Download or read book The Last Confederate Ship at Sea written by Paul Williams and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-03-27 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The CSS Shenandoah fired the last shot of the Civil War and was the only Confederate warship to circumnavigate the globe. But what was Captain James Waddell's true relationship with his Yankee prisoner Lillias Nichols and how did it determine the ship's final destination? Without orders, Waddell undertook a dangerous three month voyage through waters infested with enemy cruisers. He risked mutiny by a horrified crew who, having been declared pirates, could be hanged. This is the true story behind the cruise of the Shenandoah--one of secret love and blackmail--brought to light for the first time in 150 years.
Download or read book Last Flag Down written by John Baldwin and published by Crown. This book was released on 2008-05-06 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the Confederacy felt itself slipping beneath the Union juggernaut in late 1864, the South launched a desperate counteroffensive to shatter the U.S. economy and force a standoff. Its secret weapon? A state-of-the-art raiding ship whose mission was to prowl the world’s oceans and sink the U.S. merchant fleet. The raider’s name was Shenandoah, and her executive officer was Conway Whittle, a twenty-four-year-old warrior who might have stepped from the pages of Arthurian legend. Whittle would share command with a dark and brooding veteran of the seas, Capt. James Waddell, and together with a crew of strays, misfits, and strangers, they would spend nearly a year sailing two-thirds of the way around the globe, destroying dozens of Union ships and taking more than a thousand prisoners, all while continually dodging the enemy.Then, in August of 1865, a British ship revealed the shocking truth to the men of Shenandoah: The war had been over for months, and they were now being hunted as pirates. What ensued was an incredible 15,000-mile journey to the one place the crew hoped to find sanctuary, only to discover that their fate would depend on how they answered a single question. Wondrously evocative and filled with drama and poignancy, Last Flag Down is a riveting story of courage, nobility, and rare comradeship forged in the quest to achieve the impossible.
Download or read book Sea of Gray written by Tom Chaffin and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2007-04-15 with total page 489 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Assembled from hundreds of original documents, including intimate shipboard journals kept by Shenandoah officers, Sea of Gray is a masterful narrative of men at sea The sleek, 222-foot, black auxiliary steamer Sea King left London on October 8, 1864, ostensibly bound for Bombay. The subterfuge was ended off the shores of Madeira, where the ship was outfitted for war. The newly christened CSS Shenandoah then commenced the last, most quixotic sea story of the Civil War: the 58,000-mile, around-the-world cruise of the Confederacy's second most successful commerce raider. Before its voyage was over, thirty-two Union merchant and whaling ships and their cargoes would be destroyed. But it was only after ship and crew embarked on the last leg of their journey that the excursion took its most fearful turn. Four months after the Civil War was over, the Shenandoah's Captain Waddell finally learned he was, and had been, fighting without cause or state. In the eyes of the world, he had gone from being an enemy combatant to being a pirate—a hangable offense. Now fearing capture and mutiny, with supplies quickly dwindling, Waddell elected to camouflage the ship, circumnavigate the globe, and attempt to surrender on English soil. "A superb account of how the Confederate raider Shenandoah brought the American Civil War to the farthest reaches of the world." -- Nathaniel Philbrick, author of Mayflower and Sea of Glory
Download or read book The Shenandoah written by Cornelius E. Hunt and published by . This book was released on 1867 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Last Shot written by Lynn Schooler and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2005-05-31 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Naval history of the very first order offers a riveting account of the last confederate military force to lay down its arms.
Download or read book The Shenandoah Or The Last Confederate Cruiser written by Cornelius E. Hunt (C.S.N.) and published by . This book was released on 1910 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Confederate Biography written by Dwight Sturtevant Hughes and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2015-12-15 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From October 1864 to November 1865, the officers of the CSS Shenandoah carried the Confederacy and the conflict of the Civil War around the globe through extreme weather, alien surroundings, and the people they encountered. Her officers were the descendants of Deep South plantation aristocracy and Old Dominion first families: a nephew of Robert E. Lee, a grandnephew of founder George Mason, and descendants of one of George Washington's generals and of an aid to Washington. One was even an uncle of a young Theodore Roosevelt and another was son-in-law to Raphael Semmes. Shenandoah's mission-commerce raiding (guerre de course)-was a central component of U.S. naval and maritime heritage, a profitable business, and a watery form of guerrilla warfare. These Americans stood in defense of their country as they understood it, pursuing a difficult and dangerous mission in which they succeeded spectacularly after it no longer mattered. This is a biography of a ship and a cruise, and a microcosm of the Confederate-American experience.
