This lady, fortunately enough, was well acquainted with a Captain At.w.a.ter and his family, who resided in Richmond, and after undertaking the mission, she wrote to them from Chicago, apparently, stating that notwithstanding the conflict between the two sections of the country, she designed to pay a visit to them and renew the acquaintance of years ago.
She accordingly started, and after a circuitous journey, arrived in Richmond on the 24th day of the month. The Captain and his family received her most hospitably, and requested her to make her home with them during her stay in that city.
Captain At.w.a.ter, although holding a commission in the rebel army, was at heart a Union man, and secretly rejoiced at the news of a Federal victory. He soon expressed his views to my operative so clearly and forcibly, that she believed, if he could do so, without jeopardy, he would join the Union troops, and fight for the cause that really had his heartiest wishes for success.
While Mrs. Baker did not reveal to him her connection with the secret service of the United States, she took no pains to conceal from him her real sentiments, and in their confidential conversations, was quite free in expressing her desire for a speedy Union triumph. The Captain was firm in his belief that the South was wrong, and that the ma.s.ses had been led into the war by designing and ambitious politicians, and that she must eventually fail. Moreover, he said, that, while born in a slave-holding State, he believed the inst.i.tution to be wicked and cruel, and that the South should have given up her slaves rather than have gone out of the Union.
Loyal as he was, the Captain understood the Southern people thoroughly, and he felt sure that they would fight long and stubbornly, rather than yield to the blacks the boon of freedom. Many days thus pa.s.sed in quiet enjoyment and in these stolen discussions upon the important topics of the day. Mrs. Baker found herself very comfortably situated beneath the Captain"s hospitable roof, and nearly a week was pa.s.sed in viewing Richmond and the strange sights it then afforded.
On every hand she saw preparations for war, and at every street she turned, she was confronted with armed soldiers, whose measured tread kept time to the music of fife and drum. In company with the Captain, she also visited the earthworks and fortifications around Richmond, and gained many valuable points of information in regard to their number and extent.
As yet, however, she had been unable to discover anything concerning the special object of her mission, and feeling the necessity of accomplishing something in that direction, she resolved to act. She had now established herself so firmly in the estimation of those with whom she a.s.sociated, that she believed she could with safety turn her inquiries in the direction that would lead to the knowledge she desired to gain. Accordingly, one evening at the tea-table she remarked, incidentally, that she desired very much to visit the Tredegar Iron Works.
"Why, certainly," replied the Captain; "I will be most happy to go with you to-morrow."
"That will be delightful," said Mrs. Baker, enthusiastically.
"But stay a moment," said the Captain, musingly, "I am afraid I will not be able to go to-morrow, as I have to go down the river to witness a test of a submarine battery."
"Why couldn"t I go, too?" demurely asked my operative. "I am sure I should enjoy it very much; that is, if there is no danger connected with it."
"Oh, there is no danger, whatever, and there will, doubtless, be a number of ladies present, and you can go if you wish to."
"I should most certainly wish to," laughingly answered Mrs. Baker.
"Very well," said the Captain; "if you and Mrs. At.w.a.ter will be ready by nine o"clock, we will have ample time to reach the place, which is some few miles below the city."
The ladies were both much pleased with this arrangement, and expressed themselves in extravagant terms of thankfulness for a trip which, no doubt, would be exceedingly pleasant. The Captain then proceeded to explain to them the nature of the battery which was to be experimented with on the morrow. He explained the object to be obtained by this battery, which was to break up the blockading fleet at the mouth of the James River, and thus give the South an outlet to the sea.
The next day they started in a carriage for the scene of the exhibition, which was located about ten miles below the city. Arriving at the appointed spot, they found quite a large number of military men, many of them accompanied by ladies, a.s.sembled to witness the testing of the machine, from which so much was expected.
A large scow had been towed into the middle of the river, and the submarine vessel was to approach it and attach a magazine, containing nearly half a bushel of powder, to which was attached several deadly projectiles, and this was to be fired by a peculiarly constructed fuse, connected by a long wire coiled on board the submarine vessel.
