S8 Ep733: These sources detail a harrowing historical account from Eric J. Dolan’s book, Left for Dead, which recounts a true story of shipwreck and betrayal in the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812. The narrative centers on Charles Barnard, an American seal
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 12 April 2026
⏱️ 10 minutes
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Summary
Left for Dead: Shipwreck and Treachery in 1812
5 sources
·
11 April, 2026
These sources detail a harrowing historical account from Eric J. Dolan’s book, Left for Dead, which recounts a true story of shipwreck and betrayal in the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812. The narrative centers on Charles Barnard, an American sealing captain who attempted to rescue the survivors of the wrecked British ship Isabella, only to be betrayed by the Britishdue to the maritime prize system. Despite Barnard's humanitarian efforts, a British officer named Lieutenant D’Aranda seized Barnard’s ship as a prize of war, subsequently marooning a small hunting party on the desolate islands for over 500 days. The texts highlight the extreme survival tactics employed by the abandoned men and emphasize the critical role played by Barnard’s dog, Scent, in their hunt for food. Following their eventual rescue, the story concludes with a lengthy legal battle over the captured vessel and the publication of Barnard’s personal memoirs. Overall, the sources examine the collision of international conflict and personal greed against the backdrop of an unforgiving wilderness.
1. Guest Author: Eric J. Dolin. Dolin discusses his book *Left for Dead*, detailing the lucrative 19th-century sealing industry and the *Nanina's* high-risk 1812 voyage. Captain Charles Barnard and his veteran father, Valentine, led a crew from New York to the Falkland Islands, gambling on high demand for skins despite the looming war. (1)
1839 Falklands
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is CBS Eye on the World. Here's John Batchelor. |
| 0:10.0 | This is CBS, I on the World. I'm John Batchelor. Let's go sealing. A new book, Left for Dead, |
| 0:19.0 | shipwreck, treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World. |
| 0:23.3 | This is not only sealing a very, very lucrative occasion about the time of the revolution into the early 19th century. |
| 0:31.4 | It's also a story about the Falkland Islands that once we're at the edge of the world and are now in the conversation all the time between |
| 0:38.3 | Argentina and the United Kingdom. They remain part of the British Empire, British Commonwealth. |
| 0:45.1 | However, the conversation here takes us to another collision between the Young America and Mother |
| 0:53.0 | Britain. This would be the war of 1812. |
| 0:55.9 | Eric J. Dolan is the author. |
| 0:57.4 | I congratulate him. |
| 0:58.5 | The research is not only impressive, it's extremely persuasive, |
| 1:03.1 | that we're living the life of a sealer in 1812. |
| 1:07.6 | We begin, though, with the commerce. |
| 1:09.6 | What was it about seals or something near to something called a sea otter? |
| 1:15.1 | Who wanted such things in great quantity that you could launch an expedition to seal for one or two years? |
| 1:23.0 | Eric, congratulations. |
| 1:24.3 | Good evening. |
| 1:25.1 | What was the commerce of sealing? |
| 1:26.8 | Who bought? |
| 1:44.8 | Who sold? Good evening to you. Good evening to you. Thanks for having me on. Well, sealing as an industry, the way that I first found out about it was a book I wrote years ago called Leviathan about the history of whaling in America. And then also a book I wrote called Fur Fortune and Empire about the history of the fur trade in America. |
| 1:52.4 | And one of the original ways that Americans got involved in the fur trade internationally was through the Seater trade in the Pacific Northwest. |
| 2:00.8 | When Captain Cook on one of his voyages went to the Pacific Northwest, some of his men later in Canton sold sea otter pelt for $100 a piece. And this got everybody's attention. |
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