Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-11-24

| vo;vers 10 the heads OF the watch on
deck. captured her without noise or
sstnnce The cable could not De snppeo.
sd n was 2 o'clock before he could ger
| under way. Ry this time the wind Was
| very light and the tide was running IN.
| In this emergency, having put the cut.
fer's officers and crew In irons. he put
| two boats out ahead with his own men
| 10 tow her. and succeeded In getting
Just beyond the range OF the guns or the
forts as day dawned. or course. IL was
now too late to return and burn the
shipping, so he decided to put to sea ana
abide his time.
PREPARATIONS FOR PURSUIT.
BY 8 o. clock A. N. the news was spread
abroad In the city OF Portland that the
cutter had been captured. The collector
of the port. Jedediah Jewe;t. Immediately
made preparations for pursuit. he sent
! messengers TO Major Andrews, Seven
| teenth United States Regulars, COM
| handing Fort Preble. for guns ana men,
and to Colonel Mason. commanding
| the Seventh Maine Volunteers. al
Camp Lincoln for men TO be READY 10
embark In steamers at once. with great
promptness he chartered the fine. large
steamers Forest City and Chesapeake,
and O small steam tug. The Chesapeake
took on board fifty bales of Gotten az
| barrlcades. two brass G-pounder guns.
the greater portion OF Seventh Regiment.
Maine Volunteers. and fifty ciu-
| Gems volunteers. who had armed them
| selves and repaired on board. The Forest
| city took on board. beside her regular
crew, Lieutenants Merryman and Rich
ardson, OF the United States Revenue Ser
| vice and fourteen seamen belonging TO
| the Caleb Cushing. who happened TO
be ashore that night. three officers. and
thirty-eight men. with one 6-pounder
and one 12-pounder howitzer and forty
armed volunteer citizens. This formula
bio array was ready and under WY In
| the Incredibly short time .of one hour.
They stood out 10 sea In pursuit. the
Forest CITY and tug some distarce in
| advance. About fifteen miles on the
coast they discovered the cutter and
Immediately stood for her.
The Caleb Gushing had one 32-pounder
and one 12-pounder howitzer on board.
and when Read cav the three steamers
| bearing down on him he knew what was
| up. and Gearing his little vessel for ac-
| ton. pr, Jared to give them a warm re-
ception. When the leading steamer. the
! Forest City. arrived within about two
miles OF him, he dropped a well-d.rected
32-pounder shot within few feet OF
her Approaching still nearer. another
shot dropped still closer TO her. which
| somewhat dampened the ardor OF her
! had come out as II for a frolic and
considering discretion the better part OF
| valor. the captain put his vessel about
and hauled off out OF range. TO wait for
| the cooperation OF the Chesapeake. II
| is but just TO state that officers and
| soldiers were anxious to continue on
| and run the cutter down. but the accu-
INFLATED advice and disiointed comments
| OF the bewildered citizens and the fear
| for the safety OF his vessel were too
much for her captain. and he put her
about. When he met the Chesapeake
they held q council OF war and again
started for the Cushing with the inten-
ton Of running her down. Coming with
| In range. Read again opeBed fire
/ on them and fired three shots. but I'M
fortunately for him. at this time. his am
munition (all he could fnd) gave ont.
and his prisoners would not tel, him
where the ammunition was slowed.
! There were COO pounds OF powder and
ninety solid shot for the 32-pounder gun
on board. Had he found this. there would
have been some warm work before the
day was over. That he did not make
| this his first search when coming on
board was very singular, and cannot be
accounted for on any ground. except
| that he had been under such a severe
nervous strain for the last few weeks
| that he was almost entirely exhausted.
HE FIRED HER.
| Seeing that there was no further chance
| for him, in so unequal q contest, now.
he. nevertheless. determined not 10 let
the cutter be recaptured, and deliberately
set to work TO destroy her. first putting
| his prisoners in a boat. and throwing
them the keys to their irons. so that they
could release themselves. The few we'll
directed shots had made the steamers
| "a IA
rapidly. so he had ample time TO set the
cutter on fire fore and aft, and then took
TO his boats. The GOODNESS and delibera-
ton of this act are worthy or the highest
| praise in a naval officer. AS soon as they
had left the cutter. the flames burst from
her I'm many places. and the steamers
were afraid to approach her. fearing the
explosion OF her magazine. They, how
| ever bore down on Read in his boats
and, as further resistance on his part
was now useless, he surrendered himself
and party as prisoners OF war. After
picking up Lieutenant Davenport and his
crew they then stood out to sea n lrtls
farther and captured the schooner
Archer. which only had three men on her.
The cutter blew up about II o'clock. Thus
ended the cruise Of the Ciarence-Tacony-
Archer. Read and his gallant little band
were taken back to Portland, where the
| tAcltemtHt WIS terTluC, ana put IN
| prison. Major Andrews, I'm making his
report of their affair, said: you can
form but a faint idea OF the excitement
now existing among the citizens OF Port
land and vicinity. Rumor follows rumor
IN rapid succession, and Just before day.
light this morning DUNE 9Th some one
from the vicinity OF tbs post went 10
the city with a fresh rumor. which Sc.
the whole city In ferment The bells
were rung. and men, women. and chill
dren soon filled the streets, and were
rushing hitler and thither in aimless
fright. j would respectfully suggest that
the prisoners be sent from here as quietly
and expedtiously as possible. as do not
think II safe for them to be placed in the
custody of the citizens"
Lieutenant Read. in a letter written
from Fort Warren TO the Confederate
Secretary Of the Navy. says: "As all our
clothing was distributed as relics TO the
people OF Portland, ! beg that you WILL
il possible remit to Assistant Paymaster
Nixon sufficient sum OF money to pur-
chase my men a change of clothing"
Such Is war, and men who enter into It
must take the consequences Read and his
crew were kept In prison for n little over
year, when they were exchanged as
prisoners OF war
the lessons to be drawn from this it,
Tie episode OF the war on the sea are
many and valuable. not only to the naval
ofhcer. but TO the country at large, and
especially TO those members OF Congress
who oppose ar increase In the navy and
never stop to think that the commerce of
the nation Is the life of the nation, ana
that the destruction OF that commerce is
the clipping OF the arteries of its wealth
That one small vessel. with twenty-five
men and one gun. and a sailing-vesscI
at that. should have created such havoc