NAVY, CONFEDERATE. 



fX)l 



vate rights, and all those regulations of public 

 justice which distinguish and discriminate the 

 legalized naval vessel from the pirate, are dis- 

 regarded and violated by this famous rover, 

 which, though built in and sailing from Eng- 

 land, has no acknowledged flag or recognized 

 nationality, nor any accessible port to which 

 to send any ship she may seize, nor any legal 

 tribunal to adjudge her captures. She was 

 built and fitted out in British ports in alleged 

 violation of British law and of the royal proc- 

 lamation of neutrality, and her crew is com- 

 posed almost exclusively of British subjects, or 

 persons who, pursuing a lawful voyage, would 

 be entitled to ship and receive protection as 

 British seamen. Most of the crew sailed from 

 Liverpool to join her, and others volunteered 

 from captured vessels, as in the case of the 

 crew of the ship Brilliant. The prize money 

 or half the value of the vessels and cargoes 

 destroyed was, it was stated, regularly paid in 

 money to the crew, who were thus large gain- 

 ers, and their prosperity tempted the men of 

 captured vessels, from which also supplies were 

 procured. Among the first of the captured 

 were the Virginia and the Elisha Dunbar. The 

 statements of the captains of those vessels in- 

 dicate the course pursued by the Confederate 

 commander. 



Captain Tilton, of the Virginia, says that 

 he was overhauled by the Alabama on the 

 morning of the 17th of September, in lat. 39 

 10', and long. 34 20'. The enemy showed 

 British colors, but when a quarter of a mile 

 from the Virginia set Confederate colors, and 

 sent an armed boat's crew on board. Captain 

 Tilton was informed that he was a prize to the 

 Alabama, and was ordered to take his papers 

 and go on board that steamer. The Confeder- 

 ates then stripped the ship of all the valuable 

 articles on board, and at 4 p. M. set fire to the 

 vessel. Captain Tilton adds : 



I went on the quarter deck with my son, when they 

 ordered me into the lee waist, with my crew, and all 

 of us put in irons, with the exception of two boys, 

 cook and steward. I asked if I \vas to be put in irons? 

 The reply was that his purser was put in irons and his 

 head shaVed by us, and that he was going to retaliate. 

 We were put in the lee waist, with au old sail over us 

 and a few planks to lie upon. 



The steamer was cruising to the west, and the next 

 day they took the Elisha Dunbar, her crew receiving 

 the same treatment as ourselves. The steamer's guns 

 being kept run out the side ports could not be shut, 

 and when the sea was a little rough or the vessel rolled, 

 the water was continually coming in on both sides and 

 washing across the deck where we were, so that our 

 feet an a clothing were wet all the time, either from the 

 water below or the rain above. 



We were obliged to sleep in the place where we 

 were, and often waked up in the night nearly under 

 water. Our fare consisted of beef and pork, rice, 

 beans, tea and coffee, and bread. Only one of our 

 irons was allowed to be taken off at a time, and we had 

 to wash in salt water. We were kept on deck all the 

 time, night and day, and a guard placed orer us. 



The steamer continued to cruise to the northwest, 

 and on the 3d of October fell in with the ships Brilliant 

 and Emily Farnham the former of which they burnt, 

 and her crew, with ourselves, were transferred to the 

 latter ship, after signing a parole. On the 6th instant 



was taken on board the brig Golden Lead, of Thomas- 

 ton, Captain Smith, from Jersey for New York ; was 

 treated with great kindness. 



Captain Gifford, of the Elisha Dunbar, stated 

 as follows : 



On the morning of the 18th Sept., in lat. 30" 50', lone. 

 . with the wind from the southwest and the bark 

 heading southeast, saw a steamer on our port quarter 

 standing to the northwest. Soon after found she had 

 altered her course and was steering for the bark. We 

 soon made all sail to get out of Ler reach, and were 

 going ten knots at the time; but the steamer gaining 

 on us under canvas alone, soon came up with us and 

 fired a gun under our stern, with the St. George's cross 

 flying at the time. Our colors were set, when she dis- 

 played the Confederate flag; being near us, we hove 

 to, and a boat with armed officers and crew came 

 alongside, and upon coming on board, stated to me 

 that my vessel was a prize to the Confederate steamer 

 Alabama, Captain Semmes. I was then ordered on 

 board the steamer with my papers, and the crew to 

 follow me, with a bag of clothing each. On getting 

 aboard, the captain claimed me as a prize, and said my 

 vessel would be burnt. Not having any clothes with 

 me, he allowed me to return for a 4 small trunk of 

 clothes the officer on board asked me what I was 

 coming back for, and tried to prevent me from coming 

 on board. I told him I came after a few clothes, which 

 I took and returned to the steamer. It blowing very 

 hard at the time and very squally, nothing but the 

 chronometer, sextant, charts, &c., were taken, when 

 the vessel was set fire to and burnt ; there were 65 bar- 

 rels sperm oil on deck, taken on the passage, which 

 were consumed. We were all put in irons, and re- 

 ceived the same treatment that Captain Tilton's officers 

 and crew did, who had been taken the day before. 

 While on board we understood that the steamer would 

 cruise off the Grand Banks for a few weeks to destroy 

 the large American ships to and from the Channel 

 ports. "They had knowledge of two ships being load- 

 ed with arms for the United States, and were in hopes 

 to capture them. They were particularly anxious to 

 fall in with the clipper ship Dreadnought, and destroy 

 her, as she was celebrated for speed ; and they were 

 confident of their ability to capture or run away from 

 any vessel in the United States. The steamer" being 

 in the track of outward and homeward bound vessels, 

 and more or less being in sight every day, she wiil 

 make great havoc among them. 



DAVID R. GIFFORD, 

 Late Master of Bark Elisha Dunbar. 



The Brilliant was built in Boston m 1861, 

 was 839 tons, and was valued at $80,000. The 

 Confederate commander, in reply to the cap- 

 tain of the Virginia, on protesting against his de- 

 tention, stated : " You Northerners are destroy- 

 ing our property, and New Bedford people are 

 having their war meetings, offering $200 bounty 

 for volunteers, and send out their stone fleets 

 to block up our harbors, and I am going to re- 

 taliate ! " The officers were in some cases 

 ironed in accordance with this view of retalia- 

 tion. The number of prisoners had now in- 

 creased to 68, and these were placed on board 

 the Emily Farnham, which was captured on 

 the same day as the Brilliant, and released be- 

 cause the ship's papers showed the cargo to be 

 on English account. The large number of 

 prisoners exceeded the accommodations of the 

 vessel, and eight of the number were put on 

 board the brig Golden Lead. The Alabama 

 landed 170 prisoners at the Island of Flores. 

 Her action in relation to British ownership 

 seemed to be a little eccentric. When the ship 



