Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-02-14
THRILLING WAR INCIDENT.
The Capture Of the Steamer Under.
writer by the Confederates.

Col. J. Thomas Scharf, of Baltimore,
an officer in the confederate navy, re-
Gently furnished an interesting account
of the confederate vessels, the Merri-
mac, the Nashville and the Patrick
Henry, to the Maryland historical So
ciety, accompanying three pictures of
these vessels. The account concluded
with description of the capture OF
the Underwater, in February, 1864, by
an expedition under command of John
Taylor Wood, of Maryland, of the
Confederate States privateer Tallahas-
see, and subsequently an aid on the
staff of Jefferson Davis. The account
is as follows:
Early in the year 1864, Col. Wood,
who had short time before captured
a few federal gunboats in the Kappa
hammock river, solicited and obtained
permission from the secretary of the
Confederate States navy to fit out boats
for the capture of federal blockading
vessels, by boarding them in the night
In the month of January, 1864, the
Confederate States naval commanders
in the ports of Savannah, Charleston,
Wilmington and Richmond received
instructions from the naval depart
ment at the last named city, to select a
boats crew of fifteen able and trusty
seamen at each port, from the iron
clads then in commission, and with
their boats to report at Wilmington,
N. c. About the latter part of jan
uary, everything being in readiness,
well armed, and accompanied by four
boats and two launches, we left Will
mington via the Kingston railway. Our
destination was a matter of much con-
lecture, and more than one guid nuac
puzzled his brain over the problem.
At the juncture of the Neuse and
Trent rivers, situated on point of
land, its shores washed by either
stream, lies the town of Newbern, a
place of some note, in North Carolina
After the fall of Roanoke island, on
the 14th of February, 1862, it fell into
the hands of the federals, who imme-
diately after its surrender threw up
Notifications which extended over an
area of twenty miles. To further in
crease the strength, and to render the
town proof against surprise or capture,
some three or four gunboats were
either anchored off the wharf, or cruis-
ing up and down the Neuse or Trent.
The largest of these was the Under
writer, which fired the first gun on
Roanoke island, and whose captHre
forms the subject of this sketch.
On Sunday morning, January 81,
our boats being dragged by the men
from the cars and launched in the
Neuse at Kingston, we Immediately
embarked and were soon under way,
pulling hard to Newbern. The trip
was one of no little interest, but would
exceed proper limits to give detailed
account of it. | shall therefore con-
fine myself to a few generalities.
Those who remember the winter of
1864 will recall it as one OF unusual
severity, and on the morning of our
expedition we saw little trace of the
almost tropical luxuriance for which
our southern country is noted, the river
wide and deep with floating masses Of
ice, through which the waves flowed
with a hoarse surge and high; low
banks, utterly destitute of vegetation,
arose on either side, bordered with
gnarled cypress trunks whose branches,
trailing with gray moss and leahess
vines, formed skeleton wall, through
the openings of which we caught an
occasional glimpse of the bare forest
woodlands, succeeded further on by
swamps, and marshes, whose rank
grasses and debris of fallen logs and
dead trunks seemed vast battlefield,
over whose funeral pyre neither victor
or vanquished staid to shed tear.
Winding and crossing in many
curve and turn, flashing in and out,
the river seemed succession of tiny
lakes; wild ducks started at our ap-
proach, rose from the banks, whirled
for an instant above our heads, and
then flew on rapid wing to the forest
coverts beyond. Silently our boat sped
down the stream, issuing no sound
save the steady splash and dip of the
oars as they fell into the water. Occa-
sionally fallen log. covered with sleet
and ice, stayed our progress, and the
monotony of the hour was varied by
a boat aground, and now and then, as
night appeared, the low, solemn screech
of the night-owl was borne oer the
stiffness and hush of the dark waters.
The night grew very dark,-a night in
with our work of daring
and danger,-and soon, as the darkness
thickened and blackened, our way
could only be traced by the faint light
of the sky glimmering through the
tree tops. At about eleven o'clock
our way grew clearer, the shores seem
ed to be separate, and We soon emerged
into the open country above New
bern.
To understand the plan of attack, it
will be necessary to explain briefly.
Gen. Pickett, then commanding, was
to open fire on the enemys lines in
the morning, thus concentrate their
attention inland, while we, taking ad
vantage of the diversion, if possible,
capture one or more of the gunboats,
and clear the river. When in sight of
Newbern we ran into small creek,
and hauling our boats close to the
shore landed upon an island whose tall
grasses and shrubs afforded a tempo
rary haven. At midnight the men
were called to quarters, arms inspect
ed, and ammunition distributed. To
him each man was furnish
ed with white badge, to be worn on
the left arm, and the password (''Sum-
ter') being given, the brave fellows