Confederate Blockade Runner 1861–65

Osprey New Vanguard #92

by Angus Konstam, Tony Bryan (Illustrator)

The lifeblood of the Confederacy, the blockade runners of the Civil War usually began life as regular fast steam-powered merchant ships. They were adapted for the high-speed dashes through the Union blockade which closed off all the major Southern ports, and for much of the war they brought much-needed food, clothing and weaponry to the Confederacy.
This book traces their operational history, including the development of purpose-built blockade running ships, and examines their engines, crews and tactics. It describes their wartime exploits, demonstrating their operational and mechanical performance, whilst examining what life was like on these vessels through accounts of conditions on board when they sailed into action.

Genres: American Civil War

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 22, 2004

About the author

Angus Konstam is a Scottish writer of popular history. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised on the Orkney Islands, he has written more than a hundred books on maritime history, naval history, historical atlases, with a special focus on the history of piracy.

Reviews

[Sarah Bierle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great introduction to Confederate blockade runners. I especially liked the details (and the fine cut-away illustration) of these steam powered ships; it helped me break once and for my idea that most blockade runners were sail powered. They were steam-powered and that's an amazing topic!