The Blockade Runners

by Jules Verne

"The Blockade Runners" (French: Les forceurs de blocus) is a 1865 short story by Jules Verne. In 1871 it was published in single volume together with novel A Floating City as a part of the Voyages Extraordinaires series (The Extraordinary Voyages). An English translation was published in 1874.
The American Civil War plot centers on the exploits of a British merchant captain named James Playfair who must break the Union blockade of Charleston harbor in South Carolina to trade supplies for cotton.
Verne's tale was inspired by reality as many ships were actually lost while acting as blockade runners in and around Charleston in the early 1860s.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Adventure, Historical Fiction, War, Science Fiction, Historical

68 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1865

About the author

Novels of French writer Jules Gabriel Verne, considered the founder of modern science fiction, include Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873).

This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).

Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...

Reviews

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting adventure, and sweet romance. One of Verne's better novellas.
Definately worth a read!

[Henry David Llantoy Sandoval · Rating 3 out of 5]

“El agradecimiento no debe impedir que le hable con absoluta franqueza.”

1862 Reino Unido & Estados Unidos

Es una parábola sobre la perseverancia y la convicción. Virtudes que a veces nacen en una situación estéril como la guerra.
En 1862 EE.UU. se encuentra en una guerra civil, la guerra de Secesión. Los estados del Norte están a favor de la abolición de la esclavitud (federales) y los del sur en contra (confederados). Entre otras consecuencias, esta guerra civil imposibilita el comercio y envío del algodón a Glasgow, Reino Unido. Las industrias británicas quiebran y “millones de trabajadores se veían obligados a implorar la caridad pública y perecían de hambre”.

James Playfair, proviene de una familia dueña de una industria textil en Glasgow. Ante esta situación toma una decisión: “Iré a buscar algodón y lo traeré, cueste lo que cueste”. Propone a su tío emprender un negocio mercantil, construir un buque de gran capacidad (El Delfín) y cargarlo de municiones de guerra, víveres y prendas de vestir. Será el capitán del navío, conseguirá unos valerosos marineros, cruzará el bloqueo norteamericano en Charleston, venderá la mercancía a un alto precio a los confederados que lo necesiten y volverá con el cargamento de algodón.

Jenny Halliburtt, es hija de un periodista norteamericano, hecho prisionero por sus ideas abolicionistas. Ella comparte con firmeza los mismos ideales, desea realizar su último viaje y reencontrarse con su padre. Pero ¿Cómo podría emprender ese viaje imposible a EE.UU? No hay ningún navío abiertamente disponible para efectuar tal viaje.

Maese Crokston, fiel servidor de la familia Halliburtt y de Jenny Halliburtt. Un hombre agradecido con una adhesión sin límites, "no se desanimaba nunca, sabiendo salir de apuros en las circunstancias más difíciles". La valentía y astucia de Crokston es admirable, descubrirá de alguna manera el destino del Delfín y armará un plan arriesgado para que ambos puedan subir a bordo y puedan mantenerse a flote.

Las tres vidas se reunirán en el Delfín, en una situación difícil y adversa. Y sus virtudes los impulsarán a tomar decisiones cuando no existen probabilidades.

La personalidad de James Playfair es parecida a Phileas Fogg ("La vuelta al mundo en ochenta días"), es un tipo frío, autosuficiente y aunque tiene cierta empatía, "no era partidario de la esclavitud", intenta hacer negocios con los esclavistas. Ante todo era un comerciante. Sus ideas neutras serán debatidas por Jenny Halliburtt: "En la lucha americana la cuestión capital era la esclavitud, y que la guerra que hacía el norte al sur era más una guerra de moral y humanidad que una guerra política". A diferencia de Aouda ("La vuelta al mundo en ochenta días") mostrará su espíritu independiente, una personalidad serena, fuerte y reflexiva, "tenía ideas fijas sobre todo y las emitía con profunda conciencia, que penetraba en el corazón de James". Ella causa el punto de inflexión en sus vidas, a partir de ese momento la historia se convierte en un relato de búsqueda y rescate.

No es un relato simple, como parece ser a primera vista. El contexto histórico, las ideas políticas y las virtudes como la perseverancia y convicción son elementos que Julio Verne pudo haber desarrollado con mayor profundidad, pero que sigue siendo significativo.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

FRANÇAIS: Une nouvelle se déroulant pendant la guerre civile américaine, dans lequel un navire spécialement préparé tente de briser le blocus établi par les Nordistes sur les ports du Sud pour les empêcher de vendre du coton à la Grande Bretagne, provoquant le chaos dans l'industrie textile britannique.

