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hearing that the money-chest of the Florida had been opened, called on Collins to restore several hundred dollars, private funds, belonging to the ward-room mess.
This was refused.
At Fortress Monroe an offer was made to the men, through Lieutenant Beardsley, U. S. N., to release them from prison, upon condition that they would subscribe to an oath of allegiance.
Only one man out of 53 deserted his flag, and that desertion occurred the day of the capture.
At Fort Warren the men were all put in one room, and the eleven officers in another with 32 other prisoners.
The rooms were casemates, 50 feet long and 18 feet wide.
At 8:00 a. m. the prisoners were marched around to the cook-house and given a loaf of bread each.
After 12 they were marched around again and received their dinner, consisting of 8 ounces of cooked meat with a half pint of thin soup, three days of the week, and two potatoes, some beans or hominy the other days.
On the 24th of December, the officers of the Florida were locked up in a casemate and kept in close confinement day and night, upon the report of a prison spy that a plan for capturing the fort was under discussion.
This continued until the 19th of January, when the prisoners were relieved from close confinement, and notified that they would be released on condition that they would sign a parole to leave the United States in ten days. Lieutenant Porter informed the secretary of the navy that they would give the parole, but asked for the return of the $13,000 taken from the Florida, saying that it was necessary to have that, unless the United States would send the officers and men to Europe.
No attention was paid to this request, and finding that the Federal authorities would do nothing, an arrangement was made with an English passenger ship for their transportation to Europe by giving a draft to be paid at Liverpool.
(Report of Lieutenant Porter.)
Atlanta, Ga. 1899.
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