On the 25th of May (a day or two out of Bahia) the shout of "sail ho!" from the masthead served to remind us that we had regained the track of commerce on the pathway of the deep. We were preparing to chase, when "sail ho!" rang out again. The shops were in the same direction. We had a rough time boarding and overhauling them. They were the Gilderslieve, a New York ship, from London, with coals for some navigation company; the other, the Justina, a Baltimore ship. We put the prisoners of the first ship on the Justina and released her (as some of her cargo was neutral) on ransom bond and burned the Gilderslieve. The next evening we began a chase that consumed the night and amounted to nothing, being only a Dutchman!

[Jabez Snow & Amazonian]
The next evening we had a successful chase of the Jabez Snow, of Buckport, Maine, from Cardiff with coals for Montevideo. We took provisions and cordage and consigned her to the flames. Our next capture was the Bark Amazonian, of Boston, bound for Montevideo. We turned over our prisoners to an English brig to be landed in Rio Janeiro, where he was going, paying well for the courtesy in provisions. The next capture was the Clipper Ship Talisman, from New York, bound for Shanghai. She made no pretense at neutrality, and we burned her.

[Conrad/Tuscaloosa]
The coast of Brazil is at all times and in all weathers a dangerous coast, being coral bound, and coasting there can never be a pleasure to the seaman from the amount of anxiety it involves. We were now in the winter season of this country, for their June is as our December, and we experienced some miserable weather. In the middle of June we were compelled to put on our winter clothing to be comfortable. On the 20th of June we captured the bark Conrad. She was a very pretty little vessel, and Captain Semmes resolved to make a cruiser of her. We had captured and taken from the Talisman two rifled 12-pounders (brass), which we transferred to our cruiser. Acting Lieutenant Low was made captain, Midshipman George T. Sinclair, first Lieutenant; Adolphe Marmelstein, second lieutenant, and two young seamen watch officers, and we gave them ten men. Twenty rifles and half a dozen revolvers completed the armament. We called her the Tuscaloosa, being the offspring of Alabama. When the Tuscaloosa hoisted the Confederate colors three cheers were given by the Alabama. The cheers were heartily answered by the small crew of the newly-commissioned ship. The youthful captain and crew made sail on their cruise, our first appointed meeting to be at the Cape of Good Hope.

Source: John McIntosh Kell, Recollections of a Naval Life, Washington: Neale, 1900.

Alabama Collection, William Stanley Hoole Special Collections Library, The University of Alabama