The Washington herald., 1915-02-14

Confederacy was something of a shock
to the sailor. who had not set foot
within its borders since the first
months of the war. All his impress
sions of this painful time were set
down by Capt. Semmes in his Journal.
afterward published as Memoirs of
Service Ahoat."
His first official visit in Richmond
was. as a matter of course. to Jeffer-
son Davis. He found the Confederate
President apparently but little changed
since they had parted at Montgomery,
Ala. the first seat of his government.
in April. 1861. Yet he was evidently
deeply impressed with the critical
state of affairs in the South. and his
air of cheerfuIness and serenity seem
ed forced. He told Capt Semmes
that he had nothing to reproach him
with for the loss of his ship.
The next day after this call Capt.
Semmes dined with Mr.. and Mrs. Davis.
Mrs. Davis was more impressed
with events than the President" he
writes. with her womanly instinct,
she already saw the handwriting on
the wall. Though the coming calamity
would involve her household in ruin.
she maintained her self-possession and
her cheerfulness."
AS soon as Capt. Semmes could COM
mand a leisure moment. he paid a visit
to Gen. Lee at his headquarters. near
Petersburg. and spent the night with
him. The two were acquainted. both
having served in the Mexican war.
In discussing the condition of af-
fairs in the South with Gen. Lev. Capt.
Semmes found the great soldier pre-
pared for the inevitable.
Fleet Manned by Soldiers.
The fleet to which, with the rank Of
admiral. the former commander OF the
Alabama was appointed. was but a
sorry squadron at its best. Its heaviest
ships. three ironClads. the Virginia,
Richmond and Fredericksburg. had
been built on the river at Richmond
They were mere iron-plated plat
forms on scow hulis. Their plating
had been rolled at the Tredegar Iron
Works in Richmond. an industrial
plant that had proven of inestimable
value to the Confederate forces in
earlier periods of the war. The plates
for the famous ram Albemarle, that
had been built on the Roanoke River.
were rolled here.
When the three ironclads. built on
the James. were constructed. iron was
extremely scarce in the South. and
they were patchwork ships at best.
Each mounted four guns. With these
three vessels were four wooden steam
ers. each mounting two guns, and
wooden torpedo boat. carrying one
gun.
Properly equipped and manned and
with room in which to maneuver, this
fleet might have offered a respectable
front in battle. 1t was. however. COM
pletely penned up in the river. 1t
could go only as far down stream as
Drewrys Bluff, eight miles below
Richmond. Beyond that both Confed-
crates and Federals had blocked the
channel.
Men Desert Ships.
Admiral Semmes. with his practiced
sailors eye, saw at a glance that this
fleet was impotent. When he assumed
command of it on February Is. he
found that his vessels were but little
better than prison ships"
Both officers and men were crowded
into close and uncomfortable quarters
without requisite space for exercise.
They were on half rations and with but
a scapty supply of clothing. Great
and restlessness prevailed.
There were scarcely half a dozen sail
ors to each ship, the crews being
drawn almost entirely from the army.
Constant applications came to me
for leaves of absence" writes Admiral
Semmes, almost every one having
SOHt SlOTN 10 ten Ol d SlCh OF OeSIl-
tute family. l was OBLIGED, of course,
to resist all these appeals Desertion
was the consequence. Sometimes an
entire boats crew would run of, leav-
ing the officer to find his way on board
as best he might.
TT was scarcely to be expected of
the men that they would rise above
their natures. The visions of home
and fireside and freedom from re-
strsint were too tempting to be resist
ed. They reasoned that their desertion
would be but an anticipation of the
event of a few weeks"
To prepare his men for service on
shore Admiral Semmes landed parts of
his crews daily and drilled them. The
time was not far OF when this exer-
else would stand them in good stead
The commander of the Alabama was
at the first sign of the final
crash to destroy his ships and march
his men inland.