The Story of the Kearsarge and Alabama — Inside the Classic

The Challenge and the Wait

The excerpts reveal that the Kearsarge did not immediately engage upon arrival at Cherbourg. Instead, a tense period of observation and diplomacy ensued. Captain Winslow visited the French admiral and the U.S. commercial agent, returning with news that Captain Semmes of the Alabama had declared his intention to fight—a claim initially doubted, given the Alabama's previous policy of avoiding conflict. The text reproduces Semmes's formal challenge letter, dated June 14, 1864, addressed to a Monsieur Bonfils, which confirms the challenge and sets the stage for the battle. The Kearsarge maintained a vigilant watch at both harbor entrances, enforcing the neutral twenty-four-hour rule, until the Alabama emerged.

The Action: Damage and Casualties

The battle narrative is marked by stark contrasts in damage and loss. The Alabama fired over three hundred shot and shell, but only thirteen struck the Kearsarge's hull and fifteen hit sails, rigging, boats, and smokestack. A one-hundred-ten-pounder rifle shell lodged in the stern post, yet the Kearsarge remained capable of engaging another enemy. In contrast, the Alabama suffered an estimated forty-seven casualties, while the Kearsarge reported only three—two of whom recovered. The sole fatality, a sailor named Gowin, is described in detail: wounded by a shell explosion at the after-pivot gun, he concealed his injury, dragged himself to the forward hatch, and later greeted the surgeon with a smile, saying, "Doctor, I can fight no more and so come to you, but it is all right, I am satisfied, for we are whipping the Alabama."

Gowin's Heroism and the Surgeon's Report

The account of Gowin occupies a central place in the narrative, drawing on testimony from the executive officer and surgeon. Despite severe wounds to his left thigh and leg, Gowin refused to let his shipmates leave their stations, fainting only when lowered to the surgeon. In the hospital, he urged the surgeon to attend to "poor fellows of the Alabama" instead of himself. The French surgeon-in-chief wrote of Gowin's "courage and resignation," noting that he enlisted general sympathy and was "uniformly patient and cheerful." The author explicitly calls Gowin's conduct "one of the most interesting events of the action," elevating a single sailor's story to a central theme of the work.

A Striking Coincidence of Flags

The narrative closes the battle with a symbolic incident: an early shot from the Kearsarge brought down the Alabama's colors, while a shot from the Alabama's last broadside carried away the halyards of the Kearsarge's ensign at the main peak, unfurling the victorious flag at the moment the rebel ensign was struck in submission. The author notes that the Kearsarge's colors had been "stopped" to be displayed if the ensign was carried away, making the coincidence both planned and fortuitous. This detail, presented without commentary on its meaning, serves as a vivid, almost theatrical conclusion to the action, emphasizing the orderly and symbolic nature of the surrender.

Aftermath and Prisoner Treatment

Following the battle, the Kearsarge anchored in Cherbourg harbor at 3:10 PM. The wounded were transferred to the Hôpital la Marine that evening, and all prisoners except officers were paroled and set on shore before sunset. The text notes that the crews of both vessels "harmonized after the fight," with the conquerors sharing clothes, supper, and grog with the conquered—a detail that underscores a sense of professional respect between the adversaries. The author does not speculate on the broader implications of this harmony, instead letting the factual report stand.

Readers approaching this account should note that Browne relies heavily on official reports and firsthand testimony, particularly from the Kearsarge's officers. The narrative is structured chronologically, from the initial telegram to the aftermath in Cherbourg, with a clear emphasis on the battle's conduct and the human cost. The author's stated goal of providing a "popular, detailed, and yet concise account" is reflected in the brisk pacing and focus on concrete events rather than strategic analysis. The excerpts do not reveal the book's treatment of the Alabama's perspective or any broader naval context, so readers should expect a focused, pro-Union narrative.

I remember how that little 1868 volume dwells on the quiet nerve of sailor Gowin amid the Kearsarge’s thunder. It makes me think of another book, Over the Canadian Battlefields Notes of a Little Journey in France, in March, 1919 — Inside the Classic, where the same hush settles over fields once torn by guns—both whispering of men who simply stood their ground.