author
Thomas E. Taylor
A seafaring memoirist with a taste for danger, this writer left behind a vivid firsthand account of blockade-running during the American Civil War. His best-known book drops readers into a world of fast steamers, close escapes, and wartime risk on the open sea.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Little confirmed biographical information is easy to pin down about Thomas E. Taylor himself, but his name is closely tied to Running the Blockade, a late 19th-century memoir about his experiences during the American Civil War.
Published by John Murray in 1896, Running the Blockade: A Personal Narrative of Adventures, Risks, and Escapes During the American Civil War presents life at sea from the viewpoint of someone directly involved in blockade-running. The book is remembered for its lively detail, practical knowledge of ships and ports, and strong sense of danger.
For listeners interested in naval history, wartime memoirs, and true adventure, Taylor's work offers an unusually immediate voice. Even where the facts of his personal life remain hard to confirm, his writing still stands out as a gripping witness account from a dramatic chapter of 19th-century history.