During the United States' Civil War, Confederate Navy Raiders struck fear into the hearts of Union Whalers. Under officers like James Waddell, Raphael Semmes, and others, the Confederate raiders sank or captured dozens of Union whalers.

Like those Confederate captains, Paul Watson has led a rebellious organization to challenge contemporary whalers. In his latest book Watson recounts the story of the Confederate ships that targetted Union whaling ships and how the influence his tactics as the founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and as a captain on many of its campaigns for the past four decades.