Kentucky Barracuda: Parker H. French - 9781960224231

Historical biography of an infamous rascal of antebellum and Civil War America. Quirky history and profile of a pathologically interesting character. BARRACUDA: Con man, crook, hustler, swindler. Though a notorious scoundrel in his time, French has been relegated to a minor footnote in American antebellum and Civil War history. This cunning rascal, this delightful rogue, is brought out of the shadows and into the spotlight. The crafty Machiavellian contributed more to mid-nineteenth century history ?than has been previously documented.In the era of steam, sail and horse, the rapidity of French's movement and breadth of his adventures is almost mind-numbing. Born and raised in Kentucky, he was a runaway kid who fought as a "powder monkey" for the British Navy in the first Opium War. When he was just 22 years old, he was a commission merchant and, a year later, built the first ocean going ship on the upper Mississippi, swindling partners in the process. Before he was 30, he was the leader of an infamous and fraudulent gold rush expedition; implicated in an irregular invasion of Cuba; jailed bandit and then paramilitary hero in Mexico; lawyer, district attorney, legislator, journalist, and political enforcer in California; part of an American cabal which governed Nicaragua; and, appointed but rejected Nicaraguan ambassador to the United States. He didn't slow down in his 30s: he was a real estate developer; lawyer; journalist; part of a conspiracy to invade Mexico; suspected seditionist agitator and Confederate agent; jailed as a political prisoner; and, lawyer and purveyor for Union troops. His final days were spent in obscurity but the period was still peppered with the occasional swindle that garnered both regional and national attention. First and foremost, he was a barracuda.

• | Author: Joe Goodbody
• | Publisher: Proisle Publishing Service
• | Publication Date: Mar 01, 2023
• | Number of Pages: 290 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 1960224239
• | ISBN-13: 9781960224231