Kell, John McIntosh, 1823-1900 [Account of battle between C.S.S. Alabama and U.S.S. Kearsarge]

Writes about the battle between the C.S.S. Alabama and U.S.S. Kearsarge, which "took place in the English Channel, about seven miles distant from the port of Cherbourg, France on the 19th day of June 1864." On first and second pages, gives details about the building of the Alabama and its capabilities as "a complete Steamer & Sailing ship" with eight guns. On the third page, describes the Alabama's captain, "the Gallant Semmes, Brainy in intellect, Wiry in build & indefatigable in work." Lists the rest of the crew. From the fifth to the eighth page, describes the action of the Alabama prior to the Battle of Kearsarge. Between the eighth and ninth page, a description of the start of the battle appears to be missing. On the twelfth page, describes how he and the surgeon, Dr. Francis Galt, saved the wounded from the sinking ship before jumping overboard. On the thirteenth page, describes his rescue by the Deerhound, the captain "prompted solely by the Christian obligation of saving human life." Complains of the violence of the Kearsarge's attack once the Alabama had surrendered, and notes that "the battle would never have been fought had [Semmes] known that the Kearsarge wore an armor of chain beneath her outer covering." Writes: "... it took me but a moment to return to the deck & report to the Capt that the ship could not float ten minutes, he replied to me 'Then Sir cease firing, shorten sail and [text loss] down the colors, it will never do in the nineteenth century for us to go down with the colors flying and the deck covered with the gallant wounded'...The Alabama ... her bow high in the air graceful even in her death ... in a moment disappeared from the face of the water, the sea now presented a mass of living heads striving for their lives...."Appears to be a draft written on different types of paper in both ink and pencil.