Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 12.djvu/54

 44 Southern Historical Society Fapers.

States within ten days. I asked him if we would be given the money and our swords, and other articles captured on the Florida, which had not been sunk with her. He said that he knew nothing about them, but if I wished to write to Mr. Welles, he would send the com- munication. I then gave him a copy of the following note, which he assured me was sent the same day :

" To the Hon. Gideon Welles,

Secretary of the Navy :

"Fort Warren, January igih, i86j.

" Sir, — I have just been informed by the commanding officer of this fort that the officers and crew of the Confederate States steamer Florida will be released on condition of leaving the United States within ten days. We will accept a parole to leave at any time when we are put on board any steamer going to Europe, but we would prefer to go to Richmond. We would call your attention to the fact that there were somewhere about thirteen thousand dollars in gold on the Florida when she w-as captured, which was taken out of her by order of Rear- Admiral Porter. And to leave the United States it will be necessary to have that to take us out, unless the United States Government send us away as they brought us in. If you will give us our money we would prefer remaining here till a steamer leaves here for Europe, or we would ask for a guard till we are put on one in New York, as so many of us being together might be the cause of an unnecessary disturbance, of which we would be the sufferers.

" Very respectfully,

" Your obedient servant,

"Thomas K. Porter, ■' First- Lieutenant, Conjederate States Navy."

Mr. Welles made no reply to this. After waiting a week and find- ing that the United States Government neither intended to pay our passage away, nor to give us the money belonging to our government, and not even our private money, I sent Lieutenant Stone to Boston with directions to procure a passage in the British and North Amer- ican steamer Ca7iada, or if he failed in that, to get us out of the United States in any manner possible. He succeeded in getting passage for all of us on the Canada, by my giving a draft to be paid at Liverpool. And on the ist of February we signed the following parole: "We,