Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1877-10-17

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sells Ofwar; the first with the Hateras,
off Galveston, and the second with
the kearsarge, in which she was
worsted. The officer already re.
ferred to describes the tactics EN-.
ployed by Semmes of Galveston as
very 'sharp.7 About 4 o'clock one
afternoon he steamed up in sight of
the blockading fleet, carrying the
British flag. He then turned about
and began to sail away, burning
bituminous coal, and making an i'm
mense cloud OF smoke, his object
being to create the impression in the
Federal feet that he was q blockade
runner, making the best time pos
sible to get beyond their reach.
Admiral Semmes expected that the
Federal commander would send
after him his fastest vessel, and
that this would be one of the light.
est in the feet. In this conjecture
he was not mistaken, for the Hat.
teras was dispatched to overtake
and capture him.
One Of the larger vessels would
have been more than match for
the Alabama. When she came
alongside of the Alabama the cap.
tain Of the Hatteras hailed her, but
for time received no answer; when
at length he ordered her to lie to
and give an account of herself, or he
would fire into her. Semmes hauled
down the British flag and threw out
the Confederate flag, which was
already at the peak, tied up in a
bundle with small ropes. Then
shouting de6antly, "This is the Con.
federate steamer Alabama" he
opened fire. The battle that en-
sued was very brief one, lasting
only about twelve minutes, but at
the end of this time the Hatteras
was sunk. The gentleman who de.
scribes the fight says that the officers
and crew of the Hatteras fought
most gallantly, and did not abandon
her until her guns were level with
the water.
The circumstances of the fight
between the Kearsarge and Ala
bama are too we'll known to need
repetition. The gentleman already
referred to was a witness of this
fight, but did not take part in it,
being at the time OH board French
tug. He says that Admiral Semmes
made a great mistake in going out
of Cherbourg to meet the Kearsarge
at all. He said the immediate cause
of his going out was a threat of
Winslow to 60 into port with the
United States flag flying over the
inverted confederate flag, and to
sail around the Alabama as an in.
suit. Semmes sent back word that
if he would not do that he would 20
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 power that
she used was some that had been
condemned by the British govern
ment, and to make it still worse, a
portion of the cOndensing apparatus
OF the vessel used for producing
fresh water was in contact with her
magazine, so that much of her pow.
der was wet. The result was that
the heaviest shells fred by the Ala.
bama failed TO perforate the sides of
the kearsarge, aud some Of them
were seen to drop in the water be.
fore reaching her enemy, although
the vessels were at the time not
over 800 yards apart,
The same gentleman expressed
the opinion that Admiral Semmes,
in his book describing the cruise o.
the Alabama, does himself great in.
justice when he ascribes his failure
to disable the kearsarge to the fact
that the latter hung chain cables
upon her sides. These cables were
only placed upon her bows, and had
the powder of the Alabama been in
good condition he expressed it as his
opinion that she would have sunk
the Kearsarge in spite of all such
protection. One of the shells of tue
Alabama which lodged in the stern.
post Of the Kearsarge, but did not
explode, is now in this city. If it
had exploded, it would undoubtedly
have destroyed Winslow's vessel.