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430

* Dec. 17,

1864.

VISIT TO THE NASHVILLE BATTLE-GROUND.

at dusk the same evening, with two hundred men, eight guns, and a valuable wagon-train. After destroying Wytheville, and stores there, and the railway for some distance, Gillem returned to Mount Airy, from which place Stoneman had sent out a brigade under Colonel Buckley, to destroy lead mines in that region, which that officer accomplished, after driving off Vaughan, who was there. Stoneman now started to destroy the great salt-works already mentioned. On the way, Burbridge, in the advance, met and fought Breckinridge near Marion, nearly all one day. Gillem approached from another point to cut the foe off from the salt-works, when Breckinridge, taking counsel of prudence, withdrew and retired over the mountains into North Carolina. Saltville, where the works were situated, was thus abandoned to its fate, after being guarded with the greatest care. These important works were now utterly destroyed, while spoils, in the shape of cannon, ammunition, and railway rolling stock, fell into Stoneman's hands. The object of the expedition having been accomplished, General Burbridge returned to Kentucky, and General Stoneman, with Gillem's command, went back to Knoxville.

The writer visited Nashville, and the battle-field in its vicinity, at the beginning of May, 1866, after a voyage on the Cumberland to Fort Donelson and back,' and he was placed under many obligations to General Thomas, and members of his staff, and especially to Major Willard, for kind attentions, and for facilities for obtaining all necessary topographical and

1864.

historical information concerning the battle of the 15th and 16th of December, of which a description, in outline, is given in this chapter.

General Thomas took the writer, in his light carriage drawn by a span of beautiful dappled gray horses, to various points of interest, the most important of which, for the author's purpose, was the lofty hill between the Hardin and Granny White turnpikes, on which the commanding general stood, with the whole field of operations in view, and directed the battle on the 15th. With a large topographical map in his hand, he pointed out every important locality and explained every movement, making the text of his official report perfectly luminous. Around us lay, upon bare hills once crowned with groves and forest, and across desolated vales once beautiful with the richest products of cultivation, the long lines of intrenchments, with forts and redoubts, cast up by both parties in the strife, and scarcely altered in feature since the day of battle. With these, and the ruins of houses battered by missiles or laid in ashes by fire, in full view, and with the clear and vivid descriptions of General Thomas, the chief actor in the events of that day, which consecrated every hill and valley, ravine and streamlet within the range of vision, it required but a small effort of the imagination, then and there, to reproduce the battle in all its awful grandeur and hideousness.

General Thomas kindly offered his carriage and a driver for the writer's use in revisiting for further study, and for sketching important points connected with the battle. In this way, accompanied by his traveling compan ions (Messrs. Dreer and Greble), who joined him at Nashville on the day

1 See page 226, volume II.

2 See reduced copy on page 427.

RUINS ON MONTGOMERY HILL.

431

after his visit to the field with General Thomas, the writer went to and sketched several places of interest. Among these was Fort Negley,' and the spacious mansion of Mrs. Ackling, the head-quarters of General Wood,' from whose gallery the young wife of that gallant officer looked out and saw

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the dreadful storm of war in which her husband was conspicuous, when the attack was made upon Hood's salient on Montgomery Hill. It was just after sunset when that sketch was made. Then we rode to Montgomery Hill, passing up a lane among many evidences of the existence there of a once beautiful estate, then in utter ruin; and from the remains of Hood's strong intrenchments, north of the Montgomery mansion, the above sketch of its ruins was made, in the edge of the evening. They were partly inclosed in Hood's breast works, and one of his redoubts, and presented a most melancholy picture of the ravages of war. The high grounds seen in the distance, toward the right of the sketch, are portions of the range of the Harpeth hills, to which Hood was driven when expelled from Montgomery Hill.

We spent a few days pleasantly and profitably in and around Nashville, the recipients of the kindest courtesies, and then went southward to visit Murfreesboro', and the extended theater of conflict between there and Chattanooga and Atlanta, already mentioned in other pages of this work.

1 See page 265, volume II.

* See page 424.

432

CONFEDERATE NAVY DEPARTMENT.

CHAPTER XVI.

CAREER OF THE ANGLO-CONFEDERATE PIRATES.-CLOSING OF THE PORT OF MOBILE.POLITICAL AFFAIRS.

ET us now turn a moment, from the consideration of the struggle on the land, to that of some events of the war on the ocean, carried on by pirate ships, and also some important naval events near Mobile.

