For other uses, see Semmes (disambiguation).
| Raphael Semmes | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Rear Admiral Semmes |
|
| Born | September 27, 1809 Charles County, Maryland |
| Died | August 30, 1877 (aged 67) Mobile, Alabama |
| Place of burial | Old Catholic Cemetery (Mobile, Alabama) |
| Allegiance | United States of America Confederate States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy Confederate Navy Confederate Army |
| Years of service | USN 1826–1860 CSN 1860–1865 CSA 1865 |
| Rank | Commander (USN) Rear Admiral (CSN) Brigadier General (CSA) |
| Commands held | USS Somers (Mexican War) CSS Sumter (Civil War) CSS Alabama (Civil War) James River Squadron (Civil War) |
| Battles/wars | Mexican-American War American Civil War *Battle of Cherbourg |
Raphael Semmes (September 27, 1809 – August 30, 1877) was an officer in the United States Navy from 1826 - 1860 and the Confederate States Navy from 1860 - 1865. During the American Civil War he was captain of the famous commerce raider CSS Alabama, which took a record sixty-nine prizes. Late in the war he was promoted to rear admiral and also served briefly as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army. Admiral/General Semmes is the only North American to have the distinction of holding both ranks simultaneously.[1]
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Biography [link]
Semmes was born in Charles County, Maryland, a cousin of future Confederate general Paul Jones Semmes and Union Navy Captain Alexander Alderman Semmes.
He graduated from Charlotte Hall Military Academy. He entered the Navy as a midshipman in 1826. After serving in the navy, he studied law and was admitted to the bar.
During the Mexican-American War, he commanded the brig USS Somers in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship was lost in a storm off Veracruz, Mexico, in December 1846. Semmes was commended for his actions during the loss of the Somers.
Following the war, Semmes went on extended leave at Mobile, Alabama, where he practiced law. He was extremely popular there, and the town of Semmes, Alabama was named after him. He was promoted to the rank of commander in 1855 and was assigned to lighthouse duties until 1860. When Alabama seceded from the Union in January 1861, Semmes resigned from the United States Navy and sought an appointment in the Confederate States Navy.
Confederate States service [link]
In April 1861, Semmes was accepted into the Confederate navy as a commander and was sent to New Orleans, Louisiana, to convert the Habana into the cruiser/commerce raider CSS Sumter. In June 1861, Semmes, in Sumter, outran the Union vessel Brooklyn, breached the Federal blockade, and then launched a brilliant career as one of the greatest commerce raider captains in naval history.[2] See also: Blockade runners of the American Civil War
Semmes's command of CSS Sumter would last a short six months. During that time he ranged wide, raiding U. S. commercial shipping in both the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, accounting for 18 merchant vessels, while always eluding pursuit by Union warships. By January 1862 the Sumter required a major overhaul; Semmes attempted to have her repaired at neutral Gibraltar, but the arrival of pursuing Union warships ended her career when they took up blockading stations.
Semmes was forced to sell his ship, and he and his crew then traveled on to England where he was promoted to captain. He then was ordered to the Azores to take command and oversee the outfitting of the newly-built British steamer Enrica into a Confederate warship, which thereafter became world-famous as the commerce raider CSS Alabama. Semmes sailed on Alabama from August 1862 to June 1864. His operations carried him from the Atlantic, to the Gulf of Mexico, around the Cape of Good Hope, and into the East Indies. During this cruise, Alabama captured 65 U. S. merchantmen and quickly destroyed the Union warship USS Hatteras off Galveston, TX.
engraving, Harper's Weekly Magazine
23 July 1864.
The Alabama returned to the Atlantic and made port in Cherbourg, France for much-needed repairs; she was soon blockaded by the pursuing Union steam sloop-of-war, USS Kearsarge. Captain Semmes took Alabama out on June 19, 1864 and met the Kearsarge in one of the most famous naval engagements of the Civil War. The commander of the Kearsarge had, while in port at the Azores the year before, turned his warship into a makeshift partial ironclad; the ship's port and starboard midsection were stepped-up-and-down to the waterline with overlapping rows of heavy chain armor. But the poor quality of the Alabama's much-too-rapid gunnery and the deteriorated state of her gunpowder and canon fuses ensured a victory for both of Kearsarge's heavy 11-inch Dahlgren cannons. As Alabama was going down by the stern, after receiving a fatal cannon shot to her waterline, which tore open a portion of her starboard hull, Semmes struck his ship's colors and abandoned the ship, while Kearsage stood off and observed at the orders of her Captain John Ancrum Winslow. Semmes was wounded in the battle but was rescued, along with forty-one of his crewmen,[3] by the British yacht Deerhound. Semmes was taken to England where he recovered. While there, he and his surviving crew mates were hailed as naval heroes, despite the loss of Alabama .
