Union Jacks: Yankee Sailors in the Civil War
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.
1115008370
Union Jacks: Yankee Sailors in the Civil War
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.
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Union Jacks: Yankee Sailors in the Civil War

Union Jacks: Yankee Sailors in the Civil War

by Michael J. Bennett
Union Jacks: Yankee Sailors in the Civil War

Union Jacks: Yankee Sailors in the Civil War

by Michael J. Bennett

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Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780807872420
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date: 09/01/2011
Series: Civil War America
Edition description: 1
Pages: 356
Product dimensions: 6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Michael J. Bennett is an attorney and independent scholar living in University Heights, Ohio.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Illustrationsviii
Prefaceix
1Dissenters from the American Mood: Why Men Joined the United States Navy during the Civil War1
2Any Man Can Become a Soldier: The Making of Union Sailors28
3Ships of Fools: The Sailor's Experience on the Union Blockade54
4The Devil's Own Purgatory: The Experience of Gunboatmen in the Mississippi Squadron77
5All Hands Drunk and Rioting: The Maritime Culture of Union Sailors99
6Saving Jack: Religion, Union Sailors, and the United States Christian Commission126
7Frictions: Shipboard Relations between White and Contraband Union Sailors155
8My Youthfull Emagination of Hell: The Face of Battle for Union Sailors182
Epilogue209
Notes211
Selected Bibliography307
Index327

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“An outstanding contribution to the fields of the American Civil War, U.S. Military History, naval history, as well as the history of race, ethnicity, and class in nineteenth-century America. . . . Recommended for classroom use as well as general readers.” — Florida Historical Quarterly

“A remarkably effective job of capturing the voices of ordinary sailors. . . . A gem, joining social history methodology with the vivid story-telling loved by Civil War buffs.” — Military History of the West

“Will prove very useful to anyone interested in the naval side of the Civil War, and in the life of the ordinary man in the service.” — The NYMAS Review

“An innovative and thoughtful approach to a unique group of Americans. . . . Outstanding. . . . A thought-provoking bridge between antebellum and Civil War social history.” — Journal of African American History

“An important new book. . . . A mine of information that turns many assumptions upside down. No doubt it will be widely read and discussed by scholars in the months and years to come. It is clearly an important milestone in the historiography of the war at sea.” — North & South

“Michael Bennett set out to write 'a social history of the bluejackets' in the Civil War and has succeeded magnificently. Indeed, his book not only fills a yawning gulf in Civil War scholarship, it also offers fresh insights into race relations as well as the origins of 'Hard War.' It is certain to take its place as an essential work on the Civil War Navy.” — Blue & Gray

Union Jacks is an eye-opening book, containing much new information about the Union war effort at sea. . . . An excellent work on a subject too long neglected by those interested in Civil War history.” — Free Lance-Star (Fredricksburg, VA)

“This well written book is a valuable addition to the historiography on American sailors and on the Union navy during the Civil War.” — Journal of Military History

“This book is a treasure-trove of references about the Union Navy. . . . Bennett’s sources, primarily diaries, letters, and journals, were skillfully used to make each topic come alive, making Union Jacks excellent reading and a useful resource for scholars interested in the role of the Union Navy during the Civil War.” — Peekskill Sea History

“Bennett has provided an excellent look at the forgotten world of Union sailors, and his book will be the standard reference for those interested in their watery lives.” — Journal of Illinois History

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