Raphael Semmes

[VeronicaLake12]

How did Raphael Semmes impact the U.S. Civil War? Thanks in advance for all information you all will hopefully share. Yours respectfully, Veronica!

 

[VeronicaLake12]

I believe I hit the wrong Prefix. My apologies!

 

[VeronicaLake12]

Can someone move this post to Discussions?

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

I would suggest Semmes and the other Confederate commerce raiders greatest effect on the War, was increased costs of maritime insurance for Union merchant ships.

Confederate Commerce Raiders and Privateers - Essential Civil War Curriculum

www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com

There's a lot of good threads about Admiral Raphael Semmes on CWT.

One can be read here:

Admiral Raphael Semmes. | Naval War - At Sea & Along Inland Waterways

"Never has there occurred so striking an example of the tremendous power of mischief possessed by a single cruiser acting upon this destructive plan as that furnished by the Sumpter and her successor, the Alabama under the command of Semmes, whose untiring activity, restless energy, and fiery...

civilwartalk.com

 

[VeronicaLake12]

I would suggest Semmes and the other Confederate commerce raiders greatest effect on the War, was increased costs of maritime insurance for Union merchant ships.

Confederate Commerce Raiders and Privateers - Essential Civil War Curriculum

www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com

There's a lot of good threads about Admiral Raphael Semmes on CWT.

One can be read here:

Admiral Raphael Semmes. | Naval War - At Sea & Along Inland Waterways

"Never has there occurred so striking an example of the tremendous power of mischief possessed by a single cruiser acting upon this destructive plan as that furnished by the Sumpter and her successor, the Alabama under the command of Semmes, whose untiring activity, restless energy, and fiery...

civilwartalk.com

I would suggest Semmes and the other Confederate commerce raiders greatest effect on the War, was increased costs of maritime insurance for Union merchant ships.

Confederate Commerce Raiders and Privateers - Essential Civil War Curriculum

www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com

There's a lot of good threads about Admiral Raphael Semmes on CWT.

One can be read here:

Admiral Raphael Semmes. | Naval War - At Sea & Along Inland Waterways

"Never has there occurred so striking an example of the tremendous power of mischief possessed by a single cruiser acting upon this destructive plan as that furnished by the Sumpter and her successor, the Alabama under the command of Semmes, whose untiring activity, restless energy, and fiery...

civilwartalk.com

Could you tell me in numbers what he possibly cost the Union in dollars at the time?

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Could you tell me in numbers what he possibly cost the Union in dollars at the time?

From the same site I linked above:

"the British government did concede culpability in the form of an award to the United States of $15.5 million in direct damages."
(1860s dollars)

The Alabama Affair - Essential Civil War Curriculum

www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com

That does not include insurance premiums that remained high until the early 20th century.

 

[Pollaco]

Of that $15,500,000 a special court dispersed $9,416,120.25. The leftover soon grew to nearly $10,000,000 from the interest on bonds. From this fund shippers were refunded for insurance. "Direct losses were indeed paid in full and insurance charges prorated".Those figures and the quote are from a book titled Raphael Semmes and the Alabama by Spencer C. Tucker.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

The Alabama's own officers estimated the value of vessels they burned was $4,613, 914 and the value of vessels bonded was $562,250. (Source - 'Gray Raiders of the Sea' by Chester Hearn, at page 316). These estimates related to the Alabama's activities alone and exclude the damages inflicted by other Confederate commerce raiders, like the Florida and Shenandoah.

A postwar appointed International Tribunal in Geneva awarded the U.S. the total sum of $15,500,000 for damages caused primarily by the Alabama, Florida and Shenandoah (as well as by several smaller tender vessels). A claims court was subsequently established in the U.S. to deal with shippers' claims for losses due to the commerce raiders' activities. (Apparently, it took 25 years from the time the damage occurred, for the total sum awarded by the Geneva Tribunal to be eventually distributed).

 

[Pollaco]

From what I've read the biggest impact the Raiders had on shipping was registering ships under foreign flags. .On paper the U.S. lost alot of ships.But they weren't really lost in sinking or burning just re-registered.The actual loss was something like 5% of its ships.During the war 700 ships were transferred the British flag.

 

[USS ALASKA]

How did Raphael Semmes impact the U.S. Civil War? Thanks in advance for all information you all will hopefully share. Yours respectfully, Veronica!

How Successful were Rebel Privateers and Commerce Raiders? | Naval War - At Sea & Along Inland Waterways

Arguably the Confederacy’s maritime efforts rank among its greatest wartime successes. Starting literally from scratch, the Confederacy immediately mustered a small but effective privateer fleet that not only met with some success, but forced the early resolution of the Confederacy’s status as a...

civilwartalk.com

HTHs,
USS ALASKA