Pirates, Privateers, and Rebel Raiders of the Carolina Coast
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- 15,99 €
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- 15,99 €
Publisher Description
North Carolina possesses one of the longest, most treacherous coastlines in the United States, and the waters off its shores have been the scene of some of the most dramatic episodes of piracy and sea warfare in the nation's history. Now, Lindley Butler brings this fascinating aspect of the state's maritime heritage vividly to life. He offers engaging biographical portraits of some of the most famous pirates, privateers, and naval raiders to ply the Carolina waters.
Covering 150 years, from the golden age of piracy in the 1700s to the extraordinary transformation of naval warfare ushered in by the Civil War, Butler sketches the lives of eight intriguing characters: the pirate Blackbeard and his contemporary Stede Bonnet; privateer Otway Burns and naval raider Johnston Blakeley; and Confederate raiders James Cooke, John Maffitt, John Taylor Wood, and James Waddell. Penetrating the myths that have surrounded these legendary figures, he uncovers the compelling true stories of their lives and adventures.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Covering the period from the early 1700s to the end of the Civil War, Butler, history professor emeritus at North Carolina's Rockingham Community College, paints eight compelling sketches of the rogues and Confederate ship captains who operated in the state's coastal waters. Blackbeard springs to life in the book's first biography--he had retired from pirating when he was killed by a naval expedition hired by the Virginia provincial government. Following an equally interesting portrait of pirate Stede Bonney, Butler examines two War of 1812 commerce raiders. Otway Burns captained the Snap Dragon, which ranged from the Caribbean to Canada, seizing several British merchantmen and fighting a few sea battles with armed vessels. Johnston Blakeley piloted the sloop Wasp into the English Channel, panicking English businessmen and driving insurance rates upward with every ship he seized as a prize. During the Civil War, John N. Maffitt, John Taylor Wood and James I. Waddell all commanded Southern commerce raiders that operated at one time or another from Wilmington, Del. Butler vividly recounts the deeds of this group of men, chronicles their lives and ultimate fates and, in general, provides an eminently readable and accurate tale of the region's rascals. Photos and maps.