YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

• YALE °w&wmm.w>TTY<
Gift of
Robert W. Neeser
1927

RECOLLECTIONS

OK

A SAiheR Boy

 OK TIIK —

Cruise of the Gunboat Louisiana.

STEPHEN F. BLANDING.
Actini; Carpenter's Mate of the U. S. S. Louisiana in the
War ok the Rebellion.

PROVIDKNCIC:
E. A. Johnson & Co., Printers and Publishers.
1886.

PRErAGE.

nY OBECT in writing this hook was simply to
bring more forcibly to the minds of the rising
generation in America a tithe of the perils and the
sufferings their fathers endured wliile battling for the
Union. Also to depict to them some of the more
pleasurable and exciting incidents connected with life
on board of a "Man-of-War," and "Liberty days" on
shore. If I have succeeded in accomplishing this in the fol
lowing pages I shall think that I have not written
in vain.

January 1, 1885. Ccl'o.\<\\

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.
THE ENLISTMENT — AT THE RECRUITING STATION — THE DRUNKEN
BAILOR — SIGNING THE HOOKS — HOME VISITED — BREAKING
THE NEWS — THE DEPARTURE  THE EXAMINATION  PROCUR
ING AN OUTFIT — GOING ON BOARD. Pages 7-27
CHAPTER II.
ON BOARD THE "GUARDO " — MEETING WITH PHIL — DINNER ON
BOARD — THE SHIP HOTS — "llEDDY"  A EIGHT IN PROSPECT
 GOOD ADVICE — EXAMINED AGAIN — PHIL DRAFTED— GETTING
ACQUAINTED  FIRST NIGHT IN HAMMOCKS — FROM ONE
"GUAUDO" TO ANOTHER — INCIDENTS ON THE WAY  BROOK
LYN NAVY YARD — ON BOARD THE "NORTH CAROLINA." Pages 28-48
CHAPTER III.
THE RECEIVING SHIPS  THE CAPTAIN MAKE8 A SPEECH — TAKEN IN
CHARGE BY THE DRILL MASTER — INSTRUCTED IN THE ART OF
SWABBING THE DECKS — "gRF.ENEy" AND HIS HAMMOCK 
"TAIIDY D'YLE"  CONFINED IN THE BRIG  TRICKS PLAYED
UPON THE "OKKKNIEs"  VERMIN ABOARD SHIP  THE TRAINED
COCKROACH  HOLYSTONING THE DECKS — LIFE ON BOARD THE
"GUARDO"  GROG TIME OF DAY  PUNISHMENT ON BOARD 
VISITING DAY  DETAILED IN THE SCOW  WORMS IN OUR
HARDTACK — " DUFF-DAY " — DRAFTED FOR THE GUN-BOAT
"Louisiana." Pages 49-68
CHAPTER IV.
good-bye to the "guardo" — on board the "Thames" — at sea
 up chesapeake bay  on board the frigate "brandy-
w1nf," — spanish and french frigates — a day on shore —
transferred to the gun-boat "delaware"  off cape
henry  a rough night at sea — the lookout 8pin8 a
yarn — paddy d'yle again  fort hatteras  hatteras
inlet — pamlico sound — arrival at new berne — on
board the flag-ship "hetzel" — liberty day on shore
— the gun-boat "eagle" — the "curlew" — up tar river
— on board the "Louisiana." Pages 09-90

IV CONTENTS.

CHAPTER V.
HISTORY OF THE "LOUISIANA" — GOING INTO COMMISSION  PICKET
DUTY AT NEWPORT NEWS — HER FIRST ENGAGEMENT WITH
THE REBEL STEAMER " YORKTOWN " — THE REBEL SCHOONER
 A STERN CHASE — THE REBELS IN AMBUSH— THE ENGAGE
MENT — HOOKER SHOT THROUGH THE LUNGS  CIllNCATEAOUE
SOUND — MOTHER ADAMS AND HER BARRELS OF RUM — THE
BURNSIDE EXPEDITION — THE FIGHT AT ELIZABETH CITY —
COMMODOBE LYNCH AND HIS COCKED HAT — EDENTON — WASH
INGTON — RECEPTION FROM THE CONTRABANDS. Pages 97-113
CHAPTER VI.
OUR FIRST DAY ON THE "LOUISIANA" — -"UP ALL HAMMOCKS " 
ASSIGNED STATIONS ON BOARD  DRILLING, ETC.  NEWS FROM
CHESAPEAKE BAY—ARRIVAL OF THE MAIL-BOAT — "AWAY, THE
DINGY, AWAY"  THE MAIL-BOAT ON FIRE— HOT WHISKEY 
SCUTTLING THE STEAMER — SAD NEWS FROM HOME. Pages 114-126
CHAPTER VII.
OUR FIRST LIBEBTY DAY IN LITTLE WASHINGTON — WE VISIT THE
"BUFFALOES"  HOW THE NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS PAID
VISITS TO THEIR FAMILIES OUTSIDE THE LINES  AN EN
COUNTER WITH " SECESII " GIRLS  TOM VS. OLD MAID — AT
THE FORT — THE THIRD NEW YORK CAVALRY' — THE YOUNG
CAVALRY MAN  "GUERRILLA JOHN "—FORAGING FOR CHICK
ENS — AUNT P11EI1E AND THE POT STEWS — TOM AND THE
POKE BONNET. Pages 127-143
CHAPTER VIII.
REBEL RAID ON LITTLE WASHINGTON  DESPERATE FIGHTING  THE
" BUFFALOES," NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS  A BRAVE NORTH
CAROLINA BOY — STAMPEDE OF THE REBELS  AFTER THE EN
GAGEMENT  SEARCHING THE HOUSES FOR FIRE ARMS  AUNT
PHEBE — "ISB GOT NO SHOOTIN' I'ns!" PugCS 144-154
CHAPTER IX.
EXPEDITION UP BLOUNT'8 CREEK  PROMOTED ACTING CARPENTER'S
MATE  BUILDING THE BLOCKADE  FIRED ON BY THE REBELS
 PREPARING FOR THE EXPEDITION  BLOUNT'S CREEK  "OU,
SIRS, YOU WILL NOT HARM MY CHILDREN "  EDWARD'S MILL
 THE KIND OF WOMEN WE MET ON OUR MARCH  HELPING
OURSELVES TO CHICKENS  "YOU ARE A YANKEE, 1 KNOW "

CONTENTS.

 TESTING THE WATER IN THE REBEL WELL  REBEL PRIS
ONERS  THE BURNING SCHOONER — RETURN TO THE "LOUIS
IANA." Pages 165-171
CHAPTER X.
LAUNCH OF THE SCHOONER " RENSHAW " — LETTER FROM PHIL 
FIGHT WITH SMUGGLERS — BILL LANG — STEALING OLD IIOXIE'S
WATCH — THE PLAN — CAUGHT IN THE ATTEMPT — AT THE SHIP
YARD  MR. MILLS AND HIS WHISKEY  MR. DONZLEBERG, THE
DUTCHMAN  MR. MILLS TREATS THE HANDS TO WHISKEY 
THE FORGED ORDER — IN TROUBLE  THE LAUNCH. Pages 172-195
CHAPTER XI.
EXPEDITION TO GREENVILLE — THE STERN WHEELER  UP TAR RIVER
— POSTING TICKETS IN THE WOODS — THE WOODMAN'S AXE 
TO GREENVILLE BY LAND — ATTACKED BY THE REBELS — THE
REBELS IN AMBUSH — A COUNTER AMBUSH — SHELLING THE
REBELS — "READY, AIM, FIRE"  THE SKIRMISH WITH THE
REBELS — ADAM BLUCHER SERIOUSLY WOUNDED — THE RETREAT
— THE RETURN DOWN THE RIVER — BLUCHER CONVEYED TO
the hospital. - Pages 196-210
CHAPTER XII.
AT WORK IN THE BURIAL LOT — FITTING UP HEADSTONES TO THE
SOLDIERS' GRAVES — SHOT ON PICKET — SAD NEWS FROM
HOME — BACKING OUT WOOD FROM THE SWAMP — -REUBEN 
HOW HE SOLD THE BOYS — " I WAS SCARED SOME, WANT
YOU?"— " MAN OVERBOARD" — REUBEN RESCUED FROM A
WATERY GRAVE — FOURTH OF JULY — THE BOAT RACE.
Pages 211-230
CHAPTER XIII.
8IEGE OF LITTLE WASHINGTON — SURROUNDED BY A LARGE FORCE
OF JOHNNIES — SEVENTEEN DAYS FIGHTING — THE "COMMODORE
HULL" ENGAGES RODMAN POINT BATTERY— SHE RUNS AGROUND
 AT THE MERCY OF THE REBELS — 8UPPLYING THE " HULL "
WITH AMMUNITION — THE GUN-BOAT " CERES " RUNS THE
BLOCKADE — TO STARVE OU SURRENDER  LANDING TROOPfl
UNDER FIRE OF THE I'.NEM IES' BATTERIES — MASTER'S MATE,
MR. MC KEEVER, HUNS THE BLOCKADE WITH DISPATCHES TO
THE FLEET  BUILDING A MAGAZINE — A NARROW ESCAPE 
" GOLLY, HOW DEM REUS DO FROW DAR l'N "  HOW OUR'
CHIEF ENGINEER. MR. LAY, FOOLED THE REBELS  THE FIFTH
RHODE ISLAND TO THE RESCUE — DEATH OF THE PILOT — THE
SIEGE RAISED — a rebel's letter. Pages 231-254

VI CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XIV.
POISONED WATER — THE NOVEL MEDICINE USED TO EFFECT A CURE
 BOUND TO NEW HEUNK FOR BUFFI. IES  INSPECTED I1Y
COMMODORE ROWAN — TRIP III HATTERAS — BATHING ALONG
SIDE — ATTEND A DANCE ON SHORE  SWIMMING ASHORE IN
THE NIGHT-TIME  OLlt RETURN TO THE "LOUISIANA " IN THE
MORNING  THRILLING ADVENTURE: IS IT A SHARK?  ON
BOARD AGAIN  UP ANCHOR  OUR RETURN TO WASHINGTON
 " I'SE GLAD TO SEE YER OUT DAR." Pages 255-274
CHARTER XV.
INCIDENTS OF THE SIEGE  A BRAVE OFFICER  A DARING ACT  TOO
CLOSE FOR COMFORT  DIGGING UP THE ENEMIEs' SHOT 
SHANDY MC GUIHE OF THE 44lTI MASS.  "OLD NEVER SWEAT "
THE LITTLE BROWN MOUSE — IN THE FORT UNDER FIRE 
RUNNING THE PICKET LINE  III R POWDER BOY, JOHNNY 
THE DEAD CONTRABAND — A FUNNY INCIDENT — THE SCOW.
Pages 275-304
CHAPTER XVI.
HOMEWARD BOUND  FAREWELL VISIT TO AUNT PHEBE  WE 3IAKE
HER A PRESENT  THE PRESENTATION SPEECH  AUNT PHEBE'S
RESPONSE — " BRESS YER, ROYS, DRESS YER"— OUR LAST MEAL
IN AUNT PHEBE's CABIN — ON BOARD THE " CURLEW " 
THREE CHEERS FOR THE "LOUISIANA"  OFF FOR NEW
BERNE — THE ARRIVAL  THE TRANSPORT  POOR ACCOMMODA
TION — THE CAPTAIN VISITED — "ARE YOU CAPTAIN OF THIS
CRAFT?"  "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"  CLEANING SHIP — -SICK
SOLDIERS BROUGHT ON BOARD — INSIDE HATTERAS INLET— A
TERRIBLE NORTH-EAST STORM PREVAILS  SHORT RATIONS 
AT SEA  SICKNESS AMONG THE SOLDIERS — TOM TAKES A
TUMI1LE  THE DYING SOLDIER  SHORT OF DRINKING WATER
CLEAR WEATHER  ARRIVE AT NEW YORK  HOME AGAIN 
FATE OF THE "LOUISIANA." Pages 305-330

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY,

CHAPTER I.

THE ENLISTMENT.
THE war of the rebellion opened a large field for
writers, and gave them a theme upon which to
work, that will not grow cold for a generation to come.
The half can never be written of the sufferings entailed
upon those who fought, bled and died that their country
might live. Thousands of thrilling stories might yet
be related and written by thousands of men, still liv
ing, who went through the war, and were eye witnesses
to many episodes which never have yet found their way
into print, but which have been rehearsed time and
time again at the regular meetings of the different
posts throughout the United States. It pleases the
rising generation to read of the part their fathers took
in the war, and I consider it to be the duty of every
returned soldier, while memory lasts, to write his ex
perience, that the "Grand Army of the Republic"

O RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
may leave a record behind them for the future genera
tions to peruse, of which none will be asiiamed and
the world appreciate. I could go on for hours and
state reasons why these things should be done, but it
is not for that I took my pen in hand. It was, rather,
to relate a story of the war in such plain language,
that the boys of the United Slates could easily read
and fathom.
The scene opens in Providence, Rhode Island.
Three boys, ranging from fifteen to seventeen years of
age, are sitting in the yard of their home, off one of the
principal streets, in the early j)art of June, 1862.
They seemed to be in a state of excitement about some
thing ; perhaps it is the sound of the drum and fife
borne to their ears, as a regiment of soldiers are
inarching by the house, and the steady tramp, tramp,
tramp of their feet can be distinctly heard on the
dusty pavements. They are off for the front. Per
haps it is the news from the seat of war, — how the
boys went into the fight ; of the terrible slaughter ; of
the list of the dead and wounded, and the missing ones,
with all of which the newspaper columns are teeming.
It was partly owing to all this news from the front,
that caused the boys' excitement ; but the main object
of their meeting was to talk about enlistment in the
army. The call of Uncle Sam for more troops, to
help put down the rebellion, had stirred the boys up

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOT. 9
at last, to that pitch, that they determined to enlist
that very day. The different branches of the service
were discussed pro and con, but they could not seem
to agree upon any particular branch of it. "Either
would do to get killed in," ventured Tom, a remark
which caused a general laugh.
"What say you boys to our taking a cruise?"
"What do you mean by taking a cruise, Steve?"
chorused both Tom and Phil interrupting me and jump
ing off the log they were sitting on at the time the
above question was propounded.
"Well, I will try to convey to you, as well as I can,
• my meaning."
"Drive ahead," said Tom.
"Yes, drive ahead," echoed Phil.
"If you will both listen to me now I will endeavor
to impart to you my meaning. You are aware that
there is a war in progress — hold on, do not interrupt
me now at your peril," as both Phil and Tom sprang
up from the log whereon they had seated themselves
again — "between the North and South," continued I,
while Phil and Tom nodded assent. "Well, to be
brief, let's enlist in the navy, we three, for a term of
service, or during the war."
"Well, what have you to say to it, boys? Is the
idea a good one or not?" continued I.
"I have this to say" exclaimed Tom, jumping up

10 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
"your sudden announcement has almost taken my
breath away, but you can count me in, nevertheless,
every time."
"Hooray! That's the ticket," exclaimed Phil, roll
ing off the log in his excitement. "Hooray !" he
again sang out, "you've hit the nail on the head this
time, Steve, and no mistake," and he began marching
round the yard to the tune of an imaginary fife with a
piece of wood he had picked up in the yard to his lips.
Tom in the meanwhile began singing,
"We'll be off to the wars again.
My peaceful home has now no charms for me
The battlefield no pain.''
"Well, now, fellows, if you have had enough of
that kind of music perhaps you will listen to what I am
about to say."
"Yes," said Tom, "we are now ready and willing
to listen to you, and perhaps accede to all your de
mands." "In the first place, then, I have this question to pro
pose to Phil."
"Me?" said Phil.
"Silence in the ranks, and answer only when you
are spoken to. Phil," continued I, "has been march
ing round the yard, throwing his cap high in the air
in his excitement, but he has not said right out that he
would join us in our cruise."

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 11
"Well, I—" commenced Phil.
"Silence," said I. "Now attention; all you in
favor of joining with me and enlisting in the United
States navy for three years, or during the war, will
please make it manifest by raising your right hands.
One, two," said I, counting the upraised hands and
some imaginary ones. "Contrary minds — ah, I see
no hands up. The ayes have it, and we are all to en
list." "Now then, listen attentively to what I have to say
to you. We have made up our minds to enlist for the
war. Have you thought over the probable consequences
of such an act? Hardly, I think. In the first place,
we have to ask our parents consent, or inform them
when it will be too late for tlicni to act in the matter.
In the second place, have you thought over the home
comforts we must sacrifice, and the perils and ex
posures we must endure when we join the navy? Do
you think of the heart aches wc shall cause to the loved
ones at home, when we break the news of our deter
mination to them. If so, then we are prepared to take
the first step, which is enlistment."
Silence reigned for a moment, and then both boys
cried : "Yes, yes. We are willing to do all you have
said, and," 6aid Tom, "I am willing to do more: I
am willing to face death to help our brave boys in the
field to put down this rebellion."

12 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
"I am with you heart and hand in all your plans,"
said Phil, "so now, let us shake hands upon it, and
then make for the rendezvous ; and," he added, "there
is one thing I should like to mention before we start. I
made up my mind while you were regaling us with your
speech, that — that — I shall not go home, neither before,
nor after our enlistment, until our term of service ex
pires." "Nor I," said Tom.
"Why, how is this? Do you not want to see your
parents and bid them good-bye before we leave, per
haps never to return again?" said I.
"Well, I do hate a scene, and I know just how it
will be, if we go home and tell them what we intend
doing ; mother will cry and picture to us the dangers
we shall have to encounter, and strive to have us put
off going, and in the end we shall accede to her en
treaties ; then we shall have to go through a lot of
speech making again, at some future time, to prepare
for another start."
"Well, what do you propose doing then? Run off
in the night, as if we were ashamed of what we are
about to do? For my part, I think that our parents will
see that we are determined to go, and will be proud to
think that they have sons who are ready and willing to
fight the battles of their country ; of course they will
feel badly, and will endeavor to keep us at home a

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 13
little longer, it would not be natural in them if they
did not. But.in the end, they will accept the inevitable
and allow us to go with their prayers and blessings
following us. Don't you both think that it would be
better for us to inform them of our purpose? If not,
then unfold your plans and I will see- if they meet with
my approval ; for my part I cannot see any other way
out of it. What if there is a scene? It is soon over,
and we can then go away with the happy feeling that
we have done our duty."
"It's all very well, Steve, what you have said, and I
honor you all the more for having said it," said Tom,
"but nevertheless, I still continue to say as before, I
shan't go home, and the first intimation they will have
of my enlistment will be when I write to them, which
I shall do in the course of a day or two."
"Now let me tell you boys the best way out of this
difficulty, for I have made up my mind not to go home
and stand a scene," said Phil.
"Well, what is your plan," said I, "perhaps we can
arrange it so that you and Tom can go home and not
have a scene, as you call it."
"My plan is this," said Phil, "Steve must go home
and tell father and mother after wo have enlisted, you
know you can do it, Steve, and explain it all, so that
they will look differently upon our going, than if we
both went home. Say, will you agree to it?"

14 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
Seeing that it was useless to urge them more I agreed
to accept the alternative, and vvc started for the recruit
ing office, which was situated at I ho corner of Canal
street and Market square. We stole silently out of
the yard, for fear our parents would discover us, and
find work for us to do, and thus prevent our enlistment
on that day. To tell the truth, I felt like a culprit,
sneaking out of my own yard in such a manner, and I
told Phil and Tom so.
"Pooh," said Tom, "it will be all right sometime."
"Yes," said Phil, "It will be all right as Tom says,
and when we return, if we don't get shot, we will not
sneak into the yard as you say we are sneaking out."
But little more was said by either of us on our way
to the recruiting station, which we reached in due
season, mounting the flight of steps which led from
the street to the room above where Captain Salisbury
had his office, and where all recruits for the navy were
enlisted. As we entered the room, I observed some
sailors, or men in seamen's garb, sitting round the room
on benches ranged alongside the wall. One of them
got up upon our entrance, and came towards us and I
saw that he was intoxicated. As he tried to approach,
one of his friends took hold of him and forced him
down into his seat again. Crossing the room, we
sauntered up to a desk where sat a man in the uniform
of the United States navy.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 15
"Well, young men, "said he, in a gruff tone of voice,
"what do you want?"
"We want to enlist in the navy," answered I.
Upon the utterance of those words, the man who was
intoxicated rose to his feet, and staggered toward us,
and in a thick guttural tone said, "Whar ye-hic-say ?
Want to list? Well, shiver my timbers ; what 'en-hic-
h — 11 is the-hic-navy coinin' to when they take-hic-such
whipper-snappers as you are to fight the battles of our-
hic-country-hic ;" and he reeled against Tom as he
finished speaking and leered into his face. Tom sidled
away from the drunken sailor, and at the same time
said, "I suppose you call yourself a specimen of the
men Uncle Sam hires to do the fighting, if so, then all
I've got to say is God help our country."
"Look here now," said the sailor blustering up to
Tom, "you had hctter-hic-bela}' that jaw tackle of yours
and keep a-hic-civil tongue in your head when your
betters are talking to ye-hic."
"My betters," said Tom, "well that's good, aint it
Steve?" turning and addressing me. Then turning to
wards the sailor, who was steadying himself against
the partition, he said, "now look here my man, we did
not come here to have any trouble, we came here
to enlist and we are going to do so, if the captain,"
pointing to Captain Salisbury, who was sitting behind
the desk writing, "don't want us, and can't keep such

16 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
fellows as you from insulting decent people, why we
will go somewhere else and join."
"Oh, no ! my little bantam, I'll larn ye who ye
are-hic-talking to, and I'll give ye a lesson now to
remember me by when ye get aboard the ship," and the
fellow who had become somewhat sobered off during the
hot flow of words, stepped towards Tom and com
menced rolling up his sleeves. At this juncture, Cap
tain Salisbury came briskly from behind the desk and
interposed his person between Tom and the belligerent
sailor and addressing him said, "My man, this has
gone far enough, I'll have no fighting here in my office.
You will have all the chance to fight you want, when
you get to the front; and besides, this is nothing but a
mere boy," turning towards Torn and patting him on
the shoulder. "Why, you ought to be ashamed to
want to fight a boy."
"D — him, I'll thrash him," said the irate sailor,
as he made for Tom. Phil and I had in the meantime
ranged up alongside Tom, and thinking it about time
for me to interfere, although I knew that he was able
to take care of himself, I stepped up to the angry sea
man and told him to keep his hands off or it would be
the worse for him ; adding, "you cannot whip any one
here, and I'm sure that you cannot scare us." At this
interruption, the man broke away from those who were
holdinghim,andmadea rush for Tom again. Now itwao

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 17
against my principles to fight, but I made up my mind
that if the sailor was getting the better of him I would
interfere. Tom stood coolly awating his antagonist,
and when he got within clinching distance he stepped
aside, tripped him up, and the seaman went sprawling
on the floor. A loud laugh at the mishap from a half
dozen men in the room only served to make the sailor
more angry, and as he had now become partially sobered
by reason of his exertions, he might be too much for
Tom to handle. As the fellow rose to his feet, Tom,
whose anger now began to kindle at the unprovoked
assault, warned him to keep away. "I don't want to
fight, although that's what I came to enlist for," said
Tom ; but the thoroughly maddened man sprang at
him and tried to close in, but Tom, by backing around
the room and dodging this way and that, managed to
elude the grasp of his antagonist. Finally, as the
fellow made a more desperate onslaught, Tom stepped
on one side, and dealt his opponent a stunning blow
under the ear, and the man went down like a felled ox.
Cries of "Good," "Plucky fellow," "He's enough
for him," followed the downfall of the burly tar. I
now informed Captain Salisbury that he must interfere
and take the man away ; whereupon the captain and
two others of the seamen present, at least they wore the
garb of Uncle Sam, clinched the infuriated "jack tar"

18 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
and bore him away into another room, despite liis
struggles and imprecations.
While they were abser/t, one of the sailors, a middle
aged man, approached and questioned us in regard to
ourselves. "You are a plucky young fellow," he said
addressing Tom, after we had furnished him with all
the information he required, "and I only hope I shall be
lucky enough to get drafted into the same ship with yc
all ; I'll bet my last dollar on either one of ye, and I'll
give ye a little advice, so be it ye will take it kindly."
Tom said he would be very glad to except any advice
from him and thought he could also speak for his friends.
We assured the kindly disposed sailor that we would be
thankful for advice from a man older than ourselves,
and one who looked as if he had done service. "You
may be sure of that my boy," holding out a pair of
rough horny hands to our gaze. "They arc rough
looking now, aint they ?"
They assuredly were rough looking, and one could
almost imagine seeing barnacles ou them. "These
hands are r.ough," continued he, still holding them
towards us, "but they never did a dishonest deed,
and God helping me, they never will as long as I
live. Now my advice to ye boys is just this : you are
just the age to run into temptation, and ye'll find it in
the army and navy, mark my words for that ; learn to
say no to all that tends to evil ; look up to your

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 19
superior officers ; he quick and prompt to obey their
orders, and when duty calls spring to your work like
men, nor count the danger ; don't stop to think in fight
ing or charging the enemy, your superiors will do
the thinking and you will do the work ; be orderly
and neat at all times ; that is the quickest way to gain"
the good will of your superiors, and when they see
that you are earnest in your endeavors to learn, my
word for it, boys, they'll give ye the chance to work
your way up. They despise a shirk, and the lot of one
is not a happy life on board ship. Now, if what I've
said will help ye any in your term of service ye are
welcome to it," and the old sailor, giving a hitch to his
pants, and rolling his quid over in his mouth, pro
ceeded to seat himself on one of the benches in the
room, while I stepped up to the captain's desk, (the
captain having entered his office again while we were
listening to the old sailor,) followed by Tom and Phil.
"Now then, young men," said the captain, "just sign
your names in this book artd then you will be ready to
go to Boston this afternoon, and if you pass the medi
cal examination there, you will be prepared to go on
board the recruiting ship "Ohio" to-night and take
your first meal aboard ship." Without more ado, Tom
and Phil signed their names on the enlistment book.
When it came my turn to sign, I took up the pen

20 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
and looking at the captain said, "Captain, I am going
to sign my name to this book upon conditions."
"Upon conditions, hey?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, what are your conditions?" said the captain.
"That I may be allowed to visit my home and report
here for duty at any time Monday morning that you
may chose to name."
The captain thought a moment and looked intently
in my eyes, then said, "All right, my lad, I'll give
you a week if you want it."
"I do not wish so long a time as a week."
"Well then," said the captain, "report here at ten
o'clock Monday morning, so as to be in readiness to
take the eleven o'clock train for Boston on that day."
"Very well, sir, under these conditions I will sign my
name," and with a flourish I wrote my name in the
book under Tom and Phil's chirography. Turning to
the boys, I held out a hand to each, and bidding them
good-bye, told them I would break it as easily as I
could to father and mother, and meet them on board
the ship Monday afternoon, or perhaps in time to
take dinner with them, when I would recount to
them my success as peace-maker; "So good-bye,
Phil, good-bye, Tom," and I hurried out of the door
and descended the steps into the street. 1 stood awhile
on the sidewalk musing on the events just happened and

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 21
considering whether it would be best to go right home
and tell our parents what we had done, or wait until
later. After pondering over it awhile, I came to the
conclusion to go immediately home and have it off my
mind. So facing in that direction, I arrived at home
after a brisk walk of twenty minutes or more, and
entering the sitting room found mother and the girls
seated around the room engaged in sewing. Mother
looked up as I entered and took a seat, and noticing
something unusual in my looks and manner, gently
inquired if I was well. I answered her in the affirma
tive. "Where's Philip? Have j'ou been with him to
day?" asked Julia, looking up from her sewing and
eyeing me inquisitively. T arose and walked restlessly
across the room, then returned and seated myself again
in the chair that I had just vacated. My sister Emeline
stopped in the middle of her crocheting at this question
from Julia, looked attentively at me for a moment,
then crossed the room and came to my chair. Placing
her hand upon my shoulder, and looking soberly in my
face she said, "I'll tell you what the difficulty is ; you
do not need to utter one word ; you have enlisted to go
to the war."
Half the battle was won, and my courage rose to
the emergency.

22 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR HOY.
"You are silent; does that mean that Em is right?"
inquired Abby.
"Speak, my son, let me know the worst;" suid
mother, looking at me sorrowfully and blushing a tour
off her check that had fallen there during my silence.
"Yes, mother; Phil and 1 have enlisted in the navy,
and so has Tom Duriind. Phil and Tom are already
on their way to Boston navy yard, and to-night they
will sleep on board the recruiting ship "Ohio." Mon
day I shall be on my way to the same rendezvous."
I will pass over the scene that followed and the
exciting debate with my lather later in the day. Suffice
it to say that although ninny tears were shed, one and
all became reconciled to our enlistment and departure,
and tried hard to look upon the bright side. It was
late Sunday night when I retired to rest, but not to
sleep, for 1 tossed about on my pillow all night, and
do what I might, I could not " woo the drowsy god."
When I arose in the morning, I did not fool very much
refreshed. Very little was said by any of the family
as we all gathered around the beakfast table, perhaps,
thought I, for the hist time. The morning was bright
and pleasant, and I was forced to fly around to get
ready to report at ten o'clock, as I had promised to.
The girls hurried about to assist mo in gotlinn- ready «o
that I should not be late. In due time, I was ready,
and after standing a volley of kisses, and shnkiiur

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR B«Y. 23
hands with my father, who wished us a speedy journey
and a safe return, I was off down the front steps, two
at a time. At the gate I halted, and turning to the
group assembled on the door steps, waved my hand,
and Julia, taking off one of her slippers, threw it after
me for luck.
Ten minutes of ten o'clock, I stood in front of Cap
tain Salisbury's desk and reported myself "Returned,
sir. "Very well," said the captain looking up from the
Providence Journal he was perusing, "you can take
a seat on the bench over there. I have a number of
recruits to go down to-day at eleven o'clock, and you
can go with them."
Time passed slowly away while waiting for eleven
o'clock, and I improved it by watching others coming
in to enlist, and taking note of those already enlisted,
some of them, perhaps, to be my companions aboard
the same ship. There were some that already wore
the garb of seamen and had probably seen service,
although there were many more, like myself, who
had the art of seamanship to "learn, and, also, all the
trials and vexations to undergo as a new man aboard
ship. Just before eleven o'clock, we were ordered to
fall in and were marched to the Providence and Boston
depot, where we took the train for the "Hub."
8

24 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
We arrived in Boston in due time, and were con
ducted to the office of the medical examiner, near
North street, where we were to undergo a preliminary
examination. Arriving there I was ushered, when it
came my turn, into the examining room, where sat a
gray-headed old man busily engaged in writing. With
out turning his head at my entrance, he said, sotto voce,
"Pick up that book." Now I had always prided my
self on my quickness of hearing and ready perception,
and supposing the words were intended for me, as I
had not noticed any other person in the room except
the doctor upon my entrance, I readily stepped for
ward and picked up the book. The doctor looked up
and said, "I see your hearing is good. Now stand off
a little way and read the title of this book," holding
one at arm's length from him in the opposite direction
from where I stood, with the back turned towards me.
I easily distinguished the title and read, "United States
Coast Survey, 18  18—."
"So, so," added he, "that's good. Now shut your
right eye and read this title," holding up another book
to my view and about four feet from my person. Un
hesitatingly, I read, "Report of the Secretary of the
Navy." "Very good," said the doctor ; "now close the left eye
and read this," holding up a smaller book to my gaze

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 25
with the title towards me as before. "Surgeon Gen
eral's Report."
"That will do," said the doctor, interrupting me as
I was about to continue; then getting up off his chair,
he told me to throw out my chest, which I did. He
then examined my lungs. "Physically you are sound,"
said he ; "that is all, you may retire." As I went out
another passed in to be examined. After all had been
through the examination, those who had passed were
ordered to fall in and we were marched to the shipping
office of  Hatch, on North street, where we were sup
plied with an outfit, consisting of the following named
articles : one tin quart pot, a pewter spoon, a table knife
and fork, one tin pan, one tin plate, a large jack-knife
with a hole in the handle and a white cord through it,
for the purpose of hanging it about the neck, while the
knife was concealed in a pocket at our waist, one hair
comb and brush, and last but not least, a fine tooth
comb, which I thought at the time was rather suggestive.
As I put the comb aside, some one at my back spoke
up in quite a familiar way, "I say, old fellow, you'll
have occasion to use that before many days elapse."
Ere the words had left the person's mouth, I knew from
whom they proceeded, and turning quickly in the direc
tion of the voice I grasped Tom by the hand. "How
is it, Tom, you are not aboard ship? Where is Phil?
Is he here?"

26 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
"No, he went on board Saturday night; you see
there were so many recruits that the doctors were una
ble to examine all, and those that were not, 1 among
the rest, were put up at a sailor's boarding-house Sat
urday and Sunday nights, and this morning I passed
the doctor all right, and here I am, eager to proceed on
board the recruiting ship and commence my duties let
them be what they may."
"And I am glad of your company on board, Tom."
All being supplied with the articles necessary to com
plete our outfit, we received orders to turn our steps in
the direction of Charlestown Navy Yard. Arriving
there, we were transferred to the recruiting ship "Ohio"
lying at anchor in the stream. We were transported
from the shore to the ship by means of a scow, plying
back and forth between the vessel and the wharf, pro
pelled by an endless chain on two pulleys, wliile to
turn the crank on each side were two men detailed
from the recruiting ship who were relieved every two
hours. The scow was used to convey the officers on
shore and return them again at any time they chose to
hail the ship. It was also used to transport provisions
and convey visitors, who came to see their friends, on
board. I was the last to leave the scow when she
touched the side of the vessel. I glanced back as I
was ascending the first step on the ladder leading up on
the shore side of the ship, and gave the sailor who had

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 27
pulled us over, what I meant for a friendly smile, but
which he chose to interpret in another way. He prob
ably thought I was poking fun at him ; in fact, he
informed me afterwards that he thought I was putting
on airs.
"You need not grin," said he, "you will get in here
soon enough," and he performed gyrations with his fin
gers to his nose.

CHAPTER II.

ON BOARD THE GUARDO.
AS WE stepped on board, what a scene met our
eyes. Eight hundred men and boys, at least,
were walking here and there about the spar deck, and
the murmur of many voices was borne to our ears,
sounding for all the world like a hive of bees swarming.
Crossing the deck to the fore hatchway, we followed
our conductor down the ladder that led to the gun deck ,
and from there down another ladder to the berth deck,
then aft to the doctor's quarters where we we to undergo
another examination by two physicians. It being near
dinner time, we were told to wait ; so seating ourselves
on the deck, we waited. Soon the boatswain's whistle
was heard summoning the crew to dinner.
"I wonder if they will allow us any dinner," said
Tom, as the crowd of men and boys came rushing down
from the gun and spar decks and seated themselves
around the mess tables.
I was so intent upon watching for Phil in the crowd,
that I paid no attention to Tom's remark.
"What are you looking at so intently," at length
said Tom.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 29
"Why, I am watching to see Phil ; he must be in
this crowd somewhere."
"Gracious," said Tom, (by the way, "gracious" was
a favorite expression of Tom's,) "I had forgotten all
about Phil in this infernal din."
In a moment or two, a young man dressed in a navy
suit came towards us.
"It's Phil, sure as I'm alive," exclaimed Tom.
"Yes, it is he, but I should hardly recognize him in
those clothes."
In a moment more we were shaking hands with him.
"Jiminie ! fellows, I'm glad to see you," vociferated
Phil, " how's father and mother? What did they say
when they found out I'd gone off without coming home?
Did Lizzie cry?" and a volley of other questions.
I told him in a few words of all that had transpired
since he left us in Providence. "Of course, Phil,
mother and father and the girls felt sorry to have you
go off the way you did, but they are reconciled now,
and will wait anxiously for a letter from us."
"I wrote one this morning and mailed it home," said
Phil. "Did you go and see my mother?" said Tom.
"Yes, I saw her and she was grieved to think her
boy should leave in the manner he did, stealing off as
if he had done a wrong, I am telling you just as she
told me, Tom. She said, 'Tell Thomas I shall pray for

30 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
his safe return, but if his life is laid down upon the
altar of his country, I shall bow submissive to the
Lord's will. Tell him to write to me often, and if
there is anything he wants I will send it to him."'
"Well, let's change the subject," said Phil; "Tom
can write and explain how nicely fixed we are, then
she will not feel so badly."
Just then one of the sailors approached us and asked
us if we were not hungry. I answered him in the
affirmative, and informed him that I was speaking for
the whole crowd — there were about a dozen others who
came on board with us.
"Well, come along out here ; don't leave your pots
. and pans," he added, as we laid them down upon the
deck preparatory to following him.
"Why not?"
"Because you won't find 'em there when you come
back," said he.
So we gathered up our pots and pans and followed
our new friend. He led us about midway of the deck
on the starboard side to a large table and bade us be
seated. We had no more than taken our seats around
the table, when we were supplied with an abundance of
food, such as it was, and I thought of a very indifferent
sort ; but thinking that we would be obliged to get used to
such rations, we "pitched in" and were soon enaao-ed in
masticating the far-famed "hard tack," that we had heard

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 31
eo much about but had never eaten before. Our din
ner consisted of hard tack, salt beef, pine-apple cheese
and cold water to wash it down. All went merry with
us and we soon had a crowd of the ship's company
around us who cracked their jokes at our expense, and
asked us many questions about what was transpiring
outside of their little world. During a lull in the fire
of words between us and the ship's company, one young
fellow who had seated himself on the edge of the table
near Tom, said, "I say, chum why don't you break
open your hard tack and look inside before you gobble
it down the way you do?" and he winked at one of his
shipmates standing near, at which they both laughed.
I had been so intent upon watching what was going
on around me, that I had been rather indifferent as to
the quality of the bread we were eating, bent only for
the time being upon satiating my hunger. But the
words sounded suggestive, and both Tom and I at once
instituted an examination, but did not find anything
inside to cause us any apprehension or uneasiness ;
so we went on eating as before, and paid no more atten
tion to what was said about the hard tack, although
the ship's boys warned us that there were worms inside
of some of it, and only for this being an exceptionally
good lot, one said we should have found out the truth
of the remark long ago.
"Well, we can stand it if the worms can," said I.

32 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
"Oh, let them alone; they ain't had nothin' to eat
since they left their mammies," exclaimed a bushy-
headed boy in the crowd whose hair was fiery red.
This remark caused a general titter to run through the
crowd of seamen and ship's boys gathered round.
Tom looked up with his mouth full and eyed the
speaker for a second or two, then said, "Put him on
shore, fellows, he'll set the ship on fire."
"Ha-ha-ha," laughed the others, and a tall, good-
looking man observed, "He had you there, Reddy."
"Reddy," as he was called by the others, was a nick
name given to him when he first appeared over the side
of the ship, by some of the ship's boys.
Now Reddy, as we will continue to call him, did
not like this illusion to the color of his hair, and retorted
by asking Tom if old Hatch had supplied him with a
hayseed comb? He evidently thought Tom was from
the country.
"It is plain to be seen," answered Tom, "that you
need some other kind of comb, a fine tooth rake for in
stance would do to begin with."
"Go in, Country."
"Up and at him Reddy," and the like expressions,
quickly followed each other from the now fast gather
ing throng, attracted to the spot by the loud laughter
of those gathered around the table, and the desire for
any kind of excitement to help to pass the time away.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 33
Now to have a new man on board and to get the best
of him in bandiage, was just what Bill, or Reddy,
evidently did not like, so in a blustering way he ap
proached Tom and said, "Look ye here, now, you'd
better keep a civil tongue in yer head and don't sass
yer betters."
"I'll take your advice when I arrive where they are,"
retorted Tom, with a sly twinkle in one corner of his
eye which I knew boded mischief to Reddy if he ad
vanced to the attack.
"Oh, you think you're smart, don't ye now?" and he
put his fist close to Tom's face.
Tom knocked Reddy's fist on one side, and arose
from the table. The excitement was at its height now
and the prospects of a fight drew nearly every man on
the berth deck.
I thought it about time now to interfere, for a little
spark quickly kindles a flame among a thousand men
and boys confined on shipboard, and we being in the
right, I was determined not to let the bully back Tom
down, but meant to avoid a fight if possible ; so
stepping between Tom and Reddy I said to the latter,
"Look here now, this has gone far enough, you com
menced this trouble, and because Tom here got the
best of it, you get mad and want to fight. Now there
is not going to be any fighting done here, unless I take
a hand in it, so if you feel inclined, why, just pitch in

34 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
that's all," and I rolled up my sleeves. I don't know
what might have happened, but just then some one in
the crowd gave a signal that all seemed to understand,
except us, who were new men, crowning it with the
expression, "Jimmy Legs," and the crowd disappeared
like mist, and in its place stood a tall, gaunt, broad-
shouldered, hard-featured man, but with kindly eyes
that beamed on us with a benevolent expression- while
he inquired what the trouble was. He proved to be
the master-at-arms.
In a few words I explained to him the wrangle be
tween Tom and Reddy.
"I thought so," said the man in a gruff tone of
voice, "that boy is always making trouble. I shall be
glad when he is drafted from this ship. But I see you
are new men ; have you been examined by the ship's
surgeon yet?"
"No, sir."
"Well, follow me and I will lead you to the 'sick
bay' where the surgeons now are ; once pass the ship's
doctors," added he, as we walked aft towards the sick
bay, "and get your sailors' rig on, you will not have
much trouble, if you only keep your mouth closed and
don't let everybody know that you are new men on
board ship, although the ship's boys will give you some
little trouble, yet keep your weather eye open, and
don't ask questions until you get aboard your own

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 35
ship, and my word for it, you'll get along. I've been
through it all boys, and I know what I am talkihg
about." Upon reaching the sick bay we found the surgeons
in readiness to commence the examination. The sick
bay is where the sick and disabled are cared for, being
a room perhaps fifteen feet square, where the sick were
put into hammocks, swung on one side of the room and
close to the floor. In fact, all kinds of surgery were
carried on in the "bay," even to the extracting of teeth.
Tom was, the last but one to be examined, and that one
was myself. I felt rather anxious about the examina
tion, as two or three had been discarded as not being per
fectly sound ; nevertheless I assumed a bold front, and
as I went in passed Tom coming out.
"It's all right, Steve, if anything is the matter with
you, those fellows," jerking his thumb in the direction
whence he had come, "will be sure to find it out."
Immediately upon entering the room I was told to
strip, which I did with alacrity, and then the way the
doctors examined my make-up was astonishing, to say
the least of it. Every bone in my body was fumbled
over and manipulated; I was made to run, jump, strike
out with my arms, cough and make many other seem
ingly useless actions ; last of all my molars were thor
oughly inspected, the doctor forcing his thumb and
forefinger into my mouth, causing me to open it to its

36 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
utmost extent, while he felt each and every tooth in my
head to see if any were loose. I do not think I should
like to be subjected to the same again, for being the last
in the party to undergo the doctor's scrutiny, I could
not help thinking that he neglected to wash his hands
during the investigation. Satisfied that my teeth
were all right, the doctor said I would do. Next,
we were marched aft to draw our clothes. Each man
was furnished with a black bag in which to put his
clothes ; one pair of white duck pants, one white shirt
with blue collar, one pair of blue pants, one blue shirt
with wide collar and a white star worked on each cor
ner ; two pairs of woolen stockings, undershirts and
drawers, one canvass hammock, two single, or one double
blanket, for all of which we were obliged to sign a
book ; then a blank form was filled out and given to
each man, being a plain statement of what he owed the
ship, the same to be taken out of his pay at the end of
his term of service. Looking the paper over I found
that I was in debt to the ship three months' pay, or as
Tom expressed it, we had got to work for a dead horse
for three months, or perhaps four, before we could be
allowed to draw cash, and in all that time perhaps,
could not set foot on shore. The next thing in
order was to rig our hammocks.
We were supplied with the necessary ropes and
rings, but were left to ourselves to put them together.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 37
Tom and I were more fortunate than the others, having
Phil to show us how it was done, he having learned
the "modus operandi" in the two days he had been on
board. With the help of some good-natured "vets,"
the other recruits were instructed in the mysteries of
knotting and reeving the ropes through the rings and
hammocks, and in lashing them up, preparatory to put
ting them in the netting, and in a short time our work
was done. My hammock number was 42, my bag
number 90. We were then put in charge again of the
master of arms, who showed us where to stow our
bags and hammocks. He also instructed us how to
find them when the hammocks were piped down in the
evening. We were next informed that we could go
down on the deck and make ourselves at home, and
when we were wanted we should be either called by
name or be mustered with the whole ship's company.
So we distributed ourselves about the decks, Tom,
Phil and myself keeping together. Phil had "learned
the ropes," so he showed us the principal points of in
terest aboard ship. We took a stroll upon the berth
deck, and he pointed out the hooks on the deck
rafters, where the hammocks were swung at night.
The boatswain's shrill whistle was heard at intervals,
and all loud talking was hushed while we listened to
his orders. Just before we were piped down to supper,
the whole ship's company was summoned by the boat-

38 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
swain's call to "muster aft on the quarter deck."
Immediately, there wfis a rush and a trampling of feet
as the crew thronged aft and fell in lines of three
or four deep. As soon as the men were all in their
places and quiet reigned, the executive officer, Lieu
tenant  , said : "There is to be a draft made
from this ship of one hundred and fifty men ; now as
fast as your names are called, you will step out of the
line and fall in outside of the fife-rail upon the spar
deck, and there await further orders." As he began to
call the names, I listened eagerly for mine, but I was
not down on the list, and neither was Tom. But Phil
was unfortunate — I say unfortunate, because we had
hoped to go together — to have his name called to make
one of the draft. After the men whose names had
been called had fallen in outside the fife-rail, the lieu
tenant addressed them as follows : "My men, you are
drafted for the mortar fleet, some of which vessels are
now on the Potomac River, where you will join
them in a few days. You will be required now
to do your duty faithfully and fearlessly, and all
will be well with you. You must have your bags
and hammocks ready immediately after breakfast to
morrow morning, and then await the boatswain's mate's
call. That is all ; the line is dismissed and you can go
forward." The men on the quarter deck were also dismissed,

