The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-09-21
ADMIRAL SEMMES.
The Naval Fight Between the Alabama
and the KeaTSaEe

ana the AtsAAH%-AN
The circumstancessof the fight between
the Kearsage and the Alabama are too
well known to need repetition. The
gentleman already referred to was wit
ness of this fight, but did not take part
in it, being at the time on board French
tug. BE saws Admiral Semmes made a
great mistake in going out OF CherEourg
to meet the Kearsage at all. He said the
immediate cause Of his going out was a
threat of Winslow to 90 into port with
the United States flag flying over the
inverted confederate flag, and to sail
around the Alabama as an insult,
Semmes sent back word that II he%ould
not do lat he woul go out ana 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 tihe she could not
have made over six $nOts at the best.
Besides this, the poIder that she used
was some that had ben condemned by
the British governml and to make 1t
worse, a portion of Ee cOndenslng APP
paratus of the vessel EEed for producing
fresh water was in coasict with her mag
azine, 50 that much 81 her powder was
wet. The result waEhat the heaviest
shells fred by the Al 4lma failed to per
tOrate the sides of &c Kearsage, and
some Of them were 81 to drop in the
water before reach ~. her enemy. al
thougI> the vessels W "a at the time p I
over the hundred Las apart
The same gentls expressed his
opinion ethst Admir- semmes, in &is
book describing the E1ise Of the -
bama, does himself gIrt injustice when
he ascribes his tailuci to disable the
Kearsage to the fact tlat the latter hung
chain cables upon Ter sides. These
cables were only placed upon her bows.
and had the powder of ne Alabama been
in good condition, he presses il as his
opinion 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-post Of the Kearsage.
did not explode, and snow i'm this civ.
If it had exploded it would undoubtedly
have destroyed Winslow's vessel.
Semmes displayed the greatest coolness
in the handling Of his vessel DURING the
whole of the fight with the kearsare
and when the Alabama was about 10
sink he was the last man 10 leave her
4 sailor I.@med Mars. who had .Soyn
very great bravery during the cSlbat
and who had picked up a shell from the
Kearsage that fell on the deck of the
Alabama and thrown il overboard---it
exploded before it reached the water
brought Il Hfe-preserver to Semmes. and
insisted that he should put it on. Sem
mes refused TO do so, and told the ,aiIor
that his lie was worth a. much to Aim
as the admiral's, and that he must pct
il on himself He had in his hands some
/ valuable papers, among them the bonds
of a number of ships that had been cap
tured, and these he gave to Mars
directing him 10 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 bv another OF the Kearsage's boats
! and a second time leaped into the water
and was finally rescued by a French
| boat, saving the papers which bad beer
/ committed to his care.
| Semmes was vervstrict disCiplinariau
/ This was especially Necessary in the ser
vice in whicl the Alabama wss engaged
/ The line between that kind of service anC
piracy was SO narrow that but for the
| strictest d cipline 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 OF
/ board an American cargo, it was burned
If the cargo belonged to foreigners, th'
! captain was made TO sign a bond for tn,
/ value on the vessel No officer or mem
Der of the crew Of the Alabama was al
/ lowed 70 take any article from prize
/ The gentleman who describes this service
! SAYS that he was once very severely pun
ished by the captain Of the Georgia 70
/ taking from the cabin OF a vessel tina
was captured a Saving bird, worth oul,
few cents.---Z L. ". 10 N J. Tribune