Roswell Lamson was one of the boldest and most skillful young officers in the Union navy. Second in the class of 1862 at Annapolis (he took his final exam while at sea during the war); he commanded more ships and flotillas than any other officer of his age or rank in the service; climaxed by his captaincy of the navy's fastest ship in 1864; USS Gettysburg. Now; in Lamson of the Gettysburg; we have the war-time letters of this striking naval figure. What's more; these are letters of exceptional quality. James M. McPherson; co-editor of the collection with his wife Patricia and one of America's preeminent Civil War historians; writes that "few sets of letters equal and none surpass those of Lamson for richness of description; scope of coverage; or keenness of perception and analysis." Indeed; the McPhersons term Lamson's correspondence "the best Civil War navy letters we have ever read or expect to read." Throughout the war; Lamson always seemed to be where the action was on the South Atlantic coast; and these letters describe with striking immediacy the part he played in these events. While serving on the USS Wabash; for instance; he directed the big deck guns that did the most damage to enemy forts at Hatteras Inlet and Port Royal; two major naval victories. He was the officer who took command of the CSS Planter in May 1862; when slaves led by Robert Smalls ran her past Confederate fortifications in Charleston harbor and delivered her to the Union fleet. He commanded a gunboat fleet on the Nansemond River that helped stop James Longstreet's advance on Norfolk. In a daring attempt to blow up Fort Fisher; the huge earthwork fortress that guarded the entrance into the Cape Fear river; he towed the USS Louisiana (packed with more than two hundred tons of gunpowder) directly under the guns of the fort; sneaking into the shallows behind a rebel blockade runner; (Lamson describes "a terrific explosion. An immense column of flame rose towards the sky; and four distinct reports like that of sharp heavy thunder were heard and a dense mass of smoke enveloped everything"). And a few weeks later; he led a contingent of seventy men from the Gettysburg as part of the January 15; 1865 assault on the sea-face parapets of Fort Fisher; where he himself was wounded and his close friend; Samuel W. Preston; died. The letters also capture the spirited personality of Lamson himself; resolved to "stand by the Union as long as there is a plank afloat;" but also deeply ambivalent about the war. In a moving passage early in the collection; he describes leaving Annapolis for war duty on the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides): "We gave three cheers for Capt R.; three for the troops; and for old friendship's sake three for those of our number who intending to resign [to join the Confederacy] were requested not to go on board. Some of my best friends were among them. This will be a sad sad war. It will be more painful to strike than to be struck." The publication of the letters of Roswell Lamson marks a major addition to Civil War literature. Featuring superb introductions to each section as well as informative notes that explain references in the correspondence to people; ships; land and sea battles; or homefront news; Lamson of The Gettysburg now joins the first rank of Civil War sources. One of the few accounts we have from the perspective of a navy officer; it is a book that everyone interested in the Civil War or in American naval history will want to read.
#2609809 in Books 1996-05-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.52 x 1.40 x 6.50l; #File Name: 0195095367496 pages
Review
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. The Black and White of ItBy Tigua A. NaghelProf. Stevenson's book does not attempt to capture the essence of the entire American south or of the entire history of American slavery. Instead; she attempts a historical reproduction of the lives of American Black women and American white women; two collective voices which are all too often forgotten in the sexualized debate over race relations and slavery. Rather than seeing that debate as a battle between Black men and White men Stevenson's work is meant to compliment the works of earlier researchers; notably Blassingame; Genovese; Herskovitz; and Jones to provide a complete and concerted picture of slave life for all involved: black and white; male and female. By providing the evidence of primary sources she lets the dead speak for themselves about their conditions rather than creating academic hyperbole in an Ivory (or Ebony) Tower. Any dismissive criticisms of political correctness or sanitized objectivity directed against this amazing accomplishment miss the point entirely. Stevenson is being academically precise; intellectually faithful; and ethically professional in detailing these stories that would have otherwise been smeared in the miasma of American history. In distinguishing heterosexual relationships from homosexual; which are increasingly coming to light as more and more evidence of the truth of slavery is exposed; her book signals a change in historical materials that seek to be more comprehensive in examing past lives. Her book is a necessary element in the ongoing narrative of American history.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good comparison of colonial life for slaves and slave owners.By btrimbleDeals with life in one affluent Virginia county. Good read for anyone wanting information on the hardships of slavery in the south and for insights on life for women in the south in the 19th century.14 of 30 people found the following review helpful. A platitudinous social historyBy A CustomerI began reading this novel hoping to gain new insights into social life in the American South. Instead; I discovered a moderately interesting social analysis of the South that focuses a bit much on the psychological aspects of southern life without telling me why they were unique to the time period. For instance; Stevenson devotes an entire chapter to the challenges of marriage and the conflict between financial success and the marital bond. She doesn't always say what makes this problem unique to the South. I also noticed a creeping political correctness in her writing (e.g. "heterosexual" marriages among slaves) that she doesn't justify with historical evidence. This book served as a reminder of inequality; but maybe used too modern a standard to criticize a not-so-modern society.
