captains of the civil war- 第41部分

Lee　and　Meade　maneuvered　over　the　old　Virginian　scenes　of　action；　each　trying　to　outflank　the　other；　and　each　being　hampered　by　having　to　send　reinforcements　to　their　friends　in　Tennessee；　where；　as　we　have　seen　already；　Bragg　and　Rosecrans　were　now　maneuvering　in　front　of　Chattanooga。　In　October　（after　the　Confederate　victory　of　Chickamauga）　Meade　foiled　Lee's　attempt　to　bring　on　a　Third　Manassas。　The　campaign　closed　at　Mine　Run；　where　Lee　repulsed　Meade's　attempted　surprise　in　a　three…day　action；　which　began　on　the　twenty…sixth　of　November；　the　morrow　of　Grant's　three　days　at　Chattanooga。


From　this　time　forward　the　South　was　like　a　beleaguered　city；　certain　to　fall　if　not　relieved；　unless；　indeed；　the　hearts　of　those　who　swayed　the　Northern　vote　should　fail　them　at　the　next　election。



CHAPTER　IX。　FARRAGUT　AND　THE　NAVY：　1863…4

The　Navy's　task　in　'63　was　complicated　by　the　many　foreign　vessels　that　ran　only　between　two　neutral　ports　but　broke　bulk　into　blockade…runners　at　their　own　port　of　destination。　For　instance；　a　neutral　vessel；　with　neutral　crew　and　cargo；　would　leave　a　port　in　Europe　for　a　neutral　port　in　America；　say；　Nassau　in　the　Bahamas　or　Matamoras　on　the　Rio　Grande。　She　could　not　be　touched　of　course　at　either　port　or　anywhere　inside　the　three…mile　limit。　But　international　law　accepted　the　doctrine　of　continuous　voyage；　by　which　contraband　could　be　taken　anywhere　on　the　high　seas；　provided；　of　course；　that　the　blockader　could　prove　his　case。　If；　for　example；　there　were　ten　times　as　many　goods　going　into　Matamoras　as　could　possibly　be　used　through　that　port　by　Mexico；　then　the　presumption　was　that　nine…tenths　were　contraband。　Presumption　becoming　proof　by　further　evidence；　the　doctrine　of　continuous　voyage　could　be　used　in　favor　of　the　blockaders　who　stopped　the　contraband　at　sea　between　the　neutral　ports。　The　blockade　therefore　required　a　double　line　of　operation：　one；　the　old　line　along'　the　Southern　coast；　the　other；　the　new　line　out　at　sea；　and　preferably　just　beyond　the　three…mile　limit　outside　the　original　port　of　departure；　so　as　to　kill　the　evil　at　its　source。　Nassau　and　Matamoras　gave　the　coast　blockade　plenty　of　harassing　work；　Nassau　because　it　was　〃handy　to〃　the　Atlantic　ports；　Matamoras　because　it　was　at　the　mouth　of　the　Rio　Grande；　over　the　shoals　of　which　the　Union　warships　could　not　go　to　prevent　contraband　crossing　into　Texas；　thence　up　to　the　Red　River；　down　to　the　Mississippi　（between　the　Confederate　strongholds　of　Vicksburg　and　Port　Hudson）　and　on　to　any　other　part　of　the　South。　But　what　may　be　called　the　highseas　blockade　was　no　less　harassing；　complicated　as　it　was　by　the　work　of　Confederate　raiders。

The　coast　blockade　of　'63　was　marked　by　two　notable　ship　duels　and　three　fights　round　Charleston；　then；　as　always；　a　great　storm　center　of　the　wax。　At　the　end　of　January　two　Confederate　gunboats　under　Commodore　Ingraham　attacked　the　blockading　flotilla　of　Charleston；　forced　the　Mercedita　to　surrender；　badly　mauled　the　Keystone　State；　and　damaged　the　Quaker　City。　But；　though　some　foreign　consuls　and　all　Charleston　thought　the　blockade　had　been　raised　for　the　time　being；　it　was　only　bent；　not　broken。

