Raphael Semmes ( ; September 27, 1809 – August 30, 1877) was an officer in the

Confederate Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He had served as an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from 1826 to 1860. During the American Civil War, Semmes was captain of the cruiser , the most successful

commerce raider Commerce raiding is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than engaging its combatants or enforcing a blockade against them. Privateering is a fo ...

in maritime history, taking 65 prizes. Late in the war, he was promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

. He also acted as a brigadier general in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

from April 5 to April 26, 1865, although this appointment was never submitted to or officially confirmed by the Confederate Senate.

Early life and education

Semmes was born in

Charles County, Maryland Charles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. T ...

, on Tayloe's Neck. He was a cousin of future Confederate general Paul Jones Semmes and of future Union Navy Captain Alexander Alderman Semmes. He graduated from Charlotte Hall Military Academy and entered the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in 1826. Semmes first served on the ''Lexington,'' cruising the Caribbean and the Mediterranean until September 1826, when he was placed on leave for ill health. After a short convalescence, he served on the USS ''Erie'' for part of 1829 and on the USS ''Brandywine'' (formerly ''Susquehanna'') for the rest of 1829 and the first nine months of the following year. On September 29, 1830, he was posted to the USS ''Porpoise'' of the West Indies squadron, which was attempting to suppress piracy in the Caribbean. Semmes then studied law and was admitted to the bar. He was promoted to lieutenant in February 1837.

Career

During the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, he commanded the in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. In December 1846, a squall hit the ship while under full sail in pursuit of a vessel off

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

. ''Somers'' capsized and was lost along with 37 sailors. Semmes then served as first lieutenant on the , accompanied the landing force at Veracruz, and was dispatched inland to catch up with Army forces proceeding to

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. Following the war, Semmes went on extended leave at

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

, where he practiced law and wrote ''Service Afloat and Ashore During the Mexican War''. He became extremely popular, and the nearby town of Semmes, Alabama, was named after him. He also maintained a home in Josephine, Alabama, on Perdido Bay. He was promoted to commander in 1855 and was assigned to lighthouse duties until 1860. After

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

seceded from the Union, Semmes was offered a Confederate naval appointment by the provisional government; he resigned from the U.S. Navy the next day, February 15, 1861.

Confederate service

Captain Raphael Semmes and First Lieutenant John Kell aboard CSS Alabama 1863

After appointment to the Confederate Navy as a commander and a futile assignment to purchase arms in the North, Semmes was sent to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

to convert the steamer ''Habana'' into the cruiser/commerce raider . In June 1861, Semmes, in ''Sumter'', outran , breaching the Union blockade of New Orleans, and then launched a brilliant career as one of the greatest commerce raider captains in naval history. Semmes' command of ''Sumter'' lasted only six months, but during that time he ranged wide, raiding US commercial shipping in both the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

and Atlantic Ocean; his actions accounted for the loss of 18 merchant vessels, while always eluding pursuit by Union warships. By January 1862, ''Sumter'' required a major overhaul. Semmes' crew surveyed the vessel while in neutral

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

and determined that the repairs to her boilers were too extensive to be completed there. Semmes paid off the crew and laid up the vessel. US Navy vessels maintained a vigil outside the harbor until she was disarmed and sold at auction in December 1862, eventually being renamed and converted to a blockade runner. Semmes and several of his officers traveled to England, where he was promoted to captain. He then was ordered to the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

to take up command and oversee the coaling and outfitting with cannon of the newly built British steamer ''Enrica'' as a sloop-of-war, which thereafter became the Confederate commerce raider . Semmes sailed on ''Alabama'' from August 1862 to June 1864. His operations carried him from the Atlantic to the

, around Africa's

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

, and into the Pacific to the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

. During this cruise, ''Alabama'' captured 65 US merchantmen and quickly destroyed , off

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

''Alabama'' finally sailed back to the Atlantic and made port in

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

, France, for a much-needed overhaul; she was soon blockaded by the pursuing Union steam sloop-of-war . Captain Semmes took ''Alabama'' out on June 19, 1864, and met the similar ''Kearsarge'' in one of the most famous naval engagements of the Civil War. The commander of ''Kearsarge'' had, while in port at the Azores the year before, turned his warship into a makeshift partial ironclad; of the ship's port and starboard midsection were stepped-up-and-down to the

waterline The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water. A waterline can also refer to any line on a ship's hull that is parallel to the water's surface when the ship is afloat in a level trimmed position. Hence, wate ...

