The final battle between a Confederate naval crew on the C.S.S. Alabama and a Union warship commences. Captain John A. Winslow stands on the decks of his heavily armored Union vessel as it fires deadly projectiles on the Confederate ship, commanded by Raphael Semmes, one of the most successful naval raiders in American history.
Suspenseful scenes like this one are featured in “Seahawk Burning,” the final volume of the Seahawk Trilogy, a historical fiction series of Civil War naval thrillers by Randall Peffer, Instructor in English.
Based off the true events of Semmes’ life, “Seahawk Burning,” published April 15, follows Semmes as he rises through the ranks of the Confederate Navy, captures ship after ship from the North’s fleet, eludes Union authorities and ultimately attempts to flee to France.
Peffer said, “It’s a midlife crisis story about this guy reinventing himself at the age of 53,” Peffer said. “[Semmes] is sort of an underdog. He was on the wrong side [of the war], but he’s still interesting because he’s basically a nobody. He reinvented himself and became the most important naval predator.”
He added, “[‘Seahawk Burning’] was written mostly to tell a good story. One of the things I hope readers will see is how complex the motives were of major players in the Civil War–that in few cases it was simply blind allegiance to a flag, that lots of other things besides patriotism were driving characters, from personal insecurities to love affairs, social connections and financial opportunities.”
Peffer drew inspiration for the trilogy from his love ofsailing and his early exposure to the Civil War, a subject on which he has read over 100 books.
Growing up in Pittsburgh, PA, near Civil War battle sites such as Gettysburg and Antietam, Peffer has felt drawn to the Civil War since his childhood.
Peffer learned to sail at the age of 18. For 14 summers, he took Andover Summer Session students out to sea on his 55-foot schooner, the “Sarah Abbot,” as part of a course in marine biology called “Oceans.”
Peffer said, “In my free time, I read all the nautical fiction I could. The sea has always been a part of my blood.”
He also developed an interest in historical advancements in naval technology, such as the introduction of steamships to replace wind-powered sailboats.
“Not many people have written about the deep ocean portion of the Civil War. Then I discovered Raphael Semmes and I said, ‘What a story.’ He seemed like this natural Shakespearean hero, so full of pride and bravura,” said Peffer.
“Seahawk Burning” is Peffer’s ninth novel. The first two books in the Seahawk Trilogy are “Southern Seahawk” and “Seahawk Hunting.”
As both a novelist and teacher, Peffer enjoys balancing his two careers.
“It’s the perfect complement for me, because being a novelist is all about delayed gratification. I wrote this book a year ago. Now it’s starting to come out, and people are reading and responding to it, whereas when you teach, you come into class, and it’s instant gratification. It’s like ‘Yes, awesome, my students are great!’ Teaching is very social and public. Being a writer is usually private and alone,” said Peffer.
