It's true, we don't know the real 'conditions' he boarded the boat under. As I mentioned, his wife was from Baltimore, don't know if that had anything to do with it. By that time, most of the people in Pensacola (at least those on the social register or who had any political standing) had gone to Greeneville, Alabama. They even got the state to allow the county government business to be conducted there. The Union had been in control here for a while. Another thing that I have noticed by reading between the lines in some articles is the 'Natives' weren't all that in to the war. By that, I mean that those from the original Spanish lines were so used to flag changes they just waited for the next one to show up. Didn't get into the arguments on much of anything. Just went with the flow. Heck, we were part of the US for less than 40 years when the war started.
That GGUncle did have nephews and a son who fought for the Confederacy though. After the war, his sons and grandsons continued the tradition as bar pilots and tug owners for many years. We used to have a really active port. Not so much now.
They were also bridge tenders at the old Bayou Chico bridge where the shipyards and marina's are.That drawbridge was blown up a few years back and a new high rise bridge was built a little ways over from it to take its place. Most of us hated to see that one go. It was the last of our drawbridges. The house next to it was an eatery called Perry's Seafood House but it was built and lived in by that bar pilot who got on the Union boat and took em in Mobile Bay.

Pam