14. A typical run for a British built blockade runner in 1863
It’s important to note that there was nothing illegal in the British trade with the Confederate States. When the Union captured British citizens (or those of any other country) they were released. Southerners were retained as prisoners of war. This reduced the risk for the British yet further, there were only the perils of the sea and the possibility of financial loss if captured. The blockade runners went to sea unarmed, since cannon added to their weight and reduced the load they could carry. A new ship could replace a captured one in about six months, sooner if there was a suitable vessel already in service and a price could be agreed upon.
A British-owned and crewed vessel steamed from the Clyde, or the Mersey, or a Channel Port, laden with trade goods and bound for a British port such as Nassau. Trade with Havana, in Spanish Cuba, was also common, with Galveston blockade runners frequenting its harbor. From Nassau, it would depart for the East Coast of the Confederacy, most often Wilmington. It would then remain in the islands to American trade. Nassau crawled with spies from North and South, the former intent on discovering the nature of cargoes and sailing dates, the latter with identifying enemy agents. Nassau and other island ports also became havens for southern seamen who offered their services to British captains as pilots, to guide them through the tricky waterways and currents along the American coastline.