6/25/2021 - American Historical Ephemera & Photography

SEMMES, Raphael (1809-1877). Clipped signature ("Raphael Semmes"). N.p., n.d. 2 7/8 x 1 1/8 in. sight, on lined paper. Framed with Captain Semmes, of the Privateer "290," or "Alabama," Decoying Ships Toward Him by Burning a Vessel. Hand-colored engraving, 9 3/4 x 6 3/8 in. sight, and hand-colored engraved portrait, 4 5/8 x 5 1/8 in., not examined out of frame, matted and framed to 25 1/4 x 17 in. 

[With:] WINSLOW, John Ancrum (1811-1873). Clipped signature ("Jno. A. Winslow, Captain"). N.p., n.d. 3 1/2 x 1 1/4 in., small circular stain to lower left. Framed with FREEMAN, Tom. [Sunday Showdown]. N.p., 1994. print, 25 3/8 x 18 5/8 in., not examined out of frame, matted and framed to 37 1/2 x 31 1/4 in. The print shows the pitched Naval duel between the C.S.S. Alabama and the U.S.S. Kearsarge off the coast of Cherbourg, France on 19 June 1864. 

Semmes captained the C.S.S. Alabama from 24 August 1862 and conducted seven expeditionary raids around the world. While she did see some military action with Union vessels, much of her action was raiding northern merchant and whaling ships, boarding nearly 450 vessels. ON 11 June 1864, the Alabama arrived at Cherbourg, France in desperate need of an overhaul as the ship had been at sea for 534 days out of 657. Three days later, the USS Kearsarge arrived at the port and summoned the USS St. Louis. With inherent aggressiveness and no desire to be quarantined, Semmes engaged the Union ships and saw his ship sunk by the Kearsarge.