New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-22

~ - ~ -, h;.,o,v of " The Navy in the CIvl
Iya,p will be no: less valuable and popular than INC
,cellent set of narratives OF the military cam sEs
,rh,cb II appropriately follows The scheme o1 tno
may publication shows the same edltoflal 'SV'
which distinguished the former one and Professor
solev's initial contribution Is marked ny aihflo
lnowledge both historical and professional power
az condensation force and ceainess OF narrative
4ol,c,tv in generalization. an impartial habit OF
mind and a col aud acute Judgment An L"E'S'
,,or;cd,cal recently made the extraordinary oJoc-
lion to one OF the volumes OF tie Campaigns o ''o
C,vil war; that tie author showed too clearly on
Which side his sympathies lay. We hOpe that no
ooicer o. our Amy Or navy will ever wrtc Oh TIE
Radiation without showing which side ms - III
nathjes he. The ScrihneI series Offer proof enough
IL surh proof were needed. that loyal ana p"u!-
otto shirt is no disc ratification for Whiting lus'
military history Professor Soley's opiu Cns are
positiyc and consistent because they are care
fully formed. and lie expresses them ife'Y ueO"'No
his object IL not to nurse anybodys pre- uGIc'" ""'
10 tell the truth. The following remarks upon
tie career Of Raphael Semmes are cAaiacieiHel ~
the true critical aud historical tone:
Among all the DEVELOPMENTS IN naval Na ,ia
that we're brought about between I0UI " ' ,.,j
H. ART Of commerce destroying. as slst "t'.VVu
and appIied hy Scmmes. will not he ie. h"nru 'i.'
least iJuuortant In saying tins, IL must We ui'V'i
10 It's military aspect. As Hode 81 '"IEI nE vi
bostilttcs il is neither chiNalrous nor rom h'.' uI
is IT that which naval "lhcer OF tH I'-l.s' y 70
would perhaVs most desire 10 engage IN Guy ~ .
fls in an extraordinary degree. tie man "9toV o!
modern wal that of Gripping an adyeis ~. ,....
Aswar IN our days has lost iuuc1 OF us .- "'I'1,
M ii has LARGELY lost the element OF chiNdIy IL mas
become scientific. stern, bloody, ana business nae
The Alahana's mode OF warfare. however Cou-
bined the greatest effect with tie ieaNl b'ood'hcn
and 1t may be added, with TIE ieast out.'N ol 'n
and money and its success mas Stlilul". Suui
in the great naNIes of the world, when WI "on""t
less some day result III similar euleItlh. "V
name OF the Alabama, like that oi the Mohil'i Il ~
.becou.e "a generic term; and future Aia"'t y WI
record the cruiSe of SeuHess vessel is tic staitIGs
no nj in all their operations
Commerce-des tIO, ing had been pIactlsed on
considerable scale III carrier wars; OUT tue hi'Io-
duction OF fast steamers enabled SeInhtS I' carry
his operatIons to a point of perfection that had
never before baen attained Ills preliminary cuiso
IN the Sumter showed him the possibilities ana the
Limitations of this species OF warfare an" nc oi
1erel mon the cruise of the Alabama with well
considered plan of operations. lie bcgah WIN d
careful studV of the ocean highways OF commerce.
aud these determined the locality of his ~u' cesSlNC
cruisinp-gronnds. 1t i3 upon thus discovery 1l
strategic points Il al his patent chielN rests ne
calculated nicely the time required LOT new q us
l,re sence 20 reach the nltcd states, ana ncoIe
shin could lie sent after him lie had novel 10 Il
scene OF operations ue peniou ~,,,r" a.
generally allowed himself IN any one quarter was
about Two months. At the end ot Tins time ne was
ON his vay to another cruising-ground; ana unless
ms movements could he foreseen he was toleianA
safe from pursuit. He passed his urst Two months
in the North Atlantic. HIS nrXt helu vas tno
West Indies. On each of these stations Ne Iouhu
lorre number of unprotected merchant vessels
Alter leaving the Vest Indies. he posted himself
near the equator in the track OF south american
commerce. he waters over mHS n r',9 hSred
II, les wide The Alabama occuped TINS he!t. NeAt
SIZE passed two months on tie coast OF hfa/il'
Thence She went TO the Cape, near amen lHo "lVc
commerce of the Indian ocean must pass. Al ne
Cane again she renamed abont Two months "u'
American shipmasters had by THIS TINE become ctu-
tlous and they gave the African coast q wdr bei'h;
From The Cape SemncS went 10 the StlaltS OF
Svnda the gateway Of the China Sea- Here hc
remained Mo months 3nG WI JsHln 0",' t com
s.antIv moving The only Il lays were for repairs
ard coal. The latter was furnished al niHI d!
