91´«Ã½

A triumph of imagination and good, taut writing. “Like the American Revolution, the naval action of the Civil War largely is overshadowed by the fighting that took place on land,” said Nelson. “In part that is because, like the Revolution, the Civil War was a very lopsided contest in terms of naval strength Still, the Confederacy was able to do some astounding things with what they had, and there were some very interesting contests for control of the water, mostly harbors and rivers, since the Union pretty much had a lock on the open ocean. Adding to the picture was the emergence of steam, iron plating and shell guns to naval warfare. It was an extraordinary period, and the huge advances made in fighting at sea are testimony to the unique American genius for invention, North and South.”