Ironclad: The Epic Battle, Calamitous Loss, and Historic Recovery of the USS Monitor Review

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(More customer reviews)Warning; once you start this book cancel your other plans. This is definitely a cover to cover read. Clancy skillfully weaves the tale of Monitor from its conception to the Battle of Hampton Roads, through its untimely demise to its remarkable recovery. His approach it unusual in that he weaves the two tales of the 19th century Monitor against the drama of the recovery of the ironclad's turret.
While Clancy is admittedly not an engineer he is an accomplished sailor with a sense of history. He draws extensively on this knowledge to explain the Battle of Hampton Roads, why the ironclad sunk and how it was recovered (not salvaged). His descriptions of the rising seas and pending storm off Cape Hatteras and how the 19th century sailors judged the weather gave one an insight as to why this area is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic.
Equally as insightful is the story of the recovery which was woven directly in with the history. This part too is a tribute to brave and dedicated sailors and archeologists whose willingness to commit everything to the task made you race through one chapter if for no other reason than to find out how the "other" story was unfolding.
It's a masterful book, full of information well told. Look out Tom, there's another Clancy on the radar screen.


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The true story of the Civil War ironclad that saved the Union Navy only to sink in a storm--and its remarkable salvage 140 years later

Ironclad tells the saga of the warship USS Monitor and its salvage, one of the most complex and dangerous in history. The Monitor is followed through its maiden voyage from New York to Hampton Roads, its battle with the Merrimack, and its loss off Cape Hatteras. At the same time, author Paul Clancy takes readers behind the scenes of an improbable collaboration between navy divers and cautious archaeologists working 240 feet deep.

Clancy creates a memorable, fascinating read, including fresh insights into the sinking of the Union ship and giving the answer to an intriguing forensic mystery: the identities of the two sailors whose bones were found in the Monitor's recovered turret.

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From Cape Charles to Cape Fear: The North Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the Civil War (Alabama Fire Ant Alabama Fire Ant Alabama Fire Ant) Review

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(More customer reviews)A complete and thorough 453 page history of the events along the coast and inland water ways of North Carolina and Virginia during the American Civil War. Browning provides an in-depth discussion of the logistics, tactics and strategy of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, which played a very important and often overlooked role during the Civil War. Its successes benefitted the efforts of the Union's Army of the Potomac and adversely affected the operations of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. There is also a succinct explanation of the campaign to capture Wilmington, North Carolina and the broader effects that campaign had on Lee's army. Eight maps, fourteen illustrations and over a hundred pages of notes and bibliography augment the text.

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The Sea Eagle: The Civil War Memoir of LCdr. William B. Cushing, U.S.N. (The American Crisis Series: Books on the Civil War Era) Review

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(More customer reviews)Please do your homework before purchasing this book. Amazon's description of the book led me to believe that this book would primarily be Cushing's memoir. The first 17 pages are introduction, perhaps for the middle school audience that the book was intended, with Cushing's memoir accounting for about 50 pages. I do not know if that was Cushing's original length or if it was condensed for the school audience. The remaining half of the book is filler with period accounts about civil war naval engagements, mostly written by participants, Unlike Cushing's memoirs, those stories can be accessed on Google books. Had I known the true content, I most likely would not have purchased the book. At least I did not pay full price.

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Success Is All That Was Expected: The South Atlantic Blockading Squadron During the Civil War Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the first measures imposed by the North on the South during the War was to establish a blockade. The United States Navy was ill prepared to enforce such a blockade. Officially the U.S. Navy consisted of ninety vessels. Only forty-two of these were in commission, the rest were in moth balls, or as it was called then 'in ordinary,' or they were on foreign station, or patrolling the Gulf coast. Nor were the ships that were available suited for blockade use. The Navy primarily had ships designed for deep water operations, not the shallow coastal areas typical of the southern coast.
As the title says, success was expected. The blockade of course lasted throughout the war. By the end the Navy was not only prepared, but was indeed able to effectively blockade these ports.
The particular area covered by the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron covered from Cape Fear to Cape Canaveral. This book joins the authors previous bookon the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and presumably there is at least one more book to come in the series.

