Semmes, Raphael, 1809-1877 to Andrew Johnson
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05590 Author/Creator: Semmes, Raphael, 1809-1877 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 15 January 1866 Pagination: 10 p. ; 34.6 x 21.1 cm. Order a Copy
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.
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