John McIntosh Kell of the Raider Alabama

A vivid portrait of the man credited as a driving force behind the most successful of the Confederate raiders, the legendary C.S.S. Alabama . John McIntosh Kell was an experienced, proven military man, a graduate of Annapolis, a veteran of the Mexican War and of Admiral Perry’s voyage to Japan. As a Confederate officer, Kell served first on the raider Sumter and then on the Alabama . At sea for only 22 months, the Alabama engaged nearly 300 northern merchant vessels, burning 55 of these transpor