Captain Barnie P. Bobbitt grew up on a farm where first hand tales from the War Between the States were still being told. He witnessed considerable history: the beginning of income tax in the United States, China as the Revolution took hold, Germany in the build-up to World War II, Cuba before Castro, and more. Although too young to go with brothers who fought in World War I, he vividly remembered its impact "back home." He spent most of his working life on merchant ships, many of those years as Master. In the Merchant Marine throughout World War II, he was often the vice-commodore of supply convoys to Great Britain. He received a service award for wartime duty in the North Atlantic. This volume combines material from books produced by him primarily for close kin in his later years, supplemented by comments and material from family. Flavored by the rich oral storytelling tradition of the American South, his recollections provide insights into the 20th century that few history books convey. He was born in Franklin County, North Carolina in 1903 and died in Port Arthur, Texas in 1995.