The Portland daily press., 1895-01-05
THE SIEGE OF FORT SUMTER.
A Portland Mans RecOllectiOns OF the
South at That Time.

to the Secession Port of Wilmington.
intolerance of the Secessionists-A
| Negro MISREPRESENTATION Men Meet
After Dark-The Voyage Home.
You should have been with me in the
| South at about the time Fort sumter was
/ fred on" said Officer Caleb X. Newcomb
| to the PRESS in the police station the
| other evening. "You talk about hot times.
The South fairly sizzed then, and northern
man felt like getting home by the shortest
route.
81 had been clerk in a store in Portland,
| and too close attention to business hac
| brought on an illness which the doctors pro-
| nounced consumption. Finally New York
| doctor prescribed sea trip. l shall never
| forget the old doctors parting directions.
1 He gave me great padded device, sone
| thing Ike lung protector, which reached
| from my neck almost to my hips, covering
nearly my whole back. / was directed TO
| iInmerse this protection in sea water
| soon a We should get into tie warm Gulf
| Stream and put it wet and dripping on to
my back neSt to the skin. Perhaps the
GOODNESS which got by faithful adherence
| to that direction, contributed to keep
| me from boiling over in the hot political
| atmosphere of the South.
I'VE left Portland February 27th. 1861.
| on the fore-and-aft schooner Fred Reed,
| Captain McCallunl. He Portland
man and was afterwards lost at sea
brig that sailed out of this port. The
schoon er took cargo Of hay. oats, apples
and potatoes; and we we're to exchange
these at Wilmington, N. O.. for tar, pitch,
and other naval stores.
1.-The voyage down was stormy, and was
enlivened by a collision off Cape Ann.
When we lief, p Jrtland there was very little
excitement over the secession question, and
therefore we were some surprised at the red
hot ulterance of the pilot who boarded us
| at the mouth of the river to take US up TO
Wilmington. If North Carolina doesn't Sc
cede in five days will move beyond her
borders,' was the threat of the fery mari
ner as he piloted US up the river.
when we arrived at the wharf we found
the man to HON our vessel was consigned
storming up and down the platform like
Gagged tiger. i wish your old ship was In
pardition, be shouted, waving his fist in
air. They are going to fight like blazes
down in Charleston and / wait to be there
in the midst of it..
"We found on landing that the whole pop
ulation were in the same frame of mind,
and that we had better keep our mouths
shut il we did not want to decorate limb
of the nearest tree. What do they think
of this thing up northF' was the frequent
question. i didn't hear much about il
was my answer always.
ssThere was one Union man there.
think he was Maine man. He worked as
| IA .atchman in Kidder's lumber mill. We
used to meet after dark and talk the sirua-
| ton over in whispers. We believed that it
| would be mucn our lives would be
worth to be seen talking together.
Everyone carried pistol and bowie
| knife, and they didn't put high value on
anyone's life. One evening man on. pas
| sing store shouted loosely to the proPgi-
| etor that it was time honest folks were
| a bed. This did net happen to hit the store
keeper just right. and he pulled his pistol
| and shot the joker seriously. So far as
| know the only Inconvenience the shooter
| suffered was the imposition of a slig hit bond
to keep the Ieace.
| 1.-The negroes at that time did not realize
| the significance of the coming war. One of
| them was logged one day. They carried
|
the flag staff, or liberty pole.' Then a
heavy leather strap, with many holes In 1t
| and fitted to short wooden handle. was
produced. did not go to see the whipping
| but was told that at each blow of the strap
ON the poor fellows back, the blood would
spurt through the holes. After whipping
| him all he could stand, they applied beet
brine to his back. and threw him into cell.
| I saw him there and talked with him. But
| it wasn't healthtul around there to be
| found pitying a whipped negro.
| 'tOf course in their secession freuzy there
| was little argument. Abe Lincoln can
| never rule us was the cry of everyone.
| ssMy health improved rapidly, and when
| the Fred Reed was loaded and ready for
sea, was in no wise 10th TO go aboard and
| begin the voyage to Portland. We all ex-
perienced a feeling of relief as We cast off
| and started down stream under pAotage for
| the free ocean. At Smithville, at the mouth
| of the river, the Con federates had erected
| a fort. and as we came abreast they fired
| shot across our bows. Captain McCallum
asked the pilot what that meant.
SGT means that you are to show your
| colors twas the reply. But as the captain
| produced from the cabin the stars and
stripes, the pilot shouted, Don't run up
| that dirty rag, unless you want to be blown
to pieces ye
:. ,Whatsshall dor asked the captain.
Run mp bed quilt or anything but that
| flag replied the pilot.
| but they seemed to understand our dilem-
ma at the fort. and did not insist on the
flag. Instead.they ordered us to get out
l1yely.' We did not hesitate about that, you
| NAV believe. Ii was one of the nastiest
| looking skies 1 ever saw, but all felt relieved
as the schooner headed boldly for the open
| sea.
| Eve soon got the storm. In fact the reefs
| that W e put in as we left Smithyille we've
| not shaken out until we reached Boston.
! A few days after leaving Wilmington We
| saw a steamer in the distance, and she
| passed near cough for us to see the glisten-
| ing of the brass buttons on a line of sol
| diers who were drawn up on her deck.
| But we did not even then suspect the truth.
| have since thought that those soldiers
were probably portion of one of the Mas
| sachusetts regiments going to Annapolis.