The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-03-20
DARING SEA ROVER
An Audacious Commerce Raider
of the Days of 1868.
READS CAMPAIGN OF TERROR.

1iIs daring and romantic exploits OF
the rowing commerce destroying crnis
crs in the great European war recall
the deeds of a very brave and clever
officer who acted as commerce de
stroyer in the service of the Confed
eracy Lieutenant Charles ". Read. Il
Mississippian in his early twenties
who bad been in the United States
navy. joined the Confederate cruiser
Florida on Nov 4, 1862, while she lay
at Mobile undergoing repairs. Read
had already seen gunboat service in
the lighting NJ New Orleans
On May g. 1868. off the coast of Bra
iii the Florida captured the brig Clar
ence. bound from Rio de ,lanero Ia
baltimore with cargo of coffee Lieu
tenant Read suggested that he be per
miited TO take the captive. with her
cargo and papers intact. and. proceed
In: to Hampton roads. gain entrance
there and either cut out n eunboat or
bnrn the shipping gathered In the
roads Captain Mailit gave him how
itzcr and detailed an assistant engineer
and twenty men for the enterprise.
month later. of the South Caro-
lima coast. the Clarence captured and
burned the bark Whistlng Wind. from
Philadelphia to New Orleans with coal
The next day II picked Up the schooner
Alfred II Partridge. and Read put her
captain under n $1,000 bond to deliver
the cargo of arms and clothing to the
Confedcraies On June . he took the
brig Mary Alvina. Boston to New Or
leans with commissary stores.
From his prisoners Read came 10 the
conclusion That an attempt To enter
Hampton Roads would meet with Ger
tain failure. and he turned his atten
tiun cni.,a.j H. destroying Federal
commerce On Iune 10. within eight
miles OF Cape Henry. he made four
captures -thc bark Tacony. the schoon
or NJ. \. Shindler. the schooner Kate
Stewart and the brig Arahella Since
The Clarence was poor sailer. the
young commander transferred his crew
ana howliaer to the Tacony. The Clar
ence and the NJ. y Shindler be burned
The Arahella he bonded FOR $4,000
and the Kate Stewart for 81 GOO. and
he used the hitter TO take ashore some
fifty prisoners.
These captures stirred The Shipown-
crs. ana the shipowlers promptly stir
red M, the secretary OF the navy. The
naval co,@randers AZ Newport News
philadelphia ara Ncw York were or
lerpd to send out vessels to chase the
-aider, witch they did
Meanwhile the Tacony. under her
new colors. captured the brig Umpire
which with her cargo Of sugar and
,nolassps was burned on June 10
Five days later the Tacony seized the
packet ship isaac Webb. Liverpool Ia
New York with 80 passengers on
board. AMI Read bonded her for $40
600 The same day he destroyed the
ishing schooner Micawbcr The clip
per ship Byzantium and the bark
,;oolsrce,l both hound for New York
were sunk on the next day. which was
June 81
BY that time there were more than
twenty Federal vessels pursuing the
Tacony, and the shipping interests OF
New York were almost in Il state Of
pnnic
Read now sailed norihward and OF
the coast of Massachusetts captured
four fishing schooncrs on June 30. The
following day he took two more. On
June - he he'd up tho ship Shatemuc,
from Liverpool to Boston, carrying o
large number OF Immigrants. and bond
ed her Tor $4,000 That night he cap.
tured the fishing schooner Archer.
As the ammunition for the howitzer
had become exhausted, Read transfer
the Tacony. On the morning OF Juue
20 he picked UP Portland light Two
fishermen. who mistook the schooner
for Il pleasure party, piloied her into
Portland harbor.
The following morning at half past /
o'clock Read and his men boarded the
revenue cutter Caleb Gushing. She was
captured without an alarm being given,
but the tide was running in before her
new masters could get her under way.
ana the wind had dropped.
They did escape from the harbor, bnt
about twenty miles outside two large
steamers bearing soldiers and armed
civilians overhnuled the cutter. Read
had not been able to find the vessels
stock Of ammunition, and after firing a
few rounds at the pursuing ste9mers
he put off his prisoners, set the cutter
on fire and. with his crew, took TO the
boats. He surrendered TO the com
mandcr of the steamer Forest City.
Lieutenant Read made a brief report
OF his cruise OH July 30 from Fort
Warren and more detailed one the
following year under Richmond date.
SO far as the records show, no lives
were taken in the course OF the raid
Youths Companion