Civil War Navies, 1855-1883 (U.S. Navy Warship Series) [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Paul H. Silverstone (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Silverstone is a prolific author of several books on U.S. naval history and also an editor of Warship International, a quarterly journal. These two books are the first in a five- volume chronological series on U.S. warships.

Both references begin with a contents page, a short article on U.S. naval ordnance for the relevant period, an explanation of data, and a list of abbreviations. Aside from this general similarity, the books are organized in differing ways. Civil War Navies is broken down in two parts: "United States Navy Warships" and "Confederate States Navy." Material in The Sailing Navy is organized under "The Continental Navy, 1775-1783," "State Navies, 1775-1783," "The United States Navy, 1797-1854," "United States Revenue Cutter Service," and "Texas Navy." Within the chapters of both volumes there are further subdivisions. Ships in Civil Warare generally categorized by propulsion and vessel size, as well as duties; for the most part, ships in Sailing are listed by type. Within these divisions, ships are listed alphabetically by name in a letter-by-letter arrangement (e.g., Emma Henry, Eolus, Fort Donelson). A typical entry has a chart showing the name of the ship, builder, date laid down, date launched, and date commissioned. Entries also also provide information on tonnage, dimensions, machinery, crew complement, armament, and armor. Notes add data such as designer; service record, including engagements; ships captured; and later history.

Each volume also has a short bibliography and an index of ship names. A random survey determined the bibliographies to be current and the indexes accurate. Scattered throughout the two volumes and appropriately placed are many black-and-white illustrations, mostly photographs and paintings, of the ships listed. Many of these illustrations were difficult to locate and represent a significant research effort. There is also a list of ships captured. Sailing has an appendix listing "Royal Navy Losses in North American Waters," and Civil War has an appendix that lists shipbuilders.

There is only one comparable reference to these two volumes. The eight-volume Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (GPO, 1959-80) is arranged alphabetically by ship name and has detailed histories of each ship that are sometimes several pages long. The chronological arrangement of the titles under review makes it easier for users to compare classes of ships from a particular time period, and the chart format and indexes facilitate use. These easy-to-use references will be valuable complements to the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and popular items in all military collections. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
This second book in the series lists the ships of the U.S. Navy and the Confederate Navy during the war between the North and South and the years immediately following--a significant period in the evolution of warships, the use of steam propulsion, and the development of ordnance. Other books on the subject simply do not provide the wealth or variety of information brought together here by Paul Silverstone. Each ship's size and time and place of construction are given along with particulars of naval service. Historical details include actions fought, damage sustained, prizes taken and ships sunk, dates in and out of commission, as well as when the ship left the navy, names used in other services, and the ultimate fate of each ship. Close to 150 photographs, including one of the Confederate cruiser Alabama recently uncovered by the author, bring the ships to life. Accurate and up-to-date, the coverage provided in this single volume saves readers time and the inconvenience of trying to track down information located in numerous books.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 218 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press; illustrated edition edition (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557508941
• ISBN-13: 978-1557508942
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,532,117 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive reference, the "Jane's" of Civil War ships, April 1, 2007

By	Red Harvest (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

As others have noted, Paul Silverstone's book is not a study of the U.S. and Confederate navies themselves, but rather of the many vessels that constituted the navies. Every known vessel is listed and organized by type and class. The format is both pictorial and tabular. The encyclopedic nature of the work makes it an excellent reference companion when studying any American Civil War naval action.

Silverstone begins with a brief introduction, then a section explaining the presentation format of the data, provides a list of abbreviations, and then includes a section on naval ordnance by W.J. Jurens before proceeding to the bulk of the work. Civil War Navies is divided into two parts. Part I covers U.S. Navy warships and is divided into the following chapters: Armored Vessels, Unarmored Steam Vessels, Acquired Combatant Vessels, Service Vessels, Sailing Ships, The Mississippi River Fleet, The U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, and the United States Coast Survey. Part II presents the Confederate States Navy warships and includes the following chapters: Introduction, Armored Vessels, Unarmored Steam Vessels, Area Defense Forces, Privateers, Blockade Runners, and Tenders. The book concludes with an appendix list of shipbuilders, a bibliography, and index of ship names.

Typical entries are arranged by class with a short table of names, builders, lay down date, launch date, and commissioning. Photographs of the actual vessels are included where available. Below the vessel name list for the class are tonnage, dimensions, machinery (propulsion), ship's complement, and armament. Differences between vessels of the same class are noted here, and rearmament is also listed where known. Further notes are then provided, then the service records, (sometimes with mention of casualties), and known captures of enemy vessels.

I highly recommend Mr. Silverstone's work as an indispensable reference to those studying American Civil War naval warfare

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally - a "Jane's" for the Civil War!, December 20, 2004

By	mike duffy (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This book has practically everything you need to know about Civil War naval ships in an easy to read "Jane's" type format - sorted into categories such as armored vessals, unarmored steam vessals, sailing ships, etc. and listing tonnage, armaments, complement, and a brief service record for each ship. As far as I can tell, the research is impeccable - quite a few photos never seen before. A real labor of live. The book is a little overpriced at $50, especially since it does not include other country's navies, have any maps, or include any other "goodies", but is really the only resouce of its kind for Civil War naval buffs.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent supplementary book, April 22, 2001

By	Gene Feierstein (Cary, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is an ideal companion to other histories of the Civil War. Its title, however, is a bit misleading. It is a book about ships, not about navies. It gives the vital statistics and brief service records for all the Union and Confederate ships but contains little else. Its real value is that it "puts a face" to the ship names in most civil war histories.