James D. Bulloch: Secret Agent and MasterMind of the Confederate Navy
923189
Entertaining, informative, and extremely well-researched, this is the first, and most certainly, the definitive biography of a forgotten hero of the American Civil War. Bulloch's accomplishments as a secret agent will astound you and his impact on his favorite nephew, the nation, and the world, will surprise you.
This book is required reading for every serious student of this terrible conflict and for anyone with an interest in Theodore Roosevelt, naval power, espionage, international law and politics, and 19th century history.
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/James-D-Bulloch-Secret-Agent-and-MasterMind-of-the-Confederate-Navy/dp/0786466596/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">James D. Bulloch: Secret Agent and MasterMind of the Confederate Navy</a>
3017198
I especially liked this book. This seems to be a complete listing of Confederate Colonels. This book is a good read and interesting to study. This book complements other books about confederate history namely "Generals in Gray" and "More Generals in Gray".I like Confederate history and was hoping that a book about Confederate colonels would be published. Overall this title would rate as the better of Confederate history books and I rate it very highly.
1805730
George Wills has done an excellent job exposing the truth behind the Fort Sumter incident in April of 1861. The history books have usually pointed the finger of blame at the South for starting the war by firing without provocation upon the Union troops stationed at the fort. Wills' research proves differently - specifically, that the Confederates at Charleston were cunningly maneuvered by Abraham Lincoln into a no-win situation. As with all modern wars, a self-righteous veneer was concocted by the Lincoln Administration to hide the true economic reasons for waging a devastating four-year war against the Southern States. Get this DVD and check out Wills' resources for yourself.
722965
Suppliers to the Confederacy Volume Three is another excellent reference on the much-needed war materials imported to the Confederacy.  This volume covers blankets, clothing, footwear, fabric, uniforms, buttons and hats.  It also covers rifles and artillery from Britain and Austria.  One of the sections that really stands out is the coverage of uniform buttons showing the face and back marks with information about each manufacturer represented.  This volume is a must for researchers, collectors, relic hunters, historians and museums.  As I have stated before, this appears to be an ongoing project and I recommend collecting the entire Suppliers to the Confederacy series.  I have never found so much information compiled on this subject anywhere else.
2456726
Weddle has given us a sympathetic tale of one of the premier figures of the 19th century navy -- Samuel Francis Du Pont, whose statue initially graced Washington's Dupont Circle before it was moved to his home state of Delaware and replaced by a fountain.

The climax of Du Pont's career was his least-succesful campaign -- the abortive attempt to take heavily-fortified Charleston from the sea.  Weddle convincingly argues that this attack -- undertaken in spite of Du Pont's reservations -- was doomed to failure.  The early ironclads were simply no match for heavy shore-based fortifications.  In the best tradition of inter-service rivalry, the Navy rejected Du Pont's request for a joint army-navy assault: "I beg of you not to let the Army spoil it."

