The romance of the Carolina coast has an unparalleled reputation. Pirates, hurricanes and disasters at sea have littered the dunes with legends and ghost stories. Treasure is still thought to be buried here, just waiting for the next storm to uncover its presence. Precisely because some of the stories are so old (English settlers’ first attempts at a colony occurred in the early 1600’s), and there is so little documentation, the legends of the dangerous Carolina waters have only grown with the retelling. The stories of the men who haunted the myriad of inlets and byways have stirred the imaginations of the generations who followed after. In the centuries since Blackbeard conducted his reign of terror on the coastal shipping lanes, and since the last of the blockade-runners slipped past patrolling Union gunboats many writers have eulogized (or vilified) the men behind the legends. But until recently, very few have ever attempted to separate truth from fiction, or fact from fantasy.

In the latter half of this century, scholars have attempted to reclaim the “real men” that have inspired the romance around pirates and blockade runners. But it hasn’t been easy. When all the facts are collected about Blackbeard, one finds that we are not even sure of his real name, nor do we know where he was born, what he did as a young man, or how often he was married. In deed, about the only certain thing is that the pirate did sport a large black beard.

In Pirates, Privateers and Rebel Raiders of the Carolina Coast, historian Lyndley S. Butler attempts to recreate the real people behind many of the legends. The book has nine chapters, each devoted to the life and seafaring career of a famous captain. The commonality between all nine men, whose lives span some 200 years, is merely that they were native to North Carolina, or earned their reputations in her waters. The chapters are arranged chronologically, beginning naturally with Blackbeard (aka Edward Thatch) and Stede Bonnet, and ending with the surrender of the Confederacy when the last of the blockade runners, James I Waddell brought his ship into port and turned her over to the British Government. The list of nine includes many well-known names, but also many who, while celebrated during their naval careers, died in poverty and obscurity. Only in the last 50 years, with the increased interest in naval adventures, have their names been resurrected: Otway Burns, captain of the infamous Snap Dragon, which harried the British during the war of 1812, or John Moffitt, Captain of the Confederate Ship The CSS Florida, and a native of Wilmington, who did untold damage to the Union Merchant Marine.

The author himself is a historian with a passion for naval military history. An expert diver, he has participated in the exploration and recovery of the ship believed to be The Queen Anne’s Revenge- Blackbeard’s Flagship. In each section, Butler takes pains to make it clear what is documented fact, and what is not. But the wealth of historical detail he provides in no way detracts from what are basically a collection of exciting stories about fascinating people. Fans of “The Perfect Storm” will appreciate the many descriptions of sea captains’ efforts to keep their ships afloat in gale-force winds. Nautical historians will appreciate Butler’s lucid explanations of the economics of piracy.

Several of the author’s claims are sure to raise a few eyebrows. He suggests, for example, that the Confederacy’s neglect of her navy was a major reason for the loss of the war. He also makes a case for the egalitarian nature of the pirate community: The captain of a ship could be voted out of office, for example, if the crew felt he wasn’t capturing enough booty. While both claims are sure to raise a host of objections from many parties, there is no denying that Butler makes a good case for all his arguments, and provides enough evidence to make his case.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the book comes near the end, when Butler discusses the career of James W. Cook, captain of the CSS Albemarle, the Confederacy’s most notorious ironclad warship. The Albemarle was very nearly an invincible boat. Union shot pattered off her metal sides. Her low profile defeated most Union cannon. Even when the Union boats sacrificed themselves to ram her head on, they came away the worse for it, while the Albemarle righted herself and steamed relentlessly on. The noise and confusion of battle must have been intense on the ship- no one had thought soundproofing necessary and the rain of shot and cannon on her metal hull was at times so loud that it gave the crew concussions. To serve on the Albemarle was to go deaf.

The Albemarle and other ironclads represented a major change in naval warfare. Up until the beginning of the Civil War, the design of sailing vessels had not changed significantly over the previous two hundred years. Boats became slimmer, lighter, and faster. They even incorporated steam engines. But as Butler points out, Edward Thatch could have found his way around the sleekest blockade runner with no trouble. But the ironclads were a totally new kind of boat. Modern warfare had begun.