The Admiral’s Log

Raphael Semmes Camp 11

Sons of Confederate Veterans

1211 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36604

Vol. XXIV                                   No.9                                     September 2004                                    Editor: Art Green

 

 

 

 

The regular monthly meeting of the Admiral Raphael Semmes SCV Camp No. 11 was held in Mobile on August 30, 2004, with members and guests attending.  Camp business was conducted and announcements were made.  Mr. Michael Bailey, Curator of the Fort Morgan Museum, gave a very interesting program on the two original cannon that the museum has acquired from the north.

The September meeting will be held on September 27 at 7 p.m. at the Admiral Semmes Hotel on Government Street.  A Special Program honoring Admiral Raphael Semmes will be given by Captain Oliver Semmes.   The meeting will be held on Oliver and Raphael Semmes birthday.

 

Please remit your annual dues to Paymaster Charles Christmas,

1954 Old Government Street,

Mobile, AL 36606. 

 

From the Commander’s Desk

 

      How fortunate we are to have Capt. Oliver Semmes honor us with an update on the C.S.S. Alabama dive on the month of Admirals Semmes and Buchanan birthdays.  I can’t tell you how blessed we are to have a gentleman of Mr. Semmes stature address the namesake group of his great great grandfather.  We will have cake to celebrate the birthdays, and I hope you will all plan to attend.                  

       Our planning for the movement of the cannon is done, and the labor-oriented portion of that task may have taken place before you read this.  Anyone wishing to participate please feel free to call me at 345-8817.

       So many of you have projects going that are heritage related that I would urge the membership to attend the meetings so that you are up to speed on all that we do.  Along those lines, please look at our new web site at scvsemmes.org and let me know of pictures or other input you may have.

     Please remember to invite your friends to these entertaining and informative meetings and thank David Mader for setting up our speakers and Art Green for our Admirals Log.  Thank you all.

 

For the Cause,

Joe

 

 

 

 

 

Announcements

 

 

September 17-19, Georgia - 140th Anniversary of the Battle of Atlanta Reenactment at Conyers.

October 1-3, Tennessee - 140th Anniversary of the Battle of Franklin Reenactment.

October 15-17, Alabama - Battle of Ten Island for Janney Furnace at Ohatchee near Anniston.

October 15-17, Tennessee – Battle of Franklin Descendant’s Reunion at Carter House

October 16, Georgia, Hood raids the rails bust tour sponsored by Friends of Chickamauga and

Chattanooga National Military Park.  Cost $65 for nonmembers.

October 20-24, Mississippi, Battle of Shiloh and siege of Corinth Seminar. Contact bgesbill@aol.com 

October 23-24, Alabama, Battle of Newton. Contact (334) 299-3361 or frostymorn@juno.com

 

Featured Alabama Infantry Regiment

 8th Alabama Infantry Volunteers CSA

 

                                                                                                                                             The Eighth Alabama Infantry is due special mention and honors as it was the first infantry regiment from Alabama to be enlisted for the war.  It saw its first service at Yorktown.  The Eighth Infantry fought at Williamsburg on May 5 and Fair Oaks on May 31 and June 1, 1862.   Its losses were severe in both engagements.  In June it became part of Wilcox’s Brigade and was distinguished at Mechanicsville, June 26.   Two days later the regiment was in the thick at Gaines Mill and again on June 30 at Frayser’s Farm.   They were present but not severely engaged at Manassas and Harper’s Ferry.   The regiment was in the thick of the fight at Antietam on September 17.  The Eighth fought with bravery at Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Salem Church, Cold Harbor, Weldon Railroad, the Crater and the Plank Road at Petersburg.  Its third Colonel Hilary A. Herbert, after the war, served the state of Alabama in the legislature and was in Congress of the United States for 16 years.  He further served as Secretary of the Navy under President Cleveland.   The roll of honor is found in the war records and includes Captains L. F. Summers and P. Loughry [from Mobile] and Lt. Josh Kennedy.  They were all killed at Seven Pines.   Captain Thomas Phelan, Lieutenants C. M. Maynard, Lane and Augustus Jansen were killed at Gaines Mill and Fraysers Farm, and Captain R. A. McCrary was killed at Chancelorsville.   Lt. John D. McLaughlin died of wounds received in the battle before Richmond.   Company I of the Eighth Alabama was the famed Emerald Guards of Mobile.  They were all Irish members of a Mobile Fire Company. Their Captain was the aforementioned P. Lounghry. 

 

Recommended Reading

 

Kate the Journal of a Confederate Nurse by Kate Cumming, edited by Richard Barksdale Harwell, published by LSU Press, Baton Rouge.  This book is more than recommended it should be required reading.  It’s an edited version of Kate’s own Journal of a Confederate Nurse in the Confederate Army of Tennessee…  As you know Kate Cumming was a native of Scotland and grew up in Mobile.  She served honorably as a true volunteer for the cause during the war and had the foresight to record her actions.  The book is available at MPL and as a paperback at local bookstores.   Kate is buried in our Magnolia Cemetery.

