Following the loss of the CSS Arkansas in early August 1862, Union and Confederate eyes turned to the Yazoo River, which formed the developing northern flank for the South's fortress at Vicksburg, Mis
Smith (Tusculum College) presents a military history of the CSS Arkansas, a Confederate ironclad ship launched in 1862 that fought in five naval engagements during the American Civil War and was final
Drawing on a vast amount of information gathered over time, Professor Smith focuses on the great western rivers during the Civil War period as internal communication arteries--particularly the Mississ
Once the Union Army gained control of the upper rivers of the Mississippi Valley during the first half of 1862, slow and heavy ironclads proved ineffective in patrolling the waters. Hastily outfitted
"A Scottish immigrant to Illinois, Joseph Brown made his pre-Civil War fortune as a miller and steamboat captain who dabbled in riverboat design and small-town politics. When war erupted, he used his
Among the many technological innovations in warfare during the 1861-65 American Civil War--which many call the first industrial war--perhaps most distinctive was the iron-clad warship. Smith chron
The USS Carondelet had a revolutionary ship design and was the most active of all the Union's Civil War river ironclads. From Fort Henry through the siege of Vicksburg and from the Red River campaign
"This is the first detailed history of Union warships in the western rivers of the Civil War. The author recounts the exploits of the Lexington, the Conestoga and the Tyler, three steamboats converted
