Madeira, Funchal -- Dec 5, 2 P.M. -- Arrived -- Enclose a $5 Greenback of no use here or where I am going -- All well -- S
U. S. S. Wabash,
Dec. 4, 1871. Monday.
[1871/12/04]
Dearest Ellen --
[EES]
We are now approaching our first port, Madeira -- the Ship is under steam, sea smooth, but a heavy roll. Our voyage has been so uniform that it offered little or no chance to interest. The first few days we had a strong north wind which carried us across the Gulf Stream, then a few days of unsettled weather, after which we caught a strong westerly wind which carried us rapidly at the rate of 200 miles a day, well across the Atlantic, on a course about 81 miles north of Bermuda and 200 south of the Azores. This wind failed us day before yesterday when for a day we were becalmed, and got up stream, and we are now steaming at the rate of about one hundred miles a day. Madeira is about 105 miles distant and we should reach it tomorrow at farthest. The Ship sails well, but her steam power is merely auxiliary and cannot be depended on when the wind opposes, but now it is almost calm and barometer & clouds indicate continued moderate weather. At Madeira we are not likely to find any vessel more likely to reach Europe than ourselves, but they do have more steamers to Lisbon, and it is barely possible that this may reach you earlier than if I were to defer writing till our arrival at Gibraltar. We will probably only pass two days at Madeira, and then resume the voyage to Gibraltar, where the chances are I will leave the ship and join her at Nice travelling through Spain. If on reaching Gibraltar I find I can reach Cadiz easily by some steamer, we (Audenreid, Grant & I) will leave the ship there and go to Cadiz, Siville, Cordova, Grenada, Toledo, Madrid -- then to Saragossa, Barcelona, Genova, &c. to Marseilles & Nice, taking three weeks. By the time we reach Nice Alden will have rendezvoused his squadron and then can say as to our future course.
All this is speculative as yet. There is no doubt that the Wabash is a splendid vessel, and we have on board as much comfort as can be had at sea. She has rolled a good deal, but all ships do that, but she is strong, safe and perfectly manned. Not an accident or incident has occurred except yesterday a man fell overboard from the main top gallant yard into the sea -- the life buoys were let go, and in a very few minutes a boat was lowered & picked him up all safe. Fortunately he was a strong young man, a good swimmer, and the sea not very rough. I have seen several men fall overboard at sea, but this is the first one I ever saw recovered. I will not attempt to write regularly till we reach Spain and even then my letters to whomsoever addressed must be regarded as a series addressed to the whole family. I am glad you came to New York, though it must have been very unsatisfactory to be pushed off in the tug so hastily & so unceremoniously, but Capt. Shufelt was anxious to avail himself of the ride and we did reach the bar in the nick of time. An hour later we could not have gone to sea for another 24 hours. I have not been sea sick of course. Audenreid & Fred have been let off easy, Neptune claiming but little of their time.
Give my love to all the children -- and I hope & trust you will spend your winter as quietly as ever you can expect -- as to my personal safety you need not give yourself the least concern.
Truly yours
W. T. Sherman
[WTS]
Cadiz, Spain,
Dec. 14, 1871
[1871/12/14]
Dearest Ellen:
[EES]
I wrote pretty fully from Madeira, and saw the mail steamer depart for England with our letters, so that you will have been in possession of them a week before you get this. You will also have learned by telegraph of our arrival here. So that for the present I have little to add as we are not yet on shore. We left Madeira on Friday the 8th and encountered head winds from the start. Yet as long as the Wabash was in the open sea she made good progress under sail, but as we approached the Straits of Gibraltar the wind amounted to a gale, straight out of the Straits and though bound for Gibraltar we could not stem the wind and accordingly headed for Cadiz, which we reached under steam at 4 P.M. today. The storm still continues, and though the harbor is good still it blows so hard that none of us have been tempted to go on shore tonight, but have laid out our plans for a week ahead. The ship must take in some 300 Tons of Coal, and none of us have had any washing done since leaving home, so Alden has consented to remain here 5 days. Tomorrow we will visit the U. S. Frigate Guerriere, close by us, commanded by Creighton, an old acquaintance of mine, and Stevens, Mrs. Stevens and her 4 younger children are on board bound home. You remember that the Guerriere was run on some Rocks near Leghorn, for which Stevens was relieved of the Command, and is now coming home for trial. After this visit we will go to Lar, the City which is chiefly famous for its antiquity, having been founded by the Phoenicians 1100 years before Christ. It is built on a Peninsula, connected with the mainland by a neck of low sand enclosing a fine bay of sufficient depth for vessels of the largest class, but there are no wharves, but all the ships lie at anchor, and are loaded & unloaded by lighters. From Cadiz sailed all or nearly all the Expeditions which colonized America, and the little Harbor of Palos from which Columbus sailed is but a few miles up the coast. Seen from our ship, it looks like a compact mass of tall white buildings with a Fort on the end of the point and another commanding the neck of the peninsula, not more than a mile long & ¾ of a mile deep, the sea on one front and the bay on the other. Yet in this small space must be crowded 71,000 people. I suppose like most of these towns distance lends enhancement and that we will find it dirty and dingy. Still it is a place of much trade & commerce, enough to justify a Railroad from here to Madrid 540 miles long. Even had we gone to Gibraltar first as proposed I would have come here anyhow, but now we will visit from here Xeres & Seville, the latter distant by rail 90 miles, both of which are points of great interest. Xeres is the center of the wine producing district of the Sherry wine, & Seville was the Capital of old Moorish Andalusia, and rich in historical associations. I will write of these places after I have seen them, and merely purpose this letter to give to the U. S. Council when he comes off to the ship in the morning. Some days will elapse before I will write again. We are all perfectly well, and you might let Mrs. Grant know that Fred is perfectly so, as he is a bad hand at writing and I know will hardly attempt a letter before we return from Seville. Give my love to all the young folks & believe me
Truly yours.
