Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-01-18
might have resulted ii a crushing con-

might have result ted ii 4 crust con.
federafe defeat.
An hour DsloTe mi at the leading
Of the PaWnee and Cum seriand had
been finished, and / he marines aud am,
| pleyes fled aboard Citizens of Norfolk
and Portsmouth had heard off stthle cap
tnre of the powder, and we're assem-
bling in excited crowds, but none could
secure information as to what action
Met auleY threatened to take. He being
an old officer, it was generally believed
that he would fg lat, and the assertion
that lie would abandon the post without
firing a musket would have been resent
ed even by his enemies, Tie guards
were kept at their stations until a quar-
ter of twelve and then withdrawn very
quietly and detailed to light the various
fires. FL =,,-,z a. I
Zen minutes WIS time enough to APP
ply the torch to anything prepared, and
before the first blaze had thrown its
light over the yard every soul was
more, after seeing that the destruction
would be complete, the Pawnee steamed
away for fortress Monroe, the Cumber.
land following in tow, It was not until
the midnight heavens were alight with
the angry flames that the .confederates
realized what had taken place and was
then occurring. Then q grand rush was
IN tde for tire ma " yard. t:E1+2 ft*&.s.l. :
The Federal commander had made
sure work with his ineendiary torches.
The Confederates rushed in to find hulks
and storehouses ans: offices in flames be-
yond any hopes OF salvation. Men rush
ed here and there seeking to save what
could be q ragged ont, but as the mines
winch nod been prepared began to ex-
plede the excited populace were forced
to fall back and become spectators Of q
scene full Of grandeur and desolation.
Everything was dry as finder, and the
flames took hold ;ierce]y and lowered
aloit until the white caps rolling into the
bay changed Colo to blopd-red, and the
sentinels at Fortress Monroe stood
aghast to see midnight turned into day
by the awful reflection. i. r..
All the remainder of the night and far
into next day the flames continued their
work of destruction, but what was saved
to the confederates was of inestimable
value just then. It was work of little
magnitude to raise the Nerrimac, which
afterwards became the celebrated iron
clad ram, and Withlu sixty days many
of the cannons We're laundering defiance
at Union forces hundreds Of miles aWa;.
The north was indignant over the way
Norfolk had been given up, and it was
matter Of regret with the government
There was a slur, too, in the command
ant agreeing to q truce ana then going to
work to burn and destroy. Had Nc.
Cauley defied the confederates he could
have held them al bay for three or four
days at least, and had the government
backed his spirit with reinforcements
who can say that Bull Run would have
been Union defeat, the Merrimsc ever
rebuilt, or Norfolk become confederate
stronghold.
The great powder magazine, contain
ing tons of various grades of powder,
was in charge Of @ single sentlnel-a
petty officer named Oliver, who has
been in the United States service as man
and boy for upwards of wenty year.
On that eventful day he was still Uni
on man, and was ready to obey every
order from his superior. He had been
given no special instructions, nor did he
know at dark that the place was to be
abandoned.
In the evening, az Oliver sat at the
supper table surrounded by his children
his wife being dead-there suddenly
came the tramp of many feet and he
found himself a prisoner to tand of
thirty or forty of the Norfolk Fire De-
partment. It was band that had VOL
unteered for this very duty, and their
appearance was complete surprise.
Oliver surrendered only alter he had
been overpowered and bound, and his
captors could neither coax nor threaten
him into giving up the key of the maya
zine. Axes were brought and the doors
cut away, aud, as was stated in former
article, this powder went to Richmond
and was served out to fight the battle Of
Bull Run.