Union Jacks: Yankee Sailors in the Civil War

Civil War America

by Michael J. Bennett

Historians have given a great deal of attention to the lives and experiences of Civil War soldiers, but surprisingly little is known about navy sailors who participated in the conflict. Michael J. Bennett remedies the longstanding neglect of Civil War seamen in this comprehensive assessment of the experience of common Union sailors from 1861 to 1865.To resurrect the voices of the "Union Jacks," Bennett combed sailors' diaries, letters, and journals. He finds that the sailors differed from their counterparts in the army in many ways. They tended to be a rougher bunch of men than the regular soldiers, drinking and fighting excessively. Those who were not foreign-born, escaped slaves, or unemployed at the time they enlisted often hailed from the urban working class rather than from rural farms and towns. In addition, most sailors enlisted for pragmatic rather than ideological reasons.Bennett's examination provides a look into the everyday lives of sailors and illuminates where they came from, why they enlisted, and how their origins shaped their service. By showing how these Union sailors lived and fought on the sea, Bennett brings an important new perspective to our understanding of the Civil War.

Genres: Civil War, History, War, American Civil War

337 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2004

Reviews

[Brandon Benner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I positively loved this book. Although I mainly read it for my job - I work as a museum educator on the USS Constellation (1854) - I found myself personally engrossed in the story Bennett weaves of the average life of ol' Jack Tar. This study becomes something of a historical demography, because - as Bennett asserts - sailors in the Union Navy really were something of a breed apart. Sadly, theirs is a story that is seldom told, but Bennett has scoured across the country to bring their personal accounts to light. This was more than just a study of a fighting force; it was a study of a way of life.

[Mark Luongo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of my "U.S.S. Constellation" orientation. Focuses on sailor culture, monotony, isolation, relations with "contraband" sailors, religion and the impact of naval combat. The reader comes away with some idea of what it was like on Blockade duty and service in the Mississippi Squadron, little prize money and dealing with guerrillas harassing crews.

[William Bryant Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Union Jacks

One of the few books to tell about the Navy's role in the Civil War and the sailors. Jacktar is an old reference to a sailor. The book was very factual but I got feeling that the author, from a Southern State, may have been biased.

[David Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly differs from most other civil war naval reads. No sugar coating here. The part cotton and prize money played in the Western Squadron was an eye opener!!