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Success Is All That Was Expected is a comprehensive operational history of the Union naval blockade that monitored the southern Atlantic coast from South Carolina to Florida during the American Civil War. Created in 1861 by the order of President Abraham Lincoln and charged with halting Confederate maritime commerce and closing Southern ports, the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron was the largest of the four Union coastal blockading squadrons for much of the conflict. This story covers the harrowing engagements between ships and forts, daring amphibious assaults, the battles between ironclad vessels, the harassment of Confederate blockade runners, and the incredible evolution of underwater warfare in the form of the CSS Hunley.The world's leading scholar of Union naval blockades during the Civil War, historian Robert Browning, reveals the squadron's numerous tactical accomplishments. He also illustrates how its success was constantly hampered by indecisive leaders in Washington who failed to express their strategic vision as well as by reputation-conscious naval commanders who were reluctant to press the fight when the specter of failure loomed. Despite lost opportunities, unfulfilled expectations, and failures along the way, the bravery, sacrifice, and vigilance of these fighting men played a crucial role in the Union's ultimate victory.

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Wolf of the Deep: Raphael Semmes and the Notorious Confederate Raider CSS Alabama Review

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(More customer reviews)"Wolf of the Deep" is about the most successful commerce raider (read 'privateer') in the history of war at sea. The fact that Raphael Semmes was a captain in the Confederate Navy just adds more to the emotional appeal.
It turns out the Confederacy might have won after all, if it had done more commerce raiding. Semmes' raids alone were enough to cause hundreds of shipowners to sell their cargoes at a loss, or even the ships themselves, to avoid losing them as United States vessels. Semmes caused consternation out of all proportion to being one captain with one ship.
Stephen Fox tells the story with gusto, including lots of pictures, quotes from newspapers of the time, and different perspectives including pro-confederacy and anti-confederacy Brits as well as Americans. The Civil War is where Americans learned to fight with modern technology and transportation logistics - sadly, using each other; but learn they did.
For romance, for military adventure, for political buffoonery, for history: Wolf of the Deep appeals on all levels while telling a right good story. Amazingly, Captain Semmes retired and died in bed after all this brouhaha. You can see a statue dedicated in his honor in Mobile, Alabama.

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War, Technology, and Experience aboard the USS Monitor Review

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(More customer reviews)One reviewer called this book, "a gem of a book... promises to be one of those small classics in the history of technology that sets a new standard for how the core questions of the field are framed and addressed." Right on! It's also a small classic in that it brings carefully documented history in the reach of the ordinary literate reader. This book is so well written that it reads like an adventure story rather than a dry history. It also debunks the myths about the Monitor that we learned as children, showing that the designer, the seamen, the politicians all contributed in their own ways to the myths. By referring to the diaries of one of the officers of the ship, the book brings every detail to rich and human life. We share the insights of the famous political and literary figures of the day, from Abraham Lincoln to Nathaniel Hawthorne to Herman Melville. We learn what really happened at Hampton Roads and what it all means for us today. And we learn about how "Smart weapons displace heroism from the field to the laboratory, from warriors to engineers, and from spectacle to secrecy." Everyone interested in the history of technology, the history of war, and the ways writers interpret events of the day will want to read this fine little book.

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Lincoln's Admiral: The Civil War Campaigns of David Farragut Review

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(More customer reviews)I was not sure whether I wanted to read a biography of Farragut after having read Loyall Farragut's biography of his father, but I enjoyed Duffy's book. He does not blindly glorify Farragut's memory, but clearly shows why David Farragut's long career in the Navy and perceptive intellect made him one of the most effective military leaders during the Civil War. Duffy is also one of the few authors/historians to portray Adm. David Dixon Porter in a negative light by shedding light on Porter's attempts to upstage and undermine Farragut's accomplishments via his connections in Washington.

