At the outbreak of the Civil War; North and South quickly saw the need to develop the latest technology in naval warfare; the ironclad ship. After a year-long scramble to finish first; in a race filled with intrigue and second guessing; blundering and genius; the two ships -- the Monitor and the Merrimack -- after a four-hour battle; ended the three-thousand-year tradition of wooden men-of-war and ushered in "the reign of iron."In the first major work on the subject in thirty-five years; novelist; historian; and tall-ship sailor James L. Nelson; acclaimed author of the Brethren of the Coast trilogy; brilliantly recounts the story of these magnificent ships; the men who built and fought them; and the extraordinary battle that made them legend.
#42874 in Books James L Swanson 2007-02-06 2007-02-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.24 x 5.31l; .89 #File Name: 0060518502496 pagesJames L. SwansonPresidentsCivil WarCrime
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Written like a Crime ThrillerBy KwanSwanson gives a very vivid and detailed account of the 12 days JWB was on the run. It truly felt as if the manhunt was happening right before my eyes.The prose made the book felt like a NYT bestselling crime thriller. Swanson fully captures the readers attention immediately and never let's it loose from his grasp. Swanson does not write a mini biography on Lincoln or Booth; but instead focuses almost entirely on the manhunt; which is what separates this book from others. Its narrow and complete focus makes capitivating details easy to remeber; and unleashes an insatiable desire for more information.One thing that I wished there was more of would be accounts of the failed raids and deaths of those involved in searching for Lincoln. Dozens of volunteers and soldiers met their demise while searching for the killers through swamps and in other inhospitable terrain. Also; the death of Lafayette C Baker is unfortunately inadequately covered. I'm not a fan of the conspiracy theory involving Baker and Stanton and consider it hogwash but it would have been a felicitous excerpt.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Very well researched and fascinating accountBy C. MedinaThis is a very thorough; well-researched description of the events surrounding the assassination of Lincoln and the brief period that John Wilkes Booth was on the run. Great detail of the 12 days of suspense. If you live in the area relatively close to DC; this book comes to life with the recent exhibits about the 150th anniversary of the Civil War events. My husband and I visited the Ford's Theater; Peterson House; and found listings for tours of the Mudd House and Surratt Tavern out in Maryland. History really comes to life with these events and locations. The exhibit in Ford's is amazing. You can see the gun used by Booth; the clothing Lincoln wore as he lay dying; the bed he lay in; the hoods worn by the conspirators as they were hanged; etc. even tassels from the catafalque that carried Lincoln's coffin to Springfield. Awesome history come to life with this book as a perfect guidebook.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Fun and informstive readBy TechyGiven the breadth and depth of details thst.have been gathered on this event in history; it can be hard to build a consistent and detailed focus (a point the author details). I found conclusions to be convincing and the detailed index of resources informative.I found the conclusions on motive and mentality in specific situation; I believe meant to drive the accounting as a story; the sometimes draw me out of the book. This; for me; was the only negative in the read.
