Mexico weekly ledger., 1882-11-16
POOLING THE YANKEES.

give them scare, and many of the
put-up jobs were successful. One
night the hull of a vessel was drifted
down with the tide, and produced the
greatest CONSERVATION for time. 1t
drifted down upon blockader, being
almost aboard before it wss tiiscov-
cred. All hands were called up to
repel boarders, the guns turned loose,
and as the dreaded monster" drifted
away the whole feet took hand in
and finally sent her TO the bottom
with every soul on board" Il was
believed for many. hours that q "rebel
Merrimac" had been done for, but
during the next forenoon a negro
made his escape TO the feet in a sliff
and not only revealed Che true char
acter of the monster" but stated
that two runners got out during the
excitement.
Another plan was to drift raft
down after having set up couple Ct
sticks for masts; and ia one case at
least it was SO arranged that smoke
and sparks issued from smoke-stock.
AS soon as the raft was sighted the
fun began, and runners were always
on hand to take advantage of a change
of position by the feet. .
1t is doubtful if any blockade ever
recognized by the world was more
strictly enforced or of more damage
to the blockaded. No one expected
that it could be made SO stringent
that nothing could slip through.
That was the aim, of course, but the
Federals labored under many burdens.
In the first place the Confederates
purchased the very fastest craft afoat.
In the next, bad weather was an adj
vantage to them. Again, they would
take such desperate chances as dumb
founded, brave men. In a dozen in
stances they came down the harbol
at speed of fourteen or fifteen miles
an hour, and plunged straight through
the fleet and took the chances. Some
were not even hit by tbe hot fire in.
stantly opened, while others took from
three to six cannon-balls into Nassau
as relics. Federal history fawns up.
on the Admirals, puffs the Commo.
dores, and pats the commanders or
the back, but it stops there. There
is never word Of praise for The
thousands who endured the hardships
and braved the dangers of the block.
aiding stations. Indeed, but for al
occasional magazine article or news
paper sketch, the country would have
forgotten that we had anything afloa1
Iexcept a few iron-clads.
CUTTING OUT-THE FASHION.
i News having reached the fleet of
the mouth Of the Chattahooche rlvel
that schooner up the stream hat
Iloaded with cotton and was waiting {
Favorable opportunity to run th'
blockade, a fleet of eight or Mint
launches was made Up and sent vi
the river, and not only was the valua
BILE schooner captured with valuable
cargo on board, but much damag,
Twas created by burning and destroy
ling. So near had the launches ap
preached the schooner when dicoveret
that the men who were below wer'
lcaptured. Those on deck had t.
move lively, and two OF three VIII,
lleaped into the water in their excite
ment would have been drowned hat
not the boats picked them up.
II DESTRUCTION OF THE COOPER.
In August, 1868, a negro paddlet
off to the blockader Shockokon, sta
toned off Wilmington, and gave in
formation that schooner was lyins
in Topsail Inlet, seven OR eight mile
from the sea. 1t turned out that thi
! was the blockade-runner Cooper, ,whicl
had slipped in and out three or fou
times, and would have got to Sc
again within three or four days ha'
; not her presence been betrayed. Al
expedition from the blockader starte'
out to advance up the inlet from tn
sea, but was driven back by a battery
the presence of which was entirel
3 unsuspected.
After taking a few days to surye
l the situation the commander of tn
blockader one night ran up to tn
coast to a point beyond the spot
3 which the schooner was lying to load
i Between the sea and the inlet was
a neck of land mile wide. Two boats
: crews were sent ashore, and while on
: boat was left on the beach, the me
4 carried the other across the neck an
: launched it, and then seven me
t started down the inlet to capture til
: schooner. The Confederates did nj
1 dream of such Yankee trick as thi'
e and apprehended danger only fro1
a the opposite direction. The boat
3 crew of seven approached witho,
discovery, charged and carried Il
Confederate camp on, shore, and
4 ten minutes had possession Of schoon,
! and all, without having ma
o wounded.
Il The number of Confederates W,
e about twenty-five, most OF the
eli being engaged in the manufacture
e salt. There was an infantry can
y about two miles away, in which we
= absut $50 soldiers, but none of the
J, came up to take a hand. The So
"a A -