The loss of the Alabama.
account of the fight from on board the Confederate ship — the damage to the
Kearsarge — Why
Captain Semmes fought the
Kearsarge.
The Yankee papers even as late as the 9th are still full of accounts of the fight between the
Kearsarge (not Kearsarge, as it has been spelled) and the
Alabama.
More has been published about it than about any land battle since the opening of the war. The
Yankees attempted to deny that the
Kearsarge was chain plated over her boilers; but, unfortunately for that lie,
Captain Winston himself, in a letter to the London
News, admits the fact, and the further fact that the plating was concealed by plank, though this he says was done to keep out the dirt.
A Cherbourg correspondent of the New York
Herald, who has visited the hospitals and conversed with the
Confederate and Federal wounded, sends that paper the following:
Account of the fight from a Sailor on the Alabama.
We came to
Cherbourg from
Cape Town to be paid off and for the purpose of making repairs. --The greater part of our copper was off the bottom.
Our boilers were in a very leaky state.
Our pay as able seamen was four pound ten a month, and we were paid off yesterday.
We had received permission to go into the dock to repair, when we heard that the
Kearsarge was outside.
We came in here ship-rigged, and so disguised that had we met the
Kearsarge outside we intended to take her by surprise.
We fully expected having a fight with her. As soon as we saw her outside
Capt Semmes ordered the after yards to be sent down and the vessel turned into her usual rig as a bark.
This was immediately done.
He sent ashore at the same time for permission to coal, and intended to go outside and commence the fight without delay.
We commenced coaling immediately, and were occupied three or four days in this.
We coaling on Saturday afternoon, the 18th.
Capt Semmes then prepared to go out the next day.--We went to general quarters twice while in port, as a general drill, and the ship was put in a order.
About nine o'clock on the morning of Sunday we weighed anchor and stood outside.
After getting clear of the break water we cast loose our starboard battery and ran out the guns loaded for action.
The order was then passed for all hands to lay aft.
Captain Semmes handed the clerk a written paper, which was read us. The substance of it was that we were going into action; that we were to fight in the
English Channel, the seal of so many important naval engagements, and recalled the acts we had already performed; said the eyes of all
Europe were upon us, and that he expected every man to do his duty.
The men were enthusiastic, and cheered considerably.
The men had no idea but that they would gain the victory, and an easy one.
The crew fully expected Gom. the beginning that they would be led by
Capt. Semmes close alongside the
Kearsarge, so as to commence the action at close quarters and finish by boarding her. It was expected that
Semmes would lead the boarders in person; for though we had as fine a crew as any ship afloat, yet we had not a single competent gunner on board, excepting the captain of the forward pivot, a hundred pound rifle gun. He was an old English men of war man, trained in the
British navy.
The captains of the other guns were not competent gunners, though brave men. We came in sight of the
Kearsarge, and she steamed towards us. We closed as rapidly as possible.
The men were all lying down at their guns, smoking and testing, the order having been passed to make ourselves as comfortable as possible and reserve our strength till the commencement of the action.
When the
Kearsarge was within about one thousand five hundred yards of us we opened fire, each gun firing as soon as it was pointed and properly elevated.
We fired three broadsides before the
Kearsarge returned a shot.
The first shell she sent came through near the forward rifle port, at which I was stationed.
It caused many splinters, and struct a man at our gun. He leaped away with his leg smashed, and another man at the next gun fell dead.
The shell caught our slide rack, and I think the man was killed by one of our own shot, which was thrown against him by the shell of the
Kearsarge.
The firing here became continual on both sides, we firing at least two shots to their one--we fired shells almost altogether.
But a few solid shot were fired.
At the after pivot gun, shortly after, two or three men were cut right in two, besides others being wounded.
Then the crew of our after guns were ordered by
Semmes to fill up the vacancy at the pivot gun, which was the second gun from the stern; we were consequently then only fighting six guns.
For some time after there was very little damage done by the
Kearsarge's guns, their elevation being rather high, the shot passing over, and though not injuring our bull, greatly damaging our spars.
