What do you think?
Rate this book
UnCivil Wars
The Slave-Trader's Letter-Book: Charles Lamar, the Wanderer, and Other Tales of the African Slave Trade
Long-lost letters tell the story of an illegal slave shipment, a desperate Savannah businessman, and the lead-up to the Civil War.
In 1858 Savannah businessman Charles Lamar, in violation of U.S. law, organized the shipment of hundreds of Africans on the luxury yacht Wanderer to Jekyll Island, Georgia. The four hundred survivors of the Middle Passage were sold into bondage. This was the first successful documented slave landing in the United States in about four decades, and it shocked a nation already on the path to civil war.
Nearly thirty years later, the North American Review published excerpts from thirty of Lamar's letters, reportedly taken from his letter book, which describe his criminal activities. However, the authenticity of the letters was in doubt until very recently. In the twenty-first century, researcher Jim Jordan found a cache of private papers belonging to Charles Lamar's father, stored for decades in an attic in New Jersey. Among the documents was Charles Lamar's letter book--confirming him as the author.
The first part of this book recounts the flamboyant and reckless life of Lamar himself, including involvement in southern secession, the slave trade, and a plot to overthrow the government of Cuba. A portrait emerges at odds with Lamar's previous image as a savvy entrepreneur and principled rebel. Instead, we see a man who was often broke and whose volatility sabotaged him at every turn. His involvement in the slave trade was driven more by financial desperation than southern defiance. The second part presents the "Slave-Trader's Letter-Book." Together with annotations, these seventy long-lost letters shed light on the lead-up to the Civil War from the remarkable perspective of a troubled, and troubling, figure.
In 1858 Savannah businessman Charles Lamar, in violation of U.S. law, organized the shipment of hundreds of Africans on the luxury yacht Wanderer to Jekyll Island, Georgia. The four hundred survivors of the Middle Passage were sold into bondage. This was the first successful documented slave landing in the United States in about four decades, and it shocked a nation already on the path to civil war.
Nearly thirty years later, the North American Review published excerpts from thirty of Lamar's letters, reportedly taken from his letter book, which describe his criminal activities. However, the authenticity of the letters was in doubt until very recently. In the twenty-first century, researcher Jim Jordan found a cache of private papers belonging to Charles Lamar's father, stored for decades in an attic in New Jersey. Among the documents was Charles Lamar's letter book--confirming him as the author.
The first part of this book recounts the flamboyant and reckless life of Lamar himself, including involvement in southern secession, the slave trade, and a plot to overthrow the government of Cuba. A portrait emerges at odds with Lamar's previous image as a savvy entrepreneur and principled rebel. Instead, we see a man who was often broke and whose volatility sabotaged him at every turn. His involvement in the slave trade was driven more by financial desperation than southern defiance. The second part presents the "Slave-Trader's Letter-Book." Together with annotations, these seventy long-lost letters shed light on the lead-up to the Civil War from the remarkable perspective of a troubled, and troubling, figure.
352 pages, ebook
Published January 15, 2018
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 23, 2017
As a history buff and researcher, this title appealed to me right away. I am from the Brunswick/Jekyll Island area and my family has been there since before we were a country.
Lamar is a reckless and troubled man. Having his livelihood pretty much handed to him by his father, he proceeds to run every business he touches into the ground.
The book give the reader quite a bit of information that even I haven't seen before. These letters are a valuable piece of history not only for Georgia but for the entire country. I would hope that this information would be widely spread in our schools.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone searching for answers about our beginnings and what almost tore our country apart.
Lamar is a reckless and troubled man. Having his livelihood pretty much handed to him by his father, he proceeds to run every business he touches into the ground.
The book give the reader quite a bit of information that even I haven't seen before. These letters are a valuable piece of history not only for Georgia but for the entire country. I would hope that this information would be widely spread in our schools.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone searching for answers about our beginnings and what almost tore our country apart.
May 7, 2018
The author does and excellent job of presenting an academic text in a very readable, and enjoyable fashion. As a student of U.S. southern history, this is a must read. The aspect of states desire to reopen slave trade in the 1850's and 60's is often overlooked.
December 29, 2017
I have not read much about the Wanderer and Charles Lamar in the past, but these letters and Jordan's book are a valuable piece of American History. Jordan uses the book to give information in two ways: the first part a narrative of Lamar's life, the second: his letters. The first helps readers understand bits of the man, the second the slave trade. Jordan also makes good use of other sources to comprise a complete work that can interest anyone that enjoys American history. Reading the book makes one wonder what else is hiding in an old attic, or what is being squiralled away from the eyes of historians that could add valuable information about America's past. Occasionally, I got lost in all the names and places, but I still enjoyed reading this book, which is why I only give it 3 stars (I read a lot of history and nonfiction, and do not usually get lost when reading). I would recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about the African slave trade and the type of people that would engage in such behavior.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.
April 28, 2018
The Slave-Trader's Letter-Book, by southern historian Jim Jordan, follows the scandalous but true actions of one Charles Lamar of Savannah as he wages his own personal war to keep slavery alive. It is a thoroughly researched and documented book, including 70 long-lost pre-Civil War letters...an amazing find that Jordan made in a dusty New Jersey attic, while working with the Georgia Historical Society.
The Slave-Trader's Letter-Book helps to explain how complicated the issue of slavery was in the South and what great lengths people went to justify and keep this "peculiar institution," as it was called. Like so many issues in politics, in the end, it all comes down to money. What did Deep Throat from the Watergate scandal say? "Follow the money." This book helps to dispel the myth that the South was fighting for anything but slavery. The South needed slaves to keep their agrarian economy going.
Jordan's book sheds some light on why this issue of slavery continues to vex us today. And why we need to pay attention to its ramifications on our society. We haven't dealt with it all yet. Fascinating history.
The Slave-Trader's Letter-Book helps to explain how complicated the issue of slavery was in the South and what great lengths people went to justify and keep this "peculiar institution," as it was called. Like so many issues in politics, in the end, it all comes down to money. What did Deep Throat from the Watergate scandal say? "Follow the money." This book helps to dispel the myth that the South was fighting for anything but slavery. The South needed slaves to keep their agrarian economy going.
Jordan's book sheds some light on why this issue of slavery continues to vex us today. And why we need to pay attention to its ramifications on our society. We haven't dealt with it all yet. Fascinating history.
September 27, 2017
I had never heard of the story of Charles Lamar and the tale of the Wanderer before. It was eye opening and shocking. The one thing I would have liked to have known....whatever happened to the Africans that landed in the U.S. from the Wanderer.
I think that the author needed to stay focused more on the important details...I got lost in the names and places of all that was happening.
I think that the author needed to stay focused more on the important details...I got lost in the names and places of all that was happening.
January 31, 2019
An unaccountable son and "gentleman hero" of the peculiar institution know as slavery.
Misguided, undisciplined and bumbling, Charles Lamar, facilitated by his father, somehow managed to die a hero in a lost cause. This story is a worthy epilogue for the human tragedy that was the slave trade.
Misguided, undisciplined and bumbling, Charles Lamar, facilitated by his father, somehow managed to die a hero in a lost cause. This story is a worthy epilogue for the human tragedy that was the slave trade.
October 26, 2019
I skimmed the letters, but enjoyed this local history.
February 13, 2020
Excellent work. Easy to read and understand and informative. Being in the Savannah area and studying the surrounding areas it definitely gives excellent insight into the times.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews