The Hickman courier., 1878-07-12
CAPTURE OF a cRUIsER.
How New York; teams was Sei,ed h. ,
Confederate cre~.-.-l lks Recent A..
rest o. One Of Her ofes,s on a
Charge Of Nude,

rest Of One Of Her olFce,s on
Charge Of Nude
Captain John C. Braine, an ex-cor
mander in the Confederae navy and 90,
tain of the expedition which cantnra
the Chesapeake, in 1850, characterize
the accounts of the capture of that We.
sci as telegraphed from Boston in con
nection with the arrested Lieutenan
Henry A. Parr as grossly y lnaccurate.. n
scouts the idea of being himself arrested
and says neither ne nor Psrr We're eve
guilty of piracy. that they held commits
sions in the Confederste svy and wer,
only amendabIe to the rula Of war ane
their exploits were in tb2aay of leeiti
mate warfare. -
He conversed FREE = e what h,
called thess.ss Sxnse
substantially as foF ss62 Robert
Smalls, coIored, rece1ss member o
congress from Beauf5s(S. CO. dis
trict, was pilot of the steamer
Planter, then lying at Charleston. Ht
killed the guards of the essel, ran hel
out and delivered her ovs TO the fedora
authorities. For this Saalls was pre-
sented with purse and Hade captain o.
the steamer. This explof suggested the
idea of retaliation to tb confederate
government. Commando Braine wa:
ordered to 90 to New YoK and capture
any vessel he saw fit. He left Rich
mond. Va, in January 1868, taking
with him First Lieutenat H. a. Parl
and Second Lieutenant David Collins
They were all officers in lie Confederate
navy. They ran the blocRde, and, after
taking passage on difrent vessels,
reached Halifax thence ney proceeded
to st. John, where they rported to the
confederate agent, who hd on depos t
$1,000 to $500, 900 in gdd, with orders
from Jefferson Davis to ender Braine's
expedition all the assitauce in his
power. Braine drew on him literally,
enlisted crew of twenty-five men, and
spent the summer in drilling them. On
the 1st of December he tok his men and
made trip with them b boat and rail
via Boston to New York. His account of
their trip and their man,subterfuges to
avoid detection is very gnphic and inter.
esting. They passed as company of
Union recruits going to Din their COM
mand. The officers won their gray uni
forms under citizens dres. On arriving
at New York each ma was provided
with a brace of Colts revolvers and
twenty cartridges by onfederate gov>
ernment agent in Willian street. Sem
tries were posted to wata the loading of
the Chesapeake, and wha she was ready
to sail all went on board except the en-.
listed engineer, who had deserted. The
vessel proceeded down tie harbor, and
when opposite the batter made stop.
Braine supposed they hse been betrayed,
h.. ~,-,I.- :. bo,sesd Es4eup,.s came on
board. At supper the captain told
Braine that none of his mems fare had
been paid. 81 paid their fare" says
Braine, thinking that l would soon
have the money back. That night my
self and Lieutenant PGr packed and
and capped the revOlven in my state
room and secretly handed them to the
men. At half-past one ON Monday
December 7, aroused Lieuten
ant Parr. We donned our naval uniforms
of gray, turned out sur men and inform
ed them that the time for action had
come. On entering the saloon
at two o'clock the lights were
turned low, and no one was visible but
an old skipper sitting by the stove. He
that l was up rather early.
replied that the sea air did not agree
with me and that, in the name of the
states ofAmerics, he was my
prisoner. We made all cur captures in
the name CT our government, said
Braine, and the charge of piracy falls to
the ground. then ordered Lieutenant
Parr with three men to proceed on deck
and capture the fist officer, who had
watch, and wait for orders. Lieutenant
Collins | ordered to the engine room.
He took three men, and his orders were
to arrest all in the pame of the Confede-
rate states, and on no account to fire on
any man unless he resisted. l then pro-
eeeded to the main deck with the rest of
my men, and posted a sentinel at the
When amidships l
heard man run to the port side and
shot fired at the companien-way. 1t was
The first officer, who disregsrded the hail
'f the sentry, and trying to reach the
ieck again by the main-hoie, was shot
,wice. passed down to the engine
-oom and found the steam going
lown and no engineer on duty. In the
ire room found eight fremen in irons
n front of the furnace. Lieutenant
Collins reported tome that while putting
he 6remen in irons oseki them resisted
md was fred at. Sa the engineer,
nearing this, armed himself with four
oarrelled Sharp's deringer and, on being
ordered to surrender, fired at one of my
men. The fire was returned, and the
engineer was killed. This was Orrin
Shepherd, the second engineer, for
whose murder as a pirate Lieutenant
Parr was arrested. ] Immediately went
,eIow and found the engineer lying
lead on the threshold of the engine
'oom. The body was sovn in a sheet and
brown overheard. took three men
md ordered Captain Willetts to surren-
Ter to the confederate states asa prisoner
If war. Instead of so doing be lespt out
md ran ten or twelve times around the
Ieck before he was captured. | did not
Ike to fire on him. / put him in irons
n the wheel-house. The second officer
found afterwards secreted in the ice
hest, and put him in irons to keep the
;aptain company. The chief engi-
,eer, when ordered to surrender,
,nly opened his door on
rack and was fred at and slightly
in the chin, when he dashed
,ut and ran around the deck in HE shirt,
/ rather cool costume for December
weather. Another Of the officers, Hen
lerson got down on his KEGS and begged
or his life. put him in irons and sent
lim to the wheel house. The total time
in the capture was thirty-fve