Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-02-09
THE "FLORIDA." "
From !. II. Bulloch's Secret Service of the


On the day when Mr. Mallory took office
under the Confederate Government, he
found himself in charge Of 4 navy depart
ment without ships and, what was worse,
without the means Of building them. Tim
bcr, indeed, was plenty. No better pine
was wanted than grew upon the barrens of
Georgia and the Carolinas. Florida was
covered with forests Of live oak. But there
did not then exist within the Confederate
! States Il yard where a naval vessel could be
bnilt, Il mill where a plate OF iron three
| inches thick could be rolled, foundry
where heavy gun could be cast or wrought,
and but one shop where men could build a
marine engine Of the first class. One navy
ward, it is true, existed ct Pensacola but
| Tie place was isolated, and the yard in
| tended solely for shelter and repair. An
| other was at Norfolk. But Virginia had
| not at that time become one of the Con-
| federatc States. When she did join them,
the yard Was Of little worth. The guns in
the park had been spiked the machinery
| in the shops had been broken; the craving
! dock had been impaired; long lines Of
storehouses had been committed 10 tho
| flames the Pennsylvania and the Delaware,
| tic Columbus and the Raritan, the Plymouth
and the Germantown, had been scuttled
and burned At Richmond were the Tired
egar Iron Works, where heavy guns could
he made But iron was scarcer than gotd,
and before the war closed cost thirteen
| hundred dollars q ton.
| Thus deprived ofthe means Of building
ships at home, the Confederate Government
determined to procure them abroad. Not
moment was lost. In six weeks after the
Il,
taliyc OF the Confederate States in Europe
during the civil war was on the sea. hlr.
James Bulloch had been lieutenant in the
United States navy, had served on the Coast
Survey. had resigned, and when the war
opened commanded Il steamship plying be-
tween New Orleans and New York. He at
once delivered the ship to her owners and
offered his services 10 the South. They
were accepted. He was sent to England,
and btiden TO spare no pains TO get suitable
cruisers anoat at once. So we'll did he obey
his instructions that before he had been q
month on English soil the keel OF the first
Confederate cruiser built in foreign lands
| was on the stocks. This was in June, 1861.
On the 22d Of March following, she sailed
down the Mcrsey and went out TO sea as the
Oreto.
Registered as an English ship, in the
name Of an Englishman, commanded by an
Englshman with u Legular official number,
and her tonnage marked upon the combings
of her main batch under the direction the
Board Of Trade, she seems TO be perfectly
secure against capture, or even interference
until an attempt is made to arm her or to
change the flag" For this purpose the port
of Nassau was selected, and for that the
Oreto sailed. She was unarmed; not a
pound Of powder was in her magazine
not = weapon, it is stated not even an
appliance for mounting 4 gun, not single
| article contraband OF war, was in her hold.
| Ye. no man who looked upon her hammock
ncttlngs and her ports could doubt that she
was soon 10 become q ship-of.war The
| United States consul at Nassau demanded
her detention. Again and again English
naval officers went ON board. But not till
some of the crew deserted the Oreto, clam
| bered up the sides Of the British war-ship
| Greyhound, and told the commanding Off
Ger they had deserted because they could
not find out their destination and be-
cause their captain was trying to ship
q new crew: was any action taken. Then
the English commander seized her, and in
| two days let her go. Then the Governor
seized her, and was ordered by the Court to
| let her 90. He did so, and the Oreto, now
|
ton and provisions at the little desert island
of Green Cay. Some troubles, however, be-
set her. Yellow fever broke out no surgeon
was on board the crew numbered two fire
men and eleven men. In great distress the
vessel put in at Cardenas, touched at Ha-
yaua. and then made for Mobile Bay
Early on the afternoon of September 4th
| the lighthouse on Sand Island loomed up
before them. Fort Morgan was next de-
scried. and Just without the Bay the three
ships of the blockading squadron. Moflit
undismaycd hauled down the English flag,
took his seat upon the quarter rail, and with
out casting loose Il gun took the broadside
of the Oneida at pistol shot and steered
strait for the bar. When the harbor was
reached, the Florida had been hulled in
many places, her boats were cut to pieces,
her hammock nettings were swept oil one
side, her fore topmast was gone. When she
left Mobile, she ran out during storm.
And now her career Of destruction began.
She cruised southwark through the West
indies. put il at Pernambuco in Brazil,
came back to St. Georges in Bermuda, and
in June. 1868, sent the boats Of her tender
i INTO Portland Harbor, and destroyed the
revenue cutter Caleb Gushing, that rode at
anchor in the bay. Fifty-fve ships were
burned or captured on the cruise, an average
of one for every three days. BY this time
the armament, the machinery and the hull
were much out of repair and the Florida
mt in at Brest. The French Government
kindly provided a dock, suffered a gunsmith
to overhaul the small arms, made no oppo-
sition to the shipment of seventy sailors
brought over from England, and after seven
months, delay the Florida was again at sea-
Thirteen vessels more fell prey to her De,
fore the October evening when she entered