, 1864-07-29
TIE PIRATE ALABAMA,
A Few Facts Relative to Her Origin,
Career and End.


in honorable combat with an equal alyersR-
=. Hitherto, WITH single exception, sho
LIS been known only by her victories over !
The uparmed and defenseless. The courage
ard conduct. for which our neutral frien1s
abroad bestoW upon thls alien traitor tho
houols usu lily pk'd to men who have served
their own country with distinction, hare
been exhibited only bl Mr. Semmes in
piratical warfare On merchantmen and /
wLalers, and these cheatcd into his power by
the assumption Of the colors Of the United
State. J; sometimes betrayed into his clutches
Ing vessel set on fire at night for the inhu-
man purpose Of more cGectually bctraying
other vessels to destruction
call this freebooter "pirate" for rea-
sons well-ttated by himself In the first |
paragraph Of the fifth chapter Of his work, |
Afluat md Ashore" Mr. Raphael Semmes
writes as follows:
HAt one tine there was much excitement In the
sqnsdfon N the sa6est Of pFtyates1ns T. .ts Ge2
and who, In the conree OF tho Wat made himself
t.m"ns by proclaiulng no quarter TO the 1an-
ltes, made stssnaons effort; to ret aaoat nuu,-
nrscc. II Mexico hid been i maritime people
this would baye been her tue policy. A few last
essea ed BY bod eTs
sptt o. Iluuder, might have inulcted inc1lculable
injury upon NJ. This system of predatory war
ct nstsons on The water. Fleets and heavF-arnsed
ships Of no avall against the Lighter heels and
more cratic wandertugs Of this description Of
opctate. To reudsr ptivatetring available TO her
under tie laws OF nations. II Was necessary that at
leass majority Of the officers and crew OF e1ch |
il t1and Of the Lag, bur 0na Gde citizens and any
vessel which might hayc attempted u croise under
letter Of marque and reprlsa without this esteu*
tjal requisits, wonid have been from that moment
a EiyatE,si
These remarks relative to priyateers of |
course apply with eqnAl force to pretended |
Datienal ship, If indeed there cen oe even q !
pretended national ship, when there ia not |
yet the p1etence Of nation, acknowledged |
is such by any civilized Power. In fact these
PRINCIPLES apply with greater force to pub.
lie than to private armed vessel It is suf-
f1cicnt for the LITTER thst she keeps within
tue law; to the former, nationality is vital
she is tie repre- sentative Of her Government
and ccuDtsy. Ii a commission from 3 recog-
uized Government like Mexico, would not,
In MIR. Semmes' opinion, prevent prlEatecr
under tue circumstances named by him, from
b. Ing rcga1ded as pirate. pretended con-
mission from an unreccsnized Government
could not of course, present Eo-called ship
ot~ ar from being, under The same c.rcum-
stances, regarded in the came liEht-
Tue history aid career OF tue Alabama IL
Illustrates al the points ofCapL semmes' deti-
AttfoN Of pirate, and is IN unbroken series
ty, deception, and falsebood reduced to &C.
sion. It is for this reason that have obserT-
cd OF her destruction In open and honorable
conflict With an equal foe, that SHE had meta
better late than she deserved. To justify
tlis remark, conf1ne myself to unsusplcious
authority: the account OF the cruise Of the
Alabama, published By her Acting Sailing
Msstc-, In the S nth African -ddesf:iser and
.Aatl Of the 18th September, 1862.
The first step in her history, though con.
cealed as much Iot tsiole, vas taken 70 direct
nicipal Inv Of England. "The Confederate
Government" says the Sailing Master Of the
Alabama, "se1t over Capt j. D. Bullock to
England for the purpose Of purchasing war
| steamer. Accordingly, No. go Was built and
| This1blunt confession OF the Confederate OF
| fcer dtsposcs at once OF Nj. Laird's tergiver-
| eatIonE, who was not ashaued to Eg1e that for
nught he knew to the contrary, she might
| be intended for merchnhtMan- As II au
experienced sbipLutlder, contracting s7tth
,le agent Of foreign belliserent, could be
in duubt Of the character Of vessel whose
| main deck was pierced for twelve guns;
p ith bcrth-dcck for the accommodation Of
| .,ne hundred ard twenty men; her ward
room furnished with handsome suite Of
state-room her steerage fitted 6tarboarl
tor uidshipmcn, port for engineers; under
the ward room, ,etore-.ooms under the steer
uee, she]lroonis; ar1nory; magazines; tra-
rersts for pivot guns; tackle Tor gun.car-
riaEes; and the Whole vessel Of extra solldl-
ty and strength! Ofeourse, Mr. Laird was
not the eimpleton be would lain represent
himself to be, In order to palliate his guilty
agency in this nefarious business. He knew
the Offended character Of the vessel Just a5
ptll when the keel was laid down In bis 6hlp
| yard, as when she sunk beneath the hear-
saIEe's guns. ... :.
