Account of the Recapture

of the Prize Vessel, "S.J Waring."

as recounted in J. Thomas Scharf's "History of the Confederate States Navy."

The following account of the ghastly and brutal deaths of three of the prize crew, from the "Jeff Davis," aboard the captive "S.J. Waring," is reprinted verbatim, from pages 80-81 (note number 1), of Scharf's "History of the Confederate States Navy," reprinted 1996 by Gramercy Books, a division of Random House Value Publishing, Inc., Avenel, New Jersey. It shows the inherent risks of war. The prize crew of Montague Amiel, George Stephens, Malcolm Siding (name actually listed as Malcolm Liddy in the ORN roster), James B.G. Milnor and T. Smith had been placed aboard the "Waring," after it's capture on July 7, 1861. William Tillman, the colored cook of the "Waring," and two other members of the schooner's crew, as well as a passenger, Bryce Mackinnon, were trustingly allowed to remain aboard the "Waring," as the prize headed towards a Southern port. Scharf then recounts what followed.

Shortly before the hour of midnight on the 16th of July, Capt. Montague Amiel was asleep in his cabin, together with Stevens, the mate, in the berth next to him. The second mate, Malcolm Siding, was also asleep on the poop deck, and the other two seamen composing the privateer prize crew were lounging leisurely at the forehead part of the ship.

Tillman stole up from between decks, with hatchet in hand, and first went down into the captain's cabin, who was sound asleep in bed. He then raised his axe and gave him a vigorous blow on his skull, from which he seemed to be launched into eternity, for he moved not an inch. The negro next proceeded to deal with the mate, who was also reclining near his captain fast asleep, and dealt with him in the same summary and terrible manner. After leaving both these dead men below, Tillman came on the poop deck and struck the second mate a fearful blow over the temple. The unfortunate man was just rising from his reclining position with little expectation that he was about being launched into eternity. He then went below once more, took hold of the captain's body and flung him overboard, doing the same with that of the mate and second mate. The coast being now clear, he called out to the two remaining of the crew aft, telling them that they must obey him as captain of the vessel, or he would throw them overboard also. The men yielded up without a murmur, when he had them at once ironed, but subsequently released them on their consenting to assist in bringing the vessel to a Northern port. Tillman afterwards related that the time consumed in killing the men and throwing them overboard and getting the vessel under his command only consumed seven and a half minutes.

Mr. Mackinnon, the passenger on board of the Waring, afterwards gave the following account of the steward's bloody work:

"I was awakened from a light sleep by a peculiar sound in the captain's room, which I knew instinctively could only have been produced by an axe cleaving Amiel's skull. No sooner did the 'thush' strike upon my ear than I leaped out of bed, and leaning against the door-casing in the partition, saw the steward dart through the twilight - for he had extinguished the light - noiselessly as a rat, across the cabin towards the second mate's room. I also saw, at the same glance, Capt. Amiel rise from his berth and attempt to follow him, but the blood blinded him, and he fell to the floor, with a horrid gurgling sound in his throat. All this was but the work of a second. The cleaving of the skull, like the flash from a gun preceding the report, was followed by a weak, faint cry, like that of a sick child, and the gurgling in the throat. I knew then that his wound was mortal. Stooping side-ways, the steward entered the second mate's cabin, and once more swung his axe, but not so effectively.

"The mate started up with a '----- ----- you; don't strike me again,' and clutched at the steward's breast, but eluding the wounded man, he ran on deck to where the man lay near the wheel-house, and keeping his axe behind him, demanded 'what all this noise was about?' The mate who had been aroused by the outcries of the captain and mate, had raised himself up on his elbow, and stared at the steward in a half-stupid, half-fascinated way, not seeing the pistol which Stedding, the man at the helm, had pointed at him for use in case of necessity. As he turned his face toward the steward, the latter drove his weapon home into the base of his skull. Stedding and the steward then tumbled him overboard. He rose on the wave, with a hoarse cry, when about two lengths astern, the water having raised him; but he must have soon gone down to his long account.

"Then the steward came down to the cabin, where I still stood while Stedding stood, pistol in hand, to guard the deck. The captain cried faintly twice to me by name, 'Help me - help me,' but he was past help. Another swishing blow of the axe, and he did not repeat the cry. Then the steward returned to the second mate's cabin, where, seated on a pile of starch boxes, his legs drawn up, and his head between his knees, was the half-stupefied man. Again and again the axe fell, and again and again the cry, 'Don't do that,' fell on my ear, each time fainter than the last. Stedding now came down, and the steward and he took the corpse of the captain by the feet, and dragging it up the companion-way, tossed it overboard. Meantime I had got some irons out, hoping to intercede to save bloodshed. Stedding and the steward once more came down, and each taking the second mate by the shoulder led him out from the place where he had crouched on the starch boxes. He seemed to walk, with their assistance, as they went up the companion-way, but his head lay a pulpy mass upon his shoulder, and a moment after a loud splash alongside told the fate of another of the privateers."

The vessel was then successfully brought into New York Harbor, by Tillman, assisted by passenger MacKinnon, the two other original crew members of the vessel, and the two remaining captive members of the prize crew.

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