The C.S.S. Florida
224 pages, 5 1/2 x 8 1/2
Paperback
Release Date:04 Dec 2002
ISBN:9780817312817
The story of a few Confederate ships that did considerable damage to the great U.S. merchant marine fleet during the Civil War
With a new introduction and revised bibliography by the author, this book is the story of a few Confederate ships that did considerable damage to the great U.S. merchant marine fleet during the Civil War. The Florida and the ships she outfitted caused such uproar with their daring exploits against American shipping that the Union Navy finally had to use desperate measures to capture them. During her tow cruised, the Florida captured and destroyed son $4,051,000 worth of commerce. This amount was a close second to the destruction by the famous ship Alabama, and almost twice as much as the destroyed by the Shenandoah.
The C.S.S. Florida’s life was short but effective. It has been said that if other Confederate campaign had been as successful as those of the commerce raider, the South would most certainly have won the war.
With a new introduction and revised bibliography by the author, this book is the story of a few Confederate ships that did considerable damage to the great U.S. merchant marine fleet during the Civil War. The Florida and the ships she outfitted caused such uproar with their daring exploits against American shipping that the Union Navy finally had to use desperate measures to capture them. During her tow cruised, the Florida captured and destroyed son $4,051,000 worth of commerce. This amount was a close second to the destruction by the famous ship Alabama, and almost twice as much as the destroyed by the Shenandoah.
The C.S.S. Florida’s life was short but effective. It has been said that if other Confederate campaign had been as successful as those of the commerce raider, the South would most certainly have won the war.
The history of the Florida is a phenomenal story. Frank Owsley has told it well . . . with a thorough job of research. . . . He handles the diplomatic tangles brought on by the cruiser between the United States and other nations in a manner that is clear and engaging.”
—Journal of Southern History
Frank Lawrence Owsley, Jr., is Professor of History, Auburn University.
