Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-06-17

only one hundred and seventy three
proJectiles had been discharged, ac.
cordlng to the prisoners accounts,
was terrific"
Captain Semmes considered the
cohultlons OF the duel before he
challenged. TO Flag Officer Barron
ne wrote on the day he challenged
captain Winslow, &c AS we are about
equal y matched l shall go out to en-
gage her as soon as | can make the
necessary preparations" Barron,
In MS report sent to Mallory, Secre.
tary of the Confederate NAVY, OK
planned that: Until after the bat.
tie, neither he nor | knew anything
OF the complete protection given to
her vital sections by the chain armor
which she wore." Semmes, in his
report, dwells upon the protection of
the thoroughly iron.coated sides, ,,
and discovers that when he said that
inc Alabama and Kearsarge were
equally matched he must have been
mistaken, for he says "The enemy
was heavier than myself, both in
ship, battery and crew; but | did
not know until the action was over
that she was also iron-cIad.n The
kearsarge had seven guns and
worked five the Alabama had eight
and worked them all, and she threw
three hundred and seventy projcctiles
while the kearsarge threw one hun
drcd and seventy-three.
The United States Government
apologized to Brazil, i'm 1866, for the
offence committed in October, 1864,
by Commander Napoleon Collins, of
the United States steamship Wachu-
sett, in capturing, in the Brazilian
harbor of San Salvador, within a
marine league of Bahia, the rebel
privateer Florida. The Florida was
a particularly pestilential pirate
The depredations Of the craft under
the command Of Lieutenant G.. Man
ingault Morris, were many and dis
tressing, and her boldness in scour-
ing the eastern coast, almost within
sight of the harbor of New York,
made all the officers of the United
States cruisers very anxious to come
up with and capture her. BY rapid
movement and eIratic courses she
managed to elude her pursuers, un-
til early in October the Wachusett
came up with her in the port of
Bahia. Relying upon the neutrality
laws to protect him, Lieutenant
Morris was serenely confident of his
security, and allowed his men to
take liberty by watches, and the Off
GERS were accustomed to live ashore
awaiting the completion of repairs
and the replenishing Of stores. On
the morning of October 7th, at 3.15,
the Wachusett rammed and disabled
the Florida while she lay at anchor,
made fast to her with n hawser, and
towed her out to sea. There was
collision between the men on the
Florida and those on the Wachusett,
but it was short, resulting in the
surrender Of the pirate by the officer
in command.
The Wachusett brought home her
prize, and in April 1S65, Commander
Collins was brought before a court
martial, of which Rear Admiral
Goldsborough was the head, and was
tried upon the charge of having
violated the territorial jurisdiction
OF neutral Government. Collins
pleaded guilty, did not produce any
witnesses, and submitted a request
that it he entered on the record that
he had captured the Florida for the
public good. The court sentenced
Collins to be dismissed from the
navy of the United States. In July
the Nipsic appeared at Bahia to fire
salute to the British flag in apology
tor the offence committed by the
Wachusett, Brazil having expressed
satisfaction with that method of as
suring her Of our disinclination to
touch her honor. On September
18th, Secretary Welles disapproved
the order Of the court martial
against Commander Collins, and he
was ordered to await the further or
ders of the Navy Department.
The concluding pages of the his
tory of the Tallahassee, a swift
cruiser privateer that destroyed
thirty-three vessels between August
11th and August Goth. 1864, is sup
piled, with list of the vessels,
most of which were caught near
Eastern ports, but the Tallahassee
did not have any very thrilling adj
ventures.
1t is hard to say which seems
most interesting about the privateer
Shenandoah, the wild career of the
vessel, securing seas remote from
the track of our cruisers, picking up
American whalers in the Northern
Pacific, or the commander of the
vessel, Lieutenant James /. Wad-
dell. The Shenandoah was the
British troop ship Sea King, made
ready for privateering off Madeira
after she had made her way there as
merchantman. The instructions
to Lieutenant Waddell were vOlumi.
nous. He was enthusiastic, an in.
curable rebel, sure that the South
could never be brought to look with
favor upon the United States, de-
tester of Yankees with his whole
soul, evidently god seaman, also &
natural.born pirate, who enjoyed
the pleasure of seeing the property
OF his enemy burn or sink in mid
ocean. His reports of the cruises o.
the Shedandoah gre good reading
just DIT tiowery, with some quota
tions of poetry, but they reveal {
liking for his business that ma,
have accounted for his pei sistencS
In sticking to 1T after the war wa
over. The Shenandoah left Fun
chal on October 18th, 1864. Sh,
made her way by Cape Horn to tn
Pacific, and began work on Octobe
3Oth by scuttling the bark Aline
! worth, with cargo, ninety-fiye thOu
sand dollars. BY June 22nd, 1865
more than two months after the ces
sation of hostilities between tn