The 290

 

The 290

By: Scott O'Dell

     This book tells the story of Jim Lynne, a sixteen year old ship building apprentice in Liverpool in 1862. The twist is that Jim originally was from New Orleans, LA but was sent to England at the age of ten to receive his education. Jim's father is a wealthy plantation owner and slave trader, although Jim did not know latter until his brother, Ted, showed up unexpectedly at the beginning of the book and informed of his father's lesser known occupation. Ted is working for the Union and wants information from Jim about the latest ship that was being built, the 290. It turns out the 290 was actually secretly being built for the Confederate navy, and Ted's job was to take down the 290 and the ship that held supplies for the 290. At first, it seems as though Ted cares about the cause of the Northern side, but it soon becomes apparent that he really is only in it for the money. However, this does not stop Ted from attempting to exploit Jim's distaste for slavery to get the information on the 290. Jim, however, is loyal to his employers and the 290 is able to successfully set sail. During this trial sail, Jim decides rather impulsively to join the Confederate navy and proceeds to live and work on the 290 (officially now named the Enrica, but no one calls it that). No clear purpose or reason is given for Jim's decision, but as part of his actions, he matures significantly and sets out to free many slaves that his father has captured. This is the story of Jim and his experience as a southerner and as a Englishmen during the United States Civil War; it is not always a story with a purpose, but like Jim's philosophy of life, it takes you where you need to go along the way. 

     This book is shockingly enough based on quite a bit of fact. Apparently, I did not know as much about the Civil War as I thought I did. I had no real knowledge of the extent of the involvement of the Confederate Navy or any idea how much of that war was not fought on American soil, but rather half a world away. Raphael Semmes is Jim's captain in the book, and he was a real captain in the Confederate Navy who saw quite a bit of success. I wanted to know a little more about him as I had not heard of him before, and it turns out he is a pretty interesting guy. If you want to learn more about Captain Raphael Semmes and his adventures with the Confederate Navy, click here.

     The part of the book I most enjoyed was when Jim did something about the slavery he so detested. It was interesting to hear the story from Jim's perspective as he quite clearly disapproved of slavery, but unwaveringly supported the South in the war. I think today we often forget that those lines weren't necessarily as strongly drawn in the sand as we often think. However, before you get too up in arms about a sailor who disapproved of slavery but fought for the side defending it, you should know that at one point Jim and a few others disobey orders to trick Jim's father's business partner into letting them take over the shipment of their latest "cargo" or group of captured slaves. We find out later, that Jim's ultimate plan was to grant the slaves freedom once he became captain of their ship. He ends up releasing them, per their request, on an island with many gardening tools and several plants of fruit and animals for them to survive. He later returns to Captain Semmes and takes his punishment for his non-regulated absence. Jim really stands on his own here, and we can really see a man of his beliefs, cloudy though they may be. He is loyal to his cause and to the people he cares for or sees an obligation to. He gives Ted money when he needs it, provides a friend a job, gives his mentor's wife a tea set rather than selling it because he believes she will enjoy it. 

     Jim is a different kind of hero than we often read about when reading about the Civil War, but he is a hero I think. He rescued hundreds of men, and stood up for what and who he believed in, even when his thoughts didn't quite match up with what others expected. Jim grew through the book and in the end he takes off for a new adventure, ready to meet challenges as they arise and embracing the unexpected. Perhaps there is a lesson for us all there. Life can never be fully planned, and the measure of yourself is in how you deal with that for which you didn't plan. I know that's a lesson I probably need to hear every day, as I often want to pretend I know exactly where my life is going; but in reality, we never really know.