 

A Letter from Major General Dabney Maury

 

                                                                                                                                                                                            From the Mobile Register, October 19, 1895. (Taken from the London Spectator of October 5.) 

 

            Sir – I desire to express my pleasure on reading a very kind notice in the Spectator of August 17 of a book written by me about a year ago.  Your kindly critic desires to know why we did not win in the War Between the States.  The plain answer is because we were outnumbered in troops on every battlefield and overborne by the vast resources for the war, which our exhausted country could not meet.  When in May 1865 after the end of all things for our unhappy people, I arrived in Richmond a prisoner of war, destitute of everything, save memories of four years of constant struggle, I called on General Lee and gave him my report of the last battle of the war, in which I had the honor to command the Confederate Army at Mobile.  General Lee, after reading it, told me that on April 2, his whole force amounted to 32,000 men of all arms, and that General Grant told him at Appomattox that on that day he held under his command a total force of 220,000 men.  That during the seven days of incessant fighting and marching without sufficient food his (Lee’s) whole fighting force was reduced by April 9, to 8, 800 effectives.

 

                                                                                                                                             To illustrate still further our disparity by my humble experience, General Canby attacked us at Mobile with three corps of infantry (say 45,000 men), a large park of military and Farragut’s fleet (Farragut was absent.)  Our whole fighting force about Mobile and in the city numbered about 8,600 effectives of all arms.  We fought in skirmishes and field work twelve miles from the city and for twenty days 4,700 Confederates held Canby’s whole army there, inflicting heavy losses upon it, and with our beer keg torpedoes we sank twelve men-of-war and transports of the Federal Fleet.  On April 12, 4500 infantry and three field batteries marched out of Mobile with colors flying and sent a flag of truce out to the fleet to inform the enemy that there were only non-combatants to hold it (Mobile).  These are now sorrowful but proud memories.  Let your critic reflect upon the unquestionable records of the War Between the States and he will understand why we failed.  The published authentic records show our armies numbered 600,000 men and that all of the Federals numbered 2,000,000 men; that we, always outnumbered on the battle field won many great victories but we were finally exhausted in winning them, and he may understand why we failed.

 I am sir & etc. 

            Dabney H. Maury

            Late Major General, Confederate Army                       

 
Lest we forget

 

                                                                                                                                             “To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we will submit the vindication of the cause for which we fought.  To your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate Soldiers’ good name, the guardianship of his history.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Lt. General S. D. Lee

 

In numerous graveyards about the nation our southern soldiers lay buried far from home and family never to return to Alabama.   Here are some of these honored but not forgotten Confederate soldiers that gave their all for our cause.

 

From Rock Island Arsenal Prison, Rock Island, Illinois.

 

Corp. Peter Bridges, Co. G, 32nd Alabama Infantry, died October 10, 1864, grave 1558

Pvt. H. H. Briggs, Carnes Alabama Battery, died February 24, 1864, grave 597

Pvt. Jas. A. Brooks, Co. G, 40th Alabama Infantry, died August 16, 1864, grave 1420

Pvt. Barron C. Brown, Co. C, 38th Alabama Infantry, died January 27, 1864, grave 285

Pvt. Isaac Brown, Co. A, 41st Alabama Infantry, died January 22, 1864, grave 267

Pvt. Jasper Brown, Co. A, 37th Alabama Infantry, died August 24, 1864, grave 1446

Pvt. Silas Brown, Co. H, 46th Alabama Infantry, died May 20, 1864, grave 1159

Pvt. T. J. Brown, Co. B, 34th Alabama Infantry, died March 13, 1864, grave 802

Pvt. M. Bryant, Co. K, 48th Alabama Infantry, died March 9, 1864, grave 769

Pvt. Marvin J. Bryant, Co. D, 31st Alabama Infantry, died February 28, 1864, grave 645

Pvt. Thos. L. Bryant, Co. D, 18th Alabama Infantry, died March 3, 1864, grave 573

Pvt. J. M. Buckalew, Co. E, 40th Alabama Infantry, died August 29, 1864, grave 1466

Pvt. J. W. Burke, Co. C, 58th Alabama Infantry, died January 7, 1864, grave 136

Pvt. W. A. Burke, Co. G, 31st Alabama Infantry, died January 6, 1865, grave 1751

Pvt. Wm. H. Burnett, Co. C, 28th Alabama Infantry, died March 31, 1864, grave 963

 

Minutes of August 30, 2004, Regular Meeting

 

The minutes of the August 30, 2004, meeting are attached.  Those members receiving electronic mail versions can peruse a copy at the regular meeting or request a copy by e-mail from the editor.