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War on the Waters
- The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861–1865
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
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War on the Waters
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Summary
Although previously undervalued for their strategic impact because they represented only a small percentage of total forces, the Union and Confederate navies were crucial to the outcome of the Civil War. In War on the Waters, James M. McPherson has crafted an enlightening, at times harrowing, and ultimately thrilling account of the war’s naval campaigns and their military leaders.
McPherson recounts how the Union navy’s blockade of the Confederate coast, leaky as a sieve in the war’s early months, became increasingly effective as it choked off vital imports and exports. Meanwhile, the Confederate navy, dwarfed by its giant adversary, demonstrated daring and military innovation. Commerce raiders sank Union ships and drove the American merchant marine from the high seas. Southern ironclads sent several Union warships to the bottom, naval mines sank many more, and the Confederates deployed the world’s first submarine to sink an enemy vessel. But in the end, it was the Union navy that won some of the war’s most important strategic victories - as an essential partner to the army on the ground at Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Mobile Bay, and Fort Fisher, and all by itself at Port Royal, Fort Henry, New Orleans, and Memphis.
James M. McPherson taught US history at Princeton University for 42 years and is the author of more than a dozen books on the Civil War era. His books have won a Pulitzer Prize and two Lincoln Prizes.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aucher
- 08-07-22
Well I never!
I thought I had studied the American Civil War (for reasons of understanding the Revolution in Military Affairs) to a reasonable level but I really had not appreciated the significant effects of the maritime component. My GGGDad was arrested as a Confederate Gun running Mercantile Marine, so some extra interest. You’ll need a map if you’re not US ( like me) but an excellent account nevertheless. Perhaps I should read some more McPherson. ;)
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- J
- 09-10-15
An Entertaining & Informative Look
An engaging and extremely interesting look at the American Civil War on the water I found this extremely illuminating as it was a subject I had heard very little about. Indeed before listening to this audiobook my, like I’m sure many peoples, knowledge of civil war naval warfare was the well documented fight between the Confederate and Yankee Ironclads in Hampton Roads.
This book was let down slightly by the focus being mostly aimed at the Yankee side of the story however as the author acknowledge this had occurred more due to the lack of documentation and evidence remaining from the confederate navy rather than any bias on the authors part. Despite this it was an entertaining and informative look at the naval war during the American Civil War and certainly raised my interest levels enough to seek additional information.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- David Denny
- 28-06-22
An interesting and important read
A very informative book that every student of the ACW should read. Most ACW literature mentions the naval and river campaigns in passing, but these were important theatres of war in their own right, with significant technological and tactical developments that had much wider significance and which were picked up on by other navies at the time. A well researched and well read audio book.
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