A Temporary Leave-Taking

I'm going to be taking a holiday from my social media platforms and blog. The purpose of this absence is to dedicate my time and energy to the completion of a new book project for which the working title is “With All Possible Despatch” - The Civil War on Coastal Waters.

I have been fascinated by the Civil War era for years, and the naval aspects of that war afford an opportunity to explore the effects of technology on the course of history. My new project is very much like my first book, Four Score and Four - America in 1860, as it investigates many aspects of the central topic in order to provide the context that permits a fuller understanding of the whole.

 In Four Score and Four, I wrote about agriculture, industry, media, various aspects of society, business, and the nation’s military preparedness as a prelude to look at the sweep of events in 1860 that led to the election of Abraham Lincoln as the sixteenth president, the secession of the cotton states, and the attack on Fort Sumter.

In “With All Possible Despatch”, I discuss:

●       the changed and changing technologies of steam, weapons and defenses

●       the process by which the Federal Navy Department mounted and maintained the naval blockade of the Confederate coast

●       the evolving tactics that squadron commanders developed when they discovered that pre-existing ideas of naval blockades had ceased to be effective in the age of steam

●       the tactics that the Confederates used to counter the Federals’ ability to bring massed firepower to bear such, as ironclads, torpedoes and torpedo boats

●       the evolution of blockade running from a continuation of incidental trade into an industry that sought to minimize the risks of capture and loss while maximizing the profits of the venture

●       the tactics that the blockade runners used to evade the blockade

●       the dealings of the Confederates and the Federals with foreign governments that sought to use the Civil War to advance their own interests and sought to protect the interests of their nationals who were engaged in blockade running

●       the joint Federal operations that closed the Confederate ports and their effect upon blockade running

I have enjoyed speaking with you, hearing from you, following you, and being followed by you.  I take this opportunity to say “Thanks” to my friends at EMSI who have been helping me in these efforts.

TTFN