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Unlike Anything That Ever Floated: The Monitor and Virginia and the Battle of Hampton Roads, March 8-9, 1862

Reviewed by CAPT Derek R. Fix, USN Unlike Anything That Ever Floated is one of the newest additions to the Savas Beattie Emerging Civil War Series, which offers compelling, easy-to-read overviews of some of the Civil War’s most important battles and stories.  Author Dwight Sturtevant Hughes provides a captivating narrative of the Battle of Hampton

Heroes of Annapolis

The title and subtitle sum up this book nicely. Regular readers of Shipmate will be familiar with the contents, as these stories originally appeared there as separate articles. Dave Poyer will be very familiar to many as a leading writer of naval fiction, especially the Dan Lenson series of novels, now up to 18 volumes.

Dutch Navies of the 80 Years War

Bouko de Groot’s Dutch Navies of the 80 Years War, 1568-1648 provides a thoughtful exploration into a lesser-known historical period, with insights into the critical years of formative Dutch history culminating in the breakaway from Spain and creation of the subsequent United Provinces of the Netherlands. As the title suggests, this work focuses on the

Natural Genius

The American Civil War saw a number of innovations in naval warfare among which was the development of the submarine. Most authors focus on the Confederate Navy’s endeavor within this field, however, the U.S. Navy also explored the development of a submarine. In charge of the U.S. Navy’s design and construction of “Submarine propeller,” better

Lee’s Real Plan at Gettysburg

It’s arguable that there is more written about the battle of Gettysburg than any other event in US military history. The events of 1-3 July 1863 are well-chronicled, well-dramatized. The dramatic exploits at Devil’s Den, on Little Round Top, and the grand charge of Maj. Gen. George Pickett’s division have all received comprehensive coverage, some

BOOK REVIEW – Faces of the Civil War Navies: An Album of Union and Confederate Sailors

By Ronald S. Coddington, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD (2016) Review by Thomas P. Ostrom Ronald S. Coddington has chronicled the lives of dozens of Confederate and Union sailors in the War of the Rebellion (1861-1865) in his magnificent photographic and narrative history. In the Foreword, Professor Craig L. Symonds traced the general backgrounds

BOOK REVIEW – Steering to Freedom: From Slave to Civil War Hero

By Patrick Gabridge, Penmore Press, Tucson AZ, (2015) Reviewed by Robert P. Largess Robert Smalls was a black slave at the beginning of the long blockade and siege of Charleston during the Civil War. He was also a skilled waterman and harbor pilot, as well as a man of remarkable charisma and intelligence, and on

BOOK REVIEW – The Rivers Ran Backward: The Civil War and the Remaking of the American Middle Border

By Christopher Phillips, Oxford University Press, New York, NY (2016) Reviewed by Thomas P. Ostrom University of Cincinnati history professor Christopher Phillips wrote a different assessment of the complex cultural and political factors in the Border States before, during, and after the Civil War of 1861-1865. Phillips challenges historical interpretations that paint the Border States

BOOK REVIEW – The CSS Albemarle and William Cushing: The Remarkable Confederate Ironclad and the Union Officer Who Sank It

By Jim Stempel, McFarland and Co., Publishers, Jefferson, NC (2011) Reviewed by Robert P. Largess Writing years after the Civil War, Gideon Welles remarked of William B. Cushing: “…the great chief of the American Navy, Farragut…said to me that while no navy had braver or better officers than ours, young Cushing was the hero of

Sharing Naval History: Students Learn African American Heritage in Hampton City Schools

You never know where you find naval history. A recent email exchange that began through our social media outlets led to some interesting information one of our Facebook fans was kind enough to share about her family and professional ties to naval history.   Guest Post By Pam Neilson During my childhood in the 1950s and

National History Day 2016 Recap: Fiery Exchanges and Glass Ceilings

It is always refreshing to see young adults learning and interpreting history with passion and dedication. With so much emphasis on science and technology in our school systems today, one might wonder if a fire for the liberal arts still burns in our country’s young minds. In no place is that fire burning brighter than

Blood, Bravery, and Intrepid Ships: 5 Epic Naval Battles (PART II)

Blood, Bravery, and Intrepid Ships is a new limited, 5-part blog series exploring 5 epic naval battles throughout the history of the United States Navy. DISCLAIMER: This post is related to the 6th Season, 9th episode of the HBO series Game of Thrones titled “Battle of the Bastards.” Although the historical content of the five

BOOK REVIEW – A Confederate Biography: The Cruise of the CSS Shenandoah

By Dwight Sturtevant Hughes, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2016) Reviewed by Diana L. Ahmad, Ph.D. A graduate of the Naval Academy in 1967, Dwight Hughes provides an excellent account of CSS Shenandoah that is easily understood by historians and lay audiences alike. Readers quickly come to feel the movement of the ship as she

BOOK REVIEW – Sea Miner: Major E. B. Hunt’s Civil War Rocket Torpedo 1862-1863

Chuck Veit, Self Published (2016) Reviewed by Robert P. Largess Chuck Veit is something of a master in recreating the world of Civil War America and the personality of real individuals of that time through contemporary newspapers, letters, speeches, and diaries. In The Yankee Expedition to Sevastopol, he did a remarkable job of bringing salvor,