The Rest I Will Kill

William Tillman and the Unforgettable Story of How a Free Black Man Refused to Become a Slave

By: Brian McGinty

Narrated by: Sean Crisden

On July 4, 1861, the schooner S. J. Waring set sail from New York on a routine voyage to South America. Seventeen days later it limped back into New York's harbor with the ship's black cook and steward at the helm. While the story of that ill-fated voyage is one of the most harrowing tales of captivity and survival on the high seas, it has been tragically lost to history.

Now reclaiming William Tillman as the American hero he deserves to be, historian Brian McGinty takes listeners on a courageous journey that recounts how a free black man was able to recapture his commandeered ship from Confederate privateers, defy their efforts to make him a slave, and become an unlikely glimmer of hope for a disheartened Union army in the war-battered North. The Rest I Will Kill emerges as a thrilling yet historically significant work about race, patriotism, and personal heroism during the Civil War.

©2016 Brian McGinty (P)2016 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

A hero I hadn't met before

I enjoyed this book because it was an exciting historical incident that I wasn't familiar with. The author's descriptions kept me listening right to the end. I wasn't at all sure how the trial would turn out. It's too bad that Tillman's grave is unknown and that his bravery is not recounted as it ought to be. Highly recommended!

Lost History

I knew about the Smalls story, but glad to learn about William Tillman. Passing it on with pleasure.