Mobile Register
June 30, 1861
Page 2
THE
PRIVATEER SAVANNAH—Particulars of her
Capture—The New York World, of June 17, thus notices the arrival at that
port of the captured privateer Savannah:
One
of Jeff. Davis’ privateers, the Savannah, of Charleston, to which the first
letter of marque was issued—after a running fight,
was captured on the 3d instant by the U. S. brig Perry, about fifty
miles from Charleston harbor. The Savannah, a
schooner-rigged vessel of fifty four tons burden, was formerly engaged as a
pilot boat. At the time of her capture
she was armed with an 18-pounder amidships, and had on board an ample supply of
shot and shell, grape and canister, while her crew were provided with knives,
cutlasses, pistols, rifles, etc. She was
also well provisioned for a protracted cruise, although at the time of her
capture she had been out of port only about thirty-six hours, during which
period, however, she had taken as a prize the brig Joseph, of Rockland, Me.,
and sent her to Georgetown,
S. C. It appears that the piratical
craft left Charleston
harbor on Sunday, June 23d, under the command of Capt. Baker, with a
crew of twenty five men.
On
the following day she fell in with the brig Joseph, from Cardenas, Cuba,
with a cargo of sugar, consigned to Welch & Co., of Philadelphia.
By an artful arrangement of the colors on board the Savannah, the
captain of the brig was induced to believe that the piratical craft was in
distress, and went on board, when he was held as a prisoner and his vessel
seized as a prize, and as such a prize crew of eight men was put on board to
take her into Georgetown harbor. Before
the Savannah and her prize had fairly parted company, the brig Perry hove in
sight, and by disguising her real character, her guns being purposely run back
and her portholes closed, she was doubtless taken for another prospective prize
by the pirates, who immediately made all sail they could, and came within a
short distance of the Perry before they discovered that they were sold, which
they put about and tried hard to make good their escape. The Perry gave chase, and fired several shots
to bring the pirate to. The latter fired
shots in return, which passed over the Perry in without doing any damage.
After
a chase of about six hours, the Perry hauled up close to the piratical
schooner, and ordered her to heave to, which she did, when men from the Perry,
under command of Lieut. J. N. Miller, boarded her. The officers and crew of the Savannah then came forward and gave up their sidearms and surrendered themselves as prisoners. They were taken on board the Perry and put in
irons, and the Savannah
was placed in charge of a prize crew, with Midshipman McCook in command, who
brought her to this port, which they reached on Saturday, while the brig Perry
transferred her prisoners to the United States frigate Minnesota, lying off Charleston bar. On board the privateer was a young man
hailing from New York,
who represented that he was impressed into the services of the pirates while in
an unconscious state. He stated that
there were originally thirty-two men on board, but eight effected their escape
before the vessel sailed on her privateering cruise.
The
Tribune says the number that originally shipped on the Savannah was thirty-two, but eight deserted
before she put to sea. There were,
therefore, twenty-four aboard when the Joseph was captured, and eight having
been transferred to her, leaves sixteen in irons on the Minnesota.
The Savannah
was recently employed as a pilot boat in Charleston
harbor, and possesses all the appearance of a fast sailing staunch little
craft. Her tonnage rates at about fifty
five. She is sixty feet long, schooner
rigged, and her draft is about eight feet.
She carries one eighteen
pounder gun, mounted amidships upon a swivel, and
placed in such as position that it can play with force at any desired
point. In her hold are hammocks to
accommodate ten or twelve men, and everything around, both inside and out,
denotes the care which had been taken to provide her with all the utensils so
necessary for her arduous and dangerous occupation. When boarded she was found to possess, in
addition to her gun on deck, a number of muskets, pistols, bowie knives,
cutlasses, etc., all scattered around in confusion, the precise number of which
could not be ascertained. Ten pairs of
handcuffs, supposed to be for the use of prisoners whom they might capture, were
all found on board.
The
following communication appears in the Mercury of yesterday:
Sir:
I see a statement in the Evening News copied from the New York World, to the
effect that a young man hailing from New York, and taken on board the privateer
Savannah, had represented that he was forced on board against his will. I am personally acquainted the man alluded
to. He boarded the privateer with me,
and I know that he came of his own free will.
Instead, too, of there being thirty-two men on board the Savannah at the time of
her capture, there were but twenty.
The
statement that the Savannah
hoisted signals of distress to decoy the Joseph is wholly untrue. I can certify to this as one of the prize
crew that brought the Joseph into Georgetown.
CHARLES
BLAKE
