Overview
Now for the Contest tells the story of the Civil War at sea in the context of three campaigns: the blockade of the southern coast, the raiding of Union commerce, and the projection of power ashore. The Civil War at sea was profoundly influenced by innovation and asymmetry--both sides embraced innovation, but differences in their resources and their strategic objectives pushed them down different paths. At its peak the Union navy boasted over fifty thousand men and nearly seven hundred ships. The Confederate navy was far smaller, never exceeding some five thousand men, and it numbered its ships in the tens rather than the hundreds. The Confederacy's ""technology strategy"" and its overseas programs formed the main counterweight to the Union's numerical force. Now for the Contest also examines how both sides mobilized and employed their resources for a war that proved to be of unprecedented intensity and duration. For both antagonists the conduct of the naval war was complicated by rapid technological change, as steam power, metal armor, and more powerful ordnance sparked experiment and innovation both in naval construction and in tactics.The war years brought tremendous change to a service that did not always welcome it. Innovative technologies flourished in this hothouse atmosphere, however, and a rising generation of naval leaders would carry the knowledge of combat into the long peace that followed. William H. Roberts is a retired commander in the U.S. Navy and is author of Civil War Ironclads: The U.S. Navy and Industrial Mobilization and USS New Ironsides in the Civil War.
Full Product Details
Author: William H. Roberts
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Imprint: University of Nebraska Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.40cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.522kg
ISBN: 9780803238619
ISBN 10: 0803238614
Pages: 230
Publication Date: 01 November 2004
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Awaiting stock
The supplier is currently out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out for you.
Reviews
?Readers who want to think about the large naval?and often governmental, diplomatic, logistical, economic, and military?facets of the war will find much in Roberts? book to ponder. Richard M. McMurry, Blue & Gray -- Richard M. McMurry Blue & Gray
Readers who want to think about the large naval--and often governmental, diplomatic, logistical, economic, and military--facets of the war will find much in Roberts' book to ponder. --Richard M. McMurry, Blue & Gray --Richard M. McMurry Blue & Gray
An excellent introduction to the Civil War on the high seas and along the coasts. -The Journal of Military History| Concise, intelligent, and eminently readable... I recommend the book heartily. -Paper Wars| Readers who want to think about the large naval-and often governmental, diplomatic, logistical, economic, and military-facets of the war will find much in Roberts' book to ponder. -Richard M. McMurry, Blue & Gray
Author Information
William H. Roberts is a retired commander in the U.S. Navy and is author of Civil War Ironclads: The U.S. Navy and Industrial Mobilization and USS New Ironsides in the Civil War.
