Not expecting to be noticed so quickly, Thomas gave orders to lower the sails to half-mast, as the smaller boat neared them. The CSS Drewry was a gunboat out of Fort Marion, formerly Castillo de San Marcos, according to the Captain, which was located on the northern shore of Matanzas Bay at St. Augustine. The Drewry was to escort Thomas’ ship in for a meeting with an important man on an important mission was what they told him. When they stopped him, Thomas told them that he planned to stop anyway, that he was dropping off a few supplies (which was not true, but he figured it would get him in good with those in charge) and taking on fresh water. He figured he could spare a few cases of rum and a bushel or three of fruits for the fort. Following the Drewry into the bay, Thomas wondered why the Drewry had seen fit to stop him- he had no idea that it was to pick up a passenger to take to Charleston. The Spitfire normally did not take on passengers, however, Confederate General, William Henry Chastain was not just an ordinary passenger. The general informed him that he was commandeering his ship for a faster arrival in Charleston; from there, he would take a train to Appomattox, Virginia. General Lee, who had been placed in command of the Confederate Army, had called for a Meeting of Generals at the courthouse there. …show more content…
“I can have you in Charleston by this time tomorrow morning.” “That’s faster than any damn horse can run,” declared Chastain, biting down hard on his pipe stem. “We’ll leave in an