Cushing: Civil War SEAL (Military Profiles) [Hardcover]

Robert J. Schneller (Author)

Book Description

Series: Military Profiles | Publication Date: November 30, 2003

Dismissed from the U.S. Naval Academy in early 1861, William Barker Cushing nonetheless emerged from the Civil War as one of the Navy’s greatest heroes. Cushing transformed his reputation from a rabblerouser into a living legend, because he embodied the special qualities that the Navy demands of the men in whom it entrusts its most hazardous and secret tasks: a readiness to volunteer for dangerous assignments, an unflagging devotion to duty, and more than a fair share of good fortune. As Robert J. Schneller observes, "He was patriotic, aggressive, tough, and recklessly bold." Before embarking on his most daring mission-his celebrated destruction of the Confederate ironclad Albemarle-he bragged that he would "come out victorious or ‘toes up.’" By the end of the war he had amassed four commendations from the Navy Department and the thanks of Congress and President Lincoln. "All this for a man," Schneller writes, "who was only twenty-two years old when Lee surrendered at Appomattox." Employing his customary readable and entertaining style, Schneller focuses on Cushing’s naval career and those aspects of his personality that affected it.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Military Profiles are essential treatments of the lives of significant historical figures. Each book includes the details that one finds in a full-length biography and addresses a theme that explains which aspects of a subject's character, background, or behaviour makes him or her worthy of our attention today.

About the Author

Robert J. Schneller., Ph.D., is a historian in the Contemporary History Branch of the U.S. Naval Historical Center. Schneller’s first book, A Quest for Glory: A Biography of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren. He received the 1996 John Lyman Book Award in Biography from the North American Society for Oceanic History. He also wrote (with Edward J. Marolda) Shield and Sword: The United States Navy and the Persian Gulf War, which received the prestigious Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize from the Navy League of the United States. Schneller’s other books include an edition of John W. Grattan’s Civil War memoir, Under the Blue Pennant, Or Notes of a Naval Officer, 1863–1865, and Farragut: America's First Admiral (Brassey’s, Inc., 2002), the initial volume in Brassey’s Military Profiles series. He lives in Lake Ridge, Virginia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc. (November 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574885065
• ISBN-13: 978-1574885064
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,121,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book about unconvential operations during the Civil War, December 12, 2007

By 

J. Rudy "Major, USAF" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cushing: Civil War SEAL (Military Profiles) (Hardcover)

This is perfect for the reader looking for an off-the-beaten-path subject from the American Civil War. This book takes you well past the familiar commanding generals, and gives you insight into one of the more colorful characters who excelled at the tactical level during the War Between the States.

Commander Will Cushing was a dashing young officer who specialized in unconventional warfare. Four times given commendations from the Secretary of the Navy, he was more frequently chastised by superiors for his reckless actions that contributed little to the overall war effort. Like the Doolittle raid on Tokyo, his missions made a far greater psychological impact on the Confederacy, than the military damage caused by his pin-prick raids. This book highlights his stunning successes, and illustrates how difficult it was for the young officer to get the approval necessary to carry out his bold plans.

"Potomac's Military Profiles" series (formerly "Brassey's Military Profiles") is known for biographies focusing on aspects of an individual's life. This particular book focuses on the greatest accomplishments of Commander Will Cushing, including the destruction of the CSS Albemarle. I found the book to be both readable and enlightening, without the onerous prose normally associated with historical biographies.

This book was my first experience relating to the exploits of Commander Cushing. Robert Schneller used original source material such as personal letters and the published memoirs of Cushing for the basis of his book. I complement Schneller for recognizing the more thorough biographies in existence, but I found his book to be the perfect length for my desired level of knowledge regarding Cushing.

This book would be a welcome complement to any avid Civil War reader's library.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Civil War & Ancestry Research Source, November 6, 2010

By 

Dragon Lover's Wife "Ceil" (North Royalton, OH USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cushing: Civil War SEAL (Military Profiles) (Paperback)

My husband is a distant relative of this Cushing family & was thrilled to recieve this book. He's shared much of it's content with his Dad who is a major history buff. A great read for any Civil War buff or anyone who just enjoys a great story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Badger makes good during the Civil War., February 13, 2011

By 

Kevin M Quigg (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cushing: Civil War SEAL (Military Profiles) (Hardcover)

I never knew of Bill Cushing before reading this book. He was born in the Badger State and then moved to New York with his family. He attended the Naval Acadamy, and became an officer during the Civil War. He wartime exploints on the Atlantic seaboard inspired his sailors. He helped blow up a Confederate ironclade, and survived the ordeal, although most of the others were drowned or captured. He was also a bigot in race matters. This is a nice biography of a historical figure many don't know about.

I think this is an OK book about a little known hero in the Civil War. After reading this, the reader will know of the life of a sailor in the Civil War.