Synopses & Reviews
The 58,000-Mile, Around-the-World Cruise of the Confederacy's Last Ship Afloat.
The sleek, 222-foot, black auxiliary steamer The Sea King left London on October, 8, 1864, ostensibly bound for Bombay. The subterfuge was ended off the shores of Madeira, as the ship was rechristened and outfitted for war. With new gun ports cut to accommodate additional cannon, the CSS Shenandoah commenced the last, most quixotic sea story of the Civil War, the 58,000-mile, around-the-world cruise of the Confederacy’s third most successful merchant raider. Before its voyage was over, thirty- two Union merchant and whaling ships and their cargoes would be sunk. But it was after ship and crew had rounded Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, stopped long enough in Australia to cause a diplomatic crisis, and navigated the ice floes of Siberia’s Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, and the Arctic Ocean that their journey 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 Union, he had gone from being an enemy combatant to a pirate, a hangable offense. Hunted by Union and British men-of-war, his polyglot crew rife with hints of mutiny, and with dwindling supplies, Waddell elected to camouflage the ship, circumnavigate the globe, and attempt to surrender on English soil.
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.
Review
"Good reading for Civil War buffs, taking the naval aspect of the conflict well beyond the usual Monitor and Merrimac fare." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Chaffin drew on hundreds of original documents in researching this riveting narrative of one episode of the Civil War." Booklist
Review
"Tom Chaffin, a visiting scholar at Emory University, gives a spirited account of the Shenandoah's odyssey both an intriguing Civil War story and a bracing nautical yarn." Boston Globe
Review
"Tom Chaffin...does a fine job of relating the Shenandoah's exciting story in generally well-written and swiftly paced prose. He kindly eschews technical jargon and describes unfamiliar nautical terms for the landlubber reader....Sea of Gray is a gripping account of a remarkable voyage." Providence Journal
Synopsis
The CSS Shenandoah commenced the last, most quixotic sea story of the Civil War. Before its voyage was over, 34 Union merchant and whaling ships and their cargoes would be sunk. Four months after the Civil War was over, the captain learned the war was over, and he had gone from being an enemy combatant to a pirate, a hangable offense.
Synopsis
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.
About the Author
Tom Chaffin is the author of Pathfinder: John Charles Frémont and the Course of American Empire (H&W, 2002). His work has appeared in The New York Times, Harper's, Time, and other publications. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.