The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-18
CAPT. UsINA's LECTURE.
Talked of BLOCKADE Running at
Confederate Hall.

Confederate Hall.
Before an appreclative audience. com
posed of The two local camps of Confed-
crate Veterans, the Daughters Of the Con-
federacy and the Sons of Confederate
Veterans, Capt. NJ. r. Usina delivered an
address on Blockade Running in Confed-
crate Times" al Confederate Hall last
nigh.
Occupying seats on the stage We're Gen.
p. McGlasnan, president Of the Confeder-
ale Veterans Association. and Mr.. 4. H.
McLaws, commander Of Barlow Camp Of
Sons Of Confederate Veterans.
Capt Usina was introduced by Mr. Nc
Laws as one who in reality needed no in
PRODUCTION 10 a Savannah audience, and as
one who had taken part In the bloody con-
flicts ON Nirginia's soil. Capt Usina's ex-
perieuce in blockade running. which was
spoken of as that branch of the service
which most required brave, cool and pa
triotic men, had Wei qualified him to
speak OH the subject.
From The first Capt. Usina caught the
fancy and held the attention of his au-
dience with alternate humor and pathos,
with flashes Of description and by nara
tive Illustrations, he told the story
Of the perilous pursuit by which Lees
footsOre and weary veterans were sup
piled with the necessaries Of life and mum
ltions OF war.
''The men who ran the blockade had to
be men who could stand PIE without return
ing it. It was "a business in which every
man took his life in mis- hands, and he so
understood it, An ordinarily brave man
had no business on blockade runner. He
who made success Of it was obliged to
have the cunning Of a fox, the patience of
job, and the bravery of a Spartan war
rior. Uncle Sam wanted at first to treat
Them as pirates and was never satisfied to
consider them contra bandists. The runners
must not be armed and must not resist,
they must simply be cool and quick and
watchful and for the rest trust TO God
and their good ship to deliver Them safely
to their friends"
The blockade runners supplied the arm
les of the Confederacy with arms and
clothes and food. and its hos
pitals with medicines and del
icaciea for the sick Through
the bravery and sacrifice of the men who
composed the blockade running of the
fleet, the heart of the Confederate nation
was kept pulsating. Without the sup
plies, furnished in peril and privation and
without hope Of reward by them, the Con-
federacy would have breathed lis last long
before il did.
capt. Usinas talk was replete with an
tthoktSf uItNu from MS personal expert
ence and illustrating the hardihood and
courage of his comrades. He paid a high
tribute to the officers of his own vessel,
the Marie Celeste. They We're as brave
a set of officers as ever fell to the lot
of any man and needed them, for l was
the boy captain, the youngest man to
command blockade runner"
A slave, owned by Capt Usina, was his
leadsman, a position which required a
.fr.
endurance. and one In whose great conf
dence must necessarily be reposed. This
slave performed his duties with perfect
fidelity and with unvarying skill and ex-
actness, refusing the offer OF freedom
when it was made him, Capt. Usina said.
The feeling that existed between us can
only be understood by Southern men;
by a Northern man, never
Capt. Usina closed with a touching allu-
sion to the moment when he babe good-by
TO his native land, as he then thought, new
er TO return. But il was ordained other
wise, and l am happy now TO be in my
old home, meeting everywhere men
whose sympathies in that grand struggle
were the same as my own, and who feel as
| do, that though our fighting days are
over the memory of our dead comrades is
strong enough to bind us to each other
until we shall be called away to join them
in the land Of eternal peace"
At the conclusion of Capt. Usinas lee
ture, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, at
whose nstigation 1t had been delivered,
passed a vote of appreciation and thanks.
The veterans and The fair Daughters of
the Confederacy, who graced the occasion
with their presence, rendered their con-
CALCULATIONS in person.
At the meeting of the Barlow Camp, u.
s. c. v. held just after the lecture, four
teen applications for membership, that
had been acted upon formally by the COM
mittee, were read a second time and ac-
cepted. The applications of two others
passed their first reading.
The lecture of last evening was so we'll
received, it was determined to have others,
and Gen. McGlashan will be extended an
invitation 10 address the camp some time
next month.