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Rating: 
Summary: Commerce Raider Extraordinar Civil War to WW II
Review: In contrast to many Civil War army generals, little has been written about Admiral Raphael Semmes. John M. Taylor corrects this with his excellent biography of Raphael Semmes. The book opens narrating Semmes running the blockade from New Orleans with the C.S.S. Sumter, followed by three chapters on his pre-Civil War life. His first command, the C.S.S. Sumter is covered next. Overshadowed by the Alabama, history often overlooks the Sumter. However, the Sumter was important! John Kell, Semmes' First Lieutenant, is quoted after the war "I have always felt that the little Sumter never had full justice done her. . . .No ship of her size, her frailness, and her armament ever played such havoc on a powerful foe". It was on the Sumter that Semmes developed the commerce raiding strategies/ tactics he used so successfully on the Alabama. Leaving the Sumter at Gibraltar, Semmes and his officers traveled to Britain. Taylor's account of the Confederate agent in Britain, James Bulloch contracting for, equipping and arming the Alabama is fascinating and reads like a Cold War espionage novel including a mole in the Prime Minister's office. Semmes commissioned and took command of the Alabama in the Azores then set sail and captured the whaling ship, Ocmulgee, on 5 Sept. 1862. By the end of October 1862 the Alabama had ravaged the New England whaling fleet plus dealt a blow to the grain trade between New York and Britain. The author notes that at this time, Semmes conceived a bold plan to take the Alabama into New York harbor and fire the ships there. It is interesting to speculate on possible responses to a raid on New York harbor as 9 months later the city experienced draft riots which had ethnic, racial overtones in a northern city with some southern sympathies. The plan was canceled after the hurricane of October 16,1862. The book narrates in chronological order the capture of each ship by the Alabama and narrates her activities including a cruise to Asian waters. However, after 22 months at sea, the Alabama badly needed shipyard maintenance and refitting. Semmes put into the French port of Cherbourg . While France hesitated to allow the critical shipyard work, the U.S.S. Kearsarge arrived and took station in international water off Cherbourg. Semmes formally challenged the Kearsarge to battle and in an engagement on Sunday morning June 19, 1864 the Alabama was sunk. Semmes escaped to Britain aboard an English yacht. The book has an excellent discussion of the possible reasons for Semmes' decision to fight noting that by 1864 Confederate commerce raiding was no longer profitable. A chance for a positive international reaction to defeating a Federal warship was one consideration for making it worth putting the Alabama at risk in fighting the Kearsarge because the Alabama's days were numbered without an overhaul. After losing his ship Semmes returned to Richmond, was promoted to rear admiral and given command of the James River Squadron. With the fall of Richmond and the James River Squadron scuttled, Semmes became a brigadier general commanding an army brigade. This interesting period in Semmes life is well covered by the text. The final chapters narrate his post war life including imprisonment, release and futile attempts to gain the right to hold the public office of probate judge to which he had been elected. Semmes was always the unreconstructed rebel and Taylor describes Semmes' memoirs as "the last shot in a war already lost". The author notes "Part of Semmes' value to the Confederacy lay in his versatility. He was cruiser captain, diplomat, and propagandist in one." He writes that Semmes was thoroughly versed in maritime law which he used to direct his activities and further his cause. For example, the text states "Semmes might have burned Brown's ship out of contrariness, but his legal training would not permit it." On another occasion, the text notes "Once again, Semmes's seamanship and knowledge of international law stood him in good stead". The author noted Semmes would always take pride in his treatment of those whom he captured and quotes Semmes saying "We were making war upon the enemy's commerce . . . . not upon his unarmed seamen." What a contrast to W.W.II where 30,000 unarmed merchant seamen lost their lives in the Battle of the Atlantic. Admiral Semmes importance goes beyond the Civil War and his place in naval history is ensured. Taylor wrote that Raphael Semmes was well remembered by naval strategists in Europe and quoting from volume 38 