New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-05-30
next it, and was about to go aboard second

next it, and was about to 90 aboard a SECOND
steamer, made fast alongside the first, ant
on which he had noticed the unreasonable
str, when he heard some one moving about
IN her engineers room and apparently com
muning with himself. Stopping to listen, he
made out that the engineers assistant, a col
ored man, was grunting and growing away
to himself because ode cap'Sn' had caused
him to be routed from his comfortable bunk
to go to work at this early hour. Satisfied
that all was right, the sentinel returned to
his beat and resumed his monotonous tramp,
The steamer was the Planter, and the senti.
mel was Confederate soldier. His superiors
had recently determined on the evacuation OF
the stone Notifications, and the work of dis
mounting the real guns, and substituting
wooden ones, to deceive the Yankees, had
been successfully going on. The Planter
had been employed in transporting the dis
| mounted guns down to Morris Island, and at
this time had on board valuable seyen-inch
rifle cannon, and several smaller guns. Her
hands were colored men. They had agreed
among themselves that they would escape
with the steamer to the Federal fleet outside.
ON the first opportunity that offered, or at
least make the attempt and sink the Planter
when the time did come, rather than turn
back. Charleston harbor was bristling with
Notifications, and a Confederate steamer
constantly patrolled its entrance. To avoid
encountering her, the men of the Planter
had been on watch for day when she should
be off for repairs. day had come on which
she was to be laid up, and no boat was to
take her place for twenty-four hours. The
captain and engineer, who were white men.
were in the habit of going ashore for the
night, contrary to orders; and they had
done so on this night, so that the Planter
was in the charge of colored men. At three
O'Clock in the morning the engineers colored
assistant began to get up steam. His
grumbling when the sentinel from the wharf
came AROUND was a part of the plan, and
this one Of the many points at which failure
would have thwarted the escape. The
Planter lay with steamer between her and
the wharf, and another fastened to her on the
outside. But about four O'Clock, daylight
in Mayo Robert Small, who was the captains
right-handed man, asked the men of the
steamer outside to let him cast off. Knowing
him to be for time in charge of the Planter,
they did so, and she slowly moved off, head
ing for Accommodation Wharf. This was the
only one between Southern Wharf (Which is
the last one from East Bay street, IN the d.
rection of the Battery and the CustOm-house,
where there was not property to be guarded,
and consequently no sentinel. Here, by APP
pointment, were the families of the crew.
which were safely taken ON board, and the
Planter kept on, this time down the bay.
She excited no special attention, having been
over the same course so frequently of late as
she passed to and from Morris Island. But
now came critical point. In passing Fort
Sumter the captain always made certain
signal to a sentinel on the watch, failing to
do which the boat would have received
speedy summons to heave to. He was also
obliged to run quite close to the fort. AS
soon as the Planter now came on Robert
Small put on the captains coat and hat,
which hung in their usual places, and signaled
to the sentinel as he had seen the captain do.
The Planter passed on unmolested. Now
she approached the point where are two
channels, one leading back to Morris Island,
which she had taken so often with her load of
guns from Stono, the other straight out to the
Yankee fleet. TO diverge from the first and
usual course and take the second was to be
exposed to instant fire from the Confeder-
ates. The Planter, before moving at a
moderate pace, now crowded on all steam.
They stuffed the furnaces with pitch, tar, oil,
anything to make a fire seven times heated,
and pushed her right for the fleet. Is she
safe? There is but little danger from behind,
for she is leaving all i'll her wake too rapidly,
but how will the fleet receive her? There is
a table-cloth in the masthead for FLAG of
truce, but the wind is directly abaft, and the
flag hangs motionless. To the captain of the
nearest vessel she appears craft right from
Charleston, bearing down full tilt, and with
no flag. He orders his guns to bear on her;
the gunners stand ready, and at a word she
will have broadside. But no, the table,
cloth is discerned, an experimental shot is
fired across her bow, she slackens, stops, and
the report soon spreads through the fleet that
the Planter, manned by colOred men alone,
has escaped from Charleston, bringing news
of the evacuation of the Stone Notifications
and bringing also several cannon, among
them seven-inch riled piece. The report
was speedily confirmed by careful cross-ex-
animation, first, Of Robert Small and then the
others, by an officer of the u. S. Coast Sur
vey, familiar with the localities about which
the news was brought. Acting on the infor-
nation thus obtained our forces were success
full in capturing James Island, and, competent
judges say, should have taken Charleston.
That the Planter should have come through
all the obstacles to be encountered, and
reached through the fleet in safety is mar
vel. To have brought her triumphantly
through, showed the possession of rare cool
ness and pluck.
"Honor the brave and bold,
Long shall the tale be told,
Yea, when our babes are old,
How they steamed onward"