We often think of the Civil War as being primarily a battle between armies. But in reality, the navies on both sides played a significant role during the War. One of the main strategies for the North, articulated in the Anaconda Plan by General Winfield Scott, was to blockade the Southern ports on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, and to seize control of the Mississippi. The Union fought a number of battles to enforce this strategy, including Hatteras Inlet, Port Royal, New Orleans, Charleston Harbor, Vicksburg, Mobile Bay and Fort Fisher. The South, which could not keep up with the North in terms of industrial output of ships and guns, turned to the use of rams (ironclads) and commerce raiders. This strategy is represented in this book by the CSS Arkansas and her running through the Union fleet on the Mississippi in 1862, and with commerce raider CSS Alabama which had a breathtaking field of operation from 1862/64, until she met her end at the hands of the USS Kearsarge on June 19, 1864. The books includes 75+ illustrations.