At　the　end　of　February　the　Union　monitor　Montauk　destroyed　the　Confederate　privateer　Nashville　near　Fort　McAllister　on　the　Ogeechee　River　in　Georgia。　In　April　nine　Union　monitors　steamed　in　to　test　the　strength　of　Charleston；　but；　as　they　got　back　more　than　they　could　give；　Admiral　Du　Pont　wisely　decided　not　to　try　the　fight…to…a…finish　he　had　meant　to　make　next　morning。　Wassaw　Sound　in　Georgia　was　the　scene　of　a　desperate　duel　on　the　seventeenth　of　June；　when　the　Union　monitor　Weehawken　captured　the　old　blockade…runner　Fingal；　which　had　been　converted　into　the　new　Confederate　ram　Atlanta。　The　third　week　in　August　witnessed　another　bombardment　of　Charleston；　this　time　on　a　larger　scale；　for　a　longer　time；　and　by　military　as　well　as　naval　means。　But　Charleston　remained　defiant　and　unconquered　both　this　year　and　the　next。

Confederate　raiders　were　at　work　along　the　trade　routes　of　the　world　in　'63；　doing　much　harm　by　capture　and　destruction；　and　even　more　by　shaking　the　security　of　the　American　mercantile　marine。　American　crews　were　hard　to　get　when　so　many　hands　were　wanted　for　other　war　work；　and　American　vessels　were　increasingly　apt　to　seek　the　safety　of　a　neutral　flag。

Slowly；　and　with　much　perverse　interference　to　overcome　in　the　course　of　its　harassing　duties；　the　Union　navy　was　getting　the　strangle…hold　that　killed　the　sea…girt　South。　By　'64　the　North　had　secured　this　strangle…hold；　and　nothing　but　foreign　intervention　or　the　political　death　of　the　Northern　War　Party　could　possibly　shake　it　off。　The　South　was　feeling　its　practical　enislement　as　never　before。　The　strong　right　arm　of　the　Union　navy　held　it　fast　at　every　point　but　threeWilmington；　Charleston；　and　Mobile；　and　round　these　three　the　stern　blockaders　grew　stronger　every　day。　The　Sabine　Pass　and　Galveston　also　remained　in　Southern　hands；　and　the　border　town　of　Matamoras　still　imported　contraband。　But　these　other　three　points　were　closely　watched；　and　the　greatly　lessened　contraband　that　did　get　through　them　now　only　served　the　western　South；　which　had　been　completely　severed　from　the　eastern　South　by　the　fall　of　Vicksburg　and　Port　Hudson。　The　left　arm　of　the　Union　navy　now　held　the　whole　line　of　the　Mississippi；　while　the　gripping　hand　held　all　the　tributary　streamsOhio；　Cumberland；　and　Tennesseefrom　which　the　Union　armies　were　to　invade；　divide；　and　devastate　the　eastern　South　this　year。


Several　Southern　raiders　were　still　at　large　in　'64。　But　the　most　famous　or　notorious　three　have　each　their　own　year　of　glory。　The　Florida　belongs　to　'63；　the　Shenandoah　to　'65。　So　the　one　great　raiding　story　we　have　now　to　tell　is　that　of　the　Alabama；　the　greatest　of　them　all。

The　Alabama　was　a　beautiful　thousand…ton　wooden　barkentine；　built　by　the　Lairds　at　Birkenhead　in　'62；　with　standing　rigging　of　wire；　a　single　screw　driven　by　two　horizontal　three…hundred　horse　power　engines；　coal　room　for　three　hundred　and　fifty　tons；　eight　good　guns；　the　heaviest　a　hundred…pound　rifle；　and　a　maximum　crew　of　one　hundred　and　forty…nineall　ranks　and　ratingsunder　Captain　Raphael　Semmes；　late　U。S。N。　Semmes　was　not　only　a　very　able　officer　but　an　accomplished　lawyer；　well　posted　on　belligerent　and　neutral　rights　at　sea。