At a given signal the boat was sunk into the river, about half a mile below the scow, and shortly afterwards it began to make its way under the water towards it. The only visible sign of its existence was a large float that rested on the surface of the water, and which was connected with the vessel below, designed to supply the men that operated it with air. This float was painted a dark green, to imitate the color of the water, and could only be noticed by the most careful observer. As my operative listened to a full explanation of the machine and its workings, she could scarcely control her emotions of fear for the safety of the Federal boats, in the event of its successful operation, and provided the government was not speedily warned of its existence.
It was learned that this vessel was but a small working model of a much larger one, that was now nearly completed, and would be finished in about two weeks, and would then be taken to the mouth of the James River, to operate on the war vessels guarding that port.
They had obtained an excellent position, where they had a full view of the river, and with the aid of a strong field-gla.s.s they could distinctly watch the large "float," which indicated the approach of the vessel.
"How do the men who operate the machine manage to attach the magazine to the vessel they design to destroy?" asked Mrs. Baker.
"Two or three men, who operate the boat," replied the Captain, "are provided with submarine diving armor, which enables them to work under the water and attach the magazine to the ship intended to be blown up.
They then have only to quickly move away to a safe distance, fire their fuse, and the work is done."
The Captain also informed her, that the object was to break the blockade and allow the steamers "Patrick Henry" and "Thomas Jefferson" out to sea, these vessels being loaded with cotton and bound for England.
While they were talking, my operative was closely watching, by the aid of her gla.s.s, the movements of the boat, and she now noticed that having approached to within a few rods of the scow, it stopped, and the water "float" which indicated its position remained motionless. After remaining in this position for a few minutes, it slowly began to recede from the scow, in the direction from whence it came.
It moved steadily away some hundreds of yards, and Mrs. Baker was wondering at the seemingly long delay, when suddenly, and without any previous warning whatever, there was a terrific explosion, and the scow seemed lifted bodily out of the water and thrown high into the air. Her destruction was complete, and there was no longer any doubt that the submarine battery could be used with deadly and telling effect on the ships const.i.tuting the Federal blockading squadron.
Those who witnessed the experiment were, of course, much elated over the efficient work of destruction which had been accomplished, and even Captain At.w.a.ter, in his enthusiasm as a soldier, forgot temporarily his real feelings, in his undisguised admiration of the ingenuity of the invention and the effectiveness of its operation.
Mrs. Baker, however, looked on with a heavy heart as she reflected upon the terrible consequences of the workings of this machine, and at once felt the urgent necessity of taking steps to inform me what she had witnessed. Unless something was done in this direction, she felt confident that the Federal ships would be destroyed, the blockade forever ended, and untold disaster would attend the Union cause.
After their return home that evening, she made copious notes of what she had learned and witnessed, which she safely secreted about her person.
The next day, in company with the Captain, she visited the Tredegar Iron Works, and inspected the boat that was being built. It was truly a formidable-looking engine of destruction.
The next day, being Sunday, she remained at the residence of the Captain, and on Monday morning, having procured a pa.s.s, she bade farewell to her host and his amiable spouse, and left Richmond for Fredericksburg. From thence she made her way to Washington by the way of Leonardstown, and lost no time in reporting to me the success of her trip. She had made a hasty, though quite comprehensive, sketch of the vessel, which sketch is still in my possession, and which showed the position under the surface of the water, and explained its workings.
I immediately laid my information before General McClellan and the Secretary of the Navy, who at once transmitted the intelligence to the commanders of the squadron, instructing them to keep a sharp lookout for the "water-colored surface float," and to drag the water for the purpose of securing possession of the air tubes connecting the float with the vessel below.
Nothing was heard from this for about three weeks, but about that time I was informed that one of the vessels of the blockading fleet off the mouth of the James River had discovered the float, and putting out her drag-rope, had caught the air-tubes and thus effectually disabled the vessel from doing any harm, and no doubt drowning all who were on board of her.