of the Southern Historical Society, he narrates how Kaiser Wilhem II upon meeting a diplomat from the state of Alabama said "I reverence the name of Semmes. In my opinion, he was the greatest admiral of the nineteenth century. At every conference with my admirals I counsel them to read and study Semmes's Memoirs of Service Afloat." In WW I the Germans emulated his disguising his ships and supporting a cruiser with a tender. In the early days of WW II Admiral Semmes's tactics/strategy were used by the German warship Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. In like manner, early in the WW II other German warships such as the Hipper and the Sharnhorst conducted surface attacks on British merchant shipping . Also, during WW II, German U-boats used his tactics and strategy and copied Semmes's tender usage using submarines as tenders to supply and provision U-boats at sea. Semmes accounted for 71 of some two-hundred-odd Northern merchant ships destroyed plus bonded and released 12 other captured Northern ships. As commander of the Alabama he sailed some 75,000 miles without touching a Confederate port. He was the only commander on either side to fight two battles at sea and the only Confederate captain to sink an enemy warship. His record as a sea raider would not be approached until the era of the submarine. As John Taylor wrote "Semmes was not the first commerce raider of the nineteenth century; he was simply the best."
Rating:
Summary: Commerce Raider Extraordinar Civil War to WW II
Review: In contrast to many Civil War army generals, little has been written about Admiral Raphael Semmes. John M. Taylor corrects this with his excellent biography of Raphael Semmes. The book opens narrating Semmes running the blockade from New Orleans with the C.S.S. Sumter, followed by three chapters on his pre-Civil War life. His first command, the C.S.S. Sumter is covered next. Overshadowed by the Alabama, history often overlooks the Sumter. However, the Sumter was important! John Kell, Semmes' First Lieutenant, is quoted after the war "I have always felt that the little Sumter never had full justice done her. . . .No ship of her size, her frailness, and her armament ever played such havoc on a powerful foe". It was on the Sumter that Semmes developed the commerce raiding strategies/ tactics he used so successfully on the Alabama. Leaving the Sumter at Gibraltar, Semmes and his officers traveled to Britain. Taylor's account of the Confederate agent in Britain, James Bulloch contracting for, equipping and arming the Alabama is fascinating and reads like a Cold War espionage novel including a mole in the Prime Minister's office. Semmes commissioned and took command of the Alabama in the Azores then set sail and captured the whaling ship, Ocmulgee, on 5 Sept. 1862. By the end of October 1862 the Alabama had ravaged the New England whaling fleet plus dealt a blow to the grain trade between New York and Britain. The author notes that at this time, Semmes conceived a bold plan to take the Alabama into New York harbor and fire the ships there. It is interesting to speculate on possible responses to a raid on New York harbor as 9 months later the city experienced draft riots which had ethnic, racial overtones in a northern city with some southern sympathies. The plan was canceled after the hurricane of October 16,1862. The book narrates in chronological order the capture of each ship by the Alabama and narrates her activities including a cruise to Asian waters. However, after 22 months at sea, the Alabama badly needed shipyard maintenance and refitting. Semmes put into the French port of Cherbourg . While France hesitated to allow the critical shipyard work, the U.S.S. Kearsarge arrived and took station in international water off Cherbourg. Semmes formally challenged the Kearsarge to battle and in an engagement on Sunday morning June 19, 1864 the Alabama was sunk. Semmes escaped to Britain aboard an English yacht. The book has an excellent discussion of the possible reasons for Semmes' decision to fight noting that by 1864 Confederate commerce raiding was no longer profitable. A chance for a positive international reaction to defeating a Federal warship was one consideration for making it worth putting the Alabama at risk in fighting the Kearsarge because the Alabama's days were numbered without an overhaul. After losing his ship Semmes returned to Richmond, was promoted to rear admiral and given command of the James River Squadron. With the fall of Richmond and the James River Squadron scuttled, Semmes became a brigadier general commanding an army brigade. This interesting period in