Le Roy Fitch

The Civil War Career of a Union River Gunboat Commander

$39.95

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About the Book

This is the first published biography of Lieutenant Commander Le Roy Fitch, U.S. Navy. Fitch saw action on the Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers; fought against Morgan, Wheeler and Forrest, as well as irregulars; commanded an ironclad monitor during the Battle of Nashville; and was renowned for his abilities in counterinsurgency and convoy tactics.

About the Author(s)

Prolific author Myron J. Smith, Jr., is emeritus library director and professor at Tusculum University, Greeneville, Tennessee.

Bibliographic Details

Myron J. Smith, Jr.
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 432
Bibliographic Info: 60 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014 [2007]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7737-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8431-7
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Preface      1
List of Abbreviations      9

1. A Close-Knit Family and Unheralded Youth, 1835–1856      11
2. From Sea to Brown Water, 1856–March 1862      23
3. New Madrid to Memphis, March–June 1862      42
4. Brothers and Guerrillas, June–September 1862      57
5. Tinclads, Logistics and Rivers      72
6. Guerrillas and the Nashville Lifeline, August–December 1862      90
7. Fighting Irregulars and Guarding Convoys, January–June 1863      112
8. Morgan, May–July 1863      167
9. Chattanooga, August–December 1863      208
10. Building a Fleet, Fort Pillow, and a Second Summer on the Ohio, January–September 1864      239
11. Johnsonville, September–November 1864      267
12. Nashville, December 1864–January 1865      291
13. From Brown Water to Blue and Home, January 1865–April 14, 1875      335

Notes      359
Bibliography      391
Index      407

Book Reviews & Awards

  • “One of the best…valuable…highly recommended”—Choice
  • “Detailed…a tremendous amount of research…valuable”—Civil War News
  • “If it sailed on the brown water of America’s Western rives during the Civil War and flew the Stars and Stripes of the Union Navy, Myron Smith more than likely knows about it”—America’s Civil War
  • “The author has thoroughly researched his topic”—Blue & Gray Magazine
  • “Smith’s research…is extensive…one of the more important additions to the Civil War naval literature in recent years”—Civil War Books & Authors