732 NortH Carouina Troops, 1861-’65.

tending it, ending in my escape to “Dixie’s Land,” a month
before the sad day of Appomattox, would necessarily extend
this narrative, besides prudence forbids, even at this late day,
that I should give the names of those who aided me to get out

of prison or on the long route home—or the methods and
means used.
Cuartes W. Rivenpark.
CuartortE, N. C.,
9 April, 1901.

Norr.—The above was written in 1874 and published in our ‘‘Living
and Dead.’”’ It has now been revised by its author for this work.—Ep.

AN ESCAPE FROM FORT WARREN.

By J..W. ALEXANDER, Ligvtenant C. 8S. N.

In the month of November, 1862, I was detached from the
James river squadron and ordered to Savannah, Georgia, as
executive officer of the new iron-clad Atlanta, being con-
structed for the Confederates at that place. On arriving, I
found the Atlanta at the lower end of the city, still in the
hands of the contractor; but her guns were on board, and
there only remained some finishing to be done before she was
turned over to the government. Captain McBlair was in
command, and the other officers reported for duty about the
same time as myself. The Atlanta, was an iron steamer,
built in Scotland, and had run the blockade into the Savan-
nah river and been purchased by the Confederate Govern-
ment. Her upper works had been removed and she had been
cut down, and a shield for the battery constructed upon her
iron hull after the pattern of the old Merrimac, with sloping

‘sides covered with two bars of iron, each two inches thick.

These bars were bolted to the solid pine logs with which her
shield had been constructed. It is not my purpose to give
any detailed account of this vessel or her career, but only to
state in a general way how she was eventually captured by
the Federal fleet in Ossabar Sound. Her crew were mostly
Georgians, volunteers from the army, and, with the exception
of a few sailors, were totally unacquainted with the duties re-
quired of them, but they soon learned to work the battery
very well, and with the few sailors that were on board made
eventually quite an efficient crew. The vessel was at first
commanded by Captain McBlair, but before her sailing, Cap-
tain W. A. Webb had been placed in command. After the
usual delay, we dropped down to the obstructions in the river

Norr.—Lieutenant Alexander was a North Carolinian and a most gal-
lant officer. His narrative of life at Fort Warren deserves record here
to show what so many from this State suffered asa part of their army
experience —Eb. :