The Atlanta constitution., 1900-01-01
Bill Rrp'S Letter

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learn the true history of our civil war. its
causes and results l would take that of
! Gregg for the land and Semmes for the
] seas. In q former letter L was pleased
| to give the first my hearty commendation
and now since / have Just concluded the
perusal of Service Ahoat," by Admiral
! Semmes | must say the author far ex-
ceeded my expectations In craftsmanship
and style and attractive narrative of the
| wonderful work of the Sumter and Ala
bama as confederate cruisers on the high
seas. The truih is that their work of
| capture and destruction was 50 remote
] from us and so few witnesses to 1t with
| no telegraph, no mail, no press dispatches
| that our people almost forgot where they
were or what they were doing. Only at
| long intervals did any news of them come
| to us and even that news came from the
north and was partially smothered and
always smirched with malignity.
The admiral was a scholar, a lawyer,
en- editor and a profound statesman. His
style is clear and classic and his history
shows him to have been a student of the
science of government and the formation
of our national compact. His utterances
are fearless ar convincing ana his mar
| rative reads like romance. This work
contains no biographical sketch of the
man and I had to turn to Appleton's
/ American biography to find out who he
was and what he was doing before the
war Appleton is always just to southern
men, whether they be statesmen or ne
roes. In most of the northern cyclopedias
of biography you will find no mention of
! Gordon CoIquitt. Barlow. Pat Clebern or
of scores OF men whom our people delight
! to honor but lengthy sketches of every
| small republican member of congress and
! the pedigree OF every race horse that ever
became famous. Appleton has left out
| the horses and put In all of our fa-
| nous men.
| Appleton tells us that Raphael Semmes
! was born In Maryland IN 1909; was sent
| to the naval academy In 1925; commission
| ed a lieutenant IN 1892; studied law two
years and then returned to sea service
and cruised around the world. When the
war with Mexico was declared he was
made flag lieutenant of tho admirals
| ship and placed in charge of the naval
! batteries In the siege of Vera CruZ-tne
admiral leaning upon him there just as
| Dewey leaned upon Tom Brumby at Ma
| Mia. When secession camo he promptly
! resigned his commission as commandant
OF the lighthouse bureau and rendered
! his services to the confeder"o'- The
Sumter then In port at New Orleans. was
| The only vessel at all suitable for his
/
| in warlike condition, but as he says II
liked her general appearance. Her lines
| were easy and graceful and she had
| eaucy air about her that seemed to be
! longing for n fight" What wonderful
| career was in store for that old patched
up vessel. Semmes soon organized her
officers and crew and our own John Nc
| Intosh Kell was his flag lieutenant. The
admiral always mentions him with affec-
4 4NsYaer r411
friend" my brave, patriotic and reliable
first lieutenant" always ready always
true" And he still lives an ornament to
| Georgia and the south-the last of the
| old Romans. What memories he must
! have OF those trying scenes OF which he
was a part. Just think of It, The
Sumter captured seventeen ships within
six months and done millions of dollars
damage to northern commerce and para
! yzed her trade. Six of their best ships
OF war were constantly In pursuit of
her. Her officers and crew were proclaim
ed as pirates and large rewards offered
tor them.
All that the Sumter ever cost the CON
federacy was $4,000, which was much less
than the smallest Of her prizes. But at
last she wore out and had to be sold.
An Englishman patched her up again
and named her Gibraltar. she was Hnal-
ly lost In the North sea and her bones
lie inferred not far from he Alabama.
Uncle sam got no damages from Johnny
Bull for what the Sumter did. for she
was not built in England, as was the
Alabama, but her victims got pay from
the nations treasury for all their losses.
England had TO pay sl5,O0O0 for allow
ing tho Alabama 10 be built and ar
mored in her port. and the sumter de-
stroyed as much more. All this done by
one resolute. patriotic capable man and
his little crew of Il dozen officers and
a hundred men.
H.. 4 I,E ma ENGLAND
especially for Semmes. Captain Low, OF
Savannah. superintendent her construc-
ton and equipment. Scenes could get
only four of his old officers. tor they be-
came scattered during the delay and
Joined other cruisers. But Lieutenant
ken was at his side ready for service
and so was Lieutenant Armstrong, an
other Georgian. j was rumlnatlng about
this venerable man. descendant OF the
grand old Mcintosh family of Georgia,
the Chevalier Bayard of the revolution.
Is II possible tnat our state Will neglect
him I'm his old ageI If there is u man
in Georgia or the south who deserves an
ample pension aud comfortable home
he is the man. THOUSANDS of dollars are
contributed TO northern heroes who com
manded negro regiments during the war
and who melted our slaves to arson and
rapine and murder. but our own noble
heroes are almost forgotten. oh the
shame Of it! Here is man who was
the admirals right bower-the bravest
of the braVe-foremOSt in all these naval
engasements ana in the capture and de
struction of eighty-cight vessels and of
s25Oo0. 600 IN property and his friends have
almost to beg for him bare support.
Oh. the shame OF H.
Friends young men OF the south, get
these hooks and pcruSe them slowly, care
fully and they Will make fast your south
crn patriotism and MI your boSOmS with
4 fresh glow Of southern pride-they con
tain thoughts that breathe ana words
thar burn. You may have already read
some So-called books OF Semmes, but
he declares in this volume that he did
not write them and they were got up
only for sale and are miserable abortions.
This book is published by Il. j. kenne-
dv. In New York / do not know the
price, but that does not matter. Buy it
and Re ad it. If you begin it you Will
surely continue. for Maryatt never wrote
more charmingly in his romance of the
seas Semmes removed to Mobile. Ala,
claimed that state as his adopted mother
and named his second cruiser for her.
He lost his vessel In the fight with the
Kearsarge, for he did not know that that
vessel was cased in concealed armor
Dlate while his own was but wood. 1t
was a Yankee trick. just before he sur
rendered he threw his sword high in the
air ana it fell deep down in the sea,
where Il still remains.
But the war was then about over and the
| Alabama could not have done much more
damage Six months after Lee and John
ston's surrender Semmes was arrested i'm
Mobile and imprisoned charged with pi-
1acy but he was never tried for the
same reason that jefferson Davis was
never tried Andrew Johnson then re-
leased him and he published n mar in