We have noticed the organization of a so-called "Navy Department" by the Conspirators, at Montgomery, early in 1861, the measures taken for providing a naval force, and the commissioning of pirates to prey upon the National property on the ocean. Also the doings of some of these cruisers in the earlier part of the war, and the aid given to the Conspirators by British ship-builders, with the tacit consent of their Government, in constructing powerful sea-going pirate ships for the Confederate service. The latter, as we have observed, were fitted out by British hands, and their commanders bore commissions from the Confederate "Government" so-called."

These ships were provided with the best armament known to the British marine-Armstrong, Whitworth, Blakely, and other rifled cannon of heaviest

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the most approved fire-balls for burning merchant vessels. These outrages

1 See pages 872 to 374, inclusive, volume I.

2 See pages 555 to 558, inclusive, volume I.

3 See pages 567 to 571, inclusive, volume II.

4 See page 570, volume II. The Confederate "Navy Department" was organized with S. R. Mallory, for merly a National Senator, at its heal, and he continued in office until the close of the war. His department according to "A Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the Navy of the Confederate States, to January 1, 1864," printed at Richmond, was composed as follows: S. R. Mallory, Secretary of the Navy, with a chief clerk, three inferior clerks, and messenger; an Office of Orders and Details; Office of Ordnance and Hy drography; Office of Provisions and Clothing, and Office of Medicine and Surgery. The Register contains several hundred names of officers, including all ranks known in our navy, from admiral down. There was but one admiral (Franklin Buchanan), twelve captains, three provisional captains, and forty-one commanders. A large number of these were formerly in the National service.

So called from its inventor, Sir William Armstrong.

ANGLO-CONFEDERATE PIRATE SHIPS.

433

against a people with whom the British Government was at peace and entertaining the most amicable commercial relations, were for a long time. as we have observed,' practically countenanced by that Government, which failed to act upon the earnest remonstrances of the American minister in London.

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FIRE-BALL.

The most formidable of these piratical vessels fitted out in Great Britain and afloat in 1864, were the Alabama and Florida, already noticed, commanded respectively by Captains Semmes and Maffit. The former was in command of the Sumter, whose career suddenly ended early in 1862.3 The latter, as we have observed, went out from Mobile in the Oreto, afterward named Florida, to play the pirate by plundering on the high seas, without authority. Four other vessels were added by British shipmasters in 1864, named, respectively, Georgia, Tallahassee, Olustee, and Chickamauga, whose ravages greatly swelled the sum total of damages already inflicted upon American commerce by Anglo-Confederate marauders.3 They sailed under British colors until a prize was secured, when they hoisted the Confederate flag. They were everywhere greeted with the greatest enthusiasm in British ports, and their officers were honored with receptions and dinners by British officials and British subjects; and wherever these corsairs appeared, whether in "proper person" on the water, or in discussions in the British Parliament, or among the ruling classes of Great Britain, they were ever the occasion for an exhibition of the practical hollowness of that neutrality proclaimed in good faith by the Queen at the beginning of the Rebellion.

The Florida hovered most of the time off the American coast, while the Alabama was seen in European and more distant waters. The former was closely watched by Government vessels, especially when the pirate was cruising among the West India Islands, but she managed to elude them.

1 See page 568, volume II.

2 See page 569, volume II.

See page 568, volume II.

4 This is a representation of a fire-ball taken from on board one of the Anglo-Confederate pirate ships. It was made of stout canvas, inclosed in netting, and filled with combustible material. It was egg-shaped, a little more than a foot in length, and at the larger end had a solid piece of wood, which was used for the same purpose as the sabot on projectiles. These fire-balls were thrown into vessels, as well as forts, from cannon. On board of the same vessel were found shells filled with a substance called Greek fire, terrible in its character, because inextinguishable. Also other shells, for hurling melted iron upon ships. All of these destructive materials were furnished to the pirate ships in Great Britain. They were seen and sketched by the author, at the Navy Yard in Washington City, with many other relics of the war, in 1866.

HOT

METAL SHEIL

GREEK

FIRK SHELL

At the beginning of 1864 the pirates then on the ocean had captured 193 American merchant ships, whereof all but 17 were burnt. The value of their cargoes, in the aggregate, was estimated at $13,445,000. So dangerous became the navigation of the ocean for American vessels, that about 1,000 American ships were sold to foreign merchants, chiefly British. Full two-thirds of the carrying trade between the United States and Europe was driven to British bottoms.

