o'clock, and went into the river and lay to. Captain Semmes, Captain James D. Ballock, and some other officers came on board, and about half past 7 o'clock a. m. a tugboat came alongside with some seamen on board; the tug-boat accompanied us out about ten miles. The tug then left us, and a tall gentleman, with a reddish face and pock-marked, who came from Cunard, Wilson & Co.'s office, left us and went into the tug; as he left us he said, "I hope you will make a good thing of it, and that you will stop where you are going to." We then proceeded on our voyage, and stood out some days, when we found we were going to the Western Isles. 2. About the 17th or 18th of August we arrived at Terceira, and we there found the Alabama and the bark Agrippina. Captain Butcher, who was on board the Alabama, hailed us and told us to go round the island, and he would be after us, but it would take them three-quarters of an hour to get his steam up. We went on, and he followed us, and the Alabama went under the lee of the island, and a shot was fired across the [105] Bahama's bows from a battery on shore, so we stopped out until the morning. In the morning we went alongside the Alabama, and some small cases and a safe containing money was passed into the Alabama from our ship, and we then parted and anchored a little distance from her, and the bark Agrippina went and discharged the remainder of her cargo into the Alabama. During this time Captain Semmes and Captain Bullock were going backward and forward to the Alabama, but would not let any of the officers go. On Sunday, the 24th of August, Captain Semmes came on board the Bahama, and called us under the bridge, he himself and the officers standing on the bridge; he addressed us and said, "Now, my lads, there is the ship," (pointing to the Alabama;) "she is as fine a vessel as ever floated; there is a chance which seldom offers itself to a British seaman, that is, to make a little money. I am not going to put you alongside of a frigate at first; but after I have got you drilled a little, I will give you a nice little fight." He said, "There are only six ships that I am afraid of in the United States Navy." He said, "We are going to burn, sink, and destroy the commerce of the United States; your prize-money will be divided proportionately according to each man's rank, something similar to the English navy." Some of the men objected, being naval reserve men. Captain Semmes said, "Never mind that, I will make that all right; I will put you in English ports where you can get your book signed every three months." He then said, "There is Mr. Kell on the deck, and all those who are desirous of going with me let them go aft and give Mr. Kell their names." A great many went aft, but some refused. A boat came from the Alabama, and those who had agreed to go went on board. Captain Semmes and the officers went on board. Mr. Low, the fourth lieutenant, then appeared in uniform, and he came on board the Bahama, endeavoring to induce the men to come forward and join, and he succeeded in getting the best part of us. I was one who went at the last minute. When I got on board the Alabama, I found a great number of men that had gone on board of her from Liverpool. Captain Semmes then addressed us on board the Alabama, and Captain Butcher was there also, who had taken the vessel out. Captain Semmes said he hoped "we should all content ourselves and be comfortable, one among another; but any of you that thinks he cannot stand to his gun I don't want." He then called the purser, and such as agreed to serve signed articles on the companion-hatch, and on signing the men received either two months' pay in advance, or one month's wages and a half-pay note. I took a month's wages and a half-pay note for £3 108. a month in favor of my wife, Martha Latham, 19 Wellington street, Swansea; the note was drawn on Fraser, Trenholm & Co., of Liverpool, but it was paid at Mr. Klingender's, in Liverpool; the note was signed by Captain Semmes, Yonge, who was the paymaster, and Smith, the captain's clerk. I sent £5 and this half-pay note ashore by Captain Bullock, and he forwarded it with a letter to my wife. 3. Captain Bullock, on the passage out, and after we arrived at Terceira, used arguments to induce us to join the Alabama. On several occasions he advised us, and urged the men to join. 4. As soon as the men who had consented to go had all signed articles, the English ensign which the Alabama had been flying was pulled down, and the confederate flag hoisted, and a gun was fired. The men who declined joining left the ship with Captains Bullock and Butcher for the Bahama, and we proceeded under the command of Captain Semmes. Her Majesty's government neither affirms nor denies the truth of the statements of these persons, some of which statements, however, it has reason to believe to be incorrect. But Her Majesty's government believes it to be true that the vessel known at first as the 290, and afterwards as the Alabama, having left Her Majesty's dominions unarmed, was armed for war after arriving at the Azores, either wholly in Portuguese waters, or partly in Portuguese waters and partly on the high seas; that her crew were, after her arrival in the Azores, hired and signed articles for service in the confederate navy, either in Portuguese waters or on the high seas; that Captain Semmes took command of her after she arrived at the Azores; and that, after she had