Captain Dave versus the Yankees
I’m off this bright Saturday to give a couple of presentations in Houston. The first, “Captain Dave versus the Yankees,” should be a fun one, although a little rough because it’s new material that I haven’t presented before. It’s the outgrowth of an anecdote I told in the blockade running book, about a local mariner who successfully recaptured his schooner from a Federal boarding party. (He may even have done it on two separate occasions, although affirming that requires more digging.) I met some of Captain Dave’s descendants over the summer, which has served as an impetus to dive further into his story. It should be a lot of fun.
Then in the afternoon I’ll be at the Houston History Book Fair, at the Julia Ideson Building downtown. Lots of good authors and publications there.
The image above is by Michael Codd, from Mark Lloyd’s Combat Uniforms of the Civil War. It’s supposed to depict a Confederate privateer, although apart from the revolver it would serve nicely for a blockade-running master, as well. The civilian clothes and lantern are particularly appropriate. Blockade runners generally went unarmed, although in the struggle for Sting Ray, Captain Dave did take trouble to relieve the Union officer of his pistol.
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Dead Confederates, A Civil War Era Blog 
I thought the picture looked familiar–I have that book, too. I’ve always found the blockade runners and privateers interesting. A friend of mine knows a fellow here in town who builds incredibly detailed models and dioramas of blockade-running scenes from the War; he’s done a great one of three runners docked together at a wharf in Nassau. This guy also owns the original logbook of one of these skippers; I can’t remember now whose it was. Wish I could be there to hear your presentation!
It’s a fun talk to do, because it’s light-hearted but also includes some background material about running the blockade under sail.