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West Wind
One of history's greatest naval engagements and the Civil War's bloodiest is examined for both its political ramifications and influence on naval tactics and ship design.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 23, 2024
“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” If there’s one thing anyone knows about the Battle of Mobile Bay, it’s that quote. And as with so many legendary quotes that seem too good to be true, this one is as well. In this book, it’s only referenced twice, in the prologue and epilogue - in between, I kept waiting for the climactic moment in the narrative when it was supposedly uttered, if only to find out what was actually said and how the dramatic occasion gave birth to the misremembered quote we know today. But Friend lets the moment pass without even mentioning the “apothegm,” as he puts it, which is a win for historical accuracy I suppose, but something of a missed opportunity in accentuating what’s best known about the battle, and setting the record straight about its most lasting legacy.
That’s not to suggest I think he should have overemphasized this apocryphal quote, because the battle itself is dramatic enough, and Friend’s telling of it is as well. Early chapters detail the several false starts, as Adm. David Farragut had angled to take Mobile for a long time, but only got the chance once Gen. Grant took command of the war effort and the goal fit into his broader strategy - Grant would fight Lee in Virginia, Sherman would move on Atlanta, and Farragut would secure Mobile as a supply depot and backup base for Sherman.
Friend is good at continually placing the battle to come in this broader context, with frequent reminders of what was happening in Virginia and Georgia at the time. Because of Union setbacks there, the Battle of Mobile Bay itself was delayed more than once, as forces were diverted to reinforce the efforts on those two other fronts.
The drawback of this broader approach is that Friend can often hyperbolically overemphasize the importance of Mobile as a crucial battle that saved Lincoln’s presidency and changed the course of the war. The overall three-pronged strategy came just before the 1864 election when things weren’t looking good for the Union or Lincoln, but a victory at Mobile alone wasn’t going to ensure Lincoln’s re-election. The very fact that the battle kept getting delayed in order to help prop up the efforts in Virginia and Atlanta speaks to the primacy of those other battlefronts. Friend is even forced to hedge at the end, acknowledging that it was the capture of Atlanta, “together with Farragut’s success at Mobile (that) assured Lincoln’s reelection” - not the success at Mobile alone.
But Friend didn’t really need to overemphasize the battle’s importance in this way, because his telling of how the battle played out is compelling in its own right. As a native of the area, Friend paints vivid pictures of the geography, while frequent maps make it easy to follow the action, and the discussion and illustrations of the minefield provide the necessary context of Farragut’s “full speed ahead” command even without the quote.
There’s a lot of unexplained naval terminology that I’m not familiar with, so descriptions of ships’ “poppet valves” and “hatches and scuttles” and “berth and orlop decks” often went over my head. But it wasn’t enough to detract from the drama of the battle itself.
In the end, the battle did not divert Confederate forces from Atlanta, as the Union had hoped. And Farragut managed to take control of Mobile Bay but not the city itself. That would have to wait until later in the war - much later. So the battle was important, just not quite as pivotal as Friend seeks to make it. Stripped of some of this false drama, but with a bit of additional “damn the torpedoes” drama in its place, this very good and very readable battle narrative that’s pretty darned close to a definitive history, could have gotten the recipe just right.
That’s not to suggest I think he should have overemphasized this apocryphal quote, because the battle itself is dramatic enough, and Friend’s telling of it is as well. Early chapters detail the several false starts, as Adm. David Farragut had angled to take Mobile for a long time, but only got the chance once Gen. Grant took command of the war effort and the goal fit into his broader strategy - Grant would fight Lee in Virginia, Sherman would move on Atlanta, and Farragut would secure Mobile as a supply depot and backup base for Sherman.
Friend is good at continually placing the battle to come in this broader context, with frequent reminders of what was happening in Virginia and Georgia at the time. Because of Union setbacks there, the Battle of Mobile Bay itself was delayed more than once, as forces were diverted to reinforce the efforts on those two other fronts.
The drawback of this broader approach is that Friend can often hyperbolically overemphasize the importance of Mobile as a crucial battle that saved Lincoln’s presidency and changed the course of the war. The overall three-pronged strategy came just before the 1864 election when things weren’t looking good for the Union or Lincoln, but a victory at Mobile alone wasn’t going to ensure Lincoln’s re-election. The very fact that the battle kept getting delayed in order to help prop up the efforts in Virginia and Atlanta speaks to the primacy of those other battlefronts. Friend is even forced to hedge at the end, acknowledging that it was the capture of Atlanta, “together with Farragut’s success at Mobile (that) assured Lincoln’s reelection” - not the success at Mobile alone.
