A midshipman at the age of 9, the commander of a prize ship at 12, when he faced down a one-man mutiny by an adult who went below for his pistols. The former skipper of the recaptured merchantman was told if he appeared armed on deck he would be thrown overboard. The man backed down, wisely.
The book tells the amazing story of David Farragut. I knew
a lot about his Civil War heroics, but this book provided more information
about that and the story of his intrepid earlier life, along with Farragut’s
post-war doings.
During the war, his favorite battle perch was in the rigging
of his flagship the Hartford. This allowed him to see over the battle smoke. The Confederates nearly nailed him several
times.
After his crowning achievement at Mobile Bay, he stood down
due to failing health. I assume he was already aware of this before he stormed
the bay.
Farragut was a southerner who remained loyal to the Union. A
number of people defied their geographical origins during the war. The Union
got the best of the bargain, with Virginians Farragut, Thomas, and the Mississippi
cavalryman “Grimes” Davis (cut down at Brandy Station), while the Confederacy
got the Pennsylvanian Pemberton, who surrendered Vicksburg and his army to
Grant, and Ohioan Bushrod Johnson, a moderately competent division
commander.
James P. Duffy’s book is an easy read. I will plow through dense prose in service to the hobby. This book was well-written, the research top notch. I have read other books that were well-written with questionable research, and well-researched books that plodded along. This one scores well on both counts.
This review is belated, due to the holiday festivities.
Edit: two small quibbles: the author pauses every now and then to describe land-based operations, less than clearly. Readers who don't know the order these things occurred in might be confused. The narrative is on firmer ground when describing operations afloat.
The experiences of young US Navy officer Dewey are recounted. In the epilogue, it notes he went on in 1898 to storm Manila Bay against a "powerful" Spanish squadron. Dewey was indeed bold. Unlike wargamers, he didn't know just how overmatched the opposition was. His obsolescent ships made short work of the obsolete Spanish ships after blazing past the antiquated Spanish harbor forts. The author notes that Dewey didn't suffer a single casualty. True, none by enemy action, but other sources state that one stoker died of heat prostration, while shoveling coal into boilers on a tropical night run past the forts.
These are admittedly minor beefs.
