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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Filled with personal experiences,
By A Customer
This review is from: Guns on the Western Waters: The Story of River Gunboats in the Civil War (Civil War Paperbacks) (Paperback)
I found this book to be very unique among the many books about naval aspects of the Civil War. Gosnell openly focuses on the personal accounts of officers and sailors in the Union and Confederate river forces as well as several newspaper columnists that witnessed incidents. After giving the reader a sound overview of the weapons and ships used in the western rivers, Gosnell allows the personal accounts of those that were there to walk the reader through the river war. Gosnell's comments contexualize the personal accounts but do not overshadow them. It's a very effective way of engaging the reader. The negative aspect of the book is that Gosnell overlooks some events, although he openly acknowledges it when he does so. This book would serve as a fine companion for a more chronologically thorough, less-personal CW naval book.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Neglected Civil War history,
By
This review is from: Guns on the Western Waters: The Story of River Gunboats in the Civil War (Civil War Paperbacks) (Paperback)
The naval war of the civil war in America is one of the most neglected areas of study and this little book brings focus to it as few do. The number of stars given to this title will trouble some readers: taking into account the value of the book as a history, it doesn't warrant three stars, more ike two; basiclly this a book that lifts sections of famous memoirs and puts them ino a single volume with some editorial comment of little value to those who are well read in the subject; the book is very worthwhile for those who are interested in the Civil War and haven't had a great deal of wxposure to its literature. I like the book because it is easy to read and hold, the type is good and the size in comfortable. On the negative there is no index, the table of contents is inadequate, and it has no immediate iduication of the contents of the chapters or the work used in them. The author/editor offers such valuable information as "[with the fall of Sabine Pass] it became practically impossible to frun supplies into the eastern Confederate states from abroad via
texas or Louisiana" (page 143). We are informed thae fall of Vicksburg was improtant to the Union victory. Did you knowe there was competition between Admiral Porter and Admiral Farragut? Thet Faragut was the foster brother of Porter? You didn't learn it here. It is assumed the reader knows enough to identify "Old Tecumseh" as General Sherman. It is further expected the reader will allow the only impoortant battles on the western waters took place on the Mississippi and will be satified to learn the story of Vicksburg. One thing disappointing about this work is that the Luisiana State University Press published it. It is a work beneath their standard I fear, even allowing it is about Louisian and Mississippi. The book is not worthless, just disappointing for those who hoped for a work on the history of the Navy--North and South. For beginners it is worthwhile. If you know something of the Civil War, avoid it, at least, don't spend your money on this.
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