Tales of Whalers in the Civil War 383 



ashore in their own boats. The Virginia was the 

 next whaler captured, and of her Semmes says : 



"The torch having been applied rather late in 

 the afternoon, the burning wreck was still visible 

 some time after nightfall." This, according to 

 his account, was the only ship that might have 

 served to toll on the unwary whalers of the vicinity 

 at night, and as a matter of fact none came within 

 sight in consequence of her flames. 



The most important of the Confederate cruisers, 

 in the whalers' point of view, was the Shenandoah. 

 Lieutenant John M. Brooke, of the Confederate 

 navy, had seen service in the northern Pacific 

 while in the United States Navy, and from his 

 knowledge of the whalers he worked out a scheme 

 for raiding the fleet near Bering's Strait. A 

 British steamer, renamed the Shenandoah, was 

 fitted for this service under Lieutenant James 

 Iredell Waddell. 



On his way to Bering's Strait, Waddell stopped 

 at Ascension Island, and found in the port four 

 whale ships, of which three were American and 

 one was under the Honolulu flag. The cruiser's 

 boat having brought all the whaler captains to 



