Semmes, << sehmz, >> Raphael (1809-1877), a rear admiral in the Confederate Navy, commanded the famous ship Alabama during the American Civil War (1861-1865). When the Alabama was sunk off Cherbourg, France, in 1864, an English yacht rescued Semmes and took him to England. He returned home and took command of the James River squadron, which he had to destroy during the evacuation of Richmond in 1865. Semmes organized his troops into a land force but later surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina. Semmes was born on Sept. 27, 1809, in Charles County, Maryland. He joined the Navy when he was about 17. After the Civil War, Semmes practiced law in Mobile, Alabama. He died on Aug. 30, 1877. See also Alabama [ship] .
