Rear Admiral Raphael Semmes (1807–1877) was born in Charles County, attended Charlotte Hall Military Academy, served in the U.S. Navy during the Mexican War, and practiced law. Commissioned in the C.S.N. in 1861, he captained the C.S.S. Sumter and later commanded the C.S.S. Alabama. He became the Confederacy’s most successful raider with 82 naval victories, and in 1865 he was promoted to admiral and commanded the James River Squadron. After hostilities ended, he returned to the practice of law in Alabama.