The Civil War on the Water: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War

by Dwight Sturtevant Hughes (Editor), Chris Mackowski (Editor)

Overview

The Civil War was primarily a land conflict, but it was not only that.

“Nor must Uncle Sam’s web-feet be forgotten,” wrote Abraham Lincoln. “At all the watery margins they have been present. Not only on the deep sea, the broad bay, and the rapid river, but also up the narrow, muddy bayou, and wherever the ground was a little damp, they have been and made their tracks.”

From the Arctic Circle to the Caribbean, swift Rebel raiders decimated Union commerce pursued by the U. S. Navy. Offshore, storm-tossed blockaders in hundreds of vessels patrolled from Hatteras to Galveston while occasionally lobbing a few shots at a speeding Rebel runner.

Around the continental periphery, it was ships vs. powerful fortifications as titanic clashes erupted: Port Royal, New Orleans, Charleston, Mobile. Massive army-navy amphibious operations presaged twentieth-century conflicts: The Peninsula, North Carolina Sounds, Fort Fisher. In the heartland, the two services invented riverine warfare: Forts Henry and Donelson, Island No. 10, Memphis, Vicksburg.

And through it all, emerging technology of the machine age played a critical role: iron armor, torpedoes, steam propulsion, heavy naval artillery.

However, nothing in the history and traditions of the United States Navy had prepared it for civil war. The sea service would expand tenfold from a third-rate force to (temporarily) one of the most powerful and advanced navies. Meanwhile, former shipmates in the Confederacy struggled to construct a fleet from nothing, applying innovative technologies and underdog strategies to achieve more than anyone thought possible.

Both sides faced unprecedented strategic, tactical, and technological challenges that made their navies indispensable—even as the navies themselves faced those same sorts of challenges.

The Civil War on the Water: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War compiles favorite navy tales and obscure narratives by distinguished public historians of the Emerging Civil War in celebration of the organization’s tenth anniversary. This eclectic collection presents new stories and familiar battles from a unique perspective—from the water—sea, surf, and stream.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611216301
Publisher:	Savas Beatie
Publication date:	05/15/2023
Series:	Emerging Civil War Anniversary Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Dwight Hughes is a public historian, author, and speaker in Civil War naval history. Lt. Cmdr. Hughes graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1967 and served 20 years aboard warships, on navy staffs, and with river forces in Vietnam. He is the author of Unlike Anything That Ever Floated: The Monitor and Virginia and the Battle of Hampton Roads, March 8–9, 1862 (Savas Beatie, 2021) and a contributing author at the Emerging Civil War blog.
Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor-in-chief and a co-founder of Emerging Civil War. Chris is a writing professor at St. Bonaventure University, where he also serves as the associate dean for undergraduate programs, and is the historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania Court House battlefield.

Editorial Reviews

Tall tales of the Civil War at sea echo throughout The Civil War on the Water. Leadership lessons abound in this collection of essays documenting how the navies strived to defend or capture river ports and major harbors. Yet, the North’s industrial strength enabled the Union to employ revolutionary technology that would define naval warfare for the remainder of the 19th century. The use of steam power, screw propellers, shell guns, rifled ordnance, and submarines, and the return of the ram resulted in bloody and vicious battles determining America’s future. The Civil War on the Water encompasses heroes, naval battles, leadership lessons, and innovative designs, providing the reader with thrilling stories that shaped our nation’s future.

John V. Quarstein

The Civil War on the Water is another fine publication in the Emerging Civil War series and continues that series’ high standards of scholarship, interesting and varied topics, and readability. It is highly recommended to those with an especial interest in the Civil War afloat, as well as those who want some different reading about the Civil War.

Civil War News

…a fun and thought-provoking read and is recommended for every Civil War naval historian’s bookshelf.

The Magazine Civil War Navy

"Each of the more than 40 short papers . . . offers some valuable insights or interesting commentary on the war on the waters, the people, the ships, strategy, naval organization, or other matters related to the war on the waters. . . . An informative and often insightful read for anyone curious about the naval side of the war, The Civil War on the Water is also likely to be of value to the more serious student of the subject as well, throwing light on matters often overlooked."

The NYMAS Review

ECW’s The Civil War on the Water contains a treasure trove of naval and maritime Civil War stories and heroes. From the famous to the obscure, these stories should fascinate those interested in the Civil War who have never turned their attention toward the sea, as well as those who are familiar with the importance of the war at sea. In particular, this book should interest and inspire those serving in our Navy today to learn more about their forebears and the important service they rendered in saving the Union so long ago.

Mark T. Weber

On rare occasions the best meals are served up in bite-size portions and so it is with The Civil War on the Water. The forty-five pieces included in this book, running from three to rarely more than ten pages in length, are not sea stories nor are they an articulated naval history of the Civil War. Instead, they are essays focused on myriad events that occurred on the water during the American Republic’s hard-fought new birth of freedom. A host of familiar historians associated with this era—John Coski, Chris Kolakowski, John Quarstein to name a few—together with the book’s doughty editor, Dwight Hughes, are among the many authors who have contributed a broad range of scholarship to produce this satisfying volume. Dip into The Civil War on the Water and savor their creative skills one slice at a time.

Stephen Chapin Kinnaman

This eclectic collection of more than three dozen essays offers fresh accounts on unfamiliar topics as well as second looks at familiar battles, ships, leaders, and events. There is something here for everyone, neophyte and veteran reader alike.

Civil War Book Review