This incident, and the peculiarity of the machine, was duly discussed in the newspapers at that time, who stated that "by a mere accident the Federal fleet off James River had been saved from destruction"--but I knew much better, and that the real credit of the discovery was due to a lady of my own force. The efficient manner in which this work was performed was of great service to the nation, and sustained the reputation of the Secret Service Department, as being an important adjunct in aiding the government in its efforts to suppress the rebellion.
CHAPTER XXVII.
_"Stuttering Dave."--His Tramp Through the Rebel Lines.--An Ammunition Train.--"Dave"s" Plan Succeeds in its Destruction.--A Man Who Stuttered and "Had Fits."_
One morning, while the army was on the advance up the Peninsula, I was strolling about the camp, when I encountered a group of soldiers gathered around one of their number, who appeared to be entertaining them immensely with his droll anecdotes and dry witticisms. Approaching closer, I became one of the crowd that surrounded the narrator, and listened to an amusing incident admirably told, which had happened to him a day or two before while out with a scouting party.
He was a man about thirty years of age, of medium height, strongly and compactly built, and with a good, firm, intelligent face, over which he had the most perfect control. So perfect was his command over his facial expression that he could make his hearers roar with laughter, while he, to use a homely phrase, would "never crack a smile." I noticed on joining the little crowd that had gathered around him, that the fellow stuttered amazingly, which fact, together with his imperturbable gravity, seemed to be the secret of his always having a good audience about him to listen to his stories and to enjoy his droll humor. I was struck with the man"s appearance at first sight and at once concluded that, unless I was much deceived in him, he was a man whom I could use to good advantage, and I determined to ascertain who he was and where he belonged.
Turning to a soldier at my side, I inquired the man"s name. Looking at me as though surprised at my ignorance, he answered:
"Why, that"s "Stuttering Dave," the drollest, smartest man in this regiment, and one of the best fellows you ever met."
"What regiment does he belong to?" I asked.
"To the Twenty-first New York," said the soldier, "but ever since I have known him, he has been with a scouting party. He used to live in Virginia before the war, and is well acquainted about here."
That day I called upon the Colonel of the regiment to which the man belonged, and informed him of my wishes, which, if agreeable to him, I would ask him to send "Stuttering Dave" to my quarters.
Shortly after sundown he came, and to my astonishment, I found that his stuttering propensity had entirely disappeared, and that he conversed with me with surprising ease and intelligence, and a quiet earnestness that betokened a solid and well-informed man. The fact was that stuttering with him was only a favorite amus.e.m.e.nt, and so naturally was it simulated, that no one would suspect he was shamming or that he was anything else but a confirmed stutterer of the most incorrigible type.
In the interview which followed he signified his willingness to enter the secret service, and a day or two later he was detailed to my force.
Here he served with such ability and credit that he was shortly discharged from his regiment altogether, and for the rest of the war was one of my most faithful and valued operatives.
A few days after this interview, David Graham, for that was his real name, otherwise known as "Stuttering Dave," set out under my instructions, on a trip within the rebel lines. As he was about leaving my tent, he shook hands with me, and said in his dry manner:
"G-g-go-good-by, M-m-m-major, I"m g-g-g-oin to have s-s-some fun before I g-g-get home, if I d-d-don"t I"m a g-g-goat, that"s all."
Cautioning him against allowing his propensity for "fun" to get him into trouble, I accompanied him to the edge of the camp, and saw him set out in the direction of the Confederate forces.
Graham had adopted the disguise of a peddler of notions, and carried in his pack a goodly supply of b.u.t.tons, needles, thread, pins and such a trifling articles as he knew would be in great demand by the soldiers.
Discarding his uniform, and dressed in a suit of b.u.t.ternut jean, with a broad-brimmed hat, a stout stick, and a pack across his shoulder, he appeared a veritable tramping peddler. No one, to have seen him, would have imagined that he was an emissary of the secret service, and they would little have suspected that the stuttering, harmless-looking fellow who was hawking his wares, knew aught about military affairs, or the plans and movements of an army.