Sillen, Andrew Kidnapped at Sea. The Civil War Voyage of David Henry White

David Henry White, a free young black seaman from Lewes, Delaware, was kidnapped on 9 October 1862 by Captain Raphael Semmes of the Confederate privateer "Alabama" from the Philadelphia-based cargo ship "Tonawanda". White remained a prisoner on the "Alabama" for over 600 days until he drowned on 19 June 1864 in the naval battle off Cherbourg. In his memoirs published after the war, Semmes falsely described White as a contented slave who remained loyal to the Confederacy. In Kidnapped at Sea, archaeologist Andrew Sillen provides a forensic account of White's enslavement and demise, showing how White's actual life belies the Lost Cause story constructed by his captors. "Kidnapped at Sea is the first book to focus on White's actual life rather than relying on Semmes and other secondary sources. Until now, Semmes' appropriation of White's life has escaped scrutiny, demonstrating the challenges faced by disempowered illiterates - and how well-crafted, racist fabrications have become part of the memory of the Civil War.