Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-09-30

vessels Of the class of the steaI
sloops Dakota, Iroquois an
Tuscarora.
Here was the Alabama
commission, but without crev
The seamen who came out wit
her and her peaceful consol
were shipped only for the voyag,
To the assembled men Semme
made a brief speech, tellin
them that if they enlisted ur
der the Confederate flag the
would be paid in gold, thei
cruises would be to all parts oil
the globe and adventure; whe
opportunity offered they woul
be allowed reasonable "liberty
on shore; that when the Conied
crates adjudged the volume o.
the captures to be made, the,
would come into a large shar
IOf prize money. While th
main object of their cruise
would be the destruction Of tn
enemy's merchantmen, yet h
should not avoid a conflict witt
any Of his war vessels wher
equality in ships, men and meta
gave him an equal grasp on vic
tory.
Of course the scamen had al
inkling of the plan for the 29t
before they were thus made Off
cially known, and the speecl
created considerable enthusiasm
which was taken advantage OF
TO obtain their signatures
Eighty out OF ninety signed
The promise of prize moliey
and payment in gold, not will
"Paper credit, last and best supply
That lends corruption lighter wings to fly
Lad its effect upon recruiting
while others judged that from
the informal fitting out of tn,
vessel, the stump speech appea
to them, and the character Of
the service they were to engage
in, Demos was to reign with
free and easy discipline. De-
Iuded souls. The articles We're
scarcely signed ere Demos was
handed over the side without
honors, and in his place stood
an absolute monarchy in the
person of Semmes, who strobe
the quarterback with power of
life and death over his subjects
not possessed by many OF the
crowned heads Of the world.
COMPLEXION OF THE CREW.
So great is the indifference
Of the sailor to the flag he en-
lists under that centuries ago it
gave birth to a maritime dictum
That the men-oi-war of amy two
nations might exchange their
crews without, serious change
Of material or lack of spirit in
Time of battle. History tells us
hat Paul Jones (the Scmmes
)t the American RevolutioE)
ought his irigate Poor Richard
against the Serapis with a crew
1t fourteen different rationale
les. The Alabama's crew rep
'escnted not 80 great a cosmo-
Dolitan hash as Paul Jones pos
,esseds but it is safe to assert
hat could the colorS to which
hese men properly belonged
nave been thrown together upon
he AIabama's quarterback it
would have reselnbled nothing
10 much as a rainbow run
through a cotton-gin upon a
,andana handkerch hief. They
we're by no means all English,
Is the papers asserted, and all
.rained gunners, picked from
he numerous war vessels of
hat nation. There were few
men among them,
md with these as a leavcn Lieu
enant Mcintosh Kcll, first Off
;er here as on the Sumter, soon
lad his crew presentable and
,erviceable "at quarters. /" The
lumoer first enlisted did not
the crew, but recruits
.ame from vessels captured,
iome of whom-oh, tell it not in
Iath-were sailors Of New En-
.land birth. Sometimes in port
gang would desert. Neutral
ty, of course, prevented enlist
nents, but the landlords would
hip a lot as passengers, who,
,cyond the marine league, sign
ID the articles as "ordinary sea-
men," With
.UCK & THE ANCHORS SLOWED,
As the sailors believed, the Ala
,ama sped on her mission of
destruction, shaping her course
or the Azores after the whalers.
;he had only stowage capacity
or eighteen days fuel, the main
Glance was upon the sails. 1t
nav be noted here that of all
Ter captures only half a dozen
II SO were made while under
team. The first prize was the
)cmulgee,of Massachusetts,and
he laid still waiting to be taken
,ossession of. Her crew knew |
!ot that the Confederate flag
7as within one hundred miles
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