About twenty minutes after the commencement of the action the spanker gaff, on which our colors was set, was shot away and the colors thus brought down nearly to the deck, the spar hanging and the colors hanging about twenty feet from the deck, the colors still remaining in sight.
About the same time our forward pivot gun sent two well-detected shells, one of which struck the chains which protected the
Kearsarge's boilers, penetrating the chain but doing no such damage as was expected.
We supposed then that her engines were knocked to pieces, and that the
Kearsarge would soon go down.
We gave three cheers.
This shell was fired from our hundred- pound forward rifle pivot, and would certainly have penetrated the chain and entirely disabled the
Kearsarge had our powder been good, as this gun would have carried the shell and taken effect at five miles with dry powder.
Our powder had been a long time on board, and was dampened.
The night before the action we threw seven barrels of damaged powder overboard, and had frequently thrown powder over.
The next shell we sent struck the sternpost of the
Kearsarge without exploding.
Had this exploded the
Kearsarge would have been blown to pieces.
At this time we had received no serious damage.
This was about half an hour after the fight commenced.
After that the shooting on our part became worse, and that of the
Kearsarge better.
Our guns were too much elevated, and shot over the
Kearsarge.
The men all fought well; but the gunners did not know how to point and elevate the guns.
Capt Semmes, during all this time, was standing just forward of the forward legging, with an
opera glass in his hand, and leaning over the ball.
The gunners were left to themselves to fight the guns, and no particular orders were given to the gunners during the fight.
Capt. Semmes directed the manœuvring of the ship.
The shellman belonging to our gun was cut right in two by one of the
Kearsarge's shots while he was bringing a shell to our gun. His name was
James Hart.
He was blown all to pieces, and nothing was found of him which could be recognized except the collar of his shirt.
Several men were wounded and carried below.
The first serious disaster we met with was from a shell which carried away our rudder.
About the same time more shell came into our coal bunkers and penetrated the boilers, putting out the fires and burying several of the firemen under the coal.
Some were killed, and others dug out alive.
The vessel was filled with smoke and steam.
All our power of movement then was over.
The
Kearsarge then gradually began to edge round on our port quarter.
When she reached this position the order was given to lie down, as we expected to be raked fore and aft. A few minutes afterwards the sail trimmers were called away to loose the fore trysail and head sails so that she could be steered.
She was then standing into shore.
We then considered ourselves done for, as the
Alabama was rapidly setting.
I do not think our screw was damaged.
The
Kearsarge kept up a continuous fire on our port side, and we shifted over our guns to that side.
Our men were then very fatigued and many disabled and wounded.
We still fired as well as possible from the port side, though we knew the day was last.
When the headsails were loosed the loader of our pivot gun,
John Roberts, a young Welshman, while engaged in the work, had the lower part of his body cut open, which caused his entrails to protrude.
With his entrails hanging out he walked towards his gun and fell dead on deck without uttering a word.
Mr. Anderson, a midshipman, stationed in the after division, was knocked overboard, his leg, which was shot off, remaining on board.
He was from
Savannah, and was a son of
Major Anderson.
Capt. Semmes about the same time was wounded in the hand by a splinter.
He tied his handkerchief round his hand, but never left his post.
The dead, of whom there were about eight, and the wounded, numbering perhaps twelve, instead of being carried below, were lying about the deck.
The carnage was awful, some of the men being literally cut to pieces.
There was much confusion on board, though nothing like a panic, excepting on the part of one or two, who were not Englishmen.
One young Prussian, stationed at a gun, having ran below and stated to the doctor that he was wounded, was ordered on deck, he not being wounded, and was immediately shot in the back by an old man named
Hicks, an English seaman, who had been long in the
English navy.
He shot him with his revolver.
He died soon afterwards.
Our
first lieutenant,
Mr. Kell, seeing the battle was lost, ran to
Semmes and told him he must strike the colors, as the vessel was sinking fast.
Semmes merely replied, "Try to get a little more headway on her;" and to the fast would not order the colors to be struck.
The color halliards about this time were shot away, and the colors fell to the deck.
