sure-seekers, who were unexpectedly favored with the spectacle of a sea-fight. A French gentleman at Boulogne-sur-Mer assured me that the fight was the conversation of Paris for more than a week.
Note.—Twelve Confederate cruisers figured in the so-called “Alabama Claims” settlement with England. Named in the order of the damage inflicted hy each, these cruisers were: the A labama, Shenandoah, Florida, Tallahas.se, Georgia, Ghickamauga, Sumter, Nashville, Retribution, Jeff. Davis, Sallie, and Boston. The actual losses inflicted hy the Alabama ($7,050,293.76, according to claims for ships and cargoes filed up to March 15tli, 1872) were only about $400,000 greater than those inflicted by the Shenandoah. The sum total of the claims filed against the twelve cruisers, for ships and cargoes, up to March 15th, 1872, was $19,782,917.60, all but about six millions of it being charged to the account of the Alabama and Shenandoah.
On May 8th, 1871, the Treaty of Washington was concluded, in accordance with which a Tribunal of Arbitration was appointed, which assembled at Geneva. It consisted of Count Frederick Sclopis, named by the King of Italy; Mr. Jacob Staempfli, named by the President of the Swiss Confederation; Viscount dTta.juba, named by the Emperor of Brazil; Mr. Charles Francis Adams, named by the President of the United States; and Sir Alexander Cockburn, named by the Queen of Great Britain. The Counsel of Great Britain was Sir Roundell Palmer (afterward Lord Selborne). The United States was represented by William M. Evarts, Caleb Cushing, and Morrison B. Waite. Claims were made by the United States for indirect and national losses, as well as for the actual private losses represented by nearly twenty millions on ships and cargoes.
The Tribunal decided that England was in no way responsible for the $1,781,915.43 of losses inflicted by the Tallahassee, Georgia, Ghickamauga, Nashville, Retribution, Jeff. Davis, Sallie, Boston, and Sumter; and on September I4tli, 1872, it awarded $15,500,000 damages for actual losses of ships and cargoes and interest, on account of the Alabama, the Florida and her tenders, and the Shenandoah after she left Melbourne.
THE SHELL IN THE STERN-POST OF THE “ KEARSARGE.”
The charge was withdrawn from the shell, which was boxed in, and in that condition it remained for months, until the ship reached Boston, where, when the vessel was repaired, a section of the stera-jiost containing the embedded shell was cutaway and sent to the Navy Department, and was finally deposited in the Ordnance Museum, at the Navy Yard, Washington.—J. M. B.
THE UNITED STATES SCREW-SLOOP “KEARSARGE” AT THE TIME OP THE ENCOUNTER
WITH THE “ALABAMA.”
When the “ Kearsarge ” was at the Azores, a few months before the fight with the “Alabama,” Midshipman Edward E. Preble made a mathematically correct drawing of the ship, and from a photograph of that drawing the above picture was made. After the fight alterations were made in the ־־ Kearsarge” which considerably changed her appearance.
therefore, to assert that in the absence of the chain armor the result would have been nearly the same, notwithstanding the common opinion at the time that the KeqiHsarge was an “ironclad” contending with a wooden ship. The chains were fastened to the ship’s sides more than a year previous to the fight, while at the Azores. It was the suggestion of the executive officer, Lieutenant-Commander James S. Thornton, to hang the sheet-chain (or spare anchor-cable) over the sides, so as to protect the midship section, he having served with Admiral Farragut■ in passing the forts to reach New Orleans, and having observed its benefit on that occasion. The work was done in three days, at a cost for material not exceeding seventy-five dollars. In our visit to European ports, the use of sheet-chains for protective purposes had attracted notice and caused comment. It is strange that Captain Semmes did not know of the chain armor; supposed spies had been on board and had been shown through the ship, as there was no attempt at concealment; the same pilot had been employed by both ships, and had visited each during the preparation for battle. The Alabama had bunkers full of coal, which brought her down in the water. The Kearsarge was deficient in seventy tons of coal of her proper supply, but the sheet-chains stowed outside gave protection to her partly-filled bunkers. . . .
This Sunday naval duel was fought in the presence of more than 15,000 spectators, who, upon the heights of Cherbourg, the breakwater, and rigging of men-of-war, witnessed “the last of the Alabama.” Among them were the captains, their families, and crews of two merchant ships burnt by the daring cruiser a few days before her arrival at Cherbourg, where they were landed in a nearly destitute condition. Many spectators were provided with spy-glasses and camp-stools. The Kearsarge was burning Newcastle coals, and the Alabama Welsh coals, the difference in the amount of smoke enabling the movements of each ship to be distinctly traced. An excursion train from Paris arrived in the morning, bringing hundreds of plea-
sent to the landing to receive the wounded, and thence they were taken to the Hôpital de la Marine, where arrangements had been made for their reception. Dr. Galt and all the prisoners except four officers were paroled and sent on shore before sunset. Secretary Welles soon after expressed his disapprobation of this action. . . .
