Southern Seahawk: A Novel of the Civil War at Sea

Seahawk Trilogy #1

by Randall Peffer

Southern Seahawk, the first novel in the Seahawk Trilogy, grows from the true story of Commander Rafael Semmes' rise to infamy, becoming the Union's Public Enemy Number One. In June, 1861, Semmes' Confederate cruiser Sumter makes a daring escape through the Federal Blockade of the Mississippi. So begins the commander's career as the Southern Seahawk. With a hand-picked crew of Southern officers and mercenary seamen, Semmes seizes eight enemy ships in four days, a record never surpassed by any other captain of a warship.

By the time the cruises of the Sumter and her successor Alabama end, Semmes will have taken and burned more than eighty prizes, making him the most successful maritime predator in history. For two and a half years Semmes eludes a pack of pursuers and almost single-handedly
drives marine insurance rates so high in the North, that many Yankee ships refuse to sail until he is caught.

Back in Washington, Semmes' predations fuel feuds within the Lincoln cabinet and incite the spy games of historical figures like courtesans Rose Greenhow, Betty Duval, detective Allan Pinkerton and the commander s mistress.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Civil War, American

318 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2008

About the author

Randall Peffer is the author of over 300 travel-lifestyle features for magazines like National Geographic, Smithsonian, Reader's Digest, Travel Holiday, Islands and Sail; he teaches writing and literature at Philips Academy in Andover.

Reviews

[Sherry Sharpnack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the oldest unread books on my Kindle, from 2012. It must have been a freebie, as swashbuckling stories are not my cup of tea.
The Southern Seahawk is Rafael Semmes, a long-time navy man who joins the newly-born Confederacy, and talks himself into a ship command in a retrofitted ship. He sails the Caribbean, looking for Yankee ships to plunder. He leaves behind a wife w/ whom he is on cordial terms, and a passionate love, Molly, an Irish beauty.
The battle passages are really stirring; I can see what the author describes and feel the heave and roil of the ocean. But Molly's plotline - although completely fictitious - is the more interesting to me. She wines and dines Yankees in the government to determine their plans against Semmes, so she can hopefully warn him in time, never knowing if all her letters will ever reach him. She meets a navy government man at Rose Greenhow's house and participates in kinky sexual activity w/ him to obtain information. She also blackmails Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles. (Mrs. Greenhow was actually hanged as a Confederate spy.) Molly escapes from Allen Pinkerton and prison. Rafael escapes a bottleneck in Martinique to continue sailing and plundering Yankee ships. This book doesn't much have an ending, probably b/c it is the first book of a planned trilogy, but stops w/ Semmes escaping a blockade and Molly escaping from Allen Pinkerton.
The fact that I liked the plotline about prostituting one's self for information to help one's married lover tells you everything about how I feel about sailing stories. I have no idea what attracted me to this book, honestly.
Since the sailing scenes were well-written, but much of the rest of the Semmes' plot line and the BDSM left me uninterested, I'll only give this 3.5 stars, rounded up to four. Maybe those who enjoy pirate/navy/seafaring stories will like this better than I did.

[Thomas Holbrook · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoy reading history, I am, by any definition, a history buff. When one finds a well written history, it will read like an adventure story, often with intrigue, action, murder, heroes, villains and a clear resolution. Mr. Peffer, an obvious student of Civil War History, has taken a part of that war unknown to this neophyte; the role of the Confederate Navy played in that horrible event in our history and created a historical novel, the first of a trilogy from the facts. His writing is so good, I am tempted to read the actual history of the events related, they seem that they would probably be exciting had he merely related the events as they occurred. I would NOT have read this book had it not been another “freebie” from my electronic reader. These freebies have more than covered the cost of the reader.
Raphael Semmes was a United States Naval Officer, whose first command was wrecked by a sudden, violent marine squall that sank his vessel, killing eleven of his crew, within the first weeks of his first cruise. For the next 10-15 years, he was assigned to mundane tasks, far away from the sea, in practice if not in location, but his heart never left the salt air nor did it forgive the administrative structure that would never forgive him his “unfortunate weather moment.” When the winds of Civil Discontent began to blow, he saw his opportunity to return to sea as Captain of a war vessel. He transformed a “mail packet” into a camouflaged, effective, deadly ship that caused havoc upon the Union Merchant fleet. In a matter of weeks Semmes, by causing the Northern insurers to pay the claims on the Merchant ships “liberated for the Confederacy,” very nearly stopped all merchant shipping in the Union, in effect, creating his own blockade of all Union Ports. It ends just as any first novel of a trilogy and good History should - with the reader eager to see what happens next.
The book is populated with historical figures, from Abraham Lincoln, to William “Bill” Seward (a despicable character in Mr. Peffer’s rendition), to Raphael Semmes. This is not a book glorifying either side nor does it paint a picture of “success is easy.” There are hardships aplenty aboard a warship representing a country (CSA) that is not recognized by the majority of the world; in the halls of the White House as a war that will rend America in two is gathering steam; in the lives of the spies who believe in their respective causes and will do whatever is needed to see their side win. Had this not been a well-researched historical novel, I would have been anxious to see how the war played out and who would have “won.”
This book is for anyone who: enjoys history, particularly Civil War History (I am sitting within 5 miles of a Civil War Battlefield), wants a good sea adventure story or likes to see how historical figures might have “lived.” The idea of giving this volume away was a good one for the publisher’s; it probably has sold the next two volumes to me.