with overlapping rows of heavy chain armor, hidden behind black-painted wooden deal board covers.Holloway, Don
"High Seas Duel"
''Civil War Quarterly'', 2014 ''Alabama''s much-too-rapid gunnery and misplaced aim, combined with the deteriorated state of her gunpowder and shell fuses, enabled a victory for both of ''Kearsarge''s Dahlgren smoothbore cannon. While ''Alabama'' opened fire at long range, ''Kearsarge'' steamed straight at her, exposing the Union sloop-of-war to potentially devastating raking fire. In their haste, however, ''Alabama''s gunners fired many shells too high. At , ''Kearsarge'' turned broadside to engage and opened fire. Soon the heavy Dahlgren cannon began to find their mark. After receiving a fatal shell to the starboard waterline, which tore open a portion of ''Alabama''s hull, causing her steam engine to explode from the shell's impact, Semmes was forced to order the striking of his ship's Stainless Banner battle ensign and later to display a hand-held white flag of surrender to finally halt the engagement. As the commerce raider was going down by the stern, ''Kearsarge'' stood off at a distance and observed at the orders of her captain, John Ancrum Winslow, who eventually sent rescue boats for survivors after taking aboard ''Alabama'' survivors from one of the raider's two surviving longboats. As his command sank, the wounded Semmes threw his sword into the sea, depriving ''Kearsarge''s Winslow of the traditional surrender ceremony of having it handed over to him as victor. Semmes was eventually rescued, along with 41 of his crewmen, by the British yacht ''Deerhound'' and three French pilot boats. He and his men were taken to England where all but one recovered; while there they were hailed as naval heroes, despite the loss of ''Alabama.'' RARaphaelSemmes

From England, Semmes made his way back to America via Cuba and from there a safe shore landing on the Texas gulf coast. It took his small party many weeks of journeying through the war-devastated South before he was finally able to make his way to the Confederate capital. He was promoted to

in February 1865, and during the last months of the war he commanded the boxed-in James River Squadron from his flagship, the heavily armored ironclad . With the fall of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, in April 1865, Semmes supervised the destruction of all the squadron's nearby warships and thereafter acted as a brigadier general in the

, the implication being that he was appointed to that grade.Allardice, Bruce S.'' More Generals in Gray.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995. . pp. 206–207. Historians John and David Eicher show Semmes as appointed to the grade of temporary brigadier general (unconfirmed) on April 5, 1865.Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 478. Semmes' appointment as a brigadier general was at most an informal arrangement made four days before General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

's surrender of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was a field army of the Confederate States Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed agains ...

at the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. That appointment was not and could not have been submitted to or confirmed by the Confederate Senate, since the

Second Confederate Congress The 2nd Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from May 2, 1864, to March 18, 1865, during the last year of Jefferson Davis's presidency, at the Virginia ...

adjourned for the last time on March 18, 1865. Historian Bruce Allardice notes that Semmes was vague about this appointment in his memoirs and considered his naval rank of rear admiral to be the equivalent of a brigadier general. After the destruction of the naval squadron, Semmes' sailors were turned into an infantry unit and dubbed the "Naval Brigade"; Semmes was then placed in command. His intention for the brigade was to join Lee's army after burning their vessels. Lee's army, however, was already cut off from Richmond, so most of Semmes' men boarded a train and escaped to join General

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia declared secession from ...

's army in North Carolina. A few men of the Naval Brigade were able to join with Lee's rear guard and fought at the

Battle of Sailor's Creek A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. Semmes and the Naval Brigade were surrendered to Union Major General

William T. Sherman William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

with Johnston's army at Bennett Place near Durham Station, North Carolina; he was subsequently paroled on May 1, 1865. Semmes' parole notes that he held commissions as both a brigadier general and rear admiral in the Confederate service when he surrendered with General Johnston's army. He insisted on his parole being written to include the brigadier general commission in anticipation of being charged with piracy by the United States government.Spencer, W. "Raphael Semmes: The Philosophical Mariner, Tuscaloosa:

University of Alabama Press The University of Alabama Press is a university press founded in 1945 and is the scholarly publishing arm of the University of Alabama. An editorial board composed of representatives from all doctoral degree granting public universities within Al ...

, 1997, , p. 186.

After the war

The U.S. briefly held Semmes as a prisoner after the war, but released him again on a second parole, then later rearrested him for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

on December 15, 1865. After a good deal of behind-the-scenes legal and political machinations, all charges were eventually dropped, and he was released on April 7, 1866. In October 1866, the Louisiana State Seminary (today's

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

) offered Semmes a position as Professor of Moral Philosophy and English Literature. The position paid $3,000 per year. Semmes assumed this role on January 1, 1867. His fellow faculty-members described him as "dignified and easy to talk with". His teaching consisted mainly of formal lectures, with very little open discussion or questions. After only five months on campus, Semmes resigned from academia to take over as editor of the ''Memphis Bulletin'' newspaper in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. He defended his actions of warfare at sea and the political actions of the seceded southern states in his 1869 ''Memoirs of Service Afloat During The War Between the States''. The book was viewed by some, including ''

Putnam's Magazine ''Putnam's Monthly Magazine of American Literature, Science and Art'' was a monthly periodical published by G. P. Putnam's Sons featuring American literature and articles on science, art, and politics. Series The magazine had three incarnation ...

'', as one of the most cogent but bitter defenses of the South's " Lost Cause". Semmes is credited with helping to popularize the term “

War Between the States War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organize ...

