Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-11-16
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C0NFEDHRATE BLOCKADE RUNNING.

CONFEDERATE BLOCKADE RUNNING.
81 never expect to see such flush times again
in my life" said the captain of successful
blockade runner, in speaking of Nassau
"Money was almost as plenty as dirt. l have
seen man toss up a $40 gold piece on head
or tail, and it would be followed by a score of
the yellow boys in less than. five seconds.
There were times when the bank vaults would
not hold all the gold, and the coins were
dumped down by the bushel and guarded by
soldiers. Men wagered, gambled, drank and
seemed crazy to get rid of their money. l
once saw two captains put up $500 each on the
length of a certain porch. Again l saw a
wager of $50 side as to how many would he
at the dinner table of a certain hotel. The
Confederates were paying the English big
prices for goods, but multiplying the figures
by five, seven and ten us soon us the goods
were landed at Charleston. Ten dollars in
vested in quinine in Nassau would bring from
S40O to $500 in Charleston. A pair of 81 boots
would bring from Sl4 to SIG. A So hat would
bring S., and so on all through. Every sue
cessful captain might have made fortune in
a year, but do not believe that five out of
the whole lot had one thousand dollars OH
hand when the war closed. 1t was come easy
60 easy"
THE MARGARET ANDJESSIE.
The name of this steamer will be found as
having run the blockade of two or three ports,
although she belonged to Charleston. She was
an iron-built steamer, double engines and cost
100000 in gold. Her carrying capacity was
800 bales of cotton, and she could make the
trip from Charleston to Nassau, in forty-four
hours. She was one of the most successful
runners of the war and paid her owners ten
times over. One night in May, 1863, having a
very valuable cargo of arms and ammunition
straight course for Charleston. There were
five Federal blockaders off the bar and the
night was fine. The steamer ran straight in
for the fleet, and as soon as her character was
known every blockader opened fire. 1t was
estimated that $50 shots were fired, some from
distance of less than 200 feet, and yet, strange
to say, the steamer got into port without hay
ing man wounded. She was struck in five
or six places, but with NO serious results.
On the 11th of November, of the same year,
the Margaret and Jessie attempted the same
old dodge at Wilmington. She was here be-
set by three blockaders, shot through both
wheels and hit in a dozen other spots, but
managed to turn about and get to sea and lead
five Federal vessels chase of twenty hours
before she surrendered 1t is doubtful if she
would have been taken then, but for the fact
that three or four lady passengers aboard
raised such rumpus when the Federals began
firing from their bow guns that the captain
was quite unnerved and harkened to their
pleading to surrender.
THE "uATTIE."
The steamer Hattie was the last runner in
or out of Charleston. She was a small vessel,
Clyde-built furnished with powerful engines,
and she made more trips than any other vessel
engaged in the business. [ asked men in
Charleston who knew all about her to estimate
the value of the cargoes taken out and
brought in by this one vessel, and their fig
ures were $50, 100000. On several occasions
she brought as much munitions of war as the
Confederacy was in pressing need of, and at
least three battles were brought on by the mu-
nitions for which the Confederates waited,
and which she landed safely in their hands.
Plot after plot was formed at Nassau to get
hold of Hattie, but none of them were sue
cessful. She Slipped in and out like a phan-
tom, taking the most desperate risks and being
attended by a spirit of good luck quite ex-
traordinary
HER LAST ENTRANCE.
The last entrance of the Hattie into Charles
ton occurred one night in February, 1865.
The Confederacy was then On it's last legs,
and the Federal fleet off Charleston numbered
eighteen or twenty SAIL 1t was starlight
night and Hattie crept forward among the
fleet. She had been freshly painted blue
white, her fires made no smoke and not a
light was permitted to shine on board. With
her engines moving slowly, she let the wind
drive her forward. There were eight or ten
vessels outside the bar, and as many within.
Those outside were successfully passed with
within 800 feet of two blockaders without her
presence being detected. To the naked eye
of the look-outs she must have seemed haze
or mist moving slowly along.
The little steamer was quietly approaching
the inner line of blOckaders when sudden
fire was opened on her from gun-boat not
200 feet distant, and the air was at the same
time filled with rockets to announce the run
ner's presence. At that time the Federals
had the whole of Morris Island, and Fort
Sumter had been so battered to pieces that
monitors took up their stations almost within
pistol shot of it. AS soon as the Hattie was
discovered she was given all steam and headed
straight for the channel. She ran a terrible
gauntlet of shot and shell for ten minutes,
but escaped untouched. Then came the real
part of the channel, the Hattie encountered
two large loads of men stationed there on
picket. Her extraordinary speed saved her
from being boarded, but the volleys fired after
her wounded two or three men and cut three
fingers off the hand of the pilot resting on the
spokes of the wheel.
Two hundred yards ahead lay monitor,
and she at once opened fire and kept her guns
going as long as the Hattie had could be seen,
but not missile struck. 1t was wonderful,
too, considering that the steamer ran 50 close
that she could hear the orders given on the
monitor.
GETTING OUT.
Charleston was being bombarded, many of
the business houses closed, and could see that
the end was drawing near. The Hattie was
in as much danger lying at the wharf as she
would be outside, and a cargo was made up for
her as quickly as possible and she was made
ready for her last trip. Just before dark the
sentinels on Fort Sumter counted twenty
six Federal blockaders off Charleston harbor,
and yet the Hattie cody made her preparations
to run out. Just before midnight, with Il
starlight night and smooth sea, the lucky
little craft picked her way through all that
she was lying at Nassau when the news of
Lees surrender was received.
NAVAL BRAG.
Every now and then after the blockade was
fairly organized, this or that Federal Admi-
raj was wont to boast of the number of
captures he had made and his success in
shutting up the port. While some captures
were made there never was a time from the
first to the last that any port was SO careful
ly watched that blockade-running was not
carried on as regular business. Stonewall
Jackson and other Confederates captured
from the Federal armies in the first two years
of the war enough material to completely
equip $4,000 men, and up to the spring of