Confederate Ironclads at War

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.

Writer, editor and historian R. Thomas Campbell is a retired health systems consultant who lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania and Cape Canaveral, Florida.

R. Thomas Campbell
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 276
Bibliographic Info: 172 photos, maps, appendix, notes, bibilography, index
Copyright Date: 2019
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7640-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3536-1
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments  v
Introduction: The Ironclad Program  1
I. The CSS Manassas, the First Ironclad  5
II. The CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads  14
III. The CSS Mississippi and CSS Louisiana at New Orleans  44
IV. A Volcano of Fire—the CSS Arkansas  58
V. The White Hall Ironclad  85
VI. The Cornfield Ironclad  98
VII. Disaster at Wilmington  129
VIII. The Blockade Is Broken  141
IX. The CSS Tennessee at Mobile Bay  157
X. The Ordeal of the Savannah Squadron  181
XI. Trent’s Reach and the Destruction of the James River Ironclads  200
XII. An Ironclad at Shreveport  212
XIII. The CSS Jackson  221
XIV. The Last Ironclad, the CSS Stonewall  225
Some Final Thoughts  241
Appendix: Officers and Crew Assigned to the CSS Virginia,
CSS Arkansas, CSS Albemarle, CSS Neuse,
CSS North Carolina and CSS Raleigh  243
Chapter Notes  253
Bibliography  259
Index  263

“Campbell is a seasoned historical storyteller…informative, well referenced…an enjoyable read…heartily recommended”—Civil War Navy; “impressively informative…recommended”—Midwest Book Review.