We should not lose sight of the fact that the American Civil War was not a struggle just confined to land battles; many conflicts took place either in bays, rivers, or the ocean. In the early to mid-1960s, the Naval History Division of the Navy published the six-volume Civil War Naval Chronology, 1861-1865. It is a day-by-day exposition on what occurred in maritime settings, from raids on Southern coastal ports to Mississippi River operations. Each volume (a volume for each year of the war) begins with a summary, followed by a brief listing of major events, that in turn leads into a more detailed examination of the year’s events. In addition, excerpts from participants’ accounts add to the utility of this work.
Volume 6 contains a cumulative index along with many special studies such as : “The Navy in Defense of Washington,” “Shipboard Life in the Civil War” and “Naval Sheet Music of the Civil War” among others. While the volumes concentrate on Union exploits afloat (if only because the Union navy was far larger), the Confederate side is not ignored.
The Confederate perspective can be seen in this 1887 work: History of the Confederate States navy from its organization to the surrender of its last vessel. Its stupendous struggle with the great navy of the United States; the engagements fought in the rivers and harbors of the South, and upon the high seas; blockade-running, first use of iron-clads and torpedoes, and privateer history.
This thirty-volume series, Official records of the Union and Confederate navies in the war of the rebellion (1894-1922) might prove beneficial as well.
armchair seadog 