Engineer in Gray: Memoirs of Chief Engineer James H. Tomb, CSN

Chief Engineer James Hamilton Tomb (1839–1929) devoted almost 12 years of his early life to wartime naval service—first in the Confederate States’ Navy during the American Civil War and then in the Marinha do Brasil during the War of the Triple Alliances. A steam engineer by profession and a torpedo expert by circumstance, Tomb was in the forefront of naval weapons technology of the period. Tomb quickly amassed not only the knowledge required of a steam engineer, but also the courage and capacity to assume important positions of command. Within days of his commissioning, he was on his way to his first assignment—first class engineer on the CSS Jackson at New Orleans, Louisiana, a point of great strategic importance. Here, amid a tightening blockade and a growing fear of Federal attack from the Gulf, Tomb’s memoirs begin… Tomb’s first-person narration is interspersed with explanatory comments from the author; the author also fills in Tomb’s life at the memoir’s beginning and end. Three appendices include documents by Tomb: “Submarines and Torpedo Boats, C.S.N.,” written in 1914 for the Confederate Veteran Magazine, a private manuscript Tomb wrote for his family describing in detail his experiences with the torpedo boat David and submarine H.L. Hunley, and “Reminiscences of Torpedo Service in Charleston Harbor,” published in 1877 in the Southern Historical Society Papers. A bibliography and a wealth of rare photographs complete the work.

Engineer In Gray: Memoirs Of Chief Engineer James H. Tomb, Csn

History

Campbell, R. Thomas

Tomb, James H.

Americas

McFarland Publishing

No body of water was more vital to the Confederacy's efforts in the Civil War than the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Though the Confederate Congress declared the Mississippi free and open to all states north and south, the Union launched plans for an effective blockade of the 1700 miles of Southern coastline, coupled with a strong naval and army thrust down the Mississippi Valley from Cairo, Illinois, to the Gulf of Mexico. To defend the river and to prevent Union forces from advancing, the South would require a strong naval force. There was only one problem with the strategy: The Confederacy had no navy. On February 25, 1861, Confederate president Jefferson Davis nominated Stephen R. Mallory to be secretary of the newly formed Confederate States Navy. Mallory faced significant obstacles--no shipyards, few skilled craftsmen and machinists, and a lack of production facilities to process raw materials. Mallory was able to overcome the many shortcomings to build a formidable navy, but the efforts in the Mississippi theater were hamstrung by a disjointed command structure and interservice bickering. Despite these problems, the Confederate Navy contested the Union forces at every turn. The history of Confederate naval forces on the western waters is a story of desperation, intrigue, ineptitude, and humiliating defeats, interspersed with moments of courage, innovation, resourcefulness, and a few hard-earned victories.

Confederate Naval Forces on Western Waters: The Defense of the Mississippi River and Its Tributaries

McFarland

Gray Thunder is the fascinating story of the Confederate navy as it struggled against a well equipped and relentless foe. The South's navy and its contribution to the Confederate war effort has been largely ignored in the history of the war. Gray Thunder fills this void. Using selected exploits, including extensive quotes from those who were there, the author tells the exciting story of the Confederate Navy and its courageous battle, with insufficient resources, against unbelievable odds.

Gray Thunder: Exploits of the Confederate States Navy

Campbell, Thomas R.

White Mane Pub

Hampered by lack of materials, shipyards and experienced shipbuilders, even so the South managed to construct 34 iron-armored warships during the Civil War, of which the Confederate Navy put 25 into service. The stories of these vessels illustrate the hardships under which the Navy operated--and also its resourcefulness. Except for the Albemarle, no Confederate ironclad was sunk or destroyed by enemy action. Overtaken by events on the ground, most were destroyed by their own crews to prevent them from falling into Union hands. 
 This account covers the design and construction and the engagements of the Confederate ironclads and describes the ingenuity and courage, as well as the challenges and frustrations of their "too little, too late" service.