La situation décrite dans l'industrie textile britannique m'a rappelé une nouvelle de Trollope que j'ai lue récemment, The Widow's Mite, l'une de celles que j'ai le plus aimées dans son recueil.

ESPAÑOL: Novela corta en el entorno de la guerra civil estadounidense, en la que un barco especialmente preparado intenta romper el bloqueo establecido por los nordistas sobre los puertos del sur, para impedir que comercien vendiendo algodón a Gran Bretaña, lo que provoca el caos en la industria textil británica.

La situación descrita en la industria textil británica me recordó un cuento de Trollope que he leído recientemente, El óbolo de la viuda, uno de los que más me han gustado de su colección. Es curioso que los traductores automáticos se empeñen en traducir la palabra óbolo como si significase "picadillo", acepción que no está reconocida por la RAE.

ENGLISH: A novelette set in the American Civil War, in which a specially prepared ship attempts to break the blockade established by the Northerners on southern ports to prevent them from trading cotton to Great Britain, causing chaos in the British textile industry.

The situation described in the British textile industry reminded me of a Trollope story I recently read, The Widow's Mite, one of those I liked best in his collection.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never underestimate the persuasive powers of a beautiful woman! The Blockade Runners isn't exactly a story most people would attribute to Jules Verne. This short story is about James Playfair and his exploits in breaking the Union blockade around Charleston Harbor. He proposes to his uncle Vince Playfair, a wealthy Scottish merchant, the building of a super-fast steamship to run ammunition and war supplies to the desperate southern troops and return filled with cotton. He first appears as a cold and ever-calculating businessman with only an eye for profitable trade. This no longer plays a role when he meets the stowaway Jenny Halliburtt. For this innocent child of misfortune he risks his fortune and his life. It is a very sweet, refreshing and extremely naïve short tale of love. This is very unlike a majority of the other books I’ve read by this author. It is a light and easy to read novella by a well known writer. Certainly worth the effort to read!

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of Verne's better stories. Perhaps the children liked it.

[Julien L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un bon 3,5/5 pour cette longue nouvelle d’une centaine de pages.

11ème opus des aventures extraordinaires de Verne, cette nouvelle nous embarque avec un forceur de blocus, le Delphin, qui part des côtes anglaises pour faire commerce avec l’Amérique du Nord en pleine guerre de sécession.

Tout bon négociant va chercher ses intérêts là où l’argent se fait le plus facilement. Le commerce d’armes en échange du coton (l’Angleterre alors en plein crise de coton à cette période) est un bon moyen de faire commerce et ce, peu importe si c’est avec les états de l’union ou les confédérés.
Mais c’est sans compter 2 passagers clandestins embarqués sous fausses-identités voir même travestis à bord…

L’aventure est la!
On retrouve une des passions de Verne pour les bateaux, la tension est présente, un peu d’humour mais beaucoup de sérieux sur fond d’une histoire d’amour qui se profile à l’horizon.

[Deity World · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as previous book A Floating City

[Ivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pas terrible question intrigue et résolution, mais donne une vision plutôt contemporaine à la guerre de Sécession aux États Unis

[Thomas Krippgans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packender Kurzroman.

[Rodolfo Alvarado L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro corto entretenido

[Ladiibbug · Rating 4 out of 5]

#8 Extraordinary Voyages

This is a very enjoyable seafaring adventure, a short story by Jules Verne, first published in 1871. Set in 1862 in Glasgow, Scotland, the Dolphin is a large ship specially designed for superior speed. An immense crowd is gathered for the launch due to the aura of mystery and secrecy surrounding this ship.

Her destination, cargo, and the reason for her unmatched speed are all unknown- "the diversity of opinion on [these] important subjects was indeed astonishing." The "best informed" said she is to take part in the Civil War tearing the U.S. apart, but the Dolphin's possible role is a mystery.

Vincent Playfair, shipowner and head of a powerful house of business, is purely a man of commerce. His nephew, James Playfair is "the boldest skipper of the British merchant marine". James presents his uncle with a daring scheme, which would earn them $2 million pounds.

The secret scheme is approved, and Captain James Playfair expertly manages the pre-launch secret details. Once at sea, the Captain encounters several surprises that no one could have foreseen, which makes this daring sea adventure even more dangerous and intriguing. I loved every page of this lively tale!