Semmes made his way back to the Confederacy, where he was promoted to rear admiral in February 1865, and during the last months of the war he commanded the James River Squadron from his flagship, the heavily armored ironclad CSS Virginia II. With the fall of Richmond, Virginia, in April 1865, Semmes supervised the destruction of all the squadron's warships and was then appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army. His sailors were turned into an infantry unit and dubbed the "Naval Brigade." Their intention was to join Lee's army after burning their vessels. Lee's army, however, was already cut-off from Richmond, so most of Semmes' men boarded a train and escaped to join Joseph E. Johnston's army in North Carolina.[4] A few men of the Naval Brigade were able to join with Lee's rear guard and fought at Sayler's Creek. Semmes and the Naval Brigade surrendered to William T. Sherman and were paroled at Durham Station, N.C. Semmes' parole notes that he held commissions as both a brigadier general and rear admiral in the Confederate service when he surrendered with Gen. Johnston's army.[1] He insisted on his parole being written this way in anticipation of being charged with piracy by the U. S. government.[5]
After the war [link]
Semmes was briefly held as a prisoner after the war; he was arrested for treason on December 15, 1865, but was released on April 7, 1866. After his release, he worked as a professor of philosophy and literature at Louisiana State Seminary (now Louisiana State University), a judge, and a newspaper editor; he later returned to Mobile and resumed his legal career.
He defended both his actions at sea and the political actions of the Southern states in his 1869 Memoirs of Service Afloat During The War Between the States. The book was viewed as one of the most cogent but bitter defenses written about the South's "Lost Cause."
The citizens of Mobile presented Semmes with what became known as the Raphael Semmes House in 1871, and it remained his residence until his death; he died in 1877 and was interred in Mobile's Old Catholic Cemetery.
Raphael Semmes is a member of the Alabama Hall of Fame. One of the streets on the current Louisiana State University campus is named in his honor, as is Semmes Avenue in Richmond, Virginia.[citation needed]
Admiral Semmes' battle ensign [link]
The Alabama Department of Archives and History has among its collection an important Confederate naval battle ensign listed as "Admiral Semmes' Flag, Catalogue No. 86.1893.1 (PN10149-10150)." Their provenance reconstruction shows that it was presented to Semmes in England sometime after the sinking of the Alabama by "Lady Dehogton and other English ladies." Such presentations of ceremonial colors were uncommon to ship's captains of the Confederate Navy, but a few are known to have received such honors. This Stainless Banner Second National Flag of the Confederacy is huge and made of pure silk, giving it an elegant appearance. Although this battle ensign is in a remarkable state of preservation, its very large size and delicate condition has precluded any up-close measurements, so its various details and dimensions are unavailable. When Semmes returned to the South from England, he brought this ceremonial Stainless Banner with him. It was inherited by his grandchildren, Raphael Semmes III and Mrs. Eunice Semmes Thorington. After his sister's death, Raphael Semmes III donated the ensign to the state of Alabama on 19 September 1929.
See also [link]
References [link]
- ^ a b Warren F. Spencer, "Raphael Semmes: The Philosophical Mariner, Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0-8173-0844-5, p. 186
- ^ John D. Winters, The Civil War in Louisiana, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963, ISBN 0-8071-0834-0, p. 48
- ^ Canon, Jill. Civil War Heroes. Bellerophon Books, Santa Barbara, Calif., 2002, p. 39.
- ^ Warren F. Spencer, "Raphael Semmes: The Philosophical Mariner, Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0-8173-0844-5, p. 185
- ^ Warren F. Spencer, "Raphael Semmes: The Philosophical Mariner, Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0-8173-0844-5, p. 189, 194
Bibliography [link]
- Alabama Hall of Fame
- Delaney, Norman C. "'Old Beeswax': Raphael Semmes of the Alabama." Harrisburg, PA, Vol. 12, #8, December, 1973 issue, Civil War Times Illustrated. No ISSN.
- Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J.: Civil War High Commands. Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- Gindlesperger, James. Fire on the Water: The USS Kearsarge and the CSS Alabama. Burd Street Press, 2005. ISBN 978-1-57249-378-0.
- Madaus, H. Michael. Rebel Flags Afloat: A Survey of the Surviving Flags of the Confederate States Navy, Revenue Service, and Merchant Marine. Winchester, MA, Flag Research Center, 1986. ISSN 0015-3370. (An 80-page special edition of "The Flag Bulletin" magazine, #115, devoted entirely to Confederate naval flags.)
Primary sources [link]
- Semmes, R., CSS, Commander. The Cruise of the Alabama and the Sumter, (two volumes in one), Carlton, Publisher, New York, 1864. Pre-ISBN era.
- Semmes, Raphael (1869). Memoirs of service afloat: during the war between the states.
Kelly, Piet & Co., Baltimore; Reprinted by Blue & Grey Press, 1987. pp. 833. ISBN 1-55521-177-1. Url
- Secretary of the Navy. Sinking of the Alabama—Destruction of the Alabama by the Kearsarge. Washington, D.C., Navy Yard, 1864. (Annual report in the library of the Naval Historical Center.)
Further reading [link]
- Semmes, Raphael, The Cruise of the Alabama and the Sumter, Carleton, 1864, Digitized by Digital Scanning Incorporated, 2001, ISBN 1-58218-353-8.
- Confederate Raider, Raphel Semmes of the Alabama, John M. Taylor, 1994, ISBN 0-02-881086-4.
