ARREST OF CAPTAIN SEMMES.

Timaru Herald, Volume IV, Issue 101, 20 April 1866, Page 3

ARREST OF CAPTAIN SEMMES.

An American paper give the followingaccount of the arrest of the famous Captain Semmes : — We have to inform our readers of the sad intelligence of the unexpected arrest and immediate transfer to a Northern gaol of the brave good, and chivalric Raphael Semmes, formerly the commander of the Confederate man-of-war Alabama, on the ground of having-, during- the most unequal match with the Kearsag-e, raised a white flag 1 , and then escaped under cover of the cessation of hostilities. When the commander of the Kearsag-e made on the Confederate ag-ent at Cherbourg- the rather strnng-e demand of surrendering- the Confederates who had actually swarmed ashore, and were then under the protection of the French flag-, he was coldly referred by that semi-official person to the maritime prefect of that French port for all information regarding- those men, and there the demand dropped. And to-day, the goverment whose fleets are swarming- on every sea, whose g-ig-antic armies shake the earth as they move, that government snatches almost by surprise from amonghis family the unprotected, helpless, and over-confident commander of a ship which after having skilfully baffled the efforts of the whole Federal navy, finally comes out, like a true-born American sailor, gives battle to a superior enemy, and gallantly sinks sooner than " give tip his ship." The following are the charge and specifications brought against Admiral Semmes : —

Charge and specification of a charge preferred by the Secretary of the Navy against Raphael Semnies, late commander of the rebel steamer Alabama. " Charge — Violating the usagse of war. " Specification.— rln this, that on or about the 19th day of June, 18G4, off the entrance of the port of Cherbourg-, France, the said Raphael Senimes, being then m command of the rebel steamer known as the Alabama, and an engagement having taken place between the said steamer and the United States steamer Kearsage, ordered or permitted a white flag to i)e hoisted on board the said rebel steamer, and took the opportunity of the cessation thereby caused m the "engagement, and of the trust reposed m him, to make his escape from the said rebel steamer, for the purpose of avoiding the actual surrender of his person ns a prisoner of war, and the responsibilities thereby increased, and,subsequently, without having been exchanged m hostilities against the United States. — Gibbon Wells, Secretary of the Navy."

Against which arrest Admiral Semmes then entered the following protest : — "Sir— On the 20th day of April, 1865, 1 was at Greensboro, N.C.j m command of a naval brigade forming part of the army of General Joseph E. Johnston and participated m the capitulation between General Johnston and Major-General W. T. Sherman, commanding United States army of North Corolina. The condition of said capitulation on the part of General Johnston was that the army under his command should cease all acts of war from the date of capitulation, April 20th, aforesaid. In consideration of which condition thus entered into by General Johnston, General Sherman "stipulated that the officers and men comprising the army of General Johnston should return to their homes, and there remain unmolested by the United States authorities so long as they observe the obligations they entered into, and obeyed the laws enforced where they reside. I have this day been arrested by order of the Secretary of the navy, had a guard placed over my house, and have been informed that I am to proceed to Washington, m custody, there to answer a charge preferred ngainst me, predicated upon facts which took place anterior to the capitulation between General Johnston and General Sherman. This being a violation of the capitulation on the part of General Sherman, I respectfully make this my protest against said arrest. — (Signed.)

" R. Semmes, " Mobile, Ala, Dec. 15, 1805."