But Friend didn’t really need to overemphasize the battle’s importance in this way, because his telling of how the battle played out is compelling in its own right. As a native of the area, Friend paints vivid pictures of the geography, while frequent maps make it easy to follow the action, and the discussion and illustrations of the minefield provide the necessary context of Farragut’s “full speed ahead” command even without the quote.
There’s a lot of unexplained naval terminology that I’m not familiar with, so descriptions of ships’ “poppet valves” and “hatches and scuttles” and “berth and orlop decks” often went over my head. But it wasn’t enough to detract from the drama of the battle itself.
In the end, the battle did not divert Confederate forces from Atlanta, as the Union had hoped. And Farragut managed to take control of Mobile Bay but not the city itself. That would have to wait until later in the war - much later. So the battle was important, just not quite as pivotal as Friend seeks to make it. Stripped of some of this false drama, but with a bit of additional “damn the torpedoes” drama in its place, this very good and very readable battle narrative that’s pretty darned close to a definitive history, could have gotten the recipe just right.
February 16, 2017
An engaging history of the Mobile Bay campaign, mostly from the naval perspective.
The narrative deals with all of the necessary political context, which slows down the narrative but is certainly necessary in order to understand the campaign’s history. The rendition of the battle is rich and vivid, although infantry and artillery operations are not covered as thoroughly. The maps are helpful and Friend’s research is thorough.
However, Friend often asserts that the victory at Mobile contributed much to Lincoln’s re-election and the Union’s ultimate victory. These points are underdeveloped, and it doesn’t really seem like Mobile Bay was as important as Atlanta in securing Lincoln’s re-election.
Still, a clearly written history.
The narrative deals with all of the necessary political context, which slows down the narrative but is certainly necessary in order to understand the campaign’s history. The rendition of the battle is rich and vivid, although infantry and artillery operations are not covered as thoroughly. The maps are helpful and Friend’s research is thorough.
However, Friend often asserts that the victory at Mobile contributed much to Lincoln’s re-election and the Union’s ultimate victory. These points are underdeveloped, and it doesn’t really seem like Mobile Bay was as important as Atlanta in securing Lincoln’s re-election.
Still, a clearly written history.
September 23, 2024
Mobile Bay is one of the few notable campaigns of the American Civil War I have not read a dedicated book about before so I finally picked up this well-regarded work.
West Wind, Flood Tide covers not only the titular battle, but pretty much all of 1864 leading up to it. Farragut was eager to make the attack, but needed army support to compel the forts to surrender and, after the ironclad CSS Tennessee was ready, had to have ironclads (monitors) of his own to counter it. This book puts the Mobile operation into context of the larger war and the reasons for the delays. Meanwhile, the tension mounts as both sides prepare for an attack they know is coming, but not when. While I liked not rushing to the battle, I do think some of the buildup gets repetitive and it probably could have been trimmed down little.
The battle finally gets underway past the halfway point of the book. It's covered well, especially the proverbial barroom brawl with CSS Tennessee. The thought of a 15" cannon blasting anything at less than half the length of a football field is, pardon the pun, mindblowing.
The book wraps up with the surrender of the three Confederate forts, although the two-week siege of Fort Morgan is covered in just over a page. Given the amount of detail for the buildup to the battle I think that should have been covered at greater length. It also doesn't get a map. The brief siege of Fort Gaines gets more coverage.
There is a good series of track charts for the battle. The topography of Mobile Bay - a key factor in the operations - is clearly shown. There are also photos and the extensive endnotes and bibliography you would expect of the Naval Institute Press.
The writing is good, and I especially liked the short, sharp chapters.
A must-read for Civil War buffs.
West Wind, Flood Tide covers not only the titular battle, but pretty much all of 1864 leading up to it. Farragut was eager to make the attack, but needed army support to compel the forts to surrender and, after the ironclad CSS Tennessee was ready, had to have ironclads (monitors) of his own to counter it. This book puts the Mobile operation into context of the larger war and the reasons for the delays. Meanwhile, the tension mounts as both sides prepare for an attack they know is coming, but not when. While I liked not rushing to the battle, I do think some of the buildup gets repetitive and it probably could have been trimmed down little.
The battle finally gets underway past the halfway point of the book. It's covered well, especially the proverbial barroom brawl with CSS Tennessee. The thought of a 15" cannon blasting anything at less than half the length of a football field is, pardon the pun, mindblowing.
