The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1918-01-17
DARING SEA ROVER
An AudaCi0us Commerce Raider
of the Days of 1863.
READS CAMPAIGN OF TERROR.

He Wrought, Had the Shipping Trade
of the North In a State Of Panic.
The daring and romantic exploits OF
the rowing commerce destroying cru1s-
ers In the great European war recall
the deeds of a very brave and clever
officer who acted as a commerce de-
stroyer In the service of the Confed-
eracy. Lieutenant Charles w. Read, a
Mississippian in his early twenties,
who had been In the United States
navy, Joined the Confederate cruiser
Florida on Now 4, 1862, while she lay
at Mobile undergoing repairs. Read
had already seen gunboat service In
the fighting at New Orleans.
On May 6, 1868, off the coast Of Bra
zil the Florida captured the brig Clar-
ence, bound from Rio de Janeiro to
Baltimore with cargo Of coffee. Lieu
tenant Read suggested that he be per-
mitted to take the captive, with her
cargo and papers intact, and, proceed
ing to Hampton roads, gain entrance
there and either cut out gunboat or
burn the shipping gathered In the
roads. Captain Maf1t gave him how
itzer and detailed an assistant engineer
and twenty men for the enterprise
A month later, off the South Caro-
lima coast, the Clarence captured and
burned the bark Whistling Wind, from
Philadelphia to New Orleans with coal.
The next day it picked up the schooner
Alfred Fl. Partridge, and Read put her
captain under a $1,000 bond to deliver
the cargo of arms and clothing to the
Confederates. On June 9 he took the
brig Mary Alvina, Boston to New Or
leans with commissary stores.
From his prisoners Read came to the
conclusion that an attempt to enter
Hampton Roads would meet with GER
tain failure, and he turned his atten-
ton entirely to destroying Federal
commerce. On June IL, within eight
miles of Cape Henry, he made four
captures-the bark Tacony, the schoon-
er NJ. A. Shindler, the schooner Kate
Stewart and the brig Arabella. Since
the Clarence was a poor sa1ler, the
young commander transferred his crew
and howitzer to the Tacony. The Clar-
ence and the M. A. Shindler he burned.
sThe Arabella he bonded for $3O,OOO
and the Kate Stewart for $1,000, and
he used the latter to take ashore some
fifty prisoners.
Those captures stirred the shipown-
ers, and the shipowners promptly stir
red up the secretary of the navy. The
naval commanders at Newport News.
Philadelphia and New York were or
dered Co send out vessels to chase the
raider, which they did.
Meanwhile the Tacony. under her
new colors, captured. the brig Umpire,
which, with her cargo of sugar and
molasses, was burned on June ID.
Five days later the Tacony seized the
packet ship Isaac Webb, Liverpool to
New York with 75O passengers on
board, and Read bonded her for $780,
OOO The same day he destroyed the
fishing schooner Micawber. The clip
per ship Byzantium and the bark
Goodspeed, both bound 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
gTacony, and the shipping interests OF
New York were almost in a state OF
panic.
Read now sailed northward and Off
the coast of Massachusetts, captured
four fishing schooners on June ". The
following day he took two more. On
June "a he held up the ship Shatemuc,
from Liverpool to Boston, carrying q
large number Of immigrants, and bond
ed her for $150,O00. That night he cap
tured the fishing schooner Archer.
As the ammunition for the howitzer
had become exhausted, Read transfer
red his crew to the Archer and burned
the Tacony. On the morning Of June
26 he picked up Portland light. Two
fishermen, who mistook the schooner
for a pleasure party, piloted her into
Portland harbOr.
The following morning at half past /
o'clock Read and his men boarded the
revenue cutter Caleb Cushing. She was
captured without an alarm being given,
but the tide was running in before her
new masters could get her under way,
and the wind had dropped.
They did escape from the harbor, but
about twenty miles outside two large
steamers bearing soldiers and armed
rcivilians overhauled the cutter. Read
had not been able to find the vessels
stock Of ammunition, and after firing
few rounds at the pursuing steamers
he put off his prisoners, set the cutter
on fire and, with his crew, took to the
boats. He surrendered to the COM
mander of the steamer Forest City.
Lieutenant Read made brief report
nc his cruise on July 80 from Fort
Warren and a 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.