Tag: John Sledge

Robert Talon could boast an extraordinary life lived amidst three distinct Gulf Coast cultures in his 37 years.

A decade ago, MB asked historian John Sledge to share his personal restoration wish list. Happily, the intervening decade has been a strong one for historic preservation in Mobile. Allow us as a brief review of the successes of the past 10 years and a look at what remains in peril.

The Caribbean scandal that exposed the extensive corruption of Mobile’s founder.

Did an adventurer impersonating a dead Russian princess really live in French Mobile?

Indian agent Thomas Nairne decided that the interests of the British Crown were threatened by French Mobile — so he set out to manipulate tribes to destroy them.

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.

In a sampling from his newest book, local author and MB contributor John Sledge tells the tale of a German submarine attack on a ship headed for Mobile.