Union Jacks
Union Jacks

Author: Michael J. Bennett

Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press

Published: 2005-12-15

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 0807863246

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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.

America's naval heritage: A Catalog of Early Imprints From the Navy Department Library
America's naval heritage: A Catalog of Early Imprints From the Navy Department Library

Author: Thomas Truxtun Moebs

Publisher: Government Printing Office

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 9780160873126

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From the Preface--Established in 1800 with a small collection of books that served the Secretary of the Navy, the [Navy Department Library] holds the most comprehensive collection of U.S. navy literature. For the past two hundred years, it has collected the books, documents, journals, and manuscripts the record the Navy's achievement in combat, international diplomacy, exploration, technological development, medicine, education, and social reform. This literature described in the catalog chronicles the more significant events, customs and traditions, organizations, and personalities in navel history, providing insight into the origins and development of Navy doctrine.

America's Naval Heritage
America's Naval Heritage

Author: Thomas Truxtun Moebs

Publisher: Government Printing Office

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13:

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From the Preface--Established in 1800 with a small collection of books that served the Secretary of the Navy, the [Navy Department Library] holds the most comprehensive collection of U.S. navy literature. For the past two hundred years, it has collected the books, documents, journals, and manuscripts the record the Navy's achievement in combat, international diplomacy, exploration, technological development, medicine, education, and social reform. This literature described in the catalog chronicles the more significant events, customs and traditions, organizations, and personalities in navel history, providing insight into the origins and development of Navy doctrine.

Fought Like Devils
Fought Like Devils

Author: Neil P. Chatelain

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2014-06-12

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13: 1496915305

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An often overlooked aspect of the American Civil War was the effort by the Confederate Navy to defend the Mississippi River in 1861 and 1862. Confederate officials struggled to build a navy from nothing, converting steamers into gunboats while working to build several ironclad warships from the keel up along the banks of the Mississippi River. The CSS McRae, originally a Mexican ship involved in the Reform War, was among the vessels acquired by the Confederacy at the start of the war. The McRae was originally intended to roam the seas as one of the first commerce raiders with a secret mission to travel to England and gather much-needed supplies for the new Confederacy. Instead, circumstances kept her on the Mississippi River, where she fought from the rivers mouth to the banks of Kentucky. Most notably, the McRae participated in the defense of New Orleans in April of 1862. Fought Like Devils shows how the Confederacy worked to build a navy and defend the most important waterway in North America. Drawing on government records, newspapers, personal letters, diaries, and reminisces; Neil P. Chatelain tells the story of the CSS McRae and its crew in their struggle to defend the Mississippi River for the Confederacy.