Upcoming Conference

The North Carolina Maritime History Council will hold its annual conference Thursday, September 30 through Saturday, October 2 in the colonial capital of New Bern. While very little of the conference program focuses on the Civil War, the featured keynote speaker at Friday evening's dinner will be Dr. Craig Symonds. He will be discussing the naval war in North Carolina. Also, on Saturday morning, yours truly will be presenting a talk on the USS Underwriter Expedition in February 1864 and the impact that raid had on the officer corps of the Confederate ironclad CSS Neuse. Take a look at the Council's website linked above and click on the Annual Conference link for more information. Anyone interested in maritime history is sure to find something of interest.

"Daar kom die Alibama"

Rarely do scholars note the impact the Civil War had on other countries, especially non-European ones. The South African folksong “Daar kom die Alibama” is a great example of the influence of international Civil War naval operations.

Daar kom die Alibama,
Die Alibama, die kom oor die see,
Daar kom die Alibama,
Die Alibama, die kom oor die see...
Nooi, nooi die rietkooi nooi,
Die rietkooi is gemaak,
Die rietkooi is vir my gemaak,
Om daarop te slaap...
O Alibama, die Alibama,
O Alibama, die kom oor die see,
O Alibama, die Alibama,
O Alibama, die kom oor die see...
There comes the Alabama,
The Alabama, it comes o'er the sea,
There comes the Alabama,
The Alabama, it comes o'er the sea...
Lass, lass, the reed bed calls,
The reed bed it is made,
The reed bed it is made for me,
To sleep upon...
Oh Alabama, the Alabama,
Oh Alabama, it comes o'er the sea,
Oh Alabama, the Alabama,
Oh Alabama, it comes o'er the sea...

This song speaks of the CSS Alabama’s expeditionary raid around the Cape of Good Hope in 1863. During the raid, the CSS Alabama and the CSS Tuscaloosa captured approximately five ships. Despite not incurring as many prizes in South Africa as it did in other areas of the world, the CSS Alabama left a definite mark on Cape Town’s history and culture.