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 39
and Tom and I went forward to find Phil. It took
some time to hunt him up among so many, but at last.
we found him. He was engaged in the same task as
ourselves ; he was hunting for us.
As (he sun sank to rest in the western horizon, the
sunset gun on the forecastle deck, with a sullen roar,
Bent forth the tidings, and in a moment more the shrill
whistle piped, and the order "Down all hammocks,"
was borne to ue from the powerful lungs of the boat
swain's mate. In a twinkling the deck was thronged
with the hurrying crew, each man contesting with his
fellows and eagerly intent upon getting his hammock
first. When Tom and I arrived at the hammock netting,
we found thecloth thrown off, and two men inside the
box busily engaged in throwing them out upon the deck.
As fast as each man secured his number, he grabbed his
hammock and rushing down upon the spar d?ck, disap
peared through the hatchway on to the berth deck, each
being eager to get his hammock swung in its place first.
We had no trouble in finding our numbers, Tom and I,
and seizing our hammocks we followed in the footsteps
of the others of the crew, and soon were upon the
berth deck with them, anxiously seeking for a "hook
to let." I was fortunate enough to secure a good swing
ing place through the kindness of a good natured sea
man who made the remark, "You look like as though we
i

40 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
could agree; just slip your ring over this 'ere hook, my
lad." In a moment more I had slung my hammock,
unlashed it, and stowed away my hammock rope under
my blankets at the head, my new friend giving me all
the necessary instruction. Phil and Tom swung theirs
just below mine, there being some vacant hooks there,
Phil giving up his place of the two previous nights, for
the sake of being near Tom and me, thereby making us
close communists. After seeing that our hammocks
were ship-shape and in readiness for us to turn into, we
hastened up upon the spar deck, to witness a little of
life aboard ship in the twilight. There was no regular
¦watch set on the ship by the seamen, but we were
guarded all round on ship and shore by marines. Lock
ing arms with Tom, while Phil brought up the rear, we
promenaded the deck fore and aft talking of our future
prospects, and at times bandying words with some ship
mate who, in a spirit of fun, had jostled us in passing.
I noticed quite a number reading by the dim light of
the ship's lanterns ; others were drawn together in lit
tle knots of twenty or more, listening while some old
"vet" regaled their ears with tales of adventure on sea
and shore. Becoming tired, we sat down beside a
group, in the center of which, sat a man about thirty
years of age.
"Come Bill, give us a song; ye will have just time
enough before taps," said a robust fine-looking jack-tar

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. - 41
near the center of the group, "and I say Bill, let's have
'Black-eyed Susan.' "
"Yes, yes, 'Black-eyed Susan,' " clamored the crowd.
"Go in, Bill," "Inflate your bellows," and the like
remarks followed each other from the hilarious sailors
gathered round.
"Well, well," exclaimed the man called Bill, "just
clap a stopper on your jaw tackle, will ye, long enough
for me to get the pints of the compass, my hearties, then
I'll heave ahead."
After clearing his throat he proceeded to render, in a
clear and modulated tone, the song called for, and dur
ing its rendition silence fell upon all. At its comple
tion, a storm of applause greeted the singer, well cal
culated to make him feel proud of his efforts to please.
Resuming our walk for a short time, we at length
concluded to turn in, so seeking our hammocks, we
disrobed, and bidding each other goodnight, pulled the
blankets around us just as the drum commenced to beat
"taps," nine o'clock.
I lay in a dreamy doze in my hammock, thinking of
the events of the day, and wondering what they, at
home, were all doing. The gruffhail of the marines could
be heard at intervals as they stopped in their rounds,
crying the hour, and "All's well, all's well," and in lis
tening to their long drawn outhail, I fell asleep and did
not awaken until the gun fired at sunrise next morning,

42 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
right over my head, on the deck above. In another
moment the boatswain's whistle was sounded, and the
order followed : "Up all hammocks." I rolled out of
mine to witness a busy scene. All around me were
men and boys engaged in dressing, lashing their ham
mocks, etc. Speedily dressing myself I lashed up mine
as I had been taught, and following my ship-mates,
deposited it in the netting with the others.
After the decks had been washed down, and we had
eaten our breakfast of coffee and hard tack, the draft
called for on the previous day, were mustered aft with
their bags and hammocks, containing all their effects.
I only had just time to speak a word to Phil, as he
hurried past, with his bag under one arm and his ham
mock under the other, and wishing him bon voyage,
reached out my hand. Phil dropped his bag, clasped
my outstretched hand in his own, gave it a hearty
wring, then picked up his bag, walked away and was
soon lost in the crowd.
I turned to look for Tom, whom I soon found, and
together we went into the "main chains," to watch the
little steam tug fast disappearing in the distance, and
taking Phil from us. As the boat disappeared among
the shipping, in the harbor, Tom said : —
."Steve, it makes me feel lonesome to see that boat
bearing Phil off ; the Lord only knows where ; I do

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 43
hope that you and I will be left together on the same
ship." "So do I, Tom, and it causes me to feel a kind of — I
don't know as one could call it home-sickness — but it
comes so nigh it that there isn't any fun in it. You see
now, if we had waited and enlisted together, Monday
instead of Saturday, perhaps it would have been differ
ent, and Phil would have stood a better opportunity to
go on the same ship with us."
"I don't know about that," said Tom, "perhaps we
would have been separated some other way." • *
As^we sat in the chains, Tom read a daily newspaper
that he found lying on the deck, while I looked out on
the wide waste of waters and watched the ships come
and go, my thoughts straying over the forty-two miles
of space between me and rny beloved home. O, how
I wished that I could look in upon them if only for a
moment, to let them know we were so well cared for
and to kiss darling little Lizzie once more. Lizzie was
the youngest of the family, a tender, delicate child,
who for many years had not been able to walk without
the aid of crutches. Dear little Lizzie ! her form
seemed to rise up before me as I mused, and I remem
bered the morning I left home, when she came pain
fully down to the front gate to see me off, and gave
me a last parting kiss, saying, "Be a good boy, and
write home often," which I promised to do ; then giving

44 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
me another kiss for Phil, she covered her face in her
apron while I hurried down the street. We, Phil and
I, never saw her again. She passed away during our
absence, and I have no doubt she has joined the angel
band, and that her voice mingles with others in sing
ing God's praise.
My reverie was soon dispelled by the boatswain's
whistle calling the crew to muster. Tom threw down
his paper, and clambered in through the port-hole upon
the spar deck, while I speedily followed in his wake,
and we joined in the general rush towards the quarter
deck. After all had become silent, six hundred men
were called off and the remainder dismissed. Tom and
I were included in the six hundred drafted, and we were
all ordered to get our bags and hammocks from the
netting and fall in again on the quarter deck. You
better believe there was a rush made by the "six hun
dred," excluding Tom and me, for we could get our
effects just as quickly after a few hundred had been
served, and have time enough to spare, thus avoiding
getting trod upon in the tumult. Such a tumbling,
rushing heap of humanity has never been my fortune
to witness since, pushing and clawing at each other, all
being determined to be served first, yet, there was a
pleasant feeling manifested withal, and many were the
jokes cracked at the expense of the men, when they
grabbed their bags and hammocks as their numbers

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 45
turned up to view. After securing our hammocks, a
second rush was made for the bag-room, and there the
same scene was enacted as at the netting. In a very
short time our bags and hammocks were laid by us in
a pile, one upon another on the deck, and we were then
ordered over the side into the scow, in details of fifty or
more, and transported to the dock* where omnibuses,
hacks, furniture, and express wagons were brought into
requisition to convey us to the Old Colony Depot.
After all had been seated aboard the vehicles, the pro
cession moved off, amid cheers from the sailors on board
the Guardo. To depict the scenes that followed on
our way to the depot, would be simply impossible.
Some of the vets, despite the efforts of the marines to
prevent them, leaped from the carriages, and when they
reached the vehicles again, their arms would be loaded
with bundles of every description. The officers and
marines tried hard to keep the men under control but
were only partially successful. Arriving at the depot
we were immediately marched on board the cars, and a
guard of marines stationed at each door.
An almost indescribable scene followed our entrance
into the cars. Cakes, pies, doughnuts and white bread,
procured on shore, were thrown at each other — being first
wet in water and made into balls — until the inside of
the cars presented a sorry plight. At length order

46 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
was restored, and the train moved slowly out of the
depot amid the hoots and cheers of the multitude
gathered outside.
We were greeted with cheers whenever the train was
forced to stop at a station, and were also treated to
many dainties, bought at the lunch stands in the depots
by the citizens. We arrived in Providence in due
time, where we were forced to wait half an hour for
another train due from the opposite direction. We
amused ourselves at cracking jokes with the crowd
assembled outside, and in fruitless endeavors to pass
our guards. I did not expect so soon to see my native
city again, and would have given anything, almost, to
have stepped my foot on the platform in the depot.
After what seemed to me an endless period of time,
we were under way again. Upon our arrival in New
York, we were divided up. Three hundred of the
party were ordered to the "North Carolina" receiving
ship, in Brooklyn navy yard. Tom and I were counted
in with that party. The other three hundred were
sent to the receiving ship "Alleghany," in Baltimore,
Maryland. We were marched to the nearest pier from the depot,
where we found a tug boat in readiness to convey us
to the Guardo. Our bags and hammocks were first
put on board and piled athwart ship, and then we

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 47
occupied all the remaining standing room on the deck.
We were literally packed, and when all had come on
board it was impossible to stir a foot either one way or
the other. The moment the last man had come on
board, the hawser was cast loose from the pier and we
steamed down the river towards our destination.
From every ship we passed, as well as from the
shore, we were greeted with the cries: "Look out,
boys, she'll dump ye," "Stand still, boys,. she'll dump
ye ;" and it was rather ticklish on board. The least
movement on our part to eitlier port or starboard side,
caused the little tug to dip, and only for our being
wedged in, she surely would have dumped some of
us overboard. Our safety lay in being stowed so closely.
Every steumer and ferry boat that crossed our path, or
passed us, left a wake behind, in which our little boat
wallowed, and the waves made by the paddles of the
different steamers came in over the gunwales and wet
our feet. I was not sorry when we came in sight of
the "North Carolina," for I really feared a ducking, or
the loss of some of our effects from the constant
dipping of our vessel. As we rapidly approached the
floating rendezvous, crowds of men could be seen pass
ing and repassing the open port-holes, and as our boat
touched the ship, 1 looked up her lofty side and arrived
at the conclusion, that we were not going to better our

48. RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
condition, but only to jump out of the frying pan
into the fire. A few more moments, and we stood
upon the quarter deck of the Guardo in line, while
our bags and hammocks quickly followed us, and the
tug steamed off up the river.

GPvAPTER I

THE RECEIVING SHIPS.
BURING the Rebellion, the government maintained
three receiving ships, commonly called Guardos
by the sailors ; one at the Charlestown navy yard, the
"Ohio" ; one at the Brooklyn navy yard, the old "North
Carolina" ; and a third in Baltimore, the "Alleghany."
All these were line of battle ships, four deckers,
and capable of receiving a thousand or more men.
The first, or upper deck is called the spar deck ; the
next the gun deck ; below that the berth deck, and
below all the orlop deck. On this deck all prisoners,
deserters, and refractory men were confined. They
were locked up in a large, dark compartment, com
monly called the "brig." There they were kept until a
ship was found going directly to sea, or a draft was
made for the Charlestown blockading squadron, when
they would be sent off, without giving them a chance to
set their feet on land. The Carolina, when we arrived
on board, had about seven hundred men, which before
we left were increased to thirteen hundred. We were
immediately mustered aft on the quarter deck, (how
tired I had become of being mustered aft on the quar-

50 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
ter deck, no one can tell,) and forced to listen to a
long harangue by the captain, in which he told us he
had heard all about our conduct while being transferred
through the streets of Boston, from the recruiting ship
to the depot. He made it very much worse than it
really was, and did not seem to consider that our party
had been confined on board ship so long that they were
like young colts in a pasture, that cannot be restrained
till they have had their run out. He gave us the pleasant
satisfaction of knowing that he would take some of the
life out of us before we left the "Carolina." He expected
obedience, and men who were sent aboard his ship must
work. "We don't want any shirks," he said, "and do
not intend to have any." At last he became tired, or
was at a loss for something else to say fitting to the
occasion. However, he ordered us below, and the
drill master took us in charge and acquainted us with
our duties, which were numerous, you may be sure.
The next morning, after the decks had been washed
down, some of the new recruits were sent down to white
wash the roof of the lower deck. I did not go, and
was secretly congratulating myself upon the very easy
manner in which I had escaped that work, when who
should come along but "Paddy D'yle," the drill master.
He handed me a swab, and said I could busy myself in
drying up the berth deck, as it had just been washed
down. Well, I was in for it ; but I took the swab in

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 51
my hand and went down to the berth deck to work.
I was using the old swab in rather a gingerly way,
when it was suddenly jerked from my hand by some
one behind me. I looked around and was confronted by
Paddy D'yle.
"Well, now," he said, "is that the way ye werelarnt
to swab a deck ? Arrah ! bad 'cess to ye for a lazy lub
ber 1 Look ye here now, it's meself will show yez
how it's done," and he proceeded to give me a practical
illustration of the way it should be done, by thrashing
the old swab here and there about the deck, like a man
trying to put out a bush fire. I likedhis style of hand
ling theswab very much, though Ididnot make it man
ifest to him ; I secretly hoped that he would keep
it up till the deck was dry; but he had no inten
tion of so doing, however, for throwing the swab
at my feet, he told me to finish the work. I shouldi
have laughed, if I had dared, he looked so comical. I
swabbed away right and left lively enough while he was
standing over me, and would have liked to have drawn
the wet swab over his pumps that he had blacked
eo nicelj7 that morning. Eventually, he left me to look
after other things in a different part of the ship, and as
soon as he had disappeared up the companion-way, I
watched my opportunity, and the first landsman that
came my way, I put the swab in his hands, telling him
to hurry up and get the deck dry, and before he could

52 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
recover from his astonishment, I was on the spar deck,
mixing with the crowd, where even Paddy D'yle could
not find me unless he mustered the whole ship's com
pany. The men in the "North Carolina" comprised able
seamen, ordinary seamen, firemen, coal-heavers, lands
men and "greenhorns," who had never been to sea,
some of whom never having seen salt water before.
When all hammocks were piped down at night then
came the fun. The old vets would have their ham
mocks swung in a jiffy and then circulate about the deck
to watch Greeny put up his little bed. The hanging
part comes easy enough, but getting in, is quite differ
ent, unless one has had experience. Greeny watches
the old vet and it looks easy enough. "Pooh ! what's
the use of making such a fuss about it," exclaims some
one, almost in his hammock. At last Greeny opens
his hammock, takes a jump upwards and lights upon it,
but only to roll off on the other side and fall sprawling
on the deck. A derisive laugh greets the mishap from
those in the immediate vicinity. He approaches the
hammock again as if it was a kicking horse, and tries
a second time. He sits down on the edge of it, the
hammock tilts and he is again thrown to the deck, this
time, face downwards. Finally some good-natured
vet shows him how it is done, and the would-be sailor
turns in to sleep. But he little knows what awaits
him. He is just dosing off comfortably, when he comes

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 53
down by the run, and is landed on the deck ; some one
has cut his hammock lashing, and it is lucky for him
that it was not cut at the head, but at the foot of
the hammock. I have known serious accidents to hap
pen from this dangerous game. Some one, in a stage
whisper, intimates that Paddy D'yle is about, and in
an instant all is quiet, every man is in his hammock
and evidently fast nsleep. Pretty soon 'we hear a
stealthy tread under us ; and some one, 'way forward
sings out, "Paddy D'yle." Paddy makes a rush in the
direction from whence comes the sound, but all is quiet,
some of the men are even snoring. From away aft,
comes the cry, "Paddy D'yle," and out of all patience,
he makes a rush in that direction, and seizing some
innocent wight, pulls him out of his hammock, makes
the shivering wretch put on his clothes, then marches
him away in charge of a marine toward the "brig," on
the orlop deck. Such scenes were enacted every night
while I was on board the Guardo. I have known men
to be marched away under guard -and locked up, to
come back a few minutes afterwards all serene, and be
allowed to turn into his hammock again. Why, do
you ask? Because he happened to be one of the New
York recruits enlisted in Brooklyn, and not one of the
Boston draft.
Throwing shoes at Paddy, when it was known that he
was sneaking under our hammocks, was almost a night-

54 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
ly occurrence, until he got it into his thick head, that it
would be a fine joke to gather up the shoes, and lay for
the culprit in the early morning, when the hammocks
were called up, and the men would have to pass before
him in line, shoeless. Acting upon this suggestion of
others — I never thought it originated in his brain — he
descended one night to the berth deck, and making his
presence known, it was not long before the shoes and
other missiles began to fly around him in a lively man
ner. What did he do but quietly pick up a half-
dozen pairs and silently disappear up the hatch-way.
After he had gone, the boys jumped out of their ham
mocks and began an eager search for their shoes, some
were lucky enough to find them, while others not find
ing theirs readily, by the dim light of the lanterns on
the berth deck, postponed the search till daylight. In
answer to the call of the boatswain's whistle, the next
morning, the crew sprang from their warm nests, dress
ed and proceeded to the netting with their hammocks.
The only laggards were those, who unfortunately could
not find shoes for their feet. They had searched the
berth deck in vain and at last despairingly made their
way to the deck shoeless. In the meantime we had be
gun to smell a large "mouse" from the fact, that not only
had the men's and boys' shoes disappeared, but Paddy
was watching every man that passed him with an ugly
look on his features, a look that boded harm to some

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 55
one or more of us. Quite a number had dropped
to the little game Paddy D'yle had played with every
appearance of success, so we tried to devise some way
whereby we could help the boys out of the scrape, but
there was no way, unless we lent them our shoes,
which we could readily have done, but only at the ex
pense of placing ourselves in the same predicament. So.
we came to the conclusion that it was a bad job any
way, and the only thing remaining for the boys to do.
was to face the music.
As I hurried to get back on the spar deck I met Tom
coming down. In a few words I told him of the fix
the boys were in, and asked him to come with me and
see the sport. We made our way straight to where
Paddy had stationed himself, and saw three of the boys
under guard of the marines. They looked chop-fallen
enough. A marine stood at the hatchway and forced
the boys to pass Paddy in single file, giving him an
opportunity to make a close inspection. Presently,
while we were near, he reached out his hand and
grabbed another man. He had four now, but looked
in vain for others to come. The end of the line, and
the last man had passed, but all wore shoes. Paddy
had to be satisfied with the four caught and forthwith
marched them to the brig. I found out in the course
of the day how the rest escaped punishment.' Some of

56 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
the men had two pairs of shoes in their hammocks
laid by for extra occasions. With the poorest of these
they supplied the others' wants, who in this way
escaped being caught in the trap laid for them by
Paddy D'yle. How many were thus supplied I never
knew, but there were quite a number. The ship's boys
were the pests of the Guardo. They were up to all
kinds of mischief, backed up by the old vets. A ship's
boy would stand at the foot of the ladder leading to
the spar deck, and when a landsman attempted to pass
up the hatchway, and his breeches were drawn to their
¦full tension, he would give the luckless wight a rope's
¦end upon the posterior. Great Scott ! how it did
smart ! The first thing Greeny did was to clap both
hands behind his back, probably to ascertain if he had
lost anything, then, writhing in pain, he glared around
in search of the offender, whom, in the meanwhile, had
been hustled out of the way by the crowd of sailors,
who were always about at such times to take part in
the fun. Yes ! Jolly fun for the observers, but some
thing quite different for the landsman who was unfortu
nate enough to be caught. Note how carefully that
landsman site at the mess table ; it almost appears as
if he had one of Job's comforters ! When he ascends the
ladder to the spar deck, he looks carefully around to see
if any of the ship's boys are about. One dose is
-enough ; he is not caught again.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 57
Some of the men were in a state of uncleanliness.
We were all dirty enough, but most of us did try to
keep clean whenever an opportunity presented itself,
and that was very seldom. Others were entirely
regardless of their personal appearance. But where
there were so many recruits it was almost impossible to
keep entirely clean. Just imagine for a moment,
thirteen hundred men confined on board ship, with but
very few washing days — only Wednesdays were set
apart for washing purposes. To keep from being over
run by vermin, we had to make a diligent examination
of our clothes at every opportunity. What I am about
to relate may sound a little exaggerated, perhaps, but
it. is nevertheless true. One of the sailors had trained a
cockroach. The idea of training such a thing ! Ugh !
It makes me shudder even now to think of them. The
cockroach was so well trained that it seemed to know
the man's voice, and would come out from behind the
mess chest, where it made its home, at the call of its
master, would eat from his hand, and even follow
him a little about the deck. It disappeared, how
ever, one day, and neither we nor his master ever
saw it again, nor did we know what became of it,
but supposed that it was eaten by the other more
numerous vermin, or perhaps was crushed to death by
the holy-stone used when washing the deck. In any

58 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
case it disappeared, and it would have been a blessing
if the rest of the vermin had gone with it.
The decks were holy-stoned three times a week, and
I will now describe the method as well as I can.
Holy-stoning the deck is accomplished by attaching a
strong rope to both sides of a stone, usually a grind
stone, of coarse grit, about twelve by sixteen inches,
and about eight inches thick. Five or six men, or even
more, then take hold of the rope at each end, and
while one side pulls, the other slackens, then the
opposite side pulls while the others slacken, and so on.
Canvas and sand are used to scrub where the holy
stone cannot be used. Small hand stones are also
made use of to scrub the hatches and the wood-work ;
•for the brass work, pumice stone is used. Every
thing is made clean for the time being, and of course
looks finely. But thirteen hundred men on board ship
almost preclude the possibility of keeping things clean
for any great length of time ; there is a constant move
ment among the men ; some are drilling at the guns,
some reading, some sewing, others tying or learning to
tie fancy knots ; gangs working at swabbing or drying
up the berth and gun decks ; some whitewashing over
head, or drying up the orlop dock by swinging pans
filled with charcoal to and fro close to the deck.
As soon as one place becomes dry as far as the swino-
reaches, the men take up other places, and so on

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 59
till the whole deck is dried. Some of the men engage
in mending their clothes, others fill up the tanks with
water ; everything is in motion. In the afternoon it is
quieter, for, with the exception of the boatswain's
mate's shrill piping, and his hoarse calls ordering the
boats away, tricing up awnings, coiling ropes away
that are out of place, and his calls for men who are
drafted, there is not much to do but read and write,
and, well — search your clothes I A "draft" means
that a certain number of men have been chosen from
the list on the ship's books to make up the complement
of some vessel in want of men. These men are mus
tered at quarters, and are given to understand that they
are drafted for some particular ship, or gun-boat, as
the case may be. Preference is sometimes given to
those men who have been longest on board the Guardo.
For instance, a gun-boat or ship of war is about to put
to sea. After the crew have eaten their breakfast, the
boatswain blows his whistle, a signal known as "piping,"
and calls the whole ship's company together. Then,
with stentorian lungs, speaks somewhat in this wise :
"Do you hear? All you men drafted for the 'Canan-
daigua' lay aft in the quarter deek with your bags and
hammocks." In this way, it went on day after day, men coming and
men going in a never ending stream. I have known a
man's name to he called over three days in succession , and

60 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
then only be found by mustering the whole ship's crew.
Grog was served out twice a day, in the morning before
breakfast, and again at night before piping down to
supper. When the boatswain piped for grog time, the
crew fell into line and marched in single file, before the
ship's steward, who dealt out each his share as he came
up. Each man ieceived one gill in a small round
measure. The boys often tried to trick the steward by
falling into line again and thereby getting a double
ration, but they were not always successful in this, for
the steward, the master-at-arms, and a marine stood by
to see that each man got his ration and that no man was
served twice. Those who did not drink their ration of
whiskey, were paid its value in cash, at the end of their
term of enlistment', at the rate of ten cents a day. I
could not understand why grog was served at all to the
men ; they surely did not need it on board the Guardo,
where there was no bone labor performed, nor fighting
to be done requiring Dutch courage, but it was custom,
and "custom makes law," hence its continuance. I
think it was in the month of October, 1862, that
Congress passed a law abolishing grog in the army and
navy, thereby saving the United States a great many
dollars which before had been uselessly expended.
I well remember the day we received the news that
grog was abolished. I was on board the Guardo at
the time. Curses not so loud, but deep, were indulged

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 61
in by the old tars, some of whom, had seen years of
service, and who, by custom, had become so habituated
to their allowance of grog, that the very expectation of
it was accompanied by a feeling of pleasure. It was a
long time before the men forgot the action of congress,
and in fact, they never ceased to talk about it. As far
as they were concerned, I really felt sorry for them,
knowing how hard it must have been to them, to bo so
suddenly deprived of that which they looked forward to
with as much certainty as anything in the world. I talked
with some of the old sailors on this matter afterwards.
They said it was impossible not to think of it ; they felt
a ceaseless longing for something, as if they had for
gotten some important duty of the day, and as the grog
hour drew near, the longing became almost irresistible,
and they would involuntarily walk to the place where
the old grog tub stood for their long accustomed drink.
Many different modes of punishment were resorted to
by the officers on the Guardo, for those who would not
obey orders. One mode was to send the man to the
mast head for three hours. This was considered a light
punishment by the majority. Another was to send the
men up the ratlins on the under side, in board, and
cause them to hang there for two hours. In under
going this punishment, there was a heavy strain on the
muscles and sinews of the legs and arms, the effects of
which could be felt for days after — at least, so I was told

62 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
by some of those who had suffered. If a man was caught
in the act of spitting upon the deck, after it had been
washed and dried, he was forced to carry a spittoon
about the deck for the men to expectorate into. The
spittoons were made by sawing off the bottom of a keg,
leaving a portion about four inches deep ; the size of
course would vary according to the size of the keg
sawn. Three holes were then bored near the top on
each side, opposite each other, a lanyard attached long
enough to go around the man's neck, and with the tub
carried in front of him he was made to parade the deck
fore and aft, till he caught some other unlucky youth
spitting on the deck, when the tub would be transferred
to him. The boys, it seemed to me, always expectorated
the most when some unfortunate fellow was bearing
about the offensive tub.
Wednesday was visiting day on board, and friends.
from far and near, came to see husbands, brothers,
sons, or sweethearts, as the case might be. Tom
and I were in our glory on visiting days watching the
people come and go. Old and young, the fair, the fat,
and the forty, came in over the port side into the quar
ter deck and after friendly greetings with their relations
took a stroll with them over the ship, examining the
heavy guns and other points of interest. Only those
who came to see friends and relatives were allowed to
come on board. Many of the crew promenaded the

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 63
deck with fair maidens upon their arms, while others
would climb up the ratlins to show their parents, and
sweethearts how agile they had become since joining
the ship. Still others would form little groups by them
selves — as far as they were able to — on the quarter
deck, while their friends unloaded from their pockets
the goodies they had brought from home ; and amid it
all, the band discoursed sweet music, the whole pro
ducing a babel of sounds. When the visitors came
over the side they were requested to name the person
they desired to see, then the boatswain would blow his
whistle, as a preliminary that something or somebody was
wanted. This being done, he would then call out the
name of the man sought. Sometimes it would happen
that two boatswains would be calling out the names pf
two different persons at the same time, the result being
no little confusion. As soon as the persons were found
they would march forward, greet their friends, and
walk away with them ; the boatswain then called another
name, and so on till three o'clock, when the visits
ceased. We had been on board the Guardo about a
week when it became my duty to go in the scow and
ferry the people back and forth to and from the ship.
Upon going below, I found that Tom had been detailed
for the same purpose. This was fun for a little while,
but we soon tired of it, and began to look anxiously
for our release.

64 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. a
"Good gracious !" exclaimed Tom, after we had been
working hard for an hour ferrying the busy throng from
shore to ship, and from ship to dock-yard again ; "good
gracious ! I don't admire this job ; do you, Steve?"
"Well," I replied, "I have seen work that I liked a
great deal better than turning this old crank. But,
then," I added, "it does very well for a change, and I
don't know of anyone that needs a change more than
you and I do."
"Yes, a change of clothing, you mean, don't you?"
Not heeding Tom's interruption I continued, "We
get rid of Paddy D'yle's importunities for a little while
at least."
"Yes, there is some comfort in that," said Tom ;
"but goodness gracious, Steve, how long do you think
they are going to keep us on that old hulk, anyway ;
for my part I am tired of the sight of her."
"So am I, Tom, but at the rate they are sending
recruits off, it must soon come our turn to be drafted
on board a gun-boat or ship destined for some southern
port." This desultory conversation we carried on while wait
ing for the visitors at the dock-yard or at the Guardo.
We were treated, while in the scow, tonumerous dainties
by the lady visitors, for which we thanked them heart
ily. They were a delightful change from our coarse
fare on board.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 65
"Ugh," exclaimed Tom, it don't seem to me, after
eating all these nice things, that I can make up my mind
to eat any more fat pork and salt horse."
"But nevertheless, Tom," said I, "you won't be the
last at the table when the boatswain pipes for grub
to-night." "Why, goodness gracious, what are you going to
do? A feller has got to fill up with something."
"I wish you would drop the expression 'Goodness
gracious ;' I am tired of hearing it used, and the fellows
will get on to it by and by, and possibly you won't hear
the last of it while we remain on board the Guardo."
"Well, good  what shall I say?" he asked,
looking at me fiercely.
"Say d — m it, and have done with it," said the ma
rine who was on guard with us in the scow.
A general laugh followed this sally, and Tom looked
as if he did not know whether to get mad or laugh at
the joke, but good counsel prevailed, and at length he
told the marine that if he was caught using that excla
mation again to give him a prod withhis bayonet. "In
any case," he added, "I shall not substitute the other
expression." Our two hours' detail soon slipped away, and others
being appointed to take our places, we went aboard.
When I first went on hoard the "North Carolina"
Guardo I was very particular to examine my food

66 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
for worms, for I assure my readers that there were
many of them. Break open a hard-tack and per
haps two or three would lie imbedded in the — well,
cracker. But after being on board some time I could
munch them equal to the vets, without examining the
interior. The worms were . similar to the chestnut
worms. Some of my readers, perhaps, have possibly
bitten into a seemingly healthy chestnut at some period
in their life, and have noticed a cloud of white dust rise
from the interior, and at the same time a nice, fat, white
worm with a black head has fallen at their feet ; yum,
yum — well, these were the kind that we found in our
hard-tack. One thing I never could get used to, and that was
finding cockroaches in my coffee, although after picking
a few out of my tin cup I would manage to worry the
liquid down. To eat with our hard tack, cheese as
hard as flint was provided, with a skipper now and then
inside. How many voyages to sea that hard-tack and
cheese had made we never could tell. Our salt junk we
used to call "old horse." After partaking of this com
modity for the first time, I became aware why the
doctors in their examination of us paid such particular
attention to our molars, for without good, strong jaws
and teeth it was next to impossible for us to satisfy our
hunger on salt junk day. Our food differed from day
to day. There was duff day, when flour was boiled in

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 67
bags, and usually so hard that it could be thrown across
the deck without breaking it. This was served up with
molasses. Then we had pea soup day, bean day, hard
tack and cheese day, and soup day. And here let me
say that the soup was excellent ; plenty of vegetables
were put in to make it palatable, and each man had
enough given to him.
One day, the ship's company were all mustered,
for a draft was about to be made, and when in a
line, thirty men were called off from the ship's
books. Tom's and mine were among that num
ber. What amazed me most in this was that most of
the men were Massachusetts men. What could it
mean? Had they become tired of us on board, or
had Paddy D'yle come to the conclusion that we could
not be worked up ? We did not look as though we
had been worked very hard — most of us were rugged,
good-looking chaps. After being ordered to be in
readiness for a call, the line was dismissed. The next
day, in the afternoon, the boatswain's whistle sounded
again, and then from his mouth came the words, "Do
you hear? All you men drafted for the gun-boat
'Louisiana' lay aft on the quarter deck with your bags
and hammocks." My mind was set at rest on hearing
these words, for I had begun to entertain the idea that
we were to be drafted back and forth from Guardo to
Guardo, and not to be settled in any ship we could call

68 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
our own. At the words, "drafted for the "Louisiana," "
all my fears were dispelled. We made a rush for our
belongings, and obtaining them, we mustered aft
on the quarter deck bearing them with us. The
"Thames," a screw propeller, ran up alongside and we
descended to her deck. When all were on board, she
steamed out into the stream a half a mile below the
Guardo and there came to anchor. The weather was
coming in thick and stormy, so the captain concluded
not to put to sea that night. One of our company was
the lucky possessor of a violin, and that was forthwith
brought into requisition, and we danced quadrilles and
contra dances until late in the night. At last our
guard put a stop to the music, consequently, our
dancing had to stop also, but by that time we had
become tired enough to cease and were glad to obey
the order. A number of us had already swung our
hammocks in the most convenient places we could find,
while others who could not find a place to swing theirs,
spread them down upon the deck, and very soon all
were in the arms of Morpheus.

CHAPTER IV.

GOOD-BY TO THE GUARDO.
"And we sailed away at close of day,
Nor thought it very hard'o,
To leave behind in YVallnbout Bay,
Paddy D'yle and the old Guardo.
WHEN I awoke in the morning I could hardly
realize where I was, it seemed so strange not to
hear the boatswain's hoarse cry, "Up all hammocks."
I rubbed my eyes and thought that I must be dreaming.
Raising myself up in my hammock and looking about,
I was greeted with a "Ha, ha." Turning over on
my right side I discovered Tom engaged in lashing
his hammock. At the same time, I became conscious of
a swinging motion in mine.
"What's the matter, Steve? What makes you look
so funny?" asked Tom.
"Oh, nothing, only I was lost just for a moment," I
replied, and jumping out of my hammock, in an instant
more was on the deck.
"We are under way, Steve ; don't you feel the mo
tion of the vessel ?"
I was now wide awake and in a moment more I had
dressed, and proceeded to lash my hammock.

70 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
The boys around us had now begun to stir, and by-
and-by, came creeping from under their blankets>
and in a few minutes all were preparing to go on deck.
I left my hammock hanging in its place and followed
the rest. As I passed the engineer's room I noticed that
the clock gave the hour of five. Upon reaching the
deck, I passed forward and accosted the watch on the
forecastle, with the enquiry as to the length of time we
had been under way. He gave me the desired infor
mation, by saying that we were two hours out from the
Brooklyn navy yard. As he did not seem inclined
to be talkative, I left him and engaged myself in a
search after Tom. I soon discovered him resting on a
rail amidship, breakfasting on hard-tack and hot coffee.
As soon as he discerned me he sang out, "get your
pot, Steve, and go to the cook-room for your rations."
I was not slow to follow this injunction, and in a few
minutes more I was seated beside Tom on the rail, in
haling the delicious aroma arising from the steaming
beverage. The weather was beautiful and pleasant
overhead, and as our little steamer pitched into the
foamy waves and threw the salt spray over the bow,
with merry song and jest our little party passed the
time away. Our rations were much the same as we
had been treated to on the Guardo. After finishing
our first meal on board the "Thames," Tom and I walk
about the deck to enjoy the scene. We passed many

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 71
vessels as we steamed along, and all had the stars and
stripes floating at the masthead. Our glorious old
"star spangled banner," no other flag under God's
heaven has received eo many tributes. In every coun
try and every clime, it shakes out its proud folds and
assures protection to all who stand by it. The Thames
carried one gun-forward, a twelve pound howitzer, with
which we amused ourselves. The old vets — there were
several in our party— picked out a gun's crew from the
thirty recruits on board and put us through the evolu
tions of working the gun and the manner of loading and
firing it. Besides the gun's crew, we were told off into
watches, and with what handspikes we could pick
up, and others that we improvised from pieces of wood,
we stood ready to repel an imaginary enemy. Fun
ran riot all day, and the regular crew of the "Thames"
were only too glad when the hour of rest came. We
did not know our destination, and some did not care,
seeing that we were released from the Guardo ; that
alone was pleasure enough to last for a season, but in the
course of the next day it leaked out, as all secrets do,
sooner or later, that we were bound to Chesapeake Bay.
We arrived off Fortress Monroe in the forenoon of
the next day, and ran up alongside an old hulk,
which looked as if it had been built a hundred
years or more. She had short stumpy masts, and
6

72 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
there was a certain air of decay about her that did by
no means meet with our approval. As soon as the
"Thames" had been made fast to her, we were
ordered on board together with our effects, while
the "Thames" steamed down the Chesapeake. In a
little while we found out that we were on board the far-
famed "Brandywine." Her top hamper had been re
moved ; the stumps alone were left of what were once
tall and comely masts. She was used as a store ship
during the rebellion, and lay quietly under the guns of
the fort, playing a somewhat insignificant part, to be
sure, but then she had grown old and nearly worn out
in the service, and it was time for her to retire and
give way to the younger and more modern vessels.
We were ordered to fall into line on the port side of
the vessel, and the lieutenant called the roll to
8ee if all were on board. Thirty men answered to
their names, and we were then turned over to the
master-at-arms, who showed us where to stow our
bags and hammocks. Our next piece of instruc
tion was to be shown where to swing our hammocks at
night, following which were some general instructions
as to what would be required of us while we remained
on board.
"To-morrow," he told us, "is wash day, and any
of you who choose may wash your clothes and
hang them out on the line to dry with those of the

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 73
crew. You will be expected to turn to and work with
the rest while you remain on board ; you will not be
expected to stand watch, as we have our full comple
ment of men ; you will be divided among the different
messes of men at meal times and draw rations in the
same proportions as they." Having told us all this, he
said we might go on deck and get acquainted with the
crew. Arriving on deck, we were overwhelmed with
questions from the "Brandywine" men, who were all
eager to hear news from home, but we being all New
England men, could only tell them of our homes so
recently left, and as none of the crew of the "Brandy
wine" came from Massachusetts or Rhode Island, our
newe was of but little interest to them. They in turn
rehearsed to our listening ears nearly all that had
transpired to them since they had joined the store ship,
as I suppose I must call it now. They told us of the
jolly times they spent on shore whenever they got an
opportunity, and spoke of the gun-boats that came down
the James River once in a while on a reconnoisance of
our force. They pointed out to us a Spanish and a
French frigate lying in the harbor to protect their
country's interests; in fact so loquacious were they in
explaining everything pertaining to the ship and
her surroundings, that by dinner time we were
perfectly at home on board. Dinner over,

74 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
occupied myself in being useful, and so well did
I succeed that I was commended by one of the
officers as being a handy man on board ship. As the
other members of the draft were equally useful I did
not allow the officer's flattery to make me vain towards
my fellows. Just before the sunset gun was fired from
the "Minnesota," which was lying just above us in the
harbor, the crews of the French and Spanish frigates,
before spoken of, mounted into the rigging, and in a
moment the yards were black with men, or white
rather, as the crew of both frigates were dressed in
white shirts and duck pants. At the signal of a gun,
fired from each vessel at nearly the same instant, the
yards were hauled aslant and they descended to the
deck as by magic. This was called sending down the
yards, and was practiced by all foreign vessels at that
time. The yards are sent below and stored over night,
and in the morning, at the report of the sunrise gun,
they are sent up and trimmed. The Spanish and
French tars had a way of rowing in their small boats
unlike anything I had ever witnessed before. They
pulled with a long, steady stroke, with a second's halt
as the oar emerges out of and before it descends into
the water again. Ours was also a long stroke, but
with no halt between the intervals, and I am free to
confess that I decidedly preferred the way in which our
tars handled their oars to the foreign mode.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 75
We had now been cooped up on board ship for nearly
two months, and I was determined, so I told Tom as
we turned in that night, that I would go ashore the
very next day, if there was any virtue in asking. He
fell in with the proposition and we agreed to ask to go
together. The regular crew of the "Brandywine" were
allowed, so they told us, a portion of them each day to
go on shore and enjoy themselves from nine in the morn
ing to four in the afternoon. The next morning came
in bright and pleasant, and bade fair for a splendid
day. After the morning's work was over, a few of the
crew who wanted liberty to go on shore, approached
the executive officer aft in the cabin, and obtained per
mission from him to spend a day on land. With a
beating heart and after much persuasion, I approached
the cabin, followed by Tom, and looked in. The lieu
tenant sat with his back to the open door. I gave a
gentle tap with my knuckles to attract his attention, on
which he turned round in his seat. I doffed my cap to
him and said, "Can I have permission to go on shore,
sir?" He smiled on me pleasantly, and asked me if I
belonged to the draft lately come on board.
I hesitated a moment, then said, "Yes, sir, I do."
"Well, my boy," said he, "it's not the rule to let
new recruits visit the shore until they are out of debt with
the ship. But," he continued, "as there are only a
few recruits on board at the present time, perhaps it

76 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
would be as well to allow them to mix in with the older
sailors for a day of liberty."
This was said in a musing tone of voice, as if he were
speaking to himself rather than to Tom and me ; then
looking at us, he said, "Yes, you may go." Seeing
Tom in the background, he added, "You may go with
him." We walked forward, after saluting him, and
acquainted our messmates with the good news. At
nine o'clock, the launch was ordered alongside, and the
liberty men stepped into it. The boys on the store ship
looked wistfully at us as we moved away, and I felt
sorry that they could not accompany us, but I consoled
myself with the thought that they would probably have
opportunity enough to visit land before our final depart
ure from the "Brandywine." In a short time after
leaving the ship's side our boat's keel grated on the hard
sand right under the guns of the fortress, and we all
sprang ashore. Tom and I strolled off by ourselves so
as to fully enjoy the day, and bent our steps in the
direction of the fortress. Fortress Monroe is situated
at old Point Virginia on the Hampton roads. The fort
encloses eighty acres of land, and must have cost the
government thousands of dollars in its construction.
There is at the present time a United States arsenal of
artillery, and an arsenal, etc. About four miles south
of Fortress Monroe I could discern Sewell Point. We
spent three hours in the fortress viewing the heavy guns

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 77
and looking through the soldiers' quarters ; nice, cozy
quarters they were, too. The soldiers were very socia
ble, and entertained us in a highly creditable manner.
They informed us that a ram called the "Merrimac"
was building at Norfolk by the rebels, and as soon
as finished would come down and endeavor to burn and
sink all the Union vessels in the harbor. History
relates how nearly this object was accomplished. Just
outside the fort, on a point of land, we were shown a
monster gun that was expected to do wonders in the
way of destroying all craft that the rebels had the dar
ing to pit against them. Had it not been for the' little
"Monitor," when on that eventful day the "Mer
rimac" came down the river and attacked and sunk the
"Cumberland," history would have had a more sorrow
ful tale to relate than the sinking of that ill-fated ship,
butchering of two-thirds of her crew, and the wound
ing of the "Congress." As I looked out over the
placid bay at the vessels lying quietly at anchor in the
harbor, I could hardly realize that they were waiting,
armed and equipped, to do battle for the Union. We had
seen nought of cruel warfare ; it was more like a jour
ney of pleasure to us as yet, and but for the rig that we
wore, I could hardly have imagined that it was other
wise. Outside the fort it was different. Soldiers were
moving back and forth, some with their knapsacks slung,
and their haversacks and canteens at their sides, break-

78 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
ing camp and preparing to go and meet the enemy.
Some there were with sun-blackened and bronzed faces
that already told of service in the field at the front.
The day was only too short to see all the stirring scenes
around us, and four o'clock came before I was hardly
aware of it. As the hour drew near, Tom and I made
our way to the landing to be in readiness for the launch
to take us back to the "Brandywine. We were nearly
the first to arrive at the boat, though not long after
wards the rest of the liberty men came straggling down.
Stepping into the boat, we pushed off, and in a few
moments we were on hoard the ship again. Tom and
I were very fortunate in obtaining liberty that day, for
in the evening, before we slung our hammocks, we were
informed that we were to leave in a steamer that was
expected to come in the morning. That was news indeed
to us, and when we turned in that night, I, for one, did
not sleep till after eight bells (twelve o'clock)had struck.
The next morning we were called at the usual time by
the boatswain, and hastily dressing, were soon on deck
helping the crew to wash down. After breakfast I lent
a hand to the crew to put the "Brandywine" in ship
shape fashion.
I had received but one letter from home since leaving
the Guardo, and did not expect to receive any more
until I reached the "Louisiana." I missed them very
much, and could I have received just one to tell me

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 79
how they all were there, I should have been as happy
as possible under the circumstances. We cast many anx
ious glances seaward for the expected steamer which
was to bear us to the seat of war, but she delayed in
coming. Dinner was served and eaten, yet there were
no signs of the vessel that we were so anxiously wait
ing for. The sun was sinking in the western horizon,
and the shadows of the stub masts of the "Brandywine"
lengthened ; we were on the tip-toe of expectation ,
when a cry, "Sail, O !" from the lookout forward,
attracted the attention of all on board.
"Where away?" said the quartermaster.
"Off the port bow. It's a steamer, sir; I can just
make out the smoke from her stack."
The quartermaster adjusted his glass and took a long
look in the direction indicated by the lookout. The
lieutenant, who was pacing the deck, stopped as the
quartermaster removed the glass from his eyes. "Well,
what do you make her out to be, quartermaster?"
"A gunboat, sir, as near as I can determine."
"Can you make out her nationality?" next enquired
the lieutenant.
The quartermaster looked again, and after what
seemed a long time to us, said, "It's a United States
gunboat, sir ; I can see the stars and stripes now, float
ing from her peak."
The lieutenant took the glass, and looked long at her

80 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
as she was rapidly approaching us, and so near that
we could discern her with the naked eye. Satisfying
himself, he returned the glass to the quartermaster,
saying, "she has the appearance of being the gunboat
'Delaware,' and if it proves to be her, she is coming
for the recruits. Are they all on board ?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very well, then I will have them on deck," and
turning to the boatswain he ordered him to muster all
the recruits destined for the gunboat "Louisiana." The
boatswain sounded his whistle, and called for the
recruits to muster on deck with bags and hammocks —
would we never cease to hear that order of "muster on
deck, with your bags and hammocks ?" By the time we
were all assembled, the gunboat, for it was the "Dela-
waie," was alongside, and it's lieutenant stepped on
board the "Brandywine," and handed to our executive
officer a folded document. The lieutenant invited his
guest to accompany him into the cabin while he exam
ined the papers. They were absent quite a while. In the
meantime we amused ourselves by asking questions of
the "Delaware's" crew in regard to the whereabouts
of the "Louisiana," and answering their inquiries
about home, as well as we were able to. It was quite
dark before the lieutenant of the "Delaware" made his
appearance on deck with our executive, who turned to
the boatswain, and gave him an order, which in turn

