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Exhibition Copy

Exhibition History: Private Exhibition Luncheon Presentation 4 August 2011 Washington Flag Congress, 2011 24th International Congress of Vexillology and 45th annual meeting of the North American Vexillological Association. Washington, DC & Alexandria, VA (There was no gallery copy prepared for this exhibition.) The hand-out distributed to promote the Luncheon Presentation CSS Alabama, the second ensign from the final battle, hoisted after the spinnaker gaff with the ensign was shot away. This smaller ensign, likely a boat flag was eventually struck in battle against the USS Kearsarge off the coast of France in June 1864. (ZFC2590 = 39" X 64")

Publications Title information is available upon specific request. Additional information available upon request to researchers, writers and others demonstrating special circumstances. In some situations, information may not be available.
Publication Copy	Beaver, Hugh, "An Anglesey Sea Captain", Anglesey Antiquarian Society Transactions, 1928, p.59. Leach, J.H., Mrs. "Letter of the great-great niece of Hugh Beaver", Mariner's Mirror, Vol. 59, No.3, August, 1973, p. 351. Semmes, Raphael, Admiral, C.S.N., Memoirs of Service Afloat, Kelly, Piet & Company, Baltimore, 1869. P.757. "SIR:-I have the honor to inform you, that, in accordance with my intention as previously announced to you, I steamed out of the harbor of Cherbourg between nine and ten o'clock on the morning of the 19th of June, for the purpose of engaging the enemy's steamer Kearsarge, which had been lying off, and on the port, for several days previously. After clearing the harbor, we descried the enemy, with his head off shore, at the distance of about seven miles. We were three quarters of an hour in coming up with him. I had previously pivotted my guns to starboard, and made all preparations for engaging the enemy on that side. When within about a mile and a quarter of the enemy, he suddenly wheeled, and, bringing his head in shore, presented his starboard battery to me. By this time, we were distant about one mile from each other, when I opened on him with solid shot, to which he replied in a few minutes, and the action became active on both sides. The enemy now pressed his ship under a full head of steam, and to prevent our passing each other too speedily, and to keep our respective broadsides bearing, it became necessary to fight in a circle; the two ships steaming around a common centre, and preserving a distance from each other of from three quarters to half a mile. When we got within good shell range, we opened upon him with shell. Some ten or fifteen minutes after the commencement of the action, our spanker-gaff was shot away, and our ensign came down by the run. This was immediately replaced by another at the mizzen-masthead. The firing now became very hot, and the enemy's shot, and shell soon began to tell upon our hull, knocking down, killing, and disabling a number of men, at the same time, in different parts of the ship. Perceiving that our shell, though apparently exploding against the enemy's sides, were doing him but little damage, I returned to solid-shot firing, and from this time onward alternated with shot, and shell. After the lapse of about one hour and ten minutes, our ship was ascertained to be in a sinking condition, the enemy's shell having exploded in our side, and between decks, opening large apertures through which the water rushed with great rapidity. For some few minutes I had hopes of being able to reach the French coast, for which purpose I gave the ship all steam, and set such of the fore-and-aft sails as were available. The ship filled so rapidly, however, that before we had made much progress, the fires were extinguished in the furnaces, and we were evidently on the point of sinking. I now hauled down my colors, to prevent the further destruction of life, and dispatched a boat to inform the enemy of our condition. Although we were now but 400 yards from each other, the enemy fired upon me five times after my colors had been struck. It is charitable to suppose that a ship of war of a Christian [Pg 758] nation could not have done this, intentionally. We now directed all our exertions toward saving the wounded, and such of the boys of the ship as were unable to swim. These were dispatched in my quarter-boats, the only boats remaining to me; the waist-boats having been torn to pieces. Some twenty minutes after my furnace-fires had been extinguished, and when the ship was on the point of settling, every man, in obedience to a previous order which had been given the crew, jumped overboard, and endeavored to save himself. There was no appearance of any boat coming to me from the enemy, until after my ship went down. Fortunately, however, the steam-yacht Deerhound, owned by a gentleman of Lancashire, England-Mr. John Lancaster-who was himself on board, steamed up in the midst of my drowning men, and rescued a number of both officers and men from the water. I was fortunate enough myself thus to escape to the shelter of the neutral flag, together with about forty others, all told. About this time, the Kearsarge sent one, and then, tardily, another boat. Accompanying, you will find lists of the killed and wounded, and of those who were picked up by the Deerhound; the remainder, there is reason to hope, were picked up by the enemy, and by a couple of French pilot boats, which were also fortunately near the scene of action. At the end of the engagement, it was discovered by those of our officers who went alongside of the enemy's ship, with the wounded, that her mid-ship section, on both sides, was thoroughly iron-coated; this having been done with chains, constructed for the purpose, placed perpendicularly, from the rail to the water's edge, the whole covered over by a thin outer planking, which gave no indication of the armor beneath. This planking had been ripped off, in every direction, by our shot and shell, the chain broken, and indented in many places, and forced partly into the ship's side. She was effectually guarded, however, in this section, from penetration. The enemy was much damaged, in other parts, but to what extent it is now impossible to say. It is believed he is badly crippled. My officers and men behaved steadily and gallantly, and though they have lost their ship, they have not lost honor. Where all behaved so well, it would be invidious to particularize, but I cannot deny myself the pleasure of saying that Mr. Kell, my first lieutenant, deserves great credit for the fine condition in which the ship went into action, with regard to her battery, magazine and shell-rooms, and that he rendered me great assistance, by his coolness, and judgment, as the fight proceeded. The enemy was heavier than myself, both in ship, battery, and crew; but I did not know until the action was over, that she was also iron-clad. Our total loss in killed and wounded, is 30, to wit: 9 killed, and 21 wounded." Sinclair, Arthur, Lieutenant, C.S.N., Two Years on the Alabama, Lee and Shepard Publishers, Boston,1895. P.210 2IO TWO YEARS ON THE ALABAMA "…scenes as at Singamore [sic] are re-enacted - on a very small scale, but with the same hearty English warmth. Remain- ing long enough to land our prisoners, and give the colony time to inspect our ship, we bid adieu to both ; and with hearty exchanges of " Merry Christmas " and " Happy New Year," steam away, leaving them to the joys of the season, a boon beyond our reach. We pass our day, each rather gloomily wrapped in his own thoughts. What a Christmas to our beloved land - this day of peace and good-will among men ! We had opportunity to replenish our supply of fruit and vegetables, but no run on shore, excepting the boat's crew ; hence have no pleasant recollections of the little colony. We pass a number of foreign sails during the day, and at eight bells (supper-hour) give the only public reminder of the day by " splicing the main-brace ; " and though all hands have had a heavy pull at the Chinese ardent the past few days, still a " tot " of pure " Jamaica " may come in play> as "the hair of the dog is good for the bite." We are moving along under steam ; and just after din- ner make from the mast-head, dead ahead, two ships at anchor in the strait, waiting a fair wind. They have all the appearance of Americans in their spars ; though we have no opportunity of judging from the cut of their sails, they being clewed up and furled. But Evans pronounces them the right sort to our wishes. A short steam, and we are alongside of them. We show our bright white flag with the cross and stars, - a strange flag to these skippers, as well as to the rest of our recent visitors ; for we had only made and bent it since reaching the East and learn- ing of the change. There is no occasion for subterfuges ; so we are answered at once by the stars and stripes from both of them. On boarding, they proved to be the Sonora, of Newburyport, and the Highlander, of Boston, bound in ballast from Singapore to Akyab, where they…"
Publication Images	Frontispiece Frontispiece P.210

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