The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong Great Lakes Pirates, Part 3: Rebels
Jan 27, 2026
Confederate plots to capture a Union warship and covert schemes hatched from Canada. Bold boarding attempts, a seized steamer, and a frantic refueling fiasco that sparked local resistance. A failed network unravels under interrogation and international tension. Then a shift to Roaring Dan Seavey and tall tales of salvage, smuggling, chases, and legal confusion.
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Murdaugh's Michigan Seizure Plan
- Lieutenant William Murdaugh devised a plan to seize USS Michigan and use it to free prisoners.
- Jefferson Davis halted the initial plan fearing diplomatic fallout with Britain over Canadian operations.
Clumsy Confederate Infiltration In Canada
- A 22-man Confederate team landed in Nova Scotia then marched to Montreal but stuck out conspicuously.
- Their attempts to clandestinely buy weapons and recruit failed after Canadian authorities alerted the U.S.
Thompson's Revised Conspiracy
- Jacob Thompson organized a revised plot using Charles H. Cole and John Yates Beale to infiltrate and seize Michigan.
- The plan relied on deception, secret messengers, and commandeering the steamship Philo Parsons.