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The most significant modern study of Charles Read is the essay in Charles L. Dufour's Nine Men in Gray (1983). Unfortunately, the quality of the writing is not matched by sound research. Mr. Dufour is an acknowledged expert on New Orleans and the Civil War. But to miss the obituary of read in War Talks of Confederate Veterans was careless, as was his failure to find the profile of Read in The Daily Picayune - a paper for which Mr. Dufour was later a columnist! He is also overly credulous of James M. Morgan, yet does not seem to have consulted the work of his sister, Sarah Morgan A Confederate Girl's Diary, despite the fact that Morgan refers to it. Nor has he used Morgan's other book, Rebel Reefer, which also contains Read material. Strangest of all is his use of George W. Gift "The Story of the Arkansas". This excellent account appeared in four parts yet Mr. Dufour only quotes from the first part, raising the question "did he miss the other three"? Certainly he has omitted some useful read sightings.
Another modern account, by Chester Hearns, Gray Raiders of the Sea, is far better, but it only deals with the Portland raid and no other parts of Read's career. This does add sound research to good writing.
The fullest contemporary study is by James M. Morgan in Prince and Boatswain. This is a rattling good yarn, but owes more to the ramblings of a garrulous old salt than to the inspiration of Cleo! It is only reliable for the period when he and Read served on the McRae. He does sometimes claim that Read told him some of the later stories - which means no more than that Read might have been good at embroidery.
Read himself wrote an account of his earlier career "Reminiscences of the Confederate States Navy", published in Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. 1, No. 5 (May 1876). This goes as far as Read's appointment to the Florida. Mr. Dufour makes good use of "Manuscript narrative in the Possession of Mallory J. Read" for Read's later adventures. Happily, this is not totally unpublished. This study has revealed a long extract covering the Tacony raid in The Daily Picayune, (Nov. 14th., 1889) - which matches extracts used by Mr. Dufour whenever comparison can be made. There is an extract of another part of the document in J. T. Scharf The Confederate States Navy. When reading Scharf's account of Read's later career it is impossible not to think that he had access to the Read manuscript.
Apart from Chester Hearns, James D. Hill and possibly Edgar Boykin, writers
seem to ignore '"The Cruise of the Clarence-Tacony-Archer" by an Officer
of the United States Navy, with Addenda by an Officer of the Three Vessels'
(Maryland Historical Society Magazine, March, 1915).
This is probably because it seems anonymous and uses direct speech frequently.
Hearns does note that it seems authoritative but does not show why.
In fact, the contents page of the annual bound volume of the magazine confirms
that the Confederate Officer was Eugene Browne, the ONLY other officer
aboard and Read's Second-in-Command. Further, the direct speech
always involves him. This identification is supported by the
Dictionary
of American Biography in the reading list appended to Read's entry.
It has therefore been taken as 'good source'.
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