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Union Jacks: Yankee Sailors in the Civil War (Civil War America) Review

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After reading on the civil war for 40 years or more, one complaint I've had is that no one writes of the Union navy beyond the officers from admirals downward. Since I served in the U.S. Navy from 1961-1967, it isn't strange that I would hold some interest in these earlier shipmates. So I eagerly awaited the University of North Carolina to issue this book. I purchased a copy and was not disappointed.
I feel the book to be well worthwhile if one is interested in the union jack or blue jackets of that era. Some reviewers may have found the book not quite to their liking, but my humble opinion is that with the paucity of books available on this subject, one should be thankful for almost anything that is written on the area.
One of the more interesting items in this book are the pictures and illustrations. What did these men really look like? The appearance of their hats and uniforms? Here and there, some photographic books do give a clue. But I've encountered few that had as their entire subject the blue jacket of that day. It would seem from the pictures, that one need was to have had at least one banjo on board the ship. And curiously the numbers of navy men barefoot on board. And it was also of interest the number of African American sailors serving on board many of these ships. The Navy welcomed their service at least a year before the Union army, and by war's end upwards of 18% of all Union Navy men were African Americans, honorably serving their country.
With the author's notes covering almost the final 100 pages of this book, it appears very well documented. And as with any Civil War America book from Chapel Hill, you know it is solid history. I applaud this attempt by my fellow Ohioian for his efforts to give these mostly ignored and forgotten men an open hearing. Sadly, they too seemed aware their efforts were lost to history, with the combat armies often being remembered at their expense.
For me, this book is a very good first step in the direction of revealing these men and their naval service to our contemporary readers. I await even more of their stories.
Semper Fi.

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Historians have given a great deal of attention to the lives and experiences of Civil War soldiers, but surprisingly little is known about navy sailors who participated in the conflict. Michael J. Bennett remedies the longstanding neglect of Civil War seamen in this comprehensive assessment of the experience of common Union sailors from 1861 to 1865.
To resurrect the voices of the "Union Jacks," Bennett combed sailors' diaries, letters, and journals. He finds that the sailors differed from their counterparts in the army in many ways. They tended to be a rougher bunch of men than the regular soldiers, drinking and fighting excessively. Those who were not foreign-born, escaped slaves, or unemployed at the time they enlisted often hailed from the urban working class rather than from rural farms and towns. In addition, most sailors enlisted for pragmatic rather than ideological reasons.
Bennett's examination provides a look into the everyday lives of sailors and illuminates where they came from, why they enlisted, and how their origins shaped their service. By showing how these Union sailors lived and fought on the sea, Bennett brings an important new perspective to our understanding of the Civil War.

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STRANGLING THE CONFEDERACY: Coastal Operations in the American Civil War Review

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(More customer reviews)This book by author Kevin Dougherty works as a broad overview of coastal operations conducted by the Union Navy/Army during the American Civil War. I myself am not that familiar with these operations and came away with a good understanding of the decision making and planning by both governments (most of the time not so good by the Confederacy), the leadership by the commanders of both sides (again, a lot of times not that great for the South), the forces involved (unfortunately the book has no detailed Orders of Battle), and the sequence of events.
The book is divided into seven parts:
1. Short bios on Union and Confederate participants in the coastal operations, and the formation, membership and planning of the Union Navy Board in 1861.
2. The Atlantic Campaign 1861-1862
- Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina
- Port Royal Sound, South Carolina
- Fernandina and Jacksonville, Florida
- Fort Pulaski, Georgia
3. The Burnside Expedition, North Carolina, 1862
- Roanoke Island
- New Bern
- Fort Macon
4. The Peninsula Campaign, Virginia, 1862 (shows how the lack of cooperation between the Army and Navy contributed to the Union failure)
5. The Gulf Campaign 1861-1863
- Ship Island, Mississippi
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Pensacola, Florida
- Galveston, Texas
6. Tougher Challenges 1863-1865
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Mobile Bay, Alabama
- Fort Fisher, North Carolina
7. The Coastal War and the Elements of Operational Design (compares the Union's conduct of the Coastal War with the modern U.S. militaries procedures and doctrine for planning and conducting similar operations)
As can be seen, this volume pretty much covers all Coastal Operations in the American Civil War. The book is well written and concise (197 pages of text/233 pages total). But I have two major complaints about this work. First, it does not have enough maps (9 maps total) and those that are included are not detailed enough (as an example the first map, a Theater of Operations map titled "The Coastal War" does not include the Texas coast and "Galveston" is printed in the Gulf of Mexico with an arrow pointing west). There is no map for Hatteras Inlet (though there is a good Area of Operations map for the North Carolina coast), the map for Port Royal is ok, there is no map for operations in northeast Florida/southeast Georgia, etc. (there are no maps for a few coastal operations covered in the text, no maps for any Confederate fortifications, no maps for any related land battles [Roanoke Island, New Bern, Secessionville, etc.], and the map of Charleston's defenses does not even show Fort Sumter). My second complaint about this book is that after examining the Bibliography I see that this book is a combination of secondary sources only, and does not even list "The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies" (O.R.), but even more shocking to me for a book about Civil War coastal operations conducted predominately by the Union Navy, it also does not include "Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion" (O.R.N) as a source!!!
The book has 20 photos of participants and locations relevant to the text, the Notes section only list sources, and there are no appendixes.
This title will give the reader an introduction to Coastal Operations during the American Civil War and the final chapter of the book is interesting and informative (turns out the Union Navy Board did a pretty good job using operational design like our modern military would today). Unfortunately, the lack of maps and primary research make this more of a book for the casual reader or someone just learning about these operations, but even they will probably want something more detailed. (I havent read that much on this subject but for further reading I recommend "The Battle of Port Royal" by Michael D. Coker, and "Civil War on Pensacola Bay, 1861-1862" by John K. Driscoll)

