The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-09

Captain Semmes has been harshly
dealt with by federal historians for his
privateeripg adventures, but his action
IN this case makes one feel proud that
he was an American above all. Under
the circumstances, as all naval men
are agreed, he could have postponed
the fight or shirked it altogether. His
ship needed repairs, his powder had
been damaged by the long cruise, and
he well knew that the kearsarge had
the advantage in crew and speed. There
were French and English naval officers
who advised him not to go out, but no
matter how many federal merchant
men he had destroyed, or how often he
had been called a pirate, he was a
brave man at heart, and promptly ac-
cepted the challenge.
The Alabama asked for only a cou-
pie OF days to get ready, and when she
steamed out of port that Sunday morn
ing, with her band playing and her
flags flying, she made a gallant show.
Not a man of her crew had skulked-
not an officer was absent The federal
had put to sea and was waiting beyond
the marine league. Here was to be
grapple between men-of-War moved
by steam and equipped with modern
ordnance but with no more protection
against the missiles than Nelson had at
Trafalgar. There was no maneuver-
ing-no trickery-and no two ships ever
went into action with cooler heads to
direct.
The Alabama fired the first shot.
Z
in with her soon after that, and then
both vessels began steaming in circles
and firing as fast as possible. The dis
Cipline on the Confederate was perfect,
but her gunners had had but little
practice. They fired wild and too high,
and cheered with every discharge, and
it was a quarter Of an hour before they
settled down to their work.
It has been said on authority be-
yond dispute that the gunners on
board the confederate craft had never
fired a shot in practice. In chasing
merchant vessels she had occasionally
fired a blank shot to heave them to,
but the ammunition for her big guns
was 700 costly to be expended in tar
get practice. The fixed ammunition
used in the fight off Cherbourg had
been prepared over year-some over
two years.
Aboard the Kearsarge there was no
cheering, and the gunners We're eau
toned to take time and make every
shot tell. Both vessels used shell as
we'll as solid shot. The object of the
confederate was to cripple the fed
eral aloft, and they succeeded in do
ing her considerable damage. Her
masts were wounded a dozen times
over, her rigging cut to strings AMI
every boat knocked to pieces. Nearly
-FOUR hundred shots were fired at her
from first to last but of this number
only about forty made a hit
There is no naval battle on record
outside of this where so many shots
We're expended with so little damage
done Not single man was killed
aboard the Kearsarge and her
wounded numbered but tn see These
were wounded by splinters from the
shells bursting in air and dropping .
the decks 1t was the high firing of
the confederates that made the loss
50 ulnlng. Both crafts carried ma
rines, but they did not get near
enough to use small arms.
On board the Alabama there was loss
no ord. 40
were to aim at her hull, and no doubt
the program was to sink her if the fight
disabled in her machinerv- aud NC sbeii
penetrated her interior to explode at least
% heaNy shot ana shell found a target.
rive or SIX OF these passed clear through
her into the sea beyond. and all the hulk
heads were knocked into pieces before the
killed and wounded aboard the Alabama
was about 40 with further loss of y or
Is carried down with her when she sunk
The wonder is that even half a dozen of
her crew escaped.
The fight lasted i've minutes over en-
hour. and during the last 20 minutes of il
the confederate was in a sinking condi-
ton and had to call men from the guns
to assist in stopping the shot holes. Sem
mes knew that he was beaten, but with
half his guns dismounted. quarter of his
crew out of the fight and water pouring
into his ship in a dozen places, he fought
on and hoped for a lucky shot to turn
the scales.
Fortune played him a scaly trick. One
of his gunners sent shell fair into the
stern post of the kearsarge, and had it
exploded on contact the federal would
have been rendered helpless in a moment.
1t did not explode however, and the
chance did not occur again. It was
the final end came with a shell from the
l<earsarge. which struck the Alabam At
the water line and tore such a hole in her
side that she began to fill at once. Ten
minutes later the famous and much
dreaded privateer was at the bottom OF