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 81
he gave to us. "Bear a hand, my men," said he, "with
your duds, and get aboard the "Deleware." The
order was not repeated twice, for over the side went
our dunnage in a promiscuous heap on the gunboat's
deck and we eagerly followed after. As soon as we
were all on board, the fastenings were cast loose and
the "Dealware" steamed off into the darkness.
I passed an almost sleepless night on board, for the
sea was very rough, and having no place in which to
swing our hammocks, we were compelled to spread
them out on the deck. Tom and I lay rolled up in
our blankets with our clothes on. The place we
chose for our sleeping quarters was beside a gun car
riage, with a thirty-two pound gun mounted upon it.
When the steamer rolled to port, the muzzle of the gun
would touch the water on that side ; when she righted
and rolled to starboard, the gun-chocks became loosened
and the gun-carriage rolled inboard as far as the
breeching would allow it, then it would bring up with
a jerk, and I was afraid that the gun chocks would
be knocked on one side and that the carriage and
gun would roll to port or starboard and disappear
in the angry seething sea around us. At last, finding
it useless to essay to sleep, I announced to Tom my in
tention to get up and walk the deck awhile.
This roused Tom up a little and looking in my di
rection, he said —

82 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
"Oh, pilot, 'tis a fearful night,
There's danger on the deep ;
I'll eome and paee the deck with thee,
I do not dare to sleep."
"Go down, go down, the sailor said," —
I did not wait for him to finish, but made my way
forward to where the lookout was stationed. I crouched
down under the bulwarks to get out of the wind
which was blowing a gale, I thought, and so said to,
the sailor on watch, who looking at me replied : —
"Pooh, this is only a good fresh breeze."
"Did you ever witness a gale ?" I inquired looking
up innocently.
He laughed and said, "We sailors are apt to call a
heavy blow a fresh breeze."
"About where are we now, can you make out?"
"Why, yes, we are off Cape Henry. Get on your
feet and you can see Cape Henry light. There," he
said, pointing to a light just abaft our starboard gangway
that seemed to rise and fall as the steamer rose on the
crest of a wave or sank into its trough.
"Wher's your pea jacket?" enquired the sailor,
"you ought to have it on such a night as this.
"In my bag alongside the thirty-two gun," I replied,
"I will go and fetch it."
I returned to the gun staggering all the way like a
drunken man, and two or three times came near pitch-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 83
ing headlong. I had no trouble in finding my bag, and
in a minute more had my jacket on my back. I re
turned the bag to its place beside the gun, then stoop
ed down to see if Tom was asleep, as he had not spoken
while I was fumbling around after my clothes. I spoke
to him, but receiving no reply, I concluded he was
asleep, and retraced my steps forward again half envy
ing him his peaceful slumber. I soon regained my
place beside the lookout, and we engaged in a nice
chat. I acquainted him with nearly all that had tran
spired to me since my enlistment, and at the mention
of Paddy D'yle's name he laughed outright.
"You have got him down fine, my lad," said he, "1
have been on the old 'North Carolina' since the war.
I was drafted from her to the 'Deleware.' There was
some tough boys among the recruits then, and a num
ber of them had 'sailed the ocean blue,' and were up
to all the tricks practiced in the navy, and we just
made it hot for Paddy D'yle, for that's the name he
went by while I was on board the Guardo."
"Strike seven bells," said the quartermaster.
The lookout obeyed the order, then returned to my
side. "Let's see, where was I? Oh, we were talking
about Paddy D'yle. Well, we gave the old duffer such
a scare one night that he didn't dare to come creeping
under our hammocks any more. You see it happened

84 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
in this way. One Wednesday night, after we had
all turned into our hammocks on the berth deck, some
of the boys' friends, who had been visiting them, had
smuggled some liquor aboard, although the guard were
very careful to search all persons coming over the side ;
yet by hook or by crook, they passed the guard with a
bottle or two of prime old Otard, and the consequence
was that the boys were feeling pretty good by bed time
and up to all manner of tricks. The 'haymakers,' as
the new recruits were called, had to suffer that night,
and those of them who kicked were very roughly handled
by our fellows. I kept out of the way as I did not
wish to be mixed up in the row. Well, when all was
ready, one man was stationed at the foot of the ladder
on the berth deck to give warning of the approach of
Paddy D'yle, and then all began to holler ; some would
imitate a cat-call, some the neighing of a horse, or the
crowing of a rooster, in fact every imaginable call for
a living animal. Such an uproar no one could
conceive of unless he was present. You may be sure
that Paddy D'yle was not long in being posted as to
the state of affairs upon the berth deck. Not many
minutes had elapsed before he made his appearance
among us. In the meantime a lot of swabs had been
collected by the men and thoroughly soaked with water.
There was a tall six-footer among the recruits on the
Guardo named Jonas Farella, who was considered a

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 85
tough customer in a rough and tumble — none of the
boys ever had the inclination to tackle him. He sprang
out of his hammock as Paddy D'yle approached, and
before he had a chance to see who hit him, whack went
the swab into his face propelled with tremendous force
by Farella's strong arm. At once commenced a scene
of the utmost confusion. Fifty men with water-satu
rated swabs went for the miserable wretch and he was
kicked and buffeted about the deck to the entire satis
faction of all the occupants of the berth deck. The
rumpus made and Paddy D'yle's cries reached the ears
of the officer of the deck, who, suspecting trouble, sent
for a file of marines and hastened himself to the scene
of the trouble. Before he had reached the place, how
ever, Paddy D'yle had managed to crawl up the ladder
to the spar deck, a thoroughly battered and discomfitted
being, while the men all returned to their hammocks
and everything was as still as death on the berth deck.
As well might the officers and the marines hunt for a
needle dropped on the deck as to find the culprit or
culprits who had been foremost in the row. Some of
the crew were ordered out of their hammocks and were
questioned by the officer of the deck, but failing to
find out any thing to throw light upon the matter, he
threatened them with the brig and bread and water
until the leaders in the scrimmage were pointed out,
but without avail, and in a surly tone of voice he

86 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
ordered the men back to their berths, and stationed a
marine at the foot of the ladder to keep order the rest
of the night. On the following morning, several of
the boys were arrested on suspicion and brought up
before the old man, but as they were all true blue he
did not make anything out by questioning and cross-
questioning them, so he finally let them go forward with
the rest of the crew. That afternoon we were all mus
tered on the the quarter deck, and the old man delivered
a lecture for our benefit as long as the yard arm. Then
we were dismisssed with a warning that if any man
was brought up before him for disorderly conduct, he
should be punished with the brig for twenty days with
bread and water. You can bet your bottom dollar
that we were kept at work while we remained on the
Guardo." "Strike eight bells," said the quartermaster.
The lookout obeyed and hardly had the sound from
the last stroke died out than he was relieved from
watch and could turn in.
"Look here, boy," said he, "I guess I can fix it all
right with my mate here so that you can turn into his
hammock below and get some sleep."
He then left me but soon returned with the glad tid
ings that I could occupy his hammock while he was on
watch two hours. It is needless to say that I gladly
accepted the offer. I turned into the warm nest, and

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 87
was soon in the land of dreams. It did not seem to
me that I had been asleep for more than five minutes when
I waa aroused by the owner of the hammock, whose
time on watch had expired. Reluctantly I turned out
of my snug quarters and made my way upon deck. The
wind had nearly subsided, and the "Delaware" rolled
along easily with the long ground Swell undulating
beneath us. I now sought my first resting-place beside
the thirty-two gun. Tom was sound asleep and snor
ing loudly. Rolling myself up in my blanket I soon
fell asleep and was not aroused again till the hammocks.
were piped up in the morning. Tom was first to
awake, and he gave me a punch in the side that caused
me to start quickly up in time to hear the last long
drawn notes of the boatswain's mate's pipe.
"How do you feel, Steve I" said Tom.
"Oh, all right." "I wonder where we are," said
Tom, "off what land?"
I inquired of one of the sailors as to our where
abouts. "We are off Hatteras, and will soon be in the still
waters of Pamlico Sound," was the reply.
Three bells were struck (half past five) as Tom and
I went forward in order to have a better look at the
country. We were now entering Hatteras inlet. It
was very rough water and the old "Delaware " cut up
7

88 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
*
antics similar to those in the night. We passed Fort
Hatteras, plainly discernable on the right of the inlet,
and in a few minutes more we were in the still waters
of Pamlico sound. The captain of the "Delaware"
concluded to come to an anchor while the crew washed
the deck and ate their breakfast. Tom and I, and the
rest of the draft, helped the crew to wash down and
coil the ropes about the guns ; then at the call of the
boatswain for breakfast we sat down to a hearty meal,
consisting of canned meats, souse, (potatoes and hard
tack served up together with butter) good hot coffee,
and the first new brittle, hard-tack that it had been
my fortune to see since my enlistment. The coffee
was excellent, too, and I felt refreshed after the repast,
and went on deck with the feelings of a boy able to
do a man's duties. As I gained the deck the sun was
just peeping forth in all its glory, lighting up the
heavens in the southern and eastern horizon with a
lurid glare changing to an orange and gold color, then
to a lovely pink, which, at last, as the day broke, faded
out in the blue ether. At eight bells, the boatswain's
mate piped all hands to up anchor, the new draft lend
ing a hand with the regular crew, and very soon after
the order had been given, the anchor was catted, and
we were steaming along up Pamlico Sound toward New
Berne. There was not much of interest to attract our
attention. The land looked barren with the excep-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 89
tion of a low wooded shore occasionally to relieve the
eyes ; but there was nothing for Tom and me to do but
view the landscape from our perch upon the forecastle
deck. The "Delaware" was quite a fast boat and she
glided along with an easy motion that was truly delight
ful, especially after being pitched about upon the rough
sea outside' Hatteras. We came in sight of New Berne
about eight bells (four o'clock) in the afternoon, and in
half an hour or more entered the harbor. Several gun
boats were lying at anchor off the town, and to the
smallest of these the "Delaware" ran up alongside.
She proved to be the gun-boat "Hetzel." After an
exchange of civilities between the captaiu of the "Del
aware" and Commodore Rowan, who was on board the
"Hetzel," (the "Hetzel" was the commodore's flag
ship,) we were ordered on board of her. So once more
we took up our beds and baggage and walked.
"Goodness gracious !" exclaimed Tom, upon going
aboard the "Hetzel," and seeing what a wee little gun
boat she was, "we'll have to swing our hammocks over
the side, sure, this time ; there ain't room enough
under the deck of this craft for all of us to swing in.
Goodness gracious !" he continued, "ain't we ever going
to get to the 'Louisiana?' I don't believe there is any
such boat as the 'Louisiana' ; all they wanted on board
the Guardo was to get rid of us. Goodness gra  -"
Before he had time to finish the sentence we were

90 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
ordered to fall in line on the deck. The executive offi
cer of the "Hetzel" informed us that we were to stay
on board a few days, until a steamer left New Berne,
which would convey us to Little Washington, where he
said the "Louisiana " lay. He explained to us that we
should have to contrive the best way we could for the
few days we were compelled to remain on board ; our
rations would he the same as. were issued to the crew of
the "Hetzel," but as regarded the sleeping quarters,
we should have to spread our hammocks upon the deck,
as there was no room to swing them. After we were
dismissed we mingled with the crew, and sat up late in
the evening, smoking and telling yarns. The next day
after our arrival on board, Tom and I obtained permis
sion to visit the town ; so with some dozen or more of
others who had obtained permission to go, we were
rowed on shore by the crew of the "Hetzel," some of
whom had secured a day of liberty, and who offered to
show us around the town. After landing, we started up
the street to a hotel called the Gaston House, a lar"-e.
substantial, wooden structure. A wide pair of steps
On the main street led up to a spacious hall-way, giving
ready access to the building. A similar wide stair-way
on the opposite side led down to another street. One
of the boys related a story connected with this house
which I will give in his own words. "When New Berne
was first occupied by our forces," said our informant,

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 91
"a prominent officer of the army rode up the steps from
the main street on horseback, drove his horse through
the long hall-way and rode out by the steps leading to
the other street, 'a la Putnam.' The rebs in their
hurry to evacuate, left everything in place, and among
other things, a number of baskets of champagne were
left intact. When the officer rode down into the street,
he bore in front of him on the saddle, a basket of cham
pagne. It is needless to add that it was found very
acceptable to his brother officers on their arrival in camp."
We visited all the forts, and the Fifth Rhode Island
regiment. The boys of the "Fifth" were very glad to see
Tom and me, as we were from their own state and could
give them all the news about Providence and the
vicinity. I hunted up Charlie Snow of the "Fifth."
He was formerly a shopmate of mine, before the war.
He insisted that Tom and I should dine with him ; it
however did not require much persuasion to make us
do that. While eating we regaled the boys with our
trials since leaving home, and when we were through
Charlie said, "If you continue in the way you have
started, your time will be out before you have a chance
to do any fighting." Dinner over, we spent the remain
ing time at our disposal in roaming the town.
New Berne is quite a large place situated on the right
bank of the Neuse river, at the mouth of the Trent,
on the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad, about

92 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
ninety miles from Wilmington. The Neuse river is
nearly two miles wide and is navigable for steam
boats. Lumber, tar, and turpentine are some of the
chief products of the place. We found a court house,
several churches, two banks and the New Berne academy.
The surrounding country is flat and has a sandy soil.
It had a population of about 5,000 before the war.
We arrived at the landing about four o'clock,
and when all our companions had come we signalled
the "Hetzel" to send a boat for our conveyance to the
vessel. After such a day spent on shore, when we
boarded the steamer again our appetites were sharpened,
and we did full justice to the hard-tack and salt junk
spread out before us at supper time. When we turned
in that night I was tired. I had no remembrance of
awakening during the night, and I dreamed a pleasant
dream of home in which I had served my time out and
had arrived in Providence. I was just entering the
yard at home when I was awakened by the shrill pipe
of the boatswain's mate, calling up all hands. My
dream seemed so real that I could hardly realize my
whereabouts, for a moment or two. But the boat
swain's order, up all hammocks, speedily brought me
to the realizing sense that I still belonged to Uncle Sam.
The day was wash day, and we had a chance to clean
all our underwear, that we had thrust into our bags, in
anticipation of just such a day. Time hung heavily

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 93
on our hands now, while we were waiting for trans
portation. At last, when we had almost given up
hope of being sent to Washington, the boatswain's
mate piped the "new draft" to muster, and shortly
after a steamer was discerned in the distance. This
proved to be the "Eagle," a double ender, used before
the war in the capacity of a ferry boat in New York
harbor. She with the steamer "Curlew" were
fitted out with two guns each and sent to New
Berne, where they acted in the capacity of mail boats,
alternating between New Berne, Elizabeth City, Ply
mouth, etc. We were speedily transferred to her, and
judging from the looks of the commodore, he was
glad to see us go over the side.
She started about eleven o'clock in the forenoon for
Washington, but had not proceeded more than ten
miles when she burst a flue, and in consequence of that
had to put back to New Berne, and once more we ran
alongside the " Hetzel." The commodore ordered
the captain of the "Eagle" to transport us to the
"Curlew," which boat happened to be in port.
Slowly the old "Eagle" wore round and stood for the
"Curlew" which was lying at one of the wharves.
"Goodness gracious I" exclaimed Tom, as he threw
his bag and hammock down on the deck of the "Cur
lew," "I have heard of the 'wandering Jew,' but what

94 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
will they call this crowd, if we keep on in the way we
have begun?"
"When you write a book about it, Tom," said I,
"entitle it 'The Trials and Tribulations of the New
Draft.'" "Call it 'Sudden Changes of the New Draft,'" sug
gested Tom.
"Or 'The Curlew's Bell,'" said Howes Crowell, as
the man forward struck four bells.
At this juncture we were told to hush up by an offi
cer who evidently wanted to show his authority.
And — well, we hushed up ; it did seem as if fate
were against us. Here we had been knocking about
since our enlistment, transported from one boat to
another, and it did seem to me that we were never to
reach our abiding place on board the "Louisiana;" but
the "Curlew " got under way at last, and we all looked
forward to our safe arrival at Little Washington, where
the gun-boat awaited her expected recruits. Nothing
worthy of note occurred on our journey up Pamlico
Sound, and about nine o'clock in the evening we were
steaming up Tar River. We were hailed on our near
approach by the gun-boat "Commodore Hull," which
was lying off the lower end of the town. We were
ordered to heave to and send a boat on board, which
was done at once by our captain. Upon understanding
our captain's mission, we were allowed to proceed. The

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 95 »
shore was lit up with the camp fires of our soldiers,
and tended to give the place a weird and unearthly
appearance as we steamed up the river. The stern
realities of war were now more deeply impressed upon
me than ever before.. Upon nearing our destination,
and when only a few fathoms off, we were hailed
ngain and ordered to keep off. Our captain answered
the hail and informed the officer that it was the "Cur
lew," with recruits on board for the "Louisiana," upon
hearing which we were ordered to come up alongside.
Upon going on board the "Louisiana," by the lights of
the ship's lanterns, the gun-boat presented a sight to
our uninitiated eyes of extreme disorder. Sponges,
' rammers, hand-spikes and hand-ropes belonging to the
guns were lying promiscuously about the deck, all
seeming out of place ; but instead, to the eyes of the
initiated, everything was handy to the touch and placed
in a position for use with the utmost regularity. We
made our way over all to the starboard side of the
deck of the "Louisiana," where we were drawn up in
line and answered to our names as the lieutenant called
them from the roll, I hoped for the last time. The
sound of cscnping steam from the "Curlew," the fitful
light of the battle lanterns shining on the faces of the
"Louisiana's" crew, who were crowded in between the
guns on the port and starboard side of the deck, the
picket fires on the shore, and the hoarse, gruff voice of

96 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
the lieutenant as he called the names, made it altogether
a most impiessive scene, and for the first time since
leaving the states I felt homesick, and when my name
was called I did not answer with the energy expected ;
consequently it was called again in a quicker and
sharper tone than before. I answered with a resound
ing "Here, sir." I was admonished by the officer to
keep my ears open in the future, as he said he was not
in the habit of repeating names when calling the roll.
I felt the rebuke, and although I did not like his cen
suring me in the line before nearly the whole ship's
company, yet it taught me a lesson, and I did not have
to be reprimanded again for the same offence.
Satisfied that we were all accounted for, the lieuten
ant turned us over to the master-at-arms, who instructed
us where to swing our hammocks, and in a short time
after I was fast asleep aboard the much-talked-of
"Louisiana."

CHAPTER V.

HISTORY OF THE LOUISIANA.
THROUGH the kindness of George Hollis of
Boston, formerly master's mate of the "Louis
iana," I have been enabled to gather information to form
this chapter and give the cruise of the gun-boat from
the time she went into commission, up to the time of
our joining her.
The "Louisiana" before the rebellion was employed
in the line between New Orleans and Galveston and
went into commission a few days after the first battle
of Bull Run. She carried more officers than were\
afterwards allowed for such a craft. She was officered
as follows : Commander, Alexander Murray ; lieu
tenant, Alfred H. Hopkins ; acting masters, Hooker,
Furness, and Van Slyck ; master's mates, McKeever,
and George H. Hollis ; acting paymaster, Williams ;
chief engineer, Lay ; assistant engineers, McCartney,
Daniels, and Huxley; surgeon, Bradley; gunner,
McDonald ; carpenter, Mills. Hooker was a resident
of Providence.
The "Louisiana" put out to sea in the latter part of
July, ,1861, or early in August, and proceeded directly

98 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
to Fortress Munroe, to support the frigate "Savannah."
She spent most of the summer there, doing occasional
scouting and picket duty, and looking sharply after the
ram "Merrimac," which was known to be fitting out at
Norfolk. There, the"'Lousiana" had her first brush
with the rebel steamer "Yorktown," which came down
the river one day and opened fire from rifled guns on the
"Savannah," whose guns were not able to cope with
those of her adversary's, being all smooth bores. Aa
soon as she was discerned coming down the' river, the
boatswain's mate piped all hands to general quarters,
and the "Louisiana" steamed towards the "Yorktown,"
to give her battle. When within easy distance the
"Louisiana" engaged her pretty sharply with her
little Dahlgren howitzer, which was mounted on the
forecastle deck. The captain of this particular gun
was regarded as one of the crack shots in the navy,
if not the best at the time.
An amusing scene occured during the advance toward
the enemy. Only one gun being engaged, Mr. Hollis
proposed to the other officers, that they should all form
in a line on the hurricane deck to see if they could
stand the enemy's shot and shell without dodging or
ducking. The old "Yorktown" was sending the shot
and shell pretty lively, and although some fell short,
as she closed in they came over the deck in close prox
imity, but not a man ducked. Suddenly a shell burst

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 99
close under the port bow, and deluged the gun's crew
with a perfect shower bath. This caused one of the
officers to jump down, on the main deck, and hasten
towards the gun, being now rapidly handled, and it
was allowed by all that he had- ducked. But there
was no more time for that kind of fooling however,
and they engaged the enemy with all the guns that
could be brought to bear. The "Louisiana" exchanged
a number of shots with the "Yorktown," striking her
hull several times when, finally, the latter hauled out of
range. After doing some police duty in the various rivers in
the neighborhood and looking sharp after any stray craft
that might be fitting out for fight, or for plunder, she
was ordered to Chincateague sound. They encountered
heavy weather during the passage, but arrived safe
without any incident whatever.
Just off the mouth of the sound, about a mile away<
was espied a suspicious looking schooner bearing directly
for the inlet to the sound, and Commander Murray
immediately gave chase to her. She had every rag set
that could draw, and kept as close in shore as she pos
sibly could without running aground. The "Louis
iana" was gaining on her very fast, and the commander
ordered the pivot gun cleared away for action on the
forecastle deck. The gun was trained on the schooner,
and a shot was fired across her bows for her to heave

100 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
to. But she kept on, and paid no attention to it, and
her speed seemed to increase. "Give it to her, boys,"
said the commander, and they opened fire on her with the
long thirty-two pounder. So eager was the captain to
wing her that he ran too closely in shore, and the next
he knew the "Louisiana" was hard and fast aground,
and the prize so nearly in his grasp, as he thought,
sailed saucily away, while the Louisiana remained for
several days stuck in the mud. The captain was event
ually compelled to send to Baltimore for wreckers to
come down with tackle and get them out of their scrape.
While in this situation Commander Murray ordered out
a boat expedition to chase, and if possible to destroy
the vessel they had been in pursuit of. She lay four
or five miles away from their position, having come to
an anchor pretty near the shore, which was bounded by
a rail fence, lined with bushes and reeds. The attack
ing party were ordered to divide, one portion to go
outside, and the other between the vessel and the shore.
The boats lay alongside, fully manned, and only wait
ing for orders from the officer in command. Soon the
order came, "Give way, men," and the oars flashed in
in the sunlight as they emerged from the water under
the sharp, quick strokes of the crew. The inshore
party had the lead, and were Hearing the schooner at
every stroke of their oars, when suddenly, from the
bushes and reeds lining the shore, came a volley of

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 101
musketry, followed by another from the rebs lying in
ambush. "Oars," came the command. "Toss," was
the next order, and the crew quickly laid in their oars,
grasped their arms, and gave the rebs an answering
volley from their Sharpe's rifles. The firing became
hot on both sides, and the schooner also opened fire on
the other boat with grape and canister from a smooth
bore that had before been hidden from view by the bunt
of the mainsail. The rebs had the advantage, however,
and after some sharp fighting on both sides, the boats
sullenly backed water, firing as they retreated from the
dangerous ambush. Hooker, one of the officers in
command of the inshore party, was the only one seri
ously wounded, a shot passing through his lungs, mak
ing a hole right through him.
After exchanging a few more shots, the boats all
hauled out .of range and returned to the gun-boat, and
the vessel escaped up the river shortly afterwards. On
the return to the gun -boat, master's mate Hollis ex
tended a hand to help Mr. Hooker up the side, when
he exclaimed: "Oh, help some one that needs it more
than I do ; I'm all right." Mr. Hooker recovered
from his injury and returned to the "Louisiana" a few
months after. It was several days after the arrival of
the wreckers before the "Louisiana" was extricated
from her sitation in the mud. As soon as she was, she
steamed up to the island and came to an anchor. The

102 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
island was overrun with bushwhackers, but in a few
days after the steamer arrived, Commander Murray had
things put in order, and gave permission to open trade.
When the first vessel arrived from Philadelphia she
brought some barrels of rum for Mrs. Adams, who
kept the only public house at that time on the island,
and it was not long before the population became aware
of the arrival of the spirits, for in a day or two they
came into town with all sorts of vessels to hold the
liquor. From the position held by the "Louisiana"
all that took place at the landing could be distinctly ob
served by the officers und crew. A jolly time began
when the first barrel was tapped, but it was not long
before all who had partaken of the contents were to be
seen with their hands on their stomachs vomiting and
retching dreadfully. Word went forth that the Yankees
had poisoned the rum. The scene on shore was in
describably funny. Mr. Bradley, the "Louisiana's"
surgeon, was sent for in hot haste. Upon investigating
the matter it turned out that the crew of the schooner,
during her passage from Philadelphia, had rifled the
barrel of half its contents and made the deficiency
good, or rather, bad, by additions of salt water, hence
the trouble.
In a few days orders came for the "Louisiana" to
proceed to Baltimore to refit for the Bumside expedition.
Arriving there, she took in a heavier battery, then

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 103
steamed for Fortress Monroe, where she joined the
fleet destined for the expedition. They encountered a
heavy storm off Hatteras Inlet, and the scene there
beggars description. There were about one hundred
vessels at the rendezvous in the inlet, some of which
were lying at anchor over the bar. Steamers ran afoul
of each other for want of room ; others dragged their
anchors and were at the mercy of the winds and waves.
The "Eastern Queen " was driven on shore by the fury
of the gale. The elegant steamer " New York"
stranded on the beach and went to pieces. The gun
boat "Zouvae" went down and was a total loss. The
"Pocahontas" was beached some miles north of Hat
teras light. The soldiers and sailors suffered greatly
for want of fresh water and food. But all through
this mighty war of the elements, General Bumside,
the leader of the seemingly doomed expedition, was
outwardly calm, though there must have been a terrible
storm raging within the bosom of that brave man as his
quick eye took in the terrible situation of his followers
and the apparently doomed vessels. It is said that he
seemed to be in all places where most needed, and his
sharp, quick orders to the officers brought safety out of
what seemed utter chaos. It is only necessary now to say
that the "Louisiana" followed the fortunes of the ex-
8

104 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
pedition and took part in the battles of New Berne,
Roanoke and Elizabeth City.
At the battle of Roanoke Island she received a ninety-
pound shot from the enemy's battery, which struck her
port bow just above the water line, crushing its way
through her half-inch iron sides into the chain locker,
cutting and twisting into all manner of shapes a coil of
chain cable which was coiled up in the locker, then
continuing its course through the bulkhead, cut off two
large stanchions, traversed the length of the berth
deck through the bulkhead, aft, passed over the
magazine, cutting away two more stanchions, and
finally lodged and burst in the coal-bunker aft. The
hatches were battened down at the time, the steamer
being in fighting trim, though not taking any active
part in the engagement. Several of the crew were
sitting on the hatches when the shell burst in the
bunker. It forced the hatches off and spilled the men
in all directions upon the deck. For a moment the
magazine was thought to have been blown up, but as the
startled seamen came to their senses and discovered the
cause, their fears were turned to laughter, so accustomed
does one become to danger at such times.
A detailed account of the part that the "Louisiana"
took in the capture of Elizabeth City, may be of interest
to the reader. The Sunday morning preceding the
attack, Commodore Lynch, the flag-officer of the rebel

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 105
fleet, left his steamer, leaving word that if he did not
return, his men were to fight as long as possible, and
in the event of probable capture, destroy the steamer
so it should not fall into the hands of the Union forces.
Nothing being seen of him after that, it was supposed
that he went up the canal in a steamer which left that
evening, and the rebel prisoners were loud in their
denunciation of him. His naval cocked hat, trimmed
with much gold lace, Mr. Hollis says, he saw aboard
the gun-boat "Lockwood," and the crew were taking
particular pains in drying and pressing it — for it had
by some chance got wet — in anticipation of his calling
for it at some future day. Monday morning at about
seven o'clock, the "Louisiana" got under way with the
rest of the steamers of various kinds, and soon came
in sight of the fleet, consisting of a dozen of other
steamers, but could distinguish no batteries up the
river. A schooner was observed on the right hand
shore, but no attention was paid to her at the time.
About 8.30 o'clock the rebel steamers opened fire on
the Yankee fleet, and in a few minutes after, a battery
of four guns, on the left bank, heretofore concealed,
opened on our fleet, as also did the schooner just
referred to. She mounted four guns and used them
right smartly. The battery was erected on a small
point of land, and was hidden from view by a clump of
trees until the fleet was within range, when suddenly,

106 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
they opened a scathing fire on them. Shot and
shell were making music around, and the chances
appeared that the fleet were to experience a much
warmer reception than was anticipated, but they went
right ahead. The Union vessels were so crowded
together that it was not only a difficult matter for them
to fire clear of each other, but in addition, the crowd
ing made them an excellent target for the rebel gun
ners. Their firing was none of the best, however,
and although many , of their shots and shells passed
over and around, the "Louisiana" was not struck.
The river at the point before mentioned, was not more
than three hundred or four hundred yards wide, and one
may easily imagine what a jam the fleet was in ; indeed,
so mixed were the Union forces with the rebel fleet
that one could hardly distinguish friend from foe.
Fifteen minutes after the first gun was fired, the action
became general. Wherever a rebel steamer showed
up out of the smoke, that hung like a pall over all alike,
there our gunners sent in their compliments of shot,
grape, and cannister. In less than one hour this
heated contest was over, leaving our forces master of
the river. The schooner on the right, that had proved
herself no mean contestant, was fired by her crew,
before abandoning her, as was also the steamer
"Fanny." The "Forrest," and the steamer "Ellis"
were captured. The "Appomattox," the "Raleigh,"

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 107
and the "Beaufort" escaped by the canal. After the
engagement, some of our gun-boats steamed up to the
city, which was situated only a short distance up the
river, and those who went on shore were much pleased
with its appearance. Several substantial edifices and
three churches met their gaze on landing. The town
was found to be nearly deserted by all its population,
they having fled upon the near approach of the Union
forces. But one white man came down to the wharf to
meet the commodore, and he claimed that he was a
minister and a loyal man. The contrabands were
around as usual, and came forth from every conceivable
hiding place, as the "Louisiana" made fast to the wharf,
and greeted the officers and crew with frequent ejacula
tions, as they landed.
"De Yanks am come ; bress de Lord," one old negro
exclaimed; "git right down on yer knees, bred'ren,
and bress de Almighty dat hab sent dese yer Yanks to
deliber us out ob de bonds ob slabery." "Amen 1
bress de Lord," came the response from his sable breth
ren. Then they danced and shouted and cut up all
manner of antics, to the unbounded delight of the crew
of the "Louisiana," who entered into the spirit of the
occasion and joined fervently in the "amen."
From street to street, through the lanes and the by
ways, the soldiers and sailors hurried in quest of for
age, while the contrabands were only too eager to put

108 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
them on the right track to plunder that which had been
hidden by their late masters before their flight. In this
way many articles of value, without doubt found their
way into the pockets of those seeking for such. Quan
tities of fresh beef, pork and flour, which the rebs had
left in their flight, were found. It was an amusing
sight to see the crew come over the side of the gun-boat
on their return, some with huge bags of flour on their
shoulders. At the close of their labors each might have
been very appropriately called "The flour of the navy."
It was sad to contemplate the many families leaving
their homes, to suffer privation, starvation, and possi
bly even death in some instances, in their infatuation
to follow the fortunes of the confederacy, rather than to
remain and be under any restraint from the hated Yan
kees. A rebel midshipman who was wounded during
the action died on board one of our steamers and was
buried on shore. A flag of truce came down the river
a short time afterwards, the bearers of which came in
search of his remains. A rebel captain was also killed,
and another rebel was literally blown to pieces by the
premature discharge of one of the guns.
February 13, the "Louisiana" steamed up the sound
in company with the gun-boats "Underwriter," Lock-
wood," and "Perry." During the night they captured
a schooner laden with corn ; then continuing their
course they arrived early in the morning at Edenton,

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 109
a beautiful place containing very many fine houses
with the grounds tastefully laid out. At first only the
contrabands came down to the wharf to greet them, but
soon quite a number of the white population came and
received them kindly. A vessel intended for a gun-boat
was on the ways in the ship yard, left by the rebs, and
she was destroyed. The crew soon started a lively
trade in eggs and poultry, exchanging in barter, tobacco .
and cast-off blue flannel shirts. One gentleman, whose
former residence was in Philadelphia, was very anxious
to get north, and Mr. Hollis agreed to take him in his
mess, with the consent of the captain, which was easily
obtained, and for the time being he became one of the
family. The contrabands came around in their canoes in
swarms, and in every imaginable way manifested their
joy at the arrival of the Yankees among them. There
was not much pleasure in strolling about the town, for
only deserted houses and ruins of pleasant homes met
the eyes.
The contrabands had taken possession of many of the
houses in the absence of their masters, and already some
of the most intelligent ones had begun to put on airs at.
their surroundings. Such is life.
Edenton is the capital of Chowan County, North
Carolina. It is on an inlet or bay that opens into Albe
marle Sound, and had a population of about one thou-

110 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
sand before the war. The water of the sound is of a
tawny yellow, and has a very peculiar appearance in
the light of the sun. The water at Elizabeth City was
of a fine claret color. It is known as the famous juni
per water, which flows from the Dismal Swamp, and is
said to be the finest water in the world. Many whaling
ships, and other vessels starting upon long voyages, are
glad to procure this water, and come long distances in
order to obtain it, as it will keep an indefinite time
and retain its sweetness.
After a short stay in Edenton, the "Louisiana," in
company with the other gun -boats, steamed away,
direct for Little Washington, and arrived there with
out any incident worthy of mention. The rebs evacu
ated the town on the approach of our forces, thereby
saving much bloodshed. The gun-boats bobbed over
the piles driven into the bed of the river by the rebs,
(the tops of these piles were about three feet under
the surface of the water, and were intended to impede
the progress of the Union fleet up the river,) and
then steamed up abreast of the town. The "Louisiana"
moored with her bow fast to the long bridge, extendino-
from the town side to the woods opposite. The con
trabands flocked in crowds to (he wharf opposite the
gun-boats, and with exclamations of delight warmly
greeted the officers and crews. Clapping hands, they
danced and whirled each other round and round on the

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. Ill
wharf, keeping time all the while to half a hundred
musical but untrained voices as they sang their negro
melodies. It appeared as if they would go wild with
joy ; they could not contain their feelings apparently.
At times, several of them would dart out from the main
throng and rush down to the edge of the wharf and
shout themselves hoarse, uttering all manner of ex
pressions, most prominent of which would be heard
"Bress yer out dar ! Glory to God ! We's free, amen !"
Then after gesticulating wildly for a few moments they
would rush excitedly back and join again in the dance.
Meanwhile on board the "Louisiana," despite the
discipline of the ship, the crew left off work and
crowded to the rail on the port side and mingled their
ejaculations with those of the contrabands. Altogether
it was an indescribably funny scene, and baffles
any power of description. A few whites could
be seen mixed among the contrabands, and more
were seen in the main street of the town. Calling
away the gig and the second cutter, also the launch,
with a crew to man her, Commander Murray pro
ceeded to hind at one of the wharves. He was met
with every expression of pleasure, while tears flowed
down the checks of the dusky sons and daughters of
Hani in the fulness of their joy. A few of the whites
came forward and shook hands with Mr. Murray, and
expressed themselves as being very happy to witness

112 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
the old flag once again waving in Washington, and
vowed themselves true Union men. Commander Mur
ray led the way to the main street, followed by the
negroes and what few whites there were. In the mean-
time other boats had arrived, and the soldiers landed
and took formal possession of the place. Thus Little
Washington was once again wearing the appearance of
being inhabited by a lively and thrifty people. Upon
evacuating the town, the rebels had set fire to and
destroyed some few buildings which contained stores.
They also destroyed a great quantity of tar and tur
pentine. The town showed evidence of the rebels'
hasty departure, for numerous articles lay around, all
of which the contrabands had not gathered in, but upon
seeing the soldiers and sailors picking them up, they
too went to work, and very soon not so much as even
an old shoe could be found. Fires were still smoulder
ing in different parts of the town and among the tar
barrels on the whaves. The rebels had endeavored to
destroy the bridge by placing barrels of tar the whole
length of the structure and setting them on fire, but in
their extreme haste to leave the place they were not
particular enough in touching the torch, consequently
they were too far apart and did not readily ignite one
with the other. They were all extinguished by the
loyal North Carolina men assisted by the contrabands.
The smoke from the burning tar and pitch penetrated

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR OY. 113
every nook and corner, and the odor from the same
impregnated every open house in the town. Dr. Bradly
observed that the smell of tar was very healthful and
was used sometimes in fumigating hospitals. One of
the officers replied that they ought to be a very healthy
lot then for the next six months from the amount of
tar smoke they had all inhaled.
A number of prominent rebels' houses were visited,
but everything of value had been taken away, and
what remained had been so nearly destroyed as to be
unfit for the Yankees to use, even had they wished to
do so. The day was nearly used up in looking over
the town and putting things to rights. The following
day and many others were devoted to removing the
obstructions in the river, consisting of schooners, etc.,
laden with stones and sunk in a row across the channel.
Ah, me, useless work on the part of the Johnnies, for
who ever knew of a blockade of any description that
could for any great length of time impede our enter
prising Yankees? For thorough go-aheads they are
more than the equal of any nation upon the face of the
globe.

CHAPTER VI.

OUR FIRST DAY ON THE LOUISIANA.
I AWOKE next morning before it was time for the
boatswain's mate to pipe the crew on deck, and lying
in my hammock, viewed the situation. The hammocks
were hung very closely together, so closely in fact,
that when one occupant in the middle, or between two
other hammocks, got out, the hammock would close up
like a jack knife, from the pressure of the neighboring
hammocks. Away forward I could distinguish the
daylight shining down the open hatchway. On the
port and starboard sides the mess chest and hard-tack
bags were placed, with intervals between. I appeared
to be the only one awake on the berth deck. All was
quiet except the tread of the man on the look-out, on
the upper deck, and the hard breathing, with snoring
at times from the crew around me. I felt a delicious
sense of quiet prevade my system as I lay in the ham
mock. I thought of my home, so far away, and called
to mind the familiar faces as I last saw them on my
departure, and hoped in my heart that I should be
spared to meet them all again. My thoughts were

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 115
rudely intruded upon by the shrill whistle of the boat
swain's mate, piping the crew with their hammocks on
deck. In a twinkling the berth deck was alive with a
hundred human beings, all busily intent upon dressing
and lashing up their hammocks, preparatory to convey
ing them on the hurricane deck, to stow them in the
netting. At the first note of the pipe I worked
myself out of the hammock, for as I have said before,
they were swung very near together, and hastily dress
ing myself, I showed my new mess-mates that I was
no greenhorn, as far as lashing a hammock was con
cerned, and I noticed that Tom was not far behind,
either. Tom and 1 were not the last to get our ham
mocks in the netting, by a long shot.
The morning was beautiful, and the sky was clear,
the rays of the sun were just showing in the eastern hori
zon, and we all turned to, to take in the boarding netting,
which was put up every night to impede the enemy, in
case they attacked us while we slept. After stowing
the netting, we were kept busy for another hour wash
ing the decks, coiling the ropes beside the guns, replac
ing sponges, rammers and handspikes, and otherwise
making the gun-boat look orderly and respectable. I
aooii got the hang of things on board, and before the
breakfast call, I was up in all but drilling. As for the
different calls I understood them quite as well as some
of the older hands on board.

116 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
Partaking of our first breakfast on board the
"Louisiana" we necessarily had to undergo consider
able chaffing from the crew, they thinking, no doubt,
that because we were fresh from home, they could use
us with impunity, and chaff us to their hearts content,
without any retaliation on our part ; but they found out
their mistake, for ihey could not hold a candle to some
of the new draft, who were up to all the tricks, and had
seen more life aboard ship, than usually falls to the lot
of new recruits but three months out. Breakfast being
over we were called to muster — the new draft — on the
deck with our clothes bags. Arriving there we were
ordered to form in line on the starboard side of the
gunboat and loosen the mouths of the bags so that the
contents could 'be examined by an officer going the
rounds for that purpose. Of course our clothes were
not in the neatest condition, hut then they would com
pare favorably with those of the "Louisiana's" crew,
and but few of us needed new. Those who did were
informed by the officer that they could draw on the
ship for what they needed. Finally our bags were set
on one side, and we were assigned our places on the
ship and at the guns. This being done, I told Tom that
I considered myself out of the draft, and instead, one of
the regular crew of the United States gun-boat
"Louisiana." That the reader may have some idea of what the

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 117
duties are on board a gun-boat, I will give them a gen
eral synopsis of the duties and stations, leaving out
what the reader already knows.' In the first place each
gun is manned by a double set of men ; nine men in
all. There are a first and second captain, two men at
the sponge and rammer on the heaviest guns, first and
second shotmah, first and second hand-spikeman, and
last, but not least, the powder-monkey. Then there is
the fire drill ; each man has his appointed station ; the
pumpman, breakman, hoseman, bellman and men with
fire buckets. There is a captain of the top, a captain
of the hold, and a captain of the gig, coxswain, etc.
Besides the drill at the heavy guns, we were made to
drill with small arms, Sharpe's rifles, the cutlass drill,
and drill at short sticks. Men were told off to board
and repel an imaginary enemy. During this interest
ing drill, the crew are called to quarters armed with
cutlasses, boarding pikes and hand grenades. The
boarding netting is let down and made fast to the gun
wale of the boat completely encircling the ship with a
net-work of ropes nearly six feet high ; behind this net
ting the crew dispose themselves with cutlasses and
pikes. With these weapons they make thrusts at the
imaginary enemy, who is supposed to be trying to
climb over the side of the ship. For the first week
after our arrival we were kept busy at these different
drills twice each day, or until we had become proficient

118 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
in all. After that we drilled twice a week, and some
times only once a week were wc called upon to drill.
We had been on board the "Louisiana" now two weeks.
I had written several letters home and to my friends,
and was anxiously expecting a reply to some of them.
What with drilling and sewing — yes, sewing, for I had
bought some blue flannel, running into debt to the 6hip
for it, of course, and Mr. Quinn, the boatswain,
instructed me how to cut and make up a sailor's shirt —
there was a deal of work for our men on shore. Sev
eral of our crew could use carpenters' tools with advan
tage, and these with the carpenter's mate, Mr. Kelley,
went on shore every day to work. Mr. Mills, the car
penter, had the oversight of all work being done in that
line. I was expecting him to put me in the gang,
as it was known on board that I was a wheel-wi i"ht. O
We received news from Chesapeake Bay of the attack
on the "Cumberland," the "Minnesota," and the "Con
gress," and the sinking of the first-mentioned vessel,
with the loss of part of her crew, with sorrow, and
regret that we could not have been present to take a
part in the action. But when it came to the little
"Monitor" coming up the riverand whipping the "Mer
rimac," I could hardly restrain myself from giving vent
to my feelings in cheers.- The army of the Potomac,
too, was dealing death-blows to the confederacy, and
musingly I thought we were jilaying a rather insignifi-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 119
can't part in the great drama, and spoke my thoughts
freely to Tom, who was busily engaged in learning to
tie a bowline while seated on the deck beside me.
"Just you hold on, Steve; we will see fighting
enough yet. Why ! didn't Commander Renshaw say
only the' other day, that we must prepare for an attack
either by land or water, which was likely to take place
any day ? And didn't he say that they were building a
ram up at Greenville I I shouldn't wonder if we were
sent up the river soon on a reconnoissance."
"Well, Tom, I want to be counted in that expedition,
if Renshaw concludes to send one, and sees the neces
sity for so doing."
"And I am with ye, Steve, for I do want to see
some fun, let. it be fighting, or otherwise," said Tom,
and he threw his ropes on one side on the deck, and
spread himself for a nap.
I was buisily sewing away on my garment, a few
minutes after this conversation, when there came a cry
from forward that made my heart leap into my throat,
so to speak: "The mail boat I the mail boat I"
Quickly putting my work on one side, I sprang to my
feet, and rushed forward to see for myself. Yes, there
she was sure enough, just off Rodman point, at the
lower end of the town. We watched her as she
slowly steamed towards us and the wharf, and I thought
9

120 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
of the precious sealed envelopes in her mail bags, that
were to lighten many hearts on the "Louisiana," and I
counted myself in for a share of the news concealed
therein. In few minutes she was up with the wharf and
was making fast. Tom, who had now joined the throng
of sailors on the forecastle deck, seemed to be the most
excited individual in the crowd, although I could hardly
restrain my own feelings, as Tom shouted out, "Hurrah,
boys ! here she comes walking right up to the wharf
as if she were a living creature. If I don't have a
letter this time, I shall burst, I know I shall."
We all laughed at Tom's funny speech, and more
funny sayings, for it had come to be pretty well under-
derstood on board by the crew, that when they wanted
a little harmless fun all they had to do was to get
Tom started, and from the quietest of sailor boys,
we became in a few moments the most uproarious
ones, and only ceased our sport when the officer of
the deck sent an order for us to, "Cease that racket
forward." We chose the time for such fun when
Commander Renshaw, and our executive officer, Mr.
Westervelt, were on shore, and the master's mate,
McKeever, or some other officer was in command, as
the officers, as a general thing, liked to see a little fun
going on among us, as it tended to relieve the monotony
of life on board ship, and they would wink at it, until
we became so noisy that it was necessary for man-of-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 121
war discipline to put a stop to it, which would be most
effectually done by a few soft notes from the boat
swain's silver whistle.
Just before the mail boat made fast to the wharf
with her stern line, the boatswain's mate piped the clingy
to go and fetch the mail, if any, and as we heard
the welcome sound, "Away the dingy, away!" we
resumed our sewing contentedly on the main deck,
while waiting for the return of the dingy with the mail.
We had not more than seated ourselves at our work,
when the cry of "Fire, fire !" rang out across the water,
bringing to his feet every man on the deck of the
"Louisiana," and a rush was made for the side to see
from whence the cry arose. The mail-boat was on fire,
and the boatswain's mate piped away the first and
second cutters. The crews sprang to their stations
and the boats were soon under way to render what
assistance they could. We bent to our oars with a
will and soon ran alongside of the burning steamer,
and boarded her. The fire was in the forwaid part of
the mail-boat, and her crew were already at work get
ting out what they could. Some of the "Louisiana's"
men rushed down into the cabin to assist them, while
others, who remained on deck, took the articles or pack
ages handed to them, and passed them over the side to
the soldiers and contrabands on the wharf. Things
were getting hot below when some one sang out, "Here

122 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
you go," and began passing up bottles of whiskey.
The bottles were so hot that it was impossible to hold
them more than a second without changing thein from
hand to hand. The boys would grab the bottles, pass
them from one hand to the other and try to get a drink.
When they did get a drink, it was so hot they would
just spit it out again and pass the bottle to the next
man, and so to the soldiers on the wharf where it would
instantly disappear, probably under some soldier's coat
to get cool. I managed to get hold of one bottle. Great
Christopher 1 how hot it was. But I was bound to
sample it, and I did. It was the hottest whiskey
straight that I ever put into my mouth. The steamer
was on fire inside, and so was I for a few minutes. I
managed to pass a couple of bottles to a soldier on the
the wharf, who promised to keep them — and he did.
At such times even your friends go back on you.
The fire was soon extinguished in the cabin. It was
intensely hot on deck, and there was danger of the two
cannons on the forward deck becoming heated, and the
Lord only knew which way they were pointing. There
were about one hundred soldiers gathered on the wharf
and some fifty contrabands, and the noise they made
almost drowned the roaring and crackling of the flames
and the orders of our officers on the burning steamer.
In the meantime, some one had procured augers from

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 123
the ship yard close by and were boring holes into her
to flood her.
"Lively, boys, lively ; get out what you can handy,
and leave the rest. Follow me, some of you, we must
try to get those guns on shore," said the lieutenant.
Tom and I, with several others, made a rush forward
after the lieutenant, but we had not gone but a few
steps in the direction of the guns when we were driven
back by the fierce flames and the suffocating smoke.
"No use, boys, we cannot save anything forward."
As the lieutenant uttered these words, bang, bang!
went the two cannons, and the shell with which they
were loaded burst in close proximity to the gun-boat
"Louisiana." Suddenly there came a cry from the
soldiers and contrabands on the wharf: "She has
ammunition on board," whereupon we all made a rush
for the wharf. Ben Gibson and Joe Reynolds
clambered down the side into the boats alongside
and shoved them clear from the burning steamer, then
bent to the oars with a will to put distance between
themselves and the burning boat. The rest of us, soldiers
and sailors, rushed to the side and sprang on to the
wharf; then soldiers, sailors and contrabands joined in
a race to see who could reach first the main street and
the cover of the intervening buildings before the ex
pected explosion took place. But the men with the
augers had performed their work faithfully in the little

124 "recollections of a sailor boy.
time at their disposal, and the steamer when we ran
from her had already begun to settle, and by the time
we reached cover and looked back, she, with a last
effort, threw up a myriad of sparks in a dense, dark
smoke ; then with a hissing and sputtering she sank to
her gunwales, thereby precluding any possibility of an
explosion. It had been vei-y exciting, and I did not
realize how tired I was until the steamer's hull had dis
appeared beneath the water. I did not forget the
event for many a day, and it is impressed on my mem
ory to this hour, especially (lie hot whiskey. The mail
bags were saved and that was a cause of great rejoicing
among us.
Mr. Westervelt waited until our mail was sorted
from the rest, then all proceeded to the wharf, where
we found Gibson, Reynolds and Jimmy Wilkinson
with the boats. We stepped in, shoved off, and in a
few moments were on board the gun-boat, and the
crew were called aft to receive their letters. I listened
for my name to be called, but name after name was
read over and yet mine was omitted. Hope sank
within me in the same proportion as the pile of letters
in the lieutenant's hands dwindled.
Tom's name was called, and he stepped forward to
receive his letter. As he passed me on his return he
said, "From homo, Steve; soo the Providence

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 125
postmark," holding the letter. At last, when but,
two letters remained in the hands of the lieutenant,
he held them up in a tantalizing way before our
faces, and then with a cheery smile called out my
name. I quickly squeezed through the crowd to ob
tain them. After this I went directly over to the star
board side and seated myself on the long thirty-two
gun and opened them. One was from home ; the other
from Swansea, Mass., from a friend there. Disposing
of the one from my Swansea friend first, I then turned
my attention to the one from home.
The very first line made me reel and feel sick :
"Lizzie passed quietly away on the  . She spoke
of you and Phil before she died, and hoped to meet you
both in heaven." Dear lit tie Lizzie; I never more
should see her radiant face on earth. Tom told the
boys of my sorrow, and they respected it by letting me
alone until I could command my feelings. I could
hardly bring myself to realize that she was dead. I
could only think of her as I saw her last. The sad
news unsettled me for a number of days. But time
heals all wounds, and though I have never forgotten
Lizzie, I can think of her only as being absent at
some future time to return. So hard is it to realize
the death of a loved one, especially when one is absent
from the family circle. Thinking of it I did not get

126 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
any sleep that night until long after eight bells had
struck in the midnight watch, but finally tired nature
succumbed and I sank into a troubled sort of edeei).

