The Republican journal., 1906-05-03
THE VOLUNTEER NAVY.
Work of the Navy in the Southern In
land Sea.

NV.
n nv last chapter | left the CommO-
dore Hull at anchor at Hatteras Inlet,
n. C. The next morning we got under
way. went around the inner bar into
Pamlico Sound, and proceeded to New
bern, which is 50 miles distant from
Hatteras Inlet, and was the division
headquarters of the naval forces for
the inland waters of North Carolina
"a part of the North Atlantic Squad,
ron under the command of Admiral
S. p. Lee. Our division was CON-
manded by Commander H. X. Daven-
port of the gunboat Hetzel. Just why
Captain Saltonstall made no official
report of our passage from Fortress
Monroe to NeWbern is unknown to all
but himself as he made official report
of our safe arrival at Fortress Monroe
from New York: and | did not learn
that he had not reported until by an
act of congress the doingS of the L. 5.
Navy were published and made known
to the public within the past ten years.
But the journal of the Commodore
Hull, which is probably in existence
among the archives of the navy de-
partment. can be referred to for the
facts. Perhaps it will not be out of
place to state that after the war
Captain Satonstall, being wealthy.
became cotton broker in Boston and
later was a large owner, one OF the
trustees and secretary, OF one OF the
largest cotton mills in Blddeford IN
this State He held this position until
his death, which occurred III Italy ABOUT
twenty years ago. PREVIOUS 10 MS
death | met him as often as once IN
two years and | never met him that he
I , OF
hand. and if there were not tears IN
his ewes they were in his voice. and he
would say But for you | should not
be on earth today" To which would
laughing!y respond, Neither would
IT, for at that time | dld not think a
man was entitled to much credit for
saving his own life, Notwithstanding
many other lives, and the life OF good
ship, were involved. But through the
FREQUENT importuning of my friend
and shipmate, David r. Wylie Of
Bath. to permit him to write some
thiug in relation to this incident L
began to see it from his standpoint,
Which was this. Putting my own life
outside of the question altogether, L
did save for the government 1Co as
brave men as ever stepped on board
a ship. and a good ship also. as her
record for the next two ana nan
wears abundautly teStitieS, and with
no reward but the hearty. Individual
thanks of every person on board that
ship,
shortly before Captain Salt0nstall
died he read paper before the Massa-
chusetts Naval Historical society IN
Boston IN which he mentioned the
event in more glowing terms than l
have given it. But during his whole
recital of the events in which he took
part the name OF any one connected
with him was not mentioned, 1t IS true
within six months he gave me Official
mention for gallant conduct III action
and recommended me for promotion,
which ! received in due time; but he
got the main part of the glory, as the
captain always does IN such cases, Tor
he was not only promoted but obtained
a bigger command. He was a brave
man and a gentleman. and an arlsto-
crat. and on the whole a good, and in
tended to be, just man. but made no
official reports that did not rebound TO
his own credit.
Inasmuch as l spent the following
two and a half years, or until the close
of the war, in these waters with but
30 DAYS leave of absence, a description
VI LlliS ll4idllt4 oNtt llittt liNb ~ W." ~
place. for find that very little is known
about it. No one can have true con-
ceptiOn of it unless they have seen 1t,
but | hope to enlighten my readers
somewhat. Cape Hatteras was first
discovered by Sir Walter Raleigh, and
the old sailor said that had his head
been cut off for it it would have served
MIN id well right. On Roanoke
Island, 40 miles to the north of Hat
teraS. he established the first British
colony on this continent. This was i'll
$50. From this place he sent home to
England the first tobacco, a weed which
has caused so much smoke i'll the world
for more than three hundred years.
This colony was composed OF los per
sons: but it did not remain colony
long for Sir Admiral Drake visited it
the next year and finding the people in
starving condition took them back to
England with him. ! am at a loss to
know why they should have suffered
from hunger There was the native
Indian corn and the sweet potato; the
creeks were lined with oysters, the
waters full of fish and the air full of
game birds. In the winter season the
surface of the water was covered with
wild ducks of every description besides
wild geese and brant. This was the
condition of things when | was there
forty years ago, and | have no doubt
but that it has been SO from the begin
ming.
Raleigh brought out second colony,
which did not succeed much better
than the first. But in this colony and
on this island was born the first white
child born Of English parents on the
American continent. She was named
Virginia Dare | have sailed in a
vessel of that name and have stood on
the spot where it is said she was born
and which is marked by grape vine
said to be the biggest in the world. Sir
Walter Raleigh returned to England,
leaving this colony and when he again
returned not vestige of them could
be found, with the exception of notice
on tree which read: Gone to Croa-
tan" Croatan is the name of the
mainland across the Croaton sound
from Roanoke Island, and was the
name of tribe of Indians then inhab-
iting that land. AS nothing was ever
heard of the colonists 1t is presumed
that they assimilated with the Indians
and as race soon became extinct.
The coast line Of North Carolina
from Cape Lookout to within forty
miles of Norfolk. Va, a distance of
in.,x i