Biography
Semmes was born in Charles County, Maryland, a cousin of future Confederate general Paul Jones Semmes and Union Navy Captain Alexander Alderman Semmes.
He graduated from Charlotte Hall Military Academy and entered the U. S. Navy as a midshipman in 1826. Semmes then studied law and was admitted to the bar.
During the Mexican-American War, he commanded the brig USS Somers in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship was lost in a storm off Veracruz, Mexico, in December 1846; Semmes was commended for his actions during the loss of the Somers.
Following the war, Semmes went on extended leave at Mobile, Alabama, where he practiced law. He became extremely popular, and the nearby town of Semmes, Alabama was named after him. He was promoted to the rank of commander in 1855 and was assigned to lighthouse duties until 1860. When Alabama seceded from the Union in January 1861, Semmes resigned from the United States Navy and sought an appointment in the fledgling Confederate States Navy.
Read more about this topic: Raphael Semmes
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