Civil War Blockade-Runners: Prize Claims and the Historical Record, Including the Denbigh's Court Documents (Volume 6)

This book considers the legal structure for the Union navy taking as prizes of war the vessels that ran the blockade. It discusses international laws, customs, and steps of the court action. Detailed examples are provided for a few particular ships taken off Galveston. Archival documents are illustrated. As the Civil War commenced, the Confederacy was short of cash and manufactured goods, while its exports were blockaded. The South turned to Europe for weapons, clothing, tools, and medicines that could be paid for with cotton. Mobile and Galveston were the ports of call for the famous blockade-runner Denbigh, a shipwreck excavated by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology located at Texas A&M University. The incidents and documents in this book concentrate on the Denbigh and the rest explain the activities of this ship and her sisters in the runner’s trade. Understanding the rules of the prize game enhances greatly the understanding of blockade-running.