Equally interesting is Weddle's description of Du Pont's early career, which spanned a period of rapid technological change, from sail to sidewheeled steamers to ironclads with screws.  Perhaps Du Pont's most important and lasting contribution was his successful struggle to introduce merit into the navy's promotion system.
3631027
Bragg was a disaster for the Confederacy and this book does a great job of reviewing him as a commander and a man.  Recommend this highly.
1842507
Sears knows about General McClellan better than anyone including his strengths and his severe shortfalls. A great organizer that failed when his line cames close to the enemy. He orchestrated intense loyalty that creates a cabal that undermines future commanders such as Pope, the naive Burnside and of course Hooker. Splendid highly readable detail on the conspiracies and standout chapters on the wars most controversial Generals of the Army of the Potomac such as the political court martials of Fritz John Porter at Second Manasas and Stone at the Ball's Bluff fiasco. Includes great chapters on  Dan Sickles' controversial forward line at Gettysburg, General Warren's relief of command at Five Forks and a new look at Hooker at the critical moments of Chancellorsville. Would like to have had more detail on why Hooker thought Sedgewick failed him and why his calvary failed him also. If you thought the south had prickly egotistic leaders such as Johnson, Beuraguard and Davis; Sears makes it clear that the Army of the Potomac's early generals were virtually Lee's greatest asset.
404818
The Bulloch Belles by Walt Wilson is an interesting and detailed addition to Wilson and McKays book James D. Bulloch. As an historian who has extensively researched the Bulloch family, I found this book to be well-researched and written with a great deal of insight into the family members lives and the social settings of the period. Wilson has uncovered details of their lives and interactions of which I was not aware to create comprehensive images of these people from both the antebellum and post bellum periods.
His writing style is readable and informative, indicating a deep understanding of the social mores and political happenings of the period.  My only complaint is the name of the book. The women discussed in this book were not all Bullochs, but instead are women related in some way to James D. Bulloch. I think the title will unfortunately limit readership, as male readers in particular will be put off by the title.  Connie M. Huddleston, co-author of Mittie & Thee: An 1853 Roosevelt Romance.
4754392
Confederate Treasury Certificates, A Collector's Guide to IDRs - Interim Depository Receipts of the Confederate States of America. By George B. Tremmel, Pierre Fricke, John Martin Davis, Jr. 2010.

This meticulously illustrated volume on the inner workings of the Confederate treasury department is thoughtfully written for the collector of these obscure CSA issues. The images of original Investor Depository Receipts (IDRs) are worth the purchase price. Collectors of these instruments will be pleased with the scope and depth of information in this first comprehensive study of the subject.

Not surprisingly, historians, genealogists and students of the Civil War will also find a treasure trove of information in this book relating to the inner workings of the treasury of the Confederate States of America (CSA). The book details the implementation of monetary policies on citizens through the CSA's field offices, called depositories, which were widely scattered throughout the south, including Texas.

IDRs were treasury certificates issued by these field offices which document virtually every exchange transaction during the Civil War. IDRs were issued when treasury notes (confederate paper money) were deposited for future exchange into new treasury notes, often at a scaled down conversion rate for "Two Thirds of that sum in New Issue Notes" as well as for new issues of bonds of the Confederacy. Some of this currency was withdrawn because of rampant counterfeiting. Later issues of money were selectively withdrawn from circulation and earmarked for exchange into confederate bonds. This was a noble but ineffective effort by the treasury to reduce the money supply in order to combat an ever escalating rate of inflation. Less than 1% of these receipts survived in any condition.

The book is divided into three logical parts, followed by an extensive appendix. The first part (44 pages) lays the historical narrative, focusing primarily on the field operations of the Confederate Treasury Department. The second part (29 pages) is an essential introduction to the intricacies of the IDRs, cancellations, grading and rarity with a discussion of the regional issuance of these receipts. The third part (380 pages) is a handsomely illustrated color catalogue of the receipts. It is organized by the eleven Confederate states in which the IDRs were issued (none were issued in Kentucky and Missouri), then further broken down by the city or town of issue, each listing given a notation of the legislative act under which it was issued, as well as the dates and the number issued (if known). This is followed by the authors' estimate of rarity and value on the collector market at the time of publication (2010).

Like most reference books, the reading can be dry, although it is well written and thoroughly illustrated. These authors did their homework. The historical narrative focuses intensely on the role in which these little known receipts served as instruments to validate claims for exchanges of treasury notes (paper money) deposited in anticipation of new treasury notes or bonds. Also covered is the role of the officials in these field offices in the implementation of the treasury's policies at the local level.

The appendix is very readable and meticulously organized. The authors listed 656 different signers of the IDRs, organized both alphabetically and by
the town and state of issue. A thorough discussion of each of the CSA's respective revenue acts from 1861-1865 is included, many with illustrations of obligations resulting from those various acts. There is also a good discussion of the key officers in the treasury department relating to their roles and duties in keeping the revenue streams functioning in order to perpetuate the great struggle against northern aggression.

