Very useful | Confederate Ironclad 1861-65 (New Vanguard)

An excellent account of some much overlooked ships. | Confederate Ironclad 1861-65 (New Vanguard) | Angus Konstam

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	• Confederate Ironclad 1861-65 (New Vanguard) Angus Konstam Osprey Publishing, 2001 - 48 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
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Civil War Naval Review Part 2

This fills in some of the gaps in my library on the American Civil War Navies, in particular, the Confederate Navy . This book does help with the background information that I was looking for. I would have like to see more technical drawings, with dimensions, for building models of these ships. Otherwise, a good book to read and work with.

Very useful

This short book packs a maximum of information into a minimum of pages. Without wasted words, every aspect of Confederate ironclads is covered: design, construction, armor, armament, life on board, strategy, tactics, and actual combat actions. Nor is analysis lacking. The author contends that the casemate ironclad was the best design possible given the Confederate resources available, and after switching doctrine from one of expecting the ironclads to break the blockade to one of having them defend vital ports, they performed their function well. As is usual with Osprey, the book contains many diagrams, photographs, and color artwork, including a cutaway drawing of CSS Virginia. Information about the 22 ironclads actually comissioned is assembled in an appendix, but any put under construction are mentioned somewhere, including CSS Stonewall, a non-casemate ironclad built in France. The only misprint I noticed was in the appendix where CSS Huntsville is spelt "Husville". The book is suitable for those just starting to learn about Confederate ironclads, and old hands who want a quick reference available.

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An excellent account of some much overlooked ships.

Any mention of the American Civil War will immediately conjure up images of soldiers dressed in the distinctive dark blue or light grey uniforms worn by the opposing sides. Perhaps, outside of the USA, few people might be aware that both sides also had their own formal Navy because the resultant naval engagements are rarely mentioned at all. At that particular time of internal strife within the USA, shipbuilders elsewhere in the world, were moving away from wooden vessels in favour of steel ships and the speed of change in warship design would result in fleets of unimaginable super dreadnought battleships within 50 years.

Such development in any country at war with itself, however, is virtually impossible if only because all resources are channelled towards winning that conflict. Nevertheless, both sides within the USA produced some amazing warships during this time and this book covers those which served the Confederate Navy.

Providing the reader with one of the finest potted histories I have ever read, author Angus Konstam is equally well supported by the artwork of Tony Bryan who has produced profile and aerial images of those vessels which played a key part in the various battles - some of which have become enshrined in folk-lore. There are also a number of historic photographs.

It was the innovative, indeed revolutionary, design of the main superstructure which made many of the Confederate Ironclad vessels seemingly impregnable. Above-deck accommodation - called casemates, was built of wood which was 3 feet thick and covered in two layers of 2 inch steel plate - hence the name "Ironclad." The sides of these casemates sloped backwards at a 35 degree angle so that when they were struck by enemy shot, the incoming projectile glanced off the armour causing barely a scratch. Ports, which could be opened and closed from inside the ship, allowed the ship's own guns to be run out. By comparison, European warship design of the period still retained vertical sides and suffered maximum damage from incoming shot.

This is a fascinating and informative book. It is one which sits very well amongst the remainder of the works in this series and is fully recommended.

NM

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The creation of a Confederate ironclad fleet was a miracle of ingenuity, improvisation and logistics. Surrounded by a superior enemy fleet, Confederate designers adapted existing vessels or created new ones from the keel up with the sole purpose of breaking the naval stranglehold on the nascent country. Her ironclads were build in remote cornfields, on small inland rivers or in naval yards within sight of the enemy. The result was an unorthodox but remarkable collection of vessels, which were able to contest the rivers and coastal waters of the South for five years. This title explains how these vessels worked, how they were constructed, how they were manned and how they fought.

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