Between the Lines Part 13

While anch.o.r.ed in the Wicomico river on the trip down on the schooner "W. H. Travers," W. H. Seward and myself took a small yawl which we had captured from Wm. H. Hayden in attempting to go South, and rowed up the Potomac river as far as Cobb creek.

We were hailed by McWilliams as we neared the sh.o.r.e at this point, he saying, "I used to own that boat," asked us where we were from. I refused to answer, but he said, "I am all right, you need not fear me." We landed and went up into the bushes.

He advised us to remove the m.u.f.flers from the oars as they could be seen from the gunboats and they would know immediately that we were from Virginia. He informed us where the soldiers were posted and how to avoid them, and advised us to leave our boat on his sh.o.r.e as it was known and would not be suspected, informed us of Grant's move on Fort Darling, &c.; called our attention to an article in the Baltimore Gazette which he said "done him good," and would do any Southerner good.

He said he wanted to send some copies to Virginia as he knew they would be so highly appreciated; wanted to write by us to his son who was in the Confederate army; said he traded yawl boat with Hayden about one week previous, when Hayden was on his way to Virginia with two men, one of them a Doctor; said he talked with these two men nearly all one day, and sent a letter to his son by Hayden. He had sent his son a large revolver and wanted to sell me a double barrelled gun to take back with me to Virginia; said he had a full set of cavalry accoutrements that he had been keeping, awaiting a chance to saddle up and fight the Yankees.

He said he saddled his horse and started for Frederick to a.s.sist when Jackson made his first raid but he could not get through the lines. He said many times that the people of Maryland only wanted a chance to turn on the Yankees. He said Dr. c.o.o.n of Was.h.i.+ngton had a yacht in which he carried over as many as three hundred to join the Confederates, from near his place; he said he was much afraid of his negroes as they would go and tell the Yanks all that was going on; he advised me to watch the negroes especially on Sunday and advised us to scatter about the woods.

He brought us three meals in the woods. He whipped one of his negroes because he threatened to inform the Provost Marshal that we were there; he suggested to me the idea to lash one of his negroes down and carry him to Virginia; he said there were but four or five loyal men in the County.

Said he was caught once by the Yankee gunboats and they found seventeen thousand dollars worth of contraband goods in his cellar, but that he had a frolic at his house, invited all the ladies about there and the Officers of the gunboats and thus this was all hushed up; said he could bribe any Yankee.

He said at one time he stored $25,000 worth of contraband goods in his buildings and aided in getting them away but was not caught.

He said that about three weeks since, two Confederate soldiers, came across the river and secreted themselves in the woods; he went to see them; one of his slaves reported the case to the Provost Marshal, who sent a guard to make the arrest. He saw the guard approach. The Confederates were scared; he told them to keep cool and when the guards came near to say they wanted to know where the Provost Marshal was, to say they were refugees and wanted to take the oath; said he came near being caught but the Yanks were not smart enough; said he thought these men had returned to Dixie by this time.

He said the Government had attempted to confiscate his son Frank's one-third interest in some property there which was worth about ten thousand dollars, so he got Mr. Higgs, Post Master at Newport, Charles County, to make out an account against Frank amounting to about ten thousand dollars and sue the estate; he went security to pay the amount in five years and thus got the property in his hands.

I seized from his house the double barrelled gun and the horse equipments.

I arrested Mr. McWilliams and brought him to this city as I thought him too dangerous a man to occupy the position he does on the Maryland sh.o.r.e. His remarks were made voluntarily without my making much effort, apparently, to ascertain his actions.

I am, Colonel, Very respy. your obdt. servt., H. B. SMITH, Lt. & Chief.

I remember the following incident which occurred on this trip: I tried to qualify as a deck hand. Leaning over the vessel's waist, I tried the difficult trick of scooping up a pail of water while the boat was in motion, and while so engaged my watch slipped out of my pocket, and into the water. We were then just below Fort Carroll, mid-stream. The watch is there yet, unless some mermaid has carried it off. I would not have lost it had I not divested it of the chain, to help appearances. On these trips one could not discover that we were not ordinary helpers "before the mast."

