On June 19, 1864, the luxury British yacht Deerhound, owned by John Lancaster, Wigan industrialist, found itself unexpectedly drawn into one of the most famous naval duels of the American Civil War. This encounter, between the Confederate raider CSS Alabama and the Union warship USS Kearsarge, unfolded off the coast of Cherbourg, France, and ended in the sinking of the Alabama. Lancaster and the Deerhound played a crucial role in the aftermath of the battle.
The life of John Lancaster and his involvement in the American Civil War is admirably covered in the Farthingale Publications.
Below are extracts from the publication "Two Years on the Alabama" which details a report from Evans Parry Jones, Captain of the Deerhound. Images of the Lancaster family, letters from the Confederates States, and Jefferson Davis, first and only president from 1861 to 1865.
The Lancaster family who witnessed the naval battle.
Correspondence from the US Confederate States
Jefferson Davies