CHAPTER VII.

OUR FIRST LIBERTY DAY IN LITTLE
WASHINGTON.
VE had been so busily employed since our arrival
on board the "Louisiana," that we had not had
a day's liberty on shore, and I, for one, was just long
ing for a walk on dry land once more, to take in the
town, and also become acquainted with the Buffaloes'
daughters, as the boys had informed us that there were
some fine-looking girls in the town, and that a man
could travel a day and not find elsewhere such hand
some forms and faces. So when we turned out, the
morning after the fire, I made the proposition to Tom
that we should ask the lieutenant for a day's liberty.
"I agree," said Tom; "and we will ask some of the
crew to go along with us," he added.
After the decks had been washed down, and our
breakfast had been disposed of, Tom and I proceeded
aft to seek permission to go on shore. We found Mr.
Westervelt, the executive officer, pacing the deck
athwart ship just inside the fife-rail. Commander
Richard Renshaw and Lieutenant Westervelt had taken

128 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
the places of Commander Murray and Furness just
before we joined the vessel. I approached him and
touching my cap, asked if we could be allowed a day
on shore. The lieutenant stopped a moment; then
turning towards us, smilingly gave his consent, but imme
diately added, "You had better have one or two of the
older hands that are acquainted in the town go along
and show you how to get round ; and perhaps," he
added, "to keep you out of mischief."
"Aye, aye, sir," I answered, "Joe Reynolds and
Ben Gibson are going to-day."
"Well, they will probably show you all there is
worth seeing," said the lieutenant, as he resumed his
walk, while Torn and I went forward to dress in our
best suits, duck pants and white shirts.
At two bells (nine o'clock) the dingy was hauled
alongside and the liberty men boarded her and were
rowed by the dingy man, the man whose turn it was in
the boat, to the wharf opposite the "Louisiana." Upon
landing we proceeded up the hill to Main street. Then
we stopped to take our bearings, and to consult which
way it was best to steer first.
"Let's go down town first," said Joe.
"What do you say to it, boys?" said Gibson, turning
and addressing Tom and me.
"Oh, it is immaterial to me which way we proceed

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 129
first, so long as we take in all the places that are of
interest," said I.
"Where-away is the fort situated?" asked Tom. ,
"Oh, that's at the upper end of the town. We go
straight up this street and then turn to the right to get
there. It's only a short distance, just on the outskirts
of the town," said Joe. "If it's agreed we'll go there
first." As there did not seem to be any dissenting voice, we
turned our steps towards the fort.
Little Washington is the capital of Beaufort county.
It is on the north bank of the Tar or Pamlico river,
about twenty-five miles south-west of Jamesville, and
about forty miles north of New Berne. It is about
one hundred and thirty miles distant from Raleigh.
Tar river, in the channel toLittle Washington, accommo
dates vessels drawing eight feet of water. There is
one court house, several churches, and a newspaper
office in the town, and before the war it had a popula
tion of about 2,000 inhabitants. On each side of the
streets rows of elm trees flourish, the tops of which
twine and intertwine with each other, forming an arch
overhead, so that when one is coming up the river, it is
difficult to distinguish houses on account of their
density. Especially is this the case in the summer
when the trees are loaded with foliage. Passing up
the main street, we encountered quite a number of

130 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
soldiers, and sailors from the different gun-boats in
the harbor, all seemingly intent on enjoying themselves.
We stopped at the bridge leading across Tar river
to the opposite shore, where one company of loyal
North Carolinians was stationed to guard the bridge on
the town side. They were called Buffaloes by the
boys, but just why, they could not satisfactorily
explain to me. They were a fine looking body of men,
and as brave as they looked, Joe informed us. Gibson
and Reynolds seemed to be on the best of terms with
some of them, and introduced Tom and me. If there
was to be a reconnoissance at any time into the enemy's
lines, these men, Reynolds informed us, were always
chosen to accompany the expedition, as they were well
acquainted with the country round about, and were
always reliable informants. They were very sociable
and inclined to talk. Most of them had families, some of
whom resided in the town. There were a few unmarried
men also in the company, and I noticed several who
appeared to be mere boys, carrying muskets. They
were brave little fellows, and their courage, as well
as that of the older ones, had been tested many times,
and they were never found wanting where danger
threatened. Many of these brave men had families
residing outside the lines, yet they faced every danger,
and some were even killed in their attempts to visit
them. When they wished to see their wives and

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 131
children, two or more of thein would apply at head
quarters for a furlough, wait until night set in, then
start outside the lines and make their way across the
country in the direction of their homes. When they
arrived at the house of one of their number, he would
go inside, and stay with his family a day or two, while
the others would keep watch on the outside. If danger
threatened, they would silently warn the man inside
and -then separate and reconnoitre. If there were too
many of the rebs for them to risk an encounter, they
would creep away for a short distance from the house,
and lie in wait until the rebs took their departure,
when they would stealthily return to the house and the
soldier would be in the bosom of his family again.
But on the other hand, if there were only a half-a-dozen
of the rebs, or bushwackers, lurking around, there
would be one or two legs guerrillas in that section of
the country, if the Buffaloes could by any means
bring it about, by either capturing or killing them.
The farmer bushwackers were in the habit of visiting
the houses of these loyal men in the hopes of catching
them napping, and if they did their furlough would be
a long one. After a day or two spent thus with their
families, they would take up their line of march and
proceed to the home of the next one in the party resid
ing nearest, where the same operation would be repeated,
and so on, till they had all paid a visit to their homes.

132 RECOLLECTIONS -OF A SAILOR BOY.
Great danger attended them in these visits, and they
were very careful not to leave any trace behind them
to enable it to become known to the rebels, because of
the danger and the persecution to their families, if the
latter became aware that the loyal men had been har
bored by them. I questioned one of them as to why
he did not move his family into the town where they
would be assured of the protection of Uncle Sam.
"God bless ye," said he, "we uns ain't got no horses
and wagons to tote our belongings, and besides, if we
leave our families where they are, they can, in a measure,
protect our homes, and save the houses over their heads,
if nothing more. The rebs ain't hard on the wimmen
folks only where they spe'es them of hiding we uns. A
good many of these same rebels were near neighbors
once, and were peaceful and quiet ones, but they think
we uns have deserted our country, as they call it, mean
ing the south, and are fighting on the wrong side when
we open for the Union, hence their hatred of us and all
our belongings."
"You never had any doubt, I suppose, of the final
ending of this war, in regard to which side will eventu
ally win?" I asked.
"Never, sir, never ; and if I thought the rebels would
win, which I think they cannot, I would fight for the
Union all the same. That flag up ihere," pointing to
the glorious old stars and stripes that were plainly dis-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 133
cernible from where we stood, floating out on the flag
staff in the fort, "mu6t never be trailed in the dust to
give place to that rag the rebels call the stars and bars."
I endorsed his sentiments, and told him I was with
him hand and heart for the Union and our country
inseparable. After chatting awhile with others of the
company, we resumed our walk up Main street. At
the corner of Main and the street leading up to the fort,
we fell in with some of the crew of the "Commodore
Hull," and upon our invitation they joined us, for as
Tom said, the more the merrier. Arriving at the fort,
we found a soldier on guard at the gate, who told us
to pass in and look around. The fort was a very large
earth-work built at the right hand side of the road, and
commanding all the approaches. A block house was
standing just beyond the fort, and it looked funny
enough, set up on piles about six feet high, with a flight
of steps leading up to it. We spent an hour or two
inside the fort; then, upon the proposal of Joe Rey
nolds, we set out to visit the Third New YorkCavalry.
We passed a number of the feminine gender on our
way, some of whom were quite pretty and lady-like,
and who also did not hesitate to return a smile or nod
to a salutation from Joe, or Ben Gibson, while there
were others who had a decided preference for the middle
of the street; thereby giving us a most decided cut, but
not to our chagrin, however, for we were perfectly will-

134 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
ing they should have the middle of the street if they
chose. The sidewalk was good enough for us. Tom
and the rest of us watched the girls describe a circle, in
order to come out some distance above, and when they
were right abreast of us, Tom uttered one of his funny
sayings, wliile watching them daintily picking their
way in the muddy street.
"Goodness gracious, boys ! do you know what that
makes me think of?"
"No ; what does it make you think of, Tom?" asked
Joe Reynolds.
"Why, it makes me think of an old maid I knew at
home, who always walked on tiptoe around to the fur
thest corner of the room, if by chance she was left alone
with a real live man," and he gave us an imitation of
how she did it, taking hold of his pants and edging on
tiptoe around us.
"Ila ! ha ! ha !" wc all laughed at the funny figure cut
by Tom, and as he sidled up and down by us again,
the girls found their tongues and berated us soundly in
language not over choice nor very polite. I was
shocked at their profanity, which I thought would ill
befit a man. But Joe only poohed, and said I would
soon get used to it. I vowed to myself I never should,
and I was very careful after that not to provoke, by
any act of mine, that which would tend to make any
lady think ill of me or forget her sex so much in pass-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 135
ing me on the street as to .utter unkind or vituperous
words. We reached the camp of the Third New
York without any incident worty of mention, except
that Tom wanted to stop at one of the occupied houses
and ask for a drink of water so that he could see the
interior, as it was so long, he said, since he had seen
the inside of a house that he had almost forgotten how
one looked. So we waited on the street for him while
he obtained the desired information. When he returned
to us he said he was well treated at the house ; they
gave him a drink of water, "And only think," he
added, "in a glass tumbler, too ! and the lady of the
house invited me to call again. You bet I accepted
the invitation, and the very next time I come on shore
on liberty I am going there to see her."
There were three companies of the Third New York
Cavalry on detached service at Little Washington, and
many were the raids made by them outside the town
and lines. They were as fine a body of men as one
could wish to see, and on liberty days we always made
it a point to pay them a visit, for we were always wel
come visitors at their camp fires, and we made it
another point always to be stored with plenty of "navy
pluo-" when visiting the shore. This was such tobacco
as the soldiers could not get for money except through
our management. The Third had nearly all the picket
to

136 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
duty to perform, but they were never known to grumble.
Very often they were driven in by a larger force of
Johnnies than their own, but they always made a stand
and succeeded in leaving their marks behind them in
the shape of sabre cuts or bullet holes from their car
bines. This day they had just returned from a recon-
noissance across the bridge, where they had encountered
the rebel cavalry. The Third charged on them, putting
them to flight and capturing five prisoners and fifteen
horses. Belonging to one company of the Third was
a boy only fifteen years of age. On horseback he was
in his element, but on foot he was so short that he was
unable to wield his sabre without its point coming in
contact with the ground. The little fellow was in the
habit of coming down to the wharf to practice the
sabre drill, and it was very amusing to see him go
through with it. He would climb upon one of the piles
on the wharf, draw his sabre, and execute all the differ
ent cuts, guards and thrusts, while we on the "Louis
iana " would applaud him. Like the lightning's flash
the sabre, wielded by the little fellow's stout right arm,
would describe a circle around the boy's head, and then
coming to a present, he would return the sabre to its
scabbard, jump down from off the pile, and walk
proudly away with it clanging and dragging behind
him. We had a jolly good time with the boys, smoking,

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 137
playing euchre and telling stories, in which our ex
perience with Paddy D'yle on the Guardo, and our
subsequent trials in reaching Little Washington were
related by Tom and myself with such gusto that the
boys were highly pleased. Finally, we1 took our
departure, promising to call again at the first oppor
tunity. "I say, boys, I'll tell you what we'll do now, if so
be it that you'll agree to it," said Ben Gibson.
"What? what?"
"Let's hear."
"Drive ahead, Ben," and many other expressions
followed. "Well, some of you, of course," continued Ben,
"know old Farmer John, or 'Guerrilla John,' as the
crew of the 'Louisiana' persist in calling him, who
lives just outside the lines beyond the fort?"
"Yes, yes," chorused several of the party.
"Well, we will pay him a visit and help ourselves to
a chicken or two, for I am sure he can spare them as
well as not. Then we will take them down to old
Aunt Phebe, and get her to cook them for us, and we'll
have a jolly feast."
"Yes, the chicken part is all good enough, but how
are we to get them if 'Guerrilla John' is at home?"
asked Joe. "You know," he continued, "there has
been 80 many complaints made by him to Renshaw

138 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
about us, and to General Foster about the soldiers
stealing, as he calls it — I call it foraging — his fowls,
that there have been strict orders issued in regard to
it, and if we get caught, why good day to liberty for
three long months."
"Well, but we are not going to be caught," said
Ben; "if we find the old duffer at home, we'll buy a
chicken or two of him. On the other hand, if he is off
spying for the rebels to inform them how things are
going on in the town — and I don't think a bit better of
him for it — why, we'll help ourselves in spite of the
old-old-why, his wife I mean, the old she guerrilla."
"Ha! ha! ha!" We all laughed merrily at Ben's
way of putting it. After our merriment had somewhat
subsided, we took notes and found that every man and
boy in the party was ready for the adventure, and eager
to set out ; so chosing Ben Gibson for our leader, we
turned in the direction of Guerrilla John's plantation.
We arrived there in due time, and stealing silently
round to the rear of the house were just in time to see
John disappear in the woods on the opposite side.
"Hist 1" said Ben, who was in advance of us, "there
goes the old cuss ; he is off to commit some mischief,
I'll be bound."
"Where is he?" whispered Tom, half rising from his
stooping posture to get a sight of him.
"S— h— ! let him get well away," said Ben; "then

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 139
we'll over the fence and get some chickens in a twink-
ling." We were all crouching down in the grass, among
the underbrush, on the opposite side of the fence from
the house, while the above consultation was carried on,
but arose to our feet and made a rush for the fence at the
word from Ben that it was all right, and said he, "What
we do, we must do mighty quick, for if the old she
critter comes out of the house there will be some tall
shrieking, you bet."
In a moment we all stood in the yard ; in the next
made a rush for the hen-house, and in almost a shorter
time than it takes to write it, we had secured half-a-
dozen of the best looking chickens that were in the coop.
Stopping their wind, we made hasty strides for the
fence, which upon reaching we clambered over, and
with Ben and Joe leading, we hurried away for Aunt
Phebe's domain, hiding the chickens under our jackets
to prevent them from being seen by any chance passer
by. We chose the most unfrequented road to reach
Aunt Phebe's, and as good luck crowned our efforts,
we met but two persons on our way thither ; one an
old lady and the other a contraband, neither of whom
.suspected what wc were carrying under our jackets.
I shall never forget old Aunt Phebe, nor the pot-
stews she so used to delight in making for us when it
was our liberty day on shore. Let me endeavor to give

140 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
you a description of her as she appeared at that time.
She was about as broad as long, short and dumppy,
and had thick, fat hands, a broad face, large eyes,
an extremely broad and flat nose, but withal a pleasant
countenance, that was always wreathed in smiles ; thick,
woolly hair, which she wore in stubby curls all over her
head. Her dress was short and made of tow cloth, and
most of the time she was barefoot. There you have
her as I saw her twenty-two years ago. Aunt Phebe's
was our general rendezvous when on shore, where we
were sure of getting something to supply the inner man,
if it was not quite as palatable as we had been accus
tomed to get at home ; yet we used to think then that
her pot-stews were about the right thing. The Lord
only knows what kind of meat she used at times, hut
once in a while a good fat chicken, that we were sure
was fresh and good, found its way into the pot.
I can remember her standing in the doorway of her
little tumble down shanty on that day, with her arms
akimbo, watching us as we came through the little
alley leading to her door, a broad grin illuminating her
features ; then her exclamation :
"Hi I hi! whar you git dem dar chicken's, honey?"
as we passed by her, went in and threw the chickens
upon the table; "Specs you been ober dar," pointing
with her stubby forefinger towards the line. We
assured her we had been "ober dar," and that we were

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 141
awfully hungry. She then began to bustle around to
prepare us our dinner and we engaged to help her.
We brought in the water and wood, and stumbled
around the kitchen in everybody's way, and especially
in Aunt Phebe's. One of the boys was carrying a pail
of water when he bumped against her, and away went
the water all over the kitchen floor, nearly knocking
him over while he scarcely moved her. It was like
striking a solid mass of India rubber to butt against
old Aunt Phebe. She grabbed an old broom and
made at us while we ducked and dodged about the
room. Aunt Phebe could not stand much violent exer
cise, and we soon tired her out, when she threw herself
down in one of the rickety old chairs in the room, and
commenced fanning herself with her apron. As soon
as she recovered her breath, she said :
"Now, look hyer, honeys, yer jest goes right off,
and luff ole aunty 'lone, she can do heap better dan
when she hab you 'roun' wid yer foolin'. Now, go
g'long an come back when de dinner am done put on
de table. Reckon ye feel kind 'o chicken-fied den !
Yah I yah !" And the good old soul shook her fat
sides, and got up and waddled away to attend to our
dinner. We then made our way out into the main
street to watch the fashions.
Old men, old women, yes, and some young women

142 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
were passing up and down the street. We stood
on the corner of  and Main streets, near the
Lafayette hotel, when a bevy of handsome girls passed
along. One of them wore a poke bonnet, and all
carried their noses at an elevation of forty-five degrees
in the air. Tom remarked, as they were passing us,
that they were the best looking lot that he had seen
since leaving home. The one in the poke bonnet
resented this remark, and deliberately turned back and
confronted the audacious Tom, who suddenly put down
his head towards her and it disappeared within the
opening of the poke bonnet. A shout of laughter
greeted him as he withdrew his head, in which some of
the girls could not help joining. But Miss Poke, didn't
she give Tom a dressing down? Guess she did, but I
will not use the words here.
"Come, let's get out of this," said Tom, "I'm satis
fied," and he beat a hasty retreat, while the rest of the
party followed him more slowly. As it was getting
along towards dinner time, we wended our way back
to Aunt Phebe's, and upon arriving there, found her
all ready for us. Without any compliments, we took
seats at the table, and soon the chicken stew grew
beautifully less, while we cracked many a joke at the
expense of Tom and the poke bonnet.
The longest day has an ending and at four o'clock in

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 143
the afternoon we went down to the wharf, hailed the
dingy boat to come for us, and take us on board the
"Louisiana," tired, but feeling as if we had put in a
good liberty day.

GRAPTER VIII.

REBEL RAID ON LITTLE WASHINGTON.
THE sixth day of September, 1862, dawned on
Little Washington with a dense fog, so thick
that the shore was not discernible from the deck of the
"Louisiana." The current sluggishly rippled at the
bow; all seemed quiet, with the exception of the
quartermaster's tread on the upper deck ; the crew
were asleep below ; not a sound could be heard from
the shore to mar the stillness of the hour. The gun
boat "Picket" lay anchored above the bridge in the
river, and, with the exception of the sentry's tread on
shore, and outposts on picket, the soldiers were quietly
sleeping. All nature seemed hushed, when suddenly,
just at the break of day, and with hardly a moment's
notice came the indescribable yell of the rebels mingled
with the reports of musketry on shore. From peace
and quiet the scene was changed in a moment to one
of deadly strife. The soldiers grasped their arms and
quickly formed in line of battle to meet they knew not
what. The boatswain's mate's shrill whistle, as he
piped all hands to general quarters, awoke the sailors

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 145
from their peaceful sleep, and soon all was bustle and
preparation. Into the town poured the rebels, and their demo
niac yells as they charged up and down the main street
could be heard far and near. The gun-boat "Picket"
was the first to open fire as soon as her commander
realized that the rebels were in the town, holding, as
it seemed, undisputed sway, so suddenly and unex
pectedly did they make their charge. The clashing of
sabres, the sharp, quick reports of the muskets, and the
trampling of the rebel horses could be heard distinctly
by the crew of the "Louisiana," who were waiting
patiently at their guns eager to join in the fray. The
fog gradually lifted, and soon objects could be discerned
on shore. Two or three companies of Massachusetts
troops were in the barracks at the bridge. They could
be seen pouring out of the doors to engage the foe.
The Third New York Cavalry and the Buffaloes
were fighting and charging the rebels, but with what
O D CO *
effect we could not determine. The crew of the gun
boat "Picket" were serving their guns as fast as they
could -load and fire, when from some unexplained reason
the boat suddenly blew up, and the mangled crew, such
as were not killed outright, thrown into the river. A
scene of dire confusion existed for a moment, then the
order came from our captain to lower away the boats.
The boatswain's mate piped the first and second cutters

146 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
away, and the crew sprang to their stations and put
out from the "Louisiana" to pick up the survivors who
were struggling in the water. As soon as all were
taken up, the boats were rowed back to the gun-boat
and the rescued men were taken on board and carried
to the berth deck, where their wounds were attended to
by our surgeon. The Johnnies had got the impression
that it was the "Louisiana" which had blown up, and
commenced shouting, "Little Washington is ours,
Little Washington is ours; the 'Louisiana' has gone
up." From behind trees and tree boxes our soldiers
loaded and fired with a will. Charge after charge
was made by the rebels to dislodge them. Twice they
charged on one company, who had made a brave stand
behind an old building on the wharf, formerly occupied
by them as barracks, but they were repulsed every
time with loss. As the fog lifted a little more we could
distinguish friend from foe. The order now came from
Commander Renshaw to commence firing. We opened
fire at short range, from four guns loaded with grape
and canister, and then the rebels realized their mistake
in regard to the "Louisiana's" being blown up, while
our shots made sad havoc in their ranks. Volley after
volley the rebs poured in across our decks, and the
"zip, zip" of the bullets were strange sounds to some
of us. The "Louisiana" lay broadside on and com
manded a full sweep of the street leading up from the

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 147
wharf to the main street, and when the rebels were
dashing across this street we peppered them. The
"Louisiana's " deck on the starboard and port sides
was protected with cotton bales, so that the crew while
serving their guns would be in a measure secure from
the rebel bullets.
The rebels continued to charge up and down the
main street, and when they came to the head of the
street leading to the wharf, they would wheel and give
us a volley, and at every charge made by them across
this street we thinned their ranks with our grape and
canister. The land force was too small to make
much of a show against the rebel cavalry, but although
few in number, they made a brave stand and also
made it very warm for the Johnnies. The North
Carolinia troops fought like tigers. One, a boy only
thirteen years of age, was seen behind a large elm tree
to load and fire several times, and a squad of rebels
charged on him to dislodge him from his position.
The little fellow jumped down a steep embankment
and ran down the street leading to the wharf, to get
under cover of the "Louisiana's" guns. He had gone
but a little way, when the enemy galloped up, wheeled
across the head of the street and fired a volley at him.
None of their shots, however, seemed to take effect,
and in a moment more the brave lad was safe behind
the brick store-house on the wharf. The "Louisiana"

148 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
fired a broadside into their ranks, which caused them
to make a hasty retreat, and as they retired they were
well served with grape and canister.
The rebels were now becoming sick of Little Wash
ington, and their only endeavor was to get out of the
town, in which they had received such a hot reception,
but they found it was easier to come in when we were
all asleep than it was to get out when every man and
boy was wide awake and full of fight. Their retreat
became a stampede. Everything that had a tendency
to impede their movements was thrown aside in their
hasty flight. They were compelled to cross a corn
field on the outskirts of the town, in doing which the
guns from the fort harassed them severely. Mr.
McKeever, the master's mate, was ordered to the mast
head to give the direction taken by the rebels, and also
to give the captains of the guns the elevation, and the
"Louisiana" dropped the shell from her heavy guns
into the very midst of the retreating foe, causing them
to howl with dismay. They dashed across the corn
field, out into the open country beyond, and were soon
out of range. Soon the order to cease firing came
from our commander, and the tired men rested at
their guns, after the boatswain's mate had repeated the
order. It had been hot work for the boys on the ships,
and the soilders on the shore, but heroically they faced
the rebel music. The rebels suffered severely in the

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 149
engagement, although it was but of short duration.
The "Louisiana" expended about eighty rounds of
ammunition with telling effect upon the Johnnies. On
account of the explosion of the gun-boat "Picket" the
loss on our side was severe, but the rebels suffered the
most, and left a number of dead and wounded behind
them in their retreat. Only those who have taken a
part in, or witnessed an engagement, can realize its
awful grandeur. Shells bursting in the air, over, and
among the soldiers, the roll of musketry, the groans
of the dying, the shrieks of the wounded, the trampling
of the host over the dead and the dying, are indeed
appalling beyond measure, and one cannot analyze or
describe his feelings at such a time. The old soldier as
well as the new, dreads a battle ; the suspense before it
is truly awful. In a few minutes after the command to
cease firing, the order was given to man the boats, and
the first and second cutters were piped away. Our
troops had in the fight, been fired at by some of the
inmates of the houses in the town, and the lieutenant
in charge of the boats was ordered to search the houses
for arms. It was nothing strange to hear that some of
the inhabitants had shown their true colors by firing
from ambush on our soldiers.
"Look alive now, boys," said the lieutenant, as the
boat struck the wharf and the crew had landed ; "fall
in by twos," he added; forward, march. Keep close

150 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
together, men." Silently now the men marched up the
hill and into the main street. Here was 6een evidence
of the sanguinary conflict that had so recently taken
place. The dead and the wounded had not as yet been
cared for. Our troops were scattered about the town,
and two companies of North Carolina troops were just
coming in from beyond the fort, where they had
followed the rebel raiders in their hasty flight from the
town. Everywhere, on the tree-boxes, store-houses,
and trees, could be seen the marks of the destructive
grape and canister shot from the "Louisiana's" guns.
The missiles had ploughed and furrowed everything
that had chanced to be in the way of the iron hail-storm.
Now commenced the work of searching. As we came
to the first house on the line of our march, we met with
no opposition, as the pretended Union men did not dare
utter any remonstrance. Not a man but avowed that
he was for the Union. The only explanation entered
into by any of them was that the rebel cavalrymen had
taken refuge in their houses, and that it was by them
that the shots were fired. Of course the lieutenant had
to be satisfied with this explanation from the inmates.
To prosecute the search, the lieutenant had procured
a mule-team from a contraband living in the town, and
the arms, as fast as collected, were put into the wagon
and carted to the fort. Guns of every description were
found ; single-barreled shot-guns, double-barreled shot-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 151
guns, squirrel rifles with a bore no larger than a small
pea, but nevertheless a deadly weapon ; muskets of all
descriptions, some with locks, others without, some
with only the stock, others with only the barrel. Most
of the muskets found were of the old Queen Anne pat
tern, although there were many with percussion locks;
old horse pistols, swords, and in fact, all kinds of
weapons were confiscated by us and loaded on the cart.
One old woman in a house visited, had a squirrel
rifle, which she said belonged to her husband. She
declared he did fire it, but not at our forces. "When
the rebels fled from the town," said she, "my husband
fired after them ;" then leaving the gun in the house had
gone to help the Yanks. Assured of the truthfulness
of the woman's story, the lieutentant allowed her to
retain the rifle, and we proceeded on our way to finish
the search. In due time we had visited all the houses
where the lieutenant had reason to suspect weapons
were concealed, and after completing our search, the
heterogeneous mass of arms was carted to the fort,
thrown into a pile and fire set to them. The heat
twisted and bent them into all imaginable shapes, totally
unfitting them for use as fire-arms again. The boys
gathered many trophies, which the rebels had left behind
them in their flight, among which were several canteens,
some of them nearly full of whiskey and gunpowder,
11

152 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
showing very evidently the intention of making a des
perate fight. It was a bold dash of their leaders, but
just what the object of their raid was, puzzled our com
manders. They could not possibly hold the town
while the gun-boats were lying in the river, and the
capture of the place was the only thing of importance
for them except that of the fort, in which at the time
there were not many soldiers.
In our search for arms we visited Aunt Phebe.
Several of the boys rushed into the house while others
were engaged on the opposite side of the street, and
demanded of her to bring out all the fire-arms she had
concealed in her rooms. The astonishment depicted on
her countenance as the demand was made, to say the
least, was sublimely ridiculous. "Come," exclaimed
Bob Titcomb, "we can't wait all day; trot out your
arms, Aunt Phebe."
"Trot out de yarms? What you uns take me fo' ? Ise
got no yarms in dis yere house, dat you know bery
well. Aunt Phebe hab no yarms in de house 'cept
dese yere," she said, holding out her two arms towards
us, either one of them as large and round at the
shoulder as a common water pail.
"O, come now, that won't go down with us, Aunt
Phebe," exclaimed Tom Jencks ; "we have it from a
trustworthy source that shots were fired from your
house, or some other, at our soldiers while passing."

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 153
"Brees yer heart! What dat yer saying? Me
shooting at de Yanks? 'Clare fo' it, boys, ye'll brake
ole Aunty's heart if you done gone an' mean dat."
The boys could not help laughing at Aunt Phebe's
gestures and exclamations while delivering herself of
the above.
"Come, are you inclined to obey our commands or
not?" said Tom Jcncks.
"O, g'long wid yer, round foolin' all de time ! How
you spec's a pusson hab any respec fo' yer ? Golly I
how dem rebels done hollered. 'Clare to goodness dey
most take my breff away. Ole Aunty hidin' in de
cellar dar," pointing with her finger at the open cellar
door. "1 wan't do'en no shootin', no indeed I wan't..
If Aunty done want to shoot, she couldn't do dat,
'cause dere am no shootin' i'ns yere, dat am de bressed
truth. De Lord bress yer, boys, I'se powerful glad to
see yer looking so chirck dis arternoon arter de fight.
Ole Aunty tought dat yer was guine up when dat ar
'splosion come. Fore de Lord, ole Aunty git right
down on her knees and prayed fo' her boys on de gum-
boats, dat de good Lord would gib dem de proper
strength to bar dem fro de fite ; an' here yer is tryin'
to fool ole Aunty ! g'long."
"Come, bear a hand there, and don't stay all day
talking," cried out the lieutenant, and so hastily assur
ing Aunt Phebe that the boys were all right, and that

154 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
we would come off and tell her all about it in a few
days, we hastened to catch up with the rest who had
forged ahead some distance in advance while we were
chaffing Aunt Phebe.
After destroying all the arms captured, we turned
our footsteps in the direction of the wharf. Arriving
there, the lieutenant hailed the "Louisiana" and the
launch was sent to take us aboard. I was completely
fagged out after the events of the day, and was not
the last one to seek my hammock when they were
piped down that night.
A few days after the events detailed in this chapter,
the soldiers built an abattis across all the principal
streets in the town to guard against another such raid
from the rebels.

CHAPTER IX.

EXPEDITION UP BLOUNT'S CREEK.
IN the latter part of November, we were all mustered
aft and thirty men were chosen to accompany an
expedition that was to be made up Blount's creek. As
usual it was my good fortune to be chosen. Our
cavalry were on a raid through the country round about
Edward's Mill and vicinity, and were expected back in
a day or two. They were to come to Blount's creek
and take steamer from there to New Berne. They had
made quite a commotion in their raid through North
Carolina and stirred up the rebels from all parts. As
the expedition was not to start till three o'clock in the
afternoon, we had plenty of time to prepare ourselves
for it. I laid in a store of tobacco, and did not forget
the salt. Tom was also choosen to accompany the
expedition. Mr. Kelley, the carpenter's mate, was still
so sick that he could not act in that capacity, and I was
rather taken aback, when about nine o'clock in the
morning, Lieutenant Westervelt called me aft and
informed me that he had concluded, in the absence of
Mr. Kelley, to appoint me acting carpenter's mate, and

156 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
as there was still plenty of work on shore, such as
fitting up the schooner left unfinished on the ways by
the rebels, and the building of the blockade above the
bridge in Tar river, he said I might go ashore with the
others that morning and take charge of the gang. I
thanked him for his kind offer, and told him I would
do my best to finish the work so well begun by Mr.
Kelley, under the superintendency of Mr. Mills the
carpenter. "Oh, I have no doubt that you will get on finely
and accomplish all that's laid out for you to perform,"
said the lieutenant.
After being dismissed from his presence, I went for
ward to impart to Tom my good luck. I should now
have plenty of time on shore, and it would help to
relieve the monotony of life on board ship, I thought.
When the boat went ashore that morning I went
in her. The carpenter, Mr. Mills, also accompanied
us to give me instruction about the work. Arriving
at the place where the blockade was building, Mr. Mills
gave all the necessary instructions regarding the work
in progress and then strolled off to the town. As it is
necessary that I inform my readers why this blockade
was being constructed, I will now try to explain it.
Rumors came from up the river that a ram was in pro
cess of construction by the rebels and would be likely
to float down and pay us a visit at almost any unseason-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 157
able hour. With a crew to man a launch and a twelve
pound howitzer on a pivot at the bow, we had made
many journeys up the small creeks in the vicinity of
Little Washington, in quest of logs to build our block
ade. We were fortunate enough to find all we needed
at Johnson's and Edward's Mills, on Blount's creek.
These logs had no doubt been cut by the rebels for the
same purpose as that for which we now intended to use
them. Our mode of operation was this : when we
came to a place where logs were plentiful, a working
party was sent on shore, a picket or two thrown out,
and the launch, with men enough to man the gun
anchored a little way from the shore, that in the event
of an attack by the rebels, the working party would
be covered by the howitzer. But generally speaking,
we had things nearly our own way, for there were but
few farmer guerrillas living in the vicinity, and they
kept their distance. Now the next thing was to get
the logs to the bank of the creek, which was done by
part of the workers, who rolled them to the water's edge,
where another gang would roll them into the water and
pin them together with wooden pins, made expressly
for the purpose, on board the "Louisiana." In this
manner, log on top of log, we were enabled to raft a
large number of them at one time to their destination
above the bridge, in the Tar river, while the contra
bands enlivened the passage with many a jest and song.

158 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
"Way down on de ole Tar ribber,
Dere's where I was born ;
Ole massa make me work berry hard
A shuckin' ob de corn.
De Yankees come, old Massa run,
And lebe dese darkies here ;
I spec's him neber come back home,
For de Yankees he do fear.
De turpentine am berry thick,
Along Tar ribber shore :
De Yankees dey did burn um up,
Dat make old massa swar."
The logs were now put out lengthwise into the river
from the town side. First two logs were spiked
together with long iron spikes or iron pins, then a rope
with a large stone attached to serve as an anchor was
made fast to the outer end of the logs and the anchor
thrown out up the river to keep them in place. To the
end of these two logs were now fastened two more, and
so on until they stretched across within fifty feet or
more of the opposite shore in shoal water. We had a
pile driver which the rebels had neglected to destroy,
and it was in complete working order. With this we
drove the piles into the river-bed on both sides of the
logs which were horizontally laid, thereby strengthen
ing the blockade. I had four men from the "Louisiana"
to help me in the work : Jones, Holmes, Bartlett, and
another whose name I cannot now remember. Besides

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 159
these Iliad twelve contrabands from the shore, most of
them quite good ship carpenters.
Mr. Mills came once in a while to inspect the work and
see how it progressed, but as a general thing it was con
ducted under my direction, although I think the blockade
was planned by the chief engineer, Mr. Lay. It only
wanted a few more fine days to complete it, as I found
upon my arrival on the *pot. It was quite cold, but
there was a negro hut situated on the bank of the river,
occupied by one of our contrabands, his wife and two
children, and when it became too cold we were in the
habit of resorting to this cabin, Holmes and I, to warm
ourselves. We heaped the chimney place high up with
wood, and after thoroughly heating the room, threw off
our pea-jackets and enjoyed ourselves baking hoe cakes
on a board before the hot coals. When the cake was
baked we divided it, and spreading our salt pork upon
the hot surface, made a good, substantial, undyspeptic
meal. One morning, while engaged in driving piles well
towards the other shore, the rebels came down and fired
at us from the bushes lining the bank. Luckily none
of us were hit, and our arms being in the cabin, we
made a hasty retreat towards our base, peppered by the
rebs from their ambush. Some of our party kept to
the logs, but others jumped overboard and with only
their heads out of the water, made their way, handover

160 RECOLLECTIONS of a sailor boy.
hand, by means of the logs, towards the town side.
Lieutenant Westervelt, on board the "Louisiana," be
coming aware of our peril, trained the long thirty-two
pounder on the rebel position, and with a few well
directed shots sent them flying for safety into the woods.
We were not troubled after that although as a pre
caution we kept the launch with the howitzer on deck,
alongside the pile-driver, while prosecuting the work.
At twelve o'clock, the signal flag was hoisted in token
of the dinner hour, and after storing our tools in the
hut on shore, we manned the launch and rowed to the
"Louisiana." The thoughts of the expedition up
Blount's creek after dinner, and the knowledge that I
was to be one of the party, kept my mind busy, and
when we arrived on board I had almost forgotten the
little incident of the morning, but Tom brought it to
my memory again by asking about it. I told him just
how it happened.
"Goodness gracious I did the bullets whistle any?
Just my luck not to be there. The boys say, Steve,
that you didn't seem to be in much of a hurry to get on
shore out of the way, but took it cool as a cucumber."
"Pretty good reason why," I replied; "the path,
you know, was pretty narrow, only two logs abreast,
and every one of the party except those who jumped
overboard, were strung out towards the town side,
and as I was the last in the rear, I could not go any

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 161
faster than those ahead of me, and as for throwing
myself into the water, I never thought of such a thing.
I have a particular aversion to taking to the water,
especially when I have my clothes on. It kind o
made my flesh crawl, though, when the bullets were
zipping around, and to tell the truth, Tom, I expected
any moment that I should be hit, and I did not exactly
relish the idea of bearing a scar which I wouldn't be
proud to show the fellows if I survived the war.
"No scars for me, Steve, thank you, I shall be just
as proud without them, and I can tell the boys at
home how it might have been. I can tell them, you
know, that I was present once in a while when the
rebels were real busy, and that my chances were. just as
good as any of you to stop a bullet. Still they are
liable to mar my beauty yet before the cruise is up."
"I hope not, Tom, as you cannot spare much of
your beauty, as you call it, without suffering in the
estimation of the fair sex."
The boatswain's whistle put an end to our conver
sation, and we hastened below to our dinner. After
having fortified ourselves with salt junk and cold coffee,
we ascended to the main deck to watch for the steamer
that was to take, us to Blount's creek. About three
o'clock, she was descried coming up the river and then
the bustle of preparation commenced. We were all
ready to embark when she steamed up alongside the

162 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
"Louisiana." She proved to be a stern-wheeler, and
in a short time after making fast to us, we were on
board of her. Our boat howitzer was taken from the
forcastle deck of the "Louisiana" and mounted on
wheels and located on the forward deck. In a few
minutes after, the order came to cast off, and we
steamed away down Tar river. With the crew of the
steamer we mustered forty men.
It was dark when we arrived off the mouth of the
creek, but we pushed on some distance before coming
to an anchor, which we at last did several miles from
the mouth of the creek and Pamlico sound. Soon
after dropping our anchor, all hands were called to
supper. Pork, hard-tack and tea, as usual, constituted
our meal, after which a watch was set and the rest of
the crew enjoyed themselves smoking and telling
yarns till bed-time. At daybreak, we hove our anchor
short and continued our way up the creek. A small
house was noticed situated back from the stream and
about a half mile away. The steamer was stopped, a
boat was manned and sent on shore to ascertain
whether there were any rebs about. There were four
of us in the boat. When we reached the land, Tom
was left in charge of it wliile the rest of us proceeded
towards the house. Upon arriving there, we could see
no signs of life, and the master's mate, Mr. McKeever,
who was in charge of the expedition, knocked at the

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 163
door, lifted the latch, and walked in. A rusty stove
met our gaze on entering, and, as there was every
appearance of a fire having recently been burning in it,
we knew that the house had been lately occupied. Our
next work was to look for the late occupants. We
called aloud for them to come out and show themselves,
but not a sound reached our ears. I pushed open a
door leading from the apartment we had just entered,
and discovered a woman and three children cowering in
one corner of the room. Mr. McKeever spoke to them
in a kindly tone, and assured the woman that she had
nothing to fear, as we never harmed women. She then
arose from her crouching position and timidly ap
proached us. "Oh, sirs," she said, "you will not
harm my children ? "
"Harm your children ! Bless your soul ! I have
children of my own," said one of the seamen, "we are
looking for rebels. Have you seen any about here,
lately?" "Yes, only yesterday ten rebel calvary-men were
here," she answered, "they ate up everything they
could find in the house, and only for some bacon that I
had buried in the garden my children would have been
without anything to eat now."
"Where is your husband?"
"He is in the Confederate army."

