444 Nortu Carotina Troops, 1861-’665.

were to be released were to be called out, and the unfortunate
ones remaining, prepared for a long term of imprisonment
at one of the well known prison pens so dreaded by those who
afterwards realized all their horrors. We were accordingly
marched down to the Marshal’s headquarters in Burton’s old
theatre on Chambers street, opposite the City Hall Park,
where we were ordered to select our baggage, and prepare to be
searched for contraband articles. The entire office force of
clerks had been drawn from their desks by curiosity to the
other end of the large room where the inspection was going
on, and while my baggage was being examined by an officer
1 asked him if he knew who was to be released, to which he
replied that he did not know, but that the list of those who
would be released could be found in a large book on that desk,
pointing with his finger to the other end of the room. When
his inspection was completed I asked if I might go and read
the names, to satisfy my curiosity. He said there could be
no harm in doing so and asked if I could read. I said yes
that I thought I could make out the names. Whereupon I
walked with forced indifference to the desk, and found a big
journal laid open upon it, containing the names of the men
belonging to the Ella and Annie’s crew who were to be dis-
charged. This did not interest me, and looking further down
T saw also the names of those of my own ship who were to be
released, but from the top to the bottom there was no George
C. McDougal. You may depend upon it I felt very sad as
Fort LaFayette loomed up in all its dreariness. My case
was apparently hopeless. Looking furtively over my shoul-
der, I saw that the desk was so placed that my back shielded
me from the eyes of the marshals at the moment, and also
that the officers and clerks were very busy seeing what they
could confiscate, each man for himself, out of the baggage
of the unfortunate prisoners; and feeling that no worse fate
could overtake me, I slipped my hand cautiously along the
desk, took up a pen, and imitating as closely as possible the
character of the writing before me, inscribed my own name
at the bottom of the list, and immediately returned to the
crowd at the other end of the room, where the Deputy asked
me if I saw my name, to which I promptly responded “Yes.”

BiockaDE RUNNING. 445

“Then you are all right,” said he, “and will be turned out
to-night.” Shortly afterwards, we were marched off to a
neighboring place to get our supper at the expense of Uncle
Sam, after which, the Chief Marshal and Judge Bebee ap-
peared and in due form separated those who were to be re-
leased from the unfortunate ones remaining. I waited with
feelings than can be imagined better than they can be describ-
ed, as the names were read; and at last my own was called
without the detection of my expedient, which was doubtless
owing to the fact that the room was badly lighted and dark-
ness had already set in. Promptly responding to my name I
at once passed out into the night, leaving my own Commander,
Captain Robert Lockwood, the Wilmington pilot Mr. Charles
Craig, and Billy Willington, our engineer, and several others
of the Margaret and Jessie, who, together with Capt. Frank
Bonneau, his Wilmington pilot, and his Chief Engineer,
Alexander Laurence, were sent to Fort LaFayette, where they
remained until about the end of the war.”

It may be interesting in this connection to recall the inci-
dent which led to the capture of the Ella and Annie, through
the same gun boat being anchored in the channel. Instead of
turning back and running out to sea as we did, Captain Bon-
neau kept on his course, ordering his engineer to throw his
throttle wide open and leave the engine room immediately,
his intention being to run down the gun boat and take the
consequences. The two ships came together with a frightful
crash, and as they swung around, side by side, the gun boat
got out lashings and her boarders swarmed the Hila and
Annie and after a sharp resistance, succeeded in taking pos-
session of her. The Ella and Annie’s crew was sent to New
York, and the gun boat Nyphon, in a badly damaged condi-
tion, was sent to the Norfolk Navy Yard to be docked; as it
was difficult to keep her afloat from the effects of the collis-
ion. On Col. Lamb being asked subsequently to drive the
gun boat out of the channel, he replied that it was impossible
to do so, as she came in after dark and anchored under the
shelter of the wreck referred to, and he could not get the
range until the moon rose when, of course, the gunboat steam-
ed out to sea, the channel being no longer of any use to the
blockade runners.