Robert M. Browning

"In Success Is All That Was Expected, historian Robert Browning, the world's leading scholar of Union naval blockades during the American Civil War, gives a blow-by-blow account of the naval operations that helped to strangle the Confederacy.". "Created in 1861 and charged with halting Confederate maritime commerce and closing ports on the Southern Atlantic coast from South Carolina to Florida, the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron was one of four Union coastal blockading squadrons. The squadron's numerous actions included harrowing engagements between ships and forts, daring amphibious assaults, battles between ironclad vessels, the harassment of Confederate blockade runners, and combating the incredible evolution of underwater warfare in the form of the CSS Hunley. But the blockade's success was constantly hampered by indecisive leaders in Washington who failed to express their strategic vision as well as by reputation-conscious naval commanders who were reluctant to press the fight when the specter of failure loomed. Despite lost opportunities, unfulfilled expectations, and failures along the way, the bravery, sacrifice, and vigilance of these fighting men played an important role in the Union's ultimate victory."--BOOK JACKET.

"Revered by some, loathed by others, Nathan Bedford Forrest has long been considered one of the greatest soldiers of the American Civil War. Responsible for his family at a young age, he quickly developed traits - self-reliance, decisiveness, and assertiveness - that would later make him famous. In business, the uneducated Forrest quickly made a fortune in various endeavors, including the slave trade. When the Civil War began, Forrest became an adept recruiter and leader, despite his lack of training in military science. His cavalrymen became famous for the forced marches, deception, and audacious battlefield maneuvers they used to defeat forces that often outnumbered them. In 1864, Forrest gained notoriety for his participation in the battle for Fort Pillow, Tennessee. In a controversy that persists today, the high casualty rate among African-American troops who surrendered there led to charges that Forrest's men had perpetrated a racially motivated massacre. After the war, Forrest became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan while promoting reconciliation between North and South amid the chaos of Reconstruction."--Jacket.

"Describes each recorded attack on American-flagged merchant ships, as well as an accounting of the men and the ships, which were a part of this worldwide conflict; depicts the exciting and often violent story of the hundreds of enemy attacks on convoys and lone merchant vessels. Gallantry and sacrifice of the merchant crewmen is evident"--Provided by publisher.