Cruise and Captures of the AlabamaGoodrich, Albert M.
History
Cruise and Captures of the Alabama
Goodrich, Albert M.
Alabama (Screw sloop); United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Naval operations, Confederate
Sunday, September 7th, the Alabama approached the south shore of the
island of Flores, one of the westernmost of the Azore group, and the crew
of the Ocmulgee were permitted to pull ashore in their own whaleboats. At
four o'clock p. m. the Alabama filled away to head off a schooner which
appeared to be running in for the island, and hoisted the English flag.
The schooner failed to respond, and a gun was fired, but she still held
her course. A shot was fired across her bow, but even this failed to stop
her. Then a shot whistled between her fore and main masts, and the
futility of attempting to escape being apparent, she rounded to and
hoisted the United States flag. Her master, a young man not over
twenty-eight, was well aware of the fate which had befallen him. His
vessel was the Starlight, from Boston, and he was homeward bound from the
Azores, having on board a number of passengers to be landed at Flores,
including several ladies. He also had dispatches from the American consul
at Fayal to Secretary Seward, narrating the proceedings of the Alabama at
Terceira. The captain and the six seamen who constituted his crew, were
placed in irons. Next day the cruiser proceeded again to the island of
Flores, and sent the prisoners on shore in a boat.
[Illustration: CAPTURES NEAR THE AZORES.]
The obliging governor of the island paid the Alabama a visit, and offered
her officers the hospitalities of the place. In the afternoon (Sept. 8th)
the whaling bark Ocean Rover, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, was captured.
She had been out over three years, had sent home one or two cargoes of
oil, and now had about 1,100 barrels of oil on board. The captain and
crew were permitted to pull ashore in their six whale boats, into which
they had conveyed a considerable quantity of their personal effects.
Before daylight the next morning Captain Semmes was aroused and notified
that a large bark was close by. She proved to be the Alert, of New London,
Connecticut, sixteen days out. Her crew pulled ashore in their boats.
During the day the three prizes (Starlight, Ocean Rover and Alert) were
burned. While the hulks were still smoking the schooner Weathergauge, of
Provincetown, Massachusetts, was captured. This vessel and the Alert
brought plenty of Northern newspapers, and those on board the cruiser were
thus informed of the progress of the war. The whaler Eschol, of New
Bedford, came near enough to make out the burning vessels with a glass,
but her master kept her close to the shore, determined to run her upon the
beach rather than permit her to be captured, and she escaped without being
seen.
On September 13th the brig Altamaha, of New Bedford, fell a prey to the
spoiler, and during the night the Benjamin Tucker, of the same town met a
like fate. The boarding officer on this occasion was Master's Mate G. T.
Fullam, an Englishman, whose home was at Hull. He wrote in his diary:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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