Captain of the Tides: Gunner Morgan by Charles D. Morgan and Jacque Hillman is the biography of a man living at the right time, in the right place, with the drive, talent, and contacts to achieve his destiny. A historic novel seen through the eyes of Navy Gunner Charles Morgan, Captain of the Tides, is a story of Morgan’s life from the days before the Spanish-American War until his death at ninety-four. Morgan is an American hero, a man whose life is defined by the period when the U.S. Navy was becoming a world power, and Cuba, Key West, and Miami were becoming trade centers. Morgan was the first enlisted man to ever become a naval officer, the man leading navy divers to recover documents and bodies from the sunken USS Maine. He worked with Thomas Edison, with Henry Flagler, with Pan American Airlines, with the “King of Cuban sugar”, and developed the Key West Naval Air Station.

I was fascinated with Captain of the Tides: Gunner Morgan because it is an excellent, historically accurate description of the changing times and conditions in Cuba and South Florida at the turn of the century. For me, having written a historic novel focused somewhat on the yellow fever scourge, the true accounts of the suffering caused by yellow fever were as important as Morgan’s professional achievements. The personal letters, original news clips, photos, and other documents left to Charles D. Morgan by his grandfather, Gunner Morgan, ensures a book that is historically informative, readable, and impressive.

Captain of the Tides: Gunner Morgan by Charles D. Morgan and Jacque Hillman is a military biography written in the form of a historical novel. This book chronicles the life and times of Charles “Gunner” Morgan. This real-life story came to fruition when his grandson and this book’s co-author, Charles D. Morgan, discovered his grandfather’s old sea chest that contained valuable documents - from letters to scrapbooks that attest to the legacy of the heroic seaman. Gunner Morgan’s military career is no ordinary feat, and the anatomy of his patriotism runs deep in his veins. He loved spaghetti, baseball, and the sea. Since his enlistment in the New Orleans docks in 1882, his distinguished career begins to skyrocket when his first ship, the USS Kearsarge, sinks the CSS Alabama, and he became known as “The Man Who Started the Spanish-American War.”

Captain of the Tides: Gunner Morgan is written from the first-person point of view. Here we read Gunner Morgan narrate his humble beginnings and rise to fame. The writing style of Morgan and Hillman has resurrected the famous Gunner, as he seems to leap right out of the page. He lived in a time when the United States was surrounded by threats—a tumultuous period that is a far cry from the comforts of our modern times. Yet Gunner’s time also tested men’s loyalties, bravery, and love for country. It is important that today’s generation learn about the story of great men and women who helped shaped America and cemented her rightful place in the free world. Gunner’s story will grab you and if it does not inspire you, then no story ever will.