[Alan Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrorists, or freedom fighters?

President Reagan famously said of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua that they were terrorists, making it clear that the line between terrorists and rebels is a thin one.

Set in the opening months of the US Civil War, Southern Seahawk focuses on a small ship--which for a while constituted the entirety of the navy of the Confederacy--which slipped out of New Orleans, and began to play havoc, intercepting, seizing, and sometimes destroying, ships from the north importing or exporting goods. This had an immediate impact, both on public opinion, but more importantly on the insurance companies without which no one would finance a ship load of merchandise.

Fighting internal battles in Lincoln's administration, spies in Washington, and an attempted coup by naval officers, ships set out to find the Confederate "pirates." The ensuing drama forms the heart of Southern Seahawk.

Well done...although it's apolitical viewpoint made it difficult for me--slavery is barely mentioned, thus making the moral ambiguity work...as long as you don't think too hard about what the two sides are fighting for. But in the end, the good characters, and insight into a part of the Civil War I knew nothing at all about won me over. Looking forward to the second and third volumes of the trilogy.

[Dee Renee Chesnut · Rating 2 out of 5]

Southern Seahawk was free when I downloaded it to my Nook library. I give it only 2 stars because it was not the book I hoped it would be based on its synopsis.
I don't like the writer's style as a third-person introduction into each chapter and then the switch to dialogue.
I was disappointed Peffer gives so much attention to a fictional character Maude instead of truly building an account of Semmes.
I don't recommend it, even to readers who enjoy highly fictionalized novels about historical persons.

[Nancy Silk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost at Sea

This is a story written to the 1850's pirate within the author himself. It's not written in a style which would make it easy for today's readers to interpret. I'm at 40 percent of the story; I've had lots of sailing background and can interpret much of what has been written. But I'm stopping here at this point because I'm not entertained, I feel like I've been thrown overboard without a line tossed to me. Besides, I'm not sure how much authentic Civil War history is in this book. I do feel, however, that this is a great achievement for the author.

[Gerold Whittaker]

An American Civil War novel at sea: Commander Rafael Semmes has become the Union's Public Enemy Number One. In 1861, Semmes' makes a daring escape through the Federal Blockade of the Mississippi in the Confederate cruiser, Sumter. This is only the beginning of his career and with a hand-picked crew of Southern officers and mercenary seamen it is not long before all stops are pulled to stop him.

My copy (Kindle) seemed to have a few pages missing: Chapter 9 ends with Greehnow holds her in a deep gaze, draws so close their petticoats

[Papa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but a major chronological error lead me to dismiss much of the historical events which the author presented as the factual framework for his tale. I didn't really catch the first time he referred to a box cameral and an unposed snapshot. If I had, I might not have read much more of the book. The second time he brought this up, I felt a bit let down.

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Book and for fans of civil war naval action a must read

[Jay Fromkin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I forced myself to read the first 15 percent of this book, but that's it. Life's too short for bad writing.

[Jayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a pleasant enough read, but it wasn't enthralling. I found the characters rather wooden & it read rather like a dry history book. I didn't hate it, but there is little to recommend.

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book, not great literature but...enjoyable read. The trilogy may cause further investigation.