The Blockade Runners is one story in Jules Verne Omnibus, containing four Verne stories:

Around the World in Eighty Days; From the Earth to the Moon; Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the Mysterious Island.

This is my first Jules Verne book. Good Reads shows 68 (!) books in the Extraordinary Voyages
series, including most or all in this Omnibus. Very much looking forward to reading Verne, especially 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which many refer to as the first steampunk book.

[Marc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow... I've never rated a Jules Verne story so low, but this one was pretty underwhelming. The story takes place during the American Civil War, and there are some interesting cultural tidbits to appreciate, such as British outside views toward the diverse factions, Confederate viewpoints and the biased viewpoints of Cruxton and his mistress. Although specific arguments aren't given (it's only a short story after all), the sea voyage from England to Charleston shows a rapid change in the relationship between the captain, James Playfair, and his passenger Jenny Halliburtt. She sways his opinions from cold merchant anti-abolitionist to a romantic admirer willing to spring her father from prison in the pro-slavery South.

The plot is pretty basic for oceanic adventures of the time. The crew crosses the Atlantic with minimal danger, outruns the Federal blockade, does its trade, makes a ton of profit, springs Halliburtt with a skeletal plan of attack, escapes the Confederates with minimal trouble, and upon returning home, the captain and fair lass are married to much celebration.
Although there were a small number of suspenseful moments, there really was no conflict in the story that could have thwarted the protagonists aims, and that was a little disappointing. For a short story, it was very cozy, tidy, and the only injury anyone sustained was Halliburtt's jailer who got a bump on the head and a short nap.

It was, in essence, much like other Verne tales, but shortened to the extreme that the danger and ingenuity normally shown by his heroes was thrown out with the bathwater. Set in real world America and England, we could enjoy none of the fantastic settings of the Lost World or even the drastic cultural interactions of Around the World in 80 Days.

I would recommend this story for casual reading if you are interested in the Civil War, or foreign viewpoints regarding American history. It is a quick read and doesn't take much investment, and as a reference for 19th century manners of speech, mercantilism, or steam travel it could be interesting.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best summary, from LibriVox:

Writing at the end of the American Civil War, Verne weaves this story of a Scottish merchant who, in desperation at the interruption of the flow of Southern cotton due to the Union blockade, determines to build his own fast ship and run guns to the Confederates in exchange for the cotton piling up unsold on their wharves. His simple plan becomes complicated by two passengers who board his new ship under false pretenses in order to carry out a rescue mission, one which Capt. Playfair adopts as his own cause. This is going make the Rebels in Charleston rather unhappy with him.

Sure, his new ship is fast - but can it escape the cannonballs of both North and South? (Summary by Mark Smith)

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My thoughts:

A tad slow at the beginning. However, interest builds continually, until hearing chapter 9, which is much akin to grabbing the proverbial tiger's tail.

A side point: Certain of my kin's kin come from Sullivan, in Moultrie Co., Illinois. It was interesting to hear again the South Carolina origins of those names (Sullivan Island, Fort Moultrie).

[Liberty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't particularly care for it, though the idea was intriguing. Started out with some interest, but when the girl appears and changes the book from a pro-confederate to a pro-yankee book, it begins to go down hill from there.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Arf Ortiyef · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read, stupids!

[Richard Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining and enlightening short work. I liked it.

At about 20,000 words, you can consider this as either a long novelette or a short novella. Either way, it's a nice length for the story it told, IMO, though I could easily see this fleshed out into a novel of 80K-100K without harm. It would also make a good movie without changing a thing. Maybe there's already a movie. I dunno.

Written in 1865 and set just a few years earlier, taking place in the middle part of the American Civil War, this opens my eyes a little to the way Europe could have been viewing the conflict and how it affected their lives. From a Scottish viewpoint, the war disrupted trade, making it very difficult to get enough cotton to keep the mills in operation. Naturally, that puts businessmen (the ones not too interested in the morality of the question) on the side of the South. It was strange but informative to see sympathetic characters, people who are apparently decent people in other ways, siding with slavers and finding arguments to be blame the North (here called the Federals) to the point that they considered them in the wrong. That really struck me, even though I know I'd been taught this in history class. Something about fiction gets through, you know? It made me realize that the mills in England and Scotland had been a part of the slavery business from the start. A lot of people's wealth depended on the exploitation of enslaved people.

