470 Chronicles of the Cape Fear River

we were not discovered ; nor did we see any of the fleet until we
cleared the Frying Pan Shoals, when we easily avoided several
vessels which had participated, no doubt, in the attack upon
Fort Fisher, and were now about to take their stations off the
Western Bar.

We made a rapid, though very rough voyage to Bermuda, a
stormy northwest gale following us nearly the whole distance.
The Prussian Major Von Borcke, who had served on General
“Jeb” Stuart’s staff and who afterwards published (in Black-
wood’s) his experience of the war, was a passenger. ‘l'he major
was no sailor, and his sufferings from seasickness were much
ageravated by a gunshot wound in his throat. As the engines
of the Chameleon would “race” in the heavy sea following us,
and her whole frame would vibrate, he declared in military
phraseology (“our army swore terribly in Flanders”) that he
would rather encounter the dangers of a “stricken field” than
voluntarily endure an hour of such torture.

We arrived at St. George’s on the 30th of December; and our
troubles immediately commenced. It was the 5th of J anuary
before permission was received to land our cargo of cotton, His
Excellency, the governor, having called upon the law officers of
the Crown for aid in the dire dilemma. When the vessel’s
papers were at last pronounced correct, we discharged our cargo;
and then arose the perplexing question of loading. I haven’t
the slightest doubt that the American consul was sadly bothering
His Excellency all this time; however, permission was finally
granted to us to take in provisions, but no munitions of war.
As we did not want “hardware,” as munitions of war were then
invoiced, we proceeded to load. But a great deal of time had
been lost, and we did not take our departure for Wilmington till
the 19th of January. We had on board as passengers General
Preston and staff, returning from Europe.

Our voyage across was very rough, and the night of our
approach to New Inlet Bar was dark and rainy. Between one
and two o’clock in the morning, as we were feeling our way with
the lead, a light was discovered nearly ahead and a short dis-
tance from us. As we drew closer in and “sheered” the Chame-
leon, so as to bring the light abeam, I directed our signal officer
to make the regular signal. No reply was made to it, although
many lights now began to appear looming up through the driz-
zling rain. These were undoubtedly camp fires of the United
States troops outside of Fort Fisher; but it never occurred to

Blockade Running ; @73

me as possible that a second attack could have been made, and
successfully, in the brief period of time which had elapsed —
our departure from Wilmington. Believing that I had made
some error in my day’s observations, the Chameleon was aes =
sea again, as the most prudent course in the emergency. e
night was too far spent to allow of any delay. Orders —
therefore given to go at full speed, and by daylight we had ma ;
an offing of forty or fifty miles from the coast. Clear es
pleasant weather enabled me to establish our position accurately
(it was my invariable custom at sea, during the war, to take med
own observations), and early in the night we made the Moun

e. The range
Light ahead, for which I had shaped our course
lights were showing, and we crossed the bar without interfer-

ence, but without a suspicion of anything wrong, as it sais
occasionally happen, under particularly favorable ee ee
that we would cross the bar without even seeing a blockader.
We were under the guns of Fort Fisher, in fact, and close to the
fleet of United States vessels, which had crossed the bar after the
fall of the fort, when I directed my signal officer to communicate
with the shore station. His signal was promptly answered, but
turning to me, he said, ““No Confederate signal officer there, Sir ;
he can not reply to me.” The order to wear round was instantly
obeyed ; not a moment too soon, for the bow of the Chameleon
was scarcely pointed for the bar before two of the light cruisers
were plainly visible in pursuit, steaming with all speed to inter-
cept us. Nothing saved us from capture but the twin screws,
which enabled our steamer to turn as upon a pivot in the narrow
channel between the bar and the Rip. We reached the bar be-
fore our pursuers, and were soon lost to their sight in the dark-
ness outside. Our supply of coal being limited, the course was
shaped for Nassau as the nearer port, where we arrived without
accident.: A day or two after our arrival the news came of the
fall of Fort Fisher.

Several narrow escapes, besides our own, were made. Mafiitt,
in command of the Owl, crossed the Western Bar a night or two
after the fall of Fort Fisher, and while our troops were evacu-
ating Fort Caswell and other military stations along the river.
Crossing the bar and suspecting no danger, he continued on his
way up to Smithville, where he anchored. He was boarded a
few moments afterwards by a boat from our military post there.
The officer in command of the boat informed him of the capture
of Fort Fisher, and that our troops were then evacuating Fort