The "Nearly" Shell

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At right is a photograph of the "nearly" shell.

Fired from theAlabama during the heat of the battle with the Kearsage

This defective shell lodged in the sternpost of the Kearsage, but failed to explode, and was undoubtedly the defining moment of this fight.
Had this shell performed as expected, the stern of the Kearsage would have been irrepairably damaged, leaving Semmes to finish her off at his leisure.

From that point on the Kearsage started to gain the upper hand, and eventually sank the Alabama

The shell, still lodged in the sternpost, was presented to Abraham Lincoln as a trophy of war.

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