The relatively unknown 'Cold War' of the American Civil War was a nevertheless crucial aspect of the survival; or not; of the United States in the mid 19th-century. Foreign intervention--explicitly in the form of British naval power--represented a far more serious threat to the success of the Union blockade; the safety of Yankee merchant shipping worldwide; and Union combined operations against the South than the Confederate States Navy. Whether or not the North or South would be 'clad in iron' thus depended on the ability of superior Union ironclads to deter the majority of mid-Victorian British leaders; otherwise tempted by their desire to see the American 'experiment' in democratic class-structures and popular government finally fail. Discussions of open European involvement in the Civil War were pointless as long as the coastline of the United States was virtually impregnable. The most famous warship of the American Civil War; the USS Monitor; was the front-line weapon in a grand strategic initiative established by the U.S. Government (the White House; Congress and the Navy Department) as a means of insuring the ultimate defeat of the Southern Confederacy through not only the blockade but isolation from possible foreign aid and intervention. Union ironclads were designed; approved and constructed for the specific purpose; first and last; of deterring and/or destroying the great broadside-ironclads being fashioned by European powers―especially Great Britain.As such; this work addresses many persistent misconceptions of what the monitors were for; and why they failed in other roles associated with naval operations of the Civil War (such as the repulse at Charleston; 7 April; 1863). Monitors were ironclad―not fort―killers. Their ultimate success is to be measured not in terms of spearheading attacks on fortified Southern ports; but in the quieter; much more profound; strategic deterrence of Lord Palmerston’s ministry in London; and the British Royal Navy.Combining extensive archival research on both sides of the Atlantic; this work offers an in-depth look at how the Union Navy achieved its greatest grand-strategic victory in the American Civil War. Through a combination of high-tech 'machines' armed with 'monster' guns; intensive coastal fortifications and a new fleet of high-speed Union commerce raiders; the North was able to turn the humiliation of the Trent Affair of late 1861 into a sobering challenge to British naval power and imperial defense worldwide.
#151224 in Books New York Review of Books 2005-03-10 2005-06-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.02 x 1.07 x 5.03l; 1.18 #File Name: 1590171462536 pagesNew York Review of Books
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. EngagingBy Dan DolataA year or two ago I became interested in the 30 years war because of an offhand remark by a friend after I described my ancestry - "Your DNA could restage the 30 years way all by itself". I'm not a professional historian - I'm just a techno-geek who wants to read about my distant ancestors.This is the third book on this topic that I purchased; and the first one that I can sit down and read like a novel. The narrative is clear; engaging; and fun. It explains the background and prelude clearly; and makes each step quite accessible to me. It isn't achieving this by sacrificing detail or source - somehow the author just managed to hit exactly the right level for my needs and abilities.If I had bought this book first I wouldn't have felt the need to buy the other two books.Having praised the book let me say there are a few small problems. For example; the map of Central Europe in 1618 is not quite "pathetic"; but it is woefully inadequate for the book. Many times a certain territory is mentioned and is not marked on the map. Cities can be impossible to find (not helped by the fact that the soft cover binding made a good 10% of the map unusable). As the war progresses the map of 1618 becomes less and less appropriate for discussion of the geo politics of (for example) 1640. If I were the editor of this book I would have put in lots and lots of maps. A few genealogical trees would have helped; too...1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Engaging and InformativeBy FTSA truly engaging and informative history of a very depressing time. As an overview; it's detailed enough to be informative; yet not to the point of covering every minute detail. Wedgwood is indeed a first-class scholar and writer.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Good history; good readBy MagsThis reads like a novel; and is clear and easy to follow in spite of considerable detail. Very nice breakdown and analysis of factions; objectives; conflicts of interest; main factors and motivations. I wish my Western Civ books in college had been this good. Great coverage of this key event.
