladies'
on board: but 1t fortunately happened that
three or four Confederate naval officers were
passengers, who had been at Bermuda upon
some special mission. These gentlemen pluceu
themselves at the disposition OF my wife, and
kept an eye on the doings OF the captain. Soon
he and the first mate were rolling and tumb-
linz In their drunkenness; oil discipline and
order were lost; and at last the vessel was
turned straight for the beach, ''bOws-on," and
run ashore. The few passengers had scarcely
time allowed them to come ashore IN boais,
with such small baggage as they had In their
slateroOlns, and were thrown out upon q
bare, sandy island, in the middle OF bleak
winters night, when the drunken captain.
whose name WAS Eustace-set fire to ship
and cargo; and then my wife, crouching on
the bare sand, with her two little girls, saw
the Yesta set fire to by the captain, and all
that she had in the world burned up. The
officers / have mentioned stood by her,
and even attempted to save something Tor her,
but in vain. A miserable night they spent
on that naked beach, without shelter anu wlth-
out lire. They were all nearly dead when morn
ing broke and showed them that they were not
even ON the shore of North Carolina, Tut on one
of those sandy spits Which border the maln-
land. divided from it by shallow lagoons. Iney
found means to cross this lagoon, but were
then sixLy miles from Wilmington, on the
drpary strand, where Il sluggish creek called Lit
lie River makes the boundary line be-
tween North and South Carolina. a more
dismal situation could scarcely be con-
Confederate officers, it would be hars
to saw What might have become OF them.
Captain and mate had disappeared. short
way inland. however, they found mis-
erable hut; and some Of the gentlemen having
established the helpless ones in this shelter,
set out to look for u wagon to bring the party
through the marshes ,d in I e oner ot an
there was not much to eat; but at last, "by
GOOD heart and Our Ladye's grace they won
as far us. Wilmington; and then, for the hrst
time, /, who still thought them safe and quiet
in The County Down, had telegraphic mes
sa9e that my wife and two daughters were at
Wilmington, and would come on by the mex next
train TO Richmond Here was 10 be an arrival
A GENTS WANTED. TO SELL THE
n only really good low priced SEWING MA
CHINE. Sample complete to agents only $l2. From
SIS to $500 per month and expenses paid to ener.