"CSS Alabama Strikes, Sinks USS Hatteras " Topic

"CSS Alabama continued her cruise west across the Gulf of Mexico, reaching its western edge by mid January 1863. Captain Raphael Semmes received reports that Galveston, Texas was taken by Union forces (see "War on the Periphery.") Even though his information was several weeks out of date, he decided that he would liberate the Texas port from Yankee control. In doing so, he changed Alabama's modus operandi from commerce raiding to direct combat. It is not clear why he decided to take such an aggressive and risky action, as Semmes did not give a detail explanation in his autobiography or official reports. He was unaware that local Texas forces already succeeded in reopening the port by chasing off local blockading forces. He also did not know that Farragut quickly reestablished the blockade with a squadron of ships headed up by the mighty sloop-of-war USS Brooklyn. As Alabama approached Galveston, watches spotted several warships on blockading stations. While he pondered whether to attack or not, Semmes got lucky. The U.S. Navy sent a ship towards him…"
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Hope you enjoy!.

Amicalement
Armand

I suspect a dislike for Yankees may have been more than enough to spur him on…..

Yankees was tha aggressor!