Our Annual Book Iss Notable Books of a Nautical By: Roger Semplak and Marc Ramsey
When presented with the opportunity to write about book one quickly realizes that new books are being published weekl dealing with the American Civil War, our favorite subject. Many books are reviewed in various publications, notably the Civil War News, but what is sometimes forgotten is that with each new publication some earlier works fall deeper into obscurity. Man early works are primary source
re material, but with the passage of time and the publication of so much new material, they become relegated to either being referenced through a snippet
footnoted quote, or combined with multiple footnotes pulled together to support the new author’s theorem or perspective. Additionally, with the massive digitalization effort underway, today’s researchers can glean an immense amount of informative data without ever having to deal with a single work in its entiret This ability to rack and stack da to synthesize and impersonally analyze these points, sometimes results in the loss of the meanin and full intent expressed by the original author without fully appreciating the times and societal norms impacting that writer. There is currently a popular s ries of books that contain no for of recognizable citation. This lack of proper notation may potentially lead future generations into believing that these works contain original thought or experiences making them appear as the equivalent of the original primary information provided by actual participants. With each passing year more and more worthy books are produced and the primary originals continue to fade farther from existence eithe into special collections retained
of reading is reduced to a blinking cursor. Given the present sit uation, we are going to look at a category of American Civil War literature that you might want to explore while the works are still available in book form. This article focuses on books
associated with naval events during the Civil War, beginning with what is referred to as the blue water navy. Please note that the order and arrangement do not denote preferences by the authors but rather how these titles come into mind. Additionally, this listing should not be consid ered a definitive recommended reading list but rather some suggestions that we hope the reader will find rewarding, informative, and worth the time expended to read them. There are far fewer books on naval actions because fewer individuals were actually involved in naval activities. There were also far fewer major engagements to report, and when major naval engagements did occur they generally were limited t a small number of vessels. While overall naval operations played a major role in the conduct of the war, the navies rarely got th
47 – Advertiser Index 8 – Black Powder, White Smoke 34 – Book Reviews 40 – Critic’s Corner
newspaper coverage associated with so many huge and bloody land engagements. We begin our voyage into the nautical realm with the three vol umes that compose the Diary of Gideon Welles; Secretary of the Navy under Lincoln and Johnson, edited by Edgar T. Welles. Most readers look to Welles’ work for insight into the operation and
thinking of the Lincoln cabinet during the war. The diaries record a vast amount of insider information on the inner workings, discussions, and political rivalries that took place within the cabinet, but are often overlooked for insightful information related to building the Federal Navy. Gideon Wells started his career a Secretary of the Navy with a relatively small force consisting of limited number of steam-driven, ocean-going vessels along with some left over older, sail powered ships. By the middle of the conflict, he had modernized and expanded the Union fleet into the largest naval force in the world. This modernization effort included development of unequally
Inside this issue: 45 – Events Section 20 – The Graphic War 22 – Inspection, ARMS! 41 – Small Talk-Trivia
designed vessels for both harbor and river use with many being armor plated and some with turrets. This force was not only capable of enforcing the blockade but also controlling interior riv ers, thereby successfully limitin both Confederate internal movements and its ability to receive outside foreign support. A note o caution should be applied when using earlier additions of the di aries because the editing preclud ed derogatory comments about
still living individuals. An excellent companion to the Well’s offering is the Confidential Correspondence of Gustavas Vasa Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy edited by Robert Thompson and Richard Wainwright. This volume provides an abundant source of information related to the Union Navy’s strategic and administrative operations while providing insights into the principal naval commanders. If these two offerings have not satisfied your crav ing for high level naval history then try Charles B. Boynton’s
10 – The Unfinished Fight 24 – This And That 14 – Through The Lens