The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-29


/ sponded, as l knew he would.
THE whole fleet had now opened up on
me, and with a roar that was deafening.
The shots ware cutting our guards through
and through. Still we held on, shooting
right through whole broadsides and vet
not shot hit the boilers.
! There was a run OF 500 yards to be made
/ II L could clear it the Ella and Anna would
/ be inside and under the protection of Lambs
] Whitworth rifles. Daylight had broken and
! objects we're plainly showing up. On we
rushed, rapidly closing down the gap, with
nothing ahead now but two warships. One
OF them, a gunboat, had planted herself
square across my path. 1t was the Nphon
The other, the Hiquah, was slightly on my
| bow.
In an instant my mind was made up,
/ and, giving the Ella and Anna touch Of
the wheel, l headed her straight for the
/ Nippon. / knew that if could hit fair and
| square l would cut her clean through The
/ NIphOn's people saw what | was up to, aud
| just in the nick of time the gunboat sheered.
| sheered Just enough for me TO hit her q
| glancing blow and catch my bower anchor
| on her rail
The force of the Ella and Anna swung
me right al lngside the Nippon, so that my
boats were on her decks and her boats on
my decks. In this position, with the wheels
OF the Ella and Anna still churning, grind
ing, as it seemed, the two ships to pieces, a
tremendous veil came from the union ships
decks, and over came her bluejackets
cutlass and pistol in hand, boarding me
with cheer.
II suppose that fully 100 men climbed
aboard, and strange, too, they ran right
past me, firing right and left. Two of my
hremen were shot down, and an old pirate
of a quartermaster was wounded on the for
ward deck. The latter fell only after he
had knocked down at least half dozen
men with capstan bar. recall distinctly
the splash in the water as the bodies Of sew
eral of them fell over the side.
1T took but couple of minutes for the
Niphon's men to clear my decks. One of
the Niphon's engineers ran below and
stopped the engines Of my vessel, for over
on the Niphon's deck l could hear a voice
roaring out: You are grinding me to
pieces Stop your engines My reply was:
Stop them yourself. You can sink for all
| care The crew of the Ella and Anna,
about thirty of us in all, was sent aboard
the Niphon. The latter then ran down to
the senior naval officer of the inside Gordon.
He was Commodore Lee. and the Shelan-
doah was his flagship. Into the Niphon's
boat we we're then ordered and all of us
conveyed to the Shenandoah.
Throughout the whole of the war there
was constant fear on my part that some
action of mine might result in the injury
Many a time, when later engaged before
Charleston, the thought involuntarily
dashed through my brain; will that shot
hit Skerrett or Stone or some of the 9TH
ersP That morning when as a prisoner l
stepped aboard the Shenandoah, and up the
port Rangway at that-no starboard gang
way for prisoners-the first man I saw at
the head of the gangway was Joe Skerrett.
He was Lees chief of staff aboard the
Shenandoah. Many were the nights that
that Skerrett and | in the old navy walked
the deck together. Both of us had done a
cruise with Commodore Ingraham, and
we had always thought the world of each
other.
"'Good God! Frank, is it youP was Skier
rett's exclamation.
Eyes. Joe,' l replied. You have got
me this time
d" Step to one side, quick said Skerrett,
and come right down below with me before
the commodore sends for you
Down went with Skerrett to bis room,
and once out of hearing. he abruptly said
Frank, have you got anything valuable
with you? If so, let me have it. l will care
for it,
"'All have Joe,' said, is this watch.
| wouldn't like to lose it. 1t hos many as
| sociations dear to me-
We'll. it is safe said Skerrett, taking
it and placing it in drawer of his writing
| afterward rose to the rank of commodore.
A nobler man never walked the deck of
ship.
From the Shenandoah was sent north
IN the prize, as were many other prisoners,
Not a single blockade runner that at
tempted to get into Wilmington on the
morning escaped. Before noon Of that day
hveof our ships lay at anchor amid the
federal feet.
con arrival in New York was sent to
Fort Warren in Boston harbor. We first
went to The Boston navy yard. On the
morning OF my arrival | was sent for by
Commodore Montgomery, the commandment
OF the yard. AS | was ushered into his
presence, Montgomery arose, and, advanc-
ing, looked me straight in the face and
said: Aud so you are the blockade runner
who tried to cut down the Niphon9 You
are guilty, sir, of piracy, aud II l had my
way you would swing by the neck by ~
o'clock to-day to the main yard of the
Ohio
~ looked Montgomery as full in the face
as could, and, hauling myself together
quietly rolled up the sleeve of my right
arm and pointed to the tattooed figure Of a
woman supporting the stars and stripes.
"'Commodore Montgomery said, when
that little bit OF needlework was pricked in
there you and |, sir, were fighting for that
bit of bunting before the walls Of Vera Cruz.
ship. was on the Somers. Together we
landed with the naval battalion, served in
the batteries only few guns apart, and
throughout that whole period you, sir, and
|, sir, would have given the last drop Of
blood we possessed in the defense and honor
of our country. To-day, sir, my country 10
the south, and l am as ready now to sned
my blood for her as 1 was with you for the
stars and stripes before Vera Cruz am
fighting for principle, sir; am not pirate.
! am an officer in the confederate states
navy, and there, sir, Is my commission
montgomery looked at me a moment,
turned abruptly TO the officer of the day,
and said: Take Lieut. BOnneau's parole,
with full freedom OF the city, That even@
ing Montgomery and myself were playing
game Of billiards in Young's hotel, Bottom.
My parole ran for ten days at time. We
were soon afterward. however, sent over to
Fort Warren. l was in Fort Warren when
the captured confederate naval officers from
the Mobile fight appeared. l remembered
that they came in irons, and the indigna-
ton OF Coz. Gibson, the commandant of the
fort at the sight. q will not receive these
gentlemen Ia irons Take them off, lie said,
before l address one word to Them and Off
they came.
Il was In Fort Warren fer eight months
when | was exchanged for Lieut.. Stan
bourn of the union navy. Stanbourn was