Lincoln's Admiral: The Civil War Campaigns of David Farragut (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Duffy merely summarizes the distinguished earlier career of great Union naval leader David Farragut and then focuses on his Civil War activities. Farragut was indefatigable, enterprising, technically ingenious, and even innovative; indeed, he was one of the most aggressive naval leaders in American history. Many will be surprised to learn from Duffy how much time Farragut spent up the Mississippi after New Orleans was captured, how thoroughly he blocked Confederate supplies from the Red River, and how he might have made the siege of Vicksburg unnecessary. The handling of the Union naval effort in Civil War historiography is generally not something to be proud of; Duffy helps improve that situation greatly with this book. Roland Green

From Kirkus Reviews

An admirably researched history of the long, successful career of America's first admiral and a popular hero of the Civil War, who is best remembered for his famous order in the heat of the battle at Mobile Bay, ``Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!'' To complement (and correct) the mainly army perspective found in most Civil War histories, Duffy (Target Hitler, not reviewed, etc.) presents a record of the frequently overlooked naval aspects of that conflict, as reflected in the career of David Farragut. Born in the South, Farragut went to sea as a midshipman when he was nine. While Duffy offers a summary of Farragut's life before the war, he is primarily interested in Farragut's Civil War years. He explains in some detail the often highly unorthodox strategies Farragut used to shut down Southern ports. And he explores Farragut's unwavering determination to overcome any obstacle in his way, including suspicions about his loyalty expressed by some fellow officers, aroused by the presence of a Southerner in the Federal navy; jealousies stirred by his early successes, which delayed promotion; and the opposition of bureaucrats in Washington, who attempted to reverse some of his naval strategies. Farragut, who held an unshakable belief in the necessity of preserving the Union (and who, having largely grown up at sea, had little sympathy for the South), always persevered. His brilliant campaigns on the Mississippi and his capture of New Orleans electrified the North. His blockade actions captured over 1,500 vessels. And his great victory at Mobile Bay against determined resistance, and under daunting circumstances, closed another Southern lifeline and diverted Confederate forces away from the defense of Atlanta. Duffy argues that Farragut's actions had more to do with the downfall of the Confederacy than some of the more celebrated land battles. A highly readable chronicle of a remarkable man, and an exciting account of decisive incidents in naval history. (25 photos, 6 maps, not seen) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st Printing edition (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471042080
• ISBN-13: 978-0471042082
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,293,792 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid examination of Farragut, February 3, 1999

By A Customer

I was not sure whether I wanted to read a biography of Farragut after having read Loyall Farragut's biography of his father, but I enjoyed Duffy's book. He does not blindly glorify Farragut's memory, but clearly shows why David Farragut's long career in the Navy and perceptive intellect made him one of the most effective military leaders during the Civil War. Duffy is also one of the few authors/historians to portray Adm. David Dixon Porter in a negative light by shedding light on Porter's attempts to upstage and undermine Farragut's accomplishments via his connections in Washington.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting biography of a Civil War Naval Officer, March 16, 1998

By A Customer

I read this book when it was first published in 1997 and although I had never heard of Admiral David Farragut I had heard "Damn the torpedoes..." from some where (I'm an Australian!). I found this book to be a very easy to read biography of a very interesting man. I have very limited knowledge of naval matters (I was a grunt) but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was enjoyable to read and the battle scenes were vivid and easy to follow. I would recommend this book to anybody who has an interest in the American Civil War.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short biography on Farragut, June 28, 2007

By	lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Lincoln's Admiral: The Civil War Campaigns of David Farragut (Hardcover)

James Duffy's biography on Admiral David Farragut proves to be interesting and easy to read. The book basically summarized Farragut's career without going into great details. The book deals more or less with Farragut's military career with few insights to his personal life. The book gives a pretty clear understanding of Farragut's role in the Civil War and the amazing amount of the time he spent on the Mississippi River after capturing New Orleans. His pet project of taking Mobile had to wait two years. The book was also reflective in revealing his relationship he had with his stepbrother, Admiral David Dixon Porter, another famed Union naval leader. The author believes that Porter was quite jealous of Farragut and tried his utmost to undermined him.

If there was a singular weakness, the book doesn't covered much about Farragut's life during the peace time but then, the subtitle of the book is "Civil War Campaigns of David Farragut" so that where the main focus remains.

Overall, I found this book to be pretty well researched, well written and easy to read. Its easy to introduced this book as a nice introductionary book on the career of Farragut and no doubt, helped put him among the great seamen of our nation's history.