The report was circulated fore and aft that they were down, and for a moment the
Kearsarge ceased firing.
When our men saw our colors were down they were enraged, and most of them turned round on their officers.
Several of them ran aft to
Captain Semmes with drawn cutlasses.
One of them told him that if he did not immediately hoist the colors he would cut him down.
At the same time
Mr. Sinclair, the
fourth lieutenant, pointed a revolver at this man's head to shoot him dead in case he made an attack on the
Captain.
Capt Semmes was perfectly cool, and did not even draw his sword.
He said he admired the courage of the men, but the colors were down, the vessel was sinking, and he did not wish that any more lives should be lost.
It was for their own benefit that he refused to raise the colors.
As soon as the colors were shot away, by the order of
Mr. Kett, a white flag was held up as a signal of surrender.
A man jumped up on the spanker boom and held it up the best way he could in his hands.
This caused the officers of the
Kearsarge to imagine that it was one of our men still persisting in holding up the
Confederate flag.
They continued firing, and poured at least three broadsides into us after the white flag was held up. We had also at this time fire a lee gun in token of surrender, but seeing the
Kearsarge still firing on us the word was passed along the deck among us, "there's no quarter for us." Some of our guns were then fired again, particularly our foremost thirty-two, while the men were cutting away the boats.
Capt. Semmes gave orders for the wounded to be put in the boats as quickly as possible and taken away, refusing everything in the shape of a boat himself.
The men were to be taken to the yacht
Deerhound if possible, if not, to the
Kearsarge.
At this time the wardroom was full of water, and the ship rapidly setting.
The
chief engineer did not leave the engine room till he was up to his waist in water.
While the men were cutting away the boats and putting in the wounded,
Captain Semmes walked down into his cabin without saying a word.
His cabin was then partly filled with water.
Two of our boats pulled off, carrying the wounded — the
Kearsarge having ceased firing — the remainder of our boats (we had six) being all seriously damaged.
One of these boats took the wounded on board the
Kearsarge, on which she left them, and then receiving permission to go and pick up more drowning and wounded men, instead of doing so pulled off to the yacht.
This may not have been exactly right; but we were justified in anything after the
Kearsarge had fired three broadsides at us after our colors were down.
I was ordered down by the
First Lieutenant to carry the wounded, and went away to the
Kearsarge.
In that boat were a few wounded men;
Mr. Howell, nominally occupying the rank of captain of marines (we had no marines on board;)
Mr. Wilson,
third lieutenant;
Mr. Bullock,
master, and a few others.
This boat went to the
Kearsarge.
The
Alabama at this time was just going down and
Mr. Kell passed the order for the men to save themselves if they could.
The greater part of them jumped overboard.
Among them was
Dr. Llewellyn, our assistant surgeon.
He was an Englishman, and had long been on the sick list with a sore leg, consequently not depending upon his swimming powers, he had lashes himself to a box; but the box turned, and, putting him under, he was drowned.
Mr. Robinson, the carpenter, seeing that the fight was lost, drew a revolver and shot himself through the breast.
He was afterwards picked up in the water by one of the
Kearsarge's boats, and died soon after arriving on board.
This makes three officers who were lost.
Capt. Semmes secured what papers he had not already sent ashore; and, coming up from his cabin, came on deck as the vessel was just sinking and was advised fly a man named
Mars to pull off his coat and uniform cap, so that he would not be recognized, and fasten himself to two life buoys.
After asking the man how best to use the life buoys, he went overboard with them, with his cap on, but turned inside out, striking out towards the yacht, and in an opposite direction from the
Kearsarge, his determination not to be taken being proven by his giving his papers to
Mars, with orders to
Mars to save himself and the papers, and to deliver them to the first Confederate authority that he should encounter.
The principal papers and the chronometers had been sent off the night before.
The papers given to
Mars were dispatches from the Confederate Government and the ship's accounts
Mars, on swimming toward the yacht, was cut off by a boat from the
Kearsarge, and was taken in. He had the papers in his shirt, and while putting him in he sent to the officer in command of the boat that he should like another swim, and leaped back into the water.--The same man
Mars had already saved the lives of two men who had fallen overboard on our passage here, and was a bold and determined man. He was picked up by a French pilot boat and brought on shore, and delivered the papers to
Captain Sinclair.
