In which we continue to tell the story of the world’s first battle between two ironclad warships, the USS Monitor & the CSS Virginia, which took place on March 9, 1862.
Our book recommendation for this episode is “Confederate Ironclad vs Union Ironclad: Hampton Roads 1862” by Ron Field.
In which we discuss the Battle of Fort Henry, which took place on February 6, 1862.
A print depicting the Federal gunboats steaming up the Tennessee River
and attacking Fort Henry.
Our book recommendation for this episode is Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry-Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862 by Kendall D. Gott. “Some historians argue that the pivotal action of the Civil War was not Antietam or Gettysburg, but the twin Confederate losses at Fort Henry and Donelson, the battles that opened the way for the Union juggernaut to penetrate the Southern heartland and carve it into pieces, though it would take three years to accomplish. Kendall Gott’s Where the South Lost the War is our first comprehensive look at these turning points in some years, and is especially good on the oft-dismissed Fort Henry operations. It should establish itself as the standard word on both engagements and their impact.” ~ William C. Davis
One of the Union’s timberclads, the U.S.S. Conestoga
U.S.S. Tyler
In which we take a quick look at the timberclads and city-class ironclads of the Federal’s “brown water navy” in the western theater of the Civil War.
One of Pook’s Turtles, the U.S.S. Cairo
Our book recommendation for this episode is Mr. Lincoln’s Brown Water Navy: The Mississippi Squadron by Gary D. Joiner. “Historian Gary D. Joiner has crafted a clear, concise, and masterful narrative history of the decisive role played by the Mississippi Squadron in winning the Civil War in the West. One of the least studied aspects of the conflict, this illuminating story of the improvised Brown Water Navy and the intrepid Union sailors who experienced the war from the deck of a western gunboat will enthrall the reader.” ~ Stacy D. Allen, chief historian, Shiloh national Military Park