By James P. Bevill, author of The Paper Republic, The Struggle for Money, Credit and Independence in the Republic of Texas.
689423
This isn't the best history book I've ever read -- indeed, purely as a reading experience it was not enjoyable. But as a work of scholarship that explores a complex and too-little-considered subject, Robert Durden's book is extremely informative and worth the time of any Civil War student who wants to go beyond the trumpets and drums to examine the true nature of the Confederate States of America.

Durden did not so much "write" as "compile" "The Gray and the Black." About 90 percent of the prose here consists of newspaper editorials, speeches, letters and other Civil War-era documents that express a variety of Confederate views on slavery and, specifically, on proposals made in the last two years of the war to arm and train Southern blacks as combat soldiers for the armies of the CSA.  Durden focuses specifically on the efforts by Jefferson Davis and other Confederate leaders late in 1864 that led eventually to action by the Confederate Congress in March 1865.  By then, of course, it was far too late for the few southern blacks who got into training to make any difference in the outcome of the war. Less than a month after the law was passed, Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his dwindling Confederate army at Appomattox Court House.

The book is most enlightening in illustrating the clash of opinions between those who, with some reluctance, saw the arming and training of black slaves as Confederate soldiers as the major hope for Southern military success after the fall of 1864, and other white Southerners who viewed the proposed transformation of blacks into combat troops as a betrayal of widely held theories of white supremacy that were used to justify black slavery. Durden also shows how legal questions of states' rights and property rights hampered efforts by Davis and others to enlist black soldiers for the Confederate cause, as well as the great awareness among most Confederates that the Union Army had enlisted large numbers of African-Americans to fight against them.

Although not its specific topic, this book is especially useful in countering arguments by present-day Confederate apologists who claim that Southern blacks served in the Confederate armies in large numbers.  Certainly, many black Southerners did perform various non-combat jobs in Confederate service -- teamsters, cooks, hospital aides, body servants to white soldiers -- but the vehement controversy over arming black men to fight for the Confederacy, as portrayed by Durden, indicates that black combat soldiers in gray uniforms were a novelty -- or an anathema -- to most white Southerners.  No doubt there were individual black or mulatto Southerners who fought with a certain Confederate unit on this occasion or that; but did these isolated incidences have any significant impact on the racial attitudes of white Southerners?  Even among proponents of training blacks as combat troops, there is little evidence that their desperation to preserve Confederate independence had much influence on their overall sense of white supremacy.  Even those who advocated freedom for slaves who would become Confederate soldiers were hardly ready to elevate free black men to a political and social status equal to that of white Confederate veterans. (Perhaps it should be noted that the racial attitudes of white Northerners also were little affected by the loyal service of 200,000 black Union soldiers.)

