“A Better Commander Cannot be Had”…. The story of Joannes Wyllie, commander of the blockade runner Ad-Vance

The most important officer to command the famous blockade runner wasn’t a Southerner, or even an American, but a Scot from Fife. The full role of Joannes Wyllie, until now but a footnote to history, has been uncovered and his importance to one of the most successful of all runners of the war can now be told.Ad-Vance

Wyllie was born in 1828 and was not destined for a life at sea. He was the son of a farmer and a promising student, granted a bursary to attend the University of St Andrews. A mysterious incident in which he was declared dead lead him to the sea, signing up as an apprentice seaman in 1852.

He quickly rose through the ranks and in 1862 gained his maritime masters certificate in Liverpool. He there took command of his first vessel, the steamer bound for Nassau with war supplies. It was on the…