Confederate Admiral: The Life and Wars of Franklin BuchananA leading historian of both the American Civil War and American naval history takes a fresh look at Franklin Buchanan, the U.S. Naval Academy's first superintendent who went on to become the Confederate Navy's first admiral. Buchanan's resignation from the U.S. Navy in April 1861 as the nation teetered on the brink of Civil War is one of the many dramatic episodes in this revealing biography. Convinced that his native state of Maryland was about to secede from the Union, Buchanan gave up his commission but, when Maryland did not secede, desperately tried to get it back. Unsuccessful, he eventually went South where as the Confederacy's only full admiral, he helped mold Southern naval strategy and took command of both the Virginia (Merrimack) in the battle of Hampton Roads in 1861, and the Tennessee in the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864 when Farragut damned the torpedoes. |
Other editions - View all
Confederate Admiral: The Life and Wars of Franklin Buchanan Craig L. Symonds No preview available - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
Admiral Franklin Buchanan American anchor Annapolis April armored army arrived ashore August Aulick Baltimore Bancroft battle boats Buchanan Letter Book Buchanan ordered Buchanan wrote captain casemate Commander's Letters commodore Confederacy Confederate Navy Confederate States Navy Congress crew cruise days later December deck duty East India Squadron Eastern Shore enemy Farragut FB to Mallory FB to Mitchell February federal fight fire flag fleet Fort Morgan Franklin Buchanan frigate Germantown Hagley Hampton Roads honor Ibid iron ironclad Java Johnston Jones June Kayama Letter Book USNA lieutenant Maffitt March Maryland Mexico midshipmen Mobile Bay Nannie Natchez Naval Academy Navy Yard Norfolk onboard Perry Perry's pirates Pont Papers reel reported retirement returned Richmond River sail sailors secretary Selma September ship ship's slaves South southern squadron steam Susquehanna Talbot County Tennessee Tennessee's tion U.S. Navy USNA vessels Vincennes Letter Book Virginia warship Wye House