I am interested to see how this topic is treated in Bruce Levine's new study, "Confederate Emancipation," but "The Gray and the Black" will likely remain a valuable examination of the topic because of the wealth of primary source material Durden has accumulated here.  Much of the 19th-century prose is dense and makes for hard slogging (but is fun to declaim aloud); and one wishes there were more, shorter chapters. Still, this is a basic book on the Civil War, one that not only illuminates the issue of Confederate emancipation efforts, but also sheds much light on the shifting racial attitudes of the Confederacy in its dying days.
2196670
The Battle of the Ironclads, though it lasted only the  afternoon of March 9, 1862 in Hampton Roads Virginia, instantly outdated naval history around the world. This short book serves as a primary-source document by officer Lieut. Greene, on board the Union ship the Monitor, and by Confederate Chief-Engineer Ramsay aboard the Merrimac. The firsthand account takes the reader from the historic battle in the Chesapeake Bay to the destruction of the iron hulks. Ramsay describes blowing up the Merrimac, and there is an eye-witness account of the sinking of the Monitor off Cape Hatteras by Rear-Admiral E. W. Watson. The book takes the reader into the bowels of the Monitor, described by many as a looking like a "cheese box on a raft," where the coal fires burned so much soot those on board could barely see, and looked like they stepped out of a black-faced minstrel show. Not only were the two ironclads themselves Civil War "firsts," but they employed such other "firsts" as torpedoes, revolving gun turrets, and rifled gun barrels. This is essential reading for Civil War and Navy enthusiasts. And the "price" is right!
3493764
Why does virtually every military college from Sandhurst to West Point still study U.S. Grant's Vicksburg Campaign of 1863?  In the spring of 1998 I was fortunate enough to participate in a three-day guided tour of the Vicksburg Campaign conducted by Warren Grabau. He began the process by raising that question and providing the succinct answer: "logistics."  As the author points out in his closing remarks, there is a widely accepted aphorism in military circles that says "amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics." And the subject of logistics lies at the heart of this work. Logistics are the key, from Grant's preparations to move down the west bank of the Mississippi, through his close coordination with Admiral Porter to create an unprecedented joint Army-Navy operation, to his extended operations from Bruinsburg to the final investment of fortress Vicksburg. This work presents this story, masterfully mixed with analysis and explanation of the importance of the terrain, the commanders, and factors such as unreliable communications, poor intelligence and uncertain maps. It also included other factors such as social and political effects and even personal vendettas, dislikes or personality flaws among key officers on both sides. The author, a professional geologist who spent most of his career in Vicksburg, then adds in 68 high quality maps. These were painstakingly hand-tailored by the author in an effort to recreate the closest possible approximation of the actual 1863 landscape by combining modern geodesy with the best information sifted from records of the time. Grant or Pemberton would have traded nearly anything in their possession for such maps.  The net result is a work that gives a much deeper understanding of the campaign and why the commanders involved made the decisions they did, which heretofore may have seemed baffling or highly questionable. As the author points out in his notes "About the Maps," when the events of the time are played out on this reconstructed game board the "opaque" decisions become "astonishingly transparent." One useful technique employed throughout is the author's presentation of each sequence of development from both the Union and the Confederate perspective. This allows us to see the details and the situation analysis from first one point of view and then from the other which greatly enhances understanding the actions and reactions, moves and countermoves, of the opposing forces and commanders. There is also a generous sprinkling of background information where appropriate explaining specific geographic, geologic or other situational factors as introductions to the Union and Confederate viewpoints. The book is rich in detail, from names of units to commanders and battle details, to the startling statistic that during the static phase of the siege from May 23 to July 4 Grant needed 338 wagons per day just to supply water for his men and horses. Now there's a logistical nightmare without even considering food, ammunition, medical supplies and all the other impedimenta of a military operation. Yet all of this information is conveyed without ever bogging down in minutiae or boring the reader. When we began our tour of Vicksburg in 1998, the author started not in the city or the fortifications, but by taking us across the river to the Milliken's Bend and Young's Point area. The objective was to give us a view and understanding of the terrain and the very subtle natural levees that still exist on the Lousiana shore. This book takes the same unconventional approach to present the fascinating tale of this unique campaign in a fashion you will experience nowhere else. When we completed our tour that spring near the famous Stockade Redan, I thought I had a good understanding of the Vicksburg Campaign from both the Union and Confederate viewpoints. Now that I have read this book, I feel I have expanded that knowledge and understanding to a much deeper level.  The collection of information, writing, organization and presentation is in a word, superb.
