Beau Cleland

Historian and assistant professor who authored Between King Cotton and Queen Victoria, examining Confederate informal diplomacy and transimperial networks during the Civil War; former U.S. Army soldier whose research focuses on transnational violence and non-state actors.

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Dec 7, 2025 • 1h 4min

Beau Cleland, "Between King Cotton and Queen Victoria: How Pirates, Smugglers, and Scoundrels Almost Saved the Confederacy" (U Georgia Press, 2025)

Beau Cleland, a historian and assistant professor, delves into his book, exploring how informal networks of pirates, smugglers, and scoundrels significantly influenced the Confederacy during the Civil War. He reveals how these private actors facilitated blockade-running that was crucial for the South's survival. Cleland discusses the miscalculations of 'King Cotton' diplomacy, the challenges of Confederate supply chains, and even connects these networks to John Wilkes Booth's assassination of Lincoln. His insights recast the war as a hemispheric affair shaped by these hidden alliances.

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