Pirates, Privateers, and Rebel Raiders of the Carolina Coast

“Butler vividly recounts the deeds of this group of men, chronicles their lives and ultimate fates and, in general, provides an eminently readable and accurate tale of the region’s rascals.” — Publishers Weekly

“In this compact and breezy survey, [Butler] examines the lives of eight pirates and sea raiders who operated along the Carolina coast between the early eighteenth century and the end of the Civil War. He treats his characters with objectivity, although a bemused affection frequently shines through. This is an informative and enjoyable work of regional history.” — Booklist

“By combining. . . biography and maritime history, and by emphasizing drama and adventure, [this book] will surely appeal to many general readers, especially those who already have an interest in its place, people, and topics.” — Journal of Southern History

“A clarifying document that debunks certain popular myths . . . while verifying others and illuminating fascinating details that have been elided from the mythology.” — Oxford American

“Lindley Butler brings . . . our state’s maritime heritage to life.” — Winston-Salem Journal

“[This book] will appeal to a wide audience. Not only are the subjects intriguing, but Butler writes felicitously, turning the right phrase. . . . The sea and its freebooters, rogues, and patriots come alive at the pen of one familiar with maritime life and schooled in the historical context of his subjects.” — American Neptune

“Not only has Lindley Butler produced a long needed definitive history of piracy and privateering on the Carolina coast, but his writing style makes it fascinating reading as well.” — David Stick, author of Graveyard of the Atlantic: Shipwrecks of the North Carolina Coast and The Outer Banks of North Carolina, 1584–1958

“Sounding uncharted depths of the Old North State’s maritime history, Lindley Butler plots an accurate portrayal of early warfare on North Carolina waters. The methods and motives of eight notorious mariners — pirates, privateers, and naval commerce raiders — are examined against the backdrop of the hunter and the hunted on the high sea.” — George Ward Shannon Jr., Director, North Carolina Maritime Museum