The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-04-30
CAPTURED A CONFEDERATE.
How the Dashing Attempt Of a Raider
Was FoiIed.

which will be erected to take the place
of the old city hall.
+ Among them were two that have
general interest as the pictures of men
who served the city in the trying
times of the civil war. They are
those of Jedediah Jewett, mayor in
1S59-6O and collector of customs at
Portland from 1861 to 1868, and Jacob
Mcclellan, who was first elected mayor
in 1868, and was twice reelected be-
fore the end of the war.
Mayor Mcclellan may be identified
by the reader of history as the chief
executive of Portland who foiled the
attempt of confederate raiders to get
away with the United States revenue
cutter Caleb Gushing, when she was
"cut out" of the harbor of Portland in
June, 1863.
The confederates, led by Capt.
Charles w. Read of Mississippi, grad
uate of Annapolis, entered Portland
harbor June "a, 1868, in the fishing
schooner Archer of Southport, Me-,
which they had captured off Monhegan.
Their own vessel, the bark Tacony, in
which they made cruise from the
southwark, with bad results to north
ern shipping, they had burned when
they took the Archer, as the fishing
schooner was exactly adapted to their
purpose of entering Portland harbor
unsuspected. The crew of the Archer
had been put on board captured
ship.
Capt. Reads plan to take the Cush-
ing, which was an armed topsail
schooner, although audacious, was
carried out with every prospect Of
success, until the vigorous personali-
ties of Mayor Mcclellan and Collector
Jewett began to be felt.
The Cushing would have proven a
valuable commerce destroyer for the
confederacy She was fast sailer,
for her type, and carried 32-pounder
amidships on pivot, and brass IL
FOUNDER forward.
Luck favored the confederates in
taking the cutter. Her captain had
died, and IA of her crew were ashore,
on detail or leave, the night of June
"a. The vessel was temporarily COM
manded by Lieut.. Dudley Davenport.
was calm and dark. The raiders lay
quiet aboard the Archer until after
midnight, when they manned boat,
and with muffled oars rowed to the
Gushing. On being hailed they made
no response, and shooting their boat
alongside, boarded the cutter before
the lookout could give the alarm.
Lieut.. Davenport was asleep in his
cabin, and the crew were tween decks
in their hamaocks. Davenport was
seized and locked into his room, and
the crew were soon bound and gagged.
Then the raiders got up the cutter s
anchor, working very quietly, and
making sail, took her out of the har-
Dor in a light land breeze, through a
northern channel, Husseys sound. A
fisherman they had captured off Sc,
guin was obliged to serve as their
pilot.
When the confederates got outside
the harbor with the captured cutter
the wind fell, and when Portland got
up and missed the vessel she could
be seen some few miles off the harbor
entrance.
Mayor Mcclellan lost no time in arm,
| ing an expedition to go after the cut
ter. He was assisted by Mr.. Jewett in
his capacity of collector of customs
In very short time they had requisi
toned and loaded two steamers, the
Chesapeake of the New York line and
the Forest City of the Boston line
with soldiers and volunteers, had
armed their force, had taken on field
guns, and were out and after the be
Gained cutter.
The Forest City carried % men Of
the Seventeenth United States infan
try, Capt. N. Prime, with one six
FOUNDER field piece, one 12-pon2der
and muskets for 40 volunteers. There
were about 200 men on board, the ma
jority warmed, except with such
weapons as they had provided fol-
themselves.
The Chesapeake carried q men o.
company G, Seventh Maine volunteers
Capt. Henry Warren; two brass six
Founders requisitioned for the occa
sion from the state arsenal and 81
armed citizens, including several ole
sailors. She also had aboard a fight
ing parson, as a newspaper item oi
the time stated that Rev. Mr.. Wal
dron of the Park street church rem
dered valuable service helping Il
make cartridges"
Fortunately for the pursuers, the
confederates could not find the sho
locker on the Gushing, and after two
or three shots had been fired at the
steamers her projectiles gave out. The
shot locker contained 80 round sho
for the 32-pounder, enough to have re
duced the steamers to kindlngs, anC
in all probability had they been founC
the confederates would have put up 1
hard fight.
When Read saw the game was up
he ordered the Cushing's cabin furni
ture piled into heap in the middle
of the floor, ready for the match. Tht
captured crew were put into a boa
and pushed off from the cutters side
The pile of furniture was fired, and thu
confederates also pushed off, knowing
that the firs would not be long II
reaching tbs vessels powder maya
zine.
This it did at 1:4S, when the cutie
blew up with terrific roar and burs
of fame. She sank in SO fathoms 0
water, ten Or IL miles south-southeas
Of the outer islands of the harbor, ant
her bones lie there still.
/ Doo5 ord hfo raa,, xrara koIova y,rfc