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| Lincoln and His Admirals | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 5 reviews)
Sales Rank: 36688
Category: Book
Author: Craig L. Symonds
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Studio: Oxford University Press, USA
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Label: Oxford University Press, USA
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.5
ISBN: 0195310225
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.7092
EAN: 9780195310221
ASIN: 0195310225
Publication Date: October 17, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Abraham Lincoln began his presidency admitting that he knew "little about ships," but he quickly came to preside over the largest national armada to that time, not eclipsed until World War I. Written by prize-winning historian Craig L. Symonds, Lincoln and His Admirals unveils an aspect of Lincoln's presidency unexamined by historians until now, revealing how he managed the men who ran the naval side of the Civil War, and how the activities of the Union Navy ultimately affected the course of history.
Beginning with a gripping account of the attempt to re-supply Fort Sumter--a comedy of errors that shows all too clearly the fledgling president's inexperience--Symonds traces Lincoln's steady growth as a wartime commander-in-chief. Absent a Secretary of Defense, he would eventually become de facto commander of joint operations along the coast and on the rivers. That involved dealing with the men who ran the Navy: the loyal but often cranky Navy Secretary Gideon Welles, the quiet and reliable David G. Farragut, the flamboyant and unpredictable Charles Wilkes, the ambitious ordnance expert John Dahlgren, the well-connected Samuel Phillips Lee, and the self-promoting and gregarious David Dixon Porter. Lincoln was remarkably patient; he often postponed critical decisions until the momentum of events made the consequences of those decisions evident. But Symonds also shows that Lincoln could act decisively. Disappointed by the lethargy of his senior naval officers on the scene, he stepped in and personally directed an amphibious assault on the Virginia coast, a successful operation that led to the capture of Norfolk. The man who knew "little about ships" had transformed himself into one of the greatest naval strategists of his age.
A unique and riveting portrait of Lincoln and the admirals under his command, this book offers an illuminating account of Lincoln and the nation at war. In the bicentennial year of Lincoln's birth, it offers a memorable portrait of a side of his presidency often overlooked by historians.
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| Customer Reviews:
Aquamen December 14, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is impressive for a number of reasons. First, it is an academic work that is highly readable and will be of equal interest to readers be they scholars or general history fans. Think, James McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom," on the water.
More importantly, Craig L. Symonds manages to say something new about Abraham Lincoln, which is darn impressive. This book examines the President's role as commander-in-chief to the U.S. Navy. Lincoln's relationship with the navy has been largely ignored over the past century and a half, and it is easy to understand why. The major battles between North and South were fought on land and those engagements determined the fate of the nation. Symonds shows us, though, that Union naval dominance influenced the course of the conflict. At Fort Sumter Lincoln was initially unsure of how to use his naval power. As the war continued, he directed that the Army and Navy work together in what are now called "joint operations." This coordination became important in the capture of New Orleans and Vicksburg.
Symonds did not write an operational history of the naval war, but these actions bled into areas other than the military. The blockade of the southern coastline raised important questions involving matters of trade and diplomacy. These issues often involved disputes between Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles and Secretary of State William H. Seward, which Lincoln had to adjudicate. It is a testimony to Symonds' skills as a historian that he develops both sides of the issue and presents Wells and Seward as understandably human characters.
Lincoln faced many of the same issues with the admirals that he faced with the generals. While there were no naval equivalents of political generals--influential figures who got commissions in the army because of their political connections rather than their military competence--he still had to work with ambitious officers who wanted promotions, fame, and glory. He also had to deal with a number of less than aggressive officers who had grown sluggish with the slow pace of life in the antebellum navy. The only difference between the army and the navy was the degree rather than the nature of the problems Lincoln faced.
This book raises a number of questions about how a naval power can use that dominance to influence the course of events on the land. It also shows a new side of Lincoln; a man growing into his office. It is a wonderful read, and is highly, highly recommended.
Lincoln's Mastery of the War at Sea November 19, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
In the deluge of new books about the sixteenth president appearing in anticipation of the bicentennial of his birth, Lincoln and His Admirals stands apart. It begins to fill the void resulting from the frequent neglect of the naval aspects of the Civil War. For this reason alone, the book is worthwhile.
The book, however, is more than merely worthwhile. It is a comprehensive account of the events and personalities involved in this crucial phase of the Civil War that is told in a fine narrative style. Symonds provides a compelling story of how Lincoln's initial reluctance to command was replaced by an increasing confidence that led to his personal role in many great and small details of naval administration. This "sea change" was the product of Lincoln's perceptive intelligence and his relentless determination to preserve the Union.
Symonds includes informative portraits of many naval officers now almost lost to history and judiciously tallies their strengths and weakness. It did seem odd to me that he has comparatively little to say about Farragut or his torpedo-damning ascent of Mobile Bay. I was also surprised by the omission of the duel between Alabama and Kearsarge -- only the outcome is reported. Perhaps the author concluded that these events are already well-known. My only other criticism is that the first portion of the book would have been improved by relating the less familiar events afloat to those ashore that are much more widely known. At one point, I thought a timeline would have been helpful, but later, the author links the war at sea with the land war very well.
Finally, I have to say that this very good book has a very good dust jacket. In the foreground is a vivid image of the encounter between Monitor and Merrimack (or Virginia), but looming above it is the ghostly face of Abraham Lincoln. It is a perceptive introduction to this highly recommended book.
One of the best books of 2008 November 12, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
If this book is not a finalist for a major award in Lincoln and Civil War history, we will have a gross injustice. This intelligent, interesting, readable book is one of the most original informative Civil War histories I have read this year. The author is retired from the U.S. Naval Academy after 30 years of teaching. During that time, he won both the Naval Academy's "Excellence in Teaching" award (1988) and its "Excellence in Research" award (1998). This shows in his ability to construct a sentence that contains a lot of information without boring or losing the reader.
His portraits of the players are excellent. We never lose sight of the fact that they have not read the history book and do not know what is happening. Each crisis has the feel of current events unfolding as we read. Lincoln's management style is fully developed and we understand what a masterful politician he is. The fighting between the departments of State, War and Navy are fully developed and completely understandable. While the book is written from the Navy's perspective, the author never takes sides and faithfully reports the whole story.
Most Civil War history ignores the Nay's role. This book gives us a detailed history of naval operations and the development of combined Army Navy actions. Lincoln never had a quite day as President. He had just sat down when the problem of supplies at Fort Sumter dropped on him. The author provides a detailed account of the decision-making and the problems associated with that action. His account of the Trent Affair could be one of the best accounts in existence. The same can be said of his Red River Campaign and his discussion of the impact of cotton on the war.
This is not a book of blazing guns! It is a book of politics, technology and personalities interacting during war. Ambition, personal preferences and personality quirks make up the story. This is not a view of the war we often see but it is a very important view that we need to be aware of. Craig L. Symonds gives us this view in an entertaining and informative book that belongs in every library.
A Companion to McPherson's work October 22, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book by Craig Symonds should be read alongside McPherson's work in order to understand why Lincoln was an excellent commander in chief. Lincoln had a difficult time in ordering his admirals into action. Lincoln pressured his admirals to link up with each other on the Mississippi River and also to take Yorktown in the spring of 1862. Also Lincoln's relationship with admirals DuPont and Goldsborough was very similiar to the one he had with McClellan and eventually had to replace them both for their inaction. The failure of the navy to take Fort Fisher in North Carolina was very much like the unsuccessful attempts by the Army of Potomac to destroy Lee's army. Like the Army of Potomac, Lincoln had to wait for the navy's Grant which happaned to be Admiral Porter. Porter's agressive style eventually led to the capture of Fort Fisher in 1864, and in the same year the navy subordinated itself in order to support Grant's army around Petersburg. The navy's new argressive leadership and working together with the army helped the North to acheive victory in 1865.
Symonds also describes Lincoln's pragmatic leadership when it came to avoiding a potential naval conflict with Great Britain. Lincoln returned the Confederate diplomats Slidel and Mason to Great Britain after they were captured by the Union navy. In another crisis, Lincoln forbade the reading of British mail after the capture of the British flagged steamer the Peterhoff. Both of these acts of conciliation prevented the British from interveing in the Civil War. Overall Symonds does a masterful job at how Lincoln was sucessful militarily and politically in handling of naval affairs.
Masterful coverage of an important but heretofore ignored topic. September 27, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
It is difficult to imagine that some aspect of Lincoln and the Civil War has not been covered in detail, but until now that was the case with Lincoln's role as commander in chief of the Navy. Craig Symonds has not only filled that void but has done it masterfully. In the tradition of the finest Civil War authors, he has created what will surely become a classic that will be treasured by scholars and buffs alike. Could not have been done better.
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