Captain of the Tides Gunner Morgan
Published on 23. December 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
246 pages
978-1-7333626-7-2 (ISBN)
Description
In 1882, Charles "Gunner" Morgan, 17, shipped out from New Orleans as a 3rd class apprentice seaman, Navy No. 817. Becoming a Navy team baseball player, he knew the "greats" in American baseball. In 1898, he led the dive team pulling bodies from the USS Maine disaster, reported to President Theodore Roosevelt (then assistant secretary of the Navy), and became "The Man Who Started the Spanish-American War."
Known also as "The Man Behind the Gun" for his shooting prowess, he was among the first enlisted men promoted to officer. He taught the Japanese how to fire the big guns in the Russo-Japanese War. He survived working in Thomas Edison's Navy lab at Key West.
Yet, he found time for love. He met Vivian, the sugar king of Havana's daughter, married and pregnant -- both situations temporary. She became his soul's safe harbor.
In later years, he helped build the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West. As Maritime Inspector, he surveyed and developed the South American airports creating Pan Am Airways.
An American patriot, he lived for the moment that the sunset's green fire on the sea's horizon promised the dawn to come. Always he returned to the sea.
Board the ships, climb the rigging, shoot the guns, when America came to rule the seas. Discover the 93 years that defined Gunner Morgan.
His grandson, Charles D. Morgan, discovered his grandfather's old sea chest, and hidden in its base, stacks of documents and letters, that led the author on a lifetime journey to reveal his grandfather's legacy to America.
"Captain of the Tides Gunner Morgan" is that legacy, retold as an historical novel, a riveting story of a young Navy seaman whose heroism captured the loyalty of Americans.
More details
Language
English
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
362 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-7333626-7-2 (9781733362672)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Charlie Morgan grew up in Somerville, Tennessee and worked in banking throughout his 45-year professional career retiring from JP Morgan Chase in 2014. He has a B.S. in Management of Technology and is a Certified information Systems Auditor and Certified Information Security Manager. After retiring, he and his wife began second careers as small business owners. They own and operate two private pre-school franchises located in Texas.
Morgan said, "For years, I heard the stories and read the newspaper accounts of the US Navy exploits of my grandfather Charles Gunner Morgan. Originally, I had only his detailed scrapbook with hundreds of newspaper clippings. Then, I discovered in the bottom of his old sea chest many more documents, and two of those were signed by American presidents. This led me to begin researching his story and searching for a writer to help me tell the story. Eventually, I found my childhood friend Jacque Hillman, author and publisher, and we began the project to tell the story of Gunner Morgan."
Charlie and Paula have four children and three grandchildren.
www.gunnermorgan.com
Morgan said, "For years, I heard the stories and read the newspaper accounts of the US Navy exploits of my grandfather Charles Gunner Morgan. Originally, I had only his detailed scrapbook with hundreds of newspaper clippings. Then, I discovered in the bottom of his old sea chest many more documents, and two of those were signed by American presidents. This led me to begin researching his story and searching for a writer to help me tell the story. Eventually, I found my childhood friend Jacque Hillman, author and publisher, and we began the project to tell the story of Gunner Morgan."
Charlie and Paula have four children and three grandchildren.
www.gunnermorgan.com