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Cushing: Civil War SEAL (Military Profiles) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is perfect for the reader looking for an off-the-beaten-path subject from the American Civil War. This book takes you well past the familiar commanding generals, and gives you insight into one of the more colorful characters who excelled at the tactical level during the War Between the States.

Commander Will Cushing was a dashing young officer who specialized in unconventional warfare. Four times given commendations from the Secretary of the Navy, he was more frequently chastised by superiors for his reckless actions that contributed little to the overall war effort. Like the Doolittle raid on Tokyo, his missions made a far greater psychological impact on the Confederacy, than the military damage caused by his pin-prick raids. This book highlights his stunning successes, and illustrates how difficult it was for the young officer to get the approval necessary to carry out his bold plans.

"Potomac's Military Profiles" series (formerly "Brassey's Military Profiles") is known for biographies focusing on aspects of an individual's life. This particular book focuses on the greatest accomplishments of Commander Will Cushing, including the destruction of the CSS Albemarle. I found the book to be both readable and enlightening, without the onerous prose normally associated with historical biographies.

This book was my first experience relating to the exploits of Commander Cushing. Robert Schneller used original source material such as personal letters and the published memoirs of Cushing for the basis of his book. I complement Schneller for recognizing the more thorough biographies in existence, but I found his book to be the perfect length for my desired level of knowledge regarding Cushing.
This book would be a welcome complement to any avid Civil War reader's library.

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Dismissed from the U.S. Naval Academy in early 1861, William Barker Cushing nonetheless emerged from the Civil War as one of the Navy's greatest heroes. Cushing transformed his reputation from a rabblerouser into a living legend, because he embodied the special qualities that the Navy demands of the men in whom it entrusts its most hazardous and secret tasks: a readiness to volunteer for dangerous assignments, an unflagging devotion to duty, and more than a fair share of good fortune. As Robert J. Schneller observes, "He was patriotic, aggressive, tough, and recklessly bold." Before embarking on his most daring mission-his celebrated destruction of the Confederate ironclad Albemarle-he bragged that he would "come out victorious or ‘toes up.'" By the end of the war he had amassed four commendations from the Navy Department and the thanks of Congress and President Lincoln. "All this for a man," Schneller writes, "who was only twenty-two years old when Lee surrendered at Appomattox." Employing his customary readable and entertaining style, Schneller focuses on Cushing's naval career and those aspects of his personality that affected it.

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Ship's Doctor Review

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(More customer reviews)Being on a aircraft carrier in the Medical Department myself, this book brought up some great memories. If you wanted to know about the true story about the life on an US Navy carrier, this is a very enjoyable book to read.

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Unique story of the trials and adventures of medical care on a modern aircraft carrier. A lively story with much homor and excellent prose. Most of this book will be familiar and amusing to anyone who has served at sea or in the military. A MUST read for anybody who wants to join the Navy OR be a flight surgeon! On the Required Reading list of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Under the Blue Pennant or Notes of a Naval Officer: John W. Grattan Acting Ensign, United States Navy Officer Review

