Customer Reviews

Union And Confederate Submarine Warfare In The Civil War

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This has to be the most thorough books on Submarine warfare during the Civil War. Having studied the history of submarines during this period, and having a family connection to the design of one of the Confederate subs, the St. Patrick, I thought I knew a lot about Civil War subs. This book proved me wrong. The detail and depth of the book showed the incredible amount of work that went into the research for this book. It is a must for any submarine enthusiast.

An absolutely fascinating book on a subject much hinted at, but never until now discussed in one book.

The story of the Hunley has been told before, and there have been many hints as to other boats used and operated during the war. However, information has been sketchy. As the author says, information regarding this topic is scattered. He has done a great job bringing all known facts together. I especially enjoyed the coherent description of the Hunley's attack.

I was fascinated at the creativity of the efforts that went into buiding these boats and was amazed at the sophistication of the vessels, especially Hunley and Pioneer.

The Hunley was far in advance of its time. It was a very capable submarine, dogged by human error and ill-fortune. It will be interesting to see if the mystery of its final loss will finally be explained.

For anyone interested in naval history, as well as Civil War history, this book is a must.

"Mark K. Ragan shows us the rest of the iceberg in this volume which is a standout both for its scholarship and clear, concise writing. . . Ragan's job of research . . . is impressive. He had to scour through company records, newspaper accounts, and personal correspondence to produce this brilliant definitive work on a little-known aspect of the endlessly fascinating Civil War."

Mark Ragan, an acknowledged submarine expert has brought to light fascinating details and facts I've never read anywhere else! I found this book to be engrossing and detailed and was delighted to read the details from Confederate Secret Service papers that had never been seen before. I recommend this book to anyone interested in submarines and/or the Civil War. Mr. Ragan served as the historical consultant on the Hunley movie from TNT that's coming out this summer. I can't wait to see how much comes from this book! I've heard Ragan builds and pilots his own mini-subs so I know his interest in the subject is genuine. I can't wait for his next book!

The book is very good, full of information on Union and Confederate Submarine development. Very interesting. Keeps you informed on each side with their early development of the submarine.

This is a great book, and any enthusiast on the subject should have it available for the excellent coverage of non-Hunley issues. The coverage of Hunley in this book is as good as could have been assembled at the date of publication, but the recovery of the Hunley means a lot of new information has been discovered since this was published. I'm really glad I have my copy, picked up in a Charleston bookstore during a business trip soon after it was published. In 2003 the author published an updated edition that I haven't yet seen.

Most enthusiasts or casual readers of the Civil War are aware that a little submarine called the H. L. Hunley sunk a Union ship off the South Carolina coast. However, few know that almost two-dozen underwater vessels were built during the war by a variety of aspiring men of different backgrounds. Mark Ragan's Union and Confederate Submarine Warfare in the Civil War delves into a fascinating corner of the war, a corner often purposefully shrouded in mystery, as men secretly developed a new tool of warfare. He introduces us to innovators such as Brutus de Villeroi, Charles P. Leavitt, William Cheeney, John Halligan, Julius Kroehl, James McClintock, Baxter Watson, and H.L. Hunley, men who persevered to prove the usefulness of these underwater nautical devices. Each chapter covers a separate year of the war and this chronological approach works well to reveal the steady evolution of technology and the increasing acceptance of the submarine as a war asset.

Using an excellent array of documentation, diaries, official correspondence, and rare submarine blueprints and photographs, Ragan does a wonderful job in immersing the reader in this rare arena of Civil War warfare. While spending a lot of time discussing the Hunley's history, ample space is still devoted to the variety of other submersibles the Union and Confederacy designed or constructed. Unseen in the standard fare of Civil War books, Ragan reveals the remarkable story of the submarine. In 1861, both sides already had submarines afloat. The subsequent years saw innovation and enhancements in periscopes, air purification (the Hunley crew could operate submerged for two and a half hours), engine proficiency, armament, and torpedo delivery. Readers will be astonished at the modernity of some of these submarines. Several spelling errors and rather poor photograph reproductions are the only complaints in this very readable treatment. Despite the scarcity of documentation that existed, Ragan convincingly paints a picture of a new breed of innovators who arguably ushered in a new form of warfare.

I do not know where to start. This book is one of the best works concerning Civil War naval history that I have ever read. Mr. Ragan has done a superb job and should be very proud of his work. He talks about everything from the more well known submarines to the submarines for which little information exists. This book is amazing and essential for a student of Civil War naval history or naval history in general.