One of the most overlooked aspects of the American Civil War is the
naval strategy played out by the U.S. Navy and the fledgling
Confederate Navy, which may make this the first book to compare and
contrast the strategic concepts of the Southern Secretary of the
Navy Stephen R. Mallory against his Northern counterpart, Gideon
Welles. Both men had to accomplish much and were given great
latitude in achieving their goals.
Mallory's vision of seapower emphasized technological innovation
and individual competence as he sought to match quality against the
Union Navy's numerical superiority. Welles had to deal with more
bureaucratic structure and to some degree a national strategy
dictated by the White House. The naval blockade of the South was
one of his first tasks -- for which he had but few ships available
-- and although he followed the national strategy, he did not limit
himself to it when opportunities arose.
Mallory's dedication to ironclads is well known, but he also
defined the roles of commerce raiders, submarines, and naval mines.
Welles's contributions to the Union effort were rooted in his
organizational skills and his willingness to cooperate with the
other military departments of his government. This led to successes
through combined army and naval units in several campaigns on and
around the Mississippi River.
Naval Strategies of the Civil War then is the story of the very
different approaches each man took in defining and executing the
naval struggles of the conflict. Until now, it has been mostly an
untold story lost in the general histories of the war. In the end,
the author concludes that success favored flexible organization
rather than desperate, albeit creative, measures.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!