Captain Semmes in his official report says :
“ At tlie end of the engagement it was discovered, by those of our officers who went alongside the enemy’s ship with the wounded, that her midship section on both sides was thoroughly iron-coated. The planking had been ripped off in every direction hy our shot and shell, the chain broken and indented in many places, and forced partly into the ship’s side. The enemy was heavier than myself, both in ship, battery, and crow ; but I did not know until the action was over that slio was also iron-clad.”
The ships were well matched in size, speed, armament, and crew, showing a likeness rarely seen in naval battles. The number of the ship’s company of the Kearsarge was 163. That of the Alabama, from the best information, was estimated at 150.
The chain plating was made of one hundred and twenty fathoms of sheet-chains of one and seventeenths inch iron, covering a space amidships of forty-nine and one-half feet in length by six feet two inches in depth, stopped up and down to eye-bolts with marlines, secured by iron dogs, and employed for the purpose of protecting the engines when the upper part of the coal-bunkers was empty, as happened during the action. The chains were concealed by one-inch deal-boards as a finish. The chain plating was struck by a 32-pounder shot in the starboard gangway, which cut the chain and bruised the planking; and by a 32-pounder shell, which broke a link of the chain, exploded, and tore away a portion of the deal covering. Had the shot been from the 100-pounder rifle the result would have been different, though without serious damage, because the shot struck five feet above the water-line, and if sent through the side would have cleared the machinery and boilers. It is proper,
flight, and yet another officer urged the necessity of firing a shot. With undiminished confidence Captain Winslow refused, saying the yacht was “simply coming round,” and would not go away without communicating. The escape of the yacht and her coveted prize was manifestly regretted. The famed Alabama, “a formidable ship, the terror of American commerce, well armed, well manned, well handled,” was destroyed, “sent to the bottom in an hour,” but her commander had escaped; the victory seemed already lessened. It was held by the Navy Department that Captain Semmes violated the usages of war in surrendering to Captain Winslow through the agency of one of his officers and then effecting an escape during the execution of the commission; that he was a prisoner of the United States Government from the moment he sent the officer to make the surrender.* . . .
The Kearsarge received twenty-eight shot and shell, of which thirteen were in the hull, the most efficient being abaft the mainmast. A 100-pounder rifle shell entered at the starboard quarter and lodged in the stern-post. The blow shook the ship from stem to stern. Luckily the shell did not explode, otherwise the result would have been serious, if not fatal. A 32-pounder shell entered forward of the forward pivot port, crushing the waterways, raising the gun and carriage, and lodged, but did not explode, else many of the gun’s crew would likely have been injured by the fragmeiits and splinters. The smoke-pipe was perforated by a rifle shell, which exploded inside and tore a ragged hole nearly three feet in diameter, and carried away three of the chain guys. Three boats wore shattered. The cutting away of the rigging was mostly about the mainmast. The spars were left in good order. A large number of pieces of burst shell were gathered from the deck and thoughtlessly thrown overboard. . . .
At 3:10 p. m. the Kearsarge anchored in Cherbourg harbor close by the ship-of-war Napoleon, and was soon surrounded by boats of every description filled with excited and inquisitive people. Ambulances, by order of the French admiral, were
* The controversy in reference to tlio Deerhound is summarized thus in aletter to the editors from Professor James Russell Soley, U. S. N.:
“ A neutral ship, in general, could have no right to take part in hostilities even to the extent of rescuing the drowning sailors of a belligerent, their situation being a part and a consequence of the battle. In the case of the Deerhound, however, the interference was directly au-thorizedby Ca!rtain Winslow’s request, addressed to Mr. Lancaster, and therefore the latter committed no breach of neutrality in taking the prisoners on board. Oneo on board the English yacht, however, they were as free as air. So far from its being tile obligation of the Deerhound to surrender them, the obligation was exactly the other way. Their surrender would have been as gross a violation of neutrality toward the Confederates as their unauthorized rescue would have been toward the Union Government. Captain Winslow was therefore perfectly right in refusing to detain the Deerhound, since the conduct of flic yacht was the necessary and logical consequence of his own act. The point where he was clearly in the wrong was in making the request in the first place. Wliat he should have doue, as Surgeon-General Browne clearly intimates, was to have steamed up close to the sinking Alabama, and saved her people himself, instead of remaining four hundred yards off. ”
It will be noticed that this statement leaves untouched the question of the right of a prisoner to escape after surrender and before delivering himself up.