William Watson was a Scot who lived and worked in the South prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. Although he opposed secession, he served with the Confederate army until badly wounded at the battle of Corinth and discharged, whereupon he bought a small ship and took up blockade running in the Gulf of Mexico, making three successful passages. By the time he started much of this activity had moved to Havana, Cuba, which had attracted a variety of characters, some heroic but most shady. Watson describes his many problems in the business in a lively, modern style.
