Another moment and the scene was changed. The Yankee ensign had hardly
reached her peak, when down came the beguiling signal from the Alabama's
flagstaff, and the white folds of the Confederate ensign unfurled
themselves in its stead. A flash, a spurt of white smoke, curling for a
moment from the cruiser's lee-bow, and vanishing in snowy wreaths upon
the wind, and the loud report of a gun from the Alabama, summoned the
luckless Yankee to heave to. In a moment all was in confusion on board
the merchantman. Sheets and halyards were let go by the run, and the
huge cloud of canvas seemed to shrink and shrivel up as the vessel was
rounded to with folded wings like a crippled bird, and with her
foretopsail to the mast, lay submissively awaiting the commands of her
captors.
She proved to be the ship Lafayette, of Boston, bound to Belfast, with a
full cargo of grain, &c. Of her own nationality there was, of course, no
doubt; but a question now arose about the ownership of the cargo, and
some hours of patient investigation were necessary before Captain Semmes
could determine upon the course to pursue. Finally it was determined
that the claim of neutral ownership was a mere blind to insure against
capture; and at 10 P.M., the ship having been formally condemned, the
crew were transferred to the Alabama, and the prize fired and left to
her fate.
The following is Captain Semmes' memorandum of the
CASE OF THE LAFAYETTE.
Pages:
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213