Download or read book The CSS Alabama and CSS Shenandoah The History and Legacy of the Confederacy written by Charles River Editors and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2018-12-24 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading After the first year of the Civil War, the Confederacy was faced with a serious problem. While the South had enjoyed some stunning victories on land, they had been all but cut off from the world at sea. The more industrialized North had realized that in case of an extended war, the best way to defeat the Confederacy was to starve it of supplies. The rebels started the war with no real navy to speak of, and so the federal government quickly set up a blockade of all Southern ports and river mouths. By depriving the South of revenues derived from its main export, cotton, the North seriously injured the Southern economy. Without European intervention and the ability to build a navy that could rival the Union's, the Confederacy was mostly reduced to token resistance and using fast moving ships that could evade the blockade and import and export goods. Again, that was only partially successful, and today, the blockade runners are better known for their extracurricular activities; most notably, some of the crews also acted as privateers on the high seas, attacking U.S. shipping and taking any loot for themselves. The daring exploits of these commerce raiders caught the imagination of Southern soldiers and civilians and buoyed up morale, even as the war news turned increasingly grim. The USS Kearsarge would face off against the Alabama off the French coast. Unaware the Union ship was partly fitted with the armor of an ironclad, the Confederates decided to attack, and after the Alabama was escorted out of the French harbor by French ships, the Alabama and Kearsage dueled with each other in full view of hundreds of Frenchmen gathered on the coast. The battle lasted about an hour until the Alabama was headed to the bottom and dozens of its sailors were killed or wounded. Dozens more would be rescued, including some by the Kearsarge, and with that, the most famous Confederate raiding vessel of all was no more. The battle itself was celebrated in a number of artworks, including a few paintings by Edouard Manet, and the end of the Alabama brought relief to Union supporters across America. Given how deadly the war was, what makes the history of the CSS Shenandoah, the last ship of the Civil War to surrender, all the more remarkable is that it was one of the only forces not to inflict casualties. It is also an intriguing story, for it begins with a tale of spies at work, not in a country torn apart by war, but in England, a nation both drawn to and terrified of the Civil War. There, the Sea King was purchased and became a different type of ship with a different name, rigged for fighting and rebranded the CSS Shenandoah. Somewhat ironically, it was named for one of the South's most appealing regions, one absolutely fought over and ravaged several times during the war. In the end, it was not what the Shenandoah did that made it controversial so much as when it did it, because thanks to the painfully slow communications of the 19th century, the crew of the ship wrought some of the most serious damage in the weeks after the war was over. Indeed, when the ship surrendered to the British government in November 1865, it became the last Confederate vessel in the world to do so, meaning the crew faced the possibility of being labeled pirates. Fortunately, it was recognized at the time, as it is today, that this was merely an accident of history, not deliberate piracy, and the men were not prosecuted. Instead, they returned to their home with more stories to tell than most sailors, and less blood on their hands. This book examines how the legendary ship preyed on Union shipping across the globe for much of the war. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the CSS Alabama and CSS Shenandoah like never before.
