John Wilkinson was born in
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
on November 6, 1821. He was a lieutenant and captain in the
Confederate States Navy
The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...
(CSN) during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. He was commander of several
blockade runner
A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usua ...
s, including the and the . For the CSS ''Robert E. Lee'', he persuaded the owner in Scotland to sell it to the CSN for the same price that they had just bought her for.
Wilkinson died on December 25, 1891.
See also
*
Blockade runners of the American Civil War
During the American Civil War, blockade runners were used to get supplies through the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America that extended some along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastlines and the lower Mississippi River. The ...
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, John
1821 births
1891 deaths
Confederate States Navy captains
Blockade runners of the American Civil War
People of Virginia in the American Civil War