Ships of the Civil War 1861-1865: An Illustrated Guide to the Fighting Vessels of the Union and the Confederacy - Hardcover

Whether building a model of an ironclad, a gunboat, a cruiser, or a raider, Ships of the Civil War almost certainly contains artwork illustrating the appearance and the color scheme of the ship that interests you...Those seeking a good introduction to the warships of the Civil War or a good pictorial reference of these ships will find Ships of the Civil War 1861-1865 valuable. * Ships-in-Scale Magazine *

The Civil War may be mainly remembered for its infamous land battles, such as Gettysburg, Manassas, and Shiloh, but its naval engagements announced a new kind of naval warfare with the first-time use of ironclads, submarines and torpedoes, and the introduction of newer and more powerful naval artillery. The conflict saw the use of paddle-driven river boats, steam warships, ram ships, sloops, cruisers, river steamers converted into ironclads, and the development of new ships such as low-lying monitors. Arranged by type of ship, Ships of the Civil War provides concise coverage of some of the most famous warships of the era, including: the seminal duel between the ironclads CSS Virginia and the USS Monitor; the Union victory at Mobile Bay, where the CSS Tennessee was the sole surviving Confederate ship; the Confederate raider Alabama's demise off the coast of France under the guns of the USS Kearsarge; and one of the first successful actions by a submarine, when CSS Hunley exploded a mine beneath the Federal gunboat, USS Housatonic. The book also includes blockade runners, such as A.D. Vance and Hope; raiders, such as CSS Sumter and USS Quaker City; and iron cruisers, like the CSS Tallahassee, who spectacularly raided northern waters, destroying dozens of Federal merchantmen in the process. Filled with colourful artworks, expertly written background, and useful specifications of more than 110 fighting ships of the era, Ships of the Civil War is a handy guide to an often ignored aspect of the great struggle between North and South.