(Crimes have a way of spreading, don't they? Especially big ones. They start compromising everyone connected in any way. That extends to the lawyers and the bankers and the politicians as well, not just the businessmen. Hmmmm.)

It's horrifying as well instructive to see how easy it is for people to deny the humanity of others, especially if it's in their own economic self-interest. What makes the lesson so useful to me is realizing that this was written during the events of the war, in real time, while it was affecting Americans one way and Europeans in another. Hearing the debates and being privy to the thinking of people in 1865 means a lot more than reading a modern account of what people thought back then.

I was happy to see the main character, James Playfair, get turned around a bit when he takes the side of a young woman whose father, a journalist and fervent abolitionist, was being held captive by the South. His mission to run the blockade and trade weapons for raw cotton gets amended to include rescuing her dad. If they can do that, they have to get past the blockade again, but this time they'll be fired on by both sides. But their new steam engines are the fastest on the ocean...

So--a good story, good action, good characters, with an interesting treatment of a big moral question. I found 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea super dull, and I had expected to like it. Around the World in 80 Days was the opposite--I really liked it, and thought I wouldn't. I didn't have any idea about this, but enjoyed it. The takeaway is that I'm finding Verne's action stories more fun than his science fiction. But we'll test this theory when I read From the Earth to the Moon. Hope it's good; let's find out.

[Peter Summersby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blockade Runners, is from the father of Science fiction. It comes across as an escape from the usual writing of the time. We are able to learn so much about his writing that we can use today.
The book starts off with a lengthy scene setting, which is very common for the era. If you do want to read books from a different century, and I highly recommend doing so, be patient with the writing style. The writing style was all about painting a very deep picture of the world and the people involved before getting into the story.
The book is compelling in the way that what he writes makes you want to keep reading so that you find out what he is talking about, he spends a whole chapter talking about a ship that is being created. I spent the whole chapter wondering what was so special about the ship, only to find that it had two corkscrews rather than the conventional one. It may not seem like a major change to the design of ships now, but then it made the ship fast enough to evade anything on the open sea.
The point, as far as writers are concerned, is the things we can learn about the writing style to include or avoid in our own books. The thing to be careful with is the changing of the point of view. Jules Verne jumped from point of view to point of view often enough to make omniscient narrator a real thing. The book itself is not written from any particular point of view, but the narration of the story can be a little dizzying.
Jules Verne characters were well thought out and the motives that drove the characters were clear to the narrator and made an excellent story. I would have loved a little more character development from some of the other characters but the development from the main character the captain of the Dolphin was quite believable. I felt a little sorry for the captain as his views were very much shaken and the easy journey he had planned became quite a complicated one.
5/5

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Playfair has convince his uncle, a Scottish merchant, to build a fast blockade runner to get past Union ships to buy the prized cotton from Southern ports. The American Civil War has made getting imports difficult and the younger Playfair doesn't mind crossing the sea and dodging ships to sneak into Charleston Harbor. While on the crossing he finds out very quickly two of the newer sailors onboard are a young woman and a loyal family servant belonging to an abolitionist family from Boston. They are on their way to Charleston because her father is in jail. James Playfair, Scottish Merchant, who hates abolitionists and feels rather meh about Americans in general, changes his mind and risks everything because apparently this young woman is pretty. Within a week, people are saved, the young couple are married, and Uncle Playfair has made a tidy profit from the cotton....there are going to be some interesting family dinners.

[Rafael Ontivero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obrita menor de Verne, casi podríamos decir que de juventud. La edición leída es la de Sáenz de Jubera, con bastantes erratas y la peculiar ortografía de finales del sigo XIX.

En lecturas anteriores no me había dado cuenta, pero lo que en principio es una novela a favor de la esclavitud se torna en lo contrario, con Jenny (Juana) lentamente convenciendo al capitán de que, beneficios aparte, hay cosas más importantes.

Lo cierto es que los argumentos empleados, más que de razón, son de sexo y lo que convence al capitán de salvar al padre de la protagonista es el amor que siente por ella.

De todos modos se trata de una historia interesante, corta y muy bien estructurada. En español tiene dos posibles títulos: el clásico de "De Glasgow a Charleston" y el más adecuado de "Los forzadores del bloqueo" que se corresponde con el original en francés.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally attached to A Floating City on publication, this short story is the more interesting of the two. Attempting to run the Union blockade of the Confederacy, the Captain is seen the error of his ways by the daughter and servant of an imprisoned abolitionist who he ends up rescuing. Although Melville and Conrad are usually touted as two of the most perceptive writers of the sea, Jules Verne deserves to be placed alongside them. He might have been a land-lubber but he knew his boats. One amusing moment is when the Captain asks for more speed and the crewman (the ship is from Glasgow) replies along the lines of 'the engines cannae take it!'

