| From the Richmond Dispatch |
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| July 15, 1861 |
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| The schooners captured off Cedar Keys |
| The Apalachicola (Fla) News, of the 8th inst., gives the subjoined facts in relation to a
recent exploit which has been announced by telegraph: |
| Four sailing vessels appeared
off Cedar Keys on the 1st instant. On the 2nd, the steamer Madison,
fully armed, and manned with two companies stationed at that point,
Gen. Whit Smith in command, went out after them and [succeeded]
in capturing the four. |
| It will be remembered that
some time ago the blockading vessel off New Orleans somewhere -- the
Massachusetts -- captured five of our schooners -- one loaded with railroad
iron for the Mobile railroad {probably
the Mobile & Ohio RR}, one
with brick, one with turpentine, one with mixed cargo of turpentine
and salt, and the fifth, a Mexican craft, with flour. The squadron
proves to be the same boats, and were on their way to Key West, as prizes, under command of Lieut, Geo. L. Selden, when the four
first described became becalmed off Cedar Keys, and were recaptured.
The fifth had left the squadron some days previous, the Lieutenant
says, against his orders, and was not seen by the capturing party. It
has been suggested that her crew may have become disgusted with the
dirty work of Mr. Lincoln and are now afloat on their own hook. The
names of the schooners we have not learned. |
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