Synopses & Reviews
On June 19, 1864, the Confederate cruiser
Alabama and the USS
Kearsarge faced off in the English Channel outside the French port of Cherbourg. About an hour after the
Alabama fired the first shot, it began to sink, and its crew was forced to wave the white flag of surrender.
Working with personal papers and diaries and contemporary reports, historian William Marvel interweaves the stories of these two celebrated Civil War warships, from their construction to their climactic encounter off Cherbourg. Just as importantly, he illuminates the day-to-day experiences of their crews. From cabin boys to officers, sailors have been one of the most ignored groups of the Civil War.
The sailors' lot was one of constant discomfort and monotony, interspersed with riotous frolics ashore and, occasionally, a few minutes of intense excitement and danger. Housed in damp, crowded quarters, their wartime mortality rate did not reach that of their army counterparts, but service-connected diseases shortened their postwar lives disproportionately. Most of the crewmen ended their lives in nameless obscurity, and their story has remained unwritten until now.
Review
Marvel's well-written account of life aboard the two ships should interest both the specialist and the general reader.
Journal of Southern History
Review
[Marvel] has richly tapped new sources by locating the journals, diaries, and letters written by eyewitnesses.
Journal of American History
Review
Highly recommended to those interested in the Civil War at sea.
Blue and Gray
Review
Well written and persuasively argued, Marvel's study will make quite a splash.
Choice
Review
"William Marvel knows how to tell a good story."
KLIATT
Review
A fascinating introduction to the common sailor worthy of comparison with the best works on the war•s common soldiers.
J. Tracy Power, Society for Civil War Historians Newsletter
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 315-323) and index.
About the Author
William Marvel is a freelance writer who lives in South Conway, New Hampshire. Among his previous books are the award-winning Andersonville: The Last Depot and Burnside.
Table of Contents
ContentsPreface
1. Escape
2. Pursuit
3. Into the Tempest
4. Iberian Assignation
5. Renaissance
6. The Greyhound
7. The Interlude
8. Doldrums
9. Caribbean Passage
10. Baptism
11. The Succession
12. Consigned to the Sea
13. Cape of Good Hope
14. East by West
15. Subterfuge
16. Crossings
17. Homecoming
18. Reception
19. Rendezvous
20. Exodus
Epilogue
Appendix 1. Which Mountain Was It?
Appendix 2. Ships' Rosters
Glossary of Naval Terminology
Notes
Bibliography
Index
A section of illustrations
Map 1. Area of Operations, USS Kearsarge, February, 1862-September 1864
Map 2. Criuse of the Alabama, August 24, 1862-June 19, 1864
Map 3. Battle between the Alabama and the Kearsarge, June 19, 1864