Confederate Navy raider was Charles man

Semmes had colorful career on CSS Alabama

Friday, July 25, 2008

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Born Sept. 27, 1809, at Efton Hill in Charles County to Richard Thompson Semmes and Catherine Taliaferro Middleton, Semmes served as a captain in the Confederate States Navy, according to historical records. During a 22-month period, he captured 447 vessels, including more than 60 Union merchant ships.

Known as the ‘‘Wolf of the Deep,” Semmes was the captain of the CSS Alabama, and his raids on the sea during the Civil War earned him a place in history that should render Charles County citizens proud, said William Dudley, a naval historian and retired naval officer who served as director of the Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C., from 1995 to 2004.

‘‘He had a very exciting career,” he said. ‘‘He was a charismatic man. You either loved him or you hated him.

‘‘He was called all sorts of things; he was called a pirate, but that’s not true,” he said. ‘‘He was an officer in the navy of the Confederacy.”

Semmes lived in Charles County until his father died when he was 14. He then moved to Washington, D.C., to live with his two uncles, Alexander Semmes and U.S. Rep. Benedict Joseph Semmes, said Oliver Semmes, a descendent of the family who lives in Alabama.

Not much else is known about Semmes’ early life, Dudley said.

‘‘The early part of his life is very poorly documented,” he said. ‘‘It isn’t even mentioned in his own book.”

The book, ‘‘Memoirs of Service Afloat,” is an 830-plus page publication in which Semmes chronicles his naval career.

‘‘It’s a monster book; a real door stopper,” Dudley said. ‘‘It’s valuable because it gives his own perspective on what he did. It’s a self-justifying book.”

Semmes began his naval career at 17 when he signed on as a midshipman with the Navy Department of the United States. He served as a midshipman until he resigned his commission to join the Confederate Navy in 1861 when Alabama seceded from the Union, Dudley said. He was one of 18 U.S. officers who resigned their commissions to join the Confederacy.

‘‘He disagreed with the interpretation of the Constitution of the United States; he believed that the south had the right to secede from the Union over the issue of slavery,” he said. ‘‘He was a lucky man. After the firing on Fort Sumter, the north changed its position and didn’t allow officers to resign from the navy. They considered them to be dishonorably discharged.”

Twenty-five percent of the naval officers and 25 percent of officers serving in the U.S. Army resigned their commissions over the issue, Dudley said.

Semmes commanded two Confederate raiders from 1862 to 1864 — the CSS Sumter and the CSS Alabama.

Semmes had to abandon the Sumter at Gibraltar on the coast of Spain in 1862 because it needed repairs and soon after that he took charge of the Alabama, Dudley said.

The sloop of war had a very large engine in it and was powered by steam and sails, Dudley said, adding that Semmes raided the seas as commander of the ship from 1862 to 1864.

During almost two years at sea aboard the Alabama, Semmes burned and sank or captured and sold 55 Union vessels. The news of his escapades grew to such a pitch that many Northern ship owners sold their vessels to British companies so that they could change their flags as a defense against raiders, Dudley said.

‘‘Semmes was aware of this and he didn’t like it,” he said. ‘‘He said that it was a charade. When he stopped a Yankee ship that had changed its flag he would demand to see its papers to see who owned the ship. Then he would go ahead and destroy the ship, which annoyed the British.”

Semmes’ career abruptly ended in June 1864 at Cherbourg, France, where the USS Kearsarge blockaded the Alabama, according to U.S. Navy records. Semmes challenged the better-equipped Kearsarge to combat, but after about 30 minutes of battle the Alabama struck its colors and sank.

Semmes was rescued by an English yachtsman, one of several who came to watch the battle, according to naval records.

Semmes brought the Alabama to France to have it refitted, Dudley said.

‘‘It was depleted of gunpowder; it was in relatively poor condition,” he said. ‘‘It needed a thorough cleansing, but the French forced him to leave after 24 hours. He came out of the harbor and the captain of the Kearsarge was waiting for him outside of territorial waters.”

Returning to the Confederacy, Semmes was promoted to rear admiral and was assigned to command the James River Squadron, according to Navy historical records. When Richmond fell, he destroyed his gunboats and retreated south with his sailors. He and his men were included in the surrender of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s army on April 26, 1865, some time after the April 9 surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee that is generally considered to have ended the Civil War.

The Alabama remained buried deep beneath the water near Cherbourg until 1984 when a French mine hunter, clearing World War II debris, found it, Dudley said. A partnership was struck in 1989 between France and the U.S. to do an archeological expedition to recover the remains.

Dudley served on the expedition team until 2004, when the project ended.

Among the artifacts recovered was a ship’s wheel with Semmes’ motto engraved on it:”God Helps Those Who Help Themselves.”

‘‘When they found that there was no doubt that the Alabama had been found,” Dudley said.

Other artifacts that archeologists recovered from the site include shoes, eyeglasses, coins, salt and pepper shakers, lead sounding weights, portholes and a propeller from the ship’s steam plant.

‘‘The propeller is huge,” Dudley said. ‘‘We recovered more than 300 artifacts during the expedition. It’s quite a rich trove of artifacts.”

Many of the artifacts are on display at the Museum of Mobile in Mobile, Ala., and the U.S. Navy Museum at the Washington Naval Yard in Washington, D.C.

The hulk of the ship cannot be raised, Dudley said.

‘‘Over the past 140 years it’s fallen apart, but it’s very much there in large pieces,” he said.

The CSS Alabama Association in Mobile is writing the final report on the expedition, Dudley said.

Semmes’ contribution to the shaping of our nation should be remembered and honored, Dudley said, adding that Charles County’s failure to shine a light on the captain’s naval career is neglect rather than a purposeful shunning of his accomplishments.

‘‘I think that it’s a case of forgetfulness,” he said. ‘‘People tend to remember the military [ground forces] side of the war rather than the naval side. ... If I had to come up with a theory I would say that the events of the Civil War didn’t warrant much attention in the textbooks and the sea battles were not as well known.

‘‘I regret that the Civil War at sea isn’t as well known,” he said. ‘‘It’s not that Semmes was forgotten. It’s almost like the Civil War is fading from the public’s consciousness.”

After the war, Semmes spent several months in federal prison and then he went to Alabama where he tried his hand as a college professor and a newspaper editor before settling into a law practice, Dudley said. Semmes died Aug. 30, 1877, at his home in Mobile following a brief illness.

There is a marker near the intersection of Route 6 and Ironsides Road near Grayton that memorializes Semmes’ life and his contributions to the country’s history, said Cathy Hardy, the county’s community planning program director. The marker notes Semmes’ accomplishments during both the Mexican and Civil War and that he commanded the Confederate USS Alabama.

‘‘Semmes was part of an elite group, a group of well-known Confederate officers who felt so strongly about the issues at stake in our country that they felt they had to join the Confederacy,” Dudley said. ‘‘It was a very emotional time. When you change sides like they did, they basically stripped themselves of their citizenship. It was very difficult for them, and it’s an indication of how strong they felt. Maryland can be proud of the fact that it has created these leaders, no matter what side they served on.”