Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-11-20
The Alabama,

The first and last fights of the Confederate
cruiser Alabama were full Of such incidents
as will be preserycdin naval records for long
years to come. The manner in which she
sunk the Hatteras off Galveston has placed
the affair second only to the quickest naval
engagement on record. and her fight with
the kcarsage has been called the squarest
ever made between men of war moved by
steam.
The Alabama began her career in June.
1862, and it was closed in August, 1864.
Counting out the time spent in ports and
for necessary repairs. she did not see
over eighteen months of active service In
this time she sailed into every known sea
and captured nearly seventy Federal YES
sells. Out of this number dozen or so were
bonded and released, but the others were
given to the flames.
1t has ever seeemed q curious interprcta-
tion of the laws of war that while the gov
ernment itself recognized the Conlcdcracy
as power, entitled to the rights of bellig-
erents so far as the land forces were concern
ed, it called the Confederate cruisers pirates.
1t called them pirates, and yet did
not dare try them on the charge,
paroling and exchanging them as
other belligerents. Again. Europe would
give shelter to a Confederate privateer, and
yet would not permit one of her prizes to
enter port. England would build the
privateers, put the guns and share of the
men aboard, and still refuse to give them
shelter in any Of her ports, unless in dire
distress.
Federal historians have not given Scmmcs
bn duo in hat
into Cherbourg to refit and repair, and the
Alabama would have been in dock in twenty
four hours but for the appearance of the
Kearsarge. Frcnchmcn tell this, and
Frenchmen, too, who afterwards fought on
the Federal side. Scmmcs says be was
short-handed, and French official who in
spected his powder six hours before the
fight, told him that he could not depend on
it. The bulk of it had been on board five
or six months. Semmes knew the kcarsargc
as stout, wellarmed ship. commanded by Il
man who would fight to the last. He was
told that her crew numbered 162. while his
was only l49. The Kearsarge could throw
more metal at a broadside. and more than a
dozen different people warned the Confed-
crate that the kearsargc had been over
laid with chains to protect her vulnerable
parts.
been no slur on Semmes to have gone ahead
with his work of reftting and treated the
presence Of the Kearsargc with silent con-
tempt. All the advice received was to that
effect, and yet he sent Winslow a challenge
He sought no advantages but relied that
nj! the disadvantages were with the Al
ALBANIA. 1t has been written in history that
spirit of ofbraggadocio induced him to send
the challenge. Braggarts don't challenge
their equal match. fthcy do. they don't
go out to fight. Semmes had been charged
with running away from Federal cruisers.
and here was the opportunity to give the
lie to the story.
So far as the vessels going out to sail
round and round and fire into each other
until each was sent to the bottom. it was
fair fight. In some things the advantage
was with the kcarsage. Had not the En-
gllsh carried Semmcs and others away in
the yacht the real merits Of the fight would
not have been lost sight Of in the desire
to hurt somebody's feelings Semmes
friends say he drew the Hattcras out to sea
Tor fight without knowing her strength,
and that he challenged the kcarsage know
ing that the chances were against him. 1t
Is silly to deny that he had plenty of brav-
cry. and the title of pirate" belongs no more
to him than to any prvatecr of the Rcvo
luton
On the other hand. Winslow deserves all praise
Tor his conduct. When he started to cruise for
lhc Alabama ho meant to find her. Only week
before entering Chcrbourg he had been told that
she had of $50 men--that she carried four
more guns than the Kearsargc-that she had been
partly armorcd and that she could sink him in
nFe'innutc fight. When he followed her into
thcrbours he was determined to bring fight.
II came much sooner than he expected. but he
was ready. The perfect discipline on the kcar-
sarge was great aid III the fight. The first two
Shoots were lost in getting the range. After that
every gun was coolly aimed and fired that
every missile struck. On board the Alabama the
crew We're excited, fired rapidly and wildly and
most OF the shot passed clean Outside of
'ne destruction of the HattcraS, which loss
81 Sooo,OOO to the government, the Alabama
created damage to the amount of 81 100000
Detroit Free Press.