The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-09-21
ADMIRAL SENiMES.
The Naval Fight BefWeen The Alabama
and the HearsaEe.

The circumstances of the fight between
the kearsage and the Alabama are TOO
well known TO need repetition. ne
gentleman already referred to was wit
ness of this fight, but did not take part
IN 1t, being at the time on board french
tug BE says Admiral Semmes made
great mistake in going out OF ChersOurg
70 meet the Kearsage at all. be said the
immediate cause of his going out was a
threat Of Winslow to go into port with
the United States flag flying over the
inverted confederate flag, and to SAL
around the Alabama as an insult,
Semmes sent back word that If he would
not do that he would go out and fight
him. The Alabama had been at sea two
years, and her copper hung IN "elbows
all over her bottom, which was also very
dirty. When in good condition she
could sail twelve or fourteen knots an
hour, but at that time she could not
have made over six knots at the best.
Besides this, the powder that she used
wSs some that had been condemned by
the British government, and to make 1t
worse, a portion of the condensing ap-
paratus of the vessel used for producing
fresh water was in contact with her mag
azine, so that much of her powder was
wet. The result was that the heaviest
shells fired by the Alabama failed to per
torate the sides of the Kearsage, and
some of them we're seen to drop in the
water before reaching her enemy, al
though the vessels were at the time not
over three hundred yards apart.
The same gentleman expressed his
opinion that Admiral Semmes, in his
book describing the cruise of the Ala
bama, does himself great injustice when
he ascribes his failure to disable the
Kearsage to the fact that the latter hung
chain cables upon Der sides. These
cables were only placed upon her bows,
and had the powder of the Alabama been
in good condition, he expresses it as his
ovNnion that she would have sunk the
Kearsage in spite of all such protection.
One of the shells of the Alabama, which
lodged in the sUern-p of the Kearsage,
did not explode and is now in this city.
lit had exploded it would undoubtedly
have DESTROYED WinslOw's vessel
Semmes displayed the greatest GOODNESS
in the handling of his vessel during the
whole of the fight with the kearsage,
and when the Alabama was about TO
sink he was the last mar to leave her.
A sailor named Mars, who had shown
very great bravery during the combat,
and who had picked up she'll from the
Kearsage that fell on the deck of the
Alabama and thrown it OverbOard--it
exploded before it reached the water
brought a life-preserver to Semmes, and
insisted that he should put it on. Sem
mes refused to do 50, and told the sailor
that his life was worth as much to him
As the admiral's, and that he must put
il on himself He had in his hands some
valuable papers, among them the bonds
of number of ships that had been cap
tured, and these he gave to Mars,
directing him to save them at all hazards.
Subsequently some of the officers and
sailors persuaded Semmes to use a life
preserver. Mars was picked up by one
of the boats of the Kearsage, but jumped
overheard. He was picked up a second
time by another of the Kearsage's boats,
and a second time leaped into the water,
and was finally rescued by q French
boat, saving the papers which bad been
committed to his care.
Semmes was a very strict disciplinarian.
This was especially necessary in the ser
vice in which the Alabama We engaged.
The line between that kind of service and
piracy was SO narrow that but for the
strictest discipline the crew of the CON
federate steamer would have been guilty
Of all sorts of excuses. When an Amer
lean vessel was captured, if it had on
board an American cargo, it was burned.
If the cargo belonged to foreigners, the
captain was made TO sign a bond for the
value Oh the vessel. No officer or mem
Der of the crew of the Alabama was al
lowed to take any article from a prize.
The gentleman who describes this service
says that he was once very severely pun
ished by the captain of the Georgia for
taking from the cabin OF a vessel that
was captured a sewing bird, worth only
a few cents.-X L. w. IN " y Tribune.