[Corentin Gastalle · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Playfair fait construire un navire de commerce si rapide qu'il pourra l'utiliser aux États-Unis pour vendre des armes et acheter à bas prix du coton aux confédérés en pleine guerre de sécession et soumis au blocus des nordistes. Mais des passagers de dernières minutes vont lui faire vivre une toute autre aventure...

Une novella intéressante qui effleure quelques problématiques encore valables (la poursuite de la richesse doit-elle faire fi de l'éthique ?) sans toutefois apporter de réponse ni même les explorer en profondeur, le tout étant résolu par une romance. Cela reste une lecture légère et agréable.

[Dragos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short story by Jules Verne, about a british merchant captain (James Playfair) that tries to make a huge profit during the American civil war, by delivering guns & supplies to the confederates in exchange of cotton. During his trip, he meets two new characters, Crockston & Jenny Halliburt, which he agrees to help to rescue Jenny's father. In this story, Jules Verne expresses his support for the abolitionists from a moral point of view, without entering into too much details. A simple story with an happy end, quick to read in an afternoon with a cup of tea.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a short story than a novelette, The Blockade Runners takes place during the American Civil.
A shipbuilder's son in the U.K. proposes building a ship that can outrun the federal fleet and get into Charleston harbor and bring back a load of cotton in exchange for weapons and ammo.
Things seem pretty straightforward until it's discovered that two crewmembers are not who they seem to be.
This story moves right along, but much like 20,000 Under The Sea, the writing (or maybe it's the translation), is not all that great.

[Andy Dorsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The romantic story of a 30-year-old arms dealer trying to smuggle weapons to a breakaway terrorist regime in exchange for slave-produced products, who learns that money isn't everything by falling in love with a 15-year-old girl who is desperately looking for her father.

If this story had been written by anyone other than Jules Verne, it would be terribly gross, but he somehow managed to imbue his protagonist with an unexpected measure of moral growth. Also, major points for repeatedly noting that the reason behind the American Civil War was slavery.

[Krystina Schuler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast read about a Scottish business man who decides to build a super-fast steam ship that can break the Union blockade against the Confederates during the US Civil War. His plan is to exchange weapons and supplies for cotton to feed the mills back home. He gets more than he bargains for when he sets sail and employs a last minute sailor and his nephew. Nothing particularly extraordinary about this story, but a good, solid tale of adventure and romance, nonetheless.

[Duane Gosser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard of this Jules Verne story and decided to give it a go. It was weird reading a non-sci fi story from the Mr. Verne as his stories were some of the first science fiction I read as a child. It was a American Civil War based story and was entertaining more because of the writing style and attitudes of the time period than on the merits of the story itself. If you are a fan of Mr. Verne then I would recommend it as it's a short read.

[Stephen Heiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick and fun read about the adventures of a British ship attempting to run the blockade imposed by the Northern States of the US during the War Between the States.

Verne skirts showing his sympathies too much in the text by making sure that our protagonist seems to "fight" for both sides in his actions (and is attacked by both sides in the process).

I've enjoyed everything I've ever read by Jules Verne. This is no different. He's an underrated author.

[Guizotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je ne connaissais pas cette histoire de Jules Verne, mais j’y ai retrouvé tout ce que j’aime chez cet auteur : de l’aventure, du danger, du suspense, avec des scènes très fortes de fuite en mer et batailles navales, mais aussi un personnage féminin posé, qui n’a peur de rien et qui sait défendre ses opinions politiques et humanistes. Le tout dans un cadre que j’ai trouvé très intéressant, celui de la guerre de Sécession, sur laquelle les prises de position de Jules Verne sont très claires.

[Richard Mathews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuesta meterse un poco en situación por el desfase generacional, pero a la que la trama coge ritmo te atrapa y no puedes dejar de ansiar qué pasa " con el Delfín ". Además te llevas nociones gratis de navegación al leerlo. Digna aventura, por algo tiene el renombre que tiene Julio Verne.

Breve y ágil, apta para cualquier fan de aventura viajera. Ha envejecido relativamente bien y la he disfrutado.