Character Interview: Rachel Semmes

Sometimes you just have to take one for the team. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. We are interviewing Rachel Semmes today, and as things go we were forced to conduct our interview on the Island of Oahu, in the Kingdom of Hawaii. I know, the trials we must endure.

One of the trials is that we had to do the interview at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, instead of, say, Diamond Head. It has also taken us six years to get the interview, the result of red tape at the public affairs office. That has been a blessing in disguise. I was all set to interview Lieutenant-Commander Rachel Semmes, Captain of The R.N.S. Prince Maksutov and architect of the Pacific Alliance. However, my interview today is in the office of the Commanding Officer of PACCOM, Rear Admiral Rachel Semmes. And while a bunch of you will be shocked that there is a woman in this high position here in the year 1881, I'll have to revive some of you when I tell you that she is not yet thirty. And while a rear admiral is the equivalent of a one or two star general, and I have already interviewed a three star in General John Lee Anderson, it always sounds much cooler to be Admiral.

• CG: Admiral Semmes, thank you for the interview. Would you mind introducing yourself to my readers.
• RS: I would be glad to. My name is Rachel Semmes, I'm twenty-eight years old and have been in the Republican Navy for the past six years. Mobile born and bred. And I am the favorite niece of my Uncle Rafe.
• CG: There is so much to follow up here. First of all, Uncle Rafe?
• RS: That would be Admiral Raphael Semmes, commander of the C.S.S. Alabama during the last war.
• CG: I guess Naval greatness is in the blood.
• RS: Our initials are both RS, so that's something as well. Honestly, until I was given command of the Prince Maksutov I never commanded any more than a rowboat.
• CG: That would seem to lead to the next question. From civilian to Admiral in six years. Was everyone in the Republican Navy afraid of your uncle.
• RS: I wish. Most of them never heard of him. There aren't many naval historians in the West. I owe most of my success to the Pacific Alliance. 
• CG: So no great Naval Battles to speak of?
• RS: I didn't say that. The Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 got The United States in the door with the Hawaiian Government, and then war broke out. And now we wanted to establish a base there, and have refueling rights. We knew that Grant wanted to establish a base there, and we needed to get there first. The Prince Maksutov held her ground against a better armed American Ship, and when they broke off to regroup we pulled out our ace. We had a handful of torpedoes. 
• CG: A torpedo. How did that work.
• RS: It wasn't easy. You have to put them in the water and launch them manually, so we had to set out the lifeboats. The federals thought we were abandoning ship and so never reacted until it was too late.
• CG: The press probably had a great time reporting that.
• RS: Yes, we were a bunch of pirates who launched a cowardly attack on an innocent party. Massacre and all that. But the end result is, Hawaii is ours.
• CG: And the Pacific Alliance?
• RS: There are four members at present. Us, Hawaii, Russia and New Zealand. We have entertained a Russian Vessel but that is the extent of their aid. I think we are still on our own. I will not be holding my breath for a Russian Fleet.
• CG: Have you gotten any advice from your uncle.
• RS: After I got my command I asked his advice. He said do not seek a fight. The federals will find me soon enough. But if I am forced to fight do not spare any cannon. It is better to go down to the sea in defeat than to surrender.
• CG: With the war and all the activity with the alliance, have you had any chance at having a personal life.
• RS: Prime Minister Davis eldest son, James, has recently begun courting me in earnest. He is a nice man, but I am still not sure if it is proper.
• CG: Is he your subordinate?
• RS: Everyone is your subordinate when you're the admiral. He is not directly, though. He is a clerk, not in active operations. He is the same age as I, so that helps somewhat.
• CG: You said you were mobile born and bred. Was your home like Sauf Asir.
• RS: I wish. I wasn't born into such riches.
• CG: One last thing. Since you are Minister of The Navy, are there anything new in the war effort going on?
• RS: I will give your readers a scoop. The engineers over at Fort Bering are working on perfecting the idea of an armed submersible craft. Now that we have working torpedoes the time seems right. There will be no repeat of a Hunley Disaster.
• CG: Minister Semmes, I thank you for your time.

The Grand Tour: The Pacific Alliance

With the War just beginning our grand tour is going to take a bit of a detour. And to a land of a bit warmer weather. 

It takes allies to win a war. From the moment the first shot was fired at Fort Leavenworth it was obvious that the new Republic was in over its head. To win the war all that was needed would be to outlast the resolve of the United States. To win the peace they would have to destroy the East's will to fight.

The path to victory in both respects is charted by Rachel Semmes, the niece of Raphael Semmes, Captain of the C.S.S. Alabama. The path is called The Pacific Alliance.

The Capital of the Pacific Alliance was the Kingdom of Hawaii from its founding through the Pineapple War. Once the war was won by the Republic and Hawaii and Queen Liliuokalani's reign was secured, the capital was integrated with Republican government functions at Reno. From 1893 to 1941 only PACCOM was centered at Pearl Harbor Naval Base. In addition to The Republic of Ansdale and The Kingdom of Hawaii, charter members of the alliance included New Zealand, Canada and Russia. As the alliance grew, new members joined, including Australia, China and Japan.

