USS Constellation on the Dismal Coast

Willie Leonard's Journal, 1859-1861

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877)
Cover of the book USS Constellation on the Dismal Coast by William N. Still Jr., University of South Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: William N. Still Jr. ISBN: 9781611172904
Publisher: University of South Carolina Press Publication: December 15, 2013
Imprint: University of South Carolina Press Language: English
Author: William N. Still Jr.
ISBN: 9781611172904
Publisher: University of South Carolina Press
Publication: December 15, 2013
Imprint: University of South Carolina Press
Language: English

Today the twenty-gun sloop USS Constellation is a floating museum in Baltimore Harbor; in 1859 it was an emblem of the global power of the American sailing navy. When young William E. Leonard boarded the Constellation as a seaman for what proved to be a twenty-month voyage to the African coast, he began to compose a remarkable journal. Sailing from Boston, the Constellation, flagship of the U.S. African Squadron, was charged with the interception and capture of slave-trading vessels illegally en route from Africa to the Americas. During the Constellation’s deployment, the squadron captured a record number of these ships, liberating their human cargo and holding the captains and crews for criminal prosecution. At the same time, tensions at home and in the squadron increased as the American Civil War approached and erupted in April 1861. Leonard recorded not only historic events but also fascinating details about his daily life as one of the nearly 400-member crew. He saw himself as not just a diarist, but a reporter, making special efforts to seek out and record information about individual crewmen, shipboard practices, recreation and daily routine—from deck swabbing and standing watch to courts martial and dramatic performances by the Constellation Dramatic Society. This good-humored gaze into the lives and fortunes of so many men stationed aboard a distinguished American warship makes Gilliland’s edition of Willie Leonard’s journal a significant work of maritime history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Today the twenty-gun sloop USS Constellation is a floating museum in Baltimore Harbor; in 1859 it was an emblem of the global power of the American sailing navy. When young William E. Leonard boarded the Constellation as a seaman for what proved to be a twenty-month voyage to the African coast, he began to compose a remarkable journal. Sailing from Boston, the Constellation, flagship of the U.S. African Squadron, was charged with the interception and capture of slave-trading vessels illegally en route from Africa to the Americas. During the Constellation’s deployment, the squadron captured a record number of these ships, liberating their human cargo and holding the captains and crews for criminal prosecution. At the same time, tensions at home and in the squadron increased as the American Civil War approached and erupted in April 1861. Leonard recorded not only historic events but also fascinating details about his daily life as one of the nearly 400-member crew. He saw himself as not just a diarist, but a reporter, making special efforts to seek out and record information about individual crewmen, shipboard practices, recreation and daily routine—from deck swabbing and standing watch to courts martial and dramatic performances by the Constellation Dramatic Society. This good-humored gaze into the lives and fortunes of so many men stationed aboard a distinguished American warship makes Gilliland’s edition of Willie Leonard’s journal a significant work of maritime history.

More books from University of South Carolina Press

Cover of the book Speaking Qur'an by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book The Chief Justiceship of Melville W. Fuller, 1888-1910 by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book State of the Heart by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book The Egret's Plumes by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book Understanding Sharon Olds by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book Hindu Ritual at the Margins by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book Listening to the Logos by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book From Revolution to Reunion by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book Uptown/Downtown in Old Charleston by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book The Antipedo Baptists of Georgetown County, South Carolina, 1710-2010 by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book On the Waters of the Wissahickon by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book Critical Approaches to Joseph Conrad by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book Jewish Sanctuary in the Atlantic World by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book Ghosts of the Southern Mountains and Appalachia by William N. Still Jr.
Cover of the book Found Anew by William N. Still Jr.
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy