Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-04-20
FORT FLEET.

Detroit Free Press. 49,
There we're dozen Of reasons why the
Federal Government should have held
on to Norfolk maynard, and not one sin
gle solid reason why it should have been
abandoned as it was. On the 10Th of
April, 1861, that yard was one Of the
finest in the world. On the morning of
the Goth it was a scene Of such desola-
ton as men look upon but once in a life
time. The Government had spent mil
lions of dollars in machinery and build
ings and appliances, and the yard was
full of cannon, anchors, cables, shot and
other material almost worth their weight
in gold lust on the outbreak Of a war.
Virginia had seeded, and many GOV.
eminent posts in the south had been
taken possession Of in the name of the
confederacy. Every citizen north and
south knew that war was coming like a
billow of flame, but the volcano had not
fairly burst forth. There were only a
few marines at the yard, but, 900 vol
unteers could have been thrown into
the place by a snap Of the presidents
finger. New York, Boston, or Philadel-
phia could have raised 500 or ! 900 men
to hold the yard within ten hours after
having been appealed to, and there was
no moment previous to the evening of
the 10Th when a band of volunteers
could not have been landed.
In spite of the protests of army and
army officers it was decided to abandon
Norfolk. Had it been decided to send g
small reinforcement the place could
have been held unit. everything Of
value had been removed. 1t was down.
on the confederate programme that Nor
folk would be vigorously defended, and
its easy possession was q matter of in
tsnse surprise.
On the 10Th Of April the Confederate
Gen. Taliaferro, then in command Of the
few thousand militia Virginia had rushed
into the field, reached Norfolk and bold
~ entered the navy yard to see what
Uncle Sam was going to do about it.
Commodore McCauley, then command
ant held a "talk" on the subject and it was
agreed that neither party should take
an effective step until receiving further
instructions from their superiors. 1t was
a cOnfab of two %hypocrites. McCaulev
had already received instructions to
abandon the place, burning and destroy
ing what he could not take away. The
confederate general had his instructions
to capture the yard, and troops were al
ready on the march to attack it.
AS soon as Taliaferro left the gates
were locked, extra sentinels posted to
prevent citizens from discovering what
was going on, and then every man in the
yard set TO work to carry out the plan
already matured. The Pawnee and
Cumberland were the only two vessels
which could be made use OF, and all ar
ticles OF 8 portable naturewere carried
abroad as fast as possible. In this way
most Of the small arms, many small can
non, all the booksa and records and models
and various other things were saved.
But the chief loss u the Federals would
result from what could not be be moved
in a few brief hours.
various stages of completion, and two
af1oat. just then those ships were worth
millions in the North-tens of millions
to the South-but neither were to profit
by them.
McCauley intended to destroy every
thing and then slip out like a fugitive
from justice. Had Dupont, Dahlgren
o. Porter been in command there would
have been a fight, and when forced to
e%yacuate, the Federal forces would have
played the guns of the Pawnee upon
everything in reach. Instructions from
Washington at that time were sugges-
tons, guesses and suppositions, and Nc
Cauley could have taken the same course
as Maj. Anderson did.
But there was to be no fighting. The
man who had a chance to become a hero
preferred to be a deceiver. Within half
an hour after he had agreed to hold
things in statu quo until further orders,
the two ships atloat were being scuttled
and property was being hurried aboard
the Pawnee. The cdpstans, windlasses,
and other fixtures on the vessels were
stroyed, and so many holes were bored
through the bottoms that it was hoped
they could never be raised after goingto
the bottom.
There was the grand old Pennsylvania,
carrying. guns to have replied to every
piece of ordnance thus far mounted by
the confederates, the Columbus, the
Merrimac. the Raritan, the Delaware
and the Dolphin, together with two or
three half-finished cutters and frigates
yet unnamed, and four or five vessels
to be repaired, No plan wa proposed
or discussed to save one of these all
though the Pawnee could have towed
them out II by one in spite of any
h!nlrance from the confederates.
The ships which could not be scuttled
were to be burned. Cabins, forepeaks
and holds were filed with wood and
coal, and the hulks on the stocks were
smeared with turpentine and oil and
piled around with cordwood. With
each hulk would 60 to the ship-house,
and with the ship-house all the sails
cordage and snch stuff as had been
stored up Or could be dragged there.
When the destruction of the ships had
been insured attention was turned to
the various buildings in the yard. Most
of these were of brick and of the most
substantial sort, and only a part of the
furniture could be removed. The ma
chinery i'll the bakeries was broken IN
desks and chairs knocked to pieces for
klndilng-wood, and two or three small
engines destroyed. Then bontires were
prepared in the various houses, and for
fear that the flames might not complete
b destruction intended, kegs of powder
were placed here and there, us was after
wards done at Pensacola by the confed-
crates.
Although the commandment had only
about twenty hours in which to begin
and finish his work it was time enough
to work appalling destruction. At dark
1t was known throughout Norfolk and
Portsmouth that the two ships had been
scuttled and that something unusual
was TRANSPORTING i'll the navy yard, but
the C~oniederates were not yet ready for
q movement. 1t was not anticinated
that the place would be abandoned. and
no one dreamed that nosSession co,,ld