Confederate Ironclads at War

Many men distinguished themselves on either land or sea during the Civil War. Robert Watson's service to the Confederacy included stints in both the army and navy, and his story brings a vital new voice to the chronicles of the conflict. A Floridian who first served in his state’s coast guard as a member of “The Key West Avengers,” Watson was assigned to the 7th Florida Infantry and saw action at Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge. Later transferred to the Confederate Navy, he served on the ironclad Savannah until it was destroyed to avoid capture; still later he participated in the battle for Fort Fisher. Watson kept a journal through all of his service, offering many fascinating glimpses of action. His account of coastal defense in Florida provides a rare look at the early part of the war in the Tampa area and includes much human-interest material on the seaman's life—including use of alcohol and visits to prostitutes. Later reports on action in Tennessee convey much about the miseries that inadequate food and shelter forced upon the average Confederate soldier. After transferring to the navy, Watson records valuable observations on the fall of Savannah and Wilmington and his unit’s ultimate capture at Drewry's Bluff. Because of its scant population at the time, Florida has given us few records and firsthand accounts of Civil War activity. Watson's journals provide that insight, along with descriptions of war scribbled under a blanket in a Tennessee encampment and a stirring eyewitness account of the fate of the C.S.S. Savannah. The book offers a captivating look at two spheres of action as experienced by a single serviceman—a record shared by few of Watson’s contemporaries. The Editor: R. Thomas Campbell is the author of Sea Hawk of the Confederacy: Lt. Charles W. Read and the Confederate Navy, The C.S.S. H. L. Hunley: Confederate Submarine, and Academy on the James: The Confederate Naval School. A native of North Carolina, he presently lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Southern Service On Land & Sea: Wartime Journal Of Robert Watson Csa/Csn (The Voices of the Civil War Series)

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Univ Tennessee Press

The fascinating story of the many victories and defeats of the South's navy. Included are stories of some of the Confederacy's most dangerous warships the little Sumter, the Confederacy's first cruiser commanded by that renowned raider, Raphael Semmes; the mighty Arkansas with her captain, Isaac Brown, which fought two Federal fleets simultaneously on a hot July day in 1862; the makeshift gunboat Cotton ; the little known commerce raider Georgia ; and the swift blockade runner Advance . Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Southern Thunder: Exploits of the Confederate States Navy

Southern Fire continues Campbell's exciting account of the naval war of the Confederate States. Within these covers, he describes, in vivid detail, additional battles and engagements fought by Southern naval forces against a well equipped and relentless foe. The Confederate naval saga has been largely ignored in American history. This third work in his series, however, helps to fill that void. Using selected engagements, the author tells the fascinating story of the victories and defeats of the South's naval forces.

Southern Fire: Exploits of the Confederate States Navy

Book by Morgan, James Morris, Campbell, R. Thomas

Midshipman in Gray: Selections from Recollections of a Rebel Reefer

Morgan, James Morris

Burd Street Pr

This history of the Confederate States Navy quotes extensively from the correspondence, reports, and diary entries of the participants in the naval war. Topics include the privateers, the Mosquito Fleet, the ironclads Louisiana and Mississippi at the Battle of New Orleans, the raiders Tallahassee and Chickamauga , and the cruise of the Shenandoah around the world. Includes numerous maps, line drawings and engravings of ships, and b&amp;w photos of sailors and officers. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Fire and Thunder: Exploits of the Confederate States Navy

Military

Narrates the birth, life, and death of the academy, which was founded in 1863 in the temporal and geographical vortex of a violent war. Among other topics, describes the battles below Richmond in 1864, the young midshipmen who attended, and the guardians of the Confederate treasury in its retreat south to the Carolinas and Georgia. Includes many photographs and paintings, and quotes at length from contemporary sources. Awarded the first Nathan Bedform Forrest History Award. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Academy on the James: The Confederate Naval School

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Books by Campbell, R. Thomas