The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-11-09
RECALLS DARING FEAT.
U-Boat Raid Revives Memory of Con-
federate Exploit.

German submarine U-53 is remark
able duplication, naval men say, OF
what happened in 1853 at New YORK
and other Eastern ports when the
Tacony under the command OF Lieut..
c. w. Read, of the Confederate
States navy, passed up the Atlantic
coast. burning and scuttling Amerl-
can ships.
For two entire weeks Read con-
timed his foray on American COM
merce, and Notwithstanding that
more than 40 cruisers and chartered
vessels were sent out in search OF
him. the intrepid Confederate was
only captured when he ventured into
the harbor of Portland, Maine, in an
attempt to cut out steamer OF that
place.
During a period of three days the
Tacony cruised off the Nantucket
shoals, and in that time burned
full rigged clipper ship, bound from
LIVERPOOL to New York, a bark and
a Liverpool packet. These three
craft were destroyed in the same To-
cality where the U-53 on Sunday last
sent six steamers to the bottom.
It was in May, 1868, when the
quest from Lieut.. Read to be permit
ted to take the Clarence, man her
Confederate cruiser Florida, being
off Cape St. Rogue, Brazil, on a
cruise against American commerce,
captured the American brig, Clar-
ence. The Florida was commanded
bv Commander J. n Moffit. Serving
on the Florida as watch officer was
Lieut. G.. w. Read. Commander Moi
fit was about to burn the Clarence
when he was approached with re-
with 20 men from the Florida's
crew. and proceed to Hampton Roads,
Va. there to slip in Fortress Mon
roe and cut out a steamer. With the
steamer, Reed proposed to cruise
against American commerce. Failing
in the attempt to get by Fortress
Monroe, Read proposed as an alter
native then to proceed to Baltimore,
Md. and fire the shipping of that
port.
A Puny Force.
Reads request, and transferred TO
the Clarence 20 men and one hoWlt-
ger. With this new command Read
parted from the Florida and follow
ed three American vessels, learning
One month later he was off the Caro-
lima coast where he burned and bond
ed three American vessels. Learning
from his captors that no craft were
permitted to pass Fortress Monroe
without strict examination. Learn
ing only in the event that the vessel
ATTEMPTING to enter was laden for
government account, Read decided to
abandon his original idea and instead
to make raid up the Atlantic coast.
On June 12, when about so miles
east of Capt Henry, the entrance to
the Chesapeake, the Clarence made
false signals of distress to fine bark
in the distance. The bark bore down
on the Clarence. and before her peo-
ple were aware of it, Reads men had
cIambered on board and the bark was
their prize. She proved to be the Ia
cony, an American craft. Read aton
saw that she was fine craft, and
not being altogether satisfied with
the sailing qualities of the Clarence,
he burned the latter after first trans
ferring his howitzer and crew to the
Tacony. Before leaving the ground
where the Tacony was captured Read
gathered in three more craft, one OF
these, the schooner Schindel, he burn
ed. The others, brig and schooner,
he bonded. Finding himself encum-
bered with many prisoners, Read
transferred all to the last captured
schooner and sent them into Phila-
delphia.
The Tacony now stood off shore
laying course to intercept the home
ward bound American ships engaged
in the West India trade. On June 10,
the Tacony being about 25O miles
east of Cape Charles, she burned
brig. Then she made for the Nam
tucket shoals, where on June 20 and
21, she burned the three vessels above
named.
Eight in One Region.
On June %, the Tacony was off the
Georges bank, and in that locality
she burned eight American vessels.
By June "a the Tacony had reached a
position to the northward of the
track of vessels bound from Europe
to tho mort 'of RoStOn and when at a