Warren sheaf., 1898-04-07

:, sSss
Jones was prlvateer ana unaJ Ia olir
two wars With England the Yankee 'i
ships brought t!a business OF prlyateer-.
ing almost to an art.
III the days of tie Iigtail and the CRIT
lass the American privateer a2d heroic
deeds and made the Stars aI'ii stripes re-
spected the world over The north Cid
not grant letters ti n:ErqIe daring the
civil war because the ConfedeTacy had
no merchant marine. and therefore g
Federal privateer would have cnly the
lean pickiIgs OF the blockade rrnners
which the regular Ships Of tle liae were
llnply abia to look ont for.
Eut during those few months Ct Con
tederate privateeling the United States
merchant marine was damaged to tho
sztent Of many millions Of dollars. ite
Hrst privateer to run the blockade line
and make q capture, also the first Con
eederate priyateer to be captured, was
the little schooner Savannah. She was
fast sailing boat of about 54 tCis bur-
den and had been pilothoat No, in
Charleston hurbor. She was fitted with
one 18 Ecund swivel gun mounted
amidships and manned by crew of SO
men, all we'll armed. On Sunday, June
8, 1861, she slipped cut Of Charleston
harbor and went a-roving, looking for
prizes.
The Savannah bad not been out very
long before she sighted the brig Jose ph
of Rockland, Me-, bound out from Cuba
with cargo of sugar. The Joseph, hav-
ing no weapons of defense except hand
spikes, struck her co!ors without parley.
She was formally seized, taken into
Georgetown, S. c., condemned by a
Confederate prize court and sold.
Then the Savannah, her officers and
crew, flushed with success, set sail again,
yearning for more conquests. A short
distance up the coast brig was sight
cd, apparently merchant vessel. The
Savannah gave chase and bad no diff
Guilty i'll overhauling her. But just as
the privateersnlen were reckoning the
probable value of the prize they were
surprised to see the supposed merchant
man drop the masks from her ports and
Develop into fighting ship. She was
the United States brig of war Perry.
Then the Savannah turned and ran,
but the Perry cracked on all sail, and
after a short chase, during which the
privateers s swivel gun barked defautly
a few times, the Savannah was over
hauled and captured. The crew and off,
GERS of the Savannah were taken to New
York and locked up on charge of pi-
racy. For some time it was thought
they would be changed, but after months
uf imprisonment they were finally ex-
changed as prisoners of war. They were
exchanged sbeeause the Confederates
threatened to hang q squad Of Union
officers in retaliation.
Il Privateering ais it was in the old days,
the days of smart maneuvers under sail,
Of yardarm to yardarm conflicts, Of the
carronade, swivel and boarding pike, is
now thing forgotten. The slapdash
style Of climbing over a strangers bull
warks, clearing his decks with naked
sutlass and splitting pistol and then
asking his nationality and destination
is thing of the past.
Conditions of naval warfare have un-
dergone vast change since the pri.
vateer Of the convoy and carronade era
was extant. If he ever goes to sea again,
be will 60 in steam craft and will cry
halt to passing strangers in the Ian
gnage of the high power and rapid fire
gun. SEwELL FORD.