Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-12-08
CONFEDERATE CRUISERS.
\ Letter from an officer of the shenan-
dOah-Statements in Vindication of
Commander WaddeI.

Commander Wadde1.
CoTTesp0adeHce Boston Sunday Globe
In the Globe of December Sd appeared
an article-copied from the Detroit Free
EreSS-with the caption Confederate
cruisers, the writer of which, in refer
ring to the Shenandoah. has evidently
Drawn too cOpiOusly from the Well-springs
Of imagination. The misstatements CON
tanned in the article referred to would not
nave been deemed worthy of notice We're
II not for the imputatiOn of dishOnorable
conduct on the part Of her commander in
taking the ship into an English port. in
stead OF making for the nearest United
state navy yard. As an officer of the
/ shenandoah. during the whole of her
eyenttul cruise, claim the knowledge
OF little more of her history than has be-
come known to the facile writer i'm the
Detroit Free Press.
In the article in question the Shenan-
dOah Is styled confederate priyateer. -
She was regularly commissioned ship of
war under orders from an acknowledged
DellIgerent power. and no more a Driyatper
Inan any ship in the United States navy.
! ms TACT applies as well to the Alabama.
/ the Florida, the Tallahassee. the Chicka-
mauga and the Georgia If these ships
/ We're prlyateers. why was not the Merri-
mac ever mentioned as a Confederate
! priVateer! In the first year of the war
I there were two privateers. the jeff Davis
and the Nashville. both fitted out nv Dri
I vate enterprise, but the Confederate Gov
+ erlment, realizing the objections of the
nations of Europe to privateering. granted
no more letters of marque.
In the article Of the Free Press the She
/ nandOah Is accredited with or accused of
capturing five whalers "inside of three
hours, four of which were burned and the
NTH bonded that she might be loaded with
J. nF1EnnnrE 4
/ far as il goes, but the fact is that on the
/ day referred 10 she captured eleven ships
/ within twelve hours. burning nine and
bonding two; this was accomplished at the
entrance to Behring Straits. do not wish
/ To be considered as eXulting in this fact.
! but merely give it as a matter of history.
f Ihe destruction Of these unarmed Whalers
was distasteful alike to officers and men.
but the orders of the government
under which we were acting were
imperative as to the destruction of
the whaling fleet, as it was con-
sIdered the nursery of the Federal navy.
The writer referred TO again asserts that
'-the Shenandoah was twice disabled at
sea and IN great peril, and on one Occa-
sion some captured whalers set fire to her
m two places at once. and came near caus-
ing her destruction" The only time she
was seriously disabled was some twelve
hours after leaving the island of Tristan
dAcunha, where we had landed num-
Der of prisoners. This was an accident to
her machinery--a break down. We We're
( then some one hundred and twenty miles
south of the island, and within six hours
after tie departure of the Shenandoah. a
. Federal irOnclad { the IrOquOis, believe
touched at the island. took off the prison
ers and started under full steam for Cape
town, Cape of Good Hope, in search of
the Shenandoah, while the object of her
As to the statement of whalers having set
fire to her[tAis is too absurd for even the
marines to swallow. With sentrieS con-
stantly pacing the deck il would have
been worse than madness to have attempt
ed anything half 50 desperate.
Now as to the charge of conduct not in
accordance with honor on the part of the
commander Of the Shenandoah. The Free
Press says: ''While the war closed in April
the shenandoah received no tidings Of it
until midsummer. Her commander should
then have laid his course for the nearest
United States navy yard and surrendered
everything, but be did not do so, much to
his discredit as an honorable commander.
He headed for England, and the Shenan-
dOah ran into Liverpool with the Con-
iederate flag flying and surrendered TO the
English authorities. OF course the craft
was at once transferred TO the Federal
Government"
August >. 1s6J. the shenandoah over
hauled the British bark Barracuda, of
Liverpool from san Francisco, bound for
London. from the Captain of which was
received the first intelligence on board
the cruiser Of the assassination of Lincoln,
the surrender of Lee and the termination
of the war. Immediately on the receipt
of this news Captain Waddell summoned
his officers in council to express their
views as to the best course to he pursued
dor fn nt fa1F-f
stances. Some were in favor of making
cor an English colonial port in Australia
or Ne.s Zealand, but il was finally de-
cided to steer direct for England. and.
after dismOuntiRg her guns and Disgusting
the ship as much as possible, her
course was laid for Liverpool.
From newspapers received from the
master of the Barracuda, we learned
sufficient TO justify Captain Waddell in
his decision. for in the excited state of
public feeling throughout the North a
Spirit Of vindictiveness amounting almost
IL frenzy eCen among leading men,
making no allowance for the position OF
the ship on the high seas, Out of the track
J of vessels recently from civilized ports,
no other course was open to him. 1t
would have been suicidal in him to at
tempt 10 Fug into any United States naval
station. and, fully aware of his status,
his course in this respect has been com
mended by the best men North and south.
When the pilot came alongside OF the
ship off H0lyhead he refused to take the
snip into port unless she showed her nag.
She was got then an English ship, as she
had been sold b- her former English own
ers 10 the COnfederacg, thereby fOTfeiting
her English register She had no Unted
states register, Of course could not use
the stars aud stripes, and the pilot persist
ing i'm his refusal 20 take the ship into port
without showing her c0iors neihlpg was
Jeff but to hoist the flag under which she
vas commissioned.
soon as the ships anchor was dropped
in the Mersey. The Captain of the Shenan-
doal mailed a Communication to the Eng
lish Government (thrOugp harI Russell,
then Prime Minister, in which he an
nounced the arrival Of the ship ia the har-
bor of Liverpool, and detailing the clrcum-
I stances under which he sought reI3ge in
an English i,OE+. and concluded by craving
the English Government to be the medium
bv which he might surrender 10 the United
states Government the ship and all its ap-
purtenances which by the fortunes of war
: reverted to the victor.
And now, Mr.. Editor, begging your in
+ diligence for trespassing so far upon your
/ valuable space-my sole object being the
yindicatiOn Of as chiyalric and honorable
a gentleman as ever trod a quarterback.
I | am. sir, respectfully, your Obedient ser
want.
FREDERICK j. MCNULTN, NJ. ID.
BOSfOH. Dec. }, 1852.
I CORPSE ~ A COTTON BALE.-On NOvem-
her 20 james Bradley, a negro, living at
Bells Ferry. Pitt county, y, C., disappear
+ ed. and all search for him proved fruitless.
He was about to marry woman Of that
section when two women came from Hyde
Il.