The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-06-28
STEALING A SHIP.
How the Chesapeake Was Captured as
She Sailed.
National Associated Press to the Star.

which captured the Chesapeake in 1868, |
characterizes the accounts of the capture of
that vessel as telegraphed from Boston in
connection with the arrest of Lieutenant
Henry A. Parr, as grossly inaccurate. He
scouts the idea of being himself arrested and
says that neither he nor Parr were ever
guilty of piracy; that they held commits
sion in the Confederate Navy and were only
amenable to the rules of war, and their ex-
ploits were in the way of legitimate warfare.
He conyersed freely and gave what he called
the true account Of the captures Substan
TALLY as follows:
In 1872 Robert Smalls, colored, recently
member of Congress from the Beaufort. s.
c., District, was pilot of the steamer Planter,
then lying at Charleston. He killed the
guards of the vessel, ran her out and de-
livered her over to the Federal authorities
For this Smalls was presented with purse
and made Captain of a steamer. This ex-
plot suggested the idea of retaliation to the
Confederate Government Commander
Brane was ordered to go to New York and
capture any vessel he saw fit He left Rich
mOnd, Va, in January, 1863, taking with
him First Lieutenant II. A. Parr and
Second Lieutenant David Collins They
were all officers in the Confederate Navy,
and had orders direct from Hon. s. H.
Mallory, Secretary of the Confederate
Navy. They ran the blockade and after
taking passage on different vessels reached
Halifax. Thence they proceeded to st,
John, where they reported to the Confeder-
ate agent, who had on deposit 100000 to
$3O00 900 in gold, with orders from jeff
Davis to render Braine's expedition all the
assistance in his power Braine drew on
him literally, enlisted crew of twenty-five
men, and spent the summer drilling them.
On the lst of December he took the men
and made a trip with them by boat and
rail, via Boston, to New York. Hisaccount
of the trip and their many subterfnges to
avoid detection are very graphic and
interesting. They passed as a
company of Union recruits going to join
their command. The officers wore their
gray uniforms under citizens dress. On
arriving at New York each man was pro-
vided with a brace of Colts revolyers and
twenty cartridges by Confederate Govern
ment agent in Williams street. Sentries
were posted to watch the loading of the
Chesapeake, and when she was ready to sail
gineer, who had deserted. The vessel pro-
ceeded down the harbor, and when
opposite the Battery made a stop.
Brane supposed they had been betrayed,
but only belated passenger 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 | would soon have the money back
That night myself and Lieutenant Parr
packed and capped the revolvers in my
state-room and secretly handed them to
the men. At half-past l Monday morning,
December 7th, aroused Lieutenant Parr.
We donned our naval uniforms of gray,
turned out our men and told them the time
for action had come, On entering
the saloon at 2 o'clock the
lights were turned low and no
one was visible but an old skipper sitting
rather early, and replied that the sea air
did not agree with me, and that in the name
of the Confederate States of America he
| was my prisoner. We made all our cap
lures in the name of our Government, and
the charge of piracy falls to the ground l
then ordered Lieutenant Parr, with three
men, to proceed on deck and capture the
first officer, who had the 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 name
of the Confederate States and on
no account to fire on any man
unless he resisted | then proceeded
to the main deck with the rest of my men,
and posted a sentinel at the companion
way. When amidships l heard a man run
to the port-side, and shot fired at the com
panion-way. 1t was the first officer who,
disregarding the hail of the sentry, and try
ing to reach the deck again by the man
. I,oI ch tuinn I nocSnI INvrn to
the engine-room and found the steam 60
ing down, and no engineer on duty. In
the fire-room found eight tiremen in irons
in front of the furnace. Lieut. Collins re-
ported to me that while putting the fremcn
in irons, one of them resisted and was fred
at. Then the engineer, hearing
this, armed himself with a
four barreled Sharp's derringer,
and on being ordered to surrender fired at
one of my men. The fire was returned
and the engineer was killed. This was
Orrn Sheppard the second engineer, for
whose murder as pirate Lieutenant Parr
was arrested. l Immediately went below
and found the engineer lying dead on the
threshold of the engineroOm. The body
was sewed in a sheet and thrown overheard
| took three men and ordered Captain Will
let's to surrender to the Confederate States
as q prisoner OF war. instead OF so uOlng
he leaped out and ran ten or twelve times
around the deck before he was captured
did not like to fire on him.
put him in irons in the
wheel-house. The Second Officer found
afterward secreted behind the ce-chesr, and
put him in irons to keep the Captain com
pany The Chief Engineer, when ordered
to surrender, only opened his door on a
crack, and was fired at and slightly wounded
in the chin, when he dashed out and ran
around the deck in his shirt-a rather cool
costume for December weather. Another
of the officers, Henderson, got down on his
knees and begged for his life. put him
in irons and sent him to the wheel
house The total time occupied in
the capture was thirty-tive minutes, includ
ing the putting of all of the crew in the
forecastle in irons. | doused all the lights
changed the ships course and took a de-
parture from Cape Elizabeth uight at 4
| o'clock that morning), having orders to take
the vessel to Seal Cove on the English Island
of Grand Manan, opposite Eas s'port Me.
and there turn her over to Captain Parker
OF the Confederate Navy.
Captain Braine concludes his narrative
by telling of the chase and capture of the
| CheSapeake by the United States gunbOaj