Father: Raphael Semmes
Mother: Matilda Neale Jenkins;
Cousin: Raphael Semmes, Commander, "Alabama", Confederate Navy
1850 - A.B. degree, Georgetown College, Georgetown, District of Columbia
1850 - Medical student, Northwest Ward of Georgetown, District of Columbia
1851 - M.D. degree, The National Medical College of the Columbian University, Washington, District of Columbia (from: Washington, DC; preceptor: Dr. Grafton Tyler)
1851-1852 - Attended clinical lectures in London, England and Paris, France
1852 - Corresponding secretary of the American Medical Association in Paris
1852 - Author of paper, "Medical Sketches in Paris"
1852 - A.M. degree, Georgetown College, Georgetown, District of Columbia
1855 - Author of paper, "Poisoning by Strychnia"
01/03/1855 - Elected treasurer, Medical Society of the District of Columbia
1857 - Author of paper, "Report on the Medico-Legal Duties of Coroners", Philadelphia, PA
1858-1859 - One of the secretaries of the American Medical Association
- Physician to the U.S. Jail, Washington, DC
1860 - Practiced medicine, 345 19th St. West, Washington, DC
1860-1861 - Resident physician, New Orleans Charity Hospital, New Orleans, LA
06/00/1861 - Surgeon, 8th LA Infantry, Camp Pickens [VA]
07/04/1861 - Appointed Surgeon from Louisiana, Provisional Army of the Confederate States, to rank from 06/19/1861
07/06/1861 - Received 1 wall tent, 3 hospital tents, & 1 Bell tent for use of the 8th LA Infantry
08/00/1861 - Surgeon, 8th LA Infantry, 8th Brigade, Camp Pickens [VA]
08/23/1861 - Surgeon, 8th Regt., Army of the Potomac, Camp Bienville [near Centreville, Fairfax Co., VA]
09/18/1861 - Relieved from duty with the 8th LA Infantry
09/27/1861 - Surgeon, 8th LA Infantry
10/23/1861 - Surgeon, 8th LA Infantry, 8th Brigade, 1st Corps, Manassas Junction, VA
10/23/1861 - Received an ambulance for the 8th LA Infantry from a Quarter Master
11/00/1861 - Surgeon, 8th LA Infantry, Camp Florida, VA
12/10/1861 - Surgeon, 8th LA Infantry, Camp Florida, VA
12/23/1861 - Absent from the 8th LA Infantry on sick certificate
02/07/1862 - Relieved from duty as Surgeon, 8th LA Infantry
02/05/1862 - Confirmed as Surgeon by the Confederate States Senate
02/11/1862 - Detailed as member, Confederate Army Board of Medical Examination, Army of the Potomac, near Manassas, VA [S.O. 34/2]
06/18/1862 - Relieved from duty as member, Army Board of Medical Examination and ordered to report to Gen. T. J. Jackson, commanding Valley District [S.O. 140/9]
08/07/1862 - Surgeon, 8th LA Infantry
09/30/1862 - Senior Surgeon, 1st Louisiana Brigade, Winchester, VA
11/13/1862 - "An Army Medical Board composed of the following officers is detailed for the examination of medical officers and applicants for appointment in the
Medical Department, serving with the army under the command of General Robert E. Lee: Surgeon J. P. Smith, president; Surgeons A. J. Semmes....The junior member will act as recorder." [S.O. 266/16]
11/27/1862 - Absent, sick
12/02/1862 - Furloughed as Surgeon, 8th LA Infantry
02/07/1863 - "Surgeon A. J. Semmes is relieved from further duty with the Eighth Louisiana Volunteers, and will report to Surgeon W. A. Carrington, medical director, &c., in this city, for temporary duty as hospital inspector." [S.O. 32/24]
03/09/1863 - "Surgeon S. M. Bemiss will relieve Surgeon [A. J.] Semmes as member of
the army medical board Army of Northern Virginia." [S.O. 57/5]
03/27/1863 - Surgeon and Hospital Inspector, Wilmington, NC
04/30/1863 - Ordered to make a general inspection of the Confederate hospitals at Danville, VA and especially to inspect and report the examination and condition of Div. #1, Gen. Hospital #1, Danville, VA
05/12/1863 - Ordered to report to Surgeon [Alexander Gallatin] Lane in charge of Camp Winder Hospital to take temporary charge of the 3rd Division
05/13/1863 - Directed to act as Gen. Inspector to the whole Hospital [Winder Hospital, Richmond, VA] subject to the orders of the Surgeon-in-Charge [Surgeon A.G. Lane]
07/01/1863 - "Surgeon A. J. Semmes is relieved from the operation of Paragraph XXIV, Special Orders No. 32, current series, and will report to Surgeon W. A. Carrington, medical director &c., for assignment to duty." [S.O. 156/11]
07/20/1863 - "The following medical officers will report to Surgeon F. W. Hancock, in charge of the Jackson Hospital: Surgeons...A. J. Semmes.." [S.O. 171/3]
07/20/1863 - Assigned as Surgeon-in-charge, Jackson Hospital, Div. 3, Richmond, VA
08/18/1863 - Surgeon-in-charge, Jackson Hospital, Div. 3, Richmond, VA
10/00/1863 - Surgeon-in-charge, Jackson Hospital, Div. 3, Richmond, VA
01/06/1864 - Granted leave of absence for 25 days
02/13/1864 - Surgeon-in-charge, Jackson Hospital, 3rd Division, Richmond, VA
