The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-27
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
 OF RAPHAEL SEMMES

about 10 of his officers and men, was picked up by the English yacht Deer hound that had steamed out of Cherbourg 1 to witness the conflict, and taken to i Southampton There has been much dis cussion with regard to this action and the escape of Semmes. In response to the de- maud of the United States that these men be given up, the British government declined to do so, claiming that it could not consistently with International law. A handsome sword was soon afterward pre- sented to Semmes by officers of the Brit lsh army and navy, to replace the one that went down with his ship. A few months later he returned home, he was commissioned a rear admiral Qfebruary, lS65), and assigned to the Confederate
 fleet in the James river.
 When Richmond was evacuated, April 7, he blew up his ships and organized the officers and men of His command into a brigade, with which he joined the army of General Johnston. Johnston surrend- cred near Greensborough, N. C., April 26, and Semmes was paroed. He accord lagly returned to his home in Mobile and opened a law office. On December 15 1865, he was arrested and carried to Wash ington, where he was confined in the marine barracks for nearly four months and then released.
 No charges upon which to try him were ever preferred and no official statement was made of the grounds of his arrest, but John A. Bolles, solicitor of the United States navy department. who was charged with the duty of securing evidence upon which to try Semmes stated in the At lantic Monthly, July, 1872, that it was decided to try him before a military com mission if upon inquiry it was found that the law and usages of war had been vio- lated in the engagement with the Rear .TA s.,1.. ward prisoners had been exercised, or had any unlawful expedients and tricks been resorted to in the capture of vessels. All these were resolved in Semmes favor, eX- cept that it was held to be 'perfidy'' for him to escape in a neutral vessel after the Alabama was sunk, but it was de- cded that this was not sufficient, of it. self. to warrant a trial.
 MT Bolles wrote: Not only did Semmes' official conduct conform to this we'll known policy of the American navy. but it was directed by similar instructions from the secretary of the Confederate navy. DO the enemys commerce the greatest injury in the shortest time,' was MT. Mallory's significant order to Semmes in June, 1861, and never in naval history has such an order been so sig nally obeyed: never has there occurred so striking an example of the tremendous power of mischief possessed by single cruiser acting upon this destruction plan as that furnished by the Sumter and her successor, the Alabama, under the com mand of Semmes, whose untirlng activity, restless energy and fiery zeal found no voyage too long, no movement too prompt or too rapid, no danger too great no labor too wearisome in the accomplish ment of the Confederate purpose to ruin our commerce by destroying our ships.
 I had no sympathy with threo s-I ,t.I -s.J courage and gallantry to Semmes because he, like our own Bainbridge, Morris, Por ter and Stewart, had implicitly obeyed the orders under which he sailed"
 A few weeks after his release semmes was elected judge of probate for Mobile county, Alabama, but was prohibited by the war department from exercising the functions of his office, his political dis abilities not having been removed. They never were removed He devoted the re- mainder of his life to the practice of law acting for a short time as editor of paper in Mobile, which he gave up to accept a professors chair in the Louis- jana Military institute. He published Service Af1oat and Ashore During the Mexican War; OS5D; Campaign of Gen eral Scott in the Valley of Mexico" dS52), and "Memoirs of Service Afioat During the War Between the States' QS6s).
 The action of the British government in permitting the Alabama and other English-built Confederate cruisers to bo fitted out in it's ports gave rise to the so-cal1ed Alabama claims" on the part of the United States. The correspondence began immediately after the war, in April, 1865, led to a proposal of settlement by arbitration, and the Alabama arbitra- tion commission, consisting of one rep resentative of five nations, United States, England, Switzerland, Brazil and Italy. met in Geneva, Switzerland December K 1871. and on September IA, 1872, award ed the United States $15,5O0,0o0 damages. Semmes was married in 1887 to Annie E.. daughter of Oliver M. Spencer of Cincinnati, O.. He had three sons, Spen- cer s., Raphael and O. J. Semmes, and three daughters. He died August 30, 1877.