The full content of this document is only available to subscribing institutions. More information can be found via www.amdigital.co.uk
If you believe you should have access to this document, click here to Login.
| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC05590 |
| From Archive Folder | Unassociated Civil War Documents 1865-1929 |
| Title | Raphael Semmes to Andrew Johnson defending himself against all charges |
| Date | 15 January 1866 |
| Author | Semmes, Raphael (1809-1877) |
| Recipient | Johnson, Andrew |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Letter draft written in prison by the former commander the CSS "Alabama" to the President defending himself against all charges. Discusses the surrender agreement at Greensboro, the definition of treason, the United States Constitution, and his unlawful imprisonment. "The commerce of half a world was at my mercy, and the passions of men North and South, were tossed into a whirl wind by the current events of the most bloody and terrific war the human race had ever seen." Extensive corrections throughout. President Johnson in May 1866 directed that Semmes, while unpardoned, could not hold elected office, although he had been released in April for lack of evidence. |
| Subjects | Civil War Military History Confederate General or Leader Confederate States of America Navy President Treason Surrender Battle US Constitution Prisoner Government and Civics Suffrage Military Law Pardon Commerce Merchants and Trade Reconstruction Prisoner of War |
| People | Semmes, Raphael (1809-1877) Johnson, Andrew (1808-1875) |
| Place written | Washington, D.C. |
| Theme | Government & Politics; Law; The American Civil War; Reconstruction |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |