Confederate Raider 1861–65

Confederate Raider 1861–65
Author: Angus Konstam
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 51
Release: 2021-06-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472852265

The Confederate states adopted radical solutions to counter the naval superiority of their opponents. One of the more successful solutions they adopted was the use of commerce raiders. This book describes the reasons which forced the Confederates to resort to commerce raiding, and outlines the way in which these craft were converted or specially built to perform their role. It details not only the way these craft were operated and manned, but also their brutal attacks, daring escapes and climatic battles against the large numbers of Union warships forced to hunt them down.

Confederate Blockade Runner 1861–65

Confederate Blockade Runner 1861–65
Author: Angus Konstam
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2022-05-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472853261

The lifeblood of the Confederacy, the blockade runners of the Civil War usually began life as regular fast steam-powered merchant ships. They were adapted for the high-speed dashes through the Union blockade which closed off all the major Southern ports, and for much of the war they brought much-needed food, clothing and weaponry to the Confederacy. This book traces their operational history, including the development of purpose-built blockade running ships, and examines their engines, crews and tactics. It describes their wartime exploits, demonstrating their operational and mechanical performance, whilst examining what life was like on these vessels through accounts of conditions on board when they sailed into action.

War on the Waters

War on the Waters
Author: James M. McPherson
Publisher: UNC Press Books
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2012-09-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 0807837326

Although previously undervalued for their strategic impact because they represented only a small percentage of total forces, the Union and Confederate navies were crucial to the outcome of the Civil War. In War on the Waters, James M. McPherson has crafted an enlightening, at times harrowing, and ultimately thrilling account of the war's naval campaigns and their military leaders. 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.

Confederate Submarines and Torpedo Vessels 1861–65

Confederate Submarines and Torpedo Vessels 1861–65
Author: Angus Konstam
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2004-08-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781841767208

The primary Union strategy during the American Civil War was a massive naval blockade of the entire Southern coastline of the Confederacy, and it was in the effort to counter this blockade that the Confederates developed their first submarines and torpedo boats. This book traces the development of these new technologies, including the CSS 'Little David' and 'Hunley' - respectively the first torpedo boat and submarine to sink an enemy warship. The wreck of the 'Hunley' was raised in 2000, and this is the first book ever to integrate details of its recovery with an account of Confederate submarines in action.

Confederate Raider 1861–65

Confederate Raider 1861–65
Author: Angus Konstam
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 51
Release: 2021-06-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472852265

The Confederate states adopted radical solutions to counter the naval superiority of their opponents. One of the more successful solutions they adopted was the use of commerce raiders. This book describes the reasons which forced the Confederates to resort to commerce raiding, and outlines the way in which these craft were converted or specially built to perform their role. It details not only the way these craft were operated and manned, but also their brutal attacks, daring escapes and climatic battles against the large numbers of Union warships forced to hunt them down.

The Confederate Steam Navy 1861-1865

The Confederate Steam Navy 1861-1865
Author: Donald L. Canney
Publisher: Schiffer Military History
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015
Genre: HISTORY
ISBN: 9780764348242

This is the first book-length study devoted to the vessels of the Confederate Navy, including all types used during the conflict: ironclads (both domestic and foreign-built), commerce raiders, blockade runners, riverine and ocean-going gunboats, torpedo and submersible vessels, and floating batteries. The book emphasizes the development, construction, and design of these vessels using, where available, original plans, photographs, and contemporary descriptions. The author describes these vessels in context with wartime conditions as well as with the transitional naval technology of the era. Over 100 vessels are detailed, including more than 30 ironclads, both American and foreign built. Over 150 illustrations are included, many of which have not previously been published. Also included is a section on steam engine technology of the era.

Union River Ironclad 1861–65

Union River Ironclad 1861–65
Author: Angus Konstam
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 87
Release: 2012-12-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 178200839X

At the start of the American Civil War, neither side had warships on the Mississippi River, which was a vital strategic artery. In what would prove the vital naval campaign of the war, both sides fought for control of the river. While the Confederates relied on field fortifications and small gunboats, the Union built a series of revolutionary river ironclads. First commissioned in January 1862, these ironclads spent the next two years battling for control of the Mississippi, fighting in a string of decisive engagements that altered the entire course of the war. This book explains how these vessels worked, how they were constructed, how they were manned and how they were fought.

Gray Ghosts of the Confederacy

Gray Ghosts of the Confederacy
Author: Richard S. Brownlee
Publisher: LSU Press
Total Pages: 300
Release: 1983-12-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780807111628

Gray Ghosts of the Confederacy is a history of the Confederate guerrillas who—under the ruthless command of such men as William C. Quantrill and “Bloody Bill” Anderson—plunged Missouri into a bloody, vicious conflict of an intensity unequaled in any other theater of the Civil War. Among their numbers were Frank and Jesse James and Cole and James Younger, who would later become infamous by extending the tactics they had learned during the war into civilian life.