Download or read book The CSS Shenandoah The History of the Famous Confederate Raider That Surrendered Over Half a Year After the Civil War Ended written by Charles River Editors and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2018-12-24 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading After the first year of the Civil War, the Confederacy was faced with a serious problem. While the South had enjoyed some stunning victories on land, they had been all but cut off from the world at sea. The more industrialized North had realized that in case of an extended war, the best way to defeat the Confederacy was to starve it of supplies. The rebels started the war with no real navy to speak of, and so the federal government quickly set up a blockade of all Southern ports and river mouths. By depriving the South of revenues derived from its main export, cotton, the North seriously injured the Southern economy. Without European intervention and the ability to build a navy that could rival the Union's, the Confederacy was mostly reduced to token resistance and using fast moving ships that could evade the blockade and import and export goods. Again, that was only partially successful, and today, the blockade runners are better known for their extracurricular activities; most notably, some of the crews also acted as privateers on the high seas, attacking U.S. shipping and taking any loot for themselves. The daring exploits of these commerce raiders caught the imagination of Southern soldiers and civilians and buoyed up morale, even as the war news turned increasingly grim. Given how deadly the war was, what makes the history of the CSS Shenandoah, the last ship of the Civil War to surrender, all the more remarkable is that it was one of the only forces not to inflict casualties. It is also an intriguing story, for it begins with a tale of spies at work, not in a country torn apart by war, but in England, a nation both drawn to and terrified of the Civil War. There, the Sea King was purchased and became a different type of ship with a different name, rigged for fighting and rebranded the CSS Shenandoah. Somewhat ironically, it was named for one of the South's most appealing regions, one absolutely fought over and ravaged several times during the war. Of course, the Shenandoah was also responsible for millions of dollars' worth of destruction to private civilians' property, actions the Confederates justified in late 1864 by pointing to the total war promoted by General Ulysses S. Grant, and especially General William Tecumseh Sherman, who was cutting a wide swathe through Georgia around the time the Shenandoah set sail from Liverpool in late 1864. As Sherman completed the March to the Sea, Lieutenant Commander James Waddell aboard the Shenandoah drove whalers from their ships, took their cargo, and then destroyed their vessels. In the end, it was not what the Shenandoah did that made it controversial so much as when it did it, because thanks to the painfully slow communications of the 19th century, the crew of the ship wrought some of the most serious damage in the weeks after the war was over. Indeed, when the ship surrendered to the British government in November 1865, it became the last Confederate vessel in the world to do so, meaning the crew faced the possibility of being labeled pirates. Fortunately, it was recognized at the time, as it is today, that this was merely an accident of history, not deliberate piracy, and the men were not prosecuted. Instead, they returned to their home with more stories to tell than most sailors, and less blood on their hands. The CSS Shenandoah: The History of the Famous Confederate Raider that Surrendered Over Half a Year After the Civil War Ended examines how the legendary ship preyed on Union shipping across the globe during and after the war. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the CSS Shenandoah like never before.
Download or read book The Voyage of the CSS Shenandoah written by William C. Whittle and published by University of Alabama Press. This book was released on 2014-06-15 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Confederate cruiser Shenandoah was the last of a group of commerce raiders deployed to prey on Union merchant ships. Ordered to the Pacific Ocean, the Shenandoah's successes compared favorably with the exploits of the more celebrated Alabama and Florida but have never been as well known because the Shenandoah's story coincided with the war's end. The expedition, however, from England to the Indian Ocean, Australia and the South Pacific, the Bering Sea, San Francisco, and finally to port in Liverpool, was one of the best documented during the Civil War. Among the most significant accounts of the expedition is the journal of Lieutenant William Whittle Jr., which is presented here with annotations from other journals, the official records and logs, and newspaper accounts or the Shenandoah's activities. These fascinating primary sources bring to life the history of this remarkable voyage. Book jacket.
Download or read book Sea Wolf of the Confederacy written by David W. Shaw and published by Sheridan House, Inc.. This book was released on 2005-09 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Shaw is the author of America's Victory and a number of other books. He lives in Maine.