". In 1871, the citizens of Mobile presented Semmes with the Raphael Semmes House, an 1858 brick townhouse at 804 Government Street. He lived there until he died in 1877, from complications that followed food poisoning from eating some contaminated shrimp. Semmes was interred in Mobile's Old Catholic Cemetery.

Legacy

Semmes is a member of the Alabama Hall of Fame. One of the streets on the current Louisiana State University campus once carried his full name, as does Semmes Avenue in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. A life-sized statue of Admiral Semmes was removed by the city of Mobile early on June 5, 2020. A suburban area of western Mobile County is named for him, as well as a hotel in downtown Mobile, The Admiral Hotel. When Semmes returned to the South from England, he brought a ceremonial '' Stainless Banner'' (the second national flag of the Confederacy, used 1863-1865) with him. It was inherited by his grandchildren, Raphael Semmes III and Mrs. Eunice Semmes Thorington. After his sister's death, Raphael Semmes III donated the ensign to the state of Alabama on September 19, 1929. Today, the battle ensign resides in the collection of the Alabama Department of Archives and History among its Confederate Naval collection, listed as "Admiral Semmes' Flag, Catalogue No. 86.1893.1 (PN10149-10150)". Their provenance reconstruction shows that it was presented to Semmes in England sometime after the sinking of the ''Alabama'' by "Lady Dehogton and other English ladies".

Claimed references to Semmes in literature

In 1998, William Butcher identified a possible link between the Birkenhead, England-built CSS ''Alabama'' and Captain Nemo's ''

Nautilus A nautilus (; ) is any of the various species within the cephalopod family Nautilidae. This is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and the suborder Nautilina. It comprises nine living species in two genera, the type genus, ty ...

'' from the 1869

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

novel ''

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' () is a science fiction adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne. It is considered a Classic book, classic within its genres and world literature. It was originally Serial (literature), serialis ...

.'' Butcher said, "The Alabama, which claimed to have sunk 75 merchantmen, was destroyed by the Unionist Kearsarge off Cherbourg on 11th June 1864….This battle has clear connections with Nemo’s final attack, also in the English Channel." Verne had himself made a comparison between the ''Alabama'' and the ''Nautilus'' in a letter to his publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel in March 1869.Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas – Jules Verne – Google Books Explanatory Notes Page 422 Other authors have made further arguments, including connections to Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 adventure novel ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...

''. In

Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed his ...

's series Southern Victory, Raphael Semmes is the grandfather of Gabriel Semmes, the President of the Confederate States of America.

Dates of rank

* Midshipman, USN – April 1, 1826 * Passed midshipman, USN – April 26, 1832 * Lieutenant, USN – February 9, 1837 * Commander, USN – September 14, 1855 * Resigned from USN – February 15, 1861 * Commander, CSN – March 26, 1861 * Captain, CSN – July 15, 1862 * Rear admiral, CSN – February 10, 1865

References

Citations

Sources

* Allardice, Bruce S.'' More Generals in Gray.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995. . * Delaney, Norman C. 'Old Beeswax': Raphael Semmes of the ''Alabama''. Harrisburg, PA, Vol. 12, #8, December 1973 issue, '' Civil War Times Illustrated''. No ISSN. * Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Fox, Stephen. ''Wolf of the Deep: Raphael Semmes and the Notorious Confederate Raider CSS ''Alabama'' ''. Vintage Books, 2007. . * Gindlesperger, James. ''Fire on the Water: The USS ''Kearsarge'' and the CSS ''Alabama'' ''. Burd Street Press, 2005. . * Luraghi, Raimondo. ''A History of the Confederate Navy''. Naval Institute Press, 1996. . * Madaus, H. Michael. ''Rebel Flags Afloat: A Survey of the Surviving Flags of the Confederate States Navy, Revenue Service, and Merchant Marine''. Winchester, MA, Flag Research Center, 1986. . (An 80-page special edition of ''The Flag Bulletin'' magazine, #115, devoted entirely to Confederate naval flags.) * Semmes, R., CSS, Commander. ''The Cruise of the ''Alabama'' and the ''Sumter'' ''(two volumes in one), Carlton, Publisher, New York, 1864. * * Secretary of the Navy. ''Sinking of the ''Alabama'': Destruction of the ''Alabama'' by the ''Kearsarge'' ''. Washington, D.C., Navy Yard, 1864. (Annual report in the library of the

Naval Historical Center The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard ...

.) * Silverstone, Paul H. ''Civil War Navies, 1855–1883''. Naval Institute Press, 2001. .

External links

* * *
Raphael Semmes article, Encyclopedia of Alabama
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Semmes, Raphael 1809 births 1877 deaths American pirates Burials at the Catholic Cemetery (Mobile, Alabama) Catholics from Alabama Charlotte Hall Military Academy alumni Confederate States Army generals Confederate States Navy admirals CSS Alabama Military personnel from Mobile, Alabama People of Alabama in the American Civil War People of Maryland in the American Civil War United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War People from Charles County, Maryland Military personnel from Maryland Catholics from Maryland American proslavery activists Southern Historical Society members