"Abandoned: Tales of Ships Lost at Sea in Merchant Shipping and a Short Essay of Smugglers Encountered on the North Carolina Coast, 1861-1865" is a unique book by American historian James Sprant that recounts the classified adventures of vessels that experienced immediate deaths in trade routes, as well as about smugglers' ships rescued on the coast during the Civil War in the USA. Sprant's penetrating writing style brings the stories of each shipwreck to life, revealing the mysterious circumstances of their demise and recreating the atmosphere of maritime adventure of the time. This book is an indispensable source of knowledge for those interested in the maritime history of the United States and the events of the Civil War on the north coast.