been armed as aforesaid, she was commissioned (being then out of the dominions of Her Britannic Majesty) as a ship of war of the Confederate States. Her captain and officers were, as Her Majesty's government believes, all American citizens, and were at the time commissioned officers in the confederate service, except the assistant surgeon, who was a British subject. John Low, one of the lieutenants, who has been stated to have been an Englishman, was, as Her Majesty's government believes, a citizen of the State of Georgia. Of the common seamen and petty officers Her Majesty's government believes that a considerable number were British subjects, who were induced by Captain Semmes (himself an American citizen) to take service under bim; but the ship's company was afterward largely increased by the addition of many American seamen, drawn from the crews of United States vessels captured by the Alabama during her cruise. In this way her crew, which is stated to have numbered about 84 men when the ship left the Azores, had increased to nearly 150 when she arrived at Martinique. In the above-mentioned deposition of John Latham, which was received by Her Majesty's government from Mr. Adams on the 13th January, 1864, it was stated that a considerable number of the seamen who had been induced to take service in the ship belonged to the royal naval reserve; and a list or schedule was given, purporting to be a list of the crew, and to specify the names of nineteen such seamen. Inquiries were thereupon made at the admiralty with reference to the matter, and the subjoined letters, addressed by the secretary of that department to one of the under secretaries of state for foreign affairs, show both what steps had been previously taken by the lords [106] *commissioners of the admiralty, and what was afterward done in consequence of such inquiries:1 The secretary to the admiralty to Mr. Hammond. ADMIRALTY, June 24, 1864. SIR: With reference to your letter of the 21st instant, relative to the statement that many of the crew of the late confederate ship Alabama were naval-reserve men, I am commanded by my lords commissioners of the admiralty to acquaint you, for the information of Earl Russell, that the only men who were suspected of having joined confederate vessels, and who were ascertained to be improperly absent, were discharged from the naval-reserve force on the 25th January last. My lords, however, concur with his lordship that it will be desirable to ascertain whether any of the men on board the Alabama did belong to the naval reserve, and they will take the necessary steps as requested. I am, &c., The secretary to the admiralty to Mr. Hammond.2 C. PAGET. ADMIRALTY, January 29, 1864. SIR: In reply to your letter of the 22d instant, respecting the naval-reserve men who are said to form part of the crew of the confederate steamship Alabama, I am commanded by my lords commissioners of the admiralty to acquaint you, for the information of Earl Russell, that only three of the nineteen men described in the printed list as naval reserve men can be identified, viz: David Roach, Peter Hughes, and Michael Mars; and, of those three, the last (Mars) has been already discharged, in consequence of having joined the Alabama, as will be seen by the inclosed copy of a report from the registrar-general of seamen, who has been directed to make inquiries on the subject. I return the printed list of the crew, which accompanied your letter, with the registrar-general's notations against the names. I am, &c., (Signed) 1 Appendix, vol. i, p. 237. C. PAGET. 2 Ibid., p. 233. Mr. Mayo to the commodore comptroller-general of the coast-guard. GENERAL REGISTER AND RECORD OFFICE OF SEAMEN, January 27, 1864. SIR: In accordance with the request contained in your letter of the 25th instant, I beg to acquaint you, for the information of the lords commissioners of the admiralty. that the register-books of the royal naval reserve have been searched, with a view of ascertaining whether the nineteen men described in the annexed list as forming part of the crew of the Alabama belong to the royal naval reserve, and the following is the result of the investigation: A seaman of the name of David Roach (R. N. R. No. 11919) is reported to have been at Liverpool on the 2d of October, 1862, and a seaman of the name of Peter Hughes (R. N. R. No. 10849) is reported to have been discharged from the Great Eastern, at Liverpool, on the 16th June, 1862. As no subsequent account has been received of either of these naval-reserve men, it is possible that they may be the same men as David Roach and Peter Hughes described in the accompanying list of the crew of the Alabama; but of this I have no proof. A seaman of the name of Michael Mars formerly belonged to the royal naval reserve, but he was discharged from the force, in consequence of having joined the Alabama. With regard to the remaining sixteen men, who are said to be members of the royal naval reserve, I have to state that I have not been able to trace them in our books by the names given. No persons of the names of William Brinton, Brent Johnson, Samuel Henry, John Duggan, Joseph Connor, William Purdy, Malcolm Macfarlane, John Emory, William Nevins, and William Hearn, have been enrolled in the reserve, and I am unable to indentify as members of the royal naval reserve the seamen serving on board the Alabama in the following names, for the reasons given: William