The National tribune., 1910-12-15
More About the Webb.

Alexander Henderson, Frederiksted,
st. Croix, D. W. T., writes:
Il served three years in the navy.
and was doing duty as ward room stew
ard Oh the u. s. s. Pembina, then lying
on New Orleans. whittier We had been
ordered for repairs, when the Webb
ran BY the city. I kept a diary, and
note the aforenamed episode. 1 also
had a scrapbook of newspaper clip
pings, some relative to the Webb AS
i unfortunately lost both in the riot at
this place of 1873, write entirely from
memory.
I'VE arrived off New Orleans March
%. 1865, and made fast to the U. S. S.
Chocura. l left the ship early on the
morning of April Is, and went ashore
for supplies. While busy there a news
DO! ran into the building, shouting:
Astounding intelligence Assassina-
ion of the President" I bought a
newspaper. and ran to the ship with
1t. All flags flew at half-mast for six
weeks after, and /, with my shismates.
wore band of crepe around my left
arm.
with due Difference to Shipmate
Robbins l think that the Webb passed
us few days after April 16. At anv
rate, we occupied our berth alongside
the Chocura just astern of the flagship
Lackawanna. Our Captain returned on
board in the forenoon of the day of
the incident, and, mounting the bridge
commanded: Cast loose and provided
There is a ram in the river! The news
was sudden; the ship was under repair
and not in fighting trim. Our battery
was in fair shape. We had done block
ade duty. so took in the situation, and
were soon ready with at least five guns
covering the river.
II was advanced to No. in my guns
crew, but we knew the gunnery cate
chism and how to change positions
The order was to level the guns and
fire when they could be brought to
bear. 1t was soon reported that the
escaped ram was the Webb. a large
wooden, high-pressure steam tug with
working beam built in New York, and
that she was very fast, had run the
blockade of the Red River, cut the
telegraph wires and was coming down
the Mississippi ahead of us at q rapid
pace, burning pine knots and throw
ing black smoke. Her capacity or 9TH
er qualifications were not known. but
as we were taught to be cautious and
watch out for everything dangerous or
| suspicious under the sun, it made no
difference to us whether she was pro-
tected or carried torpedoes
Orders were issued TO aim at her
working beam, which was her most
vulnerable point. Within half an hour
afterwards | saw a low craft swiftly
/ rounding the upper bend of the river,
heading downstream, with a dense vol
ume of black smoke issuing from her
| Smokestack \ working beam, going
rapidly, loomed high above her hull, and
she carried a spar with one end elevat-
ed about As degrees, having a black
object attached to the upper end rigged
forward. The Stars and Stripes f!oated
at half-mast from her Flagstaff, and she
was to all appearances a Union vessel
This was embarra ssing, for we could
not fire on a vessel flying our own flag,
and at half-mast, too.
She seemed to accelerate her speed
as she neared the warships, but kept
well in the middle of the river, and
s2nt the water foaming and rolling
from her bows. When she was within
| 2o0 yards Of us a Quartermaster told
the Commodore that it was the Webb.
rs he knew her full we'll The order
now came to fire. Several shots I'M
nediately followed from the Lackawan-
ma. one from the Chocura. five from