03/00/1864 - Surgeon-in-charge, Jackson Hospital, 3rd Division, Richmond, VA
03/00/1864 - Senior Surgeon, Confederate Army Board of Medical Examination
04/00/1864 - Surgeon-in-charge, Jackson Hospital, 3rd Division, Richmond, VA
04/06/1864 - Senior Surgeon, Army Board of Medical Examination, Jackson Hospital, Richmond, VA
05/00/1864 - Surgeon-in-charge, Jackson Hospital, 3rd Division, Richmond, VA
05/04/1864 - "I have the honour to report that in consequence of the temporary closure of the Division of which I have charge, for the purpose of cleansing and making repairs, I have no monthly report of sick and wounded to forward [to the Confederate Surgeon General S. P. Moore] for the month of April" signed A. J. Semmes, Surg-in-charge, 3rd Division [Jackson Hospital]
05/15/1864 - Ordered to report to Medical Director [Samuel] Choppin, Drewry's Bluff [VA] for temporary duty with the Reserve Surgical Corps [per Medical Director's Office, Richmond, VA]
05/20/1864 - Relieved from temporary duty with the Reserve Surgical Corps at Drewry's Bluff and ordered to report back to his former post for duty
06/02/1864 - Relieved from duty on the Reserve Surgical Corps and ordered to report to former post as Surg.-in-charge, 3rd Div., Jackson Hosp., Richmond, VA
06/02/1864 - Relieved from being in Surgeon-in- charge, Div. 3, Jackson Hospital and ordered to act as Senior Surgeon, [Confederate] Army Medical Examining Board for Jackson, Louisiana, & Stuart Hospitals [Richmond, VA]
07/00/1864 - Surgeon, Jackson Hospital, 3rd Division, Richmond, VA
08/11/1864 - Acting Surgeon-in-charge for Surgeon F. W. Hancock, Jackson Hospital, Richmond, VA
09/10/1864 - Surgeon, Jackson Hospital, Stuart Hospital, & Louisiana Hospital, Richmond, VA
11/00/1864 - Surgeon, Jackson Hospital, 3rd Division, Richmond, VA
09/22/1864 - Based on a Certificate of Disability stating that Dr. Semmes was suffering from diarrhea and intermittent fever, leave was granted from Jackson Hospital, Richmond, VA, for 25 days. Note - twelve days later he married.
10/04/1864 - Married, Sarah "Sallie" Lowndes Berrien, Savannah, GA [she died in 1872]
1864 - Author of paper, "Gun-shot Wounds"
01/06/1865 - Surgeon, Jackson Hospital, Richmond, VA
02/15/1865 - Member, Board of Survey, etc. Richmond, VA [S.O. 38/6]
03/31/1865 - Relieved Surgeon F. Wright as Senior Surgeon of Army Medical Examining Board at Winder Hospital, Richmond, VA
04/03/1865 - Surrendered, Richmond, VA
04/11/1865 (or 04/16/1865) - Paroled, Richmond, VA
07/00/1866 - Author of paper, "Surgical Notes of the Late War", New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal, vol. 19, pp. 65-71.
1866 - Author of paper, "Re-vaccination: It's Importance"
1866-1867 - Visiting physician, New Orleans Charity Hospital, New Orleans, LA
1867 - Moved to Savannah, GA
1870-1873 - Professor of Physiology, Savannah Medical College, Savannah, GA
1872 - Member, Medical Society of Georgia
1872 - Member, American Medical Association
02/28/1872 - Wife, Sarah, died, Savannah, Chatham Co., GA
1874 - Practiced medicine, Savannah, Chatham Co., GA
1875 - Author of paper, "The Influence of Yellow Fever on Pregnancy and Parturition", read before the Georgia State Medical Society
~1875 - Decided to "devote himself to the service of God in the priesthood of the Catholic church . . . he applied for admission to the diocese of Savannah" and was accepted as a candidate for the priesthood.
~1875 - Entered Pio Nono College, for preparatory theological studies
~1877-1878 - Studied at St. Vincent's Monastery, Latrobe, PA, under Benedictine Fathers
1878 - Returned to Savannah, GA, and was ordained as a Catholic priest
~1879 - Performed parish work in Georgia
1880 - Priest and professor, Pio Nono College, Vineville District, Bibb Co., GA
1886 - President, Pio Nono College, Macon, Bibb Co., GA
1891 - Performed missionary work in Georgia while stationed in Sharon, GA, as chaplain to the community school and asylum of the Sisters of St. Joseph
~1895 - Suffered a "stroke of paralysis" making him a partial invalid
~1895 - Moved to New Orleans to live with his brother, Hon. T. J. Semmes
09/20/1898 - Died, New Orleans, LA (buried: Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans, LA)

Barbara Munson and Bob Krick provided input to this biography.

This biographical sketch is from:
Hambrecht, F.T. & Koste, J.L., Biographical
register of physicians who served the
Confederacy in a medical capacity.
10/21/2014. Unpublished database.

The following was added by Barbara Munson, the creator of this memorial:
Surgeon, Civil War, Confederate Army
Served as staff Surgeon for the 8th Louisiana Infantry and as director of Hospitals in Richmond, Virginia.
Became a priest after his wife died. Brother of Thomas J. Semmes.