First Day of Issue Raphael Semmes The Civil War Stamp Cache Envelope Enclosure

Description: First Day of Issue Raphael Semmes The Civil War Stamp Cache Envelope Enclosure 32¢ Gettysburg PA June 29 1995 Raphael Semmes The Civil War Raphael Semmes (1809-1877), was born on September 27 in Charles County, Maryland He joined the Navy as a midshipman when he was only 16 and after the Civil War practiced law in Mobile, Alabama. Prior to the Civil War the Marylander moved to the south and served as an officer in the Mexican War. He was a resident of Mobile when the state seceded from the Union and was quick to cast his lot with the Confederacy As a raider on the high seas. Semmes fulfilled to the letter the mission assigned to him 1861: "To inflict on the enemy's commerce the greatest injury possible' in the shortest feasible time. Initially he was given command of the converted merchant steamer Sumpter Her lines are very easy and graceful. he wrote fondly of the ship, and she has a sort of saucy air about her The packet steamer had been outfitted with a pivotal cannon and four howitzers and while his accomplishments on the open seas were effective he longed for a better equipped vessel. As he began his quest of an impressive set of captures, he was soon promoted from skipper to captain and given command (August 19 1862) of a swift new vessel designed specifically for commerce raiding the steam-powered sloop Alabama This ship was replete with eight guns and plenty of room to hold the captured cargo and crews Capt. Semmes took aboard before he burned or bearded the captive ships. For three years, he haunted shipping lanes from the North Atlantic to the South China Sea, capturing or destroying 82 Union merchant vessels with a combined value of more than $6 million Frustrated Yankees branded him a pirate, but to Southerners he was an inspiration veritable David slewing the Union Goliath As soon as he was out to sea in the Alabama he took on an entire Yankee whaling fleet in the Azores of that September and claimed ten vessels in two just weeks. Needless to say, this dramatically enhanced his notoriety among the ever more fearful Northerners. Known as "Old Beeswax" for his shiny handlebar moustache. Semmes attracted able officers but had to tolerate a motley crew of mercenaries, recruited from foreign ports or captured ships "I have a precious set of rascals on board. he complained, "faithless in the matter of abiding by contracts, liars, thieves, and drunkards." Initially, the Alabama faced little opposition from Union warships, as they were preoccupied with blockading Southern ports. Semmes. however, goaded the Federals when he sank the gunboat Hatteras off Texas in the Gulf of Mexico in January 1863. Angered, in June 1864, the U.S.S. Kearsarge cornered the Alabama while she was being refitting at Cherbourg, France. The supremely confident Semmes gamely rode out under French escort into international waters to meet the better-armed and better-manned Kearsarge, which made expeditious work of the Alabama, sending the sloop and more than 20 of her crew to the bottom. Semmes survived the sinking and was picked up by an English yacht who took him to England. Captain Semmes returned to Richmond and was given command of the James River Squadron in January 1865. He was forced to destroy the squadron during the evacuation of Richmond, but he was made a real admiral the following month. Semmes organized his men into a land force, but was later forced to surrender at Greensboro, NC. Semmes was arrested by the Federals at war's end. He was eventually paroled by President Andrew Jackson, but not until after having spent four months in prison while a military commission sought grounds for trying him as a pirate, In truth, he was simply one of the most daring players in a contest that pitted Rebel and Yankee sailors on the world's high seas. Features: • First Day of Issue Stamp Cache Envelope and Enclosure • Made in USA Condition: Pre-Owned Good

Price: 24.95 USD

Location: Humble, Texas

End Time: 2024-12-09T18:34:34.000Z

Shipping Cost: 4.25 USD