King of the Gunrunners

How a Philadelphia Fruit Importer Inspired a Revolution and Provoked the Spanish-American War

James W. Miller

• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9781496849908
• eBook ISBN: 9781496849939
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Latin American & Caribbean History
• Index: History

By the time he turned thirty at the end of the nineteenth century, John D. Hart thrived as the busiest importer of bananas on the East Coast. A master of ships with a thunderous voice, Hart aggressively carried tropical fruit to an insatiable market with little concern for notions of supply and demand. But when an unexpected crisis hit the fruit business, Hart was unprepared. The financial Panic of 1893 doomed his strategy of bringing in limitless bananas. Jobless consumers could not afford such luxuries. Nearing bankruptcy, Hart was approached by Emilio Nuñez, a member of the Cuban Revolutionary Party—a cadre of exiled conspirators in New York whose singular purpose was to liberate the Cuban island from four hundred years of Spanish rule. Nuñez enlisted Hart as a "filibuster" to transport guns and ammunition to the Cuban rebels. For nearly three years, Hart became the most visible of a disparate group of mariners between New York and Key West who tormented Spanish authorities, riled the US government, and became heroes to an oppressed people fighting to be free. In King of the Gunrunners: How a Philadelphia Fruit Importer Inspired a Revolution and Provoked the Spanish-American War, author James W. Miller reveals the untold story of a forgotten American whose adventures helped pave the way for the United States' emergence as an international power. With the Yellow Press trumpeting his exploits, Hart's influence helped inflame the nation's mood and made war with Spain inevitable. The quick US victory in what became known as the Spanish-American War compelled Spain to abandon Cuba and cede sovereignty over Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States, which also annexed the independent state of Hawaii during the conflict. This volume presents the story of Hart, the defiant king of the Cuban gunrunners, who prolonged a revolution, provoked a war, and left an indelible mark on history.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Prologue
• Chapter 1. A Wondrous World
• Chapter 2. A New Revolution
• Chapter 3. Scrambling for Ships
• Chapter 4. The Wealthy and Useful Ker
• Chapter 5. The Director of Expeditions
• Chapter 6. A Lesson in Competition
• Chapter 7. Fully Vested in the Filibuster Business
• Chapter 8. Not a Man of Patience
• Chapter 9. “Until Cuba Is Free”
• Chapter 10. A Clear Victory in Court
• Chapter 11. Spanish Spies and US Marshals
• Chapter 12. “Captain Dynamite” Johnny O’Brien
• Chapter 13. A Quick Indoctrination into Filibuster Protocol
• Chapter 14. A Booming Reply of “NOT GUILTY!”
• Chapter 15. “Damfoolitis”
• Chapter 16. Prosecution or Persecution?
• Chapter 17. An Ambitious Expedition
• Chapter 18. A Worst-Case Scenario
• Chapter 19. Publicity Agent for an Expedition
• Chapter 20. “You Don’t Often See a Man Like Him”
• Chapter 21. “Justly Convicted”
• Chapter 22. The Laurada’s Last Expedition
• Chapter 23. Captain Dynamite’s Expedition to Havana
• Chapter 24. Broke and Headed for Prison
• Chapter 25. The King of the Gunrunners Is Affirmed
• Chapter 26. Perceived Wrongs and Righteous Rights
• Chapter 27. The Maine Explodes, and Hart Goes to Prison
• Chapter 28. A Full and Complete Pardon
• Chapter 29. The Importing Business Had Changed
• Chapter 30. He Took Up the Cause and Suffered for It
• Epilogue
• Source Notes
• Bibliography
• Index