164 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
"Oh, indeed," said Mr. McKeever, "what regi
ment, pray?"
"He is in the Thirty-second North Carolina volun
teers, company K," said the woman.
"I am sorry he is not fighting in a better cause,"
said Mr. McKeever, "but we will not discuss that
matter now. By your looks, madam, and your sur
roundings, I should say that you have experienced hard
times since the war began."
"Indeed, I have sir; we, myself and children, have
gone supperless to bed many times since the beginning
of this terrible war. Your people at home little know
what we uns have to suffer for the bare necessaries of
life, when armies of both friend and foe ride rough
shod through the land."
"It's very hard for you, madam, but let me assure
you, that we, by our presence here to-day, will not
cause you or your children any unnecessary trouble or
inconvenience." The children were pretty little midgets, the oldest
not more than eight years of age, while the youngest
could not have seen more than three summers. All
were dressed in the plainest of garments and the wor
ried look upon their countenances bespoke the fear and
trials that they had undergone.
Bidding the woman be of good cheer, Mr. Mc
Keever gave the order for the return to the steamer.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 165
Arriving on board, Mr. McKeever reported what he
had seen and heard at the house, and as we had an
ample supply of hard-tack on board, he obtained per
mission to take a portion of it to the woman, and it was
a pleasure for me, who accompanied him, to see the
children eat the bread, to say nothing of the gratitude
of their mother for our liberal supply. I also carried
them some coffee, tea and salt, and if this ever meets
the eye of the officer in command I hope he will forgive
me for foraging the coffee and tea, as we ran short
of these articles before our return to Little Washington,
and no reason was assigned for the leakage, for appar
ently we started with enough and to spare of that com
modity. After we had arrived on board again, we
steamed up the creek to Edward's Mill, where we ran
inshore and made fast. We then ran our howitzer
ashore, and started up the road leading from the land
ing. Our object was to thoroughly reconnoitre the
country about Edward's Mill, to ascertain whether there
were any lebels about, and also to give people in that
vicinity to understand that they were watched. We
marched silently along, fifteen men in all, the remain
der of our number being left on board the steamer with
orders to haul out into the stream, anchor and await
our return. Houses were quite plentifully distributed
along our line of march, and we paid them a visit
occasionally. Women and children alone were to be

166 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
seen and they were very polite to us. Some of the
women expressed a hope to see the stars and stripes
wave in North Carolina, and the good old times revive
again. About five miles from Edward's Mill we stopped at
a house where lived a noted rebel. We explored the
premises, but found no one at home, with the excep
tion of two old negroes. We helped ourselves to some
chickens running around loose, but disturbed nothing
in the house. The contrabands told us that a squad of
rebel cavalry-men had visited the house in the early
morning, and had gone up the road, promising when
they left to return again very soon. So we took up
our line of march for the creek again. We stopped
on our return at the house of another rebel, and found
it occupied by three women. We were in want of a
few more chickens, so Mr. McKeever offered them one
dollar for six, an offer that was refused with great in
dignation. Our only alternative then was to help our
selves, which we accordingly did, the women in the
meantime calling us everything but the right names.
With a cutlass in one hand, and two hens and a rooster
in the other, I was passing before the door where stood
the aforesaid women, when one of them in a sarcastic
tone of voice said :
" You're a Yankee, I know !"
"Yes, and I am proud of it, too," I replied, "and

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 167
there's your pay for the chickens," I continued, throw
ing down a one dollar bill and pushing a stone on it
with my foot to keep the wind from blowing it away.
There was a well of water in one corner of the yard,
and as we were pretty thirsty after our long tramp and
our chase after the poultry, we prepared to help our
selves to a draught of it. As we drew up a bucket
ful one of the women exclaimed :
"Oh, how I wish that that water was poisoned !"
"Perhaps it is," said Tom.
"Well, here's a go, any way," said Jimmy Wilkin
son, an Englishman ; "you all wait five minutes after
I have finished drinking, and if it don't fix me, then
you go ahead and drink your fill."
Even the women, who were watching us from the
house, could not suppress a smile at this, and when
the five minutes had expired, we each and all took a
good draft from the old oaken bucket.
Again we took up our line of march, and as we
started out the women cried after us : "Your masters
will be after you soon ;" but as we had become tired
of waiting for them, we kept on the even tenor of our
way. We arrived in due time at the ferry and signaled
the steamer to come inshore and were soon on board
again. We then steamed down the creek and across;
to the other shore, where we expected to find the
12

168 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
cavalry. We ran in close to the land and came td an
anchor. During the night we heard firing up the
creek, but were not called out. The next day twenty
men were sent on shore, but were not allowed to go
out of sight of the steamer. We enjoyed ourselves
during the day looking around, and cooked our chickens
in every way that was suggested by the boys. Some
time in the night the cavalry arrived with a number of
captured horses and rebel prisoners. The soldiers and
their steeds were completely fagged out. Throwing
themselves from their horses' backs they lay right
down on the wet ground to enjoy a little sleep, while
the poor animals stood about with drooping heads and
dejected mien, occasionally moving about among the
sleeping men, but very carefully, so as not to disturb
their slumbers. The prisoners were confined in a log
cabin near the bank of the creek, and the seamen stood
guard over them until daylight, when the cavalry-men
were rafted off to a steamer that had arrived some
time during the night to convey them to New Berne.
We then boarded the little stern-wheeler, the anchor
was weighed, and we proceeded on our way to Little
Washington. On our return passage, we skirted the
bank of the right hand side of Blount's creek, keep
ing so close to it at times that one could with but little
effort have jumped on shore, which in the main looked

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 169
inviting enough to have made it a reasonable excuse
for so doing. When about three miles from the mouth
of the creek, a schooner was discovered lying in another
small stream, an offshoot from Blount's creek, close
in shore and nearly hidden by the bushes lining the
bank. Our officer in command gave directions to the
pilot to steer for the vessel, which he did at the '
mouth of the creek mentioned. The lead was ordered
to be thrown and marked six feet. "Stop her," rang
the pilot from the pilot house. "We can go no further
in the steamer, sir," said he.
"Very well," said Mr. McKeever, "man the boats,"
and the crews of the two boats clambered down the side
of the steamer into them, and in a few moments we were
rowing up the creek towards the schooner. Upon
arriving where she lay, we climbed on board and
found her deserted. She was imbedded in the mud,
with a hole stove in her port bow. Upon examination
of her it was deemed useless by our officers to undertake
to raise her. She had evidently been run in where we
found her some dark night, her cargo, whatever it
might have consisted of, transported from her hold to
the shore, a hole stove in her bow, and she left to her
fate. Mr. McKeever finished the work begun by the
rebels, by setting fire to her, and as the last man left
her deck, the flames shot their fiery tongues greedily up

170 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
through the open hatchways, communicating with the
rigging and the schooner was soon in a sheet of flame,
Do o '
while the smoke rolled off to leeward like a murky
cloud, obscuring the sun's rays, and altogether making
the scene an impressive one. It seemed too bad to be
obliged to destroy so fine a vessel, but then we had not
the time or the means to raise her, even if it had been
possible to do so. We regained our steamer and board
ing her were soon under way for Little Washington.
As we rounded the point on the opposite shore, I
gave one last look back, and saw the tall masts go by
the board, while a myriad of sparks shot up into the
air, and it reminded me of the last of some great, set
piece of fireworks I had seen on the cove promenade on
Fourth of July night at home. It was quite dark when
we reached the mouth of Blount's creek and entered
Pamlico Sound. The old steamer crawled along, the
smoke from her stack blowing to leeward, while the old
stern-wheel pounding the water, left a foamy wake
behind us that was discernible quite a distance in the
gathering darkness. Cold chicken, left over from yes
terday's cooking, was the order of the evening, and we
enjoyed ourselves hugely wliile the old craft ploughed
along towards our destination. Eight bells, midnight,
struck on the "Louisiana" as wc glided up alongside of
her, though it was a good two hours afterwards before

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 171
I saw a chance to turn into my hammock, and then I
lay another hour thinking of the exciting scenes we had
passed through. While the watch was striking six
bells, and before the last clang died out, I fell asleep.

GRAPTER X.

LAUNCH OF THE SCHOONER RENSHAW.
THE blockade being finished wc turned our
attention to the schooner on the ways. The
rebs when they evacuated Little Washington, left
behind them on the stocks in the ship yard, the hull
of a schooner, new and partly built. Commander
Renshaw decided to have the vessel completed, so
one day he ordered the carpenter ashore to examine
her condition and determine whether it would be practi
cable to go on with the work. Mr. Mills, acting upon
the suggestion, proceeded to the shore and made a thor
ough examination of the hull of the schooner and upon
his return, pronounced her all right and received orders
to go on and finish her. This was some days before
the blockade was commenced, and the carpenter with the
gang had nearly completed her, when he was ordered
to knock off work on the vessel, and put the whole
gang to work building the blockade. I had seen the hull
of the schooner several times, when on shore on liberty
days, but had never been on board of her until the
morning we all 6et out for the ship yard. Arriving

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 173
there, Mr. Mills instructed me in regard to my duties
and then left me in. charge. The work progressed
finely, while day after day saw the schooner assume
shape and proportions. Mr. Mills, whenever he visited
the ship yard, seemed delighted with the progress made
and complimented the workers for their industry. One
morning soon after we had commenced our work on the
schooner, Tom, who was on shore on liberty, came
into the ship yard with a letter in his hand, for me.
He handed the letter up to me on the staging. I in
vited him to come on board and hear it read. He at
once clambered up the ladder on to the staging, and we
both climbed over the side of the schooner upon the deck
and seated ourselves on two blocks of wood, while I
examined the inscription on the envelope.
"Phil's writing, Tom," I said.
"Well, open it Steve, and let's find out where he is,
and what he is about," replied Tom, "I'm glad it's
from him, for to tell the truth, Steve, I had begun to
feel worried about him."
"So hadI,Tom,but I took good care not to mention
it to you."
Opening the letter I read it aloud very much to
Tom's satisfaction, judging by his frequent ejaculations.
When I had nearly finished the reading, Tom jumped
from the block and executed a pigeon wing on the deck
and then the sailor's hornpipe, very much to the edifi-

174 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
cation of the darkies, who all stopped in their labors
and with mouth and eyes wide open, and many a loud
guffaw, manifested their appreciation. After all had
resumed work, and Tom was once more seated beside
me, I finished the reading of the epistle, and as it was
a very interesting letter I will let my readers know the
contents too.
Phil wrote from the Potomac where he was stationed
for the present, he said, in the schooner "Racer" of
the mortar fleet :
"We are having lively times with smugglers, obliged
to be out in small boats sometimes all night, on the
watch for them. Oftentimes they are captured by us
or some other boat's crew, and their stock of tea,
coffee, salt and the numerous other commodities with
which their boats are laden, and with which they ex
pected to tickle the palates of the Johnnie rebs, are con
fiscated by the government. I missed you and Tom
very much at first, but have recovered from that now,
have chosen a chum for the time being, and am as happjr
as can be expected under the circumstances. We had
an all-night job on the 21st inst. lying in wait for a
boat that was expected to attempt to cross the Potomac
that night, freighted with tobacco, cigars, whiskey, cot
ton-cloth, and salt. Our captain was informed of this
by a man of great reliability. The boat was to be
manned by Jews, he said. All night we lay on our-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 175
oars secreted in a little cove near the bank of the Poto«-
mac, where they were expected to land. It was nearly
break of day, but still very dark ; one could scarcely
see a fathom either way he looked. It must have been
nearly three o'clock when we heard a slight noise like
the dipping of oars in the water. It was of the faintest
kind, but our ears were trained to catch the slightest
sound. 'The dip of oars it certainly is,' said Mr.
Brady, our master's mate, who was in command of the
boat. Again was heard the same kind of sound. Mr.
Brady now cautioned us in a hoarse whisper to get
ready and be very careful not to make any unnecessary
noise. Their oars could now be heard plainly in the
water on our port quarter and not more than two or
three fathoms away. At this juncture, Mr. Brady, in
a low tone of voice, gave the command, 'Oars;' then
'Give way, my men,' and with a few well-directed
sweeps of our oars, we shot out into the river and dis
cerned the smuggler's boat close aboard of us. So close
were we, in fact, that we barely escaped a collision with
them. Realizing that they had fallen into a trap, the
smugglers bent to their oars, heading their boat down
stream, but without avail, for we were so near them
that our bowman dropped his oar inboard ; then seizing
the boat-hook grappled on to the thwart of the stern
sheets of the smugglers' boat, and in a moment more
we were alongside. Opening the slides of our dark

176 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
lanterns, which showed them up plainly by the light they
threw, at the same time wc brandished our cut
lasses in their faces. »Mr. Brady, in a voice of thun
der, ordered them to surrender, which at first they did
not seem inclined to do.
" 'Shoot the first man that offers resistance,' shouted
Mr. Brady, and at the same time he sprang into the
smuggler's boat and struck down a man who seemed to
Do
be the leader, and who made a pass at him with a huge
knife. We covered them with our rifles now and
threatened to shoot the first man that raised a hand.
Seeing it was useless on their part to prolong the con
test with the odds so largely against thein, they reluc
tantly laid town their arms, which were at once trans
ferred to our boat.
"Never was a surprise more complete. If they had
had an even chance, and had not been taken by sur
prise, it is doubtful in my mind whether I should have
been living now to write about it. Putting two of our
fellows in the stern sheets of the smugglers' boat, with
the light, of our lanterns shining in their faces, we took
them in tow, and rowed with a will for our schooner up
the river, a distance of about two miles. The smugglers
kept a sullen silence during our row back to the schooner,
which we reached after hard pulling. Upon overhaul
ing the prize, we found that we Had secured quite a
cargo of cigars, tobacco, salt and numerous other arti-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 177
cles, which the rebs would have been overjoyed to get.
The smugglers were ordered out of their boat to the
schooner, and then confined in the hole, and the next
day they were sent on shore under a strong guard and
delivered to the proper authorities. This has taken up
so much space in my letter that I shall have to con
clude now by wishing you a safe return home after the
expiration of your term of service.
"Well and hearty,
"P. M. Blanding,
"On board the U. S. Schooner 'Racer,' Potomac
Flotilla, Washington, D. C.
"February 29, 1863."
"Well," said Tom, "Phil writes a good letter and I
shall be glad to hear from him again. He must have
some pretty exciting times down there as well as our
selves. Do you know, Steve," he continued, "that I
was thinking when I came into the yard that you were
quite a young man to be put in boss over so many
older men, and I thought I should consider it a big
compliment bestowed upon me if I was in your place."
"Well, Tom, I am proud to think that the lieuten
ant should choose me, out of so many on the
"Louisiana" to superintend this job. I appre
ciate his kindness to me, and try hard not only to
please him in what I do, but endeavor to have the
others please him, too."

178 RECOLLECTIONS of a sailor boy.
"There's one thing about it, Steve, you don't put on
any airs over the boys because you happen to get
rated above them, and they respect you the more for
that. I have heard but one man or boy say any thing
against you, and you know whom I mean."
"Well, I can guess pretty nigh, Tom, who that one
is. The first two letters of his name are Bill Lang."
"Ha ! ha ! " laughed Tom, and then he added, "Yes,
that's the sneak, Steve, and it's a wonder to me and
the other boys that you have not had a fight with him
ere this. He's a big sneak, and he knows you won't
fight him, and that's the reason he takes advantage of
you to insult you the way he does behind yonr back,
and to your face for that matter."
"Well, Tom, I don't mean to disgrace myself in the
the eyes of Mr. Westervelt if I can possibly help it, by
entering into a quarrel with such a fellow as Bill Lang.
I have tried hard to make him see that I am ready to
help, him in anything that's right, but 1 have about
come to the conclusion that it is no use for me to waste
any more time on him. I do not pretend to be one of
your goody goodies that never do wrong ; some time in
the future, if patience ceases to be a virtue with
me, why, then let Bill Lang look out for himself, that's
all. But it will be something besides his hateful words
that will cause me to forget myself ao much as to give
him what he deserves — a thrashing. Ever since I

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 179
thwarted him in his villianous scheme of robbing old
Hoxie, out at Red hill, of his gold watch, he has had
it in for me."
"How is it, Steve, that you have kept the secret so-
close about the affair at Red hill, and not even told
me about it? When I have questioned you about it
you have turned me off with some evasive answer."
"I will tell you all about it now, Tom, as I have
plenty of time, and it is not a very long story. You
see it happened in this way : Old Hoxie lives, as you
know, at Red hill just outside the lines. He is a good
Union man, keeps our officers posted as . to the
movements of the rebels, and comes into town every
day to gossip with his many friends, and tell and
hear the latest news. He was in town one day when
Bill and I happened to be on shore on liberty. I was
just thinking of some excuse to get rid of Lang, when
along came old Hoxie. Bill stopped him and asked
him the time of day. Hoxie obligingly pulled out his
watch, an old-fashioned, but very valuable one, and
told us. When the old man had gone some distance
from us Bill said, 'We can have that old duffer's watch
just as easy as rolling off a log.' I turned and looked
at Bill in astonishment. I knew him to be a sneak
and a coward, but did not think him capable of com
mitting a robbery. Perhaps he did not mean anything,
at any rate I meant to find out his drift, and so

180 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
turning 'to [him I said, 'What do you mean by that
Bill? Are you going to buy it' Perhaps he will not
sell it, as it is a very valuable one.'
" 'Well, you can bet your bottom dollar, Steve, that
it's worth lots of money. Why, that 'ere watch cost at
least $400. Am I going for to buy it, did yer say?'
and Bill stuck his tongue in his left cheek, cocked one
eye, and leered into my face with what he probably
thought a very comical grimace ; then straightening out
his face again, he said, 'Look here, Steve, you know
that I ain't got no money for to buy that watch.'
" 'How are you going to get it then, if you have no
money ? Do you mean to steal it ?'
" 'Well, now come, that's putting it too hard,
Steve.; there ain't no stealing about it. I'll tell yer how
it can be done. All's fair in love and war ; least ways
so goes the old saying, and I think old Hoxie a d — m
rebel spy, and there ain't captains enough in the Amer
ican navy to make me believe otherwise. They allow
him to mix in, and the officers laugh at his funny talk,
and all the time the d  d old cuss is pulling the wool
over our eyes. Now, you'll see sometime if it ain't so.'
" 'Well,' said I, 'why don't you come to the point
at once and tell me how you are to get the watch, and
don't beat about the bush any longer ?'
" 'That's the most sensible thing that I have heard
you say yet,' said Bill.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 181
"I could have knocked him down with a good grace
as he uttered the last remark, but then I could not have
found out his plans, so I merely said 'Well.'
" 'Its just here,' he continued ; 'you know when the
old fellow's at work — and he's pretty busy just now
with his ploughing — he don't have the ticker along
with him, you bet ; now it's the easiest thing in the
world for us to go out there some fine day. We can
tuck our collars down our backs and otherwise dis
guise ourselves, and if the old man happens to be out
in the field at work, we can enter the house and ask
for a drink of apple-jack. That'll send the old gal>
that's his wife, down cellar to get it for us ; then all
we've got to do is to lock her down there, go
through the house and get the watch, and I think the
old fellow has money, and if so, we can soon find out
where it is hid. We'll take it, if we find it, and whack
it up between us and make for the ship, get on board,
and hide the swag away till the storm blows over.
Then we can borrow a little at a time when we want
to go on shore, and live like fighting cocks.'
"Why, Tom, the audacity of the villain almost took
my breath away as he rolled off the plan to me. To
encourage him to proceed, I said to him, 'What will
you do with the watch ? There are no. pawnshops in
Little Washington.'
"'Oh, we'll hide that till such times as some of

182 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
the boy's term of service has expired, then we'll strike
up a bargain with some one of them, and sell him the
watch for a good price. What say you? Will ye jine
me ? Do ye catch on ? '
"I hated even for one moment to lend myself to
the villainous plot so glibly set forth by the ras
cal, but I was bound to frustrate his design, so I
seemed to fall in with alibis plans, and before I got rid
of him, Tom, a day was set to carry them into effect.
When I returned to the 'Louisiana,' that afternon, I
managed to elude the vigilance of Bill long enough to
gain an audience with one of my superior officers, and
to him I unfolded the whole plot. He pricked up his
ears as I came to the interesting part where he was to
lock the old man's wife in the cellar. When I finished
the story, he told me to enter into all his plans,
meet hiin on the day set for the robbery, and go with
him out there, and iu the meantime he would acquaint
Mr. Hoxie of the plot, so that he would be away on
the day in question. He would also inform Hoxie's
wife and let. her into the secret so that there need be no
trouble about her entering the cellar in quest of the
apple jack, and the officer said that he would be on
hand in one of the rooms with a couple of men he knew
that he could rely upon and trust to keep the secret.
And then I was to let Lang go ahead and do all the
searching, in which he was an adept, as I soon found

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 183
out, and when he got fairly at work, and had the cov
eted watch in his hand — the watch waa laid purposely
in the top bureau drawer — the officer would step out
and capture us both, so that Bill would have no suspi
cion that I gave the job away.
"To make a long story shorty Tom, when the day
arrived, Bill and I obtained permission to visit the shore
and when we landed we set out immediately for Hoxie's
place. I did not relish the job, for we were in danger
of meeting some lurking guerrillas outside the lines,
and they would make it warm for us, I thought, if we
were not captured or killed, but I relied upon the word
of the officer that he would be on hand with his men
to protect me, in the event of anything turning up fur
ther than we were acquainted with. Upon our arrival
at Hoxie's house, Bill left me to reconnoitre, and in a
few moments returned to say that it was all right so we
walked up to the door together. The door was open,
on account of the weather, Bill knocked upon it,
whereupon Mrs. Hoxie came, welcomed us with a
smile and bade us enter and make ourselves at home.
Upon our entrance, into what I supposed to be the
kitchen, she offered such chairs as the room afforded,
and requested us to he seated, which request we at once
complied with, while she proceeded to the cupboard and
procured a large gourd, and in a moment more
13

184 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
re-appeared with it in her hand, telling us to make our
selves comfortable. She then opened the cellar door
and descended the stairs. As she stepped off the last
step, on the cellar bottom, Bill got up, closed the
door and shoved the iron bolt into its place. He then
turned towards me and hurriedly told me to follow him
in search of the gold watch.
" 'Quick's the word, now, Steve. What we do, must
be done in short meter, as the minister said to the
choir,' and he chuckled to himself as he dashed into a
bed room leading off the kitchen. The room that we
entered was scantily furnished, there being only an old
four-post beadstead, a chair or two and an old fashioned
bureau. Bill began to work on the last mentioned
article by pulling out the top drawer, which was un
locked, and there, in plain sight lay the watch. Bill
snatched it and held it up to my view, exclaiming in an
undertone, 'Ain't she a beauty. It's d — d lucky,
Steve, wc came into this room fust, as it saves so much
time ; now here goes for 'spondulicks,' if there arc any
we'll have them, then cut our lucky.' So saying, he
opened the next drawer below, but at this juncture a
heavy hand was laid on his shoulder. lie looked up
with an affrighted gaze, and his looks encountered those
of the Officer fixed sternly on him. He was placed
under arrest, as also was I, but this was done as a blind
to Bill.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 185
"'You are a nice one, you are,' said the officer to
Bill, who was squirming to get free from his grasp,
as he had a strong hold on his collar. But it was
useless for him to struggle ; his hands were quickly tied
behind him, and he settled down into a chair in sullen
silence. My hands were also tied, but in such a way
as not to cause me pain. The officer now turned
his attention to unlocking the cellar door, and as
he threw it open the smiling face of Mrs. Hoxie
appeared in the doorway. Stepping into the room
she advanced toward the officer, thanked him for
his kindness, and then turning towards us gave us a
lecture. She kept her eyes all the time on Bill, though,
never turning towards me once. Bill during the lecture
twisted uneasily about in his chair and writhed under
the good woman's severe but well-merited rebukes. I
shall have to cut it short now Tom, as I see Mr.
Mills coming into the yard. Bill was marched ahead
to the ship, where as you know, he was confined in the
chain locker four weeks, and lived on very poor fare,
and all his liberty days stopped during his term of
service, which I am very thankful, is very nearly out.
I was kept in the background that day until Bill was
confined, then I was allowed my liberty and received
the thanks of Mr. Hoxie and his wife1 for the1 part I
had acted, and was complimented by the officer for
carrying it out so well. Lang has not spoken to me

186 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
since his release from durance vile, and I am of the
opinion that he was informed of the part I played that
day, by one of the men accompanying the officer."
Just then Mr. Mills was seen coming over the side
of the schooner, and thus precluded the chances of
Tom and I having any further conversation, so I left
him to his reflections, while I turned my attention to
Mr. Mills who advanced to where I was standing.
"Well," he said, "the work seems to be going on
finely. I would like you to call the men together, as I
have a few words to say to them."
I called the men from their labors, and after they had
gathered around, Mr. Mills addressed them as follows :
"Boys, you have worked hard to bring this vessel to
completion, and I am more than thankful to you all,
and especially so to my mate here," turning to me, "for
his diligence and energy in pushing the work along.
Owing to the rebels destroying so much of the valuable
material that was designed for this craft, it has been
uncommonly hard work on my part and Blanding's to
get together the necessary essentials in order to finish
the vessel as it should be. But, as I said before, the
vessel is nearly completed, and a day or two only will
be sufficient to get her ready for launching. Now,
boys, last month I sent to New Berne and got a gallon
of whiskey." The men's eyes snapped at this announce
ment and they listened the more attentively for what

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 187
was to follow. Mr. Mills, noticing the effect, went on
to say : "I know, boys, if Commander Renshaw knew
it he would not sanction it, but as I see no harm
in it for once in the way, I shall therefore run the risk,
trusting to your good judgment to keep it quiet. I
have made arrangements with Mr. Donzleberg, the
honest old Dutchman who keeps the grocery store next
the ship yard, to take the demijohn and deal the spirits
out to you when you go to work in the morning, and
again before going to dinner, then at four o'clock at
the close of your day's labor. I am sure as I have
arranged it, it can do you no harm, and I do not want
any man to use it who has not been in the habit of using
it. That's all ; you may go back to work."
As the men dispersed, they indulged in many
antics to show their appreciation of the carpenter's
kindness. They worked with a will all the rest
of that day, and at four o'clock we returned to
the "Louisiana," while the contrabands proceeded to
their homes or lodging places, for many of them were
alone and depended upon those who were fortunate
enough to have their families with them inside the
lines. The next day at nine o'clock we went to the ship
yard and resumed our labor upon the vessel. Although
there was not much to do to finish our task, yet there
was enough to keep us fluttering around all day, so as to

188 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
get every thing ready for the launch, which was to take
place the next day. One of the contrabands, Jeff by
name, was an inveterate talker, and had many a story
to tell about the rebs, one of which I will relate :
After the capture of New Berne by our forces, and
when the fleet, some days after, was coming up the
sound to shell Little Washington, although they did
not have to fight for the possession of the town, as the
rebels evacuated that place, Jeff was at work in the
ship yard, when the Yankee fleet appeared coming up
the river. "Old massa," he said, "you uns better git
out yere,; de d  Yankees coming now for sure ; soon
dey be up to de wharf. Specs dey am de same dat kill
all de little chil'n in New Berne when dey take dat
town. Gadder all de shavens roun' and put dem under
de vessel, and set de d  thing on fire. De Yanks
neber hab dis yer vessel. Bang ! goes one ob de ole
boats down de river, and I say to de massa, 'Hi ! massa,
here dey comes, sure nuff.' Bang ! bang ! dey am
feeling ob dc rebs. Ole massa scratch a match ; he
neber burn ; him scratch anoder one ; no burn. 'D —
de matches ! gib me de whole bunch ; dey neber will
light ; dem matches just like so dey been in de water.'
Well, ye see honey, dem matches bin done soaked in
de water-pail ; course dey wouldn't light, but I want
guine to tell massa dat fac'. Him scratch dere all day ;
de matches neber light. Bang ! dat gun went. Ole massa

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 189
neber stop for to burn ship ; him run as if de debil
arter him. Specs dat him runnin' yet."
I was in no hurry to see Mr. Mills, but the boys
were casting anxious looks around in expectation of his
appearance in the ship yard. To tell the truth, I did
not really like the programme, for some of the boys
were easily excited, and neither he nor I could tell what
might happen when they were under the influence, of liq- .
uor, however little it might be. We had been engaged in
working about an hour, when Mr. Mills entered the yard,
and coming to my side, said, "You can let the men
come two at a time to the store for their ration of grog ;
and, by the way, you had better go with me first and
get a nip."
I thanked him but declined to accompany him for
that purpose. I then told George Jones and Ham
mond that they could go to the store, and after being
served to come immediately back. They soon returned
and then I sent two more, and upon their return I sent
the contrabands. All went well until after dinner. I
had noticed Hammond slyly talking with Jones and two
of the contrabands at different times during the forenoon,
but when I approached they sidled off. I did not think
much of it at the time. The rations of grog were served
out to the men at noon, and after seeing them busily at
work cleaning the deck, I took a stroll up as far as the
Lafayette Hotel. I returned about three o'clock, and

190 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
when I entered the ship yard one of the contrabands
came running towards me, exclaiming, "Massa mate !
massa mate ! de men done clar'd out ; dey say dey guine
to hab high ole time."
"What do you mean, you black piece of ebony?" I
asked, interrupting him ; "speak out now, so that I can
understand you."
"Well, de men done gone off an' got drunk on
Massa Mills' whiskey; ole Dunnyboger's luff dem hab
de dem'john."
"All of them gone, did you say?"
"No, massa, de brack men dey ober dar side de ship,
'cept Abe and Jeff; dey done gone 'long wid Jones an'
de rest."
My worst fears were realized ; the men were not sat
isfied, as I knew they would not be, with three drinks,
when by some simple artifice they could get more.
Now I knew that Jones and the others had been con
cocting some plot when my back was turned. I has
tened now to find Mr. Mills to inform him of the result
of his liberality. I found him at the hotel just spoken
of, and upon learning my business withhiin, he accom
panied me to Donzleberg's store at once. The carpen
ter felt pretty well cut up about the matter, and ques
tioned me as we went along as to how they managed to
get the liquor, and even went so far as to blame me for

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 191
leaving the ship yard, something I had been in the habit
of doing whenever the mood suited me.
Arriving at the store we found the old fellow in, and
seemingly glad to see us too. I knew by the old man's
manner that he was aware that something had hap
pened. "Veil, dis vash a goot day Mr. Pills," coming for
ward to meet us, "unt I am glat to meet mit you any-
dime, Mr. Planding, in mine shop," turning and address-
me ; "you don't gome round sometimes so ofen," and
Donzleberg held out his hand to me, which I was
forced to shake. The fact was I did not like the old
fellow very well, and so steered clear of his old rattle
trap store, and only went in there' when I could not get
my wants supplied any where else.
"Look here, Donzleberg," said the excited Mills,
"what kind of a trick is this that you have been put
ting up on me, now?"
"Treek ! vat you mean by dot?" said the Dutchman,
rubbing his hands together, and grinning up into the
carpenter's face.
"Why, here I leave that whiskey with you for safe
keeping, and no sooner is my back turned than you
let the boys have it, without an order from me, and
they have gone off and got drunk, I suppose, and the
devil will be to pay if the old man finds it out," said

192 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
Mr. Mills, addressing the latter part of his conversation
to me.
"Yaw ! Mr. Pills, I give dot whiskey to de poys
unt your order, mit your name ont."
"My name on the order ! Ten thousand devils ! I
have given no order to any one to draw upon you for
anything." "Py tarn I vat you call dot? Ish dot von ortcr?
Ish dot your wfitin', hey ?" and the old Dutchman
thrust a dirty slip of paper up under the carpenter's
nose. Mr. Mills took the paper from him and read it
aloud :
"Deliver to the bearer the demijohn under the counter, in your
shop, containing the whiskey. The bearer is all right. M». Pills."
As the carpenter finished reading, I laughed out
right, although I was aware the next instant by doing
so I was laying myself liable to punishment, but he
was so worked up about the affair that he only said :
"It's no laughing matter; if those fellows get drunk
they will give the whole business away, and I shall
stand a chance of getting cashiered."
"Ish dot orter no goot? You laff at dot, hey?
Yaw, I lets de poys haf dot whiskey mit your name
there ¦Pills.' You see dot, hoy ? By jimminy !" and
the Dutchman laughed out, "ha! ha! dem poys blays
a schoke on you, Mr. Pills, hey?"

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 193
"Plays — a — joke — on — me, why you thick, blunder-
headed old Dutchman — by — it's too bad. I'll — here —
can't you read? That's not my name, Pills. Mills,
Mills, is my name," and the carpenter glared at the
Dutchman, who only said :
"Yaw, Pills; don't I say dot. What for I let de
poys hab dot demijohn if I see not your name Pills on
dot, hey ? "
"Oh, it's no use, we cannot make anything by stop
ping here any longer talking with this blunder-headed.
old sour-crout," said the excited Mr. Mills, "come on,
Blanding, and help me to find them," and he turned
and left the store and I followed him. After a long
search we found them at the camp of the Third New
York Cavalry. They had drunk up all the whiskey
and were inclined not to obey when Mr. Mills told
them to return to the ship yard. As they hesitated,
Mr. Mills told them they could take their choice, go
back to the ship yard quietly and go to work, or go on
board the "Louisiana" under arrest. After some
saucy remarks from Jones, who was the worse for
liquor, of the alternatives they chose to return to the
yard, and so sullenly followed Mr. Mills in that
direction while I brought up the rear. Nothing was
seen of Abe and Jeff, the two contrabands, neither did
we look for them. Arriving at the ship yard the men
set to work to help the contrabands finish cleaning up

194 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
the litter around the vessel. Mr. Mills kept me com
pany tho rest of the afternoon and all went well,
although Jones threatened to become obstreperous
several times during the afternoon, but with a little
moral suasion we managed to keep him in the harness.
Four o'clock came and we returned to the gun-boat
as usual. I was afraid Jones' condition would be
noticed by our lynx-eyed executive officer, Mr. West
ervelt, for he had not worn off the effect of his pota
tions and showed that something unusual was the matter
with him. By good luck the lieutenant was not on
the quarter deck when we went over the side, and I
hurried Jones forward out of sight of any of the
other officers, and when all was safe, I drew a long
breath, mentally hoping the carpenter was too well
satisfied with the results of his first setting them up to
ever want to try it again.
The schooner was all ready now to launch, and next
day Mr. Mills invited the officers on shore to witness
her float away, at the ship yard. The officers boarded
the schooner and took their seats on the deck, while
the carpenter stood ready to break a bottle of whiskey
over the stern. "All-ready," sang out the carpenter,
and the chocks were knocked out from under the vessel
and she glided gracefully into the water. AVe gave
three cheers as she floated in the middle of Tar
river, where she was sent by the impetus given by slid-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 195
ing from the greased ways. The whiskey was spilled
over her stern, and she was named, "Renshaw." Her
future occupation a store ship, and she made a good
one. The carpenter was put in command, much to his
satisfaction.

CHAPTER XI.

EXPEDITION TO GREENVILLE.
AS we were now well prepared for the rebels below,
the next thing was to find out what was above
us in the river, or on the shores to Greenville. One
morning after we had holy-stoned the decks until they
fairly shone, and had partaken of our breakfast, the boat
swain's mate's shrill whistle was heard to pipe all hands,
and with stentorian lungs he called the men to quarters.
"Do you hear! All hands to quarters; all hands
muster aft on the quarter deck."
AVhen we had all assembled on the deck, lieutenant
Westervelt said he had called us together to inform us
that an expedition was to start about dusk to go up Tar
river on a reconnoissance, and he wanted volunteers.
Every man in line raised his hand signifying his willing
ness to go. But the lieutenant only wanted twenty. The
result was he had to pick his men. Tom and I were of the
fortunate twenty chosen. I had many offers from the less
fortunate to go in my place, but I refused them all, for,
sink or swim, I was bound to go up Tar river.
That day a stern wheel steamboat arrived in Little

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 197
Washington and coining up alongside made fast to the
"Louisiana," and we were soon made aware of the fact,
that she was intended for our use. Being flat bottomed,
she could run in a foot and a half of water and con
sequently was just fitted for our purpose. We intended
to start about five o'clock, and in the meantime
prepared everything for our journey. The boat
howitzer was hoisted from its position on the fore-castle
deck and mounted on wheels, which were stowed in the
chain-locker for such an expedition as we were now en
tering upon. Drag ropes were attached, and powder,
shot and shell were put in cassion boxes on the axle
tree each side of the gun. When all was ready the
gun was run on board the stern wheeler and four days'
rations were issued to the crew. On the steamer was
a twenty-four pound gun mounted on the forward deck,
which was intended to be left on board with a gun's
crew, while we went on shore with the other. Every
thing being now in readiness, forty soldiers of the
North Carolina men were marched on board, and we
were ready to leave. As we were putting off, some
of the boys cried out to Blucher, one of our number,
"I say Blucher, what's the number of your bag and
hammock? You won't need them any more; and say,
Durand, we'll write to your mother," and much more
to the same effect ; and all the timeo they looked as
if they were attending a funeral.

198 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
On the port and starboard sides of the boat, hay
bales were placed to protect us from sharp shooters on
the shore as we steamed along. Pretty soon came the
order, "Cast off," and we steamed up the river. Noth
ing worthy of note happened on our passage up, how
ever. A few miles from the starting point, the river
became so narrow that we could almost jump on shore
from either side of the boat. We steamed ahead now
very cautiously for it was just the place for an ambush.
The river grew narrower, and the limbs of the trees on
the banks grazed the steamer's sides as we passed along.
The lead was thrown and we found that we had
three feet of water. A little further, we had two
feet and the engine was stopped, for Mr. Lay, our chief
engineer, who was in command of the expedition, con
cluded, in consequence of the river being so narrow,
and the water so shoal, to make the remainder of the
journey to Greenville by land. But as it was now
quite dark, and Greenville was yet some distance up the
river, he determined to tie up to the trees on the banks
and wait for daylight before exploring any further,
for we were now as far as we could go in the steamer,
and to all appearances the river was now unnavigable
even for a launch. So the steamer was made fast bow
and stern to the trees on both sides of the river.
Pickets were placed at some distance in the woods on
either side, and watches were set on board. The men

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 199
then turned in to sleep. I had the first watch on deck
from nine until eleven. About ten o'clock I heard the
sound of the blows of an axe, as though some one
was felling trees. I immediately notified Mr. Lay,
who at once came on deck. He listened attentively for
a few minutes, then said, "Boys, they are felling trees
across the river below us, to prevent our return in the
steamer. At any rate we can do nothing to-night, but
we will run down in the morning as far as we can, and
if need be force our way through. Keep a sharp look
out now, and call ine at once if anything unusual hap
pens." As he spoke, the noise of the chopping suddenly
ceased, and there came the crash of a falling tree.
"That don't sound in the direction of the river," said
Mr. Lay. "AVhat do you think, Blanding?"
"My opinion is, sir, that the tree was felled inshore
some way from the bank, for I have listened to the
sound of the axe for some time, and when the wind blows
it drives the sound down the river, and when it is calm
it sounds inshore."
"Well, I hope you are right; if the chopping con
tinues let me know it, and I will reconnoitre in that
direction," and bidding us keep our eyes open he turned
in again.
Nothing more was heard to cause me to arouse Mr.
Lay again, and at eleven o'clock I was relieved and
14

200 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
turned in, perchance to dream of home. The rest of
the night passed quietly, nothing transpiring to cause a
second alarm, and in the morning all hands were called to
breakfast which consisted of hard-tack and pork, washed
down with a pint of coffee apiece. The pickets were
then called in, the lines cast off from the shore, and we
backed down the river nearly half a mile before we were
able to come about. A bright lookout was kept on
either side for signs of rebs, and we were expecting to
see, at any moment, trees felled across the river to
check our further progress. Yet we steamed along
and the river grew wider and wider. Mr. Lay then
gave an order to stop her, for he had now come to the
conclusion that the chopping we had heard in the night
was made by some woodsman near his house back from
the river. At any rate it could not be accounted for,
and as we were not blockaded we did not care to
account for it. The old steamer was now headed up
the river again, and we pounded along until we neared
our former anchorage, when Mr. Lay concluded to make
fast, and traverse the rest of the distance to Greenville
by land. We knew that there was nothing, as far as
we had gone, either in the shape of a ram or scow, that
could endanger our forces below, and if anything was
being constructed at Greenville, it would have to be
drawn to the river bank first, and then launched, and
we were now confident that nothing of any magnitude

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 201
could be above us in the river. Forty men were chosen
to go to Greenville, twenty on each side of the river.
They were mostly North Carolina men, who knew every
foot of the ground from Little Washington to Green
ville. They set out in fine spirits, nevertheless keeping
a sharp lookout for bushwhackers, for we were in the
¦enemy's country and therefore it behooved us to be
careful, for danger lurked in every crook and turn of
¦the river. It was about nine o'clock in the forenoon
when^they 6et out, and their return was not looked for
until late in the afternoon, so all we could do was to ,
amuse ourselves until their arrival. We were sur
rounded by dense woods, in consequence of which ten
seamen did. picket duty on land, five on each side of the
steamer. The remainder Lay about the deck and smoked
their pipes, deriving solid comfort from that source.
Everything seemed quiet, although the farmer bush
whackers could not but know that we were up the river,
.as we passed two houses on the bluff, and a man was
seen to dodge around the corner of one of them as we
hove in sight. Three o'clock had passed ; the time
began to drag, and we wished for the return of our
land force. Between three and four o'clock we heard
firing in the direction taken by the troops, and the con
clusion arrived at on board the steamer, was that the
boys had found the Johnnies at or near Greenville.

202 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
The firing was very indistinct although we were within
a few miles of Greenville.
We listened intently for some time but the firing
had ceased. Mr. Lay now began to make pre
parations for sending ten men of our crew to rein
force them, when a voice from one of the out-posts
reached us, "Halt! Who comes there ?" "Friends,
with the countersign." "Advance, one, and give the
countersign." In a few moments our friends made their appearance
tired and bedraggled with mud. We eagerly gathered
round them to hear the news. It seemed that their
progress was not impeded at all, except by the thick
brush and briars that lined the banks of the river, until
they reached Greenville, which they found to be occu
pied by a few women and children, and a number of
old men. There were no signs of anything built, or
building that could in any way affect us at Little AVash-
ington. The Buffaloes had endured many insults from
the women, who called them traitors and bade them
come and protect their homes against the hated vandals.
As they turned their backs on Greenville, a squad of
rebel cavalry appeared on the bridge leading from
Greenville to the woods on the opposite side, and fired
a volley at our boys, which was returned with interest,
but the distance was too great for either side to do any
harm with their leaden messengers, and the rebels dis-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 203
appeared in the woods again. No other incident worthy
of remark happened to them on their return down the
river. After hearing the report, Mr. Lay concluded to cast
the lines from the shore, run down where the river was
considerably wider and anchor for the night, in the
middle of the stream, for it was coming in thick and
foggy, and we could, if attacked, defend ourselves much
better there than at our old anchorage ; besides all this,
we should be all together on board, and with a gun on
the port side and another on the starboard side loaded
with grape and canister, be prepared for almost any em
ergency. AVe then cast off our lines and steamed down
the river until we came to a place where the banks of
the river side were quite low, where we dropped our
anchor. The night was passed in much the same man
ner as the previous one ; watches were set, and we
turned in to obtain what rest we could, for in the
morning Mr. Lay said we should steam down the river
to a landing, where he proposed to take the howitzer
on wheels, and leaving only a gun's crew on board the
stern wheeler, land, and march back into the interior
some eight or nine miles on a reconnoissance. We
turned out at four o'clock — eight bells — next morning,
and immediately after breakfast got up our anchor and
ran down the river until a high luff was discerned, upon

204 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
which was seen a board cabin and a man standing on
the outside, apparently watching us.
The prow of the steamer was turned inshore,-
and in a few moments more we ran up alongside the
bank and made fast. Our few preparations to land'
were soon made. Mr. Lay hailed the man and askedl
him if there were any Johnnies about. He replied
that there were about fifty rebel cavalrymen just below
the bend in the river, concealed on a high bluff wait
ing for us to come down, when their intention wa6 to>
fire a volley into our craft as she passed the spot where
they were hidden. Mr. Lay thanked the man for his
information, and went on with his preparations to land.
AVe found it hard work to drag the howitzer up the
steep incline, but it was finally accomplished. Some
of our North Carolina men knew the man with whom
Mr. Lay had just been speaking, and said he was a
Union man, and that his word could be relied upon.
Mr. Lay intended to give the rebels a reception.
We found upon landing, a road that led down froui'
the old man's house, which was about a half mile from
the river, and the place where four roads centered. At
the side of one of these roads was an old log cabin,
which commanded an unobstructed view of the road
leading to the river where the rebels were believed to be
hiding. The soldiers were given a position in the
cabin, and through the chinks of the logs they com-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 205
manded a view of the road spoken of. The howitzer
was run in behind the cabin, and the trail-ropes led
out towards the road. Pickets were then placed down
the road, in the woods, within sight of the cabin, with
orders from Mr. Lay that as soon as they saw an}*
rebels, to step out to the edge of the road, keeping out
nf sight of the rebels all the while, and hold up their
hands, then make a detour and return by our rear. In
the meantime, the captain of the steamer had orders
that as soon as one of our boys made his appearance on
the bank of the river and raised his hand, to steam
down the river near enough to the bluffs where the
Johnnies were lying in wait, open fire upon them with
the twenty-four pounder and drive them out. The
supposition was, that when they were forced to leave
their ambush, they would retreat up the road towards
us and we could bag them. But things turned out
D D
differently from what Mr. Lay expected.
AVe soon heard the gun from the steamer, as fire was
opened upon the confederates' hiding place, and our
excitement became intense. AAre lay extended upon the
ground, ready at a moment's warning to grasp the
trail-ropes and run the howitzer out to the center where
the roads forked. After waiting for what seemed to
me to be half an hour, the order came, "Ready, run
her out." AAre all grasped the trail-ropes, stood erect,.
and swung the' cannon out into the center of the road,

206 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
expecting to encounter the enemy in force. Fancy our
surprise, when instead of seeing the enemy in front of
us, on turning our heads we saw about twenty of the
rebel cavalry riding leisurely up the road towards us.
On perceiving us they came to a sudden halt, and
seemed too much surprised to realize their danger.
That second or two, however, while they stood dis
mayed, was just enough for us. The order came
promptly, "Ready, aim, fire." Bang! went a charge
of grape shot, hustling towards them, with what effect
we could not really make out. Part of them wheeled
their horses and jumped the fence on the right hand
side of the road, and then urged them to a gallop across
an old cornfield. Two of them must have been hit by
our fire, for they reeled in their saddles as their horses
bore them away. The remainder split up, and a part
of them drove their horses at a break-neck speed into
the woods on the left, while others galloped down the
road. All this happened in a few seconds of time. AAre
had a point blank range on the Johnnies galloping down
the road, and the next time we fired, it made the dust
fly and obscured them, but still they rode on, appar
ently unharmed by the grape shot, and turning to the
left, disappeared in the woods.
Pretty soon, "Zip," came a ball, "Zip, zip, zip,"
they continued to come. We fired a few rounds into
the woods, across one corner of the cornfield, from

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 207
whence the shots seemed to proceed. In a ,few
moments the rebs appeared on the edge of the woods,
and in sight from the log cabin. No sooner had they
made their appearance than the loyal Buffaloes gave
them a volley. Ostensibly this was another surprise
to them, as their intention, I think, was to chargeupon
us, thinking we had only the gun's crew and no support.
AVe had however, twenty men of the gun's crew, ten
of them armed with Sharpe's rifles, cutlasses and navy
revolvers. All the seamen were armed with cutlasses
and revolvers. The enemy were now seen to deploy
their forces through the woods, so as to get into a posi
tion where they would be able to pick of the men at
the howitzer. AVe loaded and fired at this juncture
without waiting for orders, turning our gun as though
it hung on a pivot, and describing a circle, discharging
it as fast as we could ram the charges home. Adam
Blucher, of Philadelphia, was sponging the gun and in
the excitement of the moment, neglected to sponge
sufficiently, leaving fire in the chamber. AVhen we
rammed the next charge home, before Blucher had with
drawn his rammer, and while the shot-man was standing
ready with a charge of grape shot to put into the mouth
of the cannon, there came a premature explosion. All
was excitement now for a few moments ; our rammer
and sponge were gone, torn from the blood stained
hands of Blucher, and hurled into the woods in the

208 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
direction of the rebels, who were blazing away again as
we ceased firing. Blucher was thrown in a bleeding
and unconcious state to one corner of the Virginia rail
fence where he lay as one dead. I grabbed a hand
spike or trail bar and jerked it from its place to serve
as a rammer. The boys seeing my object tore off their
blue shirts, and with two of them, we improvised a
sponge, making it more secure by binding our silk
handkerchiefs around it. The rebs in the mean time
had come nearer to us and their bullets were falling un
comfortably close. AVhen all was ready, Mr. Lay
ordered us to open fire, and commanded the force
in the log cabin to keep up a hot fire on the rebs.
This was done, but with what effect we were unable to
determine. AAre were now ordered to make a retreat
towards the river, for this fighting unseen enemies we
were not accustomed to. But the bushwackers were right
in their element. Slowly we retreated towards the
road leading to the river, where our steamer lay
awaiting us, the rebels following us at a respectful dis
tance and sending in a volley once in awhile, causing no
severe causalities amongst us. Blucher was carried on
a litter to the steamer. As we neared the river the
firing from the enemy ceased, and we hastened our
steps to get to the boat, which wo soon reached,
finding her close inshore. The crew were on the
lookout for us, and were very anxious on our account.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 209
The howitzer was let down the steep bank with our
trail-ropes, while the crew on the steamer kept up a
steady fire of shot and shell over our heads, the how
itzer having been mounted on the hurricane deck before
our appearance, so that the proper elevation could be
attained to throw the shot over the bluff. It showed
the quick perception of the gunner — I wish I could
remember his name — and his fitness for the position
of captain of the gun.
In fifteen minutes' time we had the howitzer on board
the steamer, and the crew quickly followed. The fasts
were cast off from the shore, and Mr. Lay headed her for
the middle of the river, which having been attained, we
opened fire with both guns and gave the rebels a few
farewell shots ; then headed the steamer down the river
for Little AVashington. Blucher was badly wounded,
his right arm being broken in three places, and part of
his left hand shot away, while he was blinded by the
explosion of powder in his face. The rebels did not
follow us to the bank of the river ; at any rate we did
not see or hear from them again during our passage
down. We passed the bluff where they had been lying
in ambush for us, and without anything worthy of men
tion arrived at Little AVashington, where we ran up
¦alongside the "Louisiana." As soon as we were all
safe on board, poor Blucher's wounds were attended to
by Surgeon Bradly, and he was subsequently taken to

210 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
the hospital. AArith the exception of a shattered thumb
on my left hand, Blucher's injuries were the only ones
inflicted upon us by the rebels. The firing had been
heard in Little AVashington, and Commander Renshaw
was very anxious about the matter. The excitement
did not abate on board the "Louisiana" till we made
our appearance.
AVe accomplished all we had been sent to do, and so
ended our expedition up Tar river, which nearly became
being so disastrous to those who took part in it.

