Wolf of the Deep

Raphael Semmes was a U.S. Navy officer from Maryland during the first half of the nineteenth century. He distinguished himself during the Mexican War but was frustrated by the tradition-oriented promotion system of the Navy. When the Civil War broke out, he took command of a small steam-and-sail raider built in England and for two years terrorized Yankee shipping in the North Atlantic. He was a colorful character but is largely known only to Civil War historians. Stephen Fox's biography captures the multiple sides of the naval officer. Barrett Whitener is an able reader. His tone is even, although not somnolent. He adds just a hint of an accent to direct quotes, whether Southern or Irish, a technique that allows listeners to easily distinguish these passages. R.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

May 14, 2007
W
hen you think of Confederate Civil War heroes, the names Lee, Jackson, Stuart and Longstreet, among others, come to mind. Historian Fox (The Mirror Makers
, et al.) makes a convincing case that Confederate Navy Capt. Raphael Semmes should be added to that list, at least because of his brilliant seafaring skills. Fox's fact-filled, cleanly written account of Semmes's life focuses on his amazing 22-month stint as captain of the most famous Confederate privateer, the Alabama
. Under Semmes's command, the Alabama roamed the world's waterways for nearly two years, seizing or sinking nearly 70 Union merchant schooners, whalers and other commercial ships to counteract the Yankee blockade of Southern ports, until June, 1864 when the Alabama
was sunk by the U.S.S. Kearsage
. Born in 1809 into a slave-owning, tobacco-farming family in southern Maryland, Semmes was orphaned at an early age, grew up in Washington, D.C. and joined the U.S. Navy at 17, remaining a staunch Southern partisan who espoused racist views and strongly believed in slavery. After serving without any particular distinction for 35 years, he made his mark with the Confederate navy. This well-conceived and executed military biography will have extra appeal for those who are familiar with nautical terms.

September 24, 2007
Whitener is the perfect choice to bring to life the exciting yet tragic adventures of Confederate raider Capt. Raphael Semmes, captain of the top secret warship Alabama
. Whitener knows how to switch subtly from the voice of Fox's straightforward narrator to the Southern accent of the Maryland-born Semmes. Sounding like a Civil War veteran himself, Whitener tells how Semmes went from Southern hero—feared by the North because of his highly effective slash-and-burn raids on their shipping—to an outcast who found himself in charge of a sinking ship, unable to get desperately needed repairs at foreign ports. With Whitener's expert reading, listeners can relive Semmes's seagoing triumphs and disasters. And Civil War enthusiasts will have a chance to hear about the conflict's lesser-known episodes. Simultaneous release with the Knopf hardcover (Reviews, May 14).