W. T. Sherman.
[WTS]
Gibraltar -
Dec 28 - 1871. Thursday
[1871/12/28]
Dearest Ellen-
[EES]
I wrote Minnie some days ago and now steal time to write you, before the closing scene of this place. By appointment we left the Wabash here and she has gone on to her Rendezvous at Nice, where we expect to rejoin her in late January. Meantime we take a steamboat tomorrow for Malaga -- thence cross over the mountain to Grenada Thence by rail to Cordova, Toledo, Madrid, Saragossa, Barcelona & Genova. Thence again we cross the Pyrenees to Perpignan, where there is a Railroad to Marceilles & Nice. We landed here on Saturday last & took rooms at the Club House Hotel. The moment my arrival was known the Governor sent his aid and proffered every possible hospitality & assistance to see & be seen. On Sunday we took luncheon with him in his Palace, which is known as the Convent, which it once was but is now remodeled into a handsome house with gardens, stables &c, all enclosed in the old Convent wall. I enclose a map of Gibraltar, with three photographs, which give you a pretty correct idea of the Rock as it is universally called. The East face looking to the Mediterranean is absolutely precipitous -- also the North face, which overlooks a sand neck but little raised above the sea, which used to be a channel. Across this neck are two chains of Sentinels & Guards, with about 400 yards between called the Neutral Ground Spain to the North, England to the South. It is of course a bitter pill for the Spanish to look across this little space & feel that she cannot recover it, but this was attempted many times, especially in 1778&9, and signally failed. So that now none disputes England's title. Yet she don't trust to Treaties but keeps a War Garrison and all the vigilance over prisoners that would be in actual war. Yesterday we were furnished horses by Genl Williams, & officers of his staff conducted us through the famous Galleries which are excavated out of the sòlid Rock, overlooking the Peninsula, and which seemed to me surplus strength -- that face being over a thousand feet of almost precipitous Rock. These Galleries are however regarded as "the thing" at Gibraltar. As shown by the map the town is on the West face of the Rock, contains' about 15000 people, Spaniards, Jews & Moors, the houses being old but restored. The harbor is a very fine one and in it lie a great many vessels bound up the Mediterranean or out. The English also keep a fleet here or hereabouts, and it so happens we find here a fleet of six of the largest Iron Clads in the world, commanded by Admiral Hornby, with whom we dined on Tuesday and he shew us all through his own ship the Minotaur, also the Hercules which I think must be the strongest ship now afloat. These are built exclusively of Iron, and the sides are plated, so as to be invulnerable to shot. Yesterday we dined with our Consul Mr. Sprague, who has a nice family, and after dinner we accompanied them to the Theater to hear an amateur Concert given by some young gentlemen & ladies of the place. We had seats in the Parquette, but Gen. Williams sent for us to sit with him in his box, which is in the center of the dress circle. Audenreir remained with the ladies of the Consul's family, but Fred & I went to the Governor's box, and as soon as we appeared the Orchestra struck up their National Air, God Save the Queen, when the whole audience rose & stood during the strain. The audience was a very select one composed chiefly of the families of the officers of the Garrison. The performance was nothing extra. Today being our last here was appointed for a ride to the signal station on the summit of the Rock, but I prefer to return some calls and be ready for a Grand dinner at which I am to meet the principal military officers of the Garrison. Audenreid will ride to the Mountain & Fred will go with me.
I have been quite asthmatic with a good deal of cough, and find the rooms cheerless & cold. None of them have a fireplace, and strange to say, though coal is abundant here from England, very few of the families have even fires in their sitting rooms, none in bed rooms at all, though it is quite cold.
Since leaving New York of course we have had no letters and do not expect any till we reach Nice, and the newspapers which we get are mostly Spanish & English that give very little American news. We have seen the President's Message, but none of the Departmt Reports. The Spanish papers seem to think and U. S. proposes to interfere in the matter of the Rebellion in Cuba and many and many Regim'ts of Spanish troopes have been sent out, some of which we saw embark at Cadiz. The English papers and the authorities here wish the Americans to take Cuba, for they regard Spain as unfit to govern Colonies. Poor Spain does seem down. They have a King imposed on them who is not a native but an Italian, and the people seem to want a Republic. Of course this far we have we have only seen those of Cadiz & Seville & according to reports they are strongly disaffected to the present government, but as we near Madrid I suppose we will find a different tone of sentiment. I sent some wine home by the Guerriere from Cadiz which I had better explain lest you be misled. I got two Quarter Casks at Madeira for John and Alfred Hoyt and paid for it by a draft on Jesse Hoyt & Co. New York. This was done at the request of Alfred. When I got to Xeres I bought a Quarter Cask of Sherry which I paid $135 for in my check on Jay Cooke & Co. Washington. The letter is mine, but I have instructed the Purser of the Guerriere on reaching Norfolk to send all three to John Sherman, and I wrote him either to send my Cask to you or to have all bottled and divided equally between himself, Alfred and you.
By the Guerriere also I sent a separate box containing 2 dozen Madeira Wine, which is exclusively mine. Also I gave Mrs. Stevens a package containing two parcels of a kind of Candy -- one for the children & the other to be sent to Mrs. Audenreid in Philadelphia. My next letter will be from Grenada, where we expect to arrive about New Year's Day. I hope Minnie & Tom keep up their riding spite of winter. My love to all the children. Ever yours
W. T. Sherman
[WTS]