To Cuba and Back · Chapter
I explained
The narrator departs from New York on the steamship Cahawba on February 12, 1859, describing the bustling pier, the diverse passengers, and the quiet efficiency of the ship's departure.
What happens
The narrator departs from New York on the steamship Cahawba on February 12, 1859, describing the bustling pier, the diverse passengers, and the quiet efficiency of the ship's departure. The voyage begins with a snowy, cold night at sea, and the narrator walks the deck with the young captain, discussing the captain's regrets about leaving the navy due to limited promotion prospects. The narrator then moves to a quieter stateroom for better rest.
Themes in this chapter
Travel as a Lens for Social Critique
The chapter uses the voyage as a setting to observe the diverse passengers and to critique the U.S. Navy's promotion system through the young captain's story.
Cultural Contrast Between North and South
The contrast between the cold, snowy New York departure and the anticipation of Cuba's tropical warmth underscores the cultural and climatic divide.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator describes their own experience as a vacation-maker on the voyage, interacting with the young captain and adjusting their stateroom.
- The Young Captain
The young captain, a former naval officer from Georgia, walks the deck with the narrator and discusses his regrets about leaving the navy due to lack of promotion.
- Capt. Bullock
Captain Bullock is mentioned as the ship's commander who ensures the Cahawba sails precisely at the scheduled hour.
- The Cahawba
The steamship Cahawba is the vessel on which the narrator departs from New York, described with its decks, engine, and staterooms.
- The Kangaroo
The Kangaroo is a Cunard screw-steamer that crosses the Cahawba's hawse during departure, providing a brief incident for conversation.
- Cubans
Shivering Cuban passengers are noted among the motley group on board, heading home to warmer climates.
Key passages
“Saturday, the twelfth day of February, 1859, is a dull, dark day in New York, with visitations of snow squalls, as the United States Mail Steamer Cahawba swings at her pier, at the foot of Robinson Street—a pier crowded with drays and drivers, and a street of mud, snow and ice, and poor habitations.”
On a gloomy, snowy Saturday, February 12, 1859, the mail steamer Cahawba is docked at Robinson Street in New York, surrounded by a chaotic scene of carts, drivers, and slushy streets.
Sets the scene of departure with vivid winter imagery.
“The best must continue a subaltern, a lieutenant, until he is gray. At fifty, he may be entitled to his first command, and that of a class below a frigate; and if he survives the African fevers and the Isthmus fevers, and the perils of the sea, he may totter on the quarterdeck of a line-of-battle ship when his skill is out of date and his capacity for further command problematical.”
The most talented naval officers remain lieutenants until old age, only possibly commanding a small ship at fifty, and if they survive diseases and dangers, they might command a battleship when they are too old to be effective.
Critique of the U.S. Navy's promotion system, reflecting the young captain's frustrations.