Crawford, native and resident of Aberdeen, and not of Liverpool; James Smith, thirty-two enrolled of this name; John Neil, sailed in Goldfinder, 11th April, 1862-no account since; Thomas Williams, seventeen enrolled of this name; Robert Williams, six enrolled of this name. I have, &c., (Signed) F. MAYO, Registrar-General. The secretary to the admiralty to Mr. Hammond.1 ADMIRALTY, July 27, 1564. SIR: I am commanded by my lords commissioners of the admiralty to acquaint you, for the information of Earl Russell, that the board of trade have succeeded in identifying three of the late confederate ship Alabama's men as naval-reserve men, viz, Thomas McMillan, Peter Hughes, Charles Seymour, and that their lordships have ordered them to be dismissed from the force. I am, &c., W. G. ROMAINE. [107] *With respect to the greater number of the names entered in the aforesaid schedule, it was found that no persons bearing those names had in fact been enrolled in the naval reserve. The subsequent history of the Alabama, so far as it is known to Her Britannic Majesty's government, from the reports of its colonial officers and from other sources, is as follows: On or about the 18th of November, 1862, the Alabama arrived at Martinique, and anchored in the harbor of Fort de France, where she received permission from the governor to remain for such time as she needed, and to land her prisoners. Her Britannic Majesty's consul at Saint Pierre, in a report made at the time, stated that shortly before her arrival, suspecting that preparations were being made for her to coal there, he had communicated the grounds of his belief to the governor. The following is an extract from the report : I next deem it proper to acquaint the governor with what I had just learned. He did not seem much surprised, and observed that, if the Alabama came into port, he would act exactly as he had done on a former occasion in the case of the Sumter, when the French government had altogether approved of the measures he had taken in regard to that vessel. The Alabama remained at Fort de France till the evening of the 19th, Appendix, vol. i, p. 237. when she put to sea, eluding the pursuit of the United States warsteamer San Jacinto, which was keeping watch for her within view of the shore, but outside of the territorial waters of the island. On the 20th of January, 1863, the Alabama came into the harbor of Port Royal, Jamaica, and her commander applied for leave to land the prisoners he had made in his recent engagement with the United States war-steamer Hatteras. This application was granted by the lieutenantgovernor, in the following letter to Commodore Dunlop, the senior naval officer at the port:1 Lieutenant-Governor Eyre to Commodore Dunlop. KING'S HOUSE, January 21, 1863. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 21st instant, and beg to acquaint yon, in reply, that, having consulted with the attorney-general, I do not see any grounds for objecting to the landing of the prisoners taken by the Alabama. Common humanity would dictate such a permission being granted, or otherwise fever or pestilence might arise from an overcrowded ship. Probably the best course would be to reply to Captain Semmes's application, that this government will not interfere with his landing any persons he may think proper. Of course, once landed, no persons could be re-embarked against their will from British soil. I have, &c., E. EYRE. The following letters, addressed by Commodore Dunlop to the viceadmiral in command on the West Indian station, contain an account of what occurred in relation to the Alabama while she remained at Port Royal: Commodore Dunlop to Vice-Admiral Sir A. Milne.? ABOUKIR, AT JAMAICA, January 23, 1863. SIR: I have the honor to inform you that on the evening of the 20th a screw-steamer, apparently a man-of-war, was seen off this port about sunset, under French colors. After dark the vessel entered the harbor, and upon being boarded proved to be the screw gun-vessel Alabama, under the so-called Confederate States flag. 2. On the morning of the 21st her commander, Captain Semmes, called on me and asked for permission to land 17 officers and 101 men, the crew of the late United States gun-vessel Hatteras, which had engaged the Alabama twenty-five miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, during the night of the 11th of January, and was sunk. The action, according to Captain Semmes's account, lasted from 13 to 15 minutes, when the Hatteras, being in a sinking state, ceased firing, and the crew were removed on board the Alabama, which there was just time to effect before the Hatteras went down. 3. In answer to Captain Semmes's application to land his prisoners, I replied that I had no authority to give such permission, but would immediately inform his excellency the lieutenant-governor of his request, and let him know the answer I received as soon as possible. 4. I have the honor to annex copies of my correspondence with his excellency and his reply, relative to landing the prisoners, also copy of his excellency's letter [108] to me, to notify to the captain of the Alabama the instructions contained in the 3d paragraph of Earl Russell's dispatch to the Duke of Newcastle, and my reply thereto, as well as a copy of my letter to Captain Semmes, inclosing a copy of the 3d and 4th paragraphs of the dispatch referred to above. 