John Sledge
The Black Warrior Affair
In the winter of 1854, a steamer out of Mobile sparked a diplomatic incident that threatened war between the United States and Spain over Cuba.
Lost at Sea: The Men of SS Azalea City
In February 1942, a merchant vessel with a Mobile connection disappeared without a trace.
A Little Garden of Eden
Historian John Sledge leads us on a stroll through the streets of Spanish Mobile.
George Gauld: A Man of Ability
Maritime historian John S. Sledge recounts the story of a Scottish cartographer’s 18th-century visit to Mobile Bay and the stunning map it yielded.
The Battle of Mabila
Historian John Sledge relates the violent confrontation between Chief Tascalusa and Hernando de Soto.
The Wreck of the Saint-Antoine
An 18th-century maritime mishap provoked a tense Franco-Spanish standoff over who controlled Mobile Bay.
The Vine and Olive Colonists’ Perilous Mobile Bay Landfall
Historian John Sledge recounts the Vine and Olive colonists’ perilous Mobile Bay landfall.
“The Pirate bore down on us…”
Maritime historian John Sledge recounts the eventful maiden voyage of the revenue cutter Alabama.
A History of Mobile in 22 Objects: Civil War Speaking Trumpet
This month’s artifact from the History Museum of Mobile — a blockade runner’s speaking trumpet — played a fascinating role in the Civil War.
Bunker Hill in Miniature
In January 1781, while the Revolutionary War raged in the northeast, British forces attempted a sneak attack on a Spanish fortification on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay.