Confederate Phoenix: The CSS Virginia [Hardcover]

R. Thomas Campbell (Author), Alan B. Flanders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

In March of 1862, the CSS Virginia of the Confederate States Navy destroyed two of the most formidable warships in the U.S. Navy. Suddenly, with this event, every wooden warship in every navy in the world became totally obsolete. Conceived in the fertile minds of such men as John L. Porter, Stephen R. Mallory, and John M. Brooke, and constructed from the sunken and charred remains of the USS Merrimack, the Virginia in one afternoon changed the course of naval warfare forever. Described here in detail are: the mechanical difficulties uncovered during the Merrimack's early world cruises; the desperation and panic that led to her commitment to the flames along with the Gosport Navy Yard; the mad scramble by the Confederates to resurrect her as an ironclad warship; the heart-stopping two-day Battle of Hampton Roads where she destroyed two Union warships, damaged a third, and fought the equally innovative USS Monitor to a draw. Within two months, surrounded by an advancing enemy and unable to escape, she was scuttled by her own crew. Utilizing previously unpublished sources, the authors have pieced together a fascinating and unparalleled account of her de-sign, construction, commitment to battle, and final destruction.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

R. Thomas Campbell has been studying and writing about the Confederate experience in the War Between the States for many years. He has published in Confederate Veteran, the magazine of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, of which he is a member, and also in the regional publications of that organization. Mr. Campbell is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business and Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and holds a bachelor of science degree from Villanova University. He is currently preparing additional studies of the activities of the Confederate Navy.

A Portsmouth, Virginia, native, Alan B. Flanders holds a PhD. in naval history and is a Fellow and member of the Senior Commons Room at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford University and holds a masters of arts in English Hollins College. For the past 20 years, Flanders has written a weekly column, “Olde Towne Journal,” and has also been published by Naval Institute Proceedings, American Heritage, American History Illustrated, and Civil War Times. He has written five other books on naval history.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 281 pages
• Publisher: Burd Street Press (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572492015
• ISBN-13: 978-1572492011
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,350,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.