William Tillman (c. 1834 – ?) was an American mariner known for his recapture of the S. J. Waring (which had been captured by the Confederate privateer Jefferson Davis) in July 1861.
William B. Tillman was born in Milford, Delaware, in around 1834. Although most black Delawareans of his time were born into slavery, Tillman belonged to a family of free blacks. They relocated to Rhode Island around 1850, and Tillman began working as sailor, eventually to be hired by Jonas Smith & Co.
Source: Wikipedia