John Wilkinson was born in Norfolk, Virginia on November 6, 1821.[1] He was a lieutenant and captain in the Confederate States Navy (CSN) during the American Civil War. He was commander of several blockade runners, including the CSS Robert E. Lee and the CSS Chickamauga. For the CSS Robert E. Lee, he persuaded the owner in Scotland to sell it to the CSN for the same price that they had just bought her for.[2] Wilkinson died on December 25, 1891.