The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-07-17
WRECKED MONITOR 4 SCORPION: n


Might Havo Altered Restilt of War #
England HAD Delivered il.
Washington correspondent In the
New Y York Sun says the fodndering Of
the British monitor Scorpion of
Georges shoals last week while being
lowered from Bermuda to St. John,
NJ -, where she was to be broken up
as old metal, marks, perhaps, the pass
ing Of the last relic Of the navy OF the
Confederate government.
The Scorpion and her sister monl.
tor, the Wivcrn, were constructed by
Laird Bros, Of Liverpool under the
supervision Of Capt. James D. Bullock
Of the Confederate navy, an uncle of
President Roosevelt. Owing to the
protest OF Mr.. Adams, then minister
TO England, acting under orders from
Secretary Seward, the British govern
ment seized the two vessels and re-
fused to allow them to be turned over
to the Confederacy. It has always
been asserted by southern naval OH
GERS that the failure Of the Confeder-
ate government to secure these two
monitors, which were then the most
formidable war vessels afloat, went far
to change the result Of the War Be.
tween the States.
These are today living in Washing
ton two or three ex-Confederate naval
officers who were among those sent to
England to bring the Scorpion and the
Wivcrn to this country, and one OF
them furnished the following account
OF the ScOrpion
Soon after the battle between the
Monitor and the Merrimac in lamp
ton Roads In 1862 the Confederate
government ordered from Laird Bros.
two monitors and sent Capt. Bullock
to England to superintcnd their con
struction. The contract price W;
e93, $50, or about s4GS, $50 apiece.
One was to be completed in March,
1861, and the other in May of the
same year. They were known while
undergoing construction as El Tous-
san and El Mounassir.
There was some delay in the work.
and 1t was not until May 81, 1863,
that the Confederate officers who were
to man the new boats ran the block
ade at Charleston, and started for
England. Those in the party we're
Ma thew f. Maury, John II. Hamil-
ton, Capt. Littlepugc, Dan Irigg, il.
IL. Marmadukc and Capt. James
North. Capt. Bullock was to com
lnand one Of the monitors and Capt.
North the other.
The party were bcached at Elcuth-
era island for two days. Then a
wrccking vessel came to their relief
and towed their ship to Nassau. They
arrived in England i'm August.
The agents Of the United States
government In England found cut the
intentions Of the Confedcrates in re-
gard to the island monitors and re-
ported the matter to Secretary Sc
ward. The latter filed protest
through Minister Adams, and Eng
land held up the two vessels.
The Confederate officers then in
volicd the aid Of Bravay Bros. French
bankers, who announced that they
would purchase the monitors from
Laird Bros, and that they we're the
agents of the Khedivc Of Egypt in the
transaction. Their real plan was to
turn them over to the Confederates
The British government sent secret
messenger to the lthcdive, who denied
all knowledge Of the matter.
NJ Upon this Secretary Seward notified
the British and the French govern
ments that il the Lairds were allowed
to deliver the two boats to Bullock
and North the United States would
consider il All act or war OH tile part
Of Great Britain, and, II Bravay Bros.
bought them aud delivered them, n
act Of war on the part Of France. IN
December, 1864, England contiscated
the two boats, and reimbursed their
cost to the Confederate government.
The English papers said ut the time
that the superiority Of the Scorpion
and the Wivern to the other vessels Of
the British navy was disgrace to
England. The two monitors had the
defective armor OF the Monitor and
the Mcrrimac and were fitted with re-
yolving turretS. If they could have
been secured by the Confcderacy the
blockadcs might have been raised and
the effect upon the result of the war
might have been very great.
In view OF the fact that the Scor-
pion had been used Of late years as Il
target for British war vessels in the
West Indies, an old Confederate sailor
wrote to the association Of Confeder-
ate. veterans Il few weeks ago, suggest
ing that she be bought by the associa-
tion and preserved as a relic. Ills let
ter reached New Orleans in the last
week of May, two days after the con
venlion had closed its annual session
and loo late, therefore, to receive at
tcntion. IL was published in The New
Orleans papers and movement was
SCatartcd TO carry out The plan.