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Full Description
No body of water was more vital to the Confederacy's efforts in the Civil War than the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Though the Confederate Congress declared the Mississippi free and open to all states north and south, the Union launched plans for an effective blockade of the 1700 miles of Southern coastline, coupled with a strong naval and army thrust down the Mississippi Valley from Cairo, Illinois, to the Gulf of Mexico. To defend the river and to prevent Union forces from advancing, the South would require a strong naval force. There was only one problem with the strategy: The Confederacy had no navy.
On February 25, 1861, Confederate president Jefferson Davis nominated Stephen R. Mallory to be secretary of the newly formed Confederate States Navy. Mallory faced significant obstacles--no shipyards, few skilled craftsmen and machinists, and a lack of production facilities to process raw materials. Mallory was able to overcome the many shortcomings to build a formidable navy, but the efforts in the Mississippi theater were hamstrung by a disjointed command structure and interservice bickering. Despite these problems, the Confederate Navy contested the Union forces at every turn. The history of Confederate naval forces on the western waters is a story of desperation, intrigue, ineptitude, and humiliating defeats, interspersed with moments of courage, innovation, resourcefulness, and a few hard-earned victories.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Gathering Clouds
2. Victory at the Head of the Passes
3. Island Number 10
4. Building the Ironclads
5. The Battle of New Orleans
6. Plum Point, the Battle of Memphis, and the White River Campaign
7. Building the CSS Arkansas
8. Into the Volcano
9. Berwick Bay and the J.A. Cotton
10. Gunfire at Galveston
11. Action on the Tributaries.
12. The Pursuit and Destruction of the USS Indianola
13. The CSS Missouri and the Loss of Yazoo City
14. The CSS Webb and the Final Surrender
15. Some Final Thoughts
Appendices
A. Officers Assigned to the CSS Sumter
B. Fight at the Head of the Passes: Extract from the New Orleans Daily True Delta, October 15, 1861
C. Log of the General Sterling Price, March 25, 1862, to June 5, 1862
D. The Ram Manassas at the Passage of the New Orleans Forts
E. Report of Brigadier-General Thompson, Missouri State Guards
F. Montgomery and Thompson's Reports of the Battle of Plum Point
G. Officers Assigned to the CSS Arkansas
H. CS Gunboat J.A. Cotton Burnt: Extract from the Houston Tri-Weekly Telegraph, February 2, 1863
I. The Agony of Major Lea: Extract from a Texas Newspaper, January 1863
J. Report of Lieutenant Commander Selfridge, U.S. Navy, Late Commanding USS Cairo
K. Report of Lieutenant Commander Brown, U.S. Navy, Regarding the Loss of the USS Indianola
L. Report of Lieutenant Colonel Creasman, C.S. Army, Commanding at Yazoo City
M. Officers of the CSS Webb, April 1865
N. Federal Survey of the CSS Missouri
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
