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Title details for Our Man in Charleston by Christopher Dickey - Available

Our Man in Charleston

Britain's Secret Agent in the Civil War South

by Christopher Dickey
Antony Ferguson
Audiobook
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As tension over slavery and western expansion threatened to break the US into civil war, the Southern states found themselves squeezed between two nearly irreconcilable realities: the survival of the Confederate economy would require the importation of more slaves-a practice banned in America since 1807-but the existence of the Confederacy itself could not be secured without official recognition from Great Britain, who would never countenance reopening the Atlantic slave trade. How, then, could the first be achieved without dooming the possibility of the second? The unlikely man at the rolling center of the intrigue was Robert Bunch, an American-born Englishman who had maneuvered his way to the position of British consul in Charleston, South Carolina, and grew to loathe slavery and the righteousness of its practitioners. Bunch used his unique perch and boundless ambition to become a key player, sending reams of dispatches to the home government and eventually becoming the Crown's best secret source on the Confederacy. But doing so required living a double life. To his Charleston neighbors, Bunch was increasingly a pillar of Southern society. But to the British government, he was a student abolitionist, eviscerating Southern dissembling on plans regarding the Slave trade. Our Man In Charleston is a masterfully told story of an unknown crusader. Award-winning author Christopher Dickey locates Consul Bunch as the key figure among Englishmen in America. Determined to ensure the triumph of morality in the inevitable march to civil war, he helped me determine the fate of a nation. Featuring a cast of remarkable characters, Our Man In Charleston also captures a decisive moment in Anglo-American history: the pitched battle between those who wished to reopen the floodgates of bondage and misery, and those who wished to dam the tide forever.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 21, 2015

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781622317707
      • File size: 311602 KB
      • Duration: 10:49:10

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Antony Ferguson gives a solid reading of this amazing account of Robert Bunch, an Englishman who was the British Consul in Charleston, South Carolina, from 1853-1863. Bunch was not only an astute observer of the Southern ruling class but also a participant-- that is, a spy--in the diplomatic machinations among the United States, the Confederate States, the British Empire, and other European powers. He played the balancing act well enough until his own vanity led to his diplomatic status being revoked by the U.S. This well-written and detailed account blends an academic and a popular style, and Ferguson proves to be a splendid pairing with the text. His British accent is pleasing to the ear; his delivery steady and subtly expressive. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 18, 2015
      The ambitious and politically-minded Robert Bunch served as the British consul in Charleston, S.C., from 1853–63, seemingly the ideal choice to represent Great Britain’s interests in the South. But as journalist Dickey (Securing the City) shows, almost no one realized that he had a double agenda. Great Britain had grave concerns during the antebellum period: “England hated slavery, but loved the cotton the slaves raised, and British industry depended on it. Defending Britain’s political interests while serving its commercial interests required constant delicate diplomacy.” Simply put, Bunch’s mission was to subtly sabotage the slave trade and Southern secession, undermining the very institution that produced the goods his country demanded. As Dickey tells it, Bunch was playing with fire, and reader will feel the agent’s mounting frustration as he sends missives back to England, damning the slave trade and Southern arrogance, while wearing a more moderate face for his Charleston neighbors. Bunch’s tale is framed by the larger arguments of the time, including the inexorable march toward war, and the result is a fascinating tale of compromise, political maneuvering, and espionage. Dickey makes it easy to believe that the obscure Bunch really did play a pivotal role during his years in America. Agent: Kathy Robbins, Robbins Office.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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