Brigadier General Paul Jones Semmes, CSA-- Part 1: It's All Relative

From Wikipedia. Back on July 27th, I mentioned the death of this man in conjunction with the Battle of Gettysburg.

 At the time, I wondered if he was related to the famous commander of the CSS Alabama, Raphael Semmes. It turns out he was a cousin of Semmes, as was Union Navy Captain Alexander Alderman Semmes who served mostly in the Gulf of Mexico during the war and also commanded a Union monitor.

Definitely A war That Tore Families Apart.   --Old Secesh.

And, Speaking of Semmes

The last entry was about the gun from Confederate Admiral Raphael Semmes' CSS Alabama. Well, his cousin, Alexander Alderman Semmes, was in the US Navy and commanding the monitor USS Lehigh operating off Charleston, SC.

Starting yesterday, February 10, 1865, and going until Feb. 14th, his ship and the smaller wooden gunboats Commodore McDonough, Wissahickon, C. P. Wiliams, Dan Smith and geranium supported Brig. General Alexander Schimmelfenning's troop movements in the Stono and Folly river, SC area as the Army prepared for their final push on Charleston.

It's All in the Family. --B-R

Union Guy With Confederate Name

The April 16th Inserv US Navy site had an article about a Civil War Union Naval officer who had what could be considered an unfortunate Confederate Naval name. That man would be Commodore Alexander Alderman Semmes (1809-1885).

He was promoted to Lt. Commander in July 1862, and became a commander after the war. In 1882, he became a commodore.

He was commander of the USS Tahoma in the East Gulf Blockade Squadron during much of the war. Because of his service, he had many illnesses. He had the reputation of being a very aggressive commanders and made a lot of blockade-runner captures and raids along the coast.

In 1861, he served on the USS Rhode Island and in 1862, commanded the USS Wamsutta. After assuming command of the Tahoma, a new 158 foot screw propeller steamer, in his first six months, made seven captures of ships trying to slip through the blockade.

He led an expeditionary force in an attack on Tampa and engaged shore batteries at Gadsden Point.


A NAME BY ANY OTHER NAME

Earlier in life, his family had taken in Raphael Semmes and his brother Samuel after their parents had died. As such, he grew up with later Confederate Navy Admiral Raphael Semmes who at one time commanded the CSS Alabama.

I wonder if this ever caused any problems in his climb through the ranks?

What's in a Name? --Old B-Runner