Mees1e Lairde were bul!dlng was soon ascer-
tanned by the American Consul Ut Liverpool,
ard communicated by thet United states
Minister to tue British Government. Tue
legal steps necessary to nip in the bud mis-,
Chief, which the cyent las proved to be o1
euch stupcndous magnitude were Il presume
It IS now conceded On all hands) less prompt
| II taken than they should have been II nt
meaturrs could he adopted to prevent tht
commission Of dangerous National crimes
without the production in advance OF evl
dence which on trial you'd convict tne es1m
fnal, there is not Government In EuroP
, | which could live a year. When al lenstl
the order to dct4in the Alabama vus sen
| down from London it ives prevented from
, taking effect By paltry artthce aud py q
! act of official trcacbery. How this came =
IaeB is re19tcd In the J0urual ot TIC Coaieo
D trate ofGctr.
| AT 015 g. N. oftee 18th July, 1859, NC weighe
: anchor and proceeded slowly down the Aeree}
apchoripg IN Moelfta Dsy: having on ooard rels
0enile7nsn- OR o.;ensible ohjec. in starting va
10 70 'trisl trip, and the restnce Of the Jadit
In tho evening transferred our visitors to steau
. fhayeseen it stated that Mr.. Laird dieclaim
all knowledge OF the " trial trip at "Mc
, the "ladtes ot the bMi,Gerx' were present
j This may well be; the little rase might safel
be committed to subordinate. But atle
: maintaining It to have been uncertain Wfet1
l. ! IT the Alabama Was for merchantmen or
vessel of war, and not less alter giving Arab
!. numes to the rams lately purchased by II
- they were built for the Bey OF Egypt, {a Pr
;. tence proved by o1acial inquiry In th'
!. country to be untruc,] no great imporfaos
. will attach to any assertion or denial by IN
+ gentleman. make this remark because
fook the liberty to state In the Houee
= Conmons that be diehelIeved an official stat
y mcnt Of the United States Secretasy Of tt
y Tie Confederate officer continues: ~
7e remained at Moclfra Bay, shipping ha,aa', ds
=. till 2 u. N. OF The 9lst, When - g got nod
i. intcr from this that, to support the fraud
>. The "trial TIP" the vessel did not CLEAR f
T. nuy port. hut went to sea without etea
!, apcc. reported bound for Nassau" at on
!. q violation Of Law and falsehood..
q, "onr .exremonl9.a @saningt sas1a ggtice5 Msasi
10 10 owing to the fact of news being received
=. the effect that the customs authof1tses
~ ~ orders to board aud dctafn us that morning
De THUS, It seems, the treacheTy Of some pti1S
~. connected with the Liver pool cnstons
2ie this ",utal and pcrfdlous bark" 70 60 70 ss
alike without clearance and without = CO.
u mission; in other words, In the chafaefeE
lii pirate.
q. About the same tune the barque Ag7ippfI
"a Capt. Mcqueen, sailed from London, hasi
aS on board SIX guns, with ammunition, COT
and stores for the Alabama, She, too, IN
n1f ~ probability, was "os.cnslbly bound for \
Or. eau.'' =.
Having thus unlawfully and clandestin.
eo' gone to eea, the AabaMa took the No
:bout passage, landed Capt. Bullock
D. faree OF the s'trial trip" being played ou
Ied Western Islands, and arrived at Porta Pra
In Tcrceira, on the 10Th Of August. Her
la cers were nearly Ill Engliah-two ot th
rn1r haIlinc from Savannah, md one OF tn
!. EngNsh: her crew consisting at this tina
. abont seventy men and boys, nearly all E
1jeh and enlisted on English soil.
On the AFTERNOON of their arrival at Pa
| P,aya they were boarded By the officials oft
* place, and reported themselves, "Ihe steal
Bracelona, from London, fifteen days
r. r. Spanish Goycrument, for the war with "
ior ! ieo.n Capt Butcher of the Cunard serv
!or- aud then Commander OF the Alabama,
II: not ashamed to utter this deliberate untr'
zA On the 18th the Agtippfua arrived Tith
guns aud ammunition, and was followed
The Bahama, Capt. Tessier, screw steat
~ having on board Capt. Raphael semmes
II the othcr officers Of the notorious sun
The Bahama brought two &tponudsrs
thst came by the Agrippiua- From '
onarter and by yYbnt fraudg. che, too. ft6s