Captain Semmes was picked up by one of the yacht's boats.
On board the
Kearsarge the crew were very much dispirited because they had not taken either
Semmes or the
Alabama.
Capt Semmes had never told us that we would be badly treated if takes prisoners.
Capt. Winslow came forward among us and gave us dry clothing, and gave orders to treat us with every possible kindness.
When we came to anchor we were called aft and paroled.
We promised not to serve in any manner against the interest of the
United States until honorably exchanged as prisoners of war. We then were sent on shore.
We went to
M. Bonafile, the
Confederate agent, and he sent us to boarding houses.
We saw
Capt. Sinclair, a Confederate officer who had come from
Paris, and who is acting in place of
Capt. Semmes.
We were yesterday paid off by
M. Bonafile and
Surgeon Galt.
Most of the men belong to the original crew.
There has never been any regular payment before, and on an average from a hundred and fifty to two hundred dollars apiece were due them.
They have had liberty two or three times since the
Alabama first went out and on these occasions have received a little liberty money.
I have the honor to inform you that in accordance with my intention, as previously announced to you, I steamed out of the harbor of
Cherbourg between nine and ten o'clock on the morning of the 19th of June for the purpose of engaging the enemy's steamer
Kearsarge, which had been lying off and on the port for several days previously.
After clearing the harbor we descried the enemy, with his head off shore, at a distance of about seven miles. We were three quarters of an hour in coming up with him. I had previously pivoted my guns to starboard, and mode all my preparations for engaging the enemy on that side.
When within about a mile and a quarter of the enemy he suddenly wheeled, and bringing his head in shore, presented his starboard battery to me. By this time we were distant about one mile from each other, when I opened on him with solid shot, to which he replied in a few minutes, and the engagement became active on both sides.
The enemy now pressed his ship under a full head of steam, and to prevent our passing each others too speedily, and to keep our respective broadsides bearing, it became necessary to fight in a circle, the two ships steaming around a common centre, and preserving a distance from each other of from a quarter to half a mile.
When we got within good shell range we opened upon him with shell; some ten or fifteen minutes after the commencement of the action our spanker gaff was shot away, and our ensign came down by the run. This was immediately replaced by another at the mizzenmast head.
The firing now became very hot, and the enemy's shot and shell soon began to tell upon our bull, knocking down, stilling, and disabling a number of men in different parts of the ship.
Perceiving that our shell, though apparently exploding against the enemy's sides, were doing him but little damage, I returned to solid shot firing, and from this onward alternated with shot and shell.
After the lapse of about one hour and ten minutes our ship was ascertained to be in a sinking condition, the enemy's shell having exploded in our sides and between decks, opening large apertures, through which the water rushed with great rapidly.
For some few minutes I had hopes of being able to reach the
French coast, for which purpose I gave the ship all steam, and set such of the fore and aft sails as were available.
The ship filled so rapidly, however, that before we had made much progress the fires were extinguished in the furnaces, and we were evidently on the point of sinking.
I now hauled down my colors, to prevent the further destruction of life, and dispatched a boat to inform the enemy of our condition.
Although we were now but four hundred yards from each other, the enemy fired upon me five times after my colors had been struck, it is charitable to suppose that a ship of war of a Christian nation could not have done this intentionally.
We now turned all our exertions towards saving the wounded and such of the boys of the ship who were unable to swim.
These were dispatched in my quarter boats, the only boats remaining to me — the waist boats having been torn to pieces.
Some twenty minutes after my furnace fires had been extinguished, and the ship being on the point of settling, every man, in obedience to a previous order which had been given the crew, jumped overboard, and endeavored to save himself.
There was no appearance of any boat coming to me from the enemy after my ship went down Fortunately, however, the steam yacht
Deerhound, owned by a gentleman of
Lancashire, England,
Mr. John Lancaster, who was himself on board, steamed up in the midst of my drowning men and rescued a number of both officers and men from the water.
