From the May 5, 2011 Seacoastonline.com "Fire on the Water exhibit at Athenaeum observes the 150th anniversary of the Civil War."
The new exhibit is called "Fire on the Water: Portsmouth's Kearsarge Sinks the Deadly Confederate Raider Alabama" opened May 6th.
There were thousands of onlookers watching the 90 -minute battle off Cherbourg, France.
The Kearsarge, named for a New Hampshire mountain, was a Mohican-Class Sloop-of-War and was built at Portsmouth Naval Yard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. They are loaning the original construction plans of the three-masted, steam-powered Kearsarge and a sailor's hat.
The CSS Alabama had sunk 55 ships when Captain John H. Winslow docked at Flushing, Holland and learned that the Alabama was at Cherbourg undergoing a much-needed overhaul. On June 14, 1864, Winslow anchored outside French territorial waters.
On June 20, the Alabama came out and the battle was on. The Confederate raider lost 30 crew members killed or drowned and was sunk, while the Kearsarge had 3 wounded.
Roll, Alabama, Roll. --Old B-R'er
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