5. Captain Semmes then stated that he had six large shot-holes at the water-line, which it was absolutely necessary should be repaired before he could proceed to sea with safety, and asked permission to receive coal and necessary supplies. The necessity of the repairs was obvious, and I informed Captain Semmes that no time must be lost in completing them, taking in his supplies, and proceeding to sea in exact conformity with the spirit of Earl Russell's dispatch. Captain Semines gave me his word of honor that no unnecessary delay should take place, adding, "My interest is entirely in accordance with your wishes on this point, for if I remain here an hour more than 'Appendix, vol. i, p. 265. 2 Ibid., p. 264. can be avoided I shall run the risk of finding a squadron of my enemies outside, for no doubt they will be in pursuit of me immediately." Owing to the delay in receiving the lieutenant-governor's answer to my letter relative to landing the prisoners from Spanish Town, it was not until the evening of the 21st that permission to do so reached Captain Semmes, and too late for them to be landed that night. The crowded state of the vessel previous to the landing of the prisoners on the morning of the 22d made it difficult to proceed with the necessary repairs, and no doubt caused some unavoidable delay. As soon as these repairs are completed the Alabama will proceed to sea. I am, &c., Commodore Dunlop to Vice-Admiral Sir A. Milne.' HUGH DONLOP. ABOUKIR, AT JAMAICA, February 7, 1863. SIR: In order to anticipate any exaggeration or false reports that may be circulated in the American newspapers, or otherwise, relative to the visit of the confederate gunvessel Alabama at this port, and so to save unnecessary correspondence, I have the honor to state herein for your information the whole of the circumstances attending the visit of that vessel from her arrival to the time of her departure from Jamaica. 2. As reported in my letter of the 23d January, the Alabama anchored in this port after dark on the evening of the 20th. She commenced repairing the damages received in action with the Federal gun-vessel Hatteras the next morning, at the same time receiving a supply of provisions and coal. 3. The lieutenant-governor's permission for the prisoners to land not having reached me until the evening of the 21st, they did not leave the Alabama until the morning of the 224, when they proceeded to Kingston in shore-boats, which were provided by the United States consul. 4. The commander of the late United States gun-vessel Hatteras did not call on me, or send me any communication whatever, during his stay in this island. 5. At 9.30 on the morning of the 21st, the captain of the Jason waited on me to ask if I had any objections to officers of the ships in harbor going on board the Alabama; to which I answered that as it might be hurtful to the feeling of the officers and men, prisoners on board the Alabama, on no account was any one from any of Her Majesty's ships to visit that vessel until after all the prisoners were landed. 6. It having subsequently been reported to me that some officers had been on board the Alabama prior to the landing of the prisoners, I called on the captains and commanders of the different ships to report to me in writing whether any officer under their command had acted contrary to my order. I found from the reports that four officers of the Challenger, four officers of the Cygnet, and one of the Greyhound had gone on board the confederate gun-vessel before my order was made known. 7. I regret that the captains and commanders of these ships should have given permission to their officers previous to communicating with me on the subject, though it was done entirely from thoughtlessness, forgetting that there could be any objection to it. The commander of the Cygnet was in hospital, and therefore is not responsible for the officers of that ship going on board the Alabama. 8. I annex a copy of a report from Commander Hickley relative to the tune of “Dixie's Land” having been played on board the Greyhound shortly after the Alabama anchored, and copy of a correspondence between him and Lieutenant-Commander Blake, of the United States Navy, relative to the same. After the explanation that took place Lieutenant-Commander Blake expressed himself to Commander Hickley as perfectly satisfied that no British officer or gentleman would have been guilty of insulting gallant men suffering from a misfortune to which the chances of war render all liable. I severely reprimanded the lieutenant of the Greyhound who ordered the confederate air to be played, and he expressed his regret for having done so. 9. The fractures made by six large shot or shell near the water-line of the Alabama required extensive repairs, which could not be completed by the unskillful workmen hired here before late in the afternoon of the 25th, and the Alabama sailed at 8.30 of the same evening. 10. In conclusion I have only to state that the confederate vessel was treated strictly in accordance with the instructions contained in Earl Russell's letter of the 31st January, 1862, and exactly as I shall act toward any United States man-of-war that may hereafter call here. 11. Two United States ships of war, the Richmond and Powhatan, arrived here in 1861, coaled and provisioned, and remained in port, the Richmond four days, and the Powhatan three days; the San Jacinto was also here and remained four hours. I have, &c., (Signed) 1 1 Appendix, vol. i, p. 268. HUGH DUNLOP. |