Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 1.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[428] which form the highest reward of certain ambitious men. On the 30th of June the Sumter left the Mississippi by way of the Passe-à--Loutre, eluding the Federal blockader, the Brooklyn, a sailing sloop-of-war, who gave her chase without effect. Once on the high sea, the privateer had certain advantages over her adversaries of which she cleverly availed herself. Owing to her great speed, every sailing-vessel was at her mercy, and she could easily avoid nearly all the Federal men-of-war that were sent in pursuit of her. The immensity of the sea was her safest refuge; just heard of in one port, all she had to do was to resume her cruise, to hide in the midst of the ocean, and reappear suddenly at the point where she was least expected. All the vessels sailing under the Federal flag from the Bermudas to the mouth of the Amazon might fear to become her prey. Every time that a light smoke was descried in the horizon everybody tried to guess by the slightest indications the character of the vessel that was rapidly approaching, for the loss of a few minutes might deprive the heavy three-master laden with a rich cargo of her last chance to escape from the terrible privateer.

Conformably to international regulations, the first vessels captured by Semmes were sent to New Orleans in charge of some of his men. But these prizes having again fallen into the hands of the Federals, he soon threw aside all consideration of the rules prescribed by the law of nations; and instead of being everywhere treated as a pirate on that account, he was sustained and encouraged through the connivance of the authorities in almost all European colonies, and in some of the American States. International law, such as it has been established for more than two centuries by treaties and usages, in sanctioning the capture on the high seas, by a belligerent, of the merchant-vessels sailing under the flag of his adversary, has subjected this right of capture to restrictions which are a strong guarantee against the abuse of a power so excessive. The commander of the vessel effecting the capture cannot himself determine the validity of the prize; he is obliged to send her to one of the ports of his country, before a prize court, which, if proper, adjudges the vessel to him and declares the validity of her capture. The adjudications of this special tribunal are precisely what distinguish lawful captures from acts of piracy. But when