Year: 1877

From the New York Tribune.


THE LATE ADMIRAL SEMMES.
Some Personal "reminiscences of a Famous


Career.


A gentleman who during the war served
for a Short time on board the Confederate
steamer Alabama, and afterwards on the
Georgia, which cruised in company with the
Alabama, relates some interesting reminiscen.
ces of the late Admiral Semmes. The last
vessel of the United States navy which
Semmes commanded was the Somers. This
was the frigate upon which, previous to bis
command Of it, two young midshipmen, one
of them son of the then secretary of the
navy, we're hanged by Mckenzie Slidell for
mutiny. Semmes commanded her during the
Mexican war, and while at Vera Cruz she
was capsized in squall. The loss of this
vessel was source of much satisfaction to all
officers of the navy at that time. She was
very unpopular, on account of the superstl'
tons which existed in regard to her the men
were constantly deserting, and officers were
unwilling to be assigned to duty on her, At
ter this, Admiral Semmes entered the practice
of the law in Cincinnati, and was there at the
time the war broke out.


Going South, he rendered his services to the
Confederacy. and first commanded the sum
ter, which, after short cruise, was blockaded
in Gibralta, abandoned and afterwards sold.
The service On the Alabama was very excl
ting one. She was always either chasing
other vessels or being chased herself, and the
life that was led by her officers and crew was
very attractive to those who liked adventure.


The Alabama had only two engagements
with United States vessels of war; the hrst
with the Hatteras, of Galveston, and the
second with the Kearsage, in which she was
worsted. The officer already referred to de-
scribes the tactics employed by semmes off
Galveston as very "sharp." About 4 o'clock
one afternoon, be steamed up in sight Of the
blockading feet, carrying the British flag
He then turned about and began to sail away,
burning bituminous coal, and making an i'm
mense cloud of smoke, his object being to cre'
ate the impression in the Federal fleet that he
was blockade-runner, making the most time
possible to get beyond their reach. Admiral
Semmes expected that the Federal commander
would send after him his fastest vessel, and
that this would be one of the lightest in the
fleet. In this conjecture be was not mistaken,
for the Hatteras was dispatched to overtake
and arrest him. One of the larger vessels
would have been more than match for the
Alabama. When she came alongside of the
Alabama the captain Of the Hatteras hailed
her, but for time received no answer; when
at length he ordered her to lie to and give an
account of herself, or he would fire into her,
Semmes hauled down the British tiag, and
threw up the Confederate flag, which was al
ready at the peak, tied up in O bundle with
small ropes. Then shouting de6antly, "This
is the Confederate steamer Alabama" he
opened fire. The battle that ensued was a
very brief one, lasting only about twelve min
utes, but at the end of this time the Hatteras
was sunk. The gentleman who describes the
fight saws that the officers and crew of the
Hatteras fought most gallaptly, and did not
abandon her until her guns we're level with
the water.


The circumstances of the fight between the
Kearsage and the Alabama are too well known
to need repetition. The gentleman already
referred to was witness of this fight, but did
not take part in it, being at the time on
French tug. He says that Admiral Semmes
made great mistake in going out OF Cher.
bourg to meet the Kearsage at all. He said
the immediate cause of his going out was
threat of Winslow to 60 into port with the
United States flag flying over the inverted
Confederate flag, and to sail around the Ala.
bama as an insult Semmes sent back word
that if he would not do that he would 60 out
and fight him. The Alabama had been at
sea two years, and her copper hung in "el-
bows" all over her bottom, which was also
very dirty. When in good condition she
could sail twelve or fifteen knots all hour, but
at that time she could not have made over
six knots at her hest. Besides this, the pow
der that she used was some that had been
condemned by the British government, and
to make it still worse, a portion of the con-
densing apparatus of the vessel used for pro-
ducing fresh water, was in contact with her
magazine, go that much of her powder was
wet. The result was that the heaviest shells
fired by the Alabama failed to perforate the
side of the Kearsage and some of them were
seen to drop in the water before reaching her
enemy, although the vessels were at the time
not over three hundred yards apart.


The same gentleman expressed the opinion
that Admiral Semmes, in bis book describing
the cruise of the Alabama, does himself great
injustice when he ascribes bis failure to diss-
Bile the Kearsage to the fact that the latter
hung cables upon her side. These cables
we're only placed upon her bows, and had the
Alabama been in good condition, he express
es it as his opinion that she would have sunk
the Kearsarge in spite of all such protection.
One of the shells of the Alabama, which
lodged in the stern-post of the Kearsage. but
did not explode is now in this city. Ifit had
exploded, it would undoubtedly have destroy
ed Winslows vessel.


Senlmes displayed the greatest coolness in
the handling of his vessel during the whole
of the Aght with the Kearsage, and when
the Alabama was about to sink, he was the
last man to leave her. A sailor named Marrs,
who had shown very great bravery during the
combat, and who had picked up shell from
the Kearsage that fell on the deok of the
Alabama and thrown it over board-it ex.
ploded before it reached the water-brought
a life-preserver to Semmes, and insisted that
he should put it on. Semmes refused to do
so, and told the sailor that his life was worth
as much to him as the Admiral's, and that he
must put it on himself. He had in his hand
some valuable papers, among them the bonds
of a number of ships that had been captured
and these he gave to Mars, directing him to
save them at all hazards. Subsequently some
of the officers and sailors persuaded Semmes
to use life.preserver. Mars was picked up
by one of the boats of the Kearsage, but


olz od coo.