The prime doctrine of the alliance is mutual defense and aid of fellow members, though all members also agree to provide.

1. Open Ports of Call for member nations, especially to provide safe haven during times of war and other periods of instability.
2. Reciprocity concerning Letters of Marque and Reprisal for all member nations, and the establishing of maritime or admiralty courts in every major port.
3. Diplomatic exchange among the member nations.

The three requirements benefit the Republic almost exclusively, however, they alone, with some small help from Russia bear the military side of the agreement. There is no Hawaiian or New Zealand navy at present.

Despite its diverse membership, the alliance survives. There have been challenges however. The Russian Revolution of 1917 resulted in its expulsion from the alliance, however, it was readmitted when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor Naval Base, at the time jointly manned by the Republic of Ansdale and The United States of America and followed it up with an invasion of China and Australia. Japan was expelled at that time and was not readmitted until sometime after the wars end.

Next time we will talk with the architect of the Pacific Alliance, Rachel Semmes.

Character Interview: James Davis on Family

We conclude our interview with Republic of Ansdale Prime Minister James Davis. The tough questions are done, and we finish with family.

CG: Tell me about Katherine. First of all, is it spelled with a K or a C.
JD: With a C. To blend with American tradition she has been known to use both spellings. Catherine Anne Bradford was the teenage daughter of one of the British Embassy staff when we met at one of the numerous Washington balls in 1849. Tall, golden blond hair, blue eyes, feisty attitude, and that captivating British accent. When we married the following year I was twenty-four ans she was eighteen. I don't know how she's done it, but she still has the accent, though it has faded a little over the years.

CG: How has Catherine adjusted to life on the frontier?
JD: She loves it. When John showed up at my Georgetown townhouse she was the one who volunteered me for what she called "a Grand Adventure." That adventure has taken her from London to Washington, DC, and to Fort's Pierre and Ansdale. After seven years in the Dakota Territory I thought that was all, but the adventure has continued with Montana, Alaska and now Nevada.

CG: How about your taste for adventure.
JD: I like it now. Reno isn't Washington, but it is civilization compared to the frontier of Alaska. And, as Prime Minister, I direct the entire war effort, so I direct the action.

CG: How have your children fared?
JD: We have three children. James Andrew Davis III, my eldest. Yes, I was a "junior". James is 28 and has followed his fathers path, this time in the Republican War Department, though as a civilian clerk. Paul, the middle child, is 23, born in Dakota. I thought we were done, and after a while so did Catherine, but God had other plans. My baby girl, Ellen, was born in 1866. Catherine was 34 at the time and we were in Montana. Since there was now an infant in the family there was no way I was going to ask Catherine to move to Alaska.

CG: So Ellen is with you at Reno?
JD: No, Catherine is convinced that at least one member of the Davis clan must have a British accent, so she has been sent away to a private school in London. She is now 15 and has been in London for the past three years.

CG: Have there been any additions to the Davis clan yet?
JD: Not Yet. James became quite smitten with Captain Semmes when she was in Reno last.

CG: How does Catherine feel about it? I know your sister isn't too happy about Robert courting Captain Quantrill, though she was happy with Katherine marrying Major Morgan. The vote seems to be split as to her approval of Confederate relations.
JD: Catherine likes Rachel, so that helps. She did hope James would have found someone younger than him, to maximize the potential for grandchildren. Still, Rachel is a beautiful girl, and you can't take living in Hawaii out of the equation.

CG: Probably not. Still it makes for a difficult courtship when one party is in Nevada and the other party is in Hawaii.
JD: James has that problem solved. He has asked me to transfer him out of the War Department and into the Department of The Navy.

CG: Will you approve the transfer?
JD: It's not up to me alone. Captain Semmes is Minister of the Navy. I think it's safe to say she will approve of the transfer. I'm Prime Minister, and he's my son. My brother in law is Minister of War for a few more months at least. But there is Catherine to consider.

CG: I thought you said Catherine approved of Rachel?
JD: She does, but approving of a marriage and allowing her baby to move to Hawaii appear to be two different matters entirely. She would much prefer Captain Semmes to relocate to Reno.

CG: That doesn't make much sense, considering the major naval theater of war is the pacific.
JD: California would be an ideal choice, but it has only been two years since its secession, and the State is still being shelled by the United States Navy.

CG: I was hoping to keep this part of the interview on family, and yet how quickly we get back to military matters.
JD: Things get intertwined quickly in a time of war. Alaska was remote and secure, but disconnected from the main body of Republican troops. Reno is connected to all but Alaska and Hawaii by telegraph and railroad. However it is landlocked and California would provide better access to the Pacific. Since the United States Navy is constantly bombarding the California coast it is unsuitable as a Capitol. I will not make the Confederacy's mistake of moving the Capitol closer to Washington, DC. We will stay at Reno, and Captain Semmes will have an autonomous command at Pearl Harbor. We will make a Hawaii wedding work.

CG: Prime Minister Davis, I thank you for your time.