| The Naval career of Raphael Semmes is one of the | | | | sent a handsome young Lieutenant and a midshipman |
| most amazing stories of the American Civil War | | | | to charm the ladies and allay their fears. When the |
| history. Born on September 27, 1809 in Maryland, | | | | young Confederate officer and midshipman boarded |
| Raphael Semmes began his Naval career as a | | | | the Ariel, they assured they were not there to make |
| midshipman in 1806. In June 1861, he commanded the | | | | war on women and children, and that none of their |
| USS Sumter and thus began his career as one of the | | | | personal belongings would be stolen. The two made |
| most successful raiders of commerce in Naval history, | | | | such an impression on the women passengers, that |
| putting a 6 million dollar dent in Federal shipping. | | | | they returned aboard the Alabama with their brass |
| In January 1862, Semmes sailed the USS Sumter to | | | | buttons and gold lace missing from their uniforms, |
| Gibraltar to for some much needed repairs but lost | | | | having been appropriated by the women as |
| her to enemy warships. He was in command of the | | | | keepsakes of their encounter with the dashing |
| USS Sumter for only 6 months, but in that short | | | | Southern Raider. |
| time, he was responsible for the capture of 18 | | | | When the Alabama made port in France, she was |
| merchant ships. His tactic was to fly a neutral, or | | | | blockaded by the USS Kearsarge. On June 19, 1864, |
| sometimes even Union flag upon approach, and then | | | | the Alabama and the Kearsarge met in one of the |
| hastily run up the Confederate flag and capture a | | | | most famous sea battles of the Civil War. Draping |
| ship before they had time to react with any real | | | | the Kearsarge with chains, Captain John Winslow |
| force. While this tactic was against 'the rules of war', | | | | turned the warship into an ironclad and therefore was |
| it kept casualties on both sides at a minimum. Raphael | | | | able to withstand the bombardments from the |
| Semmes was fast becoming well known to both | | | | Alabama. The USS Alabama took heavy damage and |
| sides of the Civil War. He was branded a dreaded | | | | Captain Semmes ordered his crew to abandon ship. |
| "pirate" to the Union, and a beloved "hero" to the | | | | Many of the crew was rescued by the Deerhound, |
| Confederates; however, he was also known for his | | | | an English yacht. Captain Semmes, injured in battle, |
| fair treatment and decency towards those he took | | | | recovered in England. Raphael Semmes himself |
| prisoner. Semmes had a great regard for life and | | | | recounted: "My officers and crew formed a great |
| took every precaution to spare the lives of the | | | | military family, every face of which was familiar to |
| merchant captain and crew. He never allowed | | | | me; and when I looked upon my gory deck, toward |
| mistreatment of the officers, crews or passengers | | | | the close of the action, and saw so many manly |
| of his captive vessels or their personal effects, and | | | | forms stretched upon it, with the glazed eye of |
| demanded his crew treat the captives with the | | | | death, or agonizing with terrible wounds, I felt as a |
| utmost kindness and respect. He also treated his own | | | | father feels who has lost his children--his children who |
| crew as members of his own family, and mourned | | | | had followed him to the uttermost ends of the earth, |
| the loss of any of them. | | | | in sunshine and storm, and been always true to him." |
| After the loss of the USS Sumter, Semmes and his | | | | In February 1865, Captain Semmes was promoted to |
| crew escaped to England where he was promoted | | | | Rear Admiral. In April of the same year he was made |
| to Captain. Captain Semmes acquired a commercial | | | | Brigadier General and in December became a prisoner |
| vessel in Madiera, an Island belonging to Portugal, and | | | | of war. On the 15th of December he was arrested |
| converted her to the famous warship, the USS | | | | for treason. His captors tried in vain to find anyone |
| Alabama. Semmes was in command of the USS | | | | who would speak against Raphael Semmes. They |
| Alabama for 2 years and in that time, he was | | | | wrote letters requesting help from former merchant |
| responsible for the capture of 69 merchant ships and | | | | captains and crew of the ships he had captured, but |
| the destruction of one warship. He had, between the | | | | could not find a single former prisoner who had |
| Sumter and the Alabama, more than 500 men under | | | | experienced maltreatment from Raphael Semmes or |
| his command and had held at one time or another, a | | | | his crew. Semmes was released April 7, 1866, for lack |
| total of around 2,000 prisoners, but never lost a | | | | of evidence. |
| single one to disease. | | | | After his release, Raphael Semmes worked as a |
| One of the most valuable captures of Captain | | | | professor of philosophy and literature at what is now |
| Semmes is that of the Vanderbilt Liner, the Ariel. | | | | LSU, as a newspaper editor, and a judge. He moved |
| Captain Semmes was lying in wait for an incoming | | | | to Mobile, Alabama and there lived out his life. |
| ship, hoping to replenish his treasury with the gold | | | | Semmes died in 1877 and is buried in the Mobile |
| that usually constituted part of the cargo of the | | | | Catholic Cemetery. A statue stands in his honor on |
| ships coming to port. Disappointingly, an outbound | | | | government Street in downtown Mobile, Alabama, |
| ship, the Ariel, was the first to come in sight, and had | | | | and in 1953, was inducted into the Alabama Hall of |
| her decks crowded with passengers. When the | | | | Fame. |
| passengers saw they were to be captured by the | | | | The actions and conduct of Raphael Semmes stands |
| hated "pirate", they started hiding their valuables and | | | | as a model for all those who are unfortunate enough |
| became agitated and fearful. Captain Semmes then | | | | to find themselves engaged in combat. |