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112.-a case of rebel treachery.
Firing upon a flag of truce, May 19.
The following particulars are given by the
Fortress Monroe correspondent of the Baltimore
American:
Another bad affair has occurred on the
James River, resulting in the loss of a whole boat's crew and several officers of the gunboat
Wachusett.
It appears that on Saturday last, when the fleet, consisting of the
Wachusett,
Captain Smith, the Monitor, the
Galena, the
Port Royal, and Aroostook, anchored off
City Point, the people came down with flags of truce and suspended white flags at every prominent point.
Captain Smith accordingly landed and found the inhabitants of the little town to consist largely of women and children, who made the most earnest protestations of opposition to the war, and that they were suffering for many of the necessaries of life.
In fact, the desire for peace among them was so great that many of them professed Union sentiments, and
Captain Smith returned to the vessel highly pleased with the people, and deeply commiserating their condition.
Arrangements were made to receive from them vegetables, and some assistance was given to the most destitute.
On Monday morning an application was sent to the
Wachusett to allow a physician to come on shore to visit a woman said to be dangerously ill. Believing the application to be a genuine appeal that humanity required should be promptly attended to,
Captain Smith gave permission for the surgeon of the ship to go on shore on a visit of mercy.
The
Wachusett lay some distance below
City Point at the time, and the surgeon, accompanied by the
chief-engineer, the
signal-officer, and one of the master's mates and twelve men — the latter unarmed and the officers carrying only their swords — proceeded up to the vicinity of the town.
The party landed without any interruption, and proceeded to the town, leaving six of the unarmed sailors in the boat.
The men left in the boat heard nothing more of the party that landed, but in about a half-hour a sharp fire was opened upon them from a party of rebels in the woods.
At the first fire two of the six fell dead, when the balance, being unharmed, cried out for “quarter.”
The answer of their inhuman assailants was, “We'll quarter you, you------------,” when a second volley was fired, and three more fell into the bottom of the boat wounded.
The only remaining man immediately pushed the boat off with his dead and wounded comrades, and taking to the water with the painter of the boat in his mouth, swam out of range of the weapons of the cowardly assassins.
He then took the ensign, and waving it over his head, a boat from the
Wachusett immediately started to his assistance, and towed the boat back to the ship.
It presented a most terrible sight, the dead and the dying lying together.
One of the wounded soon after died, and the other two were brought to
Old Point this morning on the steamer
Baltimore.
The balance of the party who landed, including the surgeon,
Chief-Engineer Baker, and the
signal-officer, with six of the crew and one petty officer, whose names I could not learn, were all surrounded on reaching the town, and taken prisoners by an armed guerrilla band.
A letter was received from them announcing the fact, as well as that they were about being sent as prisoners to
Raleigh.
The
Galena immediately moved up toward the settlement, and opened her ports, preparatory to shelling and destroying the place.
This, of course, caused great consternation, and the women ran down toward the water, bearing white flags and screaming for mercy, protesting that they knew nothing of any rebel bands being in the vicinity, and denouncing the perpetrators of the outrage for their inhuman conduct.
They also gave information of a large rebel force having returned to a point within three miles of
City Point, a party from which they declared had been the perpetrators.
When the
Baltimore started, the shelling of the town had not commenced, but negotiations were going on between the people and
Captain Smith, by way of investigating the matter.
