The President’s Message:
Our next meeting will be Wednesday, November 8th
at 7:00 PM at the Lake Clarke Shores Town Hall.
The program will be
Incompetent Civil War Generals
presented by Gerridine LaRovere and Janell Bloodworth with a discussion
afterwards.
My apologies to everyone who came to the Town Hall on October 11th.
We had no meeting that month.
Unfortunately, our newsletter sent by the postal service did not
reach some of our members in a timely fashion.
I found a very interesting article originally published in
Century Magazine
in 1893 called
Escape off Palm Beach County: John Taylor Wood’s Account.
I hope that you find it as interesting as I did.
The punctuation, grammar, and spelling are exactly as they were
in the original publication.
Apparently, commas were very popular with some writers in the
Nineteenth Century.
Gerridine LaRovere
Upcoming Speakers:
January - Robert Macomber
February – TBA
March - Patrick Falci
April - Adam Katz
Escape off Palm Beach County
Colonel John Taylor Wood, Confederate army
officer, blockade runner, and grandson of President Zachary Taylor,
accompanied Southern Secretary of War, John Beckenridge, in his escape
down Florida’s east coast to Cuba after the fall of the Confederacy. The
following is Wood’s account of the Breckenridge party’s experiences in
present day Palm Beach County as published by “Century Magazine” vol.
XXV 1893.
On Sunday, June 4, 1865, we passed Jupiter Inlet, with nothing in
sight. The lighthouse had been destroyed the first year of the War
[actually only the light, the tower was undamaged]. From this point we
had to determine to cross Florida Channel to the Bahamas about eighty
miles; but the wind was ahead, and we could do nothing but work slowly
to the southward, waiting for a slant. It was of course a desperate
venture to cross this distance in a small open boat, which even a
moderate sea would swamp. Our provisions now became a very serious
question. As I have said, we had lost all the meal, and sweet potatoes,
our next mainstay, were sufficient only for two days more. We had but
little more ammunition than was necessary for our revolvers, and these
we might be called upon to use at any time. Very fortunately for us, it
was
the time of year when the green turtle deposits its eggs. Russell
and O”Toole [two Confederate veterans in the party] were beach combers
and had hunted eggs before. Sharpening a stick, they pressed it into the
sand as they walked along, and wherever it entered easily they would
dig. After some hours’ search we were successful in finding a nest which
had not been destroyed, and I do not think prospectors were ever more
gladdened by the sight of
“the yellow” than we were at our find. The green turtle’s egg is about
the size of a walnut, with a white skin-like parchment that you can tear
but not break. The yolk will cook hard, but the longer you boil the egg
the softer the white becomes. The flavor is not unpleasant, and for the
first two days we enjoyed them; but then we were glad to vary the fare
with a few shell-fish and even snails.
From Cape Canaveral to Cape Florida the coast trends nearly north
and south in a straight line, so that we could see at a long distance
anything going up or down the shore. Some distance to the southward of
Jupiter Inlet we saw a steamer coming down, running close to the beach
to avoid the three-and-four-knot current of the stream. From her yards
and general appearance I soon made her out to be a cruiser, so we hauled
ourboat up on the sands, and went back among the palmettos.When abreast
of us and not more than a half mile off, we could see the officer of the
deck at flotsam and jetsam, of which there was more or less strewn on
the beach. To our great relief, the cruiser passed us, and when she was
two miles or more to the southward we ventured our and approached the
boat, but the sharp lookout saw us, and, to our astonishment, the
steamer came swinging about and headed up the coast. The question at
once arose, what was the best couse to pursue? The general [Beckinridge]
thought we had better take to the bush again, and leave the boat, hoping
they would not disturb it. Colonel Wilson agreed with his chief. I told
him that since we had been seen, the enemy would certainly destroy or
carry off the boat, and the loss meant, if not starvation, at least
privation ,and no hope of escaping from the country . Besides, the
mosquitos would sick us as dry as Egyptian mummies. I proposed that we
should meet them halfway, in company with Russell and O”Toole, who were
paroled men, and fortunately had their papers with them, and I offered
to row off and see what was wanted. He agreed, and , launching our boat
and throwing in two buckets of eggs, we pulled out. By this time the
steamer was abreast of us, and lowered the boat, which met us half-way.
I had one oar, and O”Toole the other. To the usual hail I paid no
attention except to stop rowing. A ten-oared cutter with a smart looking
crew dashed alongside. The sheen was not yet off the lace and buttons of
the youngster in charge. With revolver in hand he asked us who we were,
where we came from, and where we were going. “Cap’n,” said I “pleaser
put away that-ar pistol; I don’t like the looks of it, and I’ll tell you
all about us. We’ve been rebs and there ain’t no use saying we weren’t;
but it’s all up now, and we got home too late to put in a crop, so we
just made up our minds to come down shore and see is we couldn’t find
something. It’s al: right, Cap’n, we’ve got our papers. Want to see ‘em?
Got ‘em fixed up at Jacksonville.” O’Toole and Russell handed him their
paroles, which he said were all right. He asked for mine. I turned my
pockets out, looked in my
hat, and said, “I must dropped mine in camp, but ‘t is just the same as
theirin.” He asked who was ashore. I told him, “There’s more of we uns
biling turtle eggs for dinner. Cap’n, I’d like to swap some eggs for
tobacco or bread.” His crew soon produced from the slack of their frocks
pieces of plug, which they passed on board in exchange for our eggs. I
told the youngster if he’d come to camp we’d give him as many as we
could eat. Our hospitality was declined. Among other questions he asked
if their were any batteries on shore—a battery on a beach where there
was not a white man within a hundred miles! “Up oars—let go forward—let
fall—give ‘way!” were all familiar orders; but never before had they
sounded so welcome. As they shoved off, the coxswain said to the
youngster, “That looks like a man-of-war’s gig, sir” but he paid no
attention to him. We pulled leisurely ashore, watching the cruiser. The
general was very much relieved, for it was a narrow escape.
The wind still holding to the southward and
eastward, we could work only slowly to the southward, against current.
At times we suffered greatly for want of water; our usual resource was
to dig for it, but often it was brackish and wram that when extreme
thirst forced its use the consequences were violent pains and retchings.
One morning we saw a few wigwams ashore, and pulled in at once and
landed. It was a party of Seminoles who had come out of the everglades
like bears to gather eggs. They received us kindly, and we devoured
ravenously the remnants of their breakfast of fish and kountee. Only the
old chief spoke a little English. Not more than two or three hundred of
this once powerful and warlike tribe remain in Florida; they occupy some
islands in this swamp to the southward of Lake Okeechobee, They have but
little intercourse with the whites, and come out on the coast only
certain seasons to fish. We were very anxious to obtain some provisions
from them, but excepting kountee they had nothing to spare. This is an
esculent resembling arrowroot, which they dig, pulverize, and use as
flour. It makes a palatable but tough cake, cooked in the ashes, which
we enjoyed after our long abstinence from bread. The old chief took
advantage of our eager-ness for supplies, and determined to replenish
his powder-horn. Nothing ekse would do, not eben an old coat, or
fish=hooks, or cavalry saber would temp him. Powder only would he have
for their long, heavy small-bore rifles with flintlocks, such as Davy
Crockett used. We reluctantly divided with him our very scant supply in
exchange for some of their flour. We parted good friends, after smoking
the pipe of peace.
Last changed: 10/27/23 |