For　nearly　two　years　the　Alabama　roved　the　oceans　of　the　Old　World　and　the　New；　taking　sixty…six　Union　vessels　valued　at　seven　million　dollars；　spreading　the　terror　of　her　name　among　all　the　merchantmen　that　flew　the　Stars　and　Stripes；　and　infuriating　the　Navy　by　the　wonderful　way　in　which　she　contrived　to　escape　every　trap　it　set　for　her。　She　was　designed　for　speed　rather　than　for　fighting；　and；　with　her　great　spread　of　canvas；　could　sometimes　work　large　areas　under　sail。　But；　even　so；　her　runs；　captures；　and　escapes　formed　a　series　of　adventures　that　no　mere　luck　could　have　possibly　performed　with　a　fluctuating　foreign　crew　commanded　by　ex…officers　of　the　Navy。　Her　wanderings　took　her　through　nearly　a　hundred　degrees　of　latitude；　from　the　coast　of　Scotland　to　St。　Paul　Island；　south　of　the　Indian　Ocean；　also　through　more　than　two　hundred　degrees　of　longitude；　from　the　Gulf　of　Mexico　to　the　China　Sea。　She　captured　〃Yankees〃　within　one　day's　steaming　of　the　New　York　Navy　Yard　as　well　as　in　the　Straits　of　Sunda。　West　of　the　Azores　and　off　the　coast　of　Brazil　her　captures　came　so　thick　and　fast　that　they　might　have　almost　been　a　flock　of　。sheep　run　down　there　by　a　wolf。　Finally；　to　fill　the　cup　of　wrath　against　her；　she　had　sunk　a　blockader　off　the　coast　of　Texas；　given　the　slip　to　a　Union　manof…war　at　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope；　and　kept　the　Navy　guessing　her　unanswered　riddles　for　two　whole　years。

Imagine；　then；　the　keen　elation　with　which　all　hands　aboard　the　U。S。S。　Kearsarge　heard　at　their　berth　off　Flushing　that　the　Alabama　was　in　port　at　Cherbourg　on　the　Channel　coast　of　France；　only　one　day's　sail　southwest！　And　there　she　was　when　the　Kearsarge　came　to　anchor；　and　every　Northern　eye　was　turned　to　see　the　ship　of　which　the　world　had　heard　so　much。　The　Kearsarges　hardly　dared　to　hope　that　there　would　be　a　fight；　for　they　had　the　stronger　vessel；　and　now　the　faster　one　as　well。　The　Alabama　had　been　built　for　speed；　but　she　had　knocked　about　so　much　without　a　proper　overhaul　that　her　copper　sheathing　was　in　rags；　while　she　was　more　or　less　strained。　in　nearly　every　other　part。　The　Kearsarge；　on　the　other　hand；　was　in　good　order；　with　mantlets　of　chain　cable　protecting　her　vitals；　with　one…third　greater　horse　power；　with　fourteen　more　men　in　her　crew；　and　with　two　big　pivot　guns　throwing　eleven　inch　shells　with　great　force　at　short　ranges。　Moreover；　the　Kearsarge；　with　her　superior　speed　and　stronger　hull；　could　choose　the　range　and　risk　close　quarters；。　The　Alabamas　were　also　keen　to　estimate　respective　strengths。　But　the　French　authorities　naturally　kept　the　two　ships　pretty　far　apart；　so　the　Alabamas　never　saw　the　chain　mantlets　which　the　Kearsarges　had　cleverly　hidden　under　a　covering　of　wood　that　appeared　to　be　flush　with　the　hull。

The　Kearsarges　had　a　second　and　still　more　elating　surprise　when　they　heard　the　Alabama　was