Customer Reviews

Mississippi River Gunboats of the American Civil War 1861-65 (New Vanguard)

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This compact book is great for getting someone interested in the gunboats used on the Mississipi during the Civil War. Not a detailed reference, but a good overview with photos, plates and cutaways making this an interesting book that I have shared with many friends. The text and listing of boats used by both sides has led me to a whole new area of interest.

If I might be forgiven for adapting that old cliché about buses; I was blissfully unaware of the existence of Osprey Publishing until several books from this particular publisher came along at once. More importantly, I have yet to be disappointed by any title so far studied. My review of their "US Cruisers 1883-1904" attracted several comments in which I was asked about similar titles covering historic US Ships - so I asked for more.

Up to last week, I thought the USS Lexington was an aircraft carrier from WW2 and had no idea that name had been used previously. From this book, however, I learned that the first ship of that name was one of three Union river gunboats to see service on the Mississippi during the American Civil War. She displaced 362 tons and carried four 8 inch smoothbore and two 32 pounder guns.

Whilst warships have changed considerably since that time, I shall never look at the Natchez or Creole Queen (two similar, albeit unarmed, river boats which still ply the Mississippi) in quite the same way - should I ever see those magnificent vessels again.

If anything, this book will teach almost everybody something they did not previously know about the shallow-draught river gunboats which fought the naval battles within the confined spaces of one of the world's greatest rivers at that time. A particularly intriguing incident came about when the Governor Moore rammed the Varuna. Locked together for that short time before the Governor Moore could reverse away, the Varuna's gun crew were confronted by an enemy ship which was so close as to be below the trajectory of their main bow gun. Consequently they depressed the barrel to its absolute maximum and fired a round through their own decks and into the attacking ship causing mortal damage.

This is a book about the ships, the men and the actions they fought during a period of internal civil strife which went on to shape the United States of America. It is a fascinating document and one which has broadened my own knowledge of ships and naval warfare more dramatically than any other single work.

Once again we have some excellent artwork and a reasonable selection of historic photographs with the latter only limited by the lack of such images from that period. Altogether great VFM.

NM

Most of the hype and recognition for the Civil War goes to the many battlefields and the carnage that resulted. Popular history doesn't give justice to the bravery and hardships suffered by those contesting the Mississippi River and other waterways of the western theater. This book provides excellent illustrations of boats used by both sides. I was so impressed that I also bought Union Monitor 1861-65 and Confederate Ironclad 1861-65.

It has been pointed out that one of the illustrations shows a vessel with a ring above the pilot house that looks for all the world like an old fashioned radio direction finding aerial - in a world where radio was still 3 decades in the future. An actual photo of the vessel has been found and it was discovered that the actual item in that location was a pair of decorative antlers....

Caveat emptor!