The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-10-06
Bis Memory Honored All Over the South
land On Last Monday.
Was GREAT NAVAL HERO
The One Hundredth Anniversary Of
the Birth Of the Only Confederate
Admiral Marked With Public Ger.
emonies In Several Of the Southern
SssSes

at many points in the South on
Monday. but especially at Baltimore.
:he chief city OF his native State.
in New Orleans, where he IS greatly
| beloved. at Mobile and Montgomery.
in the State Of mis- adoption. and sew
eral other places. honor was paid 70
Admiral Raphael Sennes. Born one
; hundred gears ago. Adm!ra! Senmes
lied IN 1877. passing into history
as the Paul Jones OF the Conceder-
acy." America has hardly produced
! greater sailor.
Fifth In descent from native OF
Normandy who came over in 1910
with Lord Baltimore. Raphael
;emmes received a high school edu-
cation and then found his way into
the navy as nidshipman. there be-
ing no nara! academy IN eztatance
I the time. He ren !ered valiant
md efficient service n the Mexican
var ani had attained the rank OF
commander when war between the
sections broke out With bis 6rst
command. the Sumter. q clumsy old
ooat propelled By both steam aad sail
;emmes captured seventeen northern
merchantmen.
Blockaded by three Federal war
ships 1t Gibraltar. ne sold the vesse!
md proceeded with his o&cers TO
he Bahama Is!aadG. On July 29,
$50. the Alabama. thencetorth Ia
nous, was permitted By British au-
:horit.es 70 sail from Liverpool.
rhe.e she had been built IS NO.
.0o." her guns and wa! munitions
;ae receives IN the Azores. Then BE-
zan one Of the most wonderful
careers which any vessel ever had
Within the twenty months OF her
.x.s.aace the Alabama captured 81
northern ne,chantnen. burning
most OF them at sea for the reason
that few ports were open 70 thesr
reception. She sank the Federal
wa7ship Eatsesas after thirteen nia-
utes' sctual fighting. In june. 1854.
Senm.s accepted challenge to bat
lie given by Captain Wioslow. OF
he Federal warship Kearsarge. at
cherbourg. France. though he was
Inder 70 strategica! or other need
70 do SO.
Apparently about the Alabana's
strength. the Kearsarge was IN realty
arno.ed heavily with chains under
Ser outer p!anking. so that her ac-
versary was surprised to see his
shot reoouoded with little injury
Moreover. the Alabama's powder had
aete.io1a.ed duT.ag many months
passed in tropica! climates: shell
placed In the steering gear OF the
Xea-sarge failed to explode when its
explosion would have rendered the
Fedora. vessel helpless
Under these disadvantages the Ala
5araa fought brave but to'ecoo0ed
contest, finally going down. Her OF
;cers and crew were saved by the
English yacht DeeThound. Admiral
Sennes later complained that Cap
.ain W!nslow had lured him Into
combat through specifically false
statements, namely. by representing
hat the two ships were Oh an eou3l
footing when IN fact the heaFsarse
had armor concealed.
The Alabama was sne vessel OF
abou: rice hundred tons and 23o feet
length. bull. for both steam and
sails. Her bes. speed With al! her
resources used was about thirteen
kno,s. or fourteen miles an hour!
She usually rar down her prizes.
when they were sailing vessels. under
al, alone, and such was Semnes
pride IN her sailing qualities that he
would sometimes prolons the chase
greatly rather than resort TO steam.
The havoc which she worked to
the American aas on the high seas
,as never since been repaired. Egg
land had to pay ftteea million doiia's
FOR turning her loose. but from tas
staudoo!n. OF commercial advantage
this money was repaid many to!d.
.s IA. as their personal preferences
we're concerned. Semmes and ois
peo would have preferred ashins
20 p-:ze-making. but there was ne7@s
day when the hostile ep!taet OF
pirate" would justly be applied
The Alabama was commissioned
$40, ACQUISITION In q foreign poes.
N, so was Paul Jones Bon Hommr
,,chard Sammes cannot be re-
,roached o. this score without IN
;oly:ns Jones. IN Service ASoat
Admiral Sennes tells IN elective
,tyle the story OF his stirring months
IN the Sumter and Alabama. We
advise any one who may never nave
O.. 20 -eooi- the on utsstcH.