Secret Missions of the Civil War

by Philip van Doren Stern

Book Overview

By Philip Van Doren Stern. Prominent Civil War historian has woven a compelling history of the Civil War from first hand accounts by men and women who undertook secret missions and were involved in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0517000024
• Release Date: May 1990
• Publisher: Bonanza
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.1" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Secret Missions

I have never been very interested in history but this book is fascinating! Response time of receiving the book was excellent, book was in excellent condition...I would definitely do business with this person again. Thank you for your service. Prologue to Sumter;: The beginnings of the Civil War from the John Brown Raid to the surrender of Fort Sumter, woven into a continuous narrative (Civil War centennial series)Secret Missions of the Civil WarThe Confederate Navy: A Pictorial History

Effective insight into the smaller stories of the war

Stern's book caters to all readers, regardless if interested in the Civil War. The author recounts the main actions of each year of the war before delving into some unique stories. As a reviewer mentions, the book attests to many naval escapades. Of the 24 stories recounted, nine deal with naval events. Others revolve around female spying, cavalry raids, explosives, the attempts by the South to burn New York City, prison escapes, and the Draft Riots. All stories are interesting, but since these are first hand accounts, there is the exaggeration, embellishment, and arrogance associated with the desire to make one's contribution to the war much more than what it really was. Case in point is the story on Belle Boyd, the southern belle who believed that her intelligence spying contributed to Stonewall Jackson's victory at Front Royal. Well, that really wasn't the case, though her account makes it seem to be case. Anyone can locate documentation countering either side of this story, though more of it leans toward dispelling any real contribution on her part. Nevertheless, to read the first-person account helps immerse one into the 19th century and makes for a fascinating read. Any casual reader can appreciate this book and read it within one or two days. If one is interested in a more in depth analysis of intelligence activities, take a look at Edwin Fishel's "The Secret War for the Union," a massive and impressive 594-page treatment on the subject.

From Spy's to Confederate Submarines-SECRET MISSIONS- will have you spellbound!

"on February 17, 1863, a Federal gunboat, The Queen of the West, was captured by the Confederates after having been run aground-on purpose , it was said- by a local pilot. A week later the newest Union ironclad on the river (Mississippi), the Indianola was sunk in shallow water by enemy action (Vicksburg cannon). This ship, a floating fortess 170 feet long and 60 feet wide, had two enormous 11-inch Dahlgren rifled cannon and a battery of 24-pounders. She was cumbersome, awkward, and ugly, and at the moment was resting on the bottom with her decks awash in a part of the river held by the Confederates. Her enormously valuable guns were anybody's for the taking--and both sides wanted them badly." Admiral David Dixon Porter was desperate to get the guns before the Conferates were able to salvage them. You will have to read the book to find out what happened :) This is just one of the wonderful true stories collected by Philip Van Doren Stern of first hand accounts he has 'woven into a continuous narrative'. What would you do if you were Admiral David Porter, to get back these massive guns that could force your navy to stay above the already massive defense's of Vicksburg? Read the book to find out!

More Naval than secret

This was an interesting little book, containing many not so well known parts of the Civil war. I wouldn't consider it to be quite correctly titled however. The stories were not so much about secret missions as they were, little piece of the struggle that makes up war. This book mostly covers naval history, and in this being an underreported part of the war make for good and different reading. You should be warned however, as most of the information included in this book is from first hand accounts, the accuracy is sometimes sketchy. I know for instance that the store about the raid on St Albans,VT contain many errors, including town names. Still I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Civil War, and it's lesser known battles.

Entertaining

Secret Missions of the Civil War was a very good book. I did not expect it to be anywhere near how good it actually was. It was very interesting and entertaining. The fact that the book is actually comprised of quite a few short stories on different secret missions makes it all the more interesting. The book never had a chance to get boring because the stories were constantly changing. There were many things I found out about in this book that I never knew about at all. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone at all interested in the Civil War. It is entertaining, yet you can still learn something from it.