Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-02-11
THE ALABAMA AND SHENANDOAH.
I
From j. d. Eulocs Secret Service OF the Confederate
States in Europc)

About tho time the FlOrlda'S career closed
second cruiser was on the sea. Passers
up the Mersey in the spring months OF lSG2
knew her Is the 290. But her character
could not be disguised The American
consul grew uneasy. Spies seen wandered
about the yard, sounded the men, and
watched every movement Of the agent Of
the Confederate States. Legal cousei, how
ever, assured him that he was doing 10
wrong and the work went quickly OH. In
May the 800 was launched. In July her
engines and her coal, her provisions and her
crew were shipped, and the cruise Of the
Alabama was begun Word had come up
from southampton that the Tuscarora was
in sight, and that TO keep the Albania at
her moorings two days longer would be to
end her career. Then Mr.. Bulloch went in
haste TO the Messrs. Laird, asked for an all
day trial trip outside, decked the ship IN
flags, invited q small party OF guests, and the
next morning dropped down the river and
went out. Late III the afternoon the COM
pany wore informed that tug would take
them back to the city, for the ship was to
stay outside No man, Mr. Bulloch assures
US, had yet been hired for any other purpose
Not Il man was enlisted in the Confederate
service Not so much as word was said
to induce him TO enter that service till the
ship was on the high seas, far beyond the
jurisdiction of the Queen. When, there
fore, the tug stopped at Woodsid landing to
take out the last shipment the crew, some
forty men with their women came Oh board.
They were soon Oh the deck Of the Alabama,
then at anchor in Moeltra Roads, upon the
coast Of Wales. There dinner was made
ready, aud when they had drunk their grog
and smoked their pipes they were called ait
The ship, they were told, was not going
back to port Would they ship fer Havana?
IF so, Il months wages should be paid down
upon the capstan-head IL advance. They
agrccd, and each in turn with his woman
went down to the cabin and signed. All
this was Q;litc regular. Not false state
mcnt was made; no trust was betrayed no
confidence WAS abused. Tho Foreign En-
lst!ncmt Act, the Merchant Shipping Act,
The customs regulations, were all carefully
observed The Alabama did indeed, quit
The port with flags flying as ifupona trial
trip, yet in reality intending never to return.
This rllsc was not meant, however. to de-
ceiye the officers of Her Maiesty's customs;
it was to l1islcad the United States consular
spies.
And now the Alabama was fairly at sea.
She rounded the north coast of Ireland and
made for the little Bay Of Praya in one Of
the Azores. There Captain Semmes and
Mr.. Bulloch Joined her. When the latter
stepped M over her side, on sunday, the oath
of August. 1862, she was Confederate
cruiser, armed, manned and equipped, and
on thc high sea. For two years she was
seldom in port. Yet the fame Of her do
ings went everywhere. In eight months
time the damage she had done TO
Shipping summed up TO more than
three millions of dollars. She became
the greatest destroyer Of commerce ever
seen ahoat. The whole ocean became her
crusing-ground. Her flag was seen off New
Foundland, in the North Atlantic, in the
West Indies, at the equator, Oil the coast OF
Brazil. She rounded Cape Horn; she lay
in wait for merchantmen at the entrance to
the Chi1a Sea Hundreds Of American mer
chants hastened to put their ships under the
English flag. The foreign tonnage of Eng
land rose in one year from seven to fourteen
millions tons That of the United States fell
oil forty.six per cent. BY this time the AL
ALBANIA was near her end. In June, 1864,
she dropped anchor in Cherbourg Harbor;
when she came out, she did so to meet the
kearsage and so down.
When the news reached the South that
the Alabama had gone down, orders came
TO fit out another cruiser in the Alabama's
place. In seventeen days steamer was
procured III three weeks more she was out
of British waters; fortnight later, armed,
manned, provisioned, and named the shen.
andoah, she was Oh her way to the North
Pacific Ocean. The Shenandoah was armed
with four eight-inch, smooth-bore guns, fit-
ty-five hundrcdweight two Whitworth
thirty-two pounders and two small twelve
Founders which had belonged to the ship
when bought On the ID of May. 1862 she
steamed into the Oshotsk Sea. On the 2Sth
of June she came out Of Behring's Straits.
Thirty four whalers were burned or sunk,
four more were ransomed, 1858 men were
made prisoners, and private property to the
value of 81 ,36l ,9S3 destroyed.