Summary:
Staunton attorney Hugh Sheffey writes Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin in
October, 1861, regarding a client's wish to be issued a letter of marque
allowing him to attack and capture Union boats on the Ohio River without legal
penalty.
Hon. J. P. BENJAMIN,
Attorney-Gen.:
STAUNTON,
October 1, 1861.
DEAR SIR:
Some bold and daring spirits on our western border are anxious to have license or authority from the Government in the form of letters of marque and reprisal, or some other legal form, to attack the enemy's trade and commerce on the Ohio River without hazard from civil or criminal process if captured. A gentleman now in my office, Mr. James A. Crawford, who has had already some daring adventures on the borders, is anxious to procure some such authorization from the Government if the law will allow it. Of course so long as the enemy hold the control of the river and its tributaries it would be impossible to bring the vessels he might capture into a friendly port. His plan would be to bring off as much property as could be wagoned away, and have it libeled in the nearest Confederate court. I cannot advise Mr. Crawford as to the legal feasibility of his project. May I request you to say in brief whether the Government could give Mr. Crawford any authority, as though he were on the high seas, to attack, under its protection, the enemy's commerce in the Ohio River, and what proceedings would be required on his part in respect to property so captured. He can enlist a company of twenty-five to fifty bold men in his command who, he thinks, may do some effective service. I trust you will pardon the request I make for the sake of the motives which dictate it, which are damage to our foes, safety to our friends.
Truly, &c.,
HUGH W. SHEFFEY,
Attorney at Law.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 4, Volume 1, Serial No. 127, Pages 636, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
