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 and the . 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.