Overview
From October 1864 to November 1865, the officers of the CSS Shenandoah carried the Confederacy and the conflict of the Civil War around the globe through extreme weather, alien surroundings, and the people they encountered. Her officers were the descendants of Deep South plantation aristocracy and Old Dominion first families: a nephew of Robert E. Lee, a grandnephew of founder George Mason, and descendants of one of George Washington's generals and of an aid to Washington. One was even an uncle of a young Theodore Roosevelt and another was son-in-law to Raphael Semmes. Shenandoah's mission-commerce raiding (guerre de course)-was a central component of U.S. naval and maritime heritage, a profitable business, and a watery form of guerrilla warfare. These Americans stood in defense of their country as they understood it, pursuing a difficult and dangerous mission in which they succeeded spectacularly after it no longer mattered. This is a biography of a ship and a cruise, and a microcosm of the Confederate-American experience.
Full Product Details
Author: Dwight Sturtevant Hughes
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Imprint: Naval Institute Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.50cm
, Height: 2.50cm
, Length: 23.40cm
Weight: 0.280kg
ISBN: 9781612518411
ISBN 10: 1612518419
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 28 January 2016
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Temporarily unavailable
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Reviews
Dwight Hughes provides an excellent account of CSS Shenandoah that is easily understood by historians and lay audiences alike. Relying on primary sources, especially personal journals of the officers and the annotated log of the captain, the book provides a great insight into the men who commanded the vessel showing their various moods that ranged from delighted at hearing about the Confederate battle victories to sadness at missing their loved ones at home. Hughes easily blended explanations of the various ships designs and nautical terms into his story with no difficulty making the book available to readers of all backgrounds. A Confederate Biography is an excellent look at an interesting slice of the Civil War. Naval Historical Foundation
A fascinating saga of the far-flung fringes of the Civil War, A Confederate Biography will captivate scholarly historians and lay readers alike, and is a choice pick for public and college library collections. Midwest Book Review.com
This is an interesting, well-written book. Although the CSS Shenandoah's story is well known, Hughes's book provides additional insight into the cruise and the crew. It is highly recommended. -Civil War News
Author Information
Dwight Hughes graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1967 and served twenty years as a Navy surface warfare officer on many oceans in ships ranging from destroyer to aircraft carrier and with river forces in Vietnam (Bronze Star for Meritorious Service, Purple Heart). Building on a lifetime of study in naval history, he lives and writes in Nokesville, Virginia. Online at http://aconfederatebiography.com/
