Scottish Blockade Runners of the American Civil War
Channel: US National Archives
Date: 12/11/2021

British Blockade Runners of the American Civil War: The Story of Joannes Wyllie, Commander of the Steamer Ad-Vance 

Joannes Wyllie was one of thousands of British sailors who ran the blockade of Confederate ports during the Civil War.  They crewed some of the finest steamships built in the shipyards of Glasgow and Liverpool.  Britain remained neutral during the war so why were so many British vessels used and what was the motivation for the British sailors to head towards the conflict? 

Join John F. Messner, author of the new book A Scottish Blockade Runner in the American Civil War: Joannes Wyllie of the steamer Ad-Vance, as he describes the blockade and explores the story of one such Britain mariner came to command one of the most successful runners of the war.  Joining John are Vann Evans, Audiovisual Materials Archivist at the State Archives of North Carolina, and noted Civil War blockade historian Dr Stephen Wise.  They discuss the role that Britain had in America’s greatest conflict and the archival sources, both in the US and UK, that were used to discovery Wyllie’s story.