Derelicts: An Account of Ships Lost at Sea in General Commercial Traffic: And a Brief History of Blockade Runners Stranded Along the North Carolina Coast, 1861-1865Sprunt, James
History
Derelicts: An Account of Ships Lost at Sea in General Commercial Traffic: And a Brief History of Blockade Runners Stranded Along the North Carolina Coast, 1861-1865
Sprunt, James
Blockade; Derelicts; North Carolina -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
stopped for the passage of a picket barge or gunboat in the darkness
ahead, who saw us not, and for the bearings, which in our devious
course we had lost in confusion. Once more we slowly proceeded, when
suddenly, out of the darkness and close aboard, flashed the fiery train
of a rocket, and a deep, commanding voice, just over the side, shouted
"Heave to, or I'll sink you." Quickly our bridge responded "Aye, aye,
sir, we stop the engines." "Back your engines, sir, and stand by for my
boats," called the lusty man-of-war. But our paddles were not reversed.
Lockhart said he never heeded such an order with the bar at hand; on
the contrary our engines were evidently running away with the ship,
and, while the confident blockader, diverted from his guns, was engaged
in lowering his boats, the _Lilian_ was gliding away toward the bar. A
trail of rockets and Drummond lights and bombshells from the rest of
the fleet followed in our wake, but the friendly flash of signals from
the fort encouraged us, while Gregory, with his masked lights, revealed
to them our steady progress until we anchored under the Confederate
guns. It was now broad daylight and the blockading fleet had sullenly
withdrawn to a safe distance. We proceeded toward Fort Anderson and
came to anchor at quarantine. The clouds had passed away, revealing
in the brightness of the morning light the stately white columns of
Orton House in the distance. Accompanied by our faithful Scipio and
escorted beyond the fort by its courteous Colonel Hedrick, we proceeded
in silence through St. Philip's churchyard and the dead colonial town
of Brunswick, past Russellboro, where Governor Tryon met the first
armed colonists (the cradle of American independence), through the long
avenue of oaks, where, looking ahead, we beheld a sight which cheered
our hearts; my friend and his daughter surrounded by the yelping hounds
returning from a chase, for reynard's brush was at her saddlebow. With
mutual exclamations of astonishment and delight we learned that the
young captain had written by a flag of truce of his convalescence in a
Northern hospital. I will not say the touching words that Scipio heard,
as, with hands clasped by master and mistress, and with bowed head, he
received their tearful benedictions. My friend has long since gone to
his eternal rest and Scipio's white soul soon followed him. They are
buried at Orton in a grove where the mocking bird builds its nest and
sings; where, above the murmur of the tree tops, which bend to the soft
south wind, is heard the distant booming of the sea, and in their death
they were not divided.
INDEX
Abaco Light, Federal ships stationed near, 144.
_Ada Iredale_ (_Annie Johnson_), derelict merchant ship, 5, 6.
Adair, Capt. W.F., blockade runner _Antonica_, 107.
_Advance_, blockade runner, ix.
_Agnes E. Fry_, steamer, 241.
_Alapaha_, steamer, 45.
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