While cruising in that region in May, 1863, the Florida captured the brig Clarence, and fitted her up as a pirate ship, with a crew under Lieutenant C. W. Read, formerly of the National Navy. She went up the coast of the United States, capturing valuable prizes, and near Cape Henry she seized the bark Tacony. To this vessel Read transferred his men and armament, and spread destruction and consternation among merchant and fishing vessels, from the coast of Virginia to that of Maine. Swift cruisers were sent after the Tacony. When informed of this, Read transferred his crew and armament to the prize schooner Archer, and destroyed the Tacony. Then he went boldly to the entrance of the harbor of Portland, Maine, and at midnight sent two armed boats to seize the revenue cutter Cushing, lying there. It was done, when chase after the pirates was successfully made by two merchant steamers, hastily armed and manned for the purpose. The Cushing and Archer, with the pirates, were soon taken back to Port land, where the marauders were lodged in prison.

⚫ June 24, 1863.

VOL. III.-106

434

CAPTURE OF THE FLORIDA.

She would sometimes skim swiftly along the coast of the United States, leaving a track of desolation in her course, and then shoot off to some distant waters.' On one of these occasions, while in command of Captain Morris, she went down the Brazilian coast, destroyed the barque Mondamon, off the port of Bahia, and then ran into that harbor. There Morris saw with alarm the United States Steamer Wachusett, Captain Collins. As a precaution, he anchored the Florida in the midst of the Brazilian fleet, and under the guns of the most powerful fort guarding the town. The American Consul, T. F. Wilson, protested against the hospitality thus given to the pirate by the Brazilian authorities, to which no attention was paid.

Oct. 7, 1864.

Captain Collins determined that the Florida should never put to sea again. He tried to draw her into battle outside of the harbor, but did not succeed; and then, in disregard of the rights of the Brazilians in their own waters, he ran down" upon the Florida with a full head of steam, with the intention of crushing and sinking her. He failed. She was damaged, but not crippled. There was a little musket firing on both sides, without injury, when Collins demanded the surrender of the Florida. Her commander and half his crew were ashore, and the lieutenant in charge, having no choice, complied. The pirate ship was instantly boarded, and lashed to the Wachusett, when the latter put to sea under a full head of steam, towing her prize, unmindful of a challenge by the Brazilian fleet, and unharmed by shots from the Bahian fort. Captor and prize soon appeared in Hampton Roads; and not long afterward the Florida was sunk while lying off Newport-Newce.

The capture of the Florida produced much excitement. It was brought to the notice of the Government of the United States by the Brazilian minister at Washington in the form of a protest, with the assumption that the rebels were lawful belligerents, and that the Florida was one of their vessels of war. The Government disavowed the act of its agents in the port of Bahia as a violation of neutrality laws and the rights of Brazil, and Consul Wilson, known to have been implicated in the capture, was recalled, and Captain Collins was suspended and ordered before a court-martial. At the same time, the assumption of the Brazilian Government was disallowed, and

Later in the year another daring act of piracy was committed. The merchant steamer Chesapeake, plying between New York and Portland, was seized on the 6th of December, by sixteen of her passengers, who proved to be pirates in disguise. They overpowered the officers, killed and threw overboard one of the engineers, and took possession of the vessel. She was soon afterward seized in one of the harbors of Nova Scotia, by a National gun-boat, and the pirates were taken to Halifax and handed over to the civil authorities, from whom they were snatched by a sympathizing mob.

Maffit, the commander of the Florida, was represented by all who knew him as a man lacking all real sense of honor. His conduct in the capture of the Jacob Bell, a merchant ship on her way to New York from China, sufficiently proves the assertion. Among the passengers was Mrs. H. Dwight Williams, wife of the American Commissioner of Customs at Swartow, in China. She had in her trunk many valuable presents for friends at home, besides a large amount of clothing and silver plate. She gave Mathit a list of her personal effects, and begged him to spare them for her. He politely told her he could not, and then went to the Jacob Bell. She obtained permission to return to that ship, where she found Matfit and his fellow-officers engaged in appropriating her property to their own use. They broke open packages; and laces, letters, photographs of friends, which they could not use, they trampled under foot on the deck, in her presence. Mrs. Williams was soon taken back to the Florida, when the Jacob Bell was burned. One of Mathit's school-fellows, a recent writer asserts, remembers the following lines, written by another about twelve years of age, on an “exhibition day" of the school:

"And here's Johnny Maffit, as straight as a gun

If you face him square up, he'll turn round and run!
The first boy in school, sir, if thieving and lies,
Instead of good scholarship, bore off the prize."

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