The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-16

employee Of the Confederate Government, 70.
tained Algernon s. Sullivan OF New York city
to ssf TTi s sni s-Su' sSSess s ss y southern naS rsG sy%.
pathlzcr, yet II may not have been SO. Whether
he was paid by the Richmond Government is
Sullivan also engaged such eminent counsel as
James 7. Brady, Jeremiah Larocgue and Dan.
lei Lord TO assist him In tho defence. Likely
tho prisoners themselves had much to do with
this choice Of counsel. Probably by similar ar
rS9semepts M, \; Harrison; SeorBBSS ,i M A. W ,Nbi q ION
William Smith and the Enchantrcss prize crew.
Algcrnon S. Sullivan became very conspicu.
Gus IN the interest Of tho rebel privatoorsmcn.
thereby arousing public resentment. He was
accused Of disloyalty, and eventually arrested
thrown In to Fort Lafayette. Here Sullivan
remained from Sept, until Oct. II, when Mr..
oath of allegiance to tho United States. When
the arrest was made secret letters Of sulli.
p. BENJAMIN of the Confederate Cabinet, were
seized. In these he took tho advanced. ground
tint sonht The southern S}n : stat States s Wero soT ,o asn5 o %n,
privatoers, and that the Savannah crew were
not citizens OF the United states:
Of the civil authorities with the case may be
finished here. Capt. T., Harrison Baker, and
in the betty United liz sH stn 1tesecqi circuit T Court ~ for tn, lSUs South.
ern District of New York at the October term,
1861; The proceedings, lasted eight days, and
were remanded to the Tombs to await. a Sec
ond trial. Capt. PERI, and the Petrol crew
Quigley, Edward Rockford, Daniel Mullings,
tress. originally OF the Jeff Davis privateer.
at Philadelphia at tho October term, 1851. and
all convicted of piracy. except Lane, who was
to the recapture OF the Enchantress rs recount
ed above. Their counsel at once filed a motion
In arrest Of Indictment and for a new trial, and
remanded to Moyamensing Prison. where they
remained until that happened of which this is
Immediately upon learning of the conviction
Of William Smith and his associates, the Con-
federate Goyernment showed its hand. The
following order was issued from their War De-
partment:
war DEPARTMENT. O. A..
RICHMOND, Va, Nov. Q, 1S6l.}
BRIG. Gen. John II. Winder. Richmond. Va.
STA: You are hereby instructed to choose by lot from
is to be confined in a cell appropriated to convicted
fclons. and who Is to be treated In all respects as II
manner as may DO adopted by the enemy for the
execution OF the prisoner OF war Smith. recently con-
You will also select thirteen other prisoners of war.
the highest in rank of those captured by our forces,
cused OF Infamous crimes. and wiz treat them as such
40 long as the enemy shall continue so to treat the
sea, And now held for trial In New York as pirates.
As these measures are intended to repress the In
famous attempt now made by the enemy to commit
judicial murder on prisoners OF war. you will execute
the commission OF 80 heinous a crime. Your obedicnt
servant, J. p. BENJAMIN.
Acting Secretary of War.
One Of the notable features Of this order is
that there Is no provision made for hostages for
the protection OF. the Petrel's crew, although
they had already been indicted and were await
ing trial. Under these definite instructions
Gen. Winder, ACCOMPANIED by six Of his sub
ordinates, entered Libby Prison on the after.
announced the fearful nature OF his
mission. At this date there were in Libby
i ETvsan i aporoH With p%ro 1nH Ig'f 5Go O eniiPsiged m aeD
above. l was q Bull Run prisoner among the
latter at this date and happened by accident to
had a serious look, yet as soon as the selections
had been made jokes were heard on all hands
about the prizes drawn.
On slips Of paper were written the names of
the six ranking prisoners. all Colonies, as fol-
lows: Michael Corcoran, sixty:ninth New York;
Raymond Lee, Twentieth Massachusetts; Or
l9ndo b. Wilcox. First Michigan; Alfred NJ.
OF Brcookiysn"i, and William E. woodruff' Sec.
ond Kentucky. The Hon. Alfred Ely, a member
Of Congress from the Rochester district of New
where he had journeyed in the wake of Mellow
ellis army as a curious spectator. was selected
honor as well as the danger of being a hostage
master, fell Upon col. Miehaol Corco RAJ a con
also had been captured at Bull Run.
Then tho ten ranking officers. including the
whole number of Captains to fiji up the unlucky
plumber OF thirteen, the complement Of HOSTAGES
Cogswell, Lee, Wilcox. Wood and Woodruff;
yania, and George W. Neff, Second Kentucky;
Majors James D. Potter: Thirty.e,ghth New
a nSik is rsS' 4 sSssre First hwen Tilted ns ssstes STtii..
lery. and Capts. James b. Ricketts,, First United
States Artillery; Hugh McoTaide. Thirty
Fifteenth Massachusetts. But subsequently
Secretary Benjamin directed that Capts. Rick;
wounds received in battle, Whereupon the next
day Winder returned and selected in their
stead. IN the same manner, Capts, FRANCIS J.
sylvania,, and Henry Bowman, Fifteenth Massa-
chusetts.
mond wero separated from the other prisoners
and incarcerated in the Henrico county Jail.
some Of the hostages were in other prisons
Constructions of orders, especially those which
perhaps, ill.beins. of Yankee Ss p mHss propeBh gStt
no doubt IL was the deliberate Intention to OPP
press them in order to make the Federal policy
as odiouB as possible by arousing public SYM
pathy at the North, for the hostages: TO ac.
complish this much desired end the Rich
sacrifice what remained of its threadbare char.
acter for,humanity: The Hon. Charles J. Faulk-
nSr q Fon yIttrginia,t father 9sat Of the present sena;
been q prisoner in Fort Lafayette. was sent
south in the last days of December, 1861, In
exchange for Congressman Ely. Mr.. Ely about
tho LIST OF January. 1862, brought home tho
first authentic news Of the condition of the
hostages. which was painful enough. Seven OF
them were confined in a small jail room II by Is
feet, with but little light. were permitted to
sec no person but tho jailer and negro waiter,
and allowed only thirty minutes each forenoon
and afternoon for exercise in the narrow cor.
ridor. Their only food was a small allowance
Of soggy, corn bread and boiled beef, and al.
though they had money, they were not per.
mitted to purchase anything In addition.
The Southern privateersmen were subjected
to no such Unnecessary hardships as these de-
scribed by Mr.. Ely as being inflicted on the
Union hostages In Richmond. In fact, their
daily life was ono OF absolute comfort by com.
parison, as is perfectly manifest from the fol-
lowing extracts from g letter written by 7.
Harrison Baker, dated Tombs prison, July 10.
1861, at u time when public opinion at the
its height:
have nothing TO complain OF but the close conhne.
ment. ! get very good board for about 81 per day or
q little over, having my meals Just as ! order them.
and ! have my own cot and bedding. We had the
place scrubbed and whitew ashed, everything moved
out, and procured q couple OF camp cots that we can
stow In n corner during tho day, and now we are
liked as comfortable Nc can he IN such u place a. this.
VIII money a person can get, along pretty well. Ny
Hsrieston Is very well. Passaiisigue also, and in very