Funny story about court today

[WRXtranceformed]

There he is, getting his gangsta lean on!

"Old Beeswax" was the most infamous Confederate naval officer in the Civil War. He and his ship, the Alabama, captured or sunk 69 vessels comprised of the Union blockade on all Southern ports... in essence, he acted as a pirate =P This number, combined with his enemy vessel pwnings when he captained the Sumter, makes 87 which is apparently a record that still stands today!

He caused over 6 million dollars in damage, which back then was a HUGE sum. The Alabama was eventually sunk during the war by the USS Kearsage, which challenged the Alabama when it put into port at Cherbourg, France to get fresh powder / ammunition and make repairs necessary from battling at sea for many many months.

Admiral Semmes (captain at the time) refused to decline their challenge and fought them anyway, despite the huge disadvantage. During the battle, one of the Alabama's shells actually lodged in a portion of the Kearsage and would have sunk it, except that it didn't explode due to the wet powder. The Alabama was sunk, and Raphael and a bunch of his crewmates balled out on a British ship that was watching the battle. He returned to the states and became a Brigadier General.

Little history lesson that I'm sure the judge today was well aware of =D There was a book written about our family and my father is really into history, so I've done quite a bit of research on our family. I even know the name of the very first Semmes in existence: "Marmaduke Semme" Apparently he was a drunk hahaha!

PS: Check this out: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://semmesal.usl.myareaguide.com/">http://semmesal.usl.myareaguide.com/</a><!-- m -->