Loss of a Confederate Cotton steamer.
--The Confederate (Government) steamer
Oconee,
Lieut. O. F. Johnston commanding, laden with 823 bales of cotton, left
Savannah for
Nassau on Tuesday week.
On Wednesday, at sea, she sprung a leak and went down, her officers and crew taking to the boats.
The
Republican says:
‘
Lieut. Johnston, with his crew, in three boats, made for the land, and discovered it at about three o'clock Wednesday.
At six o'clock the boats passed through the breakers and surf, and the party landed on
St. Catherine's Island, where they remained all night.
By great exertions they were enabled to obtain a fire, and it was made along side of a tree, the trunk of which, during the night, was burnt through, and a heavy wind prostrated it, injuring the following persons: Peter Faithful, 3rd
Assistant Engineer, skull dangerously fractured;
Chas,
Smith, seaman, left side of cheek out slightly;
Adolphus Moore, cabin boy, (colored,) leg fractured.
The wounded having been taken care of, the party at daylight put to sea, and at 19 o'clock made the inlet to
St. Catherine Sound.
After getting about half a mile inside the mouth of the
Sound a Yankee gunboat, schooner rigged propeller, mounting a pivot gun fore and aft and a broadside gun, discovered them and fired a blank cartridge.
The men in the coats put all strength to their cars to make their escape.
Five minutes after the
Yankee blockader fired her blank cartridge she opened her broadside gun on the unfortunate men, firing twenty-seven rounds of shot, shell, and canister.
The course of the boat were put north and across the inlet.
The third boat, which was in the rear, and distant from the others about half a mile, was cut off and compelled to surrender.
The following were in the boat captured: Peter Faithful, 3d
Assistant Engineer;
Wm. Smith,
Master's Mate;
ex-officer Dr. Chas. M. Moffat,
Assistant Surgeon;
Peter Vandiver, 1st
Assistant Engineer;
Isaac Patten,
Paymaster's Clerk;
Mr. Kelly, Nassau Pilot;
Chas Smith, and nine of the seamen and firemen.
On Thursday at 10 o'clock the two boats that escaped with their crews arrived at
Kilkenny.
Major E. C. Anderson, Jr., commanding the post, kindly received them.--The whole garrison were unceasing in their efforts to make comfortable
Lieut. Johnston and his crew, who had had nothing to cat from the time they abandoned the Sconce until they arrived at
Kilkenny.
The cargo of the
Oconee was valued at $75,000 and the steamer at $50,000, all owned by the Confederate Government.
The
Oconee, before the war, was a first-class passenger and freight steamer, in the trade between
Charleston,
Savannah, and
Fernandina, and was under the command of
Capt. L. M. Goxetter.
Upon the breaking out of the war she was sold to the Confederate Government, and her name was changed to the
Savannah.
She was the flag-ship of
Commodore Tatnall.
Subsequently her name was changed to the
Oconee.
’
A correspondent writing to this paper from
Savannah says that
Edwin Gill, of
Richmond, the
Chief Engineer of the Oconce, was killed.
