Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/1178

1102 service under the tropical sun, that most of the remaining fifty died within the month, and Lieutenant Pegram lay for a long time at the point of death from brain fever. For his gallantry on this occasion he was presented a sword by the State of Virginia, inscribed, "A Mother's Gift to Her Devoted Son," and received the thanks of the government and board of trade at Hong Kong, of Sir James Stirling, flag officer of the East India squadron, and of the British government through Minister James Buchanan, also a warm expression of gratitude from Commander W. Abdey Fellows, of the Rattler. Returning to America, Lieutenant Pegram was stationed at Norfolk until 1858, when he commanded the U. S. S. Water Witch in the Paraquay expedition. In 1860 he was ordered to the command of the Bibb, and was engaged in a hydrographic survey of the coast when Virginia took the first steps toward independence. Immediately resigning, he reported to Governor Letcher, and was appointed a captain in the Virginia navy and assigned to command at Norfolk station, in co-operation with Colonel Taliaferro, in charge of land forces. By clever strategy the Federals were soon persuaded to abandon this important point with immense loss of naval munitions. By running engines up and down the railroad back of the navy yard to verify reports of the arrival of imaginary reinforcements, the Federals were so distracted that Captain Pegram's men were able to rifle, unnoticed, the great stores of shot, shell and powder, of Fort Norfolk. His declaration that he was about to float a fire-raft down the tide from Dismal Swamp completed the rout of the garrison, and the navy yard fell into the hands of the Confederates. Subsequently he strengthened Fort Powhatan on the James river and erected a battery, and performed the same service at Pig Point, commanding the mouth of the Nansemond river. During this work he engaged the Harriet Lane, moving the buoys which he had placed in the channel so as to bring her, on the next trip, in range of his guns. The action was so effective that no further operations were attempted on that river. After another battery command at Sewell's Point, Captain Pegram was assigned to command the steamer Nashville, then being fitted out at Charleston to convey Hons. James M. Mason and John Slidell to Europe. These gentlemen decided to go in the British mail steamer Trent and were captured, but the Nashville ran the blockade successfully, on October 26, 1861, and after coaling at Bermuda, proceeded to Europe, on the way capturing and burning the clipper ship Harvey Birch. Arriving at Southampton, November 21st, she was soon followed by the U. S. S. Tuscarora, and both were ordered to leave the port, by the British government; the Federal ship first and the Confederate a day later. Captain Pegram shrewdly made a strong protest, and was permitted to remain until the first favorable opportunity. The Tuscarora standing out according to orders, and seeing nothing of its expected prey, came to anchor in the lower harbor. Captain Pegram then promised to leave in twenty-four hours if the Tuscarora were held during the following day without communication with other Federal ships, and thus successfully eluded his pursuers. Changing the rig of the Nashville he escaped attack and sailed for the Gulf stream, wherehe captured the Robert Gilfillan from Philadelphia and obtained information regarding the blockade, which enabled him to run into the harbor of Beaufort, N. C., February 28,