June 23, 2011

SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW

SINKING OF ALABAMA OFF CHERBOURG (June 19, 1864)

The Battle of Cherbourg, or sometimes the Battle off Cherbourg or the Sinking of CSS Alabama, was a single ship action fought during the American Civil War between a United States Navy warship, the USS Kearsarge, and a Confederate States Navy warship, the CSS Alabama, on June 19, 1864, off Cherbourg, France. After five successful commerce raiding missions in the Atlantic Ocean, CSS Alabama turned into Cherbourg Harbor on June 11, 1864. The rebel sloop-of-war was commanded by Captain Raphael Semmes, formerly of CSS Sumter. It was Captain Semmes' intention to drydock his ship and receive repairs at the French port. The Confederate Navy vessel was crewed by about 170 men and armed with six 32 pound (15 kg) cannons, one 110-pounder (50 kg) and one 68-pound (31 kg) gun. The Alabama had been pursued for two years by the screw sloop-of-war USS Kearsarge, under Captain John Winslow. The Kearsarge was armed with two 11 inch (280 mm) smoothbore Dahlgren guns which fired approximately 166 pounds of solid shot, four 32 pound guns and one 30-pounder Parrott rifle. She was manned by around 150 sailors and officers. Kearsarge had armor-clad, chain cable triced in tiers along her port and starboard midsections. This armor protection gave the Union warship a good advantage over the rebel raider. On June 14, Kearsarge finally caught up with Alabama as she was receiving repairs. Kearsarge did not attack, instead she waited, initiating a blockade of CSS Alabama in Cherbourg Harbor. Union Captain Winslow telegraphed USS St. Louis to request her assistance but the fighting began before she could arrive. Confederate Captain Semmes used the time to drill his men for the coming battle. On June 19, CSS Alabama, with nowhere else to go, ran up the Stars and Bars and exited the harbor to attack Kearsarge. She was escorted by a French Navy vessel whose mission was to ensure that the ensuing battle occurred outside the French harbor.

The battle continued in this manner for several minutes, in the meantime, on the French Coast, hundreds of Cherbourg citizens watched the battle as it slowly drew closer to a Union victory. Kearsarge's armor clad sustained two hits during the engagement.

The gunnery of USS Kearsarge was reportedly more accurate than of the Confederates, she fired slow, well-aimed shots while Alabama fired rapidly. CSS Alabama fired a total of over 370 rounds during the fighting, it is not known how many Kearsarge fired but it is known that she fired much less than the rebels did. Eventually after just over an hour of exchanging artillery fire, Alabama had received shot-holes beneath the waterline from Kearsarge's Dahlgren guns and began to sink. Captain Semmes struck the Confederate colors but still the Kearsarge continued firing until a white flag was seen, raised by one of the rebel sailors with his hand. The battle was over so Captain Semmes sent his remaining dinghy to Captain Winslow, to ask for aid. During the battle, over forty rebel sailors were killed in action or drowned. Another seventy or so were picked up by Kearsarge. Thirty or so were rescued by the Deerhound, a British yacht, which Captain Winslow asked to help evacuate Alabama's crew. Captain Semmes and fourteen of his officers were among the sailors rescued by Deerhound. Instead of delivering the captured rebels to Kearsarge, the Deerhound set a course for Southampton, thus enabling Captain Semmes' escape. This act severely angered the Kearsarges' crew, who begged their captain to allow them to open fire on the British yacht. Captain Winslow would not allow this though so the Confederates got away and avoided imprisonment. Three men were wounded aboard the United States vessel, one of whom died the following day.

This piece of art was painted by the 20th Century artist Xanthus Smith. This 1922 artwork depicts the sinking of the Confederate ship CSS Alabama after her fight with the USS Kearsarge (seen right). Alabama was the scourge of the American merchant fleet during a two-year commerce destroying campaign before being sunk during a battle with the Kearsarge in June 1864. American archaeologists and French Navy divers recently recovered a bell from the famous Confederate commerce raider from it’s resting place 180 feet below the surface of the English Channel off the coast of Cherbourg, France.

