The Catherine
by Robert S. MacDonald (1982)
Nautical fiction set in North Kingstown. From the dust jacket:<.p>
The Saunders family of Rhode Island are seafarers and shipbuilders. In graceful sailing vessels produced in their shipyard, the Saunders men ply the freight trade from the cold waters of New England to the sunny climates of New Orleans and Texas.
The outbreak of the Civil War interrupts all normal trade between the Northern and Southern states. At the request of the Navy Department, William and Elias Saunders are commissioned to build a special, fleet, armed sailing vessel, named the Catherine. The object: to roam the high seas as a privateer preying on Southern shipping lanes.
Thus begins an adventure that captures the romance of the high seas, together with the ever-present dangers of storms and enemy ships. The scope and sweep of this novel captures the imagination along with the memorable characters that remain with the reader long after the book has been finished.
Among them: William Saunders—Captain of the Catherine. An outstanding seaman, fearless on ship, yet devoted to his wife and children. However, the war causes a new dimension to enter his life and when sequestered in New Orleans, he encounters the love of another woman. Elias Saunders—William's younger brother. His life is devoted to building bigger, better, faster sailing ships—and his wife Rachel. Yet, the lure and profit of the privateering business entice him. Kit Cavanaugh—Renegade, sailor extraordinaire, lover of many women. Respected by his shipmates, he fears no man and enjoys every woman. His exploits alternate between happiness and grief as he cuts a swath through saloons, waterfronts and bordellos from Boston to New Orleans. Roseanne Whitney—Beautiful, tempestuous wife of a Southern aristocrat. Her first lover, Ben Eaton, is a sailor aboard the Catherine. Sympathetic to the northern cause, she provides valuable information to William Saunders and thus her life becomes entwined with those of the men aboard the Catherine. Eliza Saunders—She waits and prays for her man William to return safely to Rhode Island and when he does, he is different.
Within this panoramic book, the reader will be spirited away to the coves and rivers of Rhode Island, the sultry, fascinating immorality of New Orleans under the northern occupation, the provincialism of Washington, and the familiar ports of call; Plymouth, Baltimore, and New York, amidst the background of the carnage and heartbreak of the Civil War.
