Sumter escapes at St. Pierre
150 years ago tonight the CSS Sumter commanded by Raphael Semmes gave the USS Iroquois the slip at St. Pierrre, Martinique, which was officially neutral as a French possession. James S. Palmer commanded the Iroquois. Here’s a bit from Raphael Semmes’ 1869 book, Memoirs of service afloat during the war between the states:
The Iroquois had arrived, on the 14th of November. It was now the 23d, and I had waited all this time, for a dark night; the moon not only persisting in shining, but the stars looking, we thought, unusually bright. Venus was still three hours high, at sunset, and looked provokingly beautiful, and brilliant, shedding as much light as a miniature moon. To-night the 23d the moon would not rise until seven minutes past eleven, and this would be ample time, in which to escape, or be captured. …
USS Iroquois - menaces but can't capture the Sumter
As the reader may suppose, I had stationed a quick- sighted and active young officer, to look out for the signals, which I knew the Yankee schooner was to make. This young officer now came running aft to me, and said, “I see
them, sir! I see them! look, sir, there are two red lights, one above the other, at the Yankee schooner s mast-head.” Sure enough, there were the lights ; and I knew as well as the exhibitor of them, what they meant to say to the Iroquois, viz. : ” Look out for the Sumter, she is under way, standing south!”
Fox Sumter feints south - heads back north
I ran a few hundred yards farther, on my present course, and then stopped. The island of Martinique is mountainous, and near the south end of the town, where I now was, the mountains run abruptly into the sea, and cast quite a shadow upon the waters, for some distance out. I had the advantage of operating within this shadow. I now directed my glass toward the Iroquois. I have said that Captain Palmer was anxious to catch me, and judging by the speed which the Iroquois was now making, toward the south, in obedience to her signals, his anxiety had not been at all abated by his patient watching of nine days. I now did, what poor Reynard some times does, when he is hard pressed by the hounds I doubled. Whilst the Iroquois was driving, like mad, under all steam, for the south, wondering, no doubt, at every step, what the [?] had become of the Sumter, this little craft was doing her level- best, for the north end of the island. It is safe to say, that, the next morning, the two vessels were one hundred and fifty miles apart! Poor Palmer! he, no doubt, looked haggard and careworn, when his steward handed him his dressing- gown, and called him for breakfast on the 24th of November ; the yell of Action’s hounds must have sounded awfully distinct in his ears. …
You can read a more favorable review of Palmer’s work at Navy and Marine.
Semmes authors fox-like evasion