CHAPTER XIL

AT WORK IN THE BURIAL LOT.
THERE were days when the time hung heavy on
our hands, and we sat about the deck with little
elee to do but mend and put our clothes in order and
gossip like so many half-grown school boys. Among
one hundred men and boys there was always plenty to
talk about, and we passed many pleasant days while
stretched out beneath the awning that hung from the
hurricane deck1 to the foremast. It wag indeed pleas
ant to listen to the harmless chatter of a score or
more of the ship's company seated upon the clean white
deck ; some arguing in regard to the war's ending, and
upon it betting money that none of them possessed or
knew where to get. All I could liken the scene to was
a country school house in which the scholars were all
reciting at once. Frequently, under the influence of
the continual buzz, I would doze off, and that which
seemed to me so loud at first, would fall upon my ears
like the faint, far-off hum of bees around a hive ; the
sound would seem to recede, and finally die out
altogether as I lost myself in sleep. At such times,

212 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR ROY.
only those who have experienced the feeling can in
any way describe the delightful sense of abandon one
feels, as he lies upon the deck, shut out from the piercing
rays of the sun, while cares and troubles waft slowly
away, and all thought of the dangers which surround
him are lost. He appears to be entirely given up to
the enjoyment of his imagination, and all things seem
to melt away in a glorious indistinctness, wliile dreams
of home and the loved ones often mingle in his sleep.
It was under some such experience as this, that
one day, about six bells, (eleven o'clock) I awoke, and
with eyes partly open looked around upon the same
busy scene, the same throng of men and boys, many of
them under twenty, and it did seem to me that I should
never have energy enough to get upon my feet again.
Looking aft, I observed Mr. Mills making his way
slowly forward. I watched him and saw him making
inquiries of some of the crew, who pointed in the
direction of where I was reclining. AVhatevcr they
meant by pointing in my direction, 1 felt satisfied that
it concerned me, so I arose to my feet as he approached
and allowed myself to be seen. Approaching me he
said, "Mate, you may take Jones and go ashore this
afternoon, and see if you can make the head-boards of
the graves of those poor fellows in the grave-yard look
a little more respectable. I was up there this morning
and it really made me feel ashamed to think that they had

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 213
been neglected so long. You had better take some of
the new boards and red paint along with you, and I
will come around soon and see how you progress with
the work."
"Aye, aye, sir; I will go ashore immediately after
dinner and make a beginning." Mr. Mills then turned
and went aft.
The grave-yard was situated at the south-west end
of the town and enclosed about four acres. As soon
after, dinner as possible I called Jones, and we started
for the location, armed with red paint-pots and boards
and the necessary tools wherewith to prosecute the
work. Reaching the yard, I walked up and down the
paths between the graves, which had become overgrown
with grass and rank with weeds. After being engaged
in our work for some little time, I said to Jones that
the next time we came on shore we might bring some
hoes and dig the grass and weeds up, also a scythe to
mow around the graves, which were almost hid with a
most luxuriant growth of tall waving grass. About
all that we could do that day was to look around and
ascertain what was needed for the next few days that
we should be employed there. I found upon examina
tion that we should have quite a number of new boards
to erect, as the old ones were so delapidated that
several of them had fallen to decay, while the letters on
others were almost obliterated. Nearly all that were

214

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.

buried in this yard were soldiers ; the few that were
not soldiers had belonged to our crew, four of whom
had died with the chills and the fever. With the
exception of these, the head-stone to nearly every
grave read after this manner :
No. 50.
John Doe.
Reg. Mass. Vol.
Co. K.
Aged 16 years.
Shot on Picket.

AVhen Little AVashington was first captured by our
forces, the pickets were shot nearly every night by the
rebs who creept up to them, picked them off, and then
escaped in the darkness. It was certainly a cow
ardly thing to do, to steal up to a man and kill him in
cold blood at his post. There was some excuse for sur
prising a picket post, now and then, and capturing or
even taking life at such times in the encounters. This
was done by both sides, but I never heard of an instance
in which a Union man crept upon his hands and knees,
to stab a solitary, lonely foe in the darkness of night.
The farmer guerrillas have a great deal to answer for
in this respect, but I will not judge them, for the con
sciences of those who have survived the war, must surely

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 215
trouble them for disposing of their fellow-beings in so
murderous a manner.
"Say, Steve, don't you see that all the soldiers'
grave-boards here, contain a record of the ages of those
buried, and that they are all about twenty years old,
and some even under?" said Jones to me.
"Yes, I noticed that most of them are boys. Poor
fellows ! its too bad that they could not have had an
equal chance for their lives with their cruelfoes. There
are many aching hearts in the homes of the north now,
Jones, on account of these poor fellows sleeping here
in the North Carolina clay."
Mr. Mills came round in the course of the afternoon,.
and upon viewing the graves and the surroundings, said
we had better go on board and come the next day bet
ter prepared for work. As it was early in the after
noon, I asked permission for Jones and myself to stay
ashore until four o'clock, and it was granted us. We
strolled about town and visited the fort and the Third
New York Cavalry ; then went up to where the Forty-
fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers were
encamped, near the fort. There we found them hur
riedly engaged in packing up. Upon inquiry we were
informed that the boys' term of service had expired the
day before, and that they were to leave in a transport
that night, the boat having arrived while Jones and I
15

216 RECOLLECTION8 OF A SAILOR BOY.
were at the burial ground. With songs and merry
jests, the members of the Forty-fourth were flying hither
and thither, packing their various articles, strapping
them up in their knapsacks, and fastening the latter on
their backs, preparatory to making a start. When all
was ready, the regiment was drawn up in line, while
the band discoursed sweet music, comprising the soul-
inspiring national airs, and finally ended with playing
"Home Sweet Home" as they marched down the main
street. This tune made the boys, whose time had not
expired, and who were gathered around, feel homesick.
I own up to experiencing such a feeling. Jones and I
followed them down to the wharf, and waited there until
the transport sailed, which it soon did, after all were on
board. As they steamed away, they were greeted with
cheers from the crews of the different gun-boats in the
harbor, and from all the soldiers gathered together on
the wharf. I cannot tell the time when I experienced
such a lonesome feeling as came over me while standing
there watching their departure. Jones' face, as I looked
at him, wore such a woe-begone expression, that despite
my own visible emotion, I could not help laughing at
him. "It's all right, Steve, but you would laugh a
great deal heartier if you were on that steamer," he said,
as he pointed in the direction of the fast disappearing
vessel.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 217
"Well, never mind Jones, we will, God willing, be
taking in some such trip as that when our time expires, '
then we can enjoy a laugh at our own expense. Come
on, let's go on board the old "Louisiana" and drown
our sorrow in a cup of tea."
"AVell, I guess it's about time; see the signal is
flying for the liberty men to come on board."
Giving one last look at the steamer, which could be
faintly discerned in the distance, as she was rounding
Hill's point, we bent our steps in the direction of the
wharf opposite where our gun-boat was anchored.
Arriving there, the dingy soon put in an appearance,
and stepping into her we were rowed to the gun-boat.
In a few moments more we were seated around our
mess cloth, on the berth deck, busily engaged chatting
with the boys on the events of the day, and chewing
our salt horse and hard-tack, washing down the whole
with a quaff, now and then, of very strong tea, minus
sugar, minus milk.
The next morning at two bells, we were taken on
shore in the launch. We had with us a number of
new head-boards, and having procured two or three
hoes, we started for the burying ground, accompanied
by Howes Crowcll, Tom, and Jencks, the last men
tioned having been detailed at my request, to help in
cleaning away the weeds and grass from the path, while
Jones swung the scythe. It was tedious work, but in

218 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
a day or two, we had the weeds cleared away from the
graves, and were ready to commence lettering. We
were nearly a week at this task, but when it was done
we were more than rewarded by the respectable appear
ance of the yard, and every head-board could be easily
disciphered even while standing at a distance.
Letters came regularly by the mail steamers two or
three times each month, sometimes I received, as the
boys said, more than my allowance, and well I might,
for I corresponded with quite a number in the States
trying to keep them posted in our movements.
Upon returning to the ship one day after working on
shore, a letter was handed to me by Tom, which he
said, had come in the "Curjew" that afternoon. I had
noticed the "Curlew" when she came up the river, but
hardly expected a letter, for I had received three by the
last mail boat. Opening it I found it was from home
and it informed me that my father was dead. It was
so sudden, coining so soon after Lizzie's death, that I
did not seem to realize the sad news. Lizzie the
youngest of the family had passed away, and now
father, the head of the family, had followed, both in a
few months. At this rate, thought I, who would be
left to welcome Phil and I home, provided we were
spared to return again. My eyes filled with tears that
I could not force back ; this second sorrow seemed more
than I could bear ; but hastily brushing aside the tear

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 219
drops that were welling up from concealed fountains,
and filling my eyes to overflowing, I went forward to
the forecastle deck, and walked back and forth athwart
ship, until the mist had partially cleared from before
my eyes. Every heart beat went out across the water
— which separated us — to those dear ones left to me, ,
who in our absence, had the brunt of the sorrowful
burden to bear. Tom joined me on deck while I was
wrestling with my feelings and endeavoring to keep pace
with me as I walked excitedly back and forth, plied
me with questions in regard to my sorrow. I could
only reply incoherently, but thrust the open letter into
his hand, and motioned him to read it, which he pro
ceeded to do, seating himself on the capstan while he
did so. Meanwhile I continued my walk, and the hard
feelings which had fried to predominate over the better
in my bosom, in spite of all I could do to the contrary,
seemingly now took a different turn, and I felt myself
becoming more resigned, believing "He doeth all things
well." Tom jumped down from the capstan as he finished
reading the letter and approached me holding out his
hand. I took it and shook it till he winced.
"Steve, old fellow, I am truly sorry for you, and I
pity Phil, too, poor fellow ! I wish I had persuaded
him to visit home before enlisting ; truly it must be a

220 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
comfortable solace to you now, Steve, that you went
home before starting on this cruise." .
"Yes, Tom, I should always have been reminded
that I did not do my duty if I had neglected to have
gone home that day before setting out on this perilous
voyage. But it's terrible hard to think that I could
not have been present at the last sad rites, and looked
once more into the dear faces before they were con
signed to their last resting place."
"Cheer up," said Tom, as the crew began to gather
around and question me in regard to my trouble, "and
I pray you may have no more such sombre news during
our term of service," he continued, grasping me again
by the hand and giving it a hearty wring.
I briefly stated to my shipmates as they gathered on
the forecastle the extent of my new sorrow, and I had not
a doubt of the genuineness of their sympathy expressed
in my behalf. One cannot always bear the marks of a
sorrow felt in the face, especially on board ship, and
although I strove to put on a calm and even a cheerful
exterior, many days elapsed before the rough edge of
my sorrow wore away.
One beautiful day in June, a boat's crew from the
"Louisiana" was ordered ashore, to go into the woods
and back out about two cords of wood that had been
cut and corded up by the rebels previous to our occu
pation of the town. This wood was in a swamp

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 221
opposite the gun-boat. On our arrival at the wood-
side, we found that we should have to lay a plank
walk from the edge of the swamp to the place where
the wood was piled up. There were boards in plenty
around us, so there was no difficulty in procuring
sufficient for our needs. It was a very swampy place,
and a large number of lizards were seen crawling
about and protruding their heads from almost every
bog ; slimy, nasty-looking objects they were indeed.
The boards did very well to walk on, but they sunk
below the surface at every step we took, and as most
of us were bare-foot we many times thought that we
could feel the slimy creatures at our feet, and when by
chance a blade of grass touched the bare legs a kick
would be the result and a jump that would nearly land
some one into the mire. One of the men, whose name
was Reuben, and who hailed from some town in New
Hampshire, was as green a specimen of humanity as it
has ever been my fortune to come across. Many
were the pranks played upon him by his mess
mates, but he never seemed to get mad, and good-
naturedly answered back our sallys of wit and chaff.
When he left home he brought with him a pair of num
ber eleven boots. Egad ! what boots they were. On
rainy days he would persist in wearing them, contrary
to all orders on board ship. Reuben was with us when
we lugged the wood out of the swamp, and he was in

222 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
his glory, with his cow-hide boots on and his pants
thrust into the legs. For once the boots were doing
him some service, as he could go where we durst not
follow, so the fun was all on his side apparently.
"Gosh!" he said, as we were coming out of the
swamp, each man and boy with a heavy load of wood,
"gosh ! there's a thundering big snake," and he gave a
wild shout, and pranced up and down on the plank
walk like a Comanche Indian in the war dance.
That was enough for us ; at the word snake, down
went the wood from our backs, and without stopping
to ascertain the extent of the truth in Reuben's state
ment, we all bolted for the edge of the woods. One of
the men in front stumbled, and those immediately after
fell over him and each other, ker-splash into the
mire. Regaining our footing, another rush was made
for the opening, and we were not particular to keep to
the plank walk either. Up to our knees in the mire,
away we went, the mud flying in every direction. We
were sorry pictures to behold, all covered with slime
from head to foot. When we reached the hard ground,
we threw ourselves down on the grass, kicking up our
heels, and nearly bursting with laughter, as we eyed
each other and commented on our appearance. Soon
we discerned Reuben coming out of the woods with a
load of wood on his back that completely hid the upper
portion of his body from our view, but the boots were

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 223
plainly visible, and that's the reason we knew it was he ;
there was no mistaking the boots. With a bland, and
almost child-like smile, he approached us and threw his
load down upon the ground.
"Wall, boys," he said, "I was mistaken about the
snake ; it was only a thundering big crooked stick that
some of you fellows dropped. But by jimminy ! I was
scared some, wa'nt you ?"
Reuben sold us out cheap, and we were forced to own
up to the corn, bitter though it was, to be sold by him.
We did not hear the last of it for many a day. At
this juncture we noticed a signal flying on the mast
head of the gun-boat for our return, so we boarded
our boat, and silently rowed to the "Louisiana,"
where we were greeted on our arrival, with shouts
of laughter, and many a joke at the expense of
our delapidated clothing, as we climbed on board.
Reuben brought up our rear as usual. I was just
about going down the fore hatchway, when the cry of
"Man overboard !" came from the port gangway. I
ran to the side and looked over, and beheld Reuben
under water, his hands and feet going like pumping
engines, in his endeavors to regain the surface ; but it
was of no avail, his boots were too heavy for him to
pump himself to the surface. Just then, some one of
the crew ran across the deck, and diving overboard,
swam to him and seized him ; Reuben returned the

224 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
compliment and lay hold of his savior. Reuben wore
his hair very long, and it could be seen just below the
surface of the water, resembling a groat bunch of sea
weed bobbing up and down. A man in the small boat
close to the ship's side pushed out an oar to them, which
they seized and were pulled to the surface and then
hauled into the boat. Reuben was nearly pegged out
through his exertions, and was unconscious for upwards
of twenty minutes, but we rolled him in hot blankets,
forced plenty of stimulants down his throat, and in
time he was all right. The boots which had come so
near anchoring him to the bottom of Tar river, were
his particular aversion ever after, although he vowed
that he would keep them and take them home with
him when his time expired, and he did.
Fourth of July was in the near prospective, the
glorious old Fourth ! What shall we do to keep up its
observance? was asked by one and all as the time drew
near. Certainly a national salute would be fired from
each man-of-war vessel in the harbor, but what did that
signify? We must have something more than that,
and so we set our wits to work, to plan something
more lasting than the firing of guns, work that really
was nothing new for us to do. It was not until the
night before the Fourth that any decision was arrived
at. Mr. AVestervelt came to our assistance on the
morning of the Fourth, and informed the crew that he

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 225
had thought the matter over in the night, and had come
to the conclusion, that if the captains of the other gun
boats in the harbor, would lend a hand and enter into
the spirit of the thing, by allowing a boat's crew from
each steamer to attend," Why," said he, "I propose
a regetta, or a race between the three boats' crews."
It was just the thing, and the crew were unanimous
in its favor. The lieutenant ordered the second cutter
away immediately, and in persog, went to the gun-boat
"Ceres" to obtain permission, then to the "Commodore
Hull," and from the captain of each boat he obtained
permission to allow the crew to take part in the pro
posed race. They were all delighted with the idea and
promised to have the men at their stations promptly at
2:30 o'clock.
Upon his return, the lieutenant reported his success,
and we all manifested our appreciation of his efforts by a
unanimous shaking of hands all round, and the smiling
faces of the officers and the men showed how great were
the anticipations of the morrow.
The morning of the Fourth dawned bright and fair,
and gave every indication of being a pleasant day. The
day was ushered in by the firing of cannon both from ship
and shore. The men flew around to do their usual
morning duties. Mr. Lay, the chief engineer, ordered
up from below an infernal machine that he had con
structed during his leisure hours, and which he now

226 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
thought would be a fitting time to try. The machine was
put into the launch, and Mr. Lay, accompanied by two
men, got in after it, and pushed out to an old shallop
that lay at anchor on the west side of the river. The
machine was fastened in the center of the boat. It was
of cylindrical shape, and a long, hollow shaft extended
right through it, and at one end was fastened a torpedo,
so constructed that when the shaft was run out — which
was done by turning two cranks worked by a man on
each side — the torpedo would drop off and explode at
the same time. The feat of blowing up the old vessel
was successfully accomplished, and the means employed
showed the feasibility of Mr. Lay's plan to destroy a
much larger vessel. It was dinner time when Mr. Lay
returned to the "Louisiana", and he was heartily con
gratulated by the other officers, on the success of the
machine, to perfect which ho had labored eo long and
faithfully. Soon after dinner, boats from the "Ceres" and the
"Hull" arrived alongside, and the officers and men came
on board to arrange the preliminaries. A large num
ber of the officers of the other two boats, and officers
from the fort came on board to witness the finish and
encourage the men. The arrangements were soon per
fected and all was nearly ready when Tom said that
there was one thing that had been neglected.
"What is that, boy?" said some one.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 227
"Why, the naming of the boats, to be sure," said
Tom. "Yes, yes," shouted out fifty voices at once.
"That's a good idea, Tom," said Joe Reynolds, who
was coxswain of our boat.
"Well, what name shall we give to our boat, Steve?"
he said, turning to me as I was the nearest person to
him. "I think 'Julia' would be a good name. I like the
sound of the name of 'Julia,'" sang out Joe. How is
it it, fellow's, shall it be 'Julia,' or have eome of you a
name to suggest?"
There was a difference of opinion as to what name
should be adopted, but the crew finally adopted the
name "Julia." In the meantime, the crew of the
other boats had been busy selecting names for their
respective crafts, and succeeded, after a good deal of
chaff had been thrown back and forth among them.
The crew of the "Commodore " chose for their boat the
name "Betsey Ann," and the crew of the "Ceres"
called theirs "Aunt Phebe," which name being made
known was hailed with acclamation and delight. The
coxswain said that Aunt Phebe had not been beaten in
any thing yet she had undertaken, and he made his
brag that the representative of the name would corne
in ahead of the others. Prizes were offered by the
officers to their various crews to induce them to greater

228 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
exertion. • A prize of ten pounds of tobacco was offered
for the boat that came in first. The second prize was
five pounds. The starting point was a buoy right
abreast of the "Louisiana," and the track was a mile
and a half aud return. The boat's were arranged in
the following order : The "Julia " of the "Louisiana ;"
the "Betsey Ann" of the "Commodore Hull," and the
"Aunt Phebe " of the "Ceres." All being in readi
ness, the word was given to go, and the Jack tars bent
to their oars and fairly made the boats leap out of the
water with the impetus of their first strokes. At the
start the "Betsey Ann" took the lead and held it part
way down the stretch, but the "Julia" was only a half-
boat's-length behind her, while the "Aunt Phebe" was
two lengths behind, and working hard to make up the
gap as they neared the buoy. At Rodman's point the
"Julia" was ahead, and the "Aunt Phebe" had taken
the second place, while the "Betsey Ann" was half-a-
length astern. The boys of the "Louisiana" who
were on board that ship climbed up into the rigging
and cheered them to greater exertions, although the
distance was too great to make ourselves heard, but
then we must do something to give our excitement
vent. As the "Julia" rounded the buoy she spurted
and left the "Aunt Phebe" two lengths behind. The
"Betsey Ann's " crew now did their level best, and
as they neared the starting point they came up and

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 229
took a second place, and with the utmost exertions on
their part tried to lessen the distance between them and
the "Julia." But it was of no avail. As they came in
on the home stretch the crews laid themselves out to
win. Cheer after cheer arose from the gun-boats and
from the throng of soldiers that had gathered together
on the wharf to witness the sport, and who seemed to be
as eager as ourselves. The "Julia" still kept the lead
and as she rounded the buoy and turned her prow in
the direction of the "Louisiana," the crew were greeted
with cheer after cheer and we rejoiced with exceeding
great joy. At the same time we did not spare our
exultation at the defeat of the other two. The "Bet
sey Ann" came in second, and the "Aunt Phebe"
twenty seconds behind the "Betsey Ann." As the
latter boat rounded the buoy and laid on their oars,
after their severe exertions, they were greeted with cat
calls and sundry other obnoxious expressions from the
crew of the "Louisiana," for we had not forgotten their
boast before starting. Indeed, before the start, we of
the "Louisiana" were extremely doubtful of the result,
as the crews of the two rival boats were all picked
men. So were ours as far as that is concerned, but we
had a number of small-sized men in our crew, while
the men in the other boats were all of a large-boned and
robust type. But blood will tell, and the bone and

230 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
sinews won for us a victory over the heavy weights and
picked men of the others.
Other races followed, in which wc did not always
come out victors, but they were tame beside this one,
consequently I shall not mention any of them. It was
rather galling for the crews of the beaten boats to have
to stand so much chaffing from those they had despised
at the beginning, but they were fairly beaten and when
they turned the prows of their boats homeward, some
good-natured seaman sang out to the crew of the "Aunt
Phebe" to change their boat's name the next time, as it
was rather suggestive of too much weight ; a remark
that provoked much mirth among us.
Eight bells struck soon after the departure of the
defeated boats, and all turned to at the boatswain's call to
supper, to help to demolish the extra canned meats and
potatoes with which we were supplied in honor of the day.
Then the dessert consisted of several large puddings,
which proved to be Indian, and very good too consid
ering the cook'e wherewith to manufacture them, and
he deeerved all the credit we gave him that day for his
timely efforts to pamper our tastes as well as cater to
our whetted appetitee.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE SEIGE OF LITTLE WASHINGTON.
THE first day of April, 1863, opened with the rebel
General Hill's compliment to Little Washington
in the shape of a fusillade with a force of ten thousand
or more men. We were completely surrounded, and
every avenue of escape or retreat was cut off. The sol
diers in the forts were hemmed in by the rebels in the
form of a half-circle, their cannon bearing directly on
our works. They had managed to throw up earth
works during the night, and about five or six o'clock in
the morning opened fire on the fort. The shot fell
thick and fast within the fort, and pierced the flag-staff
many times, showing the accuracy of their aim.
Fort Washington was defended by the Twenty-
seventh and Forty-fourth Massachusetts regiments, a
portion only of these regiments being in the fort ; three
companies of the loyal North Carolina troops, one com
pany of the Third New York cavalry and about one
hundred negroes. The enemy had posted strong bat
teries at Rodman's point, Hill's and Swan point, thereby
16

232 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
holding the river for a distance of eight miles, and ren
dering an approach by water with wooden boats an
impossibility. They made a complete cordon round
the town. At Rodman's point the rebels erected a bat
tery of AVhitworth breech-loading guns, and at five
o'clock, April 1st, we were awakened by the cry of the
boatswain's mate calling all hands to quarters. -Every
man was out of his hammock in an instant ; the roar
of the cannon and the screaming of The shells as they
fizzed over our deck, could be distinctly heard by us, and
not waiting to get my clothes on, 1 gathered them up
in my arms, rushed on deck, and dressed myself at the
guns. At Rodman's point, the "Commodore Hull,"
commanded by William Saltonstall, of Salem, was
hotly engaged with the enemy. Above Rodman's point
and nearly abreast with the "Hull," in acorn-field, the
rebs mounted a long, thirty-two pound gun, and the
firing from that into the town and among the shipping
was rapid and continuous, the shells bursting and tear
ing through houses, forcing the inmates to seek shelter
in their cellars. On shore the fort could be heard
pounding away, and as yet we had received no orders
to open fire, but as the shot and shell began to come
uncomfortably close, Commander Renshaw gave the
order to open fire with the eight-inch shell gun upon the
enemy in the corn-field. Every man sprang with alac
rity to his place at the guns, and in a few seconds we were

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 233
hammering away at the rebs in the corn-field and directed
some shots at the battery at Rodman's point. We silenced
the gun in the corn-field for a time, but it was not long
before they opened fire again. The "Hull" ran in too
close at Rodman's point, and got hard and fast aground.
The rebs quickly became aware of this fact, and fought
their guns like mad. The "Hull" soon expended her
ammunition, and Commander Renshaw ordered the
boats away and the crews supplied her with the needed
material. The supply boats were kept going until night
set in, when we were enabled to tow her off and out of
range. General Foster in command of the land forces,
would not consent for the "Louisiana" to leave her posi
tion at the bridge, else Commander Renshaw would
have engaged the Rodman's point battery. In the
meantime the rebe had built a cotton battery right under
our nose in the swamp abreast of us, and the first we
knew about it was when they opened fire on the "Lou
isiana," bursting two shells in quick eucceeeion directly
over us. Immediately all hands were called to quar
ters ; the enemies' guns were well served, and they
dropped the shot and shell in a lively manner around
us. We fired a broad-side from the port battery ; then
ran the guns in, loaded with grape and canister, and
trained them on the spot from whence the shots were
fired. As they fired, we answered them with a broad
side from the guns double loaded with grape and cam's-

234 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
ter. The guns were then loaded with five-second shell
and in a short time we set fire to the cotton bales and dis
mounted their guns. Towards night they came back
and tried to get their guns away, but we opened on
them with three-second shrapnel shell, and they
retreated from the spot in disorder, leaving all behind.
The rebs brought a thirty-two pound Parrott rifle
gun to bear on us from the roadside at the end of the
bridge. The first shot they fired struck us, carrying away
our mizzen gaff. It seemed an age before we got the
order to fire, and in the meantime the rebels peppered
ue .well. At last Lieutenant Westervelt, who was
reserving his order on account of the ammunition being
short, gave us the order to fire. We brought three guns
to bear on the rebels in the woods and the ball opened
in earnest. We had fired five rounds when we received
the order to cease firing. I looked at the lieutenant
. in amazement ; what could he mean by such an
order ? Here the rebels were sending in their shot and
shell as fast as they could load and fire, and the order
came to cease firing on our side. It seemed Comman
der Renshaw was on shore when the fight began at the
bridge, conferring with General Foster, but as eoon as
he could make his hail heard on board, the lieutenant
eent a boat ashore for him. He came on board, and,
looking round upon the officers and crew, demanded of
he lieutenant why he was firing away the ammunition.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 235
"Why, sir," said the lieutenant, "they will shoot us to
pieces." "I don't care," replied Commander Renshaw,
"if they shoot your heads off ; send the men below;
then I shall be sure there will be no more firing for the
present on our part. Why, our ammunition is almost
expended, and should the rebels make up their minds
to charge in over the bridge, what resistance could we
make? Boatswain, pipe the men below." And there
we lay on the berth deck, while the rebs eent in their
compliments, without the power to return them.
General Spinola, with his brigade, on the fourth or
fifth day of the siege, co-operated with our forces, but
the attempt failed. Hill's point and Swan point are
nearly opposite each other. The rebel battery of the for
mer was posted upon a high bluff, back from the point,
commanding the river up and down. Below Hill's
point, the Union gun-boats and transports laden with
troops had gathered and were trying, but in vain, to
render us eome assistance. The gunboat "Hunchback"
engaged the Hill's point battery, but the bluff was so
high that it was extremely difficult for the crew to
elevate their pieces at short range to accomplish any
thing, and at long range the shells would not affect the
rebs much. The "Hunchback" had a very heavy
battery of hundred pound guns, but she was of wood,
and consequently could not fight long at any one time,

236 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
but would steam up and send in her compliments, and
then retire beyond range.
On the sixth day of the siege, the gunboat "Ceres"
ran the blockade with ammunition on board. She came
up by the batteries wliile the enemy did not fire a shot
at her. As soon as she had unloaded, two companies
of the Twenty-seventh Massachusetts, and some other
troops were marched on board, to proceed to and land at
Rodman's point, for the conclusion arrived at by our
commanders, was that the rebels had retreated. But
they found the rebs there, for they commenced a heavy
fire from six guns as soon as the "Ceres" wae within
short range. The "Ceres" returned the fire, and was
backing away from the point when she ran aground on
the flats within point blank range of the rebel batteries.
The soldiers stood so thick on the deck that it was im
possible for them to move about. The scene baffles
description. The steamer opened fire on the batteries,
and kept up a dogged fight, while three boats were
manned from our ship, and two from the "Hull" to go
to her assistance. Tom and I were both ordered into
one of the boats. Arriving there, the soldiers, who
were cooly awaiting our arrival, were taken from the
"Ceres" and landed on the opposite shore, under fire all
the time from the rebel batteries. Three of the soldiers
were wounded. In time we succeeded in lightening
the boat so that she could get off. The boys were cool

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 237
and worked with a will, and after all, the rebels' trick
did not work as successfully as they had anticipated.
We were now supplied with ammunition enough to
last a few days, and Mr. Mills, the carpenter, two
others of the crew, Jones and Holmes, and myself,
were sent on shore to construct a powder magazine in
one corner of a brick storehouse on the wharf. We
built a board partilion five feet from the brick wall, on
two sides, and a double partition on the other sides,
and filled the space between them with earth, while the
floor overhead was covered five feet deep with dirt,
thereby making it bomb-proof. We worked hard
under fire from the rebel batteries all the while,
and consequently were in great danger of being blown
to atoms. The building was struck a number of times,
but we kept right on at our work, and soon accom
plished our dangerous task. Our blacksmith work
was done at the lower end of the town, where there
was a blacksmith shop, and a colored man was the
toiler.- There the carpenter had the hinges manu
factured for the door of the magazine. The contraband
blacksmith did not like the work, as the smoke from his.
forge informed the rebels that something was being
made to order, and it drew the fire from the rebel bat
teries in that direction. I was sent down there one day
to give him instructions about the hinges before men
tioned, and as I was passing down the street leading

238 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
towards the shop, a thirty -two pound shot from the
enemy's battery struck an iron fence just in front of me
in a glancing way, shattering the fence and hurling the
fragments around me like a small hail-storm. I crossed
to the other side of the street and kept on my way
towards the blacksmith shop, not, however, without a
feeling of nervousness at my narrow escape from injury
or death from the hurling pieces of iron. Arriving at
the shop I went in ; the blacksmith had just left his
forge for a moment and was engaged working at the
vice on the work-bench, when another thirty-two pound
solid shot entered from the rear of the shop and passed
out over the forge. If the man had been at the forge
then it would have taken his head off. This I know by
actual measurement.
"Gorra mighty, how dem rebs do fro w dar i'n !"
exclaimed the astonished contraband.
I hurried him on with the job, and soon had the
hinges to suit me. Then . I informed the blacksmith
that he could close his shop and go up to the fort.
The hinges fitted perfectly, and our magazine was
secure from harm, as far as the rebels were concerned.
The fleet in the meantime was still below the batteries,
and there did not seem to be any hope for us in that
direction, although numberless experiments were made
by their commanders to break through the blockade
and come to our assistance, but without avail. Our

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 239
commanders did not know the eituation below, and
there was no possible way of finding out except to run
the rebel batteries. At length Master's Mate McKeever
informed Commander Renshaw that if he would furnish
him with four men he would run the blockade or sink
in the attempt. It was a hazardous undertaking, but
there was no other way to get dispatches to the fleet
below or receive word from them. Our commander
hesitated a moment, and then called for volunteers.
Half the ship's company responded to the call. Ren
shaw informed them when in line, of the dangers and
perhaps death in the undertaking, and asked them if
they were willing to face it.
"Yes, yes," exclaimed one and all.
"Well, then, I will proceed to pick out the men I
want." He then selected four able seamen from those drawn
up on the port side. I wish I could remember their
names, but I can only recall one, and only his last
name : Bartlett, from Boston, Mass.
The dispatches destined for the fleet below Hill's
point were hastily put in a package and sealed. Mr.
Renshaw then shook hands with the brave officer,
wished him God-speed, and instructed him in the
event of their being taken prisoners by the rebels, to
destroy the dispatches, so that they should not fall into
the enemies' hands ; all of which Mr. McKeever prom-

240 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
ised faithfully to do. He, with his chosen men, then
proceeded to land. At the lower wharf, they procured
a sail-boat, and boarding her, hoisted sail and were soon
fairly under way. The wind was blowing fresh down
the river, which was just what they desired. They were
watched from the vessels in the harbor, and by the sol
diers on the shore with eager eyes and fast-beating
hearts. As the sail-boat neared the first battery at
Rodman's point all noise was hushed on board the
"Louisiana." Nearer and nearer the battery the boat
went skimming along.
"Why," exclaimed some one of the crew on board
of the "Louisiana," "they are not going to fire on
them." The boat was now directly off Rodman's point
battery ; a blue smoke was observed to rise, and bang !
bang ! bang ! thundered the cannon. The shot was
seen by us to strike just ahead of the sail-boat and then
ricocheted towards the opposite shore. As fast as the
rebels could load and fire, they hurled their death mes
sengers at the tiny boat and her brave crew. Not a
shot, however, seemed to take effect, although the crew
were wet to the skin, so close did the iron hail-storm
patter in the water around them. The "Commodore
Hull" at the point, kept up a steady fire upon the rebel
battery, as also did the "Louisiana," and we did not
cease firing until the sail-boat was out of range of the
rebel guns. The fire from the two gun-boats seemed

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 241
to bother the rebels greatly, and they did not work
their pieces so effectually as they would otherwise have
done, had we let them alone. At the boatswain's call
to cease firing, we threw our sponge and rammers upon
the deck, and all rushed forward to watch the boat
which was still in sight of us and fast nearing the other
or lower battery at Hill's point. The Johnnies were
firing rapidly at her, but owing to her swift passage
through the water, they were unable to get the range.
The only danger from the battery now was from chance
shots. Suddenly, when she was nearly off Hill's point
she took to the middle of the river, thereby placing
her crew in danger of being hit by the rifle men on the
opposite shore. This position she maintained although
the sharp shooters lining the shore poured volley after
volley at the devoted craft and her gallant crew. Faeter
and faster flew the shot and shell, and still the little
craft, like a winged creature, sped on, now right
abreast of the battery, and a few moments more beyond,
with the fire from the Johnnies in her rear. But not a
splinter flew from the little bark. A few moments
more and they were out of range, fast nearing the fleet
that could be seen with the naked eye below the lower
batteries and out of range of them.
Three ringing cheers from the sailors on the ships,
and the soldiers on the shore proclaimed the safe
arrival among the fleet. In a night or two after-

242 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
wards, they returned up by the batteriee with
muffled oars, eluding the rebel pickets on the
river, who were sent out by the rebs to intercept them,
and rowed safely into the harbor. They were joyously
met on their return to the ship by their mess-mates, and
their names were entered on the log-book by our
"yeoman," Mr. Ross, as the bravest of the brave.
During the siege the Forty-fourth Massachusetts went
across the bridge on a reconnoissance. They had a
brush with the rebs who were in force and held the
road beyond the bridge. The Forty-fourth retired in
good order after a sharp interchange of leaden courtesies.
One morning a gun's crew was chosen from the "Louis
iana" to go on shore and man and fight a twelve-pound
howitzer, placed in position outside the fort and pro
tected by sand bags. Percussion shell was used. Tom
was one of the crew picked out to join the expedition,
and according to his description of the fight or duel, on
his return, they did the enemy considerable damage.
Finally our provisions ran short, and to starve or sur
render seemed our only alternative. Yet we fought
on. When the ammunition was all expended and our
power to resist exhausted, then, and not until then
would our commander entertain the thoughts of sur
rendering. On the morning of the thirteenth day of the siege,
Commander Renshaw sent word for Master's Mate

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 243
McKeever to report to him aft immediately. The
officers were on the "qui vive" to learn why he
was called aft, and anxiously awaited his re-appearance
that they might be'able to learn, if possible, from his
lips the reason. Visions of a possible surrender, or a
trip to Richmond, flitted through my mind, but I put
them aside immediately they were entertained. Mr.
McKeever was closeted with Renshaw and our executive
officer, Mr. AVestervelt, for nearly an hour, and the
other officers were on the anxious Beat during that
period ; but at last he came forward on the quarter
deck, where he was approached by hie brother officere.
They convereed in low tones for nearly half an hour,
and the crew watched them anxiously and listened in
tently outside the fife-rail, for an inkling of what was
in the wind. It wae eomething of importance every
one on board knew. You wonder how the crew could
know anything about it, I suppose. It is simply im
possible to keep any thing secret aboard ship any great
length of time. A word let drop by some incautious
officer in the presence of one of the ship's boys, a sign
from one officer to another, two or more talking
together in a knot, meant that something unusual was
about to be disclosed. It did not come out, neverthe
less, until the afternoon of that day, when the crew
were called to quartere, and volunteere were asked for,
to run the rebel batteries again. As before, half the

244 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
ehip'e company reeponded ; twenty men were chosen,
Tom and I among the rest. Master's Mate McKeever
was again put in command of the party. The men were
dismissed with the order to hold themselves in readiness
for a call. The second cutter was then piped away
and manned by the regular crew. Then rowing to the
lower wharf, the schooner "J. C. Alores " was secured
(she had come up the river before the rebs took posses
sion of the town). Hoisting sail, they returned to the
"Louisiana" after making a tack or two. Two guns
were then rolled on board; next, rifles, cutlasses and
ammunition were put over the side, and the volunteer
crew were then ordered aboard. The "Dolphin," one
of the ship'e boats, wae made fast to the stern of the
schooner, and the fastenings were cast loose from the
"Louisiana" as soon as the darkness warranted our
not being seen by the rebels at Rodman's point. Amid
the good-byes of our shipmates we sailed away.
The wind was light, but what there was of it, was
in our favor. When nearly abreast of the first battery
on Roadman's point, a dead calm set in. The crew that
was picked out for the "Dolphin" previously to our start
ing, were ordered to man the boat to tow the schooner,
while others on board the schooner did some responsible
poling. When right abreast of Rodman's point, the
rebs opened fire upon us, building a brush fire on shore
to direct their aim. We kept as near the opposite shore

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 245
as possible without ruuning aground, and slowly
worked our way along. We were struck by, the
enemies shot several times, but there were no casualties,
and we were not hit below the water line. Three shots
passed through our sails, and one made the splinters fly
from the caboose amidships. Two boats, loaded with
the enemy put out from the shore to intercept us, but
were driven back by a few well directed shots from our
howitzer. The rebs kept up a constant fusillade from
their guns, and replenished their fire with more brush
to enable them to get a better range. A breeze spring
ing up, we soon left the battery in our rear. The rebs
still continued to fire upon us with but indifferent
success, and we soon drew ahead out of range. We
kept on our course for half an hour and soon neared
the lower battery at Hill's point, running head on,
as the current in the channel swerved in that direction.
We received a warm reception as we came within range.
The rebels, warned of our approach, had built a fire on
a high bluff on the right of their battery, and it lit up
the river in every direction, but did not show our
schooner so plainly to them as at the Rodman's point
battery. The balls whistled around us in every direc
tion, but most of them passed over us. I thought of
a great many places in which I would rather have been
in than on that river. Keeping as far as possible
from the point where the battery was situated, we

246 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
made good headway, and was soon out of range of
their fire.
We reached our destination at the mouth of the
river on Pamlico sound about midnight. We took
aboard what ammunition we could conveniently carry,
and some bales of hay to act as breast-works on our
return, as the rebs would be on the lookout for any
return vessel and be ready to give us a hot reception.
We started to return about eight o'clock the next eve
ning. The wind had changed and blew off shore. We
made very fine time, for the schooner was a good
sailor, and about midnight were off Hill's Point. As
yet, seemingly, the rebs had not discovered us. AVe
had nearly passed the battery when a blue light shot
up on our port side, between us and the rebels, appar
ently from a boat out on picket. In an instant a faint
light was seen on the bluff, and in a moment more a
lurid glare shot up from a pile of brush heaped up near
the water's edge, the light from which streamed out
towards us, but did not extend quite far enough to
make us plainly discernible to the rebs, whom we could
see around the fire throwing on brush to increase the
blaze. We trained our two guns upon them, to be in
readiness to fire as soon as discovered, for Mr. McKeever
said that they should not have all the fun to themselves
this time in the event of our discovery. The man at
the tiller was ordered to keep her off as much as possible,

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 247
and we began to think that we should not hear what
each and every one on board was anxiously expecting,
but dreading, the reports of the rebel guns. As far as
musketry was concerned, at this point, we did not feel
much alarmed, as we were out of range. Just as all
hands were congratulating themselves upon passing
the battery so easily, there came a flash, then another,
and another, and the sullen boom from three cannon
came to us distinctly across the water, and almost the
same instant the missiles they were loaded with struck
in cloee proximity to us. Bang ! bang ! bang ! ".One
shot paeeed through our mainsail, the others evidently
went astern. They commenced firing now in earnest,
while the helmsman kept her off as far as he dared
without getting aground on the flats. At the same time
the wind wafted us ahead every moment farther from
the battery, and at last out of range. We did not
return their fire, as McKeever gave no order to that
effect. An occasional shot now and then was fired,
which fell far astern.
We prepared the schooner for the next battery at
Rodman's point, by reinforcing our hay balee, placing
two together for that purpose. All was seemingly quiet
up the river ; the camp fires of our soldiers could be
distinguished in the town, and the lights from the "Com
modore Hull" and the "Louisiana" could be seen faintly
17

248 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
shining like dim stars in the distance. All hands
were on the lookout, as we rapidly approached the bat
tery, and shortly we discovered a faint light on the
bank, and as we approached, it grew into a fierce flame
lighting up the path we were to cross, and shooting its
rays upon the other shore, or town side.
" Weare going to catch it this time," spoke up our
master's mate, addressing Major Strong who had
accompanied us on our return trip. I can't tell
what answer the major made to this remark, for the
battery began to fire rapidly as we drew near, and soon
the shot was humming around us and occasionally struck
the hay bales, knocking some of them over, and mak
ing things pretty lively for us. AVe stood it for awhile,
then Mr. McKeever ordered us to stand ready to fire.
Soon came the order : " Ready ; fire !"
The rebs could also reach us with their musketry, and
gave us a few volleys which wc returned with our
Sharpe's rifles. They could bo soon by us distinctly as
they danced around the fire, and it gave us a target for
our bullets. The blaze from the brush heap grew fainter,
but they still kept firing. We considered ourselves
comparatively safe by this time, and ceased to return
their fire. We ran up alongside the "Louisiana" about
an hour after, and were soon on board, where we were
congratulated by our shipmates upon our safe arrival,
and the absence of all casualitics.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 249
One night, our chief engineer, Mr. Lay, prepared an
old scow with empty tar barrels in the center of it to
represent a steamer's smoke-stack, and setting fire inside
to the bottom barrel, set it adrift in the current that
made down by the rebel batteries. The rebs, when it
appeared off Rodman's point, opened fire upon it, think
ing without doubt, that some boat was endeavoring to
run the blockade. They expended some fifty rounds
of ammunition on the old scow before they discovered
what it really was. The air rang with our shouts of
exultation at the success of Mr. Lay's contrivance to
entice them to throw away their ammunition. Some
funny incidents happened during the time we were
besieged, which will be related in another chapter ; but
one story told by a reliable contraband while the siege
was in progress, about his former master, an old
"Secesh," I will relate here.
One day when the rebs were uncommonly active
and were hurling their shot and iron thick and fast
into the town, this man was down on his knees in
the attic of his house, engaged in praying: "Rain
them down, oh Lord, and send the shot and shell
thick and fast ; kill and destroy all the Yanks."
Just then a shell from the rebel battery struck
his house, lodged and burst in the chimney. This
caused him to suddenly change his way of praying.
"Oh, Lord," he said, "not my house, not my house."