Many of the crews on such vessels were of the cla.s.s called by the negroes "poor white trash," and they were ignorant beyond belief; to test which I once pointed out land to the east as being Ireland, to which they a.s.sented. The captains and mates, of course, were not so ignorant.

A strange picture presented itself to me one moonlight night. We were laying in St. Mary's river when a cunna (canoe) came along side, and three or four black men crawled upon our deck and hid themselves down behind the boat's waist. They wanted to go away with us, telling a pitiful tale of oppression, but slavery was yet in vogue there, and so we forced them to go away home.

FILE XVI.

Captain Bailey makes a capture--Sinclair introduces me (as Shaffer) to Mr.

Plyle.

The following report was of another capture, by Captain Bailey:

Headquarters, Middle Department, 8th Army Corps.

Baltimore, June 29, 1864.

Col. Woolley, Provost Marshal.

Colonel.--I have the honor to report that Capt. Wm. Bailey returned to this city this morning bringing three prisoners, and their skiff. They were first seen near James Point, and afterwards were taken on board the schooner "Thos. H.

Northern," Capt. Wells; from which schooner Bailey took them along with Capt. Wells, and brought them to this office. I had a conversation with each one separately and then confined them.

George Hull stated that he was in the 9th Virginia Cavalry, from which he deserted some three months since; that he has been in the Confederacy since 1862; that he ran the blockade into Virginia on the schooner "Sarah Elizabeth" from Philadelphia, loaded with an a.s.sorted cargo, and landed in the Rappahannock river; that he did not know he was going to run the blockade when he started. A man named Edwards, commanded the schooner.

Nicholas McKee states that he was a member of the Home Guards in King and Queen County, Virginia. He went into the Confederacy by the same vessel and at the same time with Hull, but did not know she was to run the blockade when she started.

Neither Hull or McKee know who loaded the schooner; both deny all knowledge of their destination when they left Philadelphia.

Samuel Lewis was a member of the 9th Cavalry, Virginia. He states that he ran the blockade about June or July, 1863. He sailed from New York on a sloop with fifteen or twenty barrels of whiskey on board. They anch.o.r.ed under Ragged Point, Virginia, on the Potomac river, where they unloaded the whiskey. For some reason the men on the sloop got frightened and left him on the beach. He does not know the name of the sloop nor the name of the Captain, nor any person on board, and he, like the other two, did not know that the vessel intended to run the blockade.

It seems strange that none of them knew their destination when they s.h.i.+pped, and it also seems strange that after sailing from New York to the Potomac river, Wells had not learned the name of the vessel which he was on, or the names of any of his companions. He states also that he was the man sent ash.o.r.e in Virginia, to do the business, but says he had to do it as it was orders from his Captain.

I have sent two detectives to see the schooner on which they were found, and to examine the cargo as it is discharged.

I am, Colonel, Very respy. your obdt. servt., H. B. SMITH, Lt. & Chief.

The following letter to Mr. Plyle, introducing me as Mr. Shaffer, was the commencement of negotiations for the purchase of a lot of Confederate bonds, which purchase was consummated in the following November. For an account of which please refer to my report of the arrest of Brewer and Pittman, November 24th.

Baltimore, June 30, 1864.

Mr. Plyle.

Sir.--I expect to go to Norfolk or Richmond to-day. I send my partner, Mr. Shaffer, who will hand you this, to talk with you about purchasing your bonds. He will answer as well as I in the matter.

I will be back about July 10th.

Yours respy., SINCLAIR.

To Col. Plyle, Franklin House.

FILE XVII.

A Confederate letter.

The following discloses how perfectly the Confederate government understood the travelled route through the lines. It was by way of their signal station on the Potomac, that was their official channel. I was determined to break it up.

Westmorland and Northumberland counties, Virginia, are the south sh.o.r.e of the Potomac river. Mosby, or at least part of his command, covered this country.

Confederate States of America, War Department, Ordnance Bureau, Richmond, June 30, 1864.

Captain:

The bearer, Mr. White, is confided in as trustworthy. He desires information as to the best mode of proceeding to Maryland.