Confederate Mobile

A description of the vital role in the Civil War played by Mobile, AL, a Gulf Coast city that was the "back door" into the Confederacy. Mobile was a major port, railroad center, & Confederate stronghold, & its defense was of utmost importance to the Confederate gov't. The author examines the many aspects of the war in Confederate Mobile from secession in 1861 until the surrender in 1865. In explaining how Southern forces attempted to defend the city, he discusses the roles of commanding generals, the creation of a Confederate navy, blockade running, the erection of fortifications, & military campaigns.

A description of the vital role in the Civil War played by Mobile, AL, a Gulf Coast city that was the 3back door2 into the Confederacy. Mobile was a major port, railroad center, and Confederate stronghold, and its defense was of utmost importance to the Confederate gov1t. The author examines the many aspects of the war in Confederate Mobile from secession in 1861 until the surrender in 1865. In explaining how Southern forces attempted to defend the city, he discusses the roles of commanding generals, the creation of a Confederate navy, blockade running, the erection of fortifications, and military campaigns. Extensive bibliography.

"This work is a collection of works by Southern naval participants. The narratives traverse the field from the fond and not-so-fond memories to the carefully worded reports of an officer claiming a victory or the loss of a ship. The writings lend information as one tries to understand what personnel faced during this time in history"--Provided by publisher.

In The Pride of the Confederate Artillery, Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes, Jr., illustrates the significance of the unit and, for the first time, positions this pivotal group in its rightful place in history. The Fifth Company, Washington Artillery of New Orleans, fought with the Army of Tennessee from Shiloh to Chickamauga, from Perryville to Mobile, and from Atlanta to Jackson, Mississippi. Slocomb's Battery, as it was also known, won repeated praise from every commander of that army. Although it sustained high losses, the company was recognized for its bold, tenacious fighting and was considered the Army of Tennessee's finest close-combat battery. The Pride of the Confederate Artillery is the compelling story of four hundred men, their organization and service, their victories and defeats in over forty battles.

Facing an insurmountable deficit in resources compared to the Union navy, the Confederacy resorted to unorthodox forms of warfare to combat enemy forces. Perhaps the most energetic and effective torpedo corps and secret service company organized during the American Civil War, the Singer Secret Service Corps, led by Texan inventor and entrepreneur Edgar Collins Singer, developed and deployed submarines, underwater weaponry, and explosive devices. The group’s main government-financed activity, which eventually led to other destructive inventions such as the Hunley submarine and behind-enemy-line railroad sabotage, was the manufacture and deployment of an underwater contact mine. During the two years the Singer group operated, several Union gunboats, troop transports, supply trains, and even the famous ironclad monitor Tecumseh fell prey to its inventions. In Confederate Saboteurs: Building the Hunley and Other Secret Weapons of the Civil War, submarine expert and nautical historian Mark K. Ragan presents the untold story of the Singer corps. Poring through previously unpublished archival documents, Ragan also examines the complex personalities and relationships behind the Confederacy’s use of torpedoes and submarines.