Roxbury, April 10th, 1848,

My dear little Grandson:-

Shall I go on with my long, tedious story? Well, I will endeavor to. My pilot, half frightened to death, with tears in his eyes, tried to prevail on me not to venture to get underway, but I did not heed him. My mind was made up, and I ordered all hands to their windlass, By this time it blew a bitter gale, but the weather was clear and the wind fair, it did not take long to get the anchor, and as I set no sail, my departure was not noticed from the shore until I was fairly underway running up the sound under a close-reefed top-sail, and then it blew so hard the privateers did not dare to follow me. So far so good. The next thing was to pass the Crown battery without being brought too. It was late in the afternoon and the gale increasing; I ran through Copenhagen, roads, past a number of American vessels that were delivered there for adjudication, came up with the battery, and expected every minute to receive a shot, but owing to the gale they did not attempt to bring me too - it would have been impossible for them to board me, and so they let me pass, and right glad was I when out of reach of their shot. I now pushed on through what is called the grounds, expecting to obliged to take my pilot with me to St. Petersburg, but as good luck would have it, when I arrived off Dregar (the place where the pilot was to leave me) the wind moderated, and a boat came off and took him, and I pushed on for the Baltic By sunset I was round Falsterbo reef, running up the Baltic with all sail set and pleasant weather. - On the 26th of June, 1810, arrived at Cronstadt, after a very long, unpleasant passage.

On the 30th of July having settled my business in St. Petersburg, sailed for home; Aug. 2nd Daguort (entrance of the Gulf of Finland from the Baltic); 4th saw Oelernd light on the coast of Sweden; Sunday the 5th was boarded off Ceulsceona on the Swedish Coast, by the British seventy four gunship "Plantagenet". The boarding officer informed me that the sound was blockaded by the British; this notice he endorsed on my register and ordered me to the Island of Horns on the coast of Sweden, there to join the convoy and go through the Belt with a fleet that was making up and soon to sail. Now finding myself under the guns of a British seventy-four, there was no alternative but submission to his orders; accordingly at 8 o'clock the same evening came to anchor at Horns Island. There I found a large fleet of merchant vessels and a number of men of war. On the following morning, I went on board of the Commodore's Ship (the "Standard" sixty-four) for my instructions. There I met a number of my countrymen that had come on board for the same purpose. The instructions consisted of a Book of Signals to be used while attached to the convoy called "Signal Instructions". After obtaining these, I returned to my own vessel, there to wait until the signal was given for the fleet to get under way. After five, long, tedious days, the long looked for signal was made, which we joyfully obeyed. These proceedings of the British in regard to the blockade of the Sound and convoying merchant ships through the Belt needs some explanation. This I will endeavor to give in as few words as possible. England and Denmark were at war; Denmark's great source of revenue was the sound dues collected at Elsimore; these sound dues are a tribute paid by all nations to the King of Denmark for the privilege of entering the Baltic Sea, through the passage called the Sound. Elsimore is the place where all ships are compelled to stop and pay - Elsimore Castle commands this narrow passage. A guard ship likewise, always lies moored in Elsinore roads for the purpose of preventing any ship from evading payment of this unrighteous tribute to Denmark. - Now you will perceive, the object of the Blockade was to deprive Denmark of a great source of revenue. Until this blockade, the passage to and from the Baltic through the Belt had been very little used except by small craft; the navigation being rather intricate; it answered a very good purpose at this time, however, for the British as with their ships of war they had complete command of the passage, the Dames having no posts or batteries to annoy them; where as Elsimore castle could prevent any merchant ship from passing through the sound. Sailing under convoy, I found extremely tedious and perplexing. We made very slow progress; the fleet of merchant vessels consisted of about one hundred belonging to all nations that traded in the Baltic. Our convoy was two or three line of Baltic ships, two frigates, several sloops of war and gun brigs. Nothing worth relating occurred on our way down the Baltic, until we reached the small port called Nascove, on the island of Ysland, in the Belt. When we were directly opposite this place, and quite near, the wind died away to a perfect calm, and there being at the time a number of Danish gun-boats in the harbour, they took advantage of the situation of a part of the fleet of merchant vessels that were near the harbour and beyond the protection of the convoy; came out, fired upon the defenceless vessels (mine being one of the number), captured one, plundered her and were making off with their booty, when a breeze opening up which the frigate took advantage of, ran up, fired upon the gun-boats, dismasted one and compelled them to give up any further attack upon the fleet. You may be assured it was quite an exciting time with the shot whistling all around us.

Your affectionate Grandfather,

E. Sargent.