William Tillman and the Unforgettable Story of How a Free Black Man Refused to Become a Slave
June 6, 2016
Attorney McGinty (Lincoln’s Greatest Case) unsuccessfully attempts to add heft and tension to a little-known Civil War episode of courage on the high seas. He argues that William Tillman, a free black man from the slave state of Delaware, deserves to be remembered as one of the first heroes of the war. In 1861, Tillman had been working as a cook on the S.J. Waring, a merchant ship, for four years. This routine job turned dangerous at the outbreak of war because the Confederacy authorized privateers to seize whatever Union vessels they could. When they captured the Waring that summer, Tillman knew his freedom was forfeit. He would be sold along with the rest of the cargo once the confiscated ship reached the South. Rather than face one day as an enslaved person, Tillman killed three privateers and took back the Waring. These events are described in brisk order, as is the subsequent court case that dealt with the legalities of salvage. Though Tillman struck a decisive blow for individual liberty, McGinty’s claim that he’s a hero comes across as a stretch. Instead of a richly textured story about the importance of freedom, McGinty delivers a wispy sliver of legal history. Illus.