The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-07-24
EXPLOITS ON THE SEAS.
Can't. Semmes's Record In the War be.
tween the States.
From. the Baltimore Sttn.

tween the States.
From, the Baltimore .Sun.
WASHINGTON, June %, 1895.
Preparation of the records of the
Union and the Confederate .navies in
the late war is progressing as rapidly
as the magnitude and Importance of
the work will permit, and within two
weeks the second volume of the series
will be ready for distribution. Com
mander Rush, who has in charge the
publications, estimates that before all
the records are compiled that at least
twenty-four volumes Of nearly one
thousand pages each will have been
printed, and with the pictures Of the
vessels taking part on both sides it is
possible that there may be even a
greater number of publications. A
Government artist is now making
sketches of every vessel in both ma
vies of which the department has
drawings, and these are to be repro
duced in the records. The famous
ships, such as the Kearsarge and Ala
bama, the Sumter and others of like
fame, will be accurately pictured, and
many of the stirring blockade escapes,
as we'll as the fight in Hampton Roads,
are all to receive attention in the vol
umes. The first volume, issued few
months ago, contained the entire cor
respondence relating to the Trent af-
fair, and the wonderful escape Of the
Sumter from the Mississippi River,
under command of Capt. Semmes, who
was the first officer to hoist the Con-
federate colors on the high seas from
war ship. The Trent affair is re-
counted in the official reports made by
the captain of the San Jacinto, and
the officers boarding the Trent and
seizing the Confederate commission,
ers. Capt. Semmes's diary and re.
ports to the Confederate Secretary OF
the Navy, Mallory, tell Of the opera
tions of the Sumter until her final re-
tirement from the service, just nine
months after her escape from New Or.
leans, during which time she was com
manded by Semmes, who was trans
ferred to the famous Alabama.
The history of the operations OF the
cruiser Alabama begins with an order
from S. R. Mallory, Secretary Of the
Confederate navy, directing Command
er Semmes to assume charge Of the
Sumter at New Orleans on April 20,
and detailing number of officers to
serve with him. On taking charge Of
the ship Semmes at once set to work
to prepare her to run the gauntlet OF
three United States war ships station,
ed south of the city, and on June %
he wrote that he had succeeded in
making the Head Of the Passes, where
he found anchored the Brooklyn and
Powhattan, and occasionally third
war vessel of smaller size was seen
cruising near by. His report to Nal
lory here says that the two larger yes,
sells lay almost constantly at their an.
chorage within few hundred yards OF
the bar which they were assiduously
guarding. Semmes, it seems, was
willing to take the chances of running
the bar at night, but pilot dissuaded
him unless there be moon, as all the
buoys and marks to the channel had
been removed, and there was no guide
other than the ripple Of the breakers.
"In the meantime says Semmes,
Opportunities will doubtless occur to
enable me, with the exercise Of pa
thence and vigilance, to gain the high
seas, as changes will occur in the
blockading vessels from time to time,
and they will probably be tempted now
and then upon sight Of sail to chase
off,"
On the day after making this; report
Semmes dropped still further down to-
ward the Gulf and caused both the
lights on the entrances of the Pass a
lOutre and South Pass to be destroy.
ed, so that the enemy would have no ia.
cilities afforded him Of promptly re-
gaining his station in the event Of his
having "chased off, or sought an
"ofing" for the safety Of his vessel
during bad weather. On June 3Oth
Semmes wrote that he was still north
Of the Passes and was waiting for bad
weather to set in so that the block
aiding vessels would have nothing to
thold on to, and would be obliged to
make an ofing. CAT present the worse
feature Of the blockade" he says, Hs
that the Brooklyn has the speed OF
me, so that even should l run the bal
I could not hope to escape her, unless
surprised her, which, with her close
watch Of the bar, at anchor near to,
both night and day, it will be exceed
ingly difficult to do. Ishould be quite
willing to try. speed with the Powhat-
tan if could hope to run the gaunt-
let of her guns without being crippled
but, unfortunately, with all the buoys
and other marks removed, this is a
perfectly blind bar except by daylight.
In the meantime I am drilling my crew
to proper use Of the guns and small
arms.
The next heard Of Capt. Semmes he
had passed out the river, escaped the
two United States vessels and had
reached Cuba with seven prizes OF war,
all of this having been accomplished
before July6. The Brooklyn attempt
ed to chase him, but soon gave it up,
and the Sumter sailed by without hav-
ing fred shot. During the summer
he cruised around Cuba and northern
part of South America, making seve-
raj captures and destroying numbers
of vessels. 1t was not until the fol-
lowing November, however, that
Semmes made his official report OF his
escape from the Mississippi River,
which was one of the most thrilling