New book alert - 'Life in Jefferson Davis' Navy', due April 2019...

Bil R

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Mar 23, 2011
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Massachusetts
Hello Everyone,

The above title was listed in the new Spring 2019 Naval Institute Press catalog. It is written by Barbara Brooks Tomblin, who specializes in military history and received her doctorate from Rutgers University. Per the description ' 'Drawing upon diaries, letters, newspaper accounts, and published works, Tomblin offers a fresh look at the wartime experiences of the officers and men in the Confederate Navy, including those who served on gunboats, ironclads, and ships on western rivers and along the coast and at Mobile Bay, as well as those who sailed the high seas in the Confederate raiders Sumter, Alabama, Florida, and Shenandoah.' Hardcover, 6" x 9", 14 illustrations, 336 pp., $39.95 or $23.96 for USNI members

Over the years I have come to appreciate first hand accounts to not only describe well-known events, but lesser, surprising details not found elsewhere. I am looking forward to examining both the contents and bibliography to see if the author has discovered some previously unknown or unappreciated works. It should be interesting.

All the best,
Bil
 
She did great work on the topics of the Western Rivers fleet and black/'contraband' experience in the Union Navy, so this should be good. Thanks for the head's up!
 
Has anyone ever watched "The Curse of Civil War Gold" on the History Channel? Just curious, as I have never read about the capture of Jefferson Davis yet and was wondering how much of this show is real. Was he trying to escape with wagon loads of gold and silver? Trying to get to Texas then Mexico.
 
Has anyone ever watched "The Curse of Civil War Gold" on the History Channel? Just curious, as I have never read about the capture of Jefferson Davis yet and was wondering how much of this show is real. Was he trying to escape with wagon loads of gold and silver? Trying to get to Texas then Mexico.
No nothing like that. There are at least two well regarded biographies on Davis. I own " Jefferson Davis American by Cooper . I forgot his first name. Another one recently came out but I forgot it's title. Definitely should get one of those biographies. Davis is a very interesting and complex character live him or hate him.
Leftyhunter
 
As I understand it, the intent was to move the central holdings of the CS Treasury to wherever they were going to relocate the government after the fall of Richmond. There's a bit of detail about it in William Harwar Parker's memoirs; Parker was the head of the Confederate naval academy and he and his cadets were pressed into service to guard the treasury during part of the flight from Richmond.
 
hm. Drawing a blank here, but that might just be memory-retrieval failure!

A quick check on the-font-of-all-knowledge Wikipedia doesn't indicate any of Davis's sons serving in the war, on either side.
 
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