True Stories of the Perilous Straits: The Florida Keys

by John Viele

The Straits of Florida is a 110-mile sea passage between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean bordered on the northern side by the Florida Keys and the Florida Reef. In its waters, along the reef, and on desolate keys, thousands of men and women have died in shipwrecks, attacks by natives, sea battles, and pirate boardings. Few of their stories have survived, but those that have tell gripping tales of their struggles against the perils of the sea and the onslaughts of men. This book presents a selection of such stories during the age of sail from the time Spanish navigators discovered the Straits to the end of the Second Seminole War in 1842. Excerpted from ships' logs, captains' diaries, court-martial transcripts, and newspaper accounts, the stories in this volume—a companion to The Florida Keys, Volume 1: A History of the Pioneers —will make you glad you live in a modern world. Read harrowing tales of the cruelty and torture inflicted on mariners at the hands of bloodthirsty pirates; of pistol and cannon battles between merchant ships and wayward privateers; and of the hardships endured by some of Florida's earliest settlers. Sprinkled with hand-drawn illustrations, photographs, and maps depicting the lay of the land during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this book presents a scholarly, historically accurate account of life on the Keys and in the perilous Straits of Florida during the age of sail. An index and extensive bibliography are included.

Genres: History

208 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[Turtleback · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book interesting. I would like to do more research on these subjects. All an all I am happy the author compiled this information and presented it with little comment one way or other about the character of these men. The Seminole war segment was a little bit one sided, but he was giving the info from Navy accounts, so they were bound to be. Still how ridiculous it must have been to trudge around, come down with yellow fever... all for what? these Indians must do what we say? Anyway... a decent read, all considered.

[R B · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Viele's three volumes of Florida Keys history are essential reading for anyone interested in Florida's colorful history. It took some hardy souls to take on the task of settling Florida in those early years. Especially in the beautiful but unforgiving Keys.