| Summary: | (Photographed in civilian clothes.) Appointed as midshipman in 1826; spent most of his adult life at sea and various naval commands ashore. Resigned his U.S. Navy commission in February 1861 and was appointed as a commander in the Confederate Navy. After promoting through the naval ranks, Semmes was ultimately promoted to rear admiral in early 1865. Appointed as a brigadier general in the Confederate Army in April 1865 after the destroying his squadron to prevent its capture. Major commands include the Confederate raiders C.S.S. Sumter and C.S.S. Alabama, and the James River Squadron. Major land battles include Danville. After the war, Semmes returned to Mobile, Alabama, where he died and was buried in August 1877. Sources: Boatner, Mark M. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: Vintage Books, 1988. Davis, William C., ed. The Confederate General. Vol. 5. National Historical Society, 1991.
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