DECEMBER 7TH:
The steamer Chesapeake, en route from New York to Portland, Maine, was seized by a group of 17 Confederate "passengers" led by John C. Braine.
The undertaking had been plannned in St. John, New Brunswick. Braine and his men went to New York where they purchased side arms and boarded the ship as passengers.
A brief shooting match while at sea resulted in the death of one crew member. They intended to make a run for Wilmington after coaling in Nova Scotia.
The planner of the attack, Captain John Parker (but whose name might have been Vernon G. Locke, former commander of the Confederate privateer Retribution) came on board in the Bay of Fundy and took command.
News of the capture quickly spread and navy ships from Philadelphia northward were ordered to pursue the Chesapeake. On December 17, the USS Ella and Annie (former blockade runner Ella and Annie) recaptured the Chesapeake in Sambro Harbor, Nova Scotia, and it was taken to Halifax where it was restored to its former owners.
Most of the Confederates escaped and John Braine would live to cause more problems for the Union later in the war.
A Bold Confederate Move. --Old B-Runner
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