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

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As a home base to the only points of ingress for vital supplies, the area of the Gulf of Mexico, stretching from Florida to Texas, & including the garrisons at Pensacola, Galveston, New Orleans & Sabine City, was one of the most important regions, strategically, of the Civil War. In 1864, the savage seaborne assault over Mobile Bay, encompassing a flotilla of ironclad monitors & wooden warships, was the last major naval campaign of the Civil War, & one which accelerated the final defeat of the Confederacy. "Although the Navy contributed enormously to Union victory, books on the land war outnumber naval books by hundreds to one. Mr. Coombe's blood-and-thunder narrative helps redress the balance." --The Wall Street Journal. "Mr. Coombe makes fine use of those anecdotes & details that turn up in Civil War records ... & brings his own experience [as a Navy veteran] to bear." --The Atlantic Monthly "A detailed history of why the success of grand sea strategies assured ultimate victory for the Union cause in the Civil War.... This readable history, convincingly stresses the vital role of naval action in bringing an end to America's bloodiest war." --Kirkus Reviews. "Coombe's clear, often vivid narrative will please buffs & noninitiates alike." --Publishers Weekly.