Preview
  • Kidnapped at Sea

  • The Civil War Voyage of David Henry White
  • By: Andrew Sillen
  • Narrated by: Donald Corren
  • Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Kidnapped at Sea

By: Andrew Sillen
Narrated by: Donald Corren
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.19

Buy for $17.19

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

THE TRUE STORY OF DAVID HENRY WHITE, A FREE BLACK TEENAGE SAILOR ENSLAVED ON THE HIGH SEAS DURING THE CIVIL WAR, WHOSE LIFE STORY WAS FALSELY AND INTENTIONALLY APPROPRIATED TO ADVANCE THE LOST CAUSE TROPE OF A CONTENTED SLAVE, HAPPY AND SAFE IN SERVILITY.

David Henry White, a free Black teenage sailor from Lewes, Delaware, was kidnapped by Captain Raphael Semmes of the Confederate raider Alabama on October 9, 1862, from the Philadelphia-based packet ship Tonawanda. White remained captive on the Alabama for over 600 days, until he drowned during the Battle of Cherbourg on June 19, 1864.

In a best-selling postwar memoir, Semmes falsely described White as a contented slave who remained loyal to the Confederacy. In Kidnapped at Sea, archaeologist Andrew Sillen uses a forensic approach to describe White’s enslavement and demise and illustrates how White’s actual life belies the Lost Cause narrative his captors sought to construct.

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’s appropriation of White’s life has escaped scrutiny, thereby demonstrating the challenges faced by disempowered, illiterate people—and how well-crafted, racist fabrications have become part of Civil War memory.

©2024 Andrew Sillen (P)2024 Recorded Books
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

“In this fast-paced narrative, Andrew Sillen uncovers the astounding story of David Henry White, a free Black teenager kidnapped from a US ship and forced to accompany the Confederate raider Alabama. Through a haunting account, Sillen restores White’s humanity and, in doing so, provides a timely examination of the necessity for addressing historical crimes.”—Caroline E. Janney, author of Ends of War: The Unfinished Fight of Lee’s Army after Appomattox

What listeners say about Kidnapped at Sea

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.