Semmes: Rebel Raider (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781574884197)

One man--Capt. Raphael Semmes--dominates the history of Confederate naval operations in the American Civil War. Although the Confederates were hopelessly outnumbered at sea, Semmes roamed the oceans first in the CSS SUMTER and then the CSS ALABAMA, capturing nearly 100 Federal merchant ships and precipitating a flight from the American flag that decimated the Federal merchant marine. Revered in the South as a hero, the North reviled and feared the Yankee-hating Semmes as a pirate. Regardless of his reputation, his wartime exploits were remarkable.

Noted historian and biographer John M. Taylor illustrates how, under Semmes's command, the ALABAMA became a household name in America and overseas and struck fear into the hearts of ships' crews and passengers alike. Incredibly, Semmes and the ALABAMA traveled 75,000 miles, and as far east as Singapore, without ever taking refuge in a Confederate port. In 1864, off the coast of Cherbourg, France, the Union's USS KEARSAGE finally caught up with the Confederate raider and fought the last ever ship-to-ship gun duel between wooden warships.

Author: John M. Taylor
ISBN-10: 1574884190
ISBN-13: 9781574884197
Publisher: Potomac Books
Language: English
Published: 11/01/2003
Pages: 128
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.57lbs
Size: 7.72h x 5.92w x 0.64d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2004 pg. 59