Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-12-08
Running The Blockade.

Auuu1uS Lie BLOCKADE.
HOW THE SOUTH WAS sUFFERIN G DUR
ING THE WAR-INCIDENTs OF THE
BLOCKADE-DEAD AT HIS PosT-FOoL-
ING THE BLOCKADERs-DEsTRU CTION
OF TIE COOPER, ETC.
II J. doubt ui if any blockade ever rec
oer ICED by the world was more strictly
enforced or of more damage to the block
AIDED than that OF the Southern Ports, says
M. Quad, IN letter to the Detroit Free
| Press. No one expected that it could be
50 stringent that nothing could slip
through. That was the aim of course, but
the Fedeials labOred under many burdens.
In the first place the Confederates pur-
chased the fastest craft atloat. In the next
bad wea+ her was an advantage to them
Again. they would take such desperate
charcts as dumfounded brave men. In a
dozen Instances they came down the har-
Dor at speed Of fourteen or fifteen miles
an hour. and plunged straight through
the fleet and took the chances Some we're
not even hit by the hot fire ir stantly open
ed, while other took from three to six can
non balls to Nassau as relics Federal
history fawDs upon the Admirals, puffs
the CommOd res, and pats the comman-
ders on the back, but Its stops there
There is never word of praise for the
thousands who endured the hardships and
braved the dangers of the blockadng sta
tions. Indeed, but for an occasional m g.
zine article or newspaper sketch, the
country would have forgotten that we had
anything afloat except a few iron clads.
DEAD AT HIS POT.
A Confederate captain told that he
made Wilmington one night in terrible
snow-storm. and th night was so bitterly
cold that all his crew we're frost-bitten
He got into the harbor without sighting a
b'ockader. but there in the channel was
Federal gunbOat at anchor. She could
not be passed to PORT, and on the starboard
side the distance from her rail to the beach
was scarcely a hundred feet. The Con-
federate had light draught steamer, and
he edged up at quarter speed to squeeze
through. He passed the gunbnat within
twelve feet, and as he passed he saw a
look with his arms on the rail looking
square at him. The Confederate expected
an alarm. but it did not come. His or sft
crept forward like snail, one of her pad
wheels almost on the beach, and by and
by was ont Of sight and safe ia harbor. AS
was afterward learned in Wilmington, the
look -out who seemed to be gazing with
wide-open eyes was dead man, frozen to
death at his post of duty.
CURIOUS ALARM.
One night in December, 1868, a runner
was creeping along down the harbor in
hopes to dodge through tie fleet of eight
or ten vessels, when all at once an alarm
was given in the Federal fleet. quickly fol-
lowed by the bang bang! of the great
guns. The excitement continued for full
twenty minutes. drawing some of the Fed
erals mile from their first positions, and
the runner took advantage of the furore to
escape to sea. Aboard of her it was be-
lieved that some craft, bound in, had been
captured, but such was not the case.
About II O'Clock strange fogs began to
rise from the water and sail around. Some
of the lonk-0uts took the curious shapes
for what they were. but aboard of one
blockader a fog bank took the shape of
steamer slowly moving over the water,
and an alarm was the natural consequence
POOLING THE BLoCKADERs.
All sorts of ideas were worked to dra w
the blockaders off the station or give them
a scare, and many of the put-up jobs were
successful. One night the hull Of YES
sells was drifted down with the tide and
produced the greatest CONSERVATION for
time. 1t drifted down upon blocka-
der, being almost aboard before it was dis
covered. All hands were called up to re-
pei boarders, the guns turned loose, and as
the dreaded monster" drifted sway the
whole feet took hand in and finally sent
her to the bottom with every soul on
board" 1t was believed for many hours
that "rebel Mer, imac'' had been done
for, but during the next forenoon negro
made his escape to the fleet in a skiff and
monster" but stated that two runners
| got out DUNG the excitement.
Another plan was to diff raft down
after having set up a couple of sticks for
masts; and in one case at least, it was so
arranged that smoke and sparks issued
from smoke stack. As soon as the raft
was sighted the fun began, and runners
we're always on hand to take advantage of
a change Of position by the fleet.
DESTRUCTION Of THE COOPER.
In August. 1868. negro padded off to
the blockader Stockholm, stationed off
Wilmington, and gave information that
a schooner was lying on Topsail Inlet,
seven or eight miles from the sea. It
turned out that this was the blockade run
ner Cooper, which bad slipped IN and out
three or four times, and would have got to
sea again within three or four days had not
her presence been betrayed. An expedition
from the blockader started out to advance
up the inlet from the sea, but was driven
back by a battery, the presence of which
was entirely unsupported.
After taking few days to survey the
situation, the commander of the blockader
one night ran up the coast TO point be-
yond the spot at which the schooner was
lying to load. Between the sea and the
inlet was neck of land mile wide. Two
boats crews were sent ashore and while
one boat was left on the beach, the men
carried the other across the neck and
launched it, and then seven men started
,,la To bo