Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-04-18
"A Gallant Ex.Confederate.
From the New York Herald.

a Gallant Ex-C0nfederate.
From the New York Herald
Henry B. Peterborough, best remembered
as Edenbcrough Boy, who served in the
Turkish navy with Hobart Pacha, and was
familiarly known in America as Torpedo
Bey, is sick and has run against hard luck.
a Herald reporter talked to the invalid yes
terday aud heard the history of his wild life
of adventure
" was born in Virginia." said Edenbo.
rough, "but my parents were English. All
my schooling got in England. When l
was between seventeen and eighteen years
old / entered the service of the United
States as an officer in the Mediterranean
squadron. In 1860, went to London and
joined the British Legion, which went TO
Garibaldi's aid. When The war was over,
| yentureG into Rome and the Pope had ne
| locked up in Castle Angelo. The Pope may
be an excellent churchman, but he is id
bad jaior The papal police st that time
used to arrest every person against whom
the slightest suspicion existed, and General
Guyon, the FFeuch commandant Of Rome,
regularly released toe prisoners. That is
how got OUT,
Among those who were with me in this
service wss bob" Wheat, afterwards colo
mel of the Louisiana tigers. Wheat was
fire eater and q gallant soldier. While We
were at hotel in Naples, Wheat went out
OF the dining room for few moments. When
he returned be saw what he took to be ne-
| gro sitting in the seat next to him. Twas the
younger alexander Dumas, whose mulatto
skin at once reused the Southern demon in
Wheat's breast. He giared for moment
at the renowned author, then seized him By
the collar and dragged him out of the room,
to the horror of the assembled guests. Du-
mas sent q challenge, and Wheat selected
nue. as his second. The matter WAS finally
patched I'D by an apology. Wheat vowed
| that while as Southern gentleman he could
| not sit at a table with q colored man, at the
same time he admired the genius of the
author.
when [ got out OF Castle Angelo the war
in America had broken out. Wheat and l,
together with three or four other soldiers of
| fortune, started out to offer our swords to
the Confede:acy. We went 10 Canada and
made our way separately on blockade run.
ners to the South. When got to Richmond
was arrested as spy, but was soon re-
leased and given ieutenants commission
in the navy. served in the James River
squadron on The flagship Virginia, and on
many raids aud expeditions.
81 was one of the party that went to Hav-
ana and captured the steamship Roanoke,
| which carried the mails to New York. Capt.
Joan C. Braiue was IN command and we
had with US men who feared nothing in the
universe. We went on board of the Roa-
noke es passengers, and ct two O'Clock in
| the morning when she was at sea we made
the captain prisone: and took command.
We had only fourteen men and we had
crew Of fifty TO master. We were
short of coal and had no pilot. We went
to Bermuda and landed our passengers
and some of the ceew. The rest ofathe crew
Joined us. Then we sent ashore all the for.
eign mails, amusing ourselves by opening
the Yankee letters and hunting for $40 bills
among them. We got between $65, 900 and
S75, 600 in specie on the ship. We also car
ried off boat load of cigars. The money
and loot we put on board 6f Confederate
blockade runner--the Owl Then we burn
ed the Roanoke outside of the harbor as we
Lcould get 10 coal and the steamer was OF no
use to u.s. We were arrested as pirates and
paroled. When Captain Braine put in his
commission as an answer to the accusation
wa were discharged. Each officer cleared
something like 81 900 in this expedition.
1--WE all went to Wilmington and went
back TO service on the James river.
"Finally the Secretary OF the Navy gave
me papers authorizing the seizure OF any
boat could lay my hands on. l got four:
teen volunteers and went from Rlchmond
to Chesapeake bay. This was on Marcn l.,
1865. we finally managed to seize large
roghost and went up the bay to Barren Is
| lend. where we hid. at night the Yankee
schooner st. Mary's, chock full of suffers
! stores and bound for Charleston, came
/ along We pulled out and captured the vea-
sci. As we ha6 to stand an overhaulipg from
the qunboat On guard at Fortress Monroe
we nut the captain and his crew in the hold
and dressed ourselves in their clothing. NO
more men were allowed oD deck than were
| on the vessel before we captured her. mus
we passed the gunboat at the fort and had
the Union officers wish us good voyage.
"The next morning we captured the bark
ant;ne Spofford, which was bound for Fort
ress Monroe with cargo of lumber for the
onartermaster's department. We needed
water very badly, and after taking the
scsnty supply which the Spofford had we
! nut alI our prisoners on her, cut away her
rigring so that she could carry no sail and
turned her loose.
aThat night we shaped our course for the
West Indies. There were lots OF rum and
whisky and claret on board, and we made
free with it. But our greatest need was
water. There were some cooking stoves ln
the e'e cargo We got one of them on deck,
and with The aid of musket barrels we con
,ienssd S some drinking water from the sea
After fourteen days Of this we fell in with
the bark Statira. of New York. AS we gol
alongside we prepared to board the cfaIt
We told the captain of the Statira that We
we're southwark bound and were out