3143354
Dr. James I. Robertson the famous Civil War historian and expert on Confederate General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson and his famous "foot soldiers" wrote this excellent history of the famous "Stonewall Brigade" in 1963.  The Stonewall Brigade fought in the Army of Northern Virginia and was commanded by Stonewall Jackson under General Robert E. Lee.  This regiment was at the forefront of the battles that the Army of Northern Virigina fought in from 1861 to 1865.  This brigade as well as Confederate General John Bell Hood's "Texas Brigade" were the troops that were at the forefront of bloody battles throughout the Civil War.  The Stonewall Brigade was composed of regiments from Virginia as well as the artillery regiments.
Dr. Robertson tells how the brigades were formed in the early days of the Civil War and the officers that were elected to run the regiments.  These men came from all corners of Virginia and were proud of the brigade composing mostly of men from Viriginia.  Dr. Robertson explains that at first the soldiers were not very fond of General Jackson due to him ordering marches that were several miles in length, then afterwards going directly into battle.  However, the skepticism of Stonewall Jackson turned into admiration for the General as he led the brigade to victories over the Union Army of The Potomac.  These battles did cost the lives of many men that the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) could hardly afford.  General Jackson's brigade was always at the very front of a battle, as well as Hood's Texas Brigade and were famous for their fierce and couragous charges towards the enemy lines.
Dr. Robertson explains that some of the early battles did not go well for the brigade but after many victories in 1862 and early 1863 the brigade was very well known and respected by both friends and foes alike.  The brigade gained famous victories at The Battle of Bull Run when General Jackson gained his famous nickname of "Stonewall", the battles of Antietam (the unsuccesful invasion of northern territory by General Lee), Fredericksburg, 2nd Bull Run, Chancelorsville (where Stonewall Jackson was killed by friendly fire), and the fierce Battle Of Gettysburg took the tremendous toll of killed, wounded and captured on the brigade.  The tremendous spirit of the soldiers carried their passion for the Confederacy till the very end of the war.  Dr. Robertson in this book describes the camp life, the humorous tales of soldiers who were able to scrounge food and supplies from other regiments and civilians, the hardship of living during the harsh winters that took a toll on the men and resulted in alot of death from diseases and exposure to the elements, the relationships between the regimental officers and the soldiers, and the respect for General Jackson as he led the men into battle.  When the Civil War came to the end, the soldiers went to many reunions and commemorations of battles that they fought in years after the war.
This outstanding book is another essential work for anyone who wants to know more about the Army of Northern Virginia.  It compliments and should be a companion to the late Colonel Harold B. Simpson's books on Hood's Texas Brigade series. Dr. Robertson's and Colonel Simpson's books about these brigades in the Army of Northern Virginia should be in every personal library for those who study the Army of Northern Virginia.  This book is an easy read to follow, it is an interesting and lively history of the Stonewall Brigade, and it is easy to understand why Dr. Robertson is considered a leading expert on the Army of Northern Virginia, Stonewall Jackson, and The Stonewall Brigade.  This excellent book is great reading overall and I HIGHLY RECOMMENDED it!
4102422
Craig Symonds delivers a very readable biography of Franklin Buchanan, a career sailor who accomplished many firsts for the United States Navy.  Symonds writes in the book's retrospective "He was the first superintendent of the Naval Academy, the first to charge ashore at Tuxpan to capture the Mexican fort there, the first American official to set foot on Japanese soil, and the first naval officer to conn a U.S. warship up the Yangtze river." Unfortunately, history will probably best remember him as the only admiral of the Confederate States of America.

