Based on a photograph taken in 1863 by George S. Thoroughly researched, engagingly written, well illustrated, and featuring an introduction by Clive Cussler(who led the successful 1995 effort to locate the sunken Hunley), Submarine Warfare deserves a place on every Civil War buff's bookshelf.Drawing of the H. Many observers were enthusiastic about the new technology, describing it as "as formidable as it is economical." Others were violently opposed, labeling submarines "unchivalrous" and "infernal machines." For better or worse, the submarine was here to stay. Ragan, who served as consultant on the 1999 TNT movie Hunley, uses contemporary letters, newspaper accounts, factory records, and log books to recount the early history of submarine warfare-from Bushnell's Turtle to the Hunley, from the Alligator to the Intelligent Whale. Ragan brings this little-known history to the surface. In Union and Confederate Submarine Warfare in the Civil War, Mark K. Both the Union and the Confederacy built submarines many were operational and patrolled for enemy ships. Less well known, however, is that the Hunley was not alone in the water. Most Civil War enthusiasts have heard about the Hunley, the Confederate submarine that sank the USS Housatonic on February 17, 1864. The author, a consultant on the TV movie CSS Hunley, outlines the building programs, construction plans and underwater operations of both the Union and Confederacy. In Union And Confederate Submarine Warfare in The Civil War, Mark Ragan, who spent years mining factory records and log books, brings this little-known history to the surface. Despite the scarcity of documentation that existed, Ragan convincingly paints a picture of a new breed of innovators who arguably ushered in a new form of warfare.īoth the Union and Confederacy built a wide and incredible array of vessels that could maneuver underwater, and many were put to use patrolling enemy waters. Several spelling errors and rather poor photograph reproductions are the only complaints in this very readable treatment. Readers will be astonished at the modernity of some of these submarines. The subsequent years saw innovation and enhancements in periscopes, air purification (the Hunley crew could operate submerged for two and a half hours), engine proficiency, armament, and torpedo delivery. In 1861, both sides already had submarines afloat. Ragan reveals the remarkable story of the submarine. Unseen in the standard fare of Civil War books, While spending a lot of time discussing the Hunley's history, ample space is still devoted to the variety of other submersibles the Union and Confederacy designed or constructed. Using an excellent array of documentation, diaries, official correspondence, and rare submarine blueprints and photographs, Ragan does a wonderful job in immersing the reader in this rare arena of Civil War warfare. Each chapter covers a separate year of the war and this chronological approach works well to reveal the steady evolution of technology and the increasing acceptance of the submarine as a war asset. Hunley, men who persevered to prove the usefulness of these underwater nautical devices. Leavitt, William Cheeney, John Halligan, Julius Kroehl, James McClintock, Baxter Watson, and H.L. He introduces us to innovators such as Brutus de Villeroi, Charles P. Mark Ragan's Union and Confederate Submarine Warfare in the Civil War delves into a fascinating corner of the war, a corner often purposefully shrouded in mystery, as men secretly developed a new tool of warfare. However, few know that almost two-dozen underwater vessels were built during the war by a variety of aspiring men of different backgrounds. Hunley sunk a Union ship off the South Carolina coast. Most enthusiasts or casual readers of the Civil War are aware that a little submarine called the H. We just found one mismarked full case of new first edition copies without jackets!īuy a book and we will include a FREE Hunley T-Shirt (gray or white, our choice)!Ģ2 copies only, then, truly, they are gone. In early 2023 we found and sold a full case with dust jackets. I guarantee you will never look at the war the same wayĪfter reading this and seeing the evidence. There were submarines operating in many theaters! They were not rare. SAVAS PUBISHING PRINTED THIS INCREDIBLE HISTORY
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