I was fortunate enough myself thus to escape to the shelter of the neutral flag, gather with about forty others, all told.
About this time the
Kearsarge sent one, and then, tardily, another boat.
Accompanying you will find lists of the killed and wounded, and of those who were picked up by the
Deerhound; the remainder, there is reason to hope, were picked up by the enemy and by a couple of French pilot boats, which were also fortunately near the scene of action.
At the end of the engagement it was discovered by those of our officers who went alongside the enemy's ship with the wounded that her midships section on both sides was thoroughly iron coated, this having been done with chain, constructed for the purpose, placed perpendicularly from the rail to the water's edge, the whole covered over by a thin outer planking, which gave no indication of the armor beneath.
This planking had been ripped off in every direction by our shot and shell, the chain broken and indented in many places, and forced partly into the ship's side.
She was most effectually guarded, however, in this section from penetration.
The enemy was much damaged in other parts, but to what extent it is now impossible to tell; it is believed he was badly crippled.
My officers and men behaved steadily and gallantly, and though they have lost their ship they have not lost honor.
Where all behaved so well it would be invidious to particularize, but I cannot deny myself the pleasure of saying that
Mr. Kell, my first lieutenant, deserves great credit for the fine condition in which the ship went into action with regard to her battery, magazine and shell rooms, and that he rendered me great assistance by his coolness and judgment as the fight proceeded.
The enemy was heavier than myself, both in ship, battery and crew; but I did not know until the action was over that she was also iron-clad.
Our total loss in killed and wounded is thirty, to wit: Nine killed, twenty-one wounded.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant.
R
Semmes,
Captain.
[From the
Paris Constitutionnel, June 25.]
Several journals enter into details, more or less exact, on the participation which
Mr Slidell is said to have had in the incident which has just taken place off
Cherbourg.
We are requested to state that
Mr. Slidell was not aware, until the evening before the engagement, that
Captain Semmes's intention was to go out to meet the
Kearsarge.
Mr. Slidell had, besides, neither the right nor the desire to give any orders to the commander of the
Alabama.
Had he been consulted he would have probably not hesitated to incur the responsibility of giving a counsel in conformity with the nature of the particulars which he had obtained as to the respective force and conditions of the two vessels.
Capt. Semmes did, however, refer to his superior, that is to say, to the naval officer of the Confederate navy on service in
Europe, who gave an entire adhesion to his project.
We believe, also, that we shall not be contradicted in adding that the line of conduct followed by
Captain Semmes has unreservedly the approbation of
Mr. Slidell.
The Alabama forced to leave Cherbourg.
[Paris (June 23) correspondence of London Times.]
The
Constitutionnel, in a short article, which has the appearance of being meant to soothe the
Confederates, states that
Capt. Semmes by going out to fight acted against advice and entreaty: "He was the weaker, and all the counsels, even the most pressing entreaties were in vain, they could not prevent him from engaging in an unequal combat." The
Constitutionnel does not state from whom came these pressing entreaties, or who tried to prevent his fighting.
It was in consequence of the remonstrances of the
United States Minister that the
Alabama was under the necessity of quitting Chesbourg, and once beyond the legal distance, she had no alternative but to fight, to surrender, or try to escape.
France-rebel-the New Privateer.
[From the Gironde of
Bordeaux, June 24.
The steamer
Yeddo which has just been constructed in the building yard of
M. Arman, of this city, and which is supposed to belong to the Confederate Government, left the roadstead yesterday morning.
She had made a trial trip on Monday last, and completed her preparations on the following day. The Yeddo measures 682 tons, and has a crew (entirely
French) of sixty five men.--She is commanded by
Captain Pater, who is a native of
France also; and was for a long time master of vessels belonging to
Bordeaux, she is freighted with different kinds of goods, and is dispatched by
M. Arman himself through
M. Cansee ship broker.
The
Yedde is bound for
Amsterdam, but everything concerning her departure and the object and aim of her voyage remained a profound mystery.
To the last moment the freighters, officers, and seamen maintained an absolute silence to all the questions put to them.
