“The author does an admirable job of describing this unique form of warfare—Federal river gunboats versus Confederate cavalry. Particularly interesting are the numerous original maps of the skirmishes and battles. Highly recommended.”

—Thomas Cartwright, Historian, Lotz House, Franklin, Tennessee

 

“Historian Mark Zimmerman has set his sights on a very under-reported aspect of the Civil War--Union Army and Navy operations along the rivers of Tennessee. Besides covering the main battles such as Fort Donelson, this work also focuses on behind-the-lines events after the main armies of both sides had moved south of Nashville. To capture forts and towns and maintain control of the rivers, the Union created a fleet of gunboats to project power and assist seizing territory. Union occupiers turned towns into supply bases which needed protection from regular Confederate cavalry, partisans, and guerrillas seeking to disrupt that line of supply. In response, Union forces fortified their garrisons and ran counter-operations in the field. The mission of the gunboats was altered to convoy transports of troops and supplies to keep the garrisons in place. The result was more than two years of often bitter fights on the navigable rivers of Tennessee where Confederate mounted forces, sometimes supported by artillery, sank and damaged both warships and transports. Yet in the end the U.S. Navy won out. This fast-paced book is well-written and laced with excellent maps and images. No longer will these battles and the pertinent commanders be so obscure.”

—Greg Biggs, Civil War Historian

President, Clarksville Civil War Roundtable

Program Chair, Nashville Civil War Roundtable

 

Zimmerman’s eye for detail is critical. His contributions to preserving our local Civil War history have been enormous. This work adds yet another component in understanding the decisive battle at Nashville. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the Nashville campaign.

—Jim Kay, President, Battle of Nashville Preservation Society, Inc.

 

In his characteristically detailed style, Zimmerman (Guide to Civil War Nashville, 2nd Ed., 2019, etc.) provides a thorough battle history of Union Navy gunboats and Confederate gunners and cavalry in eastern Missouri, middle-to-western Tennessee, and western Kentucky. The unique geography of this region made the military campaigns there different from anywhere else during the Civil War. In one of the only places where the Union extensively deployed its “brown-water navy,” military tacticians on both sides had “no gameplan to consult” as the “rules were created as the battles were fought.” Virtually no other site in the war pitted Union gunboats against Confederate cavalry and field artillery. Adding to the lore of the Tennessee and Cumberland campaigns was that they featured some of the most famous figures of the Confederacy, including Kentucky’s John Hunt Morgan and Tennessee’s Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

In addition to their distinctiveness, the author argues that the conflicts along the Tennessee and Cumberland were critical to the ultimate success of the Union forces in the war. While most of the information in these pages has been covered by historians for a century, Zimmerman’s contribution is his ability to synthesize vast quantities of arcane military data into an accessible package. The book abounds with maps, fort schematics, charts, and photographs. It also features many well-placed insets with vignettes on particular weapons, people, and places. Civil War scholars may be perturbed by the lack of footnotes and references, though the volume does contain a bibliography that cites a number of academic books.

General audiences and Civil War enthusiasts alike will be drawn to the work’s aesthetic appeal and ample use of visual aids. The volume concludes with a travel guide to the region’s battle sites that is particularly insightful, given the author’s active participation in numerous state and local Civil War preservation societies.

An engrossing, comprehensive examination of key Civil War river battles.

—Kirkus Reviews