Review by Booklist Review
In the autumn of 1864 the Confