Duel Between First Ironclads (Davis) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Duel Between the First Ironclads" is probably the best book I have read about the historic clash between the CSS Virginia (Merrimac) and the USS Monitor. It relates the fascinating tale of the development and fight between the two great ironclads and their meeting on March 9, 1862.
William C. Davis is both a historian and a storyteller. He expertly weaves memoir and journal accounts from actual participants to reveal a human side to what many would consider 'dry' history. That Monitor and Virginia were the first Ironclads to meet in battle is notable. But it is the men who commanded those ships, fired their guns and worked their engines who were behind it all. Davis expertly captures that and brings it to life. It is this mesh of human drama and military might that makes this book so valuable.
Then there's the fact that it is simply well written, well paced and just entertaining. While this subject has been covered before in countless books on Civil War Naval history and military, none I have seen has gone into this much depth, both for the human side and the historical background.
I really enjoyed this one. I think it's written well enough that I could suggest this book to just about anyone who has an interest in military history, or just likes a good story.

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The Battle of the Ironclads (VA) (Civil War History Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been a Civil War Buff for over forty years and first read about the battle in a Random House Landmark book, as a kid. This book is the best I've read on the subject and one of the best Civil War books, I've read. (I'll have to check others in the same series.) The text is superb, very detailed, and the collection of period photographs, illustrations and maps is terrific and bring the event and participants to life. Despite the fact that both sides realized the importance of ironclads and built many of them (more by the indusrtial north, of course) this was the only battle of the Civil War in which ironclads opposed each other. It's also interesting to note that the C.S.S Virginia (known to the north as the Merrimack, the Union frigate whose hull was used by the Confederates) caused the biggest defeat and loss of life to the U.S Navy until Pearl Harbor. My only complaint is that the book does not credit the primary sources from which the information was obtained.

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Battle of the Ironclads brings to life the dramatic events which occurred in Hampton Roads on March 8 and 9, 1862. This first battle between armored vessels, often called the Monitor-Merrimack engagement, is perhaps the most significant naval event of the entire Civil War. This thrilling history is the first volume to offer a comprehensive pictorial interpretation of the men and ships that forever changed naval warfare. Over 150 images, including photographs, engravings, paintings, and sketches, have been gathered from museums, archives, and private collections to chronicle the exciting story of the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia (Merrimack). While Battle of the Ironclads is a visual history of the first battle between armored ships, it is also a saga of uncommon valor and leadership epitomized by Franklin Buchanan, George U. Morris, Samuel Dana Greene, and John Taylor Wood. The brilliant innovations of John Mercer Brooke and the farsighted inventions of John Ericsson made this showdown in Hampton Roads a death for wooden sailing ships. Battle of the Ironclads is indeed an epic tale that tells how steam-powered iron vessels not only influenced the Civil War, but more importantly, how the two ironclads echoed the dawn of modern navies.

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Duel of the Ironclads: USS Monitor and CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads 1862 (General Military) Review

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(More customer reviews)I thought this was a great read. Splendid illustrations, well written text. Qucik, easy, and enjoyable. I wanted to know more about the famous battle between the Monitor and Viginia, but didn't want to be bogged down with the text, and I wanted a well illustrated volume. I'm sure that this subject has been written on to no end, but I was more than pleased with this work.

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