The first section of the book covers the early years of the young midshipman.  Along with his accomplishments, the section provides a great description of life aboard ship in the nineteenth century.  As someone not familiar with naval life, I appreciated Symond's description of basic terms such as "bosun" and "fo'c'sle".  The cost of these one- to two- sentence descriptions paid huge dividends with this landlubber,

Buchanan's years in the navy reads like an adventure novel - chasing pirates across the Barbary States and also the Caribbean, or assaulting a Mexican fort.  Along with these tales of adventure, Symonds provides a detailed look at how Buchanan prepared the USS Vincennes, his first command, before setting sail.

Symonds covers Buchanan's year at the United States Naval Academy as its first superintendent.  In honor of his outstanding service, the United States built a new house for the USNA superintendent in 1906, and named it in honor of him.  This chapter gives the reader an appreciation of the impact Buchanan had on the education of generations of Naval Officers.

In many circumstances, Naval Captains also serve as diplomats in addition to the traditional role of warrior. Symonds provides the reader with a detailed look at the roles of Oliver Perry and Buchanan in opening the Orient to America.

The second half of the book covers Buchanan's service to the Confederate States of America, precipitated by his rash decision to resign his commission.  Secretary Gideon Wells refused to hear the pleas of the repentant sailor who came to his senses a few days later.  Symonds recounts the gripping tale of Buchanan in command of the CSS Virginia (a.k.a. the USS Merrimack) in its only successful wartime sortie.  The book climaxes with a description of the Battle of Mobile Bay with Buchanan in charge of the paltry Confederate fleet.

The book touches on many more aspects of American Naval history in addition to the ones mentioned here.  Buchanan was one of the most influential officers of the American navy leading up to the Civil War.  This book is a fantastic tribute to his service.  Symonds also balances this with the cold truth of Buchanan's racist opinions.  "Old Buck" was also a strong proponent of corporal & capital punishment aboard ships.  His liberal use of the cat-o-nine tail resulted in outright hatred from many of his sailors.

Symonds is a very talented author that will keep you engrossed from the first page.  "Confederate Admiral: The Life and Wars of Franklin Buchanan" is one of the Naval Institute Press Bluejacket Book series, advertised as "affordable paperback editions of exceptional works on naval and military subjects."  Exceptional is the perfect word to describe this book - it's an easy read and a great story.
2164534
I had the great pleasure of getting a signed copy of this book from Mr. Cotham after having heard him give a lecture on recovery of the artifacts from the wreck of the USS Westfield in Galveston Bay.

This book was an excellent companion to the lecture and I enjoyed it tremendously.

In the Introduction, Cotham gives background on the origin of Gusley's diary (confiscated when he was captured and published in a rebel newspaper), the illustrations of Dr. Nestell, the stratgy behind the mortar flotilla of which Gusley's USS Westfield and Nestell's USS Clifton were a part, the role of the Marine Corps in the Civil War, and more.

Mr. Cotham's editing of the book is excellent without being intrusive.

I was most interested in Gusley's accounts of the capture of Galveston and the Battle of Galveston but the rest of the material is great and Gusley proved himself a literate, thoughtful, and cheerful diarist.  And - thankfully - a spare one, sometimes.  The problem with reading some faithful diarists is that they can be too faithful and one has to wade through days of uninteresting material sometimes.  Gusley sometimes went days and as much as two weeks without writing.

In addition to his descriptions of activity in around Galveston I also enjoyed his descriptions of the Bayou Teche area of Louisiana which I have also visited.

The books has 126 well-chosen period photographs, engravings, ans sketches and illustrates - in the best possible sense - Gusley''s narrative.  Chief among these are dozens of sketches made by Dr. Nestell, surgeon the companion Clifton, who was sketching many of the things Gusley was writing about, without either of them knowing.

A great first-hand look at life of sailors and marines in the Gulf Coast during the Civil War.

EXCELLENT BOOK...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
1844473
I just finished reading this most excellent book.  It is written in an easy to read style.  Mr. Bright's research to accomplish one of his  his stated tasks of raising Captain Thomas R. Sharp fom obscurity is the most thorough I have ever seen.  He even answered one of my lingering questions: Were any of the B & O''s metal boxcars sent South?  That answer is YES !  This book is a must read for any Confederate Rail Road devotee.

Al Mueller
Brookfield, WI
1673650
Written by an Italian no less, this is the best book I have found on the CSN. It is written in a style that is easy to follow, and touches on all aspects of the CSN from shipbuilding, to supply to espionage. Reading this book gave me a full image of the odds going against the CSN and the amazing accomplishments they achieved despite them.
Luraghi is clearly enthusiastic about his subject.  His enthusiasm resonates throughout the book.  It is clear that he admires the CSN for it's acomplisments despite the incredible odds.
In addition, the sheer amount of research he must have done is breathtaking.  The endnotes take up more than 1/3 of the printed pages.  What's interesting is that many of the endnotes are annoted with comments about the sources from the author.  In my own research, those annotations have been a great asset.
This is definately a MUST read for the Civil War naval history buff.