Semmes life is well covered by the text. The final chapters narrate his post war life including imprisonment, release and futile attempts to gain the right to hold the public office of probate judge to which he had been elected. Semmes was always the unreconstructed rebel and Taylor describes Semmes' memoirs as "the last shot in a war already lost". The author notes "Part of Semmes' value to the Confederacy lay in his versatility. He was cruiser captain, diplomat, and propagandist in one." He writes that Semmes was thoroughly versed in maritime law which he used to direct his activities and further his cause. For example, the text states "Semmes might have burned Brown's ship out of contrariness, but his legal training would not permit it." On another occasion, the text notes "Once again, Semmes's seamanship and knowledge of international law stood him in good stead". The author noted Semmes would always take pride in his treatment of those whom he captured and quotes Semmes saying "We were making war upon the enemy's commerce . . . . not upon his unarmed seamen." What a contrast to W.W.II where 30,000 unarmed merchant seamen lost their lives in the Battle of the Atlantic. Admiral Semmes importance goes beyond the Civil War and his place in naval history is ensured. Taylor wrote that Raphael Semmes was well remembered by naval strategists in Europe and quoting from volume 38 of the Southern Historical Society, he narrates how Kaiser Wilhem II upon meeting a diplomat from the state of Alabama said "I reverence the name of Semmes. In my opinion, he was the greatest admiral of the nineteenth century. At every conference with my admirals I counsel them to read and study Semmes's Memoirs of Service Afloat." In WW I the Germans emulated his disguising his ships and supporting a cruiser with a tender. In the early days of WW II Admiral Semmes's tactics/strategy were used by the German warship Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. In like manner, early in the WW II other German warships such as the Hipper and the Sharnhorst conducted surface attacks on British merchant shipping . Also, during WW II, German U-boats used his tactics and strategy and copied Semmes's tender usage using submarines as tenders to supply and provision U-boats at sea. Semmes accounted for 71 of some two-hundred-odd Northern merchant ships destroyed plus bonded and released 12 other captured Northern ships. As commander of the Alabama he sailed some 75,000 miles without touching a Confederate port. He was the only commander on either side to fight two battles at sea and the only Confederate captain to sink an enemy warship. His record as a sea raider would not be approached until the era of the submarine. As John Taylor wrote "Semmes was not the first commerce raider of the nineteenth century; he was simply the best."
Rating: 
Summary: EASY READ
Review: The Rebel Raider is an interesting read which details the life of Rear Admiral Raphael Semmes of the Confederate Navy, and his captaincy aboard the CSS Alabama. The book gives a description of the building of the ship, and it's commissioning. It details a number of raides in which the Alabam partook, and the many victories it achieved during its commission. All in all the Alabam destroyed 61 ships - 60 merchant and one Union ship during its tenure. The book goes on to explain how the Alabama's life came to an abrupt end, and takes the reader through the rest of Admiral Semmes life. "Rebel Raider" is a very interesting book, and is extremely easy to follow.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good.
Review: This is an easy and enjoyable read, chronicling the life of Raphael Semmes, the South's preeminent commerce raider. Rising from the obscurity of Washington, D.C.'s bureaucracy, Raphael Semmes's goes to sea the age 54 and never returns home until his ship, the CSS Alabama is sunk by the USS Kearsarge off Cherbourg, France toward the end of the Civil War. Along the way he assembles a list of victories that would make any successful naval commander blush. But is that good enough for Semmes? After his defeat, he returns from France to the Confederacy. Avoiding the Union blockade by entering Matamoros, Mexico, he makes his way overland to Richmond where he not only is in charge of the Confederate Navy presence during the fall of Richmond, but he also subsequently is responsible for protecting the Confederacy's Treasury during the Presidential escape from Richmond. Raphael Semmes is a true Confederate hero who again out foxes his Union counterparts in the final days of the war.
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