Cherbourg was unusually crowded and eerily festive on the morning of Sunday, June 19, 1864. People gathered on the heights above the town, in the upper stories of houses commanding a view of the sea, and on the walls and fortifications surrounding the harbor. Many had come by special train on the new railway from Paris for the inauguration of a casino, and some of the wealthier Parisians hired boats to get closer to the scene--which had been announced with fanfare in the French press. By 8:00 a.m. every available vantage point was occupied. The weather was bright and balmy, and only a gentle breeze ruffled the green waters of the English Channel.

The Alabama was coaled and the fires in her furnaces were lit. The decks and the brass work glittered in the morning sunlight. The crew had turned in early to get a good night's rest and had enjoyed a comfortable breakfast.

The Alabama got underway shortly before 10:00 a.m., escorted to the three-mile limit by the French naval vessel Couronne, with a band following on another boat playing Dixie. After delivering a stirring address to his men, Captain Semmes ordered them to lie down at their stations to conserve their energy for the coming battle.

When the Alabama was seven miles out, the Kearsarge turned and headed straight for her. The Alabama turned to port and fired the first shot from her starboard battery. It fell short. The Kearsarge also turned to port, and minutes later brought her own starboard guns to bear.

For the next hour during a deadly artillery duel in which over 400 shots were exchanged, the two ships circled seven times, each trying to get into a position to fire at the other's vulnerable stern and "rake" the enemy from end to end. A seaman aboard the Kearsarge thought they looked "like flies crawling around the edge of a saucer."

© C. Henze 1999