1864 : CSS ALABAMA SUNK OFF FRANCE:
Off the coast of Cherbourg, France, the Confederate raider CSS Alabama
loses a ship-to-ship duel with the USS Kearsarge and sinks to the
floor of the Atlantic, ending an illustrious career that saw some 68
Union merchant vessels destroyed or captured by the Confederate
raider.
At the outset of the Civil War, the Union began an increasingly
successful blockade of Southern ports and coasts, crippling the
economies of the Confederate states. In retaliation, Confederate
raiders, outfitted in the South and abroad, launched an effective
guerrilla war at sea against Union merchant shipping. In 1862, the CSS
Alabama, a 1,000-ton screw-steam sloop of war, was built at Liverpool,
England, for the Confederate Navy. Britain had proclaimed neutrality
in the Civil War but was sympathetic to the Southern cause and gave
tacit aid to the Confederacy in the opening years of the conflict.
Before the Alabama was put to sea, the Union government learned of its
construction, but the protestations of the U.S. ambassador did not
prevent it from sailing from Liverpool. After leaving British waters
disguised as a merchant ship, the Alabama was outfitted as a combatant
by supply ships and placed in commission on August 24, 1862.
The CSS Alabama was captained by Raphael Semmes of Mobile, Alabama,
who as commander of the Confederate raider Sumter had captured 17
Union merchant ships earlier in the war. The warship was manned by an
international crew--about half Southerners, half Englishmen--and
rounded out by a handful of other Europeans and even a few
Northerners. Leaving sunk and burned U.S. merchant ships in its wake,
the Alabama cruised the North Atlantic and West Indies, rounded
Africa, and visited the East Indies before redoubling the Cape of Good
Hope back to Europe. By the time the Alabama docked at Cherbourg for a
badly needed overhaul on June 11, 1864, it had inflicted immense
damage on the seaborne trade of the United States, destroying 60-odd
U.S. merchant ships during its two-year rampage.
The USS Kearsarge, a steam-sloop that had been pursuing the Alabama,
learned of its presence at Cherbourg and promptly steamed to the
French port. On June 14, the Kearsarge arrived and took up a patrol
just outside the harbor. After being fitted and stocked over five more
days, the Alabama steamed out to meet its foe on June 19. A French
ironclad lurked nearby to ensure that the combat remained in
international waters.
After an initial exchange of gunfire, the battle quickly turned
against the Alabama, whose deteriorated gunpowder and shells failed to
penetrate the Kearsarge's chain-cable armor. Within an hour, the
Alabama was reduced to a sinking wreck. Captain Semmes tried to
retreat back to Cherbourg, but his way was blocked by the Kearsarge,
and he was forced to strike his colors. The crew abandoned ship, and
the Alabama went down into the Channel. The survivors were rescued by
the Kearsarge and the British yacht Deerhound, which had been
observing the battle. Those picked up by the latter, including Semmes
and most of his officers, were taken to England and thus escaped
arrest.
After traveling to Switzerland for a much-needed rest, Semmes returned
to the Confederacy via Mexico. Appointed a rear admiral, he helped
command the Confederate Navy in Virginia's James River. After the
defeat of the Confederacy in 1865, he returned to Mobile to practice
law and write about his war experiences. After years of U.S. protests,
the British finally agreed in 1871 to take responsibility for the
damages caused by British-built Confederate raiders. In 1872, an
international arbitration panel ordered Britain to pay the United
States $15.5 million in damages, of which more than $6,000,000 was
inflicted by the Alabama.
history.com/tdih.do
1856 : First Republican national convention ends
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5105
1867 : Emperor of Mexico executed
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5106
1885 : Statue of Liberty arrives
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5107
##########################################
Off the coast of Cherbourg, France, the Confederate raider CSS Alabama
loses a ship-to-ship duel with the USS Kearsarge and sinks to the
floor of the Atlantic, ending an illustrious career that saw some 68
Union merchant vessels destroyed or captured by the Confederate
raider.
At the outset of the Civil War, the Union began an increasingly
successful blockade of Southern ports and coasts, crippling the
economies of the Confederate states. In retaliation, Confederate
raiders, outfitted in the South and abroad, launched an effective
guerrilla war at sea against Union merchant shipping. In 1862, the CSS
Alabama, a 1,000-ton screw-steam sloop of war, was built at Liverpool,
England, for the Confederate Navy. Britain had proclaimed neutrality
in the Civil War but was sympathetic to the Southern cause and gave
tacit aid to the Confederacy in the opening years of the conflict.
Before the Alabama was put to sea, the Union government learned of its
construction, but the protestations of the U.S. ambassador did not
prevent it from sailing from Liverpool. After leaving British waters
disguised as a merchant ship, the Alabama was outfitted as a combatant
by supply ships and placed in commission on August 24, 1862.
The CSS Alabama was captained by Raphael Semmes of Mobile, Alabama,
who as commander of the Confederate raider Sumter had captured 17
Union merchant ships earlier in the war. The warship was manned by an
international crew--about half Southerners, half Englishmen--and
rounded out by a handful of other Europeans and even a few
Northerners. Leaving sunk and burned U.S. merchant ships in its wake,
the Alabama cruised the North Atlantic and West Indies, rounded
Africa, and visited the East Indies before redoubling the Cape of Good
Hope back to Europe. By the time the Alabama docked at Cherbourg for a
badly needed overhaul on June 11, 1864, it had inflicted immense
damage on the seaborne trade of the United States, destroying 60-odd
U.S. merchant ships during its two-year rampage.
The USS Kearsarge, a steam-sloop that had been pursuing the Alabama,
learned of its presence at Cherbourg and promptly steamed to the
French port. On June 14, the Kearsarge arrived and took up a patrol
just outside the harbor. After being fitted and stocked over five more
days, the Alabama steamed out to meet its foe on June 19. A French
ironclad lurked nearby to ensure that the combat remained in
international waters.
After an initial exchange of gunfire, the battle quickly turned
against the Alabama, whose deteriorated gunpowder and shells failed to
penetrate the Kearsarge's chain-cable armor. Within an hour, the
Alabama was reduced to a sinking wreck. Captain Semmes tried to
retreat back to Cherbourg, but his way was blocked by the Kearsarge,
and he was forced to strike his colors. The crew abandoned ship, and
the Alabama went down into the Channel. The survivors were rescued by
the Kearsarge and the British yacht Deerhound, which had been
observing the battle. Those picked up by the latter, including Semmes
and most of his officers, were taken to England and thus escaped
arrest.
After traveling to Switzerland for a much-needed rest, Semmes returned
to the Confederacy via Mexico. Appointed a rear admiral, he helped
command the Confederate Navy in Virginia's James River. After the
defeat of the Confederacy in 1865, he returned to Mobile to practice
law and write about his war experiences. After years of U.S. protests,
the British finally agreed in 1871 to take responsibility for the
damages caused by British-built Confederate raiders. In 1872, an
international arbitration panel ordered Britain to pay the United
States $15.5 million in damages, of which more than $6,000,000 was
inflicted by the Alabama.
history.com/tdih.do
1856 : First Republican national convention ends
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5105
1867 : Emperor of Mexico executed
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5106
1885 : Statue of Liberty arrives
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5107
##########################################
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