ePub The Capture of New Orleans; 1862 by Chester G. Hearn in History

Description

Soon after the start of the Civil War; during the naval buildup on the central Mississippi River; celebrated civil engineer Charles Ellet; Jr.; formed the Ram Fleet under U.S. secretary of war Edwin M. Stanton. Perhaps the most bizarre unit organized by the Union; the rams were shunned by both the army and navy as superfluous instruments of war. However; on June 6; 1862; they proved their worth by defeating the Confederate River Defense Fleet ironclads at Memphis while the U.S. Navy simply watched. In this lively study; Chester G. Hearn details the formation and wartime exploits of Ellet's fleet; reviving the history of this fascinating but forgotten brigade.