During the American Civil War; British-crewed warships harassed Union merchantmen; sinking a total value of over $15;000;000 in ships and cargo. Considered pirates by the federal government; these ships and crew were at the center of a largely unknown but fascinating struggle between Commander James Dunwoody of the Confederate Navy; U.S. Ambassador Charles Francis Adams; and Consul Thomas H. Dudley. This history of British assistance to the Confederate Navy covers that story in full and provides a close look at the British seamen who manned warships and blockade runners.
#1763026 in Books 2007-01-18 2007-01-18Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .75 x 5.75l; .73 #File Name: 0786427663264 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The Man Who Made the MonitorBy JoelThis author has an appreciation for one of the great engineers of all time. He starts with his childhood and young years in Sweden and helps us understand what made him the way he was. He then transitions to England where Ericsson tried to demonstrate a steam engine he had built but failed due to the coal in England being different than that of Sweden. Next he discusses his entry in the Rainhill train race and almost winning the title of Father of the Locomotive. The book moves chronologically through the rest of his life discussing the accomplishments. The author has pulled from the standard sources e.g. Church's Life of John Ericsson; to sources in Sweden. He emphasizes the incredible achievements (the Monitor) and failures (Caloric engine) that Ericsson had. New to me was Ericsson's forcast of the future and running out of coal and his development in solar energy. Ericsson was way ahead of his time. I have read several books on Ericsson and this one does an excellent job and it is about 1/5 as longs Church's rare two volume set. I only wish the book could have explored how Ericsson came to have such unique perspectives; creative thinking and brilliant mechanical sense. Excellent Bibliography.
