Recollections Of A Naval Life: Including The Cruises Of The Confederate States Steamers "Sumter" And "Alabama" - Softcover

Kell, John McIntosh

4.78

9 ratings by Goodreads

9781075382529: Recollections Of A Naval Life: Including The Cruises Of The Confederate States Steamers "Sumter" And "Alabama"

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1075382521 ISBN 13: 9781075382529

Publisher: Independently published, 2019

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The Confederate steamers “Sumter” and “Alabama” struck fear into the hearts of northern sailors.

Sailing across the oceans of the globe these ships of the Confederate States Navy served as commerce raiders, attacking Union merchant and naval ships at will.

Much like the U-Boats of the First World War they severely disrupted trade across the Atlantic and were of great assistance to the Confederate war effort.

John McIntosh Kell, who served as Executive Officer under Captain Raphael Semmes on both the Sumter and Alabama, provides brilliant insight into life on board two of these famous ships.

Recollections Of A Naval Life charts Kell’s service at sea, from his early years as a midshipman in the Mexican War before joining Commodore Perry’s expedition to Japan in 1853, through to his joining and serving for four years in the Confederate Navy.

Kell records in fascinating detail many of the major incidents that he faced while serving on the Sumter and Alabama, including the Battle of Cherbourg in June 1864 when the Alabama was sunk by the USS Kearsarge and Kell was rescued from the water by the British yacht Dearhound and taken to England.

John McIntosh Kell’s work is captivating memoir of one of the frequently forgotten aspects of the American Civil War. It deserves to be read and enjoyed by all who wish to learn more about how the Civil War was fought on the high seas.

Kell was an officer in the Confederate navy during the American Civil War, during which time Kell served as Executive Officer of the commerce raiders CSS Sumter and CSS Alabama. After the end of the war he retired from the navy and became a farmer in Georgia. His book Recollections Of A Naval Life: Including The Cruises Of The Confederate States Steamers "Sumter" And "Alabama" was first published in 1900, and he also passed away in 1900.

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