Jerry Williams Speaking Tour
In the fall of 1999, the Denbigh Project helped
to host a visit by Jeremy (Jerry) Williams, a Merseyside historian whose specialty is the
Merseyside region and its relation to the American Civil War. His works on the subject
include the book Ghost Ships of the Mersey, a historical sketch of the vessels
built for the Confederacy in Merseyside during the Civil War. Williams served as an
advisor for the C.S.S. Alabama film, "Alabama Roll," which won a
Best Documentary prize from the British Royal Television Society. He was also a consultant
for the John Jakes’ novel, North and South; three chapters of the book were
set in Merseyside. He is a member of the American Civil War Round Table of the United
Kingdom, the Birkenhead Historical Society and former staff historian for the C.S.S. Alabama
Historic Trust. A popular speaker on both sides of the Atlantic, Williams' past venues
include the University of Liverpool, the City University of New York, the South Carolina
Historical Society, the Civil War Naval Naval Museum in Columbus, Georgia, the United
States Naval Historical Center, and some eighteen Civil War Round Table societies across
the United States.
WIlliams' research has revealed a side of the Civil War
that is little known on this side of the Atlantic. Liverpool was a hotbed of
activity by agents and supporters of both the Confederacy and the Union. The city was,
according to Williams, particularly sympathetic to the Southern cause. Williams
points out that one contemporary observer recorded that more Confederate flags flew from
houses and buildings in Liverpool than in Richmond, Virginia, the captial of the
Confederacy.
During his most recent visit to the United States,
Williams spoke to historical groups in Galveston, Houston and Mobile, Alabama, and to
history classes at Texas A&M University in College Station. Williams' visit was
sponsored by the Denbigh Project, the Houston Civil War Round Table and
Galveston's John Bell Hood Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Jerry Williams (center) with (l. to r.) Denbigh Project director Barto Arnold, Bart Tate
and Harrold Henck of the John Bell Hood Camp, and Civil War historian Edward Cotham.
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