James W. C. Pennington's slave narrative tells of his time and experiences before the Civil War; when he was a slave in the South; and of the problems; oppressions; and religious aspects of slavery.
#52449 in Books Ingramcontent 2016-11-01 2016-11-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.20 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 1476794189416 pagesIron Dawn The Monitor the Merrimack and the Civil War Sea Battle That Changed History
Review
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful. A Great Battle Gets a Great BookBy Carol PeckhamRichard Snow is not only able to translate historical events into compelling stories; but he also manages to describe transformative technologies with lively engaging clarity. He did it in his last book -- I Invented the Modern Age -- which followed Henry Ford's development of the Model T. And now he's done it again in Iron Dawn with his narration of the extraordinary invention and construction of iron ships leading to the epic Civil War battle between the Monitor and Merrimack. Snow somehow gets beneath the skin of his research to bring historical figures to life as if he were a present witness to the events; not some academic scratching passively away at facts until their original dynamism is lost. This amazing true story reads like a novel populated with cranky inventors; brilliant engineers; self-serving and self-sacrificing politicians; and extraordinarily courageous men on both sides of the North-South line; every one directing their intense energies toward a single confrontation that changed not only the course of the Civil War but all wars afterward. Snow even manages to make his iron-clad characters as compelling as the human ones: the tough little Monitor whose deceptively whacky appearance provokes ridicule among both his allies and enemies; and the terrifying jerry-rigged Merrimack who storms out like Darth Vader to wreak havoc on and demonstrate the death of once-invincible wooden fighting ships. And; best of all; it has an ending that makes you cry; but in a good way.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. This is a story that has been often told. ...By Alan E. NegrinThis is a story that has been often told. What is most astounding; from the standpoint of modern weapons systems design; is that two warships of radical new technology were each engineered; built and available for service within four months. It shows the pressure that the Civil War put on both North and South and how dramatically they responded. Today a similar effort would take five years.The author describes carefully and accurately the steps that led both sides to produce their designs; the personal commitment that builders and officials made to their concepts; and the matter-of-fact heroism that the crews manifested as the first battle between ironclads raged in Hampton Roads. Sadly; after their standoff; neither ship survived more than a few months.This is a comprehensive; well-researched book; not only on the technologists who designed and built the two ironclads; but on the naval secretaries and politicians and how their personalities drove the efforts of the technologists forward. The culmination of all their thoughts and efforts ended in a draw in the ironclads' fateful encounter; which somewhat deflates the story. It's certainly not the author's fault; you can't rewrite history.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book that provides great context on what led to this watershed moment of naval historyBy Brian HalmaVery well written.I had a sense for the importance of the duel between the Monitor and the Merrimack; and some sense for Ericsson's innovation; but this book does a great job providing a more full story. Snow provides greater understanding of key figures such as Welles; Mallory; Buchanan; Ericsson; John Worden. I had heard of the key role of Dahlgren in naval artillery and was familiar with the Brookes rifle; but this book explained the development of these weapons and how they reshaped naval warfare. There is a good explanation of the innovative features of the Monitor - but also the design challenges; flaws; and navy yard improvisation that almost led to her sinking. There is also a good explanation of the creation of the CSS Virginia (nee Merrimack) - it wasn't just as simple as placing armored plates on her.This book also provides insights into the burning (twice) of the Gosport Navy Yard; the ambiguity around the spelling of the Merrimack's name; and the reason why the Confederates ultimately scuttled the Merrimack.An all round excellent book that not only tells the tale of the Monitor v. Merrimack; but also ties together the key individuals and technological innovation that led to this watershed moment in naval history.