External links [link]
- Works by Raphael Semmes at Project Gutenberg
"Raphael Semmes". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.- "Raphael Semmes". Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=21356. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
- Raphael Semmes article, Encyclopedia of Alabama
- "Semmes, Raphael". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900.
| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by John K. Mitchell |
Commander of the James River Squadron February 18, 1865 – to end of war |
Succeeded by last |
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https://wn.com/Raphael_Semmes
Raphael Semmes House
The Raphael Semmes House, also known as the Horta-Semmes House, is a historic residence in Mobile, Alabama. It is best known for having been the home of Admiral Raphael Semmes, captain of the Confederate sloop-of-war CSS Alabama. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 26, 1970.
History
The Raphael Semmes House was built by its first owner, Peter Horta, in 1858. The structure was purchased in 1871 by the citizens of Mobile and presented to Raphael Semmes. Semmes lived here until his death in 1877. In the mid-twentieth century Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Linyer Bedsole purchased and restored the house, donating it on April 22, 1946 to the First Baptist Church of Mobile situated next door. It was given in memory of their son, Lt. Joseph Linyer Bedsole, Jr., who was killed in action over Germany during World War II.
Architecture
The overall exterior design of the two-story brick townhouse is in a simple Federal style, with a Greek Revival entrance doorway and surround. The front (south) facade is adorned with a full-width cast iron porch across the ground floor, added in the 1870s. The ironwork features a floral design motif. Due the narrow city lot upon which it was built, the house is much longer than it is wide. The main body of the house measures approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) wide by 40 feet (12 m) deep. A two-story rear ell is attached to the northwest corner of the main house and measures approximately 15 feet (4.6 m) wide by 27 feet (8.2 m) deep, extending the entire depth of the house to 67 feet (20 m). The ell served as the service wing and was fronted on the courtyard side by wooden galleries on both floors that adjoined the matching rear galleries of the main house.
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Italian: [raffaˈɛllo ˈsantsjo da urˈbiːno]; April 6 or March 28, 1483 – April 6, 1520), known as Raphael (/ˈræfeɪəl/, US /ˈræfiəl, ˌrɑːfaɪˈɛl/), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur. Together with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, he forms the traditional trinity of great masters of that period.
Raphael was enormously productive, running an unusually large workshop and, despite his death at 37, leaving a large body of work. Many of his works are found in the Vatican Palace, where the frescoed Raphael Rooms were the central, and the largest, work of his career. The best known work is The School of Athens in the Vatican Stanza della Segnatura. After his early years in Rome much of his work was executed by his workshop from his drawings, with considerable loss of quality. He was extremely influential in his lifetime, though outside Rome his work was mostly known from his collaborative printmaking. After his death, the influence of his great rival Michelangelo was more widespread until the 18th and 19th centuries, when Raphael's more serene and harmonious qualities were again regarded as the highest models. His career falls naturally into three phases and three styles, first described by Giorgio Vasari: his early years in Umbria, then a period of about four years (1504–1508) absorbing the artistic traditions of Florence, followed by his last hectic and triumphant twelve years in Rome, working for two Popes and their close associates.
Raphael (archangel)
Raphael (Standard Hebrew רָפָאֵל, Rāfāʾēl, "It is God who heals", "God Heals", "God, Please Heal") is an archangel of Judaism and Christianity, who in the Christian tradition performs all manners of healing. Raphael is mentioned in the Book of Tobit, which is accepted as canonical by Catholics, Orthodox, and some Anglo-Catholics, and as useful for public teaching by Lutherans and Anglicans. Raphael is generally associated with the angel mentioned in the Gospel of John as stirring the water at the healing pool of Bethesda. Raphael is also an angel in Mormonism, as he is briefly mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants.
In Judaism
The angels mentioned in the Torah, the older books of the Hebrew Bible, are without names. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish of Tiberias (A.D. 230–270), asserted that all the specific names for the angels were brought back by the Jews from Babylon, and modern commentators would tend to agree.
Raphael is named in several Jewish apocryphal books.
In the Book of Enoch
Raphaël Haroche
Raphaël Haroche (born 7 November 1975), professionally known under his mononym Raphaël, is a French singer–songwriter and actor.
Personal and media life
Raphaël was born as Raphaël Haroche on 7 November 1975 in Paris, France, and was raised in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine. Through his father he is of Moroccan Jewish and Russian-Jewish descent and his mother is Argentinian. During his childhood and his adolescence, his idols were David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Téléphone, and Barbara. Raphaël played the piano and the guitar, and did not like school.
In June 2007, Raphaël placed ninth on the French Elle magazine "15 Sexiest Man" list. He has been in a relationship with actress Mélanie Thierry, who appeared in the music video for his single "Caravan". On 24 May 2008, Thierry gave birth to the couple's first child, Roman.
His uncle is Serge Haroche, 2012 Nobel Physics Prize laureate.
Musical career
In 2000, Raphaël released his first album Hôtel de l'univers (the title is a tribute to Arthur Rimbaud), but it was not until three years later that he enjoyed his first mainstream success with the song Sur la Route, a duo with famous French singer Jean-Louis Aubert, included in his second album La Réalité. With this album, he chose folk music.
