The Confederate Navy: A Pictorial History

The Confederate Navy: A Pictorial History by Stern, Philip Van Doren. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780306804885.

This profusely illustrated volume describes one of the most amazing fleets in history—the hastily improvised Navy of the South. At the beginning of the Civil War, the Confederate navy was a modest collection of nearly anything that would float—mostly small, unmilitary vessels and a few captured Union ships; there was not one real warship in the fleet. The North had men-of-war and a large fleet of merchant ships that could be armed quickly. As a result, the North was soon able to blockade the southern coast and capture port after port. But the South fought back ingeniously, sending agents to England and France to have the finest warships built, innovating such modern weapons as the torpedo, the submarine, and the armored warship—all of which changed the nature of naval warfare. The Confederate Navy deals with the early ironclads; with the Trent case, which nearly brought England into the war; with the fighting on the Mississippi and James rivers; and with the flamboyant blockade-runners who could make 80,000 in profits on a single voyage. It tells about the great ships—the Alabama, the Florida , and the Shenandoah; and the great seamen—Semmes, Maffit, and Bulloch, among others. Crammed with facts, anecdotes, and exciting incidents, The Confederate Navy clarifies the complicated—and often heroic—naval operations of the Civil War.