,oalinp-ycSsrs sent to appointed I'ndezNouS.
Later the ship depended upon prizes. ana upon
sI,plie, in neutral ports, which were never
grudged. When long cruise mace IG'aIs or f IeS'
:, ncrcs.lty an anchorage was selected which from
its rcIuoteness and ObsCurty, and from lts sliSh'
dependence upon a civilized Power gave an oppor-
tunty to reit at leisure "h9 ID S Teaneya anG
Iuo Condore we're successfully utilized III inns
way When more extensive repairs were required
ScInncs put boldly INTO neutral I"rt. anu MS NJ
panulIy generally supplied the authorities Win the
points that we're needed 10 justify them IN extend
ing % HIM every facility. .,,. 1900, a.,
It Is common u SPEAK OF Inc AIapaDlI aDu tHS
other Confederate cruisers as prvateers 1t Is aId
to find "A suitable designation Tor Them Tut prlNa
teers they certainly were not. Inc essence Oh u
prvateer lies IN its private ownership: ITS officers
are persons in private employment; ana the All
th0rty under which II acts Is icttel-oi -inafluc:
TO call the cruisers pirates - merely 10 MAKE use o
inyective Most OF them answered all the i'Sai re
Cuircmcnts of ship>-Oi-WaI they were "N ned oy
the Government, and they were COMMANDED ny
naval officers acting under genuine COMMISSION.
- me of them were put III commission at sea or IN
foreign waters and never saw the country o. thGlr
adoptlOn; hat their commission could not thereby
be inValidaiel There y no rule OF law Nncn
prescrbes the place where Government snail
commission its shiTs. o. which requires the cefe-
Inonv to take place like the sessions OF Us,
within the beliigcrent territory.
Assuming that the commissioned Ve>Seis Of tle
ConfeGcratcs were priBr torjc ShipS-oi-N2r. the
oueStion arises whether they were entitled TO the
privileges accorded to such vessel, by the usage
OF nations They were acting Tor Government
whose belligcreHcV had been recognized though no
recognition had been accorded to the state which
it was sceE ing to establish This fact might modify
some hat the view IN which the vessels were IL,
gaIded by foreign states, III that the latter cOuu
inaiutaiu 10 official relations Win the ln>urgent
GOyernnent, and were Therefore deprived OF INC
ordinary ~, thOl o. redress, II the Ncs~tN NIou III
com NIT An offence d.alnst their sovereignty. But
The method of Obtaining rs 'Fe,S ~ negotiation j.
l,, no means The only way OF dealing with Ohsuilnl
sIip>-of-war in foreign waters. IheN may, p'
suninalily ordered 10 DEPART they nav De Ioio'u
den 10 enter and. finally. u they assam III any NIA
the local veTeiguty. OF If they refuse 10 t0i"rh
with order for Their depart IRE OF ticl Gu
sion force may be used AGAINST them ihe,t IS an
there can be. no rule OF law WIG cO.hPeiH 4 GOV
ernIncut TO remain passive WINE rs laws a.
openly violated simply because oi the ~.ncttA
which is supposed 20 surround "a public vessel non
when a neutral Government has allowed n"U
tralty to lac iufrnrd 10y the cruisers OF one helilg
eTcnt can it justify Itself 10 the othe4 oy put''"s
forward such a Plea With stronger reason,
shlp-of-,var " hose very existence II consequence
OF evasions o. lnfIingements Of the local law may
be denied the ordinary lmmunities When, mere
fore The Alabama and the Florida, vessels who!
had been allowed to So TO sen from English port
in violation of English neut atty, AT >up>egu'n
period entered ports OF the same Power WhI'
engaged in their bcliigcrcnJ enterprises the Gov
eminent could not excuse Its lDaCu0n on the gi1ur
of respect for the Confederate commission and 'l
refusing either to exclude or 10 dctan the e. use
IT added to tue wrong which II lad ALREADY CON
mittcd.
The subject of Professor Soey's volume does no
include many OF the dramatic incidents OF th
naval war. but these which fall within It's scope
such rs the story of the Monitor, and Tie adNen
lures of the Aabama-arc well tod. The accom-
OF tho block ade- running business il sIngulariy n