The Emily St. Pierre was a blockade-runner, owned by the Trenholm Company. The captain was William Wilson a Scotsman. The ship was nearing the bar at Charleston on 18th March 1862 after sailing from Calcutta when the captain of one of the blockading ships, the USS James Adger, having this vessel on his list of suspected ships, stopped her on the grounds that her British registration was illegal, and it was noted that the cargo of saltpetre was contraband. Also the name ‘Charleston’ was found on many of the items and this name had also been scraped from her stern, plus the captain had been seen throwing a package over the side, which seemed to be suspicious.
This ship was one of the first to fly the Confederate flag when in Liverpool, and it was learned that she had also flown Captain William Wilson the Southern flag whilst she was in Calcutta.
The Confederate seamen were removed from the ship with the exception of the cook, Louis Schelvin, and a steward, Matthew Montgomery, plus Captain Wilson who was ordered to take his ship to Philadelphia.
This well-built Scotsman hatched a plan to recapture his ship, and he drew the cook and the steward into his Confederate 1st National flag plan. Whilst Lieutenant Josiah Stone, who was the acting master, was on watch duty, they bound and gagged the mate while he was asleep, and in another room the engineer was treated in the same manner.
Captain Wilson then requested that Lieutenant Stone should come to his cabin and check a chart, as he was not sure that his charts were correct. On the way he threatened him with an iron bar, at which point the steward who followed them, gagged him so he could not raise the alarm. Captain Wilson, now having taken the Lieutenant’s gun, ushered three men into a hatch, saying it was on the orders of the Lieutenant, and locked them in.
The helmsman was also put in the hatch at gunpoint.
As the watch from below stumbled out onto the deck they Steward, Matthew Montgomery
were tied up in pairs. One reckless fellow drew a knife and was shot for his foolhardiness; this induced the others to surrender In total there were fourteen in the prize party, including the mate and Lieutenant Stone.
Captain Wilson had now regained his vessel, but he was 3,000 miles from Liverpool with only the cook, and a steward, who could neither reef, nor steer. Eventually the prisoners agreed to assist as best they could, but there was only one of them who could steer a little.
The Captain had to lie aloft and perform the duties normally done by the seamen on board, as a storm was brewing. Later he had to work for twelve hours rigging up a jury rudder as the tiller had been damaged in this storm.
A month later on 21 April the ship anchored in the river Cook, Louis Schelvin Mersey. England as a whole saluted the enterprise of Captain Wilson, and Charles Kuhn Prioleau, of Messrs Fraser, Trenholm and Co. was beside him as the valiant Captain, looking tired and dishevelled from lack of sleep, told of his escapade.
On the 3rd May 1861 the Captain, received a presentation of a gold Chronometer and Tea Service paid for by 170 merchants, and the Mercantile Marine Service Association presented him with a gold Medal, plus a sum of £2,000 from the owners. Both Louis Schelvin, and Matthew Montgomery were each presented with a purse of twenty guineas and a silver Medal. The owners gave them £300 each.