Battle of Cherbourg. A discussion of The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama by Édouard Manet Battle of the USS Kearsarge and the CSS Alabama 1864. by Jean-Baptiste Henri Durand-Brager (1814-1879) A Union shot cut away the Alabama’s spanker gaff (top rearmost sail), from which flew the ship’s Stainless Banner, white with a Southern Cross in the canton. As the Alabama had already become a legend, the battle quickly became enshrouded in a web of myth, some of it … On June 19, 1864, two ships - the U.S.S. Though Alabama hit her opponent several times, the projectiles caused little damage and few casualties. The date and time of the encounter had been announced in advance, and spectators lined the cliffs to watch. The artist's fascination with water and light shows as the sea, rather than the battle, appears to be the main motif on the artwork. Coming up on June 19 will be the sesquicentennial of one of the most famous naval events of the Civil War (probably excepting only the Monitor and the "Merrimack" [sic] and the Battle of Mobile Bay): the duel of the CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge off Cherbourg, France. One of the first nineteenth century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. She was sunk in June 1864 by USS Kearsarge at the Battle of Cherbourg outside the port of Cherbourg, France. Harrington, Peter (2016), “Kearsarge vs. Alabama: Edouard Manet paints a naval battle of the American Civil War,” MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, Autumn, 88-90. The battle quickly turned against Alabama due to the superior gunnery displayed by Kearsarge and the deteriorated state of Alabama's contaminated powder and fuses. After about an hour's shooting, Alabama was beginning to sink, … Every canvas print is hand-crafted in the USA, made on-demand at iCanvas and expertly … Alabama had no plans backing down, they came out of port and immediately engaged with the Kearsarge. Alabama served as a successful commerce raider, attacking Union merchant and naval ships over the course of her two-year career, during which she never docked at a Southern port. Alabama - engaged in battle in the international waters just off the coast of Cherbourg. The Battle of The USS Kearsarge & CSS Alabama by Edouard Manet canvas art arrives ready to hang, with hanging accessories included and no additional framing required. One of the most feared Confederate raiders was the sloop-of-war, Alabama. Her most important shot, fired from the forward 7-inch Blakely pivot rifle, hit very near Kearsarge 's vulnerable stern post, the impact binding the ship's rudder badly. The Kearsarge waited for the Alabama outside the break wall, careful not to start a battle in neutral France. Battle of the 'Kearsarge' and the 'Alabama' - Édouard Manet was a French painter. Manet haven't participated in the battle himself so he relied on press descriptions to create this fascinating artwork. The Battle of Cherbourg, or sometimes the Battle off Cherbourg or the Sinking of CSS Alabama, was a single-ship action fought during the American Civil War between a United States Navy warship, the USS Kearsarge, and a Confederate States Navy warship, the CSS Alabama, on June 19, 1864, off Cherbourg, France. Featured image : Edouard Manet - The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama, 1864 The Alabama was in port resupplying and getting repairs done when they were discovered by their enemy. One shell hit Kearsarge's sternpost, failed to explode and survives today as a relic of the battle. Kearsarge and the C.S.S. 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