Gunfire Around the Gulf : The Last Major Naval Campaigns of the Civil War

by Jack D. Coombe

A study of the naval campaigns of the Civil War examines the last great naval battle of the American Civil War, the 1864 invasion of Mobile Bay, which signaled the final triumph of the Union blockade. Reprint. 17,500 first printing.

Genres: History, American Civil War, Civil War

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 1999

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers a lot of ground, just not a lot in depth. David Glasgow Farragut, perhaps the outstanding naval figure of the Civil War - warrants one paragraph of introduction. Farragut's flagship Hartford is described as "awesome" with no explanation of what made her stand apart as a warship.
The title is also a misnomer - the book describes campaigns from 1861-1864. There are some careless errors scattered about - readers may be impressed by crafty Confederate blockade runners using Wilmington, Delaware as a principal port.
The final chapter is a stream of consciousness narration of factors that shaped the conflict.
If you're looking for a brief introduction to naval conflict in the Gulf of Mexico during the Civil War, this book will give it to you, but not much more.

[Lawson Pace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just alright.

[Jim]

An overview history of the naval war in the Gulf of Mexico. This is a very readable book. In the beginning Union forces save Fort Pickens guarding Pensacola Harbor (but losing the navy yard and the other forts on the mainland) at the beginning of the Civil War. Later chapters cover the Confederates retaking Galveston, Confederate commerce raiders Florida and Sumter, the capture of New Orleans and concludes with the Battle of Mobile Bay.



After the capture of New Orleans, the author briefly follows Farragut upriver to Vicksburg but quickly returns to the Gulf. He covers the naval war on the Mississippi River in Thunder Along the Mississippi.



Like Gunfire Over the Atlantic, this book would have benefited from better editing to catch factual errors. For example, he says Capt. John Pope captured Island No. 10 on the Mississippi, when Pope was a Brigadier General at the time.



I recommend this trilogy for anyone wanting an overview of the naval Civil War.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but brief overview of Civil War naval actions in the Gulf; despite the subtitle, it actually covers the entire war. Nearly half of the book covers only two battles: Forts St. Philip and Jackson in 1862 and Mobile Bay in August 1864. While generally good, there were also several annoying lapses: there are only two maps in the book (a general area map of the western Gulf and another of Pensacola Bay), both in the pictures section. There are a few small mistakes scattered throughout, such as describing Wilmington, Delaware as a Confederate blockading port. The East Gulf Blockading Squadron is only briefly mentioned.