King Cotton

Captain James Dunwoody Bulloch of the Confederate navy was sent to England by President Jefferson Davis to build fast, heavily-armed ships - ships that went on to sink a significant tonnage of the North's merchant fleet. But these actions put a heavy strain on the relationship between England and the United States... nearly resulting in war. Bulloch is assisted by the Conferedate spy Rose Greenhow, with whom he falls in love. She was the spy who gave away the North's battle plans at Manassas and who was eventually caught and imprisoned by Alan Pinkerton. After her release, she is sent to England by Jefferson Davis on a secret mission, pursued by the spurned and vengeful Pinkerton. The book is based on real characters and actual events, and includes several exciting naval adventures and battles. It looks at what might have happened during the period, and cleverly interweaves fact and fiction in a gripping tale that also deals with the financial and political themes of the period.