Customer Reviews

Ironclads and Columbiads: The Coast (Civil War in North Carolina)

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The books in Trotter's trilogy, "The Civil War in North Carolina" (the other volumes are "Silk Flags and Cold Steel: The Piedmont" and "Bushwhackers: The Mountains"), were published as independent volumes and can be enjoyed as such. But one can't get a good understanding of the Civil War in North Carolina by reading only about a single region. I strongly suggest that serious students of the war, or of North Carolina, take time to read the entire trilogy.

Aside from John G. Barrett's "The Civil War in North Carolina," Trotter's trilogy is the only modern comprehensive account of the war in the Tar Heel state. (See also my review of Barrett's book at Amazon.com.) Unlike Barrett's rather academic, formal approach, Trotter is as concerned with telling some good stories as he is with documenting North Carolina's role in the war. He includes a fairly extensive bibliography in each volume, but apparently he relied mainly on published sources, and the footnotes are very sparse. This is not to say that his work is inaccurate or invalid, but it is hardly the ultimate account of the war in North Carolina.

His geographical division of the three volumes also presents some problems. Much information about the state's entry into the war and about its poltical aspects is found in the volume on the Piedmont, "Silk Flags and Cold Steel," but the most important battles in the first three years of the war -- which had an influence on these political events -- are covered in "Ironclads and Columbiads." These two volumes also contain many later events that "interact," for example, the closing battles in March and April of 1865. And some events in "Bushwhackers" - most notably, Stoneman's cavalry raid in the final weeks of the war - also lap over into Piedmont. Again, a full understanding requires reading all three of these books. Trotter, while adopting a mildly pro-Confederate tone like Barrett's, doesn't do as good a job of tying events in North Carolina to those of the wider war.

"Ironclads and Columbiads" covers the most important battles in the state. In January 1862, Union forces began in earnest to occupy crucial points on the North Carolina coast. Within six months, Union army and naval forces effectively controlled coastal North Carolina from the Virginia line south to present-day Morehead City. Union setbacks in Virginia, however, led to the withdrawal of many federal soldiers from North Carolina, leaving only enough Union troops to hold coastal strongpoints like New Bern, "little" Washington, and Plymouth. Had the Union pressed harder in North Carolina in 1862 - e.g., reinforcing their units there and occupying Wilmington and Goldsboro (a vital railroad junction on the Wilmington-Weldon line) - the armies of the Confederacy might have been stretched much thinner than they were by the ineffective Union campaigns against Richmond, and may well have lost their principal port. Union control of eastern North Carolina would have been a major military and economic disaster for the Confederacy. Instead, the Union forces on the coast had to remain in fortified garrisons until 1865, occasionally venturing out to raid and forage in the rich farmlands of eastern North Carolina. Confederate forces retook Plymouth and Washington in 1864 but lost them again before the year was out.

One failing that Trotter shares with Barrett is the poor quality of his maps and the lack of description of battle sites, roads, and other places in modern terms. A copy of DeLorme's "North Carolina Atlas and Gazetteer" is a vital supplement to these three books; modern place names and locations of battles and other events should have been located using modern landmarks, included as footnotes.

Trotter's trilogy is "popular" history, entertainingly related and highly readable. (He doesn't hesitate to have occasional fun with purple prose -- "The obsidian mountain night engulfed them like wraiths" -- but the writing usually is lively and flows well.) There may be more recent and more thorough books about various aspects of the Civil War in North Carolina, but Trotter's trilogy presents an introductory survey in a convenient package.

This is one of the most excellent books I have ever read on the subject to the Civil War in North Carolina or any other theatre. It easily grabs your attention early on and holds on to it throughout the remainder of the book. It reads splendidly and the author does an excellent job in describing all aspects. Trotter definitely deserves serious recognition. It should be considered a major contribution to the Civil War reading community and a must for any serious student of the Civil War.

Growing up in NC, I saw all of the sights along the coast of Civil War importance. I tramped across Fort Fisher and loked out to sea over the ramparts of Fort Macon. I visited Roanoke and climbed the earthworks left over from the burnside expedition. I live in a state which the Civil War changed forever. North Carolina contributed the most soldiers (besides Virginia) to the Southern cause, and quite a few for the North. It is wonderful to see such a well-written book about this state. Even if you are not a North Carolinian, this book will tell you a lot about the Southern war effort. Wilmington, NC was the only port that blockade runners could enter during the latter half of the war, and so most of the South's supplies came through there. This book is a wonderful read, and has a novel-like feel. Great for all Civil War Buffs.

This is a remarkably easy to read history that grabs your attention in the very beginning and never lets up. It reads as easily as a novel and should be a must for lovers of North Carolina.

"Ironclads And Columbiads" by William Trotter covers American Civil War events in Eastern North Carolina.

Among the topics covered include:

1. Various Northern personalities - Butler, Foster, Porter, Cushing, etc.
2. Various Southern personalities - Hoke, Bragg, Lamb, Whiting, Ransom, etc.
3. Several engagements - Roanoke Island, Goldsboro, New Bern, Fort Macon, Fort Fisher, Kinston, Washington, etc.
4. Overall and local strategies of the North and South.

Trotter also offers compelling points concerning the importance of Eastern North Carolina (several railroads, agriculture) that helped to supply the Confederacy, especially General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. If the South had reinforced Eastern North Carolina during 1861-1862, the Civil War may have lasted longer and tipped the scales in the South's favor. Conversely, if the North had made a more concerted push into Eastern North Carolina during 1861-1862, the war may have ended earlier. We'll never know!

Anyway, the book is a very readable account and contains good maps. I highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to know more about the war in Eastern North Carolina.

Read and enjoy!

William Trotter's "Ironclads and Columbiads" is a welcome installment in the series, "The Civil War in North Carolina." It ably summarizes the actions in the eastern part of the state, the Sounds, and the seas off the coast. Great reading, especially if you're a Robert Hoke or Zeb Vance fan.

Not all of the Civil War was fought in Virginia (or Tennesssee, or Georgia), and this book provides an account of numerous little-known nor long-remembered campaigns that should get more attention than they do. It's readable. It's interesting. It's well-researched. It's something more than yet another rehash of who-lost-Gettysburg. What more could a Civil War buff want

This book is a great overlay of what happened in Civil War North Carolina. The eastern coast and rivers, as well as the Outer Banks are all given a account. Decent maps that can be expected for some of the least written and talked about battles. From Cushing to Hoke, from Burnside to Lamb, all the commanders and their men are here, well detailed and spoken for. This is the book to wrap alll of North Carolina's coastal Civil War up in one bundle for buffs and non buffs alike. The author has away of wrapping the reader up into the excitement and history that is both real and fascinating. A great read, pick it up!