HAYSTACK MOUNTAIN VERMONT

ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO (TOKYO) NUMBER SIXTY-FIVE

INSIDE KAMEIDO TENJIN SHRINE

Here is a display of purple wisteria blossoms falling gracefully along the pole of a trellis.  The arched bridge in the distance would have immediately identified the place to an Edo viewer--as indeed it does to any present-day connoisseur of Tokyo's seasonal attractions, for the scene remains little changed.  It is, as the title indicates, within the precincts of Kameido Tenjin Shrine, on the eastern fringe of Edo. The view, however, is pure scenery, with not a shrine building in sight.  The arched bridge was one of two such famous taikobashi ("drum bridge" after the rounded shape) in Edo, this one in wood and the other one in stone. This print features a curious printing slip in the extension of the blue of the pond into the sky region beneath the bridge.  The error was corrected in later impressions.  It is intriguing to speculate how such an obvious mistake might have occurred.  Probably one of the artist's handwritten instructions on the proof print was mistaken, but this in turn suggests that the artist himself had little control over the final product.

SPENCE'S SUN ANGEL

What is the most widely consumed legume in the world? ??? PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER!

This native of Queensland is one of Australia's few contributions to the world's food plants, this tree and its food product were named for an Australian chemist who was born in Scotland. It is said that he never tasted the food named after him. ??? PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER!

CATSKILL CREEK

AMERICAN PILGRIM 10A

"....there are more different sausages in Germany than there are breakfast foods in America, and if there is a bad one among them then I have never heard of it.  The run in size from little fellow so small and pale and fragile that it seems a crime to eat them to vast and formidable pieces that look like shells for heavy artillery.  And they run in flavor from the most delicate to the most raucous, and in texture from that of feathers caught in a cobweb to that of linoleum, and in shape from straight cylinders to lovely kinks and curlycues." H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

Robert Salmon (1775-1845) Anglo-American Robert Salmon is undoubtedly one of the most important painters in marine art history. He played a crucial role in the development of maritime art in America. He is widely considered the father of American luminism with a style of painting that was to influence the likes of Fitz Hugh Lane, William Bradford and many other young New England artists of the 19th century. Born in England in 1775, he painted mainly in Greenock, Liverpool and other ports. He left a successful career in England to emigrate to the United States where he settled in Boston in 1828. It was in this New England seaport that he created his best work from his waterfront studio. As a member of the Boston Artists Association, he interacted with many of the young American artist who would follow and emulate him. The artist developed a very distinctive style based upon the classical techniques of the Dutch marine masters and he became widely known for his ability to paint exact representations of his subject vessels. With their subtle illumination and early 19th century sensibility, Salmon's paintings today rightfully command the greatest passion among connoisseurs of American marine art.

In early Judaism, before the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem, this day of atonement--Yom Kippur--involved a goat: a "scapegoat." Every Yom Kippur, as prescribed by Leviticus 16:20-26, a high priest laid hands on a goat's head and confessed the people's sins. This goat, carrying the blame for the people's sins on its head, was then driven into the desert, never to be seen again.

Eggplant is a member of the nightshade family and is native to India. The early varieties were bitter, but cultivation and crossbreeding have greatly improved the flavor. Eggplant is related to potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. Eggplant isn't a particularly popular vegetable in the United States, but it's a favorite in many areas of the South. Thomas Jefferson, who experimented with many varieties of plants in his Virginia garden, is credited with introducing eggplant to North America. In various parts of Europe, people suspected that eating eggplant caused madness, not to mention leprosy, cancer, and bad breath, which is why eggplant was used mostly for decoration in England and the United States nearly up to the 20th century.

DISCLAIMER: Material used in Bitts and Bytes is gathered from various sources--mainly the World Wide Web.   Authorship cannot always be credited nor the source defined.   Authenticity of material is assumed to be correct, but is not guaranteed.