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46 The end March–april 1865 in savannah the federals expelled the families of all confederate officers. The sorrowful group—reported to be a hundred in number—made their way to sister’s ferry. General fry asked hunter to send the steamer Leesburg to rescue them. hunter gave the job to Joel Kennard. Then fry added another duty. Major General young wanted some of the torpedoes taken up from the river below augusta. chief engineer Tomb, ill and in bed, got word of the plan and wrote a quick note of protest to hunter. The commodore hurried to young’s headquarters “& in the strongest terms advised that the Torpedos [sic] be not removed.” But the army was determined, and insistent.1 hunter had a torpedo scheme of his own cooking. he wanted chief Tomb, Master’s Mate Brockington, and blockade-running captain louis coxetter to take a few of the army’s just-completed torpedo boats to shell Bluff to prepare for an expedition against the enemy. But the union navy didn’t come up the savannah river, so the expedition had nothing to strike.2 hunter had laid up his vessels, stripped them of everything but engines and boilers, and sent it all to the columbus navy yard. now he was looking for ways to use his one remaining resource—his men. The Sampson still had eleven officers and a small contingent of sailors, and the Macon had fifteen officers and eightythree men. But among officers, veterans were scarce. Kennard was the longest in service, holding seniority over van comstock and Price. after the Pee Dee was destroyed in south carolina, two more veterans, lieutenant J. r. Price and Passed Midshipman William f. clayton, came to augusta. But most of the veteran junior officers—hamilton Golder, sam Brockington, J. W. Mccarrick—had been appointed from civilian life with no naval experience.3 The end / 419 in february hunter had received a telegram from commander Brent’s son, marine second lieutenant Daniel G. Brent. he had been recovering from illness at his mother’s family’s refugee home in Greenville, alabama. he was ordered to duty at charleston, but was cut off by sherman’s army. he telegraphed hunter: “can you assign me to duty?” hunter wired back that he had no authority to make a decision on a marine’s duty station. he suggested that Brent contact captain John r. f. Tattnall, but didn’t bother to tell him where Tattnall could be found. Brent replied with a letter explaining that he had no idea where JohnTattnall’s command had gone, but there was a detachment from his company serving aboard the Macon and he would be happy to join them. he also wrote the Bureau of orders and Detail, which wrote John Tattnall in Greensboro, enclosing an order to attach the stranded lieutenant to hunter’s command. Tattnall sent the order on to hunter and telegraphed Brent. That satisfied captain hunter’s procedural concerns, and lieutenant Brent was now in augusta, captaining the marines aboard the Macon.4 Thad Gray was still under arrest. The two runaway pilots, russell and clark, were still in jail, too. at the end of March the instigator, John russell, wrote hunter a mournful letter. he had been in prison near three months now, he said, half starved, his health gone, his clothes in rags. “i am not fit for much,” he admitted. “any way, i am truly sorry that i ever left the ship.” he had done wrong to the navy and to the confederacy, he confessed, but he only wanted to see to his starving family. he had served the confederate army and navy for three years, he said, and had never once been absent without leave. he was fifty-four now and couldn’t survive much longer in jail. “i appeal to your [illegible] sympathies and ask your forgiveness & beg to be released from this place & i pledge myself to you never to be absent again without leave.” he had to explain away Billy Bugg, of course: enticing a slave to run away was a serious matter. he claimed he had nothing to do with that. in fact, he had been against it. Billy just came along. a week later George clark wrote his plea. he never had any intention of aiding the enemy, he said, he only wanted to help his destitute family. and it was all russell’s idea. he visited the Sampson nearly every day, trying to talk clark into...

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