250 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
This story convinced tie that his prayers were of no
avail as far as the Yanks were concerned.
A canoe was observed one day to put off from the
town side, and the occupant, who proved to be a con
traband, rowed leisurely out into the middle of the river,
threw out his lines and pretended to be busily engaged
in fishing. There was no particular attention paid to
him, and after a while he was forgotten. But about
an hour afterwards our attention was called to him
again by our lookout forward, who exclaimed, "That
contraband, is fishing, away over on the opposite shore,
near the enemy." And sure enough, there he was
close inshore, pretending to be fishing as before. Lieu
tenant Westervelt passed the word aft for one of our
Sharpe's rifles, and resting it across one of the gun car
riages he took deliberate aim at the occupant of the
canoe, and pulled the trigger. The ball was seen to
strike the water just beyond the boat, and that contra
band pulled up his lines in a hurry and made for the
town. A boat was ordered and maimed, rowed inshore
and intercepted him. Upon being taken on board the
the gun-boat and questioned, ho denied all intent of aid
ing the enemy in any way byr word or deed. Ilia per
son was searched for something that would commit him
of holding communication with the robe, but nothing
wae found on him to verify our suspicions, lie said
that he had been in the habit of going over there to fish

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY; 251
before the siege, and thought there was no harm in con
tinuing to do so. He was a thoroughly frightened con
traband, and he promised never to go again. A sharp
lookout was kept on him after that, but he never went
over again during the siege, to our knowledge.
A journey to Richmond seemed in the near future for
us, and preparations were made by Commander Ren
shaw to blow up the old "Louisiana" if worst came to
worst. On the thirteenth of April, the Fifth Rhode Island
ran the blockade and came to our assistance on the
steamer "Escort," a large white boat with accommoda
tion for a great number of men. Up by the rebel bat
teries she came, while shot and shell flew thick and
fast about her, and volleys of musketry were poured in
upon her from the shore. Off Rodman's Point the
rebels had driven piles (before the capture of Little
Washington) to impede the progress of the Union
forces up the river. All of these had not been re
moved, but the "Escort" bobbed over them in safety,
was soon out of range of the enemy's guns, and pass
ing the "Commodore Hull" landed at the lower wharf.
The soldiers and sailors were filled with joy and excite
ment at their release, for the siege of Little AVashing
ton was now virtually ended. As the troope were
landed Col. Sisson gave the orders in a very loud tone
of voice, "Forward, first brigade! Forward, eecond

252 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
brigade ! " giving the rebels the impression that we
were re-enforced heavily.
The rebels becoming convinced of ( lie hopelessness
of starving us out, and being disinclined to make an
assault on account of the determined resistance of the
little garrison, and the reinforcements so unexpectedly
received by us, reluctantly abandoned the siege on the
sixteenth, and retired in the direction of Kingston,
towards which place they were hurried by our parting
shots. Pursuit was commenced immediately by the soldiers,
and nearly a hundred prisoners, including four commis
sioned officers, were captured.
Thenegroes, although lacking in drill and discipline,
yet rendered very effective aid, especially in the en
trenchments. The enemy were very much chagrined,
and withal humiliated at their want of success, having
counted not only on the easy capture of the garrison,
including the commanding general of the department,
and the material of war in the town, but they also calcu
lated upon re-possessing themselves of a very large
number of fugitive slaves, who had made Washington
their home, and who, by boldly coming to the front to
assist the beleaguered garrison, had made themselves
very obnoxious to the rebels, as had also the loyal
North Carolina men, and if the town had been cap-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 253
tured by the rebels, it would have fared hard with the
poor contrabands and soldiers spoken of.
The enemy's force was commanded by Major Gene
ral D. A. Hill, and consisted of Daniel's brigade of
infantry, five regiments ; Garnett's brigade of infantry,
eix regiments ; Pettigrew's brigade of infantry, six reg
iments ; Robertson'e brigade of cavalry, three regi
ments, with forty pieces of artillery and some indepen
dent battalions not brigaded. With these heavy odds
against us, we kept them at bay for sixteen days.
The enemy seized on all points of any value, and for
a time, effectually cut off all supplies and reinforce
ments. The bluffs below the town were seized and for
tified, commanding the river not a mile wide. The
garrison were forced to lie in the trenches night and
day strengthening the line of earth-works encircling the
town, (one mile and three-fourths in length,) and
throwing up traverses to protect themselves from an en
filading fire.
The ' 'Hull " during the engagement with the Johnnies
at Rodman'e Point was pierced through and through.
She wae struck one hundred and five times, counting
the holes and marke made by the rebele' Bhot on her
hull. The rebele buret three of their Whitworth guns
at Rodman's Point during the siege, and they also
seemed to run short of ammunition, for they hurled
old iron, sledge hammers, etc., into the town. It was

254 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
many davs after the siege before we could get the
"Louisiana" into ship-shape order, and then only by
dint of much scraping and holy-stoning, but at last she
looked trim and neat once more, and the old life revived
again on ship and shore.
Visiting Rodman's Point after the rebels had retreated,
the soldiers found a dead contraband in the water, along
side an old scow, with a rope about his neck and a note
from one of the rebels to this effect :
Yankees : We leave you, not because we cannot take Washing
ton, but the fact is it is not worth taking; and besides, the climate
is not agreeahle. A man must be amphibious to inhabit it. Wo
leave you a few burst guns, some stray solid shots, and a man
and brother rescued from the waves, to which some fray among his
equals consigned him. But this tribute we nay you : you have
acted with much gallantry during this brief siege. We salute the
pilot of the "Escort." Co. K., Thirty second N. C. Vol.
The pilot of the "Escort" was killed on the return
passage down the river. He raised himself up to look
over the hay bales with which the pilot house was sur
rounded, to see how the steamer headed, and was
struck by a minnie bullet in the forehead and instantly
killed.

GRAPTER XIV.

POISONED WATER.
THE water wc used for drinking purposes we got
on shore. Twice a day, the dingy boat was piped
away to fetch it. The water was procured from a well
near the town house, just off the main street. It was
coneidered very good water by the inhabitants, but the
boys found a great deal of fault with it on account of
its being very brackish. However, we had it to drink
in place of better, and we did very well with it till one
day one of our number noticed a peculiar taste to it dif
ferent from any we had noticed before. An alarm at
once spread through the gunboat that the water had
been poisoned. Wc had had similar scares before, and
therefore there was not much to cause attention to be
paid by the officers to the manifest alarm of the crew.
No unusual effects seemed to follow its use, and there
eeemed to be nothing more about it than the peculiar
taete spoken of. Several days passed by, and the
water question seemed to have been forgotten by both
officers and crew. One very warm day, the crew, after
drinking freely of the water, became alarmed at the ap-

256 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
pearance of little white spots upon their tongues and
the inside of their mouths. AVord was sent aft and the
lieutenant was not a little alarmed in turn. After he
had examined some of their mouths, Dr. Bradiy was
sent for. He was on shore attending to several cases
of chills and fevers that had made their appearance
among our crew a few days previous to the poison
scare. He soon came on board, and the crew passed a thor
ough examination at his hands. He could not readily
account for the complaint, but supposed it to be caused
by some mineral poison in the well. lie gave us a
medicine that partially allayed the fever in our mouths,
and we were dismissed for the present. The water we
already had on board was thrown overboard, and the
dingy was sent out for a new supply from another well
at the lower end of the town. Without doubt the
water had been poisoned, but whether intentionally or
not, we never were able to determine. I was very for
tunate, and it was well for the crow that I was so.
About a month before all this happened, I had sent to
me from home, a box in which were numerous articles
to delight the eye of a sailor boy. Among other things
were a dozen bottles of Perry Davis's pain killer. The
thought came to my mind at once to what use to put the
pain killer. I filled a cup with water, put some of
the contents of a bottle into it, tried it, and found it

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 257
good. But didn't it take hold? "Say, boys, here's
your medicine," and I had no sooner uttered the words
than the crew began to flock around me, and I admin
istered to each man as he came up, a spoonful. They
all said it was good for the stomach, and as some of them
expressed it, "Rats on the tongue and mouth !" After
using the pain killer for a few days, the white spots
disappeared, and 1 regarded our cure as the effect from
the use of the killer of pain. Even the officers were
glad to receive a present of half-a-dozen bottles, although
I used to imagine that they kept a supply, if not of
Perry Davis' pain killer, something fully as strong,
and not always to be used in case of emergency, either.
Perhaps that will account for their not being so easily
poisoned as the crew, who were fotced tQ rely upon the
water for drinking purposes. AVhat a- stranger would
have thought upon coming on board at that time would
be hard to tell, for the men were lying about the deck, a
few who were worse off carrying their tin cups about
with them wherever they went on the decks of the ves
sel, and every little while taking a sip of the pain killer
and water. After the men recovered, I put away the
medicine and stopped the supply, for it was too precious
to waste, and would take perhaps a month, or may be
two, to procure a fresh supply. But after all, I was
truly glad to see the last of it, except one bottle which
I kept for myself in case of emergency, and which I

258 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
securely hid from my mess-mates. I will relate why I
was glad when it was all gone. Not long after the
poisoning scare, one of the crew came to my ham
mock one night about midnight, and awoke me from'
a sound sleep.
"Hello, what's wanted?" I asked.
"Oh, oh ! won't you get up and give me a little of
your pain killer, or I'll be a dead man before morning,
there's such a pain in my stomach. Oh, oh ! hurry up,
matey, or I'm a goner."
As quickly as I could, I turned out of my hammock
to give the sufferer some of the coveted medicine. I
measured out a teaspoonful into a little water, and ad-
minstcred it to him.
"Ah, that goes to the right place," he said a few
moments after swallowing it. I told him to go back
to his hammock and cover himself up warmly, and per
haps he would be entirely well in the morning. I did
not hear from him again that night, but when we wore
piped up the next morning, ho canio around whore I
was at work taking down boarding netting.
"I say, chum, can't you let me have a little drop
more of that pain reliever? I don't feeljust right here
yet," pointing to the region of his diaphragm.
"Yes, I will be down in a moment and will fix you
all right," I replied.
As soon as the boarding netting was all taken down

RECOLLECTIONS , OF A SAILOR BOY. 259
and stowed away, I went below and prepared him an
other dose. 1 took the bottle from my "ditty box,"
where I kept it under lock and key. Every sailor has
a small box, generally made by the carpenter's mate,
out of any kind of boards that can be found suita
ble for the purpose ; and by the way, Cyprus makes
the best boxes. These boxes we call our "ditty boxes"
because thimbles, thread, and all sorts of small articles
used in making and mending our clothes were stored
away in thein. Well, I gave him another dose with
out mixing much water in it.
"Ah, that's good stuff," he said, while I could see
the tears in his eyes.
"You don't want to sell a bottle, do you? A dol
lar haint no object if you want to part with one."
"No, I do not propose to sell any ; if you are sick
come to me, and if I can relieve you I shall be glad to
do so."
He cast a longing look towards my bottle as it dis
appeared in my "ditty box," and strolled off hitching
up hie trowsers. I was called up at all times of the
night ; every other man seemed to have a pain of some
sort or other. I was never sure after getting into my
hammock, of resting there all night, for if I was not
actually awakened, I was expecting to be at any time.
I could almost fancy hearing some one at my side
groaning in fancied or real pain, and this and other

260 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
causes combined to make me happy when the last bot
tle was emptied.
Life aboard ship was becoming more and more
monotonous, and many were the anxious eyes that
were cast seaward as the days came and went, in the
hope of seeing a move in that direction. The welcome
sound at last came, borne to our ever-listening ears,
one pleasant morning after the usual holy-stoning of the
decks had been performed, from the boatswain's mate's
shrill whistle and the order, "All hands up; anchor
ahoy !"
We were completely astonished. Although antici
pating such a movement from day to day, yet, some
how we had come to the conclusion that our gunboat
had become a fixture, and would not leave her moor
ings at the bridge until the war was over, and every
Northern man had been mustered out of service. But
did we not hear the order "Up anchor?" AAre certainly
did, and all hands made a quick movement to execute
it too. "AVhere are we going?" was the one great
question we asked of one another. There had been
some talk of our going to Baltimore to get a heavier
battery ; but then we were carrying a heavy battery
already, full as much as the old "Louisiana" was capable
of floating with and more too, when outside, for she
would roll the muzzles of her guns under the water at
every lurch she made. We very soon got the cue,

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 261
though, and that before we left the harbor. We were
bound for New Berne for supplies, and it was about time
too, for only a few days previous to our order to sail,
our supply of hard-tack was brought up from below,
and put in a heap on the deck, where we picked out all
the mouldy bread and threw it overboard to the fishes,
returning the rest to the lockers.
AVe had a pleasant sail to New Berne, though nothing
worthy of note happened on our way thither. In due
season we arrived there. As we steamed up the river, we
could not perceive that the place had changed any since
our last visit. AVe passed the gunboats "Hunchback,"
"Eagle," "Underwriter," and last but not least, the
commodore's flagship, the "Hetzell," which lay at
anchor in pretty much the same position as when the
new draft boarded her eome monthe previous. She
appeared insignificent, compared with the "Louisiana,"
and I could not help wondering why Commodore Rowan
did not make her (the "Louisiana,") his flagship
instead of the "Hetzel." But there is no accounting
for tastes, and if the commodore acted according to
his, it was no business of mine. AVe steamed in,
dropped our anchor just above the "Hetzel," and after
putting the gun-boat in trim for a visit from the com
modore, several of us obtained permission to visit the
town. I met Tom at the forehatcli as I was descending
to the berth deck, and he informed me that he could

262 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
not accompany mo, as he did not ask permission in
time, and the complement of liberty men was already.
made up. Just as I had finished putting on my best
shore rig — white shirt, blue collar, black silk tie, white
duck pants and round blue cap with a large star in the
centre, — the boatswain piped all hands to muster, and
when we were all gathered together, Commander Ren
shaw told us that Commodore Rowan would soon come
on board and inspect the vessel and crew, and he wished
to have the men appear in their best attire. The line
was dismissed by the executive officer, Mr. Westervelt,
and with a "Bear a hand there, and jump into your
clothes lively," from the boatswain, the crew rushed
below to dress. AAre were all on deck again in less
than half an hour, dressed in our best bib and tucker ;
and those who were contemplating a visit to the shore,
had n chance to grumble, — sailors grumble sometimes
as well as soldiers — at the non-appearance of the com
modore. Eventually, however, his boat was seen to
leave the "Hetzell" by some of the boys on the look
out on the forecastle deck, the word was passed to the
executive officer, and in a moment more the boatswain
piped us to muster again. AVe made a fine appearance
as we stood in line on the starboard aide of tho "Lou
isiana." Everyman was neatly dressed, and the officers
looked spruce in their trimmed and well-fitting uni-
forms. Every piece of brass work on the deck and on

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 263
the fife-rail and hatches had been polished until one
could use the metal as a mirror. Even the brass hoops
around the spittoons had been highly polished. Ropes
were neatly coiled away, and the decks would fairly
have made a good house-wife envious. We had not
long to wait before the commodore'e boat came along-
eide. Commander Renshaw and the officere under
him assisted the commodore and his suite up the gang
way ladder to the deck of the "Louisiana," while the
boatswain blew shrill but not discordant notes upon his
whistle, and the men doffed their hats and remained
uncovered until inspected. Altogther it was an impres
sive scene, to see the two long lines of sailors drawn up
on the port and starboard side of the decks, dressed in
their very picturesque costumes, and the officers form
ing a little group by themselves, making a striking
contrast with their blue uniforms and gold lace to the
white duck pants of the crew. We were told afterwards
that the commodore had complimented commander
Renshaw very highly on the discipline and fine
make-up of his officers and crew, and also spoke in
terms of highest adulation in regard to the cleanliness
of the gun-boat. The line was dismissed as the com-
modore disappeared in the commander's cabin. Soon
after the boat was called away for the liberty men. We
18

264 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
spent a very pleasant day, visiting the forts and the
soldiers. The next day wc weighed anchor, and steamed out
of the harbor bound for Hatteras. Arriving there, we
anchored inside the inlet and about a quarter of a mile
from the main land. There was a fresh breeze blowing
outside, and as it came to us across the sea, I imagined
it tainted with our northern home. The first thing now
was to ask for permission to go in bathing alongside,
which was granted, and we were soon jumping and
diving from all parts of the boat. The water was about
twelve feet deep, and had a green appearance as seen
from the deck of the boat. The bottom could be dis
cerned very plainly, and the objects lying upon it wore
also very plainly visible. When any one of us dived
from the deck into the water, we could see him go to
the bottom, and observe every motion of his limbs as
he tried to force himself to the surface again. Sharks
had been soon inside the inlet,, but wo wore not mo
lested, and wc disported ourselves to our heart's con
tent. But there is an end to all things, and our bathing was
no exception to the rule, for we were forced to comply
with the order of the boatswain's mate to return on
board again .
We visited the soldiers at Fort Hatteras, and in the
few days we spent at the inlet wc enjoyed ourselves

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 265
hugely and made many acquaintances. One night,
during our stay there, I was rudely awakened about
midnight by some one roughly shaking me by the
shoulder. "Hello," I said, sitting up in my hammock, rub
bing my eyee and looking hard in the dim light shed
by the ship's lanterns to make out who it was that had
his face so close to mine, and with his hand still upon
my arm, gripped it to such a degree, that I fairly winced
with the pain it gave me.
"Hist! it's me, Joe Reynold's; don't make any
noise, but turn out, jump into your clothes and come
forward to the forecastle deck. Two or three of the
boys are there; the watch ie mum, and we are going
on shore. We'll wait ten minutes for you, and if you
don't come in that time, we shall go without you."
Before I could utter a word in my astonishment at
the audacity of this step, he had stolen towards the
forecastle deck.
"So, that's the racket," thought I, "and they ex
pect me to go with them." I at once made up my
mind that I would see what they were about, so I turned
out of my hammock and quickly dressing, made my
way noiselessly forward up the ladder through the open
hatchway, and reached the forecastle deck unseen.
There I found Joe Reynolds, Tom, and JameeMcVey,
the latter named being on watch from ten o'clock until

266 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
twelve o'clock. Four bells had struck while I was
dressing. McVey had just relieved the forward watch.
I had no sooner reached the place than Joe told me in
whispered tones what their programme was. It seemed
that it had been made up before the first watch was set,
and was understood by Howes Crowell, who was to re
lieve McVey at eight bells, that is at midnight, and at
two o'clock, Crowell was to be relieved by another who
was in the secret, consequently we had till four o'clock,
six hours, to visit the shore if all went well. They had
thought of me when laying their plans, but were afraid
of broaching them to me, for fear that I should object.
There would not have been any objection on my part if
they had acquainted we with their secret. I told them
that perhaps I could have arranged it so that we should
not have to steal away but could have had a boat fur
nished us. But to my story. The amount of it was,
, that some of the soldiers had extended an invitation to
them to attend a dance on the main land across from
the island, which was to be given by the young ladies
residing perhaps a half mile inland. The soldiers prof
fered an invitation to Joe, when he was on shore at the
fort the day previous, and requested him to bring others
of the boys along with him for company's sake. The
consequence was that Joe invited Tom and Ben Gibson,
and finally through Tom's suggestion, just as they were
about to go on shore, Joe was sent to awaken me. The

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 267
whole plan rather startled me when I was made ac
quainted with it. It was to swim ashore. There was not
the least chance of getting a boat as they were all made
fast to the guy extended from the port quarter, and
within sight of the quarter-master who was pacing the
hurricane deck. I told the boys that I was very sorry
that they had not acquainted me earlier, but come what
may, the dance must be attended, and we were only
wasting time. Joe wae the firet to begin to etrip, and
we all followed euit. In a few moments we were all
ready to descend the bow of the ship into the water.
Our clothes were carefully rolled up into the smallest
possible bundle, tied, and strapped on our heads.
Joe led off by quickly gliding over the port and letting
himself down by a rope put there for the purpose.
Silently one after the other we followed, and were soon
all in the water. I was the last to leave the deck,' and as
I did so, McVey struck five bells, half-past ten o'clock.'
As I lowered myself into the water, I came near cry
ing out, it was eo cold. Keeping my head well up,
I looked about for Joe and the other members of the
party. I discovered them close by me, and treading
the water. As soon as I made my appearance in the
water, Joe struck out toward the shore with long, steady
strokes, keeping within the shadow of the gun-boat
as long as it lasted. The reet silently followed, each
making no more noise than a muskrat would have done.

268 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
We had previously been cautioned by Joe not to ewim
fast until away from the gun -boat. The shore could be.
discerned looming up in the distance, and after getting
well away from the ship we struck out boldly for it.
We reached the haven without any mishap, and quickly
proceeded to dress ourselves, meanwhile looking around
for the friends we expected to meet there. Joe gave a
peculiar whistle as he finished tying his black silk neck-
kerchief about his neck. It was almost instantaneously
answered by someone not far off. Having finished our
toilets, we started in the direction of the sound, and in
a few moments were in the company of about a dozen
eoldiers. After mutual greetings and hand-shakings
between Joe and the soldiers, Joe introduced us all one
by one to them. This being done, a soldier with stripes
upon his arm, whom I took to be a sergeant, said :
"Come boys, it's getting late ; we cannot stand here,
we must improve the time ; follow ine."
With many a joke and brim-full of fun wo followed
our conductor. AVe had walked perhaps ton minutes,
when a house loomed up only a short distance ahead,
and the rays of light shining through the windows
stretched out to us as if bidding us welcome to the good
time within. The merry forms of the dancers could be
seen through the windows as we approached, flitting
back and forth, and accompanying these sights the
scraping of the violin could be plainly heard. Full of

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 269
excitement we increased our pace, and in a few moments
more were being welcomed by a bevy of girls, some of
whom I thought would compare favorably with our
northern girls.
Entering the house, we were hailed with acclama
tions by all present, and in an agreeably short time
I was whirling around with one of the young ladies,
through the intricacies of a contra dance. Time
flew, and the merry dance went on. Not a single set
had I missed. None of us had taken any note of how
the time sped, until looking up at the clock on the man
tle shelf as I was whirling by, I was completely taken
back, for the hour hand rested on the figure three. Ex
cusing myself to my partner for a moment, I sought
the boys, and informed them of the lateness of the hour.
"It is of no uee," I eaid, "we muet make tracks for the
beach, and get there ae soon as possible." After par
taking of some refreshments at the earnest request of
the ladies, we prepared to take our departure, despite
the earnest solicitations on their part to detain us longer ;
but no ; we all knew that a new man would be on watch
at four o'clock, and he might give us away, and that,
we also knew, meant confinement in the chain locker
with the poorest kind of grub for several days. So,
shaking hands with the young ladies, and thanking
them for the pleasant time they had provided for us,
we stepped out into the night, or rather into the morn-

270 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
ing, lit up only by the feeble light from the hallway
of the house, and a few solitary stars, and commenced
slowly to walk towards the beach.
"Good-bye, boys."
"Come ashore to-morrow, if possible."
"Fare thee well."
"We shall miss thee," and similar expressions fol
lowed us as parting salutations from the girls, in
soprano and contralto voices, mingled with the gruff
bass voices of the only two male citizens who had been
present during the evening, and whom we were intro
duced to on our arrival, as brothers of the two girls
residing there, but whom we believed afterwards to be
rebel soldiers, home on a furlough. Shouting back
answers to their lively ealliee, we made the best of our
way to the river bank. Some of the soldiers went with
us, as they wanted, they said, to sec us take to the
water, although they offered to row us to the ship in
the boat in which they had come from Hatteras Island.
But as that would surely betray us, we respectfully
declined the offer, and stated the reason of the refusal.
They were now anxious to see us swim, and we did
not keep them long in suspense. It only occupied a
few moments to get ourselves ready for our aquatic
performance, and bidding them good-bye, and inviting
them to come on board some time during the day, we
waded out a little way, then spread ourselves for the

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 271
swim to the ' 'Louisiana." We had not started a bit too
eoon, for a fog was coming up from the sea, and in less
than half an hour, would envelope the old "Louisiana,"
and consequently destroy our bearings. But twenty
minutes or less was enough for us, and we swam
steadily on, Joe being some little distance in advance.
Gibson came next, followed by Tom, and I, being the
slowest swimmer, brought up the rear. Wc were
making good progress, had accomplished more than half
the distance, and could plainly see the "Louisiana" ae
reflected againet the sky. I gave up all fears which I
might have had of being enveloped in the fog bank,
that was slowly but surely approaching ; the advance
guard, a few fleecy scuds, being already at the entrance
of Hatteras inlet, shutting out the fort from view. I
swam slowly along, for I was pretty well tired out
with dancing and swimming, and I was very sleepy
withal. Suddenly I heard a slight eplaeh in the
water behind me. A thrill of horror ran through my
frame, and I was wide awake in an instant. My hair
would have started on end, except that the strap
over my head prevented its rising. I turned in the
direction of the sound and peered through the darkness
in my endeavors to make out the nature of the object
behind me. I could just discern a black form of some
sort on the top of the water? coming towards me. I
heard the splashing of the water again, and in addition

272 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
to this, I thought I could hear a noise like the sputter
ing of some one breathing with the mouth partly sub
merged under water. My first dread was of a shark, but
my reasoning powers were not quite scared ont of me,
so I dropped that idea as soon as entertained, and with
almost superhuman strength, struck out for the gun
boat, now close by. I tried to think or imagine what
manner of fish or beast was in my wake. Joe, Tom
and Gibson had reached the "Louisiana" and dis
appeared over the side. I was so near the boat that I
could see the glimmer and flash of the water on their
naked backs as they clambered noiselessly over the taff-
rail. But closer and closer came that dark object. I
would make no alarm, though, till the last moment,
when I could see no chance to save myself otherwise.
With strength lent me in my desperation, I struck out
frantically, as I heard the breathing of the seeming
monster close upon me, and seemed to feel its hot
breath on my naked shoulders. One more stroke, then
another, and I had grasped the rope to the full stretch
of my right arm. I pulled myself partly out of the
water, while my left hand glided up the rope to sustain
the right for another pull. Here, for the second or
third time, I cast an anxious glance behind me to see
if I could make out what it was that was within six
feet of where I was hanging by the rope. I drew a long
breath at what I saw, for my fears were now dispelled,

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 273
and instead of fear, a sense of the ridiculous came over
me, upon seeing that the object of my terror was a
large Newfoundland dog. I took another look at him
as I clambered over the port side, and saw him
paddling back and forth under the rope. Just then
Jones (for he was on the watch) came to my side, and
in a few whispered words, I made him understand the
situation. I told him to draw up the rope, then tole
the dog in eome way, around to the port gangway,
so that the officer of the deck would not have occasion
to go forward, and thus perceive the wet decks. He
was then to notify him that there was some dark object
swimming around the gun-boat. After this I disappeared
below. I first went around to see the boys, and
acquainted them of the event, and then spread out
my clothes to dry, for in my twistings and turnings
in the water, to get rid of my pursuer, I had got them
very wet. Finally I opened my hammock and turned
in to sleep.
•On the following morning, I found the dog on board,
and it was a matter of surprise to the officers and most
of the men how he came to be there. Jones afterwards
informed me that immediately after my disappearance
below, he had called the officer of the deck and made
him acquainted with the fact that a dog, or some such
object, was swimming in the water near the vessel.
The officer then called the entire watch to the port side

274 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
where the boats were made fast to the guy, and unfas
tening the guy rope, he with one of the men entered it
and picked up the dog. Some soldiers visiting the ship
during the day recognized him as belonging to the cook
at the fort.
The days we spent at Hatteras were full of interest
and so pregnant with events as to make that time long
to be remembered. The day for our return to Wash
ington came at last, and we hove up our anchor, and
steamed up Pamlico Sound bound for our old anchor
age. Our trip to Hatteras had enlivened us to that
extent, that we did not seem like the same crew, but
the knowledge that we were to return to Little Wash
ington again, in preference to some other port, brought
back the old look of carelessness that we had assumed
before our trip down the sound.
In due time we arrived at our old quarters, and the
"Louisiana" was very soon moored bow and stern in
her old position. Among the crowd that gathered on
the wharf to welcome our return, was the well-known
and highly respected Aunt Phebe.
"I'se glad to see yer; yer looks good out dar; we'se
'fraid yer nebber cum back any more," were the greet
ings with which we were met from this old dame. But
we had come back and would no doubt have ample
opportunity to sample her pot-stews before we hoisted
anchor again.

CHAPTER XV.

INCIDENTS OF THE SIEGE.

A BRAVE OFFICER.
kURING a cessation of hostilities between the rebels
and our soldiers in the fort one day, an officer in
the confederate force was observed to ride slowly and
deliberately down in front, to the left of the rebel for
tifications, leisurely dismount, throw the bridle rein
over hie left arm, then take from his socket at the waist,
a pair of marine glaseee, through which, with the utmost
nonchalance, he surveyed our works and surroundings.
As soon as he was discovered, the fort opened fire upon
him with one of their heavy guns. The shells struck
in close proximity to his person, in fact, one of them
dropped eo near that when it exploded, it threw the
dirt upon him, while piecee of the exploded shell must
have come uncomfortably close to him. With remark
able sang-froid he merely brushed his clothes where some
of the dirt had lodged, and placing the glasses to his
eyes again, took another and longer view of our fortifi
cations. At last, seemingly eatisfied with the informa-

276 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
tion gained, he remounted his horse and cantered out
of range of the guns from the fort. I should have felt
sorry for him indeed, if he had been injured by our
shells, athough an enemy to his country. I admire
such coolness of nerve. A DARING ACT.
A young sailor, while the fight was in progress
between the "Commodore Hull" and the Rodman's
point batteries, seized a shell that had been thrown from
the enemies' guns, and had fallen on the deck of the
"Hull," and threw it overboard. The fuse was nearly
an inch long and sputtered and fizzed like a powder-
cracker when about to explode. This story was told
me by one of the crew of the "Hull" when we supplied
them with ammunition, and others on board corrob
orated the statement.
A solid shot entered the port-hole and dismounted a
twenty-four pound gun, knocking the gun-carriage into
splinters, yet strange to relate, not one of the gun's
crew was injured by the flying splinters. AVhen not
engaged in actual fighting, the crew were ordered to
distribute themselves about the deck, so as to make as
little mark for the enemy as possible. AVhen the crew
of the supply boats of the "Louisiana" boarded the
"Hull," which was done a number of times, the crew
of the "Hull" would congregate around us, to receive

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 277
the news of how the siege progressed at the fort. At
such times, the boatswain would immediately disperse
them and order us to re-enter our boat and return to the
"Louisiana." Perhaps the strangest thing in all the siege, lay in
the fact that only two men were wounded, and they but
slightly with flying splinters, although the "Hull,"
which as' I have related in a previous chapter, was
struck one hundred and five times. There were many
narrow escapes both on ship and shore. A shell struck
in the ship yard, and buried itself in the ground where
it burst, and threw up such quantities of earth that a
soldier who happened to be very near, was nearly
buried; as it wae, he required assistance to help him
out of the debris. TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT.
One day while I was employed treading down the
earth on the floor of the powder magazine, built on the
wharf, I heard a shell coming. It certainly wae noth
ing new to hear such sounds, butthis one became louder
and louder, and seemed to be coming right into the
only aperture there was, a hole perhaps three feet square
from which the window had been removed, and about
the height of my shoulders from the ground, directly
in the center of the magazine, where I was at work, and
about six feet from the end of the building. My only

278 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
safety I thought was to cast myself down on the ground
in the further corner of the small room. Acting upon
this first thought, I did so, and if ever I squeezed my
self into a small compass, it was then.
Wh-o-o, who-o-o, who-o-o-o-o-o ! came the shell ;
the last who-o-o that I heard before the explosion, was
a long drawn out one, and ended in a terrible shriek,
so it seemed to my tortured senses, when chug, it struck
the corner of the building, making the bricks fly in all
directions, and half a second later, bang ! it burst on
the edge of the wharf close by. I admit that my knees
trembled under me when I assumed a standing pos
ture again, and that large beads of perspiration stood
upon my brow when I thought of the probable conse
quences to myself, had the shell entered my narrow
quarters. DIGGING UI* THE ENEMIES' SHOT.
It was comical to watch the soldiers near the wharves,
in the door-way of some old store house, when a shot
from the rebel batteries struck the earth near them. At
such times, all would dodge into the building and wait
long enough for an explosion, if the missile wae a shell,
if not, they at once began to dig it up, and many a
solid shot thrown by the Johnnies in this way, was re
turned to them a few moments after from the mouths of
our guns. Not all solid shots either, for some of the

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 279
shells fired by them were unloaded, showing conclu
sively that they were short of powder, and emptied the
powder out of their shells into bags to make blank car
tridges of. Sometimes the soldiers did not wait long
enough to be convinced that it was a solid shot, or oth
erwise, that had buried itself, but ran out just as the
shell buret, and consequently were showered by the fly
ing debris, running a near chance of being maimed or
killed by the fragments. SHANDY MC GUIRE.
A shell from a rebel twenty-four pound Parrott gun
in a newly located battery situated on Red hill, three-
fourths of a mile away, was dropped into the camp of
the Forty-fourth Massachusetts one morning just at
breakfast time, when as usual, the rebs amused them
selves by firing at any group in sight. The boys sought
shelter behind a traverse (thrown up to protect them
from cross firing), as the shell was heard screaming
through the air. The elevation of the gun was not
sufficient to throw it into the works. It struck outside
with a heavy thud, toppled end over end inside the
works, passing through the end of a tent, obliterating
the spot, still warm from the head of a comrade that
had rested there but a short time previous. Passing on
it buried itself in the traverse beyond, but did not burst.
19

280 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
It, was ehortly after dug up and sent back on its way to
the rebs, with the compliments of the regiment. But
the soldiers were not the only ones interested in that
shell. Snowball, a colored boy, the pet of thesergeants
of Company H, was coming from the pump with two
pails of water in his hands ; he reached the camp about
the same time as the shell, and having a natural desire
to get behind something, rushed into the tent just as the
shell was passing through the back side. Snowball
did not stay long in that tent, nor put on his usual style
in coming out ; he came at once and all in a heap, still
clinging to his pails, however, the contents of which
he had spilled over himself. His next move was exe
cuted with better judgment, as he thought, for he dove
head first into the cross tiaverse trench which was of
yellow, sticky clay, black as midnight when he disap
peared, yellow when he re-appeared, plastered from his
head to his feet with clay. One of the boys facetiously
remarked, "Stand in the sun and dry ; we can then use
you for a statue." But Snowball's eyes were fixed on
the hill from whence came the shell, and as he halted
on the brink of the trench, bang! came another shell
on its way. Straight for the town Snowball made his
way. Through ploughed fields he flew, a yellow streak,
which no shell could overtake. The soles of his "army
whangs," as they turned up in sight, covered his back
from view. He did not return to camp again. He run

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 281
the blockade with General- Foster that night on the
"Escort." It is not probable that his presence inspired
the gallant general with any more courage in his dan
gerous undertaking.
The rebs had a trick of using cow bells on the necks
of their horses, when reconnoitering our works at night,
thinking the sentries would imagine them cows feeding,
as they drove in several belonging to the Buffaloes, when
first investing Washington ; but the boys soon discovered
the trick, and strict orders were given to the sentries
to fire at hearing the least noise resembling a bell. In
Company H, Forty-fourth Massachusetts was a brave,
sturdy Irish lad, grit to the back-bone, called Shandy
McGuire. The next night after the order Was issued,
he was on guard. It is, or is said to be "the darkeet
juet before dawn." It was at this hour that Shandy's
attention was attracted by the faint sound of a bell in
the distance, apparently slowly coming his way. Alert
and silently he waited, determined to do or die. Nearer
and nearer came the tinkling bell. Presently a dim
outline of something or other was eeen through thedark-
ness. "AVho goes there?" hailed Shandy. "Moo-oo,"
said the thing. "1 have yc covered ; come in or I'll
shoot." "Moo," answered the object. Shandy was
bound to obey orders, even if it ended the war ; so
taking deliberate aim at the shadowy object, he fired.
There was a terrible thrashing in the underbrush for a

282 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
moment or two, then a sepulchral moan, and all was
quiet. At the report of Shandy's gun, the company
turned out lively and manned the works, thinking it
was an attack. Shandy, upon being interrogated, said
he had shot something and thought it was a rebel or a
horse, but he was anxious for more light. When day
light appeared, Shandy's dead rebel turned out to be a
fat cow.
"Begorra !" exclaimed he ; I thought it was a rebel.
A cow is it? Faix, b'ys, a cow is better ating nor a
reb or a horse. It's mate ye want." Indeed, the boys
were sadly in need of it, and blessings were showered
upon Shandy as a benefactor.
But when the cow was opened,
And the meat began to fry,
It was so strong with garlic,
The tears came in each eye.
The boys could not eat Shandy's beef, though they
faithfully tried. Short rations had got them in such a
condition that they could not stomach beef so strongly
impregnated with rebel garlic. These little incidents,
trivial as they may appear, served nevertheless to relieve
the monotony of camp life, for even to men waiting
to get killed it becomes tiresome after a while.
OLD NEVER SWEAT.
The long thirty-two pound gun, spoken of in another
chapter, as being mounted by the rebs in a corn-field,

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 283
created much merriment on board the "Louisiana ; "
although it was far from being mirthful to the citizens
in the town, who were forced, in some instances, to
seek protection from its iron missiles in their cellars.
The boys named the gun Old Never Sweat. At one
stage of the siege, when ammunition was plentiful, we
were allowed to play at long tar with the Johnnies,
without, however, accomplishing anything more than a
waste of ammunition on both sides, although we made
it warm for them on several occasions, when we sue-.
ceeded in dropping our shells in close proximity to their
location. Again, when our shells fell short and burst
in the mud at the lower slope of the bluff, upon which
the gun was situated, the mud could be seen flying in
every direction. Old Never Sweat divided his time
between the different gun-boats in the harbor, and rain
ing shots into the devoted town. On the day before
the rebels left us, they kept up a continual pounding
with Old Never Sweat, upon the "Louisiana,'' without
doubt to cover their retreat. It was rumored, however,
that a lucky shot from the "Commodore Hull" had
dismounted the gun and killed three of the enemy, and
that the rebels had sunk it in the mud in the swamp
close by. A diligent search by our crew some days
after failed to discover any traces of it, although there
were found in the corn-field pieces of the truck that
evidently Old Never Sweat was mounted on, and the

284 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
searching party was convinced that the gun had been
disposed of, as rumored.
THE LITTLE BROWN MOUSE.
The mice were quite plentiful on board ship, and we
improvised traps of every description imaginable, to
catch and destroy them. But despite all our efforts,
they seemed to increase instead of decrease. They were
very tame, and sometimes, when the men were seated
around the mess cloth, the little brown fellows would
come out of their holes and run among us. Though
we all wished to be rid of them, not a man among us
would lift his hand to ruthlessly kill one, while the little
things were enjoying their dinner, supper or breakfast
in that way. It was only when we found our bread in
the bags, and hard-tacks nibbled, that we vowed ven
geance against the whole race. The monotonous life
on board ship put the sailors to their wit's end, every
day, to contrive some way to pass the time. Some of
them made pets of every live creature that chanced to
come in their way. The pets were kept on the berth
deck and vigilantly guarded by the men ; but woe to
them — I mean the pets — if any of them found their way
to the spar deck unaccompanied by a protector. The
creatures would be seized upon by the officer of the
deck, and in a moment more would be food for fishes.
One evening while I sat writing a letter home, although

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 285
without any very definite idea how the epistle was to
reach its destination, as we were blockaded in so by the
rebels. However, as I said before, I sat writing the
letter on the berth deck, with the mess chest for a
table, and a couple of candles stuck on the lid, to give
me light. These were fastened by dropping a little of
the tallow on the lid, and before it had time to harden,
planting the butt-end of the candles firmly in it, when it
would stick as long as the candles burned. I was seated
thus, when my attention was called to some dark object
at the base of one of my dips. Looking closer, Ifound
it was a mouse, and there he sat, as unconcerned as
possible, nibbling away at my property. Now, as
candles were very scarce, and not to be had for the
asking, my first thought was one of indignation, and I
made a move to annihilate him, but better thoughts
prevailed. I lowered my hand, and sat and watched
him nibble at the little mountain of tallow, collected at
the base of the candle. He looked very cunning, as he
raised himself up on his haunches, and gnawed away
quite a large piece of the tallow that he had dislodged
from the piece before hiin. How his little black eyes
did sparkle, as he stopped nibbling the greasy stuff, and
looked at me very intently. For a second or two, the
little creature's countenance expressed a sort of surprise,
as if in wonderment as to what part of the earth's king
dom I belonged to. At last, finishing the piece he held

286 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
in his fore feet, he dropped on all fours again, and
began the work of demolishing what was left of my
candle, which by this time had burned well down, not
more than half an inch remaining. As I continued to
look at my little brown mouse, a strange thing hap
pened by which the little mouse came to grief, and
your humble servant was considerably astonished.
The mouse gave a vigorous squeak, then another and
another; then he commenced to tumble about for a
second or two. It was simply impossible for me to
say whether he was dancing on his head or his hind
feet, but finally, giving a squeak equalling all the other
squeaks combined, he disappeared behind the mess
chest. I laid myself back and laughed silently at my
little vieitor, as he performed his funny antics, but at
his disappearance, I set myself to work to discover what
could possibly have made him act in such a manner.
As I cast my eyes upon the candle, the truth dawned
upon me at once. As the wick burned down into the
candle, I noticed the hot fat rolling down the outside
and solidifying at its base. The mystery was solved.
My little brown mouse had nibbled into, or had come in
contact with the hot grease, as it flowed down, and it
had stuck on his nose, and no doubt scalded that mem
ber. In the midst of peace we are in danger, I thought,
and how did I know that some rebel shot might not be
directed through the side of the old "Louisiana," and

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 287
knock my fancied security into a cocked hat, even as
the little brown mouse had been disturbed, while he
thought himself, if he thought at all, safe from dan
ger. But it was time to turn in, so I put out the
flickering remains of the candlee, and scraping up with
my knife the refuse from the tallow dips, quickly
divested myself of my outer garments, then swung into
my hammock, to await a call, either from the boatswain
or the rebels. IN THE FORT UNDER FIRE.
Business called me on shore one fine day, and after
transacting the same, I concluded to visit the fort. The
rebels on the town side had not made any demon
strations for a number of hours, and I thought it
would be a fine thing to pay the boys a visit and see
what was being done inside the fort. So I wended my
way in that direction. A few minutes walk sufficed to
bring me in sight of the fort, and in a short time I was
hailed by the sentry, at the double gates. I explained
to him that I wished to go inside of the works. Bid
ding me wait a moment, he called the corporal of the
guard, and upon his approach, the sentry imparted to
him my wish.
"Well, I d-o-n-t k-n-o-w about it," drawled the cor
poral., "The enemy are liable to open fire on us at any
moment ; I can't tell the time since the siege began

288 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
when the Johnnies have been so quiet. I'll be bound
they are up to some mischief, and if they commence to
whoop her up, you'll have to stay with us in the fort
until they git tired of throwing their blarsted iron."
I assured him that I was willing, and that I would
like to go inside under those conditions.
"All right, come in then," he said, "we like to ac
commodate any of the boys of the 'Louisiana.'"
As we passed through the gateway, he told me con
fidently, that they couldn't stay a day in that blarsted
town if it was not for the "Louisiana." Then turning
towards me, after getting inside the fort and putting
his hand on my shoulder, he eaid in a low tone, "The
boys in here are all brave fellows and would fight to
the last drop of their blood for the cause, but if the old
"Louisiana" should leave her post at the bridge how
long would it be, think you, before the rebels would con
centrate their forces and march across the same bridge
and take us all into camp?"
I told him that I was well aware of the fact that we
held the post of honor, and had heard one of the New
York cavalry men say only a day or two before, that a
prisoner captured by them in one of their raids said
that he overheard General Hill address one of his staff
officers. Saying, that if that infernal gunboat could
only be disposed of in some way, he cpuld capture the
town in less than twenty-four hours. But as it is, the

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 289
"Louisiana" with her heavy guns can sweep the bridge
of men as fast as they could be brought forward.
As we entered the fort, General Foster eat tipped
back in a chair behind one of the bomb-proofs reading
a paper. He seemed to be as unconcerned as if read
ing in his own parlor at home. Bang, Bang ! "Hello I
look out for yourself; the rebs are going to dose us
again with their blarsted iron," said the corporal, and
he hurriedly left me to attend to his duties at one of the
guns. The general stopped reading his paper, looked
up, as the reports of the firing were heard, followed
immediately after by the who-o-o of the shot and shell.
One struck the bomb-proof and buried itself in the
earth on the top, doing no more damage than making
the dirt and the duet fly. In a few momente the gen
eral resumed his reading and appeared as unconcerned
as before. I could not help admiring him for his cool
ness, as I hurried past him to seek a place where I
could command a view of the rebels and also put my
self in a less conspicuous position, for I did not like
the idea of getting hit as long as I was only a visitor
and really had no business there at all. But as I was
there, I reasoned, I would try to make the most of it
and see all the fun, if I may be allowed to term it such.
The rebels kept firing at intervals, and between the in
tervale I raised myself cautiously and looked over the
parapet. The fort had not as yet replied to their

