The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-09-13

foreigners, the captain was made to sign
a bond for the value of the vessel. No
officer or member of the crew of the Ala
bama was allowed to take any article
from prize, The gentleman who de-
scribes this service says that he was once
very severely punished by the captain of
the Georgia for taking from the cabin OF
vessel that was captured sewing bird,
worth only few cents.
By law of the Confederate Congress,
the officers and crew of the Alabama
were to receive from the Confederate
Government one-half the value of all
American vessels destroyed, and the
whole value of all that were bonded, but
their claims were, of course, never paid.
The reason why prizes were destroyed
was that the Alabama was not allowed
to take vessels which she captured into
the ports of any foreign country to be
condemned. The officers and crews of
all captured vessels were very kindly
treated while on board the Alabama.
During the day half of them were al
lowed to be on deck at all times, ming
ling with the crew, while the remainder
were kept below. At night all of them,
of course, were confined. The officers
and crews of captured vessels were also
allowed to take with them all of their
private property, but none of that be-
longing to the vessel.
The gentleman already referred to says
that q very erroneous idea prevails in the
North that the crew of the Alabama was
composed of English and Southern men.
On the other hand, during the most of
the time they were almost exclusively
Yankee sailors from captured vessels.
In some instances the entire crews of
whalers desired to enlist under Admiral
Semmes. The Admiral was accustomed
to tell them that the United States would
hang them all if they we're caught, but
the reply generally was that they did not
care, they would take the chances of that.
When the Georgia ran the blockade at
New Orleans, an officer, who was on
board of her, says she had only nine
Southern men on board, and the re-
mainder of her crew, of between fifty and
sixty, was made up almost entirely of
Yankee sailors.
! The same gentleman tells an amusing
anecdote of Semmes's experience in the
port of Bahia, in Brazil. He sent az
officer to inform the Governor of his in.
teution of leaving, but the Governor was
unwilling to give his consent, and replied
that according to the regulations of the
port, vessels were not allowed to leave
after 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The
captain of little Portuguese man-of-war
which was in the harbor volunteered his
services to prevent the departure of the
Alabama. When Semmes was informed
of this he was greatly excited. "He
does, does he?" he exclaimed, as he
paced up and down the deck. "D-n
him, III spoil his paint for him." Short
ly after, the Alabama weighed her anchor
and got under way. Sailing around very
close to the little Portuguese man-of-war,
she saluted her flag with twenty-one
guns, and when the smoke cleared away
the Portuguese vessel, which was painted
white, was as black as q collier. There
was no interference with sailing of the
Alabama.
When in Mobile, in 1874, I formed the
acquaintance of Admiral Semmes, who
was at that time practicing law in that
city. His law Office was on cross-street,
not far from the customhouse. Like the
Offices of most Southern lawyers, it had
little about it that was attractive. The
floor was bare, the books were not plenti-
full and the furniture was meagre. The
Admiral was rather Insignificant in per-
sonal appearance, short in stature, quite
erect, with small, sharp gray eye, and
hair and beard that would have been
gray, had it not been dyed. The latter
consisted of a fierce moustache and i'm.
perial, which, with his overhanging eye.
brows, gave to him rather ferocious as
pect. He was was dressed in loose, light
costume, and his wide pantaloons did not
hide the fact that he was very bow
legged. In conversation he was courte-
ous and pleasing. 1 do not think the
Admiral was very successful as lawyer.
Gentlemen who practiced at the bar with
him in Mobile told me that, while in
private he was very genial in his inter.
course with lawyers, in court, and in
the transaction of business generally, he
displayed too much of the imperious
quarterback demeanor to make him pop.
ular.