Confederacy On The High Seas

On June 19, 1864, just off the coast of France, one of the most dramatic naval battles in history took place. On a clear day, the dreaded Confederate raider Alabama faced the Union warship Kearsarge in an all-or-nothing fight to the finish, the outcome of which would effectively end the threat of the Confederacy on the high seas.

The story of that battle is detailed in “To the Uttermost Ends of the Earth,” a new book by the award-winning and bestselling historians Tom Clavin and Phil Keith (who died in March 2021, prior to the book’s publication).

On Sunday, April 10, at 2 p.m., Clavin will come to the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor to share the enthralling story of the greatest Civil War battle at sea. In the book, the authors introduce some of the crucial but historically overlooked players, including John Winslow, captain of the USS Kearsarge, as well as Raphael Semmes, captain of the CSS Alabama. Readers sail aboard the Kearsarge as Winslow embarks for Europe with a set of simple orders from the secretary of the navy: “Travel to the uttermost ends of the earth, if necessary, to find and destroy the Alabama.”

Winslow pursued Semmes in a spectacular 14-month chase over international waters, culminating in what would become the climactic sea battle of the Civil War.

Books will be available for sale and signing. John Jermain Memorial Library is at 201 Main Street, Sag Harbor. For more information visit johnjermain.org.