Mr. Dayton to Mr. Seward
Sir: My son returned from Cherbourg last night by way of Havre, to which latter place, at the request of our vice-consul at Cherbourg, he had gone with the 37 prisoners brought into Cherbourg by the Alabama; these persons he left with Mr. Putnam, our consul at Havre, and then returned immediately to Paris.
It may not be amiss to state some additional facts communicated to my son while at Cherbourg in reference to the Alabama and Kearsarge. He was on board the latter immediately after the fight, and while there he was informed [Page 109] that the Alabama had formally surrendered. That an officer had come on board the Kearsarge, said they had surrendered, that they were in a sinking condition, and asked assistance to save the crew. That this was at once granted. Their flag had been hauled down, but having no white flag at hand, they had torn off the colored part and used the white remnant for this purpose. That in the mean time, and after the surrender, the English yacht Deerhound came near the Kearsarge, and was asked by Captain Winslow, from motives of humanity, to help them pick up the crew of the Alabama. That they said they would do so. They then proceeded towards the Alabama, and picked up a number of the officers and crew, but instead of delivering them to the Kearsarge, as under the circumstances the officers of the last-named ship thought them bound in honor to do, they steamed off, and made their escape with the prisoners towards the English coast. Captain Winslow says he would have stopped or followed them, but while he observed them bearing off, he supposed they might be looking about for others yet struggling or floating in the water; that he never dreamed that this vessel, belonging to a reputable yacht club, could act so dishonorably, but the impression now is that the yacht was present there by concert with Semmes, and with a view not only to see the fight, but to aid the crew of the Alabama if occasion should arise for it. As some evidence of the relationship between these parties, the prisoners taken on board the Kearsarge from the Alabama say that Semmes did not, before going out to fight, deposit the chronometers taken by him from vessels destroyed with the Brazil consul or any other parties at Cherbourg, as reported in the journals, but that he did deposit about 120,000 francs worth of money and jewelry. That the chronometers he had collected were, about 3 a. m. of the day of the fight, put on board this English yacht. The yacht preceded him to sea on the morning of the fight only about half an hour, and communicated with him apparently as he came out.
The damages to the Kearsarge are entirely unimportant. She is ready again for service; she was touched by 28 shot in all; eight shots only struck her hull, four of these lodged there; one shell lodged, and still remains unexploded in her rudder port; port boat aft was struck twice, one shot went through the smokestack, one through the engine-room sky-light. All the rest hit in the rigging. The Alabama fired 18 shots before the Kearsarge returned the fire; the vessels nearing each other gradually. The Kearsarge fired in all 173 shots. The Alabama fired many more, but her firing was wild, while the practice of the Kearsarge was excellent.
I learn from my son that Captain Winslow not receiving any despatch as to paroling his prisoners until 11 o’clock at night of the day of the fight, (which was earlier than I supposed he would get it,) and being inconvenienced for want of accommodations, paroled the men, who were his prisoners, though not the officers, five of whom are yet with him. He put the men on shore that night. Perhaps he was right and I was wrong; at all events, it closes, as to the men, for the present, a question which might have been troublesome.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c.