The book wraps up with the surrender of the three Confederate forts, although the two-week siege of Fort Morgan is covered in just over a page. Given the amount of detail for the buildup to the battle I think that should have been covered at greater length. It also doesn't get a map. The brief siege of Fort Gaines gets more coverage.
There is a good series of track charts for the battle. The topography of Mobile Bay - a key factor in the operations - is clearly shown. There are also photos and the extensive endnotes and bibliography you would expect of the Naval Institute Press.
The writing is good, and I especially liked the short, sharp chapters.
A must-read for Civil War buffs.
August 6, 2014
This is THE book to read on the Battle of Mobile Bay. It's thoroughly researched, well-written, and even gripping; when Admiral Farragut gave the order to proceed into the bay, I was almost on the edge of my seat, even though I already knew the outcome in detail.
Two relatively minor things keep this from being a five-star book. First, there's some repetition of statements in different chapters, giving the book something of a "collection of essays" feel that detracts a bit from the flow. There is also a constant repetition of the theme that, absent a victory at Mobile Bay and Atlanta in late summer 1864, that Lincoln would have lost the 1864 election and that the North would have then agreed to a negotiated peace. While this may have been an assumption (and a strategy) on the part of the Confederacy, I think it's highly debatable that it was anything like the foregone conclusion represented.
That said, Jack Friend obviously brought a lot to the table on this one, including a thorough knowledge of the locality, a deep background of the operations, and loads of primary sources with good annotations. This is a must-read on the principal naval battle of the Civil War.
Two relatively minor things keep this from being a five-star book. First, there's some repetition of statements in different chapters, giving the book something of a "collection of essays" feel that detracts a bit from the flow. There is also a constant repetition of the theme that, absent a victory at Mobile Bay and Atlanta in late summer 1864, that Lincoln would have lost the 1864 election and that the North would have then agreed to a negotiated peace. While this may have been an assumption (and a strategy) on the part of the Confederacy, I think it's highly debatable that it was anything like the foregone conclusion represented.
That said, Jack Friend obviously brought a lot to the table on this one, including a thorough knowledge of the locality, a deep background of the operations, and loads of primary sources with good annotations. This is a must-read on the principal naval battle of the Civil War.
July 31, 2022
I had a hard time getting through the first 150 pages, as it was somewhat tedious in detailing the build up to the battle. Obviously the background is important, but I felt it could have been covered in a more concise way. Similarly, the book would have benefitted from better editing in these chapters, as assertions about the place of Mobile in the overall context of the war and specific phrases (“assess the situation”) are repeated again… and again.
The strength of the book is detailing how the actual battle itself unfolded. That segment was very informative and interesting; a reader comes away with a good understanding of how the battle unfolded. Good maps aid the text, although a few are misplaced in that they receive events that occurred previously in the narrative. I wish the author would have spent as much of the book on the actual battle and the subsequent events at Fort Gaines and Morgan once the Union ships breached the bay as he did on the build up.
Recommended though to gain a better understanding of the Mobile Bay events.
The strength of the book is detailing how the actual battle itself unfolded. That segment was very informative and interesting; a reader comes away with a good understanding of how the battle unfolded. Good maps aid the text, although a few are misplaced in that they receive events that occurred previously in the narrative. I wish the author would have spent as much of the book on the actual battle and the subsequent events at Fort Gaines and Morgan once the Union ships breached the bay as he did on the build up.
Recommended though to gain a better understanding of the Mobile Bay events.
February 8, 2021
I bought this book in the gift shop during a visit to historic Fort Gaines, one of the forts involved in the Battle of Mobile Bay. I wish I had read this excellent book prior to my visit as I would have had a much greater appreciation for the scope of the battle. The book is well written and provides a balanced look at the preparations for and conduct of the battle on the part of both the Confederacy and and the Union.
January 1, 2022
I’ve been to Mobile Bay a few times, as well as to both Forts. This book is a great read to really help you visualize and understand what transpired. Fast read that was really engaging.
Damn the Torpedos!
Damn the Torpedos!
June 8, 2017
Probably the definitive account of the Battle of Mobile Bay.
May 18, 2022
An excellent work on this battle, the largest naval battle of the Civil War. Gives a great depiction of the naval battle with great maps of the development of the battle.
January 10, 2023
Very well written but I struggled sometimes with naval terminology. The author did a great job not being biased, showing both sides of the story and battle.
September 18, 2019
Excellent book.
"Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. "
"Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. "
May 5, 2016
A pretty light read considering all the history and sources. The author did a good job of compiling. He really sets the stakes for the battle well, then executes. I wish it came on audiobook.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews