An American Civil War Battle Took Place off the Coast of France

The American Civil War is something you may be familiar with if you've taken an American history course. Slavery-related concerns were the main focus of the war between the Union and the Confederacy. Given the hazy division of forces, the conflict can be said to have been fought between the North and the South. However, in general, the North and South division applied specifically to the United States. The Battle of Cherbourg then took place.

Cherbourg is not located in a state that is in the north or the south. It is not at all in the United States. It is in France instead. The CSS Alabama, a confederate ship, and the USS Kearsarge, a Union ship, engaged in combat in a naval action off the coast.

The Alabama was in France getting updated and fixed. When Kearsarge heard about it, he went to investigate. A few days later, the captains of the two ships set out for the fight they had planned to have in international seas, but the Alabama was not in a position to engage in combat. Their ammunition was poor; in fact, one shell even struck an enemy sternpost and didn't explode. It is currently on display in a museum. The Alabama eventually capitulated to the Union ship and sunk. Many of the crew were saved by the Kearsarge and a British yacht, however some of the crew perished.