Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 12.djvu/89

Rh 3, 1864, by Lieut. T. P. Pelot, Confederates States navy, and his command. The steamer Waterwitch, mounting four guns, with a crew of 79 men, was at anchor in Ossabaw sound, below Savannah, Ga., when it was determined by the Confederates to attempt her capture by boarding. Lieutenant Pelot, with Lieutenant Price, Midshipmen Trimble and Minor, Boatswain Seymour, Assistant Engineers Caldwell and Fabian, Assistant Surgeons Thomas and Jones, Master's Mates Gray, Freeman, Barclay, Golder and Rosier, with seven boats and some 80 men, executed the project on the night of June 3d. Lieutenant Pelot losing his life, Lieutenant Price made the official report, in which he said:

The night being dark and rainy, we got close aboard of her without being discovered. On being hailed, Lieutenant Pelot answered, "Rebels," and gave the order, "Board! " The vessel having steam up at the time, as soon as the alarm was given, commenced turning her wheels backward and forward rapidly, thus thwarting the earnest efforts of Boatswain Seymour and Master's Mate Rosier to get on board with the entire boat's crew. The port column, led by Lieutenant Pelot, boarded on the port side; the starboard column, led by Lieutenant Price, boarded on the starboard side. In coming alongside, the enemy's fire with small-arms was quite severe; in fact, it was during that time, and while the boarding netting, which was triced up, was being cut through, that the most of our loss in killed and wounded was sustained. After a sharp hand-to-hand fight of some ten minutes the ship was taken. Lieutenant Pelot was the first to gain the deck, and while bravely fighting was shot and instantly killed. In his death the country has lost a brave and gallant officer, and society one of her brightest ornaments.

In this engagement the Waterwitch had 2 men killed, and 12 wounded. Her commander, Lieut. Austin Pendergrast, complained bitterly, in his official report, of the behavior of his crew and the engineer officers, saying:

I regret to say the watch below evinced no desire to come on deck and defend the ship. . . . The men