The Civil War at Sea: Naval Aspects of the Civil War
The book that I am writing about is The Civil War at Sea by Craig L. Symonds. It is, as the title indicates, about the naval events of the American Civil War. It is arranged topically, with the topics arranged in a general chronological order. It begins with a discussion of the ships and guns that were used in the war. It then proceeds to the Union's blockade of the Confederacy, the Confederacy's attacks on Union merchant ships, the struggle for control of the Mississippi River and its tributaries, the siege of Charleston, and finally the conclusion of the war.
I liked the topical arrangement. Keeping the related events together made it easier to remember the names of the commanders and places. (Easier, not easy. I still had a little bit of trouble remembering who was who.) However, having the topics in largely chronological order preserved the overall story of the war and how the its different areas related to each other.
This book was interesting to me because I did not know much about how the Navy played into the Civil War. I only knew about the battle of the ironclads Monitor and Merrimack (the Merrimack had originally been a Union wooden ship, but it had been deliberately sunk as the Union Navy abandoned a shipyard. The Confederates raised it and converted it into an ironclad, which they named the Virginia.) It was fun to learn about the an area of the war that I had never thought about.
Overall, I thought that this was a very good book on an interesting and often overlooked topic. Both the organization of the book and the telling of the specific stories were well-written. I learned several new words, both specifically having to do with naval warfare and in general. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in history.
-Nibaw
Being one of the main sources for one of my history projects in 7th grade, this book is very straightforward in its method of conveying information. The untold role of the navy in the Civil War is spectacular, with many inventions such as Pook turtles, ironclad ships, and even submarines were the first of their time. This book is a great study source, and I would highly recommend it as a source for projects and essays.
ReplyDeleteReading about the Civil war has always been interesting, learning about the different tactics used throughout the war. I think one of the famous battles occurring here is the victory at Vicksburg nearing the end of the war. Grant truly was one of the most influential generals at the time and the river played an important role in the war. Great post! - Henry
ReplyDeleteI like learning about history and the American Civil War is really interesting (but also depressing and sad) to learn about. I have learned a bit about the part of the navy in the Civil War, the Monitor and Merrimack, but I had not heard about the battle for control of the Mississippi. But I think it makes a lot of sense because the Mississippi was an important trade route so controlling it could be very helpful. I really liked reading your blog post and will remember "The Civil War at Sea: Naval Aspects of the Civil War" for sure.
ReplyDelete-Kai