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Updated: July 15, 2025
Having thus successfully executed his instructions, he returned General Burbridge to Lexington and General Gillem to Knoxville. Wilmington, North Carolina, was the most important sea-coast port left to the enemy through which to get supplies from abroad, and send cotton and other products out by blockade-runners, besides being a place of great strategic value.
"The Yankee ships are hauling in the prizes as fishermen haul in their catch with a drag net. You see, the blockade-runners that are bound in don't know that the Inlet has been captured, and neither do they find it out until they run slap into the arms of the cruisers, who are always on the watch for them. They had hardly ceased firing upon the forts before they captured five schooners."
The island of New Providence, of which Nassau is the capital, is one of the group constituting the Bahama Islands, lying directly east of the Florida coast, and about three hundred and fifty miles distant from it. The town is regularly and well built, and during our "late unpleasantness" was the principal rendezvous of the scores of blockade-runners.
Sure enough, there on the bank of the river was a little Southern village, changed into a prosperous town by the blockade-runners that had evidently been making this place a harbor for some time. All was dark and silent as the grave. Confident in their fancied security, the blockade-runners had all turned in, leaving no one on guard.
If we can blow up Admiral Vernon's flagship, perhaps we can raise the blockade. At any rate it's the only chance for the blockade-runners to get out." "Did the general order you to do this?" "Certainly not. I suggested it to him. They don't order any one to the David, you know." "I should say not," returned Sempland. "She's been down five times, hasn't she?"
Immediately, the whole of French, English, Spanish, Dutch and American trade was thrown upon the tiny beach of Fort Oranje. More than that, Statia became the center for contraband of war. All the other islands took advantage of this. Statia became a huge arsenal. American privateers and blockade-runners were convoyed by Dutch men-of-war, which, of course, could not be attacked.
Alwayn explained why he had incurred the hostility of the blockade-runners and their adherents, for he was sometimes compelled to protest against what he regarded as breaches of neutrality, and was obliged in the discharge of his duty to look after these people very closely, so that he was regarded as a spy. "Oh! it was ze blockheads, was it?" exclaimed the Frenchman.
The state of the tide, the necessities of the blockade-runners who hoped to escape that night under cover of the confusion caused by the attack, rendered it absolutely necessary that there should be no delay in the departure of the torpedo boat. The time had been set for seven o'clock, as late as practicable, in order to secure the advantage of settled darkness before the blow was delivered.
On the strength of this declaration some Southern authorities claimed that the blockade was technically broken, and could not be technically re-established without a new notification. Is it necessary, to constitute a real danger to blockade-runners, that the blockading fleet should be in sight?
In fact, the men-of-war on the West India station found it a difficult matter to prevent their crews from deserting, so great was the temptation offered by the blockade-runners. I will begin by explaining how we prepared the vessel for the work.
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