Small Party Made a Big Haul

Private Kendrick Sunday Outlaw, Confederate army, was stationed at Fort Fisher with the North Carolina 2nd Light Artillery. He was captured on the Cape Fear River on June 25, 1864, by Lt. William B. Cushing, USN, and sent to Point Lookout, Md. as a prisoner of war. Lt. Cushing was on a foray to locate the ironclad Raleigh on the river with eight other sailors. After rowing for 15 miles, they were in front of Old Brunswick and spotted, but eluded the fort’s guns. They continued toward Wilmington and put ashore in a creek on the eastern shore, then followed the creek until they were stopped by the road between Wilmington and the fort. There they intercepted Kendrick on horseback with a mailbag containing hundreds of letters, some of which detailed the number of men, guns, and provisions at hand. One sailor took Kendrick’s uniform coat and horse to buy provisions at a local store. Lt. Cushing and his men detained a total of 26 people, but took only Kendrick and a river pilot with them. They released the rest in boats and canoes with no paddles. (This adventure is related in “Lincoln’s Command” by Roske & Vanoren, Harper Press, 1957.)