Download or read book War on the Waters written by James M. McPherson and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2012-09-17 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Civil War at Sea written by Craig L. Symonds and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2012 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Continuing in the vein of the Lincoln-prize winning Lincoln and His Admirals, acclaimed naval historian Craig L. Symonds presents an operational history of the Civil War navies - both Union and Confederate - in this concise volume. Illuminating how various aspects of the naval engagement influenced the trajectory of the war as a whole, The Civil War at Sea adds to our understanding of America's great national conflict. Both the North and the South developed and deployed hundreds of warships between 1861 and 1865. Because the Civil War coincided with a revolution in naval techonology, the development and character of warfare at sea from 1861-1865 was dramatic and unprecedented. Rather than a simple chronology of the war at sea, Symonds addresses the story of the naval war topically, from the dramatic transformation wrought by changes in technology to the establishment, management, and impact of blockade. He also offers critical assessments of principal figures in the naval war, from the opposing secretaries of the navy to leading operational commanders such as David Glasgow Farragut and Raphael Semmes. Symonds brings his expertise and knowledge of military and technological history to bear in this essential exploration of American naval engagement throughout the Civil War.
Download or read book Confederate Raider written by John M. Taylor and published by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. This book was released on 1994 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Confederate Raider is the enthralling story of the Civil War as fought on the high seas by Raphael Semmes, the Confederacy's most famous and revered naval officer. Yet many of his Northern contemporaries considered the Yankee-hating Semmes nothing more than a pirate. In either guise, Semmes commanded the most successful sea raider of all time - the C.S.S. Alabama. During a two-year cruise, she took nearly a hundred Federal merchant vessels out of the war and became a household word on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line. Her final battle, off the coast of France against the U.S.S. Kearsarge, was an epic clash befitting the last one-on-one duel of wooden ships. A commander who carried out his mission without being able to bring his ship into a Southern port and whose crew had no allegiance to the Confederacy, Semmes is a brilliant and compelling figure in American military history.
Download or read book To the Uttermost Ends of the Earth written by Phil Keith and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2022-04-12 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The enthralling story of the greatest Civil War battle at sea by the award-winning and bestselling historians Phil Keith and Tom Clavin. On June 19, 1864, just off the coast of France, one of the most dramatic naval battles in history took place. On a clear day with windswept skies, the dreaded Confederate raider Alabama faced the Union warship Kearsarge in an all-or-nothing fight to the finish, the outcome of which would effectively end the threat of the Confederacy on the high seas. Authors Phil Keith and Tom Clavin introduce some of the crucial but historically overlooked players, including John Winslow, captain of the USS Kearsarge, as well as Raphael Semmes, captain of the CSS Alabama. Readers will sail aboard the Kearsarge as Winslow embarks for Europe with a set of simple orders from the secretary of the navy: "Travel to the uttermost ends of the earth, if necessary, to find and destroy the Alabama." Winslow pursued Semmes in a spectacular fourteen-month chase over international waters, culminating in what would become the climactic sea battle of the Civil War.
Download or read book The Officers of the CSS Shenandoah written by Angus Curry and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Confederate Steam Ship Shenandoah is renowned as the last vessel to surrender after the Civil War, and the young officers on board--who didn't learn of the war's end for three months--consequently suffered extraordinary physical and emotional stress. This first-hand account of the crew's hazardous last year, told through shipboard diaries and postwar journals, reveals the heavy personal toll they paid during the cruiser's transition from commissioned commerce raider to hunted fugitive. Many of the Shenandoah's officers had resigned commissions in the United States Navy to fight for the South. Curry examines how their social and professional backgrounds shaped them as leaders and how their expectations clashed with the realities of military rule, chronic personnel shortages, and harsh conditions at sea. He explores the ethical problems faced by Confederate naval personnel who participated in attacks on civilian maritime commerce, and he describes the kinds of rationale employed by the Southern officers to justify their duties. He also reveals the tension that developed between the cruiser's commander, Lieutenant James I. Waddell, and his subordinates. In frequent public and private outbursts, the officers expressed dissent about the manner in which Waddell operated. After learning of the Confederacy's defeat and being forced into exile, they argued over the appropriateness of their actions, and for years after the war were plagued by accusations of "mutiny" and "piracy." Curry also follows the process by which the former naval officers concealed controversial aspects of the last voyage of the CSS Shenandoah in their public recollections, showing how postwar experiences shaped and reconstructed their memories of sea duty.
Download or read book By Sea and by River written by Bern Anderson and published by . This book was released on 1962 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
