6 min readMay 7, 2023 01:54 PM IST
First published on: May 7, 2023 at 12:30 PM IST
Édouard Manet, a renowned French painter, was inspired by a sensational news event he heard about in June 1864. It was a naval battle that took place during the American Civil War, near Cherbourg, France, between two ships – the Kearsarge and the Alabama. The battle had captured the imagination of the public, and Manet was no exception. Determined to capture the essence of the event in his artwork, Manet created an oil painting that he called ‘The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama’. The painting depicted the two ships engaged in fierce combat on the sea. In July 1864, the painting was displayed in the window of French printer, writer and publisher Alfred Cadart’s print shop in Paris. It was the first known seascape by Manet and received widespread acclaim for its imaginative depiction of the naval battle.
Why did Manet paint the battle between the Kearsarge and the Alabama?
History is evident that in the French press, the Kearsarge-Alabama conflict received a lot of attention as soon as it began. Manet started painting the battle shortly after, based on newspaper accounts, despite his absence from the event. He was able to show the work in Alfred Cadart’s art gallery on Rue de Richelieu in Paris just 26 days later. The painting showcases Alabama which is about to sink and the Kearsarge is just beyond, barely visible. The loosely painted masts and ropes are only partially visible in the dense smoke clouds. The Deerhound is probably to the right. A French ship rushes to the aid of sailors who have clung to a piece of the wreckage in the foreground. Even though Manet never witnessed the battle, it is said that he made a painting of it as an attempt to regain the respect of his colleagues after having been ridiculed for his works in the 1864 Salon. Manet painted a lot of sea and harbour views, but none of them is so well known. They were his only landscapes for a few years before he died. This probably has something to do with the numerous vacations he took along the Channel coast and the trip he took to Brazil when he was 16 years old. The high horizon in all of these seascapes is striking, possibly inspired by Japanese prints. The majority of the painting is taken up by the turquoise, blue, and grey sea that is foaming. However, Manet’s image of the maritime battle and his picture of the triumphant Kearsarge significantly impacted the course of French artworks. Manet’s style is notable for its loose brushwork and bold use of colour, creating a sense of movement and chaos in the scene. The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama is considered a masterpiece of maritime painting and an important work in Manet’s oeuvre, as it shows his interest in contemporary history and his ability to capture the spirit of the time.
The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama by Manet (Pic source: philamuseum.org)
The battle between the Kearsarge and the Alabama
In early June 1864, CSS Alabama returned to European waters after a successful two-year raid on American commercial shipping. The vessel arrived in Cherbourg, France on June 11 in dire need of repair. The USS Kearsarge became aware of Alabama’s presence and quickly made its way to Cherbourg, reaching it on the 14th. Due to the delay in repairs and the possibility of being unable to resume raiding, Alabama’s Captain Raphael Semmes challenged Kearsarge’s Captain John Winslow to a ship-to-ship duel. The battle, also known as the Battle of Cherbourg, Battle off Cherbourg, or the Sinking of CSS Alabama, resulted in 40 Confederate sailors being wounded or killed, with 19 losing their lives in action. Kearsarge took about 70 prisoners, while Deerhound, a British yacht that Captain Winslow requested to assist in the evacuation of Alabama’s crew, and three French pilot boats saved around thirty people. Deerhound chose to sail for Southampton instead of delivering the Confederates to Kearsarge, allowing Captain Semmes to escape. Kearsarge’s crew was incensed by this action and wanted to fire on the British yacht. However, Captain Winslow prevented the Confederates from being imprisoned. On the USS Kearsarge, three men were injured, and one of them died the following day.
The aftermath of the war and Manet’s masterpiece
This battle had a lasting impact on history and the arts and culture section of the society. After the battle, Confederate Captain Semmes stated that he would never have chosen to test USS Kearsarge had he known of her armour-clad protection. Inspired by the battle, Édouard Manet produced two paintings of the fight, The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama, now at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Kearsarge at Boulogne, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. American marine artist Xanthus Smith painted six versions of the naval battle. The most famous of these are in the collection of the Union League of Philadelphia. The wreck of the Alabama was discovered in November 1984 by the French minesweeper Circé at a depth of 60 meters (200 feet), or just under 10 kilometres north of the western methodologies of Cherbourg streets. On 23 March 1995, the CSS Alabama Association and the Naval History & Heritage Command signed an agreement to accredit the association for the archaeological survey of Alabama. Over 300 samples, including the ship’s bell, guns, a portion of the ship’s structure, furniture, and tableware, were recovered in 2002. Under a gun, a human jaw was discovered in 2004 and buried in Mobile, Alabama.
Manet’s painting serves as a testament to how quickly and powerfully art can respond to current events and inspire people for generations to come.
Next up in Behind the Art: The Battle of San Romano: A Masterpiece of Italian Renaissance Art That Continues to Inspire
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The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama (Pic source: philamuseum.org) 
The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama by Manet (Pic source: philamuseum.org)
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