Wow! eBook
War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861-1865
Author(s): James M. McPherson (Author)
- Publisher: University North Carolina Pr
- Publication Date: 28 Feb. 2015
- Edition: Illustrated
- Language: English
- Print length: 288 pages
- ISBN-10: 146962284X
- ISBN-13: 9781469622842
Book Description
McPherson recounts how the Union navy's blockade of the Confederate coast, leaky as a sieve in the war's early months, became increasingly effective as it choked off vital imports and exports. Meanwhile, the Confederate navy, dwarfed by its giant adversary, demonstrated daring and military innovation. Commerce raiders sank Union ships and drove the American merchant marine from the high seas. Southern ironclads sent several Union warships to the bottom, naval mines sank many more, and the Confederates deployed the world's first submarine to sink an enemy vessel. But in the end, it was the Union navy that won some of the war's most important strategic victories--as an essential partner to the army on the ground at Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Mobile Bay, and Fort Fisher, and all by itself at Port Royal, Fort Henry, New Orleans, and Memphis.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"[McPherson] uses impeccable scholarship in the service of narratives that have appeal for the general reader." -- Howell Raines,
Washington Post"A sound collection-development investment." --
Booklist"A tremendous addition to Civil War literature, and McPherson has demonstrated his mastery of a new subject." --
Sea History"Anyone wishing to acquire an immediate grasp on the main narrative points of the Civil War at sea, while enjoying a masterful summation of past and current historical thinking, should read this book." --
Daybook"As definitive as it is economical, [
War on the Waters] establishes beyond question the decisive contributions of maritime power to Union victory." -- Publishers Weekly starred review"McPherson displays his massive knowledge of the Civil War. . . . A solid contribution to Civil War scholarship." --
Kirkus Reviews"McPherson's accounts of set-piece battles -- Farragut's assault on Mobile Bay, the duel between the
Monitor and the Merrimack -- are vivid. Much of this briny story is provided through the words of the participants, and the maps are excellent throughout." -- Wall Street Journal Gift Guide 2012"Readers of
Battle Cry of Freedom well may wish to add this sequel to their bookshelf." -- The Washington Times"Well-researched. . . . This important addition to scholarship on the naval aspects of the Civil War is recommended for academic audiences. With maps of several key battle sites clearly depicting ship and fort locations." --
Library Journal
