Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights:#1 When the Civil War began in 1861, Raphael Semmes hoped to become a captain of a ship. He was not a native-born Southerner, but he had wartime experience and was a passionate supporter of the Confederacy. He was not too old to be a seafaring captain.#2 The life of a midshipman was difficult, to say the least. They were the lowest ranking officers, yet they were senior to all the enlisted men. They dined and lived with the officers, but spent most of their time getting the crew to attend to orders and their assigned tasks.#3 Raphael Semmes, the son of a farmer, was a midshipman in the US Navy in the 1820s and ’30s. He took to the seas extremely well, and enjoyed writing about his experiences in journals. He eventually married and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he would grow his practice and start a family.#4 The marriage between Raphael and Anne Semmes was often a troubled one. The difference in religion was just one of the many factors that led to their disagreements. Semmes was a navy lieutenant, which meant he could not leave the service to focus on his law practice.