Columbus Enquirer in Columbus, Georgia

A Sailor Donkey Misadventure Amid Siege Chronicles

An account from a Philadelphia Inquirer excerpt describes sailors brought ashore during a siege as they attempted to guide a maddened donkey up sand hills. The animal balked at leeward breaks, was whipped and misdirected, finally fleeing as the crew struggled to restrain it. the episode ends with the animal’s escape while the sailors faced a tense scene ashore. The piece also notes broader Civil War era dispatches about General Taylor, General Scott, and naval logistics, along with a dramatic animal tale involving elephants Virginia and Virginius, their keeper Mr Nutter, and a fatal outcome for the elephants during a river crossing near Camden and Wilmington.