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(More customer reviews)It is frustrating finding good books on the Navy during the Civil War, most everything published looks at operations on land. So it was fun surprise to find this book the other day. Grattan had a great "view" of the navy -- both its men (of high rank and low) and its operations. One gets an insight into life on ships for officers and enlisted, which is almost unheard of in Civil War publishing. Grattan is also candid in his opinions and one appreciates the frank assessments he makes.
I was surprised at the length of the editor's introduction (50 pages) -- but it too was a pleasant surprise. Schneller's commentary is informed and well worth reading. I am glad to see that there is a publisher that still lets editors write long intros when warranted.
The book has good maps and loads of illustrations, most all of which I have never seen before. The editor works at the U.S. Naval Historical Center, it appears he must know where all the good photos, paintings and woodcuts are kept.
Bottom line -- Grattan and Schneller have teamed up after more than 130 years to produce a most fascinating book. If you are looking for something new and interesting on the Civil War, you will love their collaboration!

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Flotsam & Jetsam: A collection of Sea Stories that have washed ashore during a forty-year career in the United States Navy Review

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(More customer reviews)This is not a tell-all book. No national secrets are revealed here. It is, however, a delightfully readable collection of tales about a life well lived while serving in the United States Submarine Force. There is a great deal of folklore and drama surrounding submarine service, some of it justified, much of it exaggerated. If ever you wanted to know what it was like to serve in the Submarine Force during the Cold War, this is your book.
In fairness, I should note that I was a submarine commanding officer who served under then CAPT McKinney when he was a squadron commander in the Mediterranean, and was also his next-door neighbor in Hawaii when he was Commander Submarine Force Pacific. He was a terrific mentor and a great neighbor. He and his wife Mary were always gracious and a joy to be around. I mention this because it allows me to testify not simply to the authenticity of Admiral McKinney's experiences, but to the character that comes through in this narrative. RADM McKinney's career was an exceptionally successful one, to be sure, but the experiences he relates could have been any of us. Although he mentions his rise to flag rank in passing, his tale really covers his career until his relief as Commanding Officer of USS Seahorse.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in serving in submarines, has served in submarines, or is simply interested in learning what a career in submarines might involve. It is a delight!


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Any veteran of the United States Navy knows about "sea stories". If you served in the Navy, it is almost a 100% certainty that you've heard one (probably many more). And maybe even told "one or two" yourself. "Sea stories" and the tellers of them have all the finest attributes of oral historians that preserve the tradition and lore specific to their society. In the service (all branches) older more experienced personnel share much of their knowledge in just such a way. In their finest sense, the story carries with it a lesson learned-a small slice of experience and specific circumstance. Often leavened with humor, sometimes touching on the tragic-the cold hard facts of the risks involved. Stories connect with our own existence and adjust our thinking based on what we learn from what we hear. Good storytellers have a single intent--to touch the listener in some way. Hank McKinney does that. For those who have served you'll see bits of your own service in these stories. And I would be surprised if some of them don't bring a smile in remembrance. You will also sense the pang of separation from family, an unavoidable price paid by those who serve and their families. For those who haven't served--you'll learn much you didn't know. You'll find stories that cover the gamut of experience and responsibility, from midshipman to admiral, told in a refreshing conversational tone. Come onboard and spend some time with Hank McKinney. You'll come away with a better understanding and appreciation for the "Silent Service" and the men and women who serve. I guarantee you will learn things that you never knew about what was essentially a critical component of our front line defense during the Cold War.About the Author: Rear Admiral Henry C. (Hank) McKinney, USN (Retired) is a native of La Grange, Illinois. He graduated from Princeton University in 1959 with a degree in Engineering and a commission as an Ensign through the Naval ROTC program. He earned a Master of Science degree in Statistics from Stanford University. Originally serving in the surface Navy, he volunteered for nuclear submarine duty and served onboard both SSNs and SSBNs throughout his career including command tours and as Commander of the Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. He has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal with two gold stars, the Defense Superior Service Medal, both the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal with two gold stars and the Navy Achievement Medal. He is also a past President and Chief Executive Officer of the Navy Memorial Foundation. He now lives in Minnesota and along with his faithful golden retriever reports to his shore based commander, his wife Mary. Their son is commanding officer of USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) and their daughter is a Chemistry teacher in Maryland.

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Send a Gunboat: The Victorian Navy and Supremacy at Sea, 1854-1904 Review

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(More customer reviews)A wonderful book on the Victorian small ships. The book covers the whys and wherefores of the development of the gunboat from the middle of the 19th century until the type was phased out at the start of the dreadnought era. It is a well balanced account, containing a short history of the development, attributes, and failings of each class and a concise history of each boat. The book has a number of well reproduced photos and a few drawings, and a list of each boat in each class and the fate of each one. As an engineer and gear head, I only wish that there had been more drawings.

