Raphael Semmes (September 27, 1809 – August 30, 1877) was an officer in the United States Navy from 1826 to 1860 and the Confederate States Navy starting in 1861. He served during the Mexican War, but his ship was lost during a storm in the Gulf of Mexico. During the American Civil War he was captain of the famous commerce raider CSS Alabama, taking several prizes.
Late in the war, he was promoted to rear admiral and also acted briefly as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army. His appointment, or arrangement to act, as a temporary brigadier general from April 5 to April 26, 1865 was never submitted to or officially confirmed by the Confederate Senate.
After the Civil War, Semmes faced treason charges by the Union, but these were dismissed in 1866. He became a professor, a judge, a newspaper editor, and an attorney. He also became a staunch "Lost Cause" advocate.
