Stephen R. Taaffe, Commanding Lincoln's Navy: Union Naval Leadership during the Civil War (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2009). However, while the Union Army almost certainly would have emerged victorious as long as the Northern public sustained President Abraham Lincoln's war policy, the Union Navy did affect the trajectory as well as the length of the war and had a significant impact on the cultural consequences. During a two-year cruise over three oceans, Semmes and the Alabama captured 64 Union ships and sank one warship: the unlucky USS Hatteras-the first time in history that a steam warship sank another steam warship. The Union Navy encouraged enlistment by black Americans-as evident among the Miami's integrated crew-yet the shifting demographic on board ships challenged many of the hoary traditions of the sea. [Extracted from the article]
Copyright of Naval History is the property of United States Naval Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
