Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1917-04-19
MEMORIES OF LONG AGO.

On April 10, 1861, fifty-siX years
ago today, there was excitement IN
Baltimore, which soon spread over
this section of the country. The Fifth
Massachusetts Regiment, en- route to
Washington, had been attacked by a
mob of southern sympathizers, VINO
used pistols and paving stones as
weapons. The soldiers finally Tired
on their assailants, killing and wound-
ing several Baltimoreans, after which
the regiment proceeded to the depot
Of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
and continued on their journey. The
Gazette printed an extra that night
Maryland was slave state ana
was grouped with the south in the is
sues of those days. A large element
urged secession from the federal union
but Governor Hicks managed to keep
down the movement, and other union
commands having in the meantime
reached the Monumental City tran
guilty was subsequently restored
Many Marylanders, however, made
their way south and entered bhe
southern army. Marshal Kane OF
Baltimore was later arrested and
General Benjamin F. Butler was aP-
pointed military governor OF the city
Later on in 1861 another incident
occurred more laughable than serious
In the year 1860 large paddle-whee!
steamer known as the st. Nlcnolas
was put on the route in opposition TO
the steamers Columbia and Diamond
State which made weekly trips be-
tween Washington, Georgetown, Al
exandria and Baltimore. She remain
ed on. the route until the early sum-
mer of 1861, when she was comman-
deered by the Government. Shortly
before the St. Nicholas left Baltimore
on one OF. her trips to Alexandria, a
woman with number of trunks and
band boxes boarded the steamer. She
gave a foreign name to the purser
and was soon known as the "French
Lady"
When the St. Nicholas stopped at
Point Iookolt at the entrance to the
Potomac" several strange men came
aboard. They gave fictitious names,
and shortly after the steamer lef'
Point Lookout and was heading to-
wards Alexandria, the French Lady"
who had suddenly transformed her
self into a Confederate naval officer,
accompanied by the men who had
boarded the steamer at Point Look
out, appeared in the pilot house and
armed with pistols they took charge
of the wheel. Others Of the party
had in the meantime invaded the en-
CINE room and took charge there.
The men who came aboard at Point
Lookout were graduates of the An
napolis Academy, while the French
Lady" was of the spirit of John Paul
Jones. The steamer was soon turned
and ran out of the Potomac to the
mouth of the Rappahannock where
two companies of North Carolina sol
Giers came aboard after which the
st. Nicholas returned to the Poto-
mac. The "French Lady" had con-
ceived bold act. His purpose was
to locate the United States man-of-
war Pawnee, which had been doing
duty at Alexandria and at other points
on the river, run alongside her in the
darkness, board her, overpower the
crew, capture the ship, hoist the Con-
feGerate flag and add another priva-
teer to the Confederate navy. The
French Lady" spent half the night
in futile endeavors to locate the
Pawnee. and towards daylight the
steamer was, turned south and ran
out Of the Potomac into the bay,
where a schooner loaded with coffee
and another with ice were captured,
taken into the Rappahannock and an
chored at Fredericksburg. The st.
Nicholas was later burned by the
Confederates.