Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 1.djvu/426

The " Powhatan," the " Pocahontas," the " Pawnee," and the ’Harriet Lane " were placed at the disposal of Captain Fox by the secretary of the navy. On the 5th of April he engaged the " Baltic " to carry supplies and recruits, hired three steam tugs, and rapidly fitted out an expedition. The command of the naval force was tendered to Commodore Stringham, a naval officer of high authority, but he declined because he considered the expedition to be too late to be successful. Colonel H. L. Scott, aide to General Scott, was directed by confidential orders to supply recruits, but he ridiculed the idea of the government relieving Sumter and the owners of tugs so generally refused to risk their vessels that only three could be hired at exorbitant rates. Supplies, however, were easily purchased, and the expedition was thoroughly provisioned. All being made ready, the "Powhatan" sailed on the 6th. The messenger from Washington was started the same day to Governor Pickens to notify him that "faith as to Sumter fully kept" meant that the fort would be provisioned as soon as he would consent for it to be done; otherwise the fleet and Maj. Anderson were prepared to see that the fort was held and reinforced. The tug "Uncle Ben" steamed out on the 7th, the "Harriet Lane" and the tug "Yankee" on the 8th, the "Pawnee" and the "Baltic" on the 9th, the "Pocahontas" on the 10th. This considerable fleet, commissioned to execute the plan of Captain Fox, encountered a heavy gale, which continued during the whole passage, delaying the voyage so much that the rendezvous at Charleston did not begin until the nth or 12th, the " Harriet Lane " being the first vessel to arrive. All finally arrived, and in addition to the fleet, the steamer " Nashville " and a number of merchant vessels anchoring near the bar increased the imposing naval demonstration. A portion of the war ships stood in towards the bar at sunrise of the 1 2th but the captain of the "Pawnee" refused the request of Captain Fox to