Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-03-28

when semmes found that he could not take her |
The Rsppahannock left sheerness in haste as a |
merchant vessel, with her workmen still in her, |
assumed public character in the run across the /
of-war in distress The Tuscaloosa, prize of the |
Alabama etered the harbor at the Cape with a |
she hoped to sell, still on beard, and claimed The
privileges of a ship-of-war, because her captor |
chose to so designate her and after being accorded
these privileges she left the harDor TO carry her
wool to ADg|a Pequena- where IL was actually |
sold. A British vice adnira ty court could obtain
evidence at Nassau that the Florida, an exact !
copy OF the gun-vessels of the English navy, was
other than q merchsntman. owned by British |
firm and q week after her release she was at sea
=. Con fed arsta shin-ofITar toward the close of
the war blockade runners were hastily converted
into cruisers, and as hastily changed back 10
blockade-runners, until the Confederate navy list
must have been hopeless muddle. The blockade
runner Edith suddenly appeared out of Whining
and designation of the sc. S. steamer Chicka-
mRuga," armed with zixtJ-four FOUNDER and a
thirty-two FOUNDER and after selZing and destroy
ing four or five unfortunate coasters, returned TO
port in three weeks 20 resume her former state ana
occupation. 1t is lard TO see what purpose could
be served by belligerent operations Of such char
acter at this stage OF the conflict and it shows the
desperate straits TO which the Confederate govern
ment was put toward the end IN attempting 10
keep up the semblance of a naval war.
But the vessel which had the most varied career
was the Tallahassee. She was originally called
the Atlanta and under that name she arrived at
Bermuda in the spring OF 1864. she made Two
trips 20 Wilmington as blockade-Tunner. She
was then converted into a cruiser under the name
OF the Tallahassee, and sailed from Wilmington
early in August Her course was shaped for Hal
flax, where she arrived on the 18th, after having
destroyed several vessels. Owing to the vigilance
OF the au no titles, who for once were on The alert
tons she was unable to accomplish all that she
wanted in ge ting repairs and coal, and on the
26th, she returned TO Whining on. In November
she made another short cruise this time under the
of the Olustee, during which she took
few prizes. With this cruise her beligerent career
came to an end: Her battery was removed, and
her o Ulcers and crew were detached bill OF
sale was drawn mp the ostensib e purchaser being
the navy agent at iInlngton; a register was
issued. a crew engaged, cargo of cotton shipped,
and invoices and bills of lsding made out In the
prescribed form. She received The name of the
Chameleon, which must have b piece OF
pleasantly on the part OF whoever may have been
considered as her owner. She left Wilmington in
December under the command of Capt Wilkin-
son, of the Confederate Navy, under orders from
he Navy Department, and her object was 70 OBJ
tain a supply of provisions at Bermuda, OF which
the army was in dire need. Upon her arrival The
lieutenant governor was somewhtt exercised as TO
her character but hnally decided that she WAS not
q n-oi-war, having been ''sold to private mer-
chant" to borrow the phrase of BRUSH counter
case at Geneva. According to Wilkinson, the
vessel had been so thoroughly whitewashed''
that the authorities could find nothing to lay hold
After 0fg nj. eS Sd s 1o aen 0 nd sb
was compelled to put back Charleston was tried
with no better success and after landing her pro-
visions at Nassau the Chameleon was taken to Liy-
erpool and delivered to Fraser, Trenholm d Co.,
| the Confederate agents. She was subsequently,
seized by the British government, and ultimately
surrendered to the United States.
A great deal of uncalled-for abuse has been
| heaped upon the South for the work OF the Goa
federate cruisers, and their mode OF warfare has
| been repeatedly denounced as barbarous and pi.
ratical in official and unofficial pu ocations Bat
neither the privateers, like the Petrol and the sa
i vannah nor the commissioned cruisers, like the
Alabama and the Florida, were guilty OF anT prac-
uees which as against tneiT eneles were eo on,
/ forcing the right of maritime CAPTURE has been
| much discussed during the last hundred years,
and has often been questioned on humanitarian
grounds Its not proposed TO consider that ques-
ton here. For the present purpose it is sufficient
erty at sea is fully recognized by the law and
tice of nations to day. ALI that is necessary is to
| establish the enemy ownership, and this being
world will decree conf cation. Whether the prize
and condemned, can make no possible difference
| TO the owner, if the owner is clea1v an enemy
| The officer making the capture IS responsible to
| his government. and as the proceeds of the prize
| usually go in part to the State the officers gov
| eminent may and doubtless will require him To
| But this is a matter purely of internal discipline
| q question between the State and its OH GERS Sc
also if by accident or intention neutral property
is captured and destroyed, a quest ton arises be
| tween the captor's government and that OF the
neutral, but 1t is question with which the othel
law the subject. AS for the practice 1t is usual
| for governments TO require their officers to give
| Either the unseaworthiness of the prize, sor the
| want of men to navigate her, would nanifesSly be
| a sufficient reason. In the absence OF any prevent
ing cause, the prize should be brought to port o.
1 sdiudicafion; and il that is impossible, TO tho
| nearest neutral port that will admit it, But our
ing the the ports of the Confederates were un
| der blockade, and the rule was generally adopted
| byneutrsls of excluding the prizes of both bellig
| erents. Nothing then remained but TOT destroy
| the captured vessel ct sea. To have done other
| wise would have been 10 abandon the right o.
1 maritime capture.
The practice OF destroying prizes, however, ever
| when it is possible to send them in, IS no new
| thing in maritime warfare especially In the maf1
time warfare of the United States The cruise o
the Argus In 1913 was precisely parallel to those
| the Navy Department to commanding officers dur
| ing the wsr OF 1872 were to destroy all you ca p
ture, unless in some extraordinary cases tina
clearly warrant an exception" To take late
instance. in decision in the High Court OF Ad
m rally during the Crimean war DIR. LushingtoI
said, SIT may be Unsuitable, or ever pralsewerlh.
| in the captors to destroy tsn enemyh vessel III
deed the bringing into adj ddication at all OF al
enemy's vessel is not called for by any respect
the rights OF the enemy proprietor, where there j
no neutral property on board" The french, II
at least two in the war OF 1870 burned prize
at sea, because it was inconvenient to send prlz
crews on board; aud from more recent events 1t !
clear that other governments, IN case oil war VIII
commercial power, will deem themselves Tor
| tunate if they can rival the achievement of tn
Confederate commerce-destroyers,
II the other works of this series-The Nat
IN the Civil War-are as we'll written and 3
candid, the public will be able to discern tina
what has been said OF the navy 10 the dis
paragemeHt of the army is true; that it's off
GERS are above all loyal TO truth and readil.
recognize and compliment professional skill
and ability wherever found, even in the raAk
of the enemy.