290 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
fire, but as they were getting ready to do so, I
remained where I was, close to one of the guns, to see
the effect of a shot among the enemy. Some of the
rebels could be seen quite plainly sitting on the top of
their earth-works, and when the soldiers in the fort
opened fire on them, they tipped back into their retreat
for all the world like so many prairie dogs disappearing
into their holes on the approach of danger. By this
I do not mean to have it understood that the rebels were
cowardly, far from it ; they were brave enough and
fought well during the long siege. Their showing
themselves on the top of their works, was only to ag
gravate the boys in the fort and draw their fire, which,
at the distance they were, resulted in almost a waste of
ammunition. Ch-o-o, cho-o-oo, chug, bang ! came the
shell, then a shot from a Whitworth gun ; choo, cho-o-o,
cho-o, chug ; as it buried itself either in the bank of
the fort or in the rear on the top of the bomb-proof, or
spent its force on the outside after passing clear over
the fort. The rebs kept it up for an hour, the fort
returning an occasional shot, then both sides, as if by
mutual consent, ceased firing, and I was at liberty to
leave the fort, if I felt inclined, and I did.
RUNNING THE PICKET LIN 10.
One of the Buffaloes was on a furlough to visit his
family, when the rebels put in an appearance around

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 291
Little AVashington, and consequently he was in a poor
way to return to camp without being detected. His
wife urged him to lie in hiding till the town was either
captured or the enemy had retreated. But the brave
fellow would not listen to her entreaties, and was
determined to get inside the line at all hazards. He
chose a dark night for his purpose, and bidding his wife
and children good-bye, he glided out into the darkness,
followed by his wife's prayer for his safety. We will
let him tell his own story :
"After leaving the house, I stole softly along,
although I was several miles from the camp of the
rebs, yet I thought 1 could not be too careful, as my
life was at stake, and I did not know how far back the
rebs might have extended their pickets. I had traveled
a little more than two-thirde of the way, when I heard
the enapping of a twig, then a crackling sound of eticke
breaking or crunching under foot, then all was silent
again. I crawled slowly towards a clump of trees on my
right, and crouched down beside them. Peering into
the darkneee, I tried to make out what it wae that had
caused the noise. For a long time all was still ; then I
heard the same sound again. Creeping forward a lit
tle, I looked again in the direction of the sound, and
my heart leaped into my throat, for there, not more
than ten feet away, I discovered a rebel picket. Back
ing out a little way, I rose to my feet, when by an

292 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
unlucky mis-step, I caused the breakage of a number
of twigs under my feet, and the next instant came
the challenge :
" 'Halt ! Who comes there ? '
"A moment after he fired. As I turned and ran,
there came several reports in rapid succession, and I
heard the balls whistle uncomfortably near me. Then
silence reigned for a moment, succeeded, however, by
shouting in my rear. I ran in an opposite direction for
nearly twenty minutes, perhaps ; my hands and face
were badly scratched, and my clothes torn by briars
and bushes. Then I obliqued towards the rebel lines.
The first thing I knew I was on the banks of the Tar
river, and as near as I could judge, in close proximity
to their lines again. If I could only find a boat now,
I thought ; so I carefully waded out into the water and
began groping around the edge of the bushes that lined
the bank. Fortunately my hand came in contact with
a canoe partly pulled out of the water into n sort of
clearing. Stealthily I began to pull it out, and found
it was not fastened. The slight grating noise made by
the bottom of the canoe as I pulled it along towards the
water, caused me some apprehension, as I wae afraid
the attention of some rebel might be drawn towards
me by it. But happily I succeeded in getting it afloat.
Carefully depositing my rifle on the bottom of the canoe,
I pushed out, taking care not to splash the water as I

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 293
drew my legs out. Feeling around, as the dug-out
gradually floated out towards the middle of the stream
with the impetus I gave it on the start, I could find
only a short piece of scantling, left there by the owner,
probably, and with this I managed to paddle slowly to
the centre of the river, for my intention was to get into
the current. I heard noises in the woods on the side
I had just left, and I redoubled my efforts, taking care
not to make a noise as I changed my paddle from side
to side of my frail craft. But despite all my caution in
shifting the piece of wood from side to side, I hit against
the gunwale of the boat, making a sharp noise in the
still night air, that echoedon the shore. I listened in
tently, and distinctly heard a voice : 'I say, Bill, did
you hear that noise out thar in the river?' Then I
heard some one reply further down the river, but I
could not catch the words. In another moment, bang I
bang ! went two muskets, followed by the zip I zip !
of the bullets, as they flew over my head. All I could
do now was to lie down in the bottom of the boat and
keep quiet, for I was being carried along very fast,
having struck the current. Bang ! bang ! bang I
Three more shots, but all went astern. The night was
terribly dark, and I knew that it must be a wild shot
that would hit me. I was secrectly congratulating
myself on escaping eo easily, when a volley was fired
from the shore, and some of the bullete passed clear

294 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
through the frail sides of my canoe, and one grazed
my left temple as I lay partly on my right 6ide. Hastily
putting my hand to the place, I found it was only a
flesh wound, although it bled freely. I was not eo
eanguine of euccess now, as I became aware that they
could see my boat, indistinctly to be sure, but distinctly
enough to give them something to aim at. Straggling
shots were now fired, but as I could hear the zip, only
occasionally, of the bullets, I made up my mind that I
was nearly out of range ; so I sat up in the boat, and
soaking my handkerchief in the water, bound it about
my temples. The rebels had ceased firing now, so I
tried to pierce the darkness and ascertain, if possible,
my whereabouts. The current seemed getting inshore.
I listened intently for something to guide me, but there
was not the slightest sound except the too-hoo ! too-
hoo ! of an owl. I must have floated two miles, or
perhaps more, when the canoe fetched up against some
obstruction and swung around broadside to the current.
Feeling cautiously over the side, I found to my delight
that I had brought up against the blockade. I was
now safe ; all I had to do was to step out and walk the
logs to the shore. I was challenged by the sentry, and
after what seemed to me an age, I was ordered to come
ashore. In a short time after I was in camp. But you
see here," putting his hand to his head, "I carry a scar

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 295
that will remind me of that fearful night during all my
lifetime." OUR POWDER BOY JOHNNY.
Shortly after the capture of New Berne, some of our
boys were ashore on liberty, and by chance came across
a small boy about fourteen years of age. He had left
his home in New York and followed a regiment which
had taken part in the Bumside expedition to North Car
olina. The poor little fellow had had a hard time of it
with the army, not that he was ill-treated < by the sol
diers, but soldier's fare is hard enough for grown men,
let alone little boys. - One of the boys had fallen eick
and died, and this only made the lot of the survivor
harder to bear, and when found by our mess-mates he
was bemoaning hie Bad lot, and longing for hie home in
the north. Our men took pity on him and their sym-
pathy was aroused by hearing his sad tale. They
induced the soldiers to part with him, as he could be
made very useful on board ship, and it would be for his
interest in the end, if he survived the war. The soldiers
were loath to part with Johnny, and it was only after
a great deal of persuasion on the part of my mess-mates,
who pictured to them the benefits the little fellow would
receive by the change, that they concluded it was better
to let him go where he would be well taken care of.
20

296 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
Johnny was brought on board the "Louisiana" and as
signed to the care of the yeoman, Mr. Ross. Johnny's
name was entered on the ship's books, and he was rated
as powder boy. His pay was to be five dollars a month
and found. Every day we were sure to eee him on
ehore flirting with the ladiee, for they took a great
fancy to our powder boy, and invited him to visit them
at their homes, where they petted him to their heart's
content, and he deserved it, for he was a handsome and
well-behaved boy. He made friends wherever he went.
But Johnny could not be persuaded to stay over night
on ehore, even if he had been allowed to do eo. His
wages were sent to his home, and his mother put every
cent into the bank, so she wrote him. Johnny was a
great favorite with the crew and officers. He was
taught to tie all kinds of fancy knots, splice ropes, and
many were the yarns that were told him, of fights by
sea and land by the good-natured seamen. He was
«
an apt scholar and very soon learned to make himself
useful aboard ship. Some of the men clubbed together
and made him a suit of blue clothes and another one of
white duck.
At the siege of Little Washington Johnny proved
himself a hero. From the magazine to the guns, fore
and aft, could be seen the little figure, now here, now
.there. He showed no signs of fear, and when some of
the men cautioned him not to expose himself, he eaid,

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 297
"Oh, you see I am so small that the rebs can't hit me."
All through the days of fighting he bravely stood to his
work, and only reefed when the order came to cease
firing. If living, he is a man grown now, and if by
chance this ehould meet his eye, he will know that by
one at least he his still remembered.
THE DEAD CONTRABAND.
Bathing was indulged in when the water was warm
enough, but up to the time of the siege we had not
thought it quite the thing. About the eighth day of the
siege, I told Tom that I was bound to try it, if I could
obtain permission from the executive officer. Going
aft to the quarter deck, I doffed my hat to the lieuten
ant and stated my errand. He demurred at first, as he
thought it dangerous. I might get picked off by the
enemy's sharp-shooters. "Besides," said he, "the
water is hardly of the proper temperature." I told him
I should go in on the town side, and thus I should be
out of the sight of any sharp-shooters who might be
lurking in the woods on the opposite side ; and as for
the water, even if it was a little cold, the air was so
warm that I thought I could etand the bathing part.
Suffice it to say, permission was granted, and I went
forward to impart the news to the reet of the men. In
an incredibly ehort time after, I wae bounding from the
rail into the river. It wae a trifle cold, but after the
first plunge, I did not mind it.

298 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
"Come on boys," I shouted, "Tt's all right." In a
few moments a dozen or more of us were disporting
ourselves in the water in high glee. The water was not
particularly clear, but nevertheless, we enjoyed our
bath. My only objection to bathing in Tar river, was
a fish called the garfish, which resembled a sword fish, in
that it had a short sword. This kind of fish was always
around the gunboat, and many times have I imagined
that I felt the touch of his little bill. I had nearly fin
ished my swim, and was thinking of returning on board
ship, when I descried some object a short distance from
us borne along by the current. I immediately began
to swim for it, followed by Tom and several others of
the crew. "Who knows," shouted I, "that the rebs
have not sent us an infernal machine." AVe all en
deavored to reach the floating object first. Swimming
up to it cautiously, we were surprised to find that it was
a dead contraband. AVe put distance between the corpse
and ourselves, for distance lends enchantment to the
view, and hailing the gunboat made them acquainted
with our discovery, when a boat was launched from her
and the body taken up and towed to the wharf, where
it was given in charge of the negroes. It seemed that
this man had a wife and family up the river at Green
ville, and he had been in the habit of going up there to
see them. His journeys were made in a dug-out. He
was probably on his return from one of these visits

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 299
when he was shot by some person concealed on shore.
He had a bullet hole right through his head. This poor
contraband ran the rebel pickets at the risk of his life,
and had heretofore escaped the farmer buehwhackers.
A FUNNY INCIDENT.
Some of the old sailors were allowed to visit the
shore for an hour at a time during the seige, to relieve
the monotony, but that they abused this privilege, the
following will show :
Commander Renshaw issued a stringent order one
day that the men coming from shore should be thor
oughly searched, as some of the seamen had been no
ticed after coming on board from such visits to be under
the influence of liquor. A party coming off to the
ship shortly after the issuing of this order was searched,
each man as he stepped through the gangway to the
quarter deck. Joe Reynolds was the last man of the
party to clamber on board, and he was pretty well un
der the influence of liquor. The master-at-arms com
menced to search him, Joe, meanwhile protesting.
against the indignity of compelling an able seaman to
be so humiliated in the eyes of the whole ship's crew.
He positively told the master-at-arms that all his labor
would be useless, for he had nothing contraband about
him. But the master-at-arms kept right on with his
work of searching, and finally putting his hand under

300 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
Joe's pea-jacket, pulled forth from a very curiously con
trived receptacle a bottle containing a pint of whiskey.
After examining it, he held it up that all the officers
might see it. The look of astonishment depicted on
the face of Joe, was laughable in the extreme, and de
spite the strict discipline of the quarter deck the officers
smiled a large smile.
"How's this," said Lieutenant Westervelt, who had
received the bottle from the master-at-arms, "you claim
to be free from suspicion, and set yourself up as an ex
ample to the rest of the crew, and yet, here is evidence
to convict you," at the same time holding the flask up
over his head.
Joe touched his hat and said : "I was not aware
that I had an enemy in the world, but it seems I have.
That bottle must have been slipped under my jacket
without my knowledge by some evil disposed person
while coming across in the boat, to disgrace me."
The Lieutenant could not suppress a smile at this,
but ordered Joe to go forward, and he himself hurriedly
left the quarter deck ere his smile could attain the di
mensions of a full-fledged laugh. Joe was not pun
ished this time. the scow.
One dark night while on the lookout forward, 1 ob
served a black object drifting with the current about

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 301
two fathoms above the gun-boaj, on the town
side. I immediately reported it to the officer of
the deck, and he, after looking at it for a moment by
the aid of his glass, pronounced it a scow, but could
not say whether there was anything in it or not. He
ordered me to take the dingy and row up to it, and
Tom, standing watch at the port gangway, was ordered
to go with me. We entered the boat and sculled
rapidly towards the scow, for a scow it proved to be.
Tom clambered over the side and was lost to my view.
To tell the truth I had my doubts about the ecow, and ,
quite expected to find her full of rebele, and when Tom
disappeared over the side, I waited anxiously, expecting
to hear a struggle of some sort, but in a moment my
fears were dispelled by Tom's cheery voice from the
furthest corner of the boat.
"It's all right, Steve, she's empty."
"Well, hurry up then, Tom ; we are drifting a good
ways from the "Louisiana," and we shall have hard
work sculling back."
Tom let himself down the side of the scow into the
dingy, and I labored at the oar to regain the gun-boat,
which we could see in the distance. The current was
against us, but I bent to the' oar, when I heard a hail
proceeding from the "Commodore Hull," which was
only a short distance from us.
"Ahoy ! what craft is that?"

302 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
"Keep sculling* Steve, they are hailing the scow;
hope they'll get an answer."
"Ahoy! Ahoy!" No answer, of course. The
boatswain's whistle to general quarters, and again to
lower the boats away, the rattle of the oars, the "give
way, men," from the officer in command, were the
sounds that came in rapid succession to our ears, and
we laughed gleefully to think how nicely they were
being fooled. Tom relieved me at the oar, while I
took my seat at the bow. Twenty minutes after, we were
• up to the "Louieiana." Making the dingy fast by the
painter to the belaying pin at the starboard gangway, I
reported to the officer of the deck, who was on the
qui vive, and had silently mustered the crew — the
result of our expedition. A few moments after our
return, the rebs opened fire at Rodman's Point; they,
too, were fooled.
Some of the boys were religiously inclined during
the siege, and rather more so the last few days before
receiving reinforcements. That was all vcrv well, if
they had only been as assiduous before and after in their
devotion, but they back-slided, some of them a few
days, others a few weeks after the siege. If they had
only remained steadfast, "they would have set an ex
ample for others to follow ; but for very shame, they
did not dare to throw away their prayer books and their
testaments, which some of them always carried during

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 303
the days of fighting, and when not at the guns, paced
the decks fore and aft, with their eyes glued to the
pages. If an oath dropped from the lips of some of the
more careless of the crew, they put on such, a sancti
monious look, that despite the wish of all not to ridicule
men who, for the time being, were trying to be good, at
times it was next to impossible not to laugh. Some
there were who really were earnest in 'their belief, and
held prayer meetings in the chain locker twice a week,
and thereby set a good example to the rest of us. Many
times, both before and after the siegej have Tom and I
sat and enjoyed the beautiful hymns sung by their
manly voices. The leader of this little band of praying
men was Jimmy Wilkinson, an Englishman, and a
truly good Christian, respected by every man onboard.
On the other hand, one who had been the very strongest
in his devotions — and he belonged to the new draft —
was given, upon the expiration of his time, by Mr.
AVilkinson, a recommendation to two ministers of the
gospel in New Berne. My term of service expired at
the same time, and I saw that man on board the trans
port which we boarded, engaged in playing a game of
cards for money.
For one to relate all that happened during the siege,
from his own personal standpoint, would be, to say the
least, simply impossible, and of that noisy crew — those
that still survi\»e I mean — I do not know where to lay

304 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
my hand upon but two. They are scattered far and
wide, by mountain, stream and sea ! Could I but
have had their knowledge of events, combined with
my own, this book would have been lengthened and
the story necessarily strengthened.
But the time had at last arrived which we had so
anxiously looked forward to, for on the coming morrow
the services of the new draft would expire, and all were
happy. And well we might be, for with the exception
of a deal of knocking about, we had been very well
cared for, and had also been fortunate so far, that not
a man out of the thirty, comprising the new draft, had
experienced a really sick day during our term of service.

CHAPTER XVI.

HOMEWARD BOUND.
" Who can tell the joy we feel
Wliile o'er the waves our vessel reels?"
VE turned in that night with the satisfaction that
the morrow would see us on our way to New
Berne, to gain transportation on eome vessel bound
north, and for home. I slept but little, and that little
was disturbed by dreame. It seemed to me as if we
were' under way, and it required several moments'
thought to dispel that delusion when I awoke to con
sciousness. I worried the night through however,
sleeping by fits and starts. Tom came and lay in the
hammock next to mine wliile its occupant was on watch
on deck, from two o'clock till four, and we talked in
low tones of the coming morrow and what we should
do. The return of the owner to his hammock pre
cluded any further conversation on our part, and after
Tom had left ine, I managed to sleep until the boat
swain's whistle sounded.
As it was our last day on the "Louisiana," we, the
discharged men, were excused from all duty for the day.

306 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
Inducements were held out to us to re-enlist, but with
out avail. One of the new draft named Tillotson, who
had been promoted to the position of purser, since his
enlistment, was as eager as any of us to set his face
homeward, and the inducement that he would be con
tinued in that position had no effect upon him while
home, sweet home, was so near in the prospective. In
the course of the day several of us paid a farewell visit
to Aunt Phebe. The good old soul was delighted to
see us, as usual, but when we told her that we were
about to leave for home, and that it was our farewell
visit to her, she seemed to be fairly overcome, although
she had heard it talked over a month or more by us
when at her house on liberty days.
Liberty days ! shall I ever forget them ? I ask my
self the question as I sit at my desk, lean back in my
chair, and take mental note of what I have written.
No, never. And as my thoughts wander back to the
North Carolina shore, old Aunt Phebe, Tar river, the
bridge across it, the blockade, the rebel raid, the "Lou
isiana," the store ship, pleasant scenes and otherwise,
pass before mc. And I wonder how many arc living
now, that were actors in those scenes in the great drama
of war. But to return to Aunt Phebe.
"Bress yer boys, and may de good Lord hub yer
ebber in keeping, an' old Aunty'll pray to de Lord dat
yer may hab a safe journey across de dark waters, an'

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 307
dat he may gib yer safe passage to your folks ober dar."
And Aunt Phebe flourished her hands in the direction
of the sea.
"Truly, AuntPhebe is growing eloquent," said Tom.
"Yes," said Joe Reynolds, "but the sentiments she
uttered just came from her heart all the same."
Joe spoke as though he thought Tom was jesting in
what he said, but Tom hastened to set him right in the
matter. "True for you, Joe, and I am the last fellow to
make jest of such sentiments as those. Aunt Phebe is
untutored, and poor, but her word is just as good as
Uncle Sam's bond, and as for her prayers, I had rather
have her praying for me than some others that I know
of who dress in their broad-cloth and white neckties ;
and here's one who will ever think of you and your
prayere as his bark glides silently down the river of
life," he said, as he grasped Aunt Phebe's fat, chunky
black hand in his, and gave it such a squeeze that it
made the tears come into her eyes, and she rolled them
until the whites ehone out again , and gave such a grim
ace, as makes me laugh to this day when I think of it.
"I say, fellows," said Tom, "let's give Aunt Phebe
a send-off." "Hear! hear!" chorused the boys as they gathered
around Tom, for we all knew that when he opened his

308 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
mouth he was about to say something that was worth
listening to.
"What I mean is, that we send round the hat, and
scoop in a few dollars to help her to live, that she may
be able to get up something nice for the boys we leave
behind us when they are ashore on liberty days. Now
there is a dozen or more of us present, some there are,
that are to be left behind ; they, of course, can do as
they think, about chipping in ; it will be for their benefit
as well as Aunt Phebe's ; what do you say to it ?"
' 'I make a motion that we do something of that sort,"
said Tom Jencks.
"I second the motion," said Howes Crowell.
"Motion made and seconded that we all chip in
money enough to give Aunt Phebe some substantial
present ; all those in favor of the motion manifest it by
saying aye ; contrary minds no. The ayes have it,
and it's so voted," I said.
It was an entirely informal affair, and the boys seemed
satisfied that I had put myself foward as chairman. I
suggeeted that Tillotson of the new draft should pass
the hat round, and there being no dissenting voice, Mr.
Tillotson proceeded to do so. Each man put hie hand
into his pocket, and it did not come forth empty. After
going the rounde, the purser turned the hat over upon
the table, and the contents were eagerly counted. Mr.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 309
Tillotson performed this highly interesting duty, and
at the close announced the total as being fifteen dollars.
The boys then chose me to make the presentation
speech. Stepping up to thetable, 1 gathered the money
in my hand, and turned to Aunt Phebe, who, mean
while, had been standing open-mouthed in amazement
at the turn affairs had taken. Then with all the polite
ness I could command, requested her attention for a
few moments. A broad grin extended diagonally across
her face at my opening remarks, and I earnestly pro-'
ceeded with my speech, lest the grin should expand to
her ears, and thereby cause a catastrophe.
"Ahem I" said I, clearing my throat, "ahem ! Aunt
Phebe, I have been instructed by the gentlemen who
now stand in your venerable presence, to speak for
them on a very important matter, and to extend to you,
in their behalf, their sincere and heart-felt thanks for
the many favors bestowed upon them while ashore on
liberty days ; favors that will not readily be forgotten by
the crew of the "Louisiana." For the favors shown to
these before you, as their chosen representative, I now
present to you the sum of fifteen dollars, in Uncle Sam's
legal currency." With this I put the money into her
horny hand outstretched to receive it. "It is the prayer
of your humble servant, that your shadow may never
grow less, until the voice calls you to vacate this mun
dane sphere ; and then, when your earthly pilgrimage

310 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
is run, may you fade away and die like a daisy."
(Applause.) "I am sure that all present reciprocate
these utterances."
"Good for you, Steve," "Well done, my bantam,"
and the like expressions from the boys, followed each
other in rapid succession, while Aunt Phebe stood with
her crumpled apron to her eyes, and as Tom expressed it,
"too full for utterance." At length she found vent in
words. "Bress yer, boys, bress yer: dat money '11 do ole
Aunty a heap o' good, an' she'll neber forgit it ob yer,
no neber. Dat money done gone in de pot for sure,
an' 'spect I'll git 'nough to git norf sum ob dese days.
You'se made ole Aunty's heart glad dis yer many times
wid yer heap ob funny tings, an' de ha'mless fun dat
seem so to fill yer heads, but dey neber done ole Aunty
any ha'm and dey neber lebe any sting behind either,
but jest boun' right away, like de water off 'ni a duck's
back. Ole Aunty neber forgit her boys ; no neber, as
long as she draws a breffob life ; dare for ye now."
At the conclusion of Aunt Phebe's speech, Tom
jumped from the rickety chair he had been sitting on,
and began to execute a jig. In a moment more the
rest of us were engaged in dancing with him. Aunt
Phebe, catching the infection, began to shuffle her feet
and sway her form, and at last, in her excitement, she
could remain still no longer, but began to "bar" down

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 311
with the rest. We fairly made her old hut jingle.
Our fun over, we prepared to send out for something
to cook, as Aunt Phebe was anxious we should have
one more square meal beneath her roof; but she would
not allow us to, ae 6he said she had all "De fixin's ob a
squar' meal in de house, an' all I wants ob yer is to
'ole yer yap, while I done gone an' sarve dem up."
We came to the conclusion to hold our yap, and ad
journed to a vacant lot in the rear of the cabin, where
we pitched quoite, until Aunt Phebe's gentle voice was
heard saying, "De wittles done ready," whereupon we
rushed pell-mell into the house and took our seats at the
table, which wae too small for us all to sit round at once,
so some squatted on the floor, while others improvised
a table from an old box, and in a remarkably short
time, we were all busily engaged in the task of masti
cating fried hog's liver garnished with fried sweet pota
toes and soft-tack, and last but not least, boiled onions.
Having satisfied the inner man, we arose to go. After
shaking hands all round, we bade her good-bye, she
promising to come to the steamboat landing to see us
off. It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when we
turned our backs on the little hovel, in which we had
spent so many happy hours. Reaching the. wharf, we
found that we had two good hours before the "Curlew"
21

312 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
would be ready to sail for New Berne. AVe spent the
time pleasantly, "chaffing" with the soldiers, gathered
on the wharf to see us off.
At length the order came, "All aboard." "Pull in
That gang plank," and in a moment afterwards the
"Curlew" steamed out into the channel, and we were
homeward bound. The soldiers gave us three cheers
as we moved off, and the crew of the "Louisiana" gave
us three more and a tiger. Aunt Phebe could be seen
prominent in the throng on the wharf, and she was the
most disconsolate looking being I ever saw, as she
stood near the edge of our late landing place, with her
white apron over her head and her black face peering
out from its folds. We answered the cheers from the
"Louisiana," gave three more for our soldier friends,
and ended by shouting to Aunt Phebe to take care of
herself, which she answered by unintelligible ejacula
tions, which, nevertheless, it was easy for us to imagine
meant words of good-cheer, and a safe and speedy
return to the bosom of our families. As we passed
the store-ship, lying at anchor in the stream, we shouted
a last farewell to Mr. Mills, who was seated in the
stern sheets, smoking, with his feet at an angle of
forty-five degrees, resting on the cabin hatch. He
merely waved 'his hand to us, and went on with his
smoking. After passing Rodman's Point, I turned and
gave one last look at Little Washington, where, be-

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 313
sides participating in some pretty severe fighting, we
had also enjoyed ourselves in many ways.
Little of interest happened to us on our voyage to
New Berne, where we arrived in the middle of the suc
ceeding night. On the following morning we went on
shore, and spent a few hours visiting friends and re
ceiving messages from them, to deliver to their friends
and families north, upon our arrival. While strolling
around, we were told that the steamer which had been
engaged for our transportation, was lying at one of the
wharves, just below the "Curlew's" landing place.
Thither we bent our steps, found her with but little
trouble, and proceeded on board. She did not meet
our anticipations in the least. She was old and broken-
backed, or, to use a sailor's phrase, she had been
"hogged" in some gale she had experienced, causing
the deck in the center to rise ; and it was like walking-
down a hill, go which way we would from the center.
The interior of the transport made me sick at the first
glance. She had brought out a load of green hides
and discharged them at Baltimore ; eince then the decks
had not been waehed down, and the filth was an inch
deep in some places in the hold, and the stench arising
from it nearly suffocating. "Here is work for us,
boys," I said, turning around and addressing Tom and
one other of our party, who had followed me below.
"Whew ! I should think so," said Tom, "and the

314 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
sooner we get at it, the sooner we shall have a decent
place to live in."
"Yes, the old craft will sail this afternoon, and wo
must at once organize a party to help to clean ship."
Saying this, I ascended to the upper deck, followed by
my messmates. We went aft to find the captain. He
was in the cabin. Upon my entrance, he looked up,
and I accosted him with, "Are you the captain of this
craft?" "What do you want? "
I sized him up at a glance. He was a man for
money, anything for money ; coarse, bronze face, bul
let-headed, heavy eye-brows, deep set, steel gray eyes,
and his general features drawn up in a sneer. Before
answering him, the thought occurred to me that we
were to have poor transportation, poor grub, and I
could not help thinking of the poor fellows — the dis
charged soldiers — who were expected on board, some
of whom were sick, others convalescent. I knew by
the looks of things on board, and the cold, hard face of
the captain, that they were to see hard times before
they reached their homes. Observing him scowling at
me, after his question, "AVhat do you want?" I scowled
in return , for I had been too much accustomed to man-
of-war life to be scared by a down-east captain.
"Well, I want to know if I have your permission to

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 315
clean, up this old hulk that you claim to be commander
of." "AVhy, don't the vessel suit ye?"
"No, it does not ; it looks more like a hog pen than
anything else I can liken it to."
"Perhaps ye want a palace steamer to carry your
precious carcasses. If a hog pen, as ye call it, is good
'nuff for me, blarst me ! if I don't think it good 'nuff
for ye and yer crowd." ^
"AVell," said I, "that's a matter of taste. I don't
like it, and if you will not order it cleaned by your
crew, or give me permission to side her up, I'll report
it to the commander, and have him up here, and we
will see if he will allow his men to be put into such a
pen, and if he will not have it attended to, we will pur
chase our passage on eome other steamer."
The old curmudgeon, becoming aware that he was
about to loee a good traneportation party, and seeing,
too, that I had a crowd at my back, said, with a sneer,
"AVell, ye can clean her up or not, as ye please," adding,
"fresh water sailors ought to carry feather beds with
them." Tom, who was right behind me, and had heard part
of the conversation, whispered to me : "Say the word,
Steve, and we will bounce the old leather-head over
the side, and take the command ourselves."
With a quiet laugh, I told Tom that that wouldn't

316 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
do. " Just wait till we get outside, and if th.e old
leather-head, ae you call him, does not behave himself,
we will soon settle his hash."
All this was said in an undertone, while the captain
of the old battered craft glared at us from under his
heavy eye-brows, as he sat in hie dirty-looking and
nasty -smelling cabin. Well,  Mr.  , I do not
know your name."
"And  we don't want to know it," inter-
rupted Howes Crowell.
Continuing, I said, " We will get a gang together
and give your old scow such an overhauling, as she
never had before."
He did not deign to reply, or even to look up at us,
as we turned away from his presence.
"I say, fellows, we'll have trouble with that old —
leather-he.ad,'' said Tom who persisted in calling the
captain such, " before we reach New York."
"AAre'll pitch the old duffer overboard, if he puts up
to us, and we'll send his crew packing after him to
Davy Jones' locker if they interfere," said Tom Jencks.
We were not long in organizing a gang to scrub the
ship, as most of the boys had come on board, only
a few were strolling about the town. Taking off our
shoes and stockings, and putting them in safe places,
we rolled up our trowsers legs, and with old brooms
and sticks with rags tied to the ends, some of us scrubbed

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 317
and others drew water from over the side, and dashed
it on the deck. George Bartlett found a nearly
new broom in the smoke-begrimmed old galley, de
spite the struggles of a black-haired old Portuguese to
retain it. When he was forced to relinquish his hold
upon his end, he gave Bartlett such a fiendish look as
fairly made me shudder. I advised him privately after
wards, to keep a sharp lookout on the Portuguese, as
he would do him harm if he could.
Bartlett laughed and said, "There's too many of us
for him to attempt to play any of his Portuguese tricks,
and besides, I shall be ready for him on deck in the
night time, if we should chance to meet there," and he
showed me his revolver, It took us two long mortal
hours to .accomplish our task of scouring the hold of
the old catamaran, but at length we gave it the last
wipe with our improvised swabs, after which, we all
went on deck to fix up. About two o'clock, between
thirty and forty sick and disabled soldiers came on
board, most of them being brought to the wharf in
ambulances. They were going home, and I thought as
I watched them brought on board, that some of them
were booked for their long home before they reached
their journey's end. Tears cnine into my eyes, and my
heart ached for the poor fellows, some of whom I
was afraid would never gladden their parent's with
their earthly presence, although I uttered a prayer in

318 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
my innermost heart that they might live to reach their
northern homes, if only to die there. But why stand
idle, when I could help them? Several of the boys
were already at work, assisting them over the side of
the steamer. Nice comfortable places were fixed up for
them in the hold", and oh, how happy it made me feel
to think that I had been instrumental in preparing
them such places. The captain, who had been on
shore on business, did not come on board till nearly
four o'clock. He immediately ordered the engineer to
get under way. I should have mentioned before, that
the boat was a screw propeller, and it made us all laugh
as she steamed from the wharf, for it sounded as if
every part of the machinery about her was loose,
and her paddles went thump-er-ter-thump at every
revolution, while the apology for a steamer just
crawled along. Tom and I took our stand in the
bow and we could only see the slightest ripple. It
.seemed to be quite an effort for her to clear the water,
whereas had she been a fast steamer, she should have
been throwing the spray high on either side of the bow.
"God help us if a storm arises, and we are on the
outside of Hatteras inlet ; this old "Hooker" will not last
long in a blow such as we experienced when coming on
in the Delaware," said Tom.
"We are likely to have a rough night of it any way ;
the wind is north-east, and we shall find it rough at

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 319
Hatteras, but I'll bet the captain will not risk his pre
cious carcase outside the inlet in this craft, in half a.
sea," I said.
We paced the deck fore and aft for an hour or more,
but at last the pangs of hunger began to be felt, and we
mutually agreed to go below and take a lunch from our
provision bags. Upon leaving New Berne each man
had been supplied with four days' rations, supposed to
be enough to serve him till we arrived at New York.
We turned in early that night, but not to sleep, how
ever, as the steamer made such a racket that it was im
possible for us to do so, and especially the soldiers.
All that night and the next day, the old "Hooker"
pounded the water and we did not arrive at Hatteras inlet
until the second night. All the available places on board
were taken up by the boys to hang their hammocks in.
I gave up my place to a sick soldier, rolled myself in
one of my blankets, and stretched myself out on deck.
I was awakened early the next morning by the noise of
the wind blowing. I listened, whew ! how she was
piping it up. Crawling from underneath my blanket,
I made my way among the still sleeping soldiers to the
deck above. Just then a gust of wind struck the
steamer and swept the deck ; it caught me, and before
I could stop myself, it sent me on the run forward. I
brought myself to a halt by clinging to the chain ex
tending from the smoke-stack to the deck. I looked

320 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
seaward ;' the wildest scene imaginable met my gaze.
The breakers were coming in with their white tops
lashed to a foam, and I likened them in my mind to
some mighty denizen of the deep seeking whom he may
devour. The foam-crested billows broke on either shore
of the inlet with a sullen roar, as if in anger that they
could not go right through the inlet, and spend their fury
on the vessels lying at anchor in the comparatively peace
ful waters of Pamlico Sound. Sometimes a breaker
larger than the rest would roll in, divide on each shore,
while the center part would preserve itself intact and
roll defiantly with a seething, hissing sound like some
great sea serpent, part way through the inlet ; then it
would lose its power, waver, tremble for a moment, and
with a gasp like a live creature, spread out and mingle
with the water in the sound, despite the seeming rebuff
given to it by that peaceful body of water. Looking
seaward again as far as the eye could reach, there could be
seen billows running mountains high, and a ship under
bare poles was scudding before the gale. She seemed
like a chip, which as a boy I would toss into the run-
' ning brook, and watch its progress until it struck the
chopped-up little waves as they dashed down some rug
ged, rocky gulley. I watched until my eyes ached, the
heavy billows and the struggling ship now lost lo sight
as she descended in the hollow of the sea; anon, she
appeared, safely riding some giant wave upon which she

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 321
i
seemed to waver for a moment as if in dread of the
fearful plunge, and finally disappeared altogether amid
the 6pray and the thick mist blown before the north-east,
howling, shrieking wind.
Soon the boys came on deck, at least such as were
able, and viewed with me the awful grandeur of old
ocean .
It was with a whetted appetite that I returned below
and sought out my provision bag. After satisfying
my inner man, I went to take a look at the sick
soldiers. I was glad to find them cheerful, except one
poor fellow, who looked up in my face as I stood by
his side, with a beseeching expression portrayed on his
countenance. "What is it? Can I do anything for you?"
"I would like some coffee, if you could get me
some." Just then one of his comrades approached, bearing
in hie hand a tin cup, and holding it out, he eaid :
"Here's some coffee ; I've been to get it for you ; I
could not get around any sooner, there are so many
Bi'ck ones on board to look after," addressing the latter
remark to me. .
For three long days we were kept inside the inlet
by the violent gale. Our provisions began to run short,
and the captain was forced to seek fresh supplies at Fort
Hatteras.

322 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
At length the wind chopped around to the north
west, and on the fourth day from our arrival, the
anchor was hove short and catted, and the old craft
steamed up and proceeded on her journey. When about
halfway through the inlet, a large breaker came towering
in ; it looked to be twenty feet high. My heart leaped
into my throat (so to speak), for I had no more idea
that the old broken-backed — well, I have in my vocabu
lary no words fit to name her — would sustain the shock
than I had of jumping overboard.
"Hold on, all !" shouted the pilot.
I sprang towards the cabin hatchway, and grasped
the combings just in the nick of time. As she struck
the breaker, she partly rode and partly wallowed
through, to my great astonishment, for I fully expected
to see her go to pieces in the first ugly encounter. But
I had under-rated her, and ever after that had a degree
of respect for her. AVe did not encounter any more
heavy breakers during our passage through the inlet,
and were soon outside on the heaving ocean. The
north-west wind had raised the deuce with the huge bil
lows, and cut them up into what is called a chopped
aea. As far as I could see, the ocean was made up of
innumerable hillocks, reminding one of a forty-acre lot
sprinkled with hay-cocks, with this difference, that the
waves were alive, and tossed our old steamer about like
a shuttle-cock.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 323
Tom came staggering towards me, as I stood holding •
on the combing of the hatchway, and as he came within
speaking distance, the steamer gave a sudden lurch to
port, shipped a sea, in consequence of which, Tom lost
hie footing and was pitched headlong into the lee
scupper, where he floundered about for a moment or
two, unable to regain his feet. At last, as the old
"Hooker" righted, he maintained a standing position,
and came towards me. I laughed so hard at Tom's
misfortune that it made my head ache.
"It's all right, Steve ; the only harm I wish you is,
that I may see you take a tumble."
I assured him that if I did, I should expect all the
crew, man and boy, to laugh, as it is human nature to
exult over the fallen.
"But joking aside, Steve, those poor fellows below
are in a terrible state ; most of them are sea-sick, andl
really think that one is dying."
Without waiting to hear more, I went forward and
descended into the hole. The sight I saw there nearly
caused my stomach to rebel . Soldiers were lying around
in filth, too weak to remove themselves from it, and
the stench was sickening. With the help of the new
draft, as we still called ourselves, I set to work to fix
them up. It was hard work, but we at last got them
in better trim, although we could do nothing to relieve
their sea-sickneee. I tried to aeeure them that the worst

324 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BQY.
was over, and that if nothing unusual occurred, we
should be in ISlew York the next day. Seeing one poor
fellow lying alone with closed eyes, I approached him,
and found him seemingly in a dying condition.
"Look here, Tom, cannot we get some whiskey from
the captain? This poor boy is about gone, it seems,
and unless we do something for him quickly he cannot
rally." "I will try," Tom said, and started for the cabin on
his errand of mercy.
In the mean time I had been trying, with the help
of others, to rouse the man from his stupor. He could
not have been more than twenty years old, but the
ghastly appearance of his countenance made him appear
much older. His injuries, though bad enough, were
not necessarily of a fatal nature, and if aid had been
forthcoming at first, he would probably have been well
now. But he had lost so much blood, fever also had
set in, and now he was indeed at death's door. All our
efforts were of no avail, however, to bring him round,
and our last resort was whiskey.
I waited anxiously for Tom's return and at length
saw him come down the ladder, aft. When he reached
my side he pulled from his pocket a half-pint bottle,
and thrust it out to me. I took it, saying at the same
time, "So you were successful, I see; Iliad my doubts
about your getting any when I asked you to go."

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 325
"Yes," he said, "I got the whiskey, but what do
you suppose the old leather-head has made me pay for
it?" Before answering Tom'e question, I stooped down
and poured a portion of the liquor into the soldier's
mouth. "~
"Pay ! pay, did you say?"
"Yes, pay," was the reply.
"Why, I thought he would give it to you. Did you
not tell him it was for a sick soldier, who was perhaps
at death's door ?"
"Why, certainly I did. I explained to him all
about it, and told him that if he did not do something
at once, he would have some dead men on his
hands." "What did he say to that?"
"He said he couldn't help the soldiers being sick,
and he hadn't any surgeon on board, and we should
have to shift the beet way we could until we arrived at
New York. At the same time he handed me the bot
tle of whiskey which he had poured from a demijohn in
his cupboard, with the accompanying remark that it
would be five dollars. I felt my face reddening up as
I tried to command my feelings, so that I might answer
his questions without showing anger, but it wae no use
I couldn't help letting fly at him, after paying, so I
said to him, 'You are the meanest man that it was ever

326 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
my misfortune to come across since my enlistment.' I
thought, I said, that I had seen mean men, but for the
pure, double-distilled essence of meanness, he took the
turkey and all the fixings, and I did not try to hide
my scowls from him, while waiting for a reply. 'Oh,
you are welcome to yer opinion of me. I've got yer
money, and that's what I'm arter,' and he snapped his
fingers in my face. I would have stayed to give him a
parting shot, but I knew you were in a hurry for it, so
I came away ; but I'll have a whack at him, and I'll
square the yards with him for that five dollars, before
we reach New York, if an opportunity occurs, the old
curmudgeon !"
"Bear a hand here, Tom," I said, interrupting him,
"and let's get the poor fellow on deck if possible, where
he can get some fresh air ; pugh ! it's enough to kill a
well man down here, let alone a sick one."
Tom took the boy by hie feet, and I caught hold of
him under his arms, and together we carried him on
deck. I then gave him a little more whiskey. After
a little while he opened his eyes, but there was no ex
pression in them ; he did not seem to recognize any
one. By and by his lips were seen to move, and I
knelt down beside him to catch, if possible, what he
might have to say. I moistened his lips again, and
forced some of the liquor between his teeth which

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 327
seemed to be firmly set together. I wae rewarded this
time by seeing a look of gratitude on his face.
"Poor fellow, can you speak, and tell me your
wishes ? "
His lips moved again, and bending my head, with
my ear close to his lips, I managed to catch the follow
ing words, which came in a faint and trembling
whisper :
"I — was — almost — home ; why — did — you — call —
me — back ? — I — want — want — to — " Here he paused ;
I bent my head closer, and heard his last words : "Ah
— too — late — my  "
"But of his home and her he loved,
His sad departing spirit sighed ;
'Mother!' the soldier fondly said,
And looking to the north, he died."
His form stiffened in death. Did he wish me to take
his last message to his home, to his mother, to his
sweetheart? I cannot tell ; God only knowe. Gently
we compoecd his limbs, and covered him with a blanket,
which was all that we could do for him. My eyes
filled with tears ; I could not keep them back, so I
turned from the scene, and looking around at my com
panions, who were gathered there on the deck, I saw
traces of tears in the eyes of many of them.
1 To cap all, our supply of water became exhausted,
22

328 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
another smart trait of the captain, not to have a suf
ficient supply on board. The donkey engine was started
in order to condense the salt water. The sick soldiers
were calling for water on all sides.
"Give us water !" was the so oft-repeated cry, that
I was forced to seek the deck to shut out the sound. In
a little while, however, a sufficient quantity of water
had been condensed to serve all around, but it was yet
quite warm.
By this time the sea had gone down, and with it the
rocking motion of the old "Hooker" nearly subsided,
and except a long ground swell undulating beneath us,
we were in comparatively smooth water once more.
The eun began to shine bright and warm, and nature
put aside the terrible frown that she had worn so many
days, and smiled once again upon us. My spirits rose
correspondingly, as the clouds cleared away, ar.d the
sun's rays spread far and wide, warming our hearts and
infusing new life in the tired frames of the soldiers.
Those who were able, came on deck and loitered in
groups fore and aft, basking in the warm sunlight.
When I retired that night, I obtained my first good
night'e Bleep since leaving New Berne.
We arrived in New York on the following day, at
about five o'clock, and each man shouldered his effects,
as the steamer was made fast to the pier, and hurried
on shore. Tom and I waited awhile on the pier, to say

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY. 329
good-bye to some of the soldiers, and pay a last fare
well to our messmates, whose homes were in different
directions from ours ; then we turned our steps in the
direction of the New York and Providence boat.
Arriving there, we left our dunnage on board, and
took a stroll up Broadway. We returned again be
times, and on the following morning we arrived safely
in Providence, whore Tom and I parted, to go to our
respective home.
I will pass over the meeting at home ; suffice it to
say that I was met with very warm greetings from the
loved ones there, and had the pleasure of shaking Phil
by the hand, he having returned home the day before.
When I sat down to dinner that day, I missed two <
familiar faces, which dampened the pleasure of my re
turn home somewhat. On the evening of that long-to-
be-remembered day, I sat up late and rehearsed the
story of our adventures to ready ears, and when I did
retire, and crept between the clean white sheets, I
thought I never experienced so delightful a sensation
before. A few more words and I close. The "Louisiana,"
some few months after the new draft's discharge from
her, sailed to Baltimore, where her crew were distrib
uted aboard other steamers, and the gun-boat was pre
pared to fulfil her destiny in AVilmington, North Car
olina. On the 23d of December, 1864, one of the

330 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SAILOR BOY.
largest fleets in the service of the United States stood
towarde Fort Fisher bound for its capture or destruc
tion, and among these vessels was the "Louisiana,"
stored with fifteen tons of powder, every barrel with
its head out and its fuse in. How to bring her with
her terrible cargo safely under the walls of the fort
without having her blown up in advance by the guns
of the fort, was the absorbing question of the day. On
this point Admiral Porter says: "This, Commander
Rhind was enabled to do, owing to a blockade-runner
going in right ahead of him, the fort making the block
ade-runner signals which they also did to the 'Louisi
ana.'" Here were one hundred and twenty men-of-
war, and transports, their only object being to stop
smuggling, and one saucy steamer passing through
them all being made the unconscious pilot of the pow
der laden gunboat, that was to blow the fort out of ex
istence. It is needless to add that the gun-boat blew
up, and that the fort did not.
Ineignificant as the "Louisiana" was in appearance,
she nevertheless' did honor to the service, and her final
sacrifice at Fort Fisher was only in keeping with her
other good deeds performed during the rebellion. Good
bye old "Louisiana," it was done pro patria.
THE END.

This preservation copy
was printed and bound at
Bridgeport National Bindery, Inc.,
in compliance with U.S. copyright law.
The paper used meets the requirements
of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992
(Permanence of Paper).

(00) 1999

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

3 9002 03759 7037