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In an action-filled narrative, the authors tell the remarkable story of the Victorian Royal Navy's fleet of small warships used to enforce the Pax Britannica around the world for half a century. Frequently acting without orders and largely beyond the reach of Admiralty interference, the gunboats' young commanding officers intervened to stamp out the slave trade and stop local rulers from interfering with legitimate trade. Explaining that gunboats fought as far afield as Borneo, China, Japan, Jamaica, the Baltic, the Black Sea, Africa, the Great Lakes, the Red Sea, and Egypt, Antony Preston and John Major trace the history of gunboats from the time they were built to fight the Russians in the Baltic in 1850 and the early skirmishes of 1857 that led to the Second China War right through to the role they played at the outbreak of the World War I.Supported by a wealth of illustrations, this classic reference ends with a complete listing of the gunboats that served with the Royal Navy between 1855 and 1914 along with their career histories. First published more than three decades ago and long out of print, the book has been revised for this new edition and an introduction has been added by the distinguished naval historian Andrew Lambert.

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Admiral David Dixon Porter: The Civil War Years Review

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(More customer reviews)Chester G. Hearn has proven once again that he's among the top rank of Civil War naval historians writing today. His bio of one of the war's most colorful naval officers is thorough and very readable, and provides great insight into the motivations of a most difficult and controversial officer.

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The Warrior Elite : The Forging of Seal Class 228 Review

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(More customer reviews)There are lots of books on SEALs out there, some good, most bad, very few great. This is one of the great ones. Why? Because it takes a theme that has been done to death, the training of the Navy SEALs, and writes what is probably the definitive book on the subject while doing what none of the other books has done. For the first time, a book follows the trainees through BUDs, through Hell Week, and keeps going all of the way to the assignment to an active team. It emphasizes the fact that the vaunted Hell Week, long portrayed as the horrible endurance contest that it is, is in fact just one of the gut checks along the way to becoming a SEAL. It's not a magical peak where everything after is easy, it's a point that weeds out many but is more preparation for the rigors ahead than a line to cross. To put it bluntly, there is no need to write another book on the training of the Navy SEALs, this is the final word. If you have dreams of becoming a SEAL, read this book. There is much wisdom in these pages. Ever think that "your reputation begins at BUDs"? You'll learn that here.
Finally, a book that reaches the levels set by books such as "Brave Men, Dark Waters" and "Class-29 : The Making of U.S. Navy SEALs". Well written, insightful, and just simply excellent. Buy this book!
Matt

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Glory in the Name: A Novel of the Confederate Navy Review

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(More customer reviews)"Ironclads at sea, armies moving by rail, communicating by telegraph. Rifled cannons, rifled rifles, exploding ordinance." They were all Americans, like it or not, all children of that particular genius that was America. How apt then that in less than a year of war, Americans fighting Americans, they should forever alter forever the very nature of warfare."
That paragraph, found late in this marvelous book, truly frames the story that plays out between it's covers.
It comes from a perspective that many of us find at least different and sometimes uncomfortable. It is a story of the Confederate Navy and is told with sympathy and understanding as well as painstaking historical attention to fact.
Samual Bowater, a former officer in the United States Navy has resigned his commission to return to his home, the Confederacy and seeks to help in the only way he knows how, by seeking to serve as a naval officer. He watches from a distance and paints the scene as Fort Sumter is fired on and the Civil War begins.
Robey Paine, a man of Mississippi with three sons to send to fight for the Confederacy believes that all of them have been lost in battle. A certian madness is the result, which will find him commissioning the conversion of a ship to an ironclad and leads him to the discovery that one of his som's has survived.
This is a moving story of a small part of the Civil War which shows it's horror and it's passion in way that is compelling.
Although I live in Maine, as does the author - about 25 miles from me - I was unaware of his writing until this book was recommended to my wife by an insightful bookstore clerk as a Christmas present for me. It is, I believe, the best book I have read in quite some time and it has already started me ordering other books written by James Nelson and looking forward to his next effort. I would give it ten stars if I could.

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