
Under Two Flags
The American Navy in the Civil War
William M. Fowler(Author)
Naval Institute Press
Published on 15. April 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-55750-289-6 (ISBN)
Description
Vividly written and researched by a noted historian of the period, this succinct history credits the Union Navy as an essential element in the northern victory. Neither ponderous nor hagiographic, the work presents characters and events that have been previously neglected and offers candid assessments of officers, men, and material. Originally published in 1990, it is an authoritative and gripping story of the battles waged.
The author provides a rare look at the war fought by primitive northern gunboats drifting through Louisiana's muddy bayous, Yankee merchantmen captured by rebel privateers at sea, and Union ironclads subduing hotly defended Southern forts. Nor does he neglect the subtler sparring behind the scenes: War Secretary Stanton and Navy Secretary Welles competing for Lincoln's favour and Welles's fierce duel of strategies with his Confederate counterpart, Stephen Mallory. Finally, the author describes the astonishing transformation of the Navy itself from a ragtag fleet of aging steamers and paddleboats to one of the most powerful waterborne forces in the world.
The author provides a rare look at the war fought by primitive northern gunboats drifting through Louisiana's muddy bayous, Yankee merchantmen captured by rebel privateers at sea, and Union ironclads subduing hotly defended Southern forts. Nor does he neglect the subtler sparring behind the scenes: War Secretary Stanton and Navy Secretary Welles competing for Lincoln's favour and Welles's fierce duel of strategies with his Confederate counterpart, Stephen Mallory. Finally, the author describes the astonishing transformation of the Navy itself from a ragtag fleet of aging steamers and paddleboats to one of the most powerful waterborne forces in the world.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Annopolis
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
150 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
195 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-55750-289-6 (9781557502896)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2012
1st Edition
Naval Institute Press
€24.49
Available for download
Person
William M. Fowler Jr. is the director of the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston and teaches maritime history at Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies in Mystic Seaport. He is the author of numerous books, including biographies of Samuel Adams and John Hancock.