150 years since the CSS Shenandoah docked in Melbourne to a rock star's welcome

Via Philip

"I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit of Confederate DNA floating around Victoria."

It's a story way closer to Richmond, Victoria than the Confederate heartland of Richmond, Virginia – a little known chapter of local history that led to an Australian gun crew firing the last shot of the American Civil War.

These guys were celebrities. Melbourne really feted them. The ladies just loved them.
Terry Smyth, author of Australian Confederates

It's 150 years since the CSS Shenandoah docked in Melbourne to a rock star's welcome.

Captain James Waddell and his rebel officers were wined and dined during a stay of more than three weeks before being unceremoniously ousted for illegally recruiting Melburnians to the Confederate cause. Throw in an illicit love story between Waddell and a Union prisoner on board and it's a ripping yarn.

More @ The Victoria Age