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Union River Ironclad 1861-65 (New Vanguard)
written by Angus Konstam
Studio : Osprey Publishing
by Osprey Publishing
Release Date : 2002-08-19
Publisher : Osprey Publishing
Released : 2002-08-19
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9781841764443
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 2 reviews)
List Price : $17.95
Our Price : $10.69
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Product Description |
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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. |
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One LARGE error |
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As well as this book may be written, there was one glaring error repeated throughout the book - that of referring to Vicksburg as Vicksburg, Tennessee. Apparently the editors and/or authors have zero familiarity with the War Between The States, because anyone who knows anything about the war knows that Vicksburg is in Mississippi. And this error was not just a one time error (as it occurred in the related work Mississippi River Gunboats of the American Civil war 1861-65) but appears repeatedly. It is truly astounding. Having said that, the book was well written and a great source of information. I would like to have given it 4 stars but the errors really detracted from an otherwise good work, making me doubt the integrity of the remaining information. Still a good volume to have in one's collection. |
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Great Book - technical details and great pictures |
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A number of books have been written about America's bloodiest conflict - the Civil War. This book concentrates on Union river ironclads, which formed the nation's first "brownwater navy." The book details the design and development of the ironclads, major operations involving them, and a catalog of vessels with specifications. What makes Konstam's book different is that it focuses solely on Union river ironclads and subsequently has more technical data and photos of these particular ships than any other tome that I have encountered. The book does focus on this particular class of ships somewhat in a vacuum and pays little attention to the overall strategy of the riverine campaign or wooden support vessels. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in naval warfare - especially those who enjoy reading about the transition from ships of wood to steel. Union River Ironclads has a wealth of technical information and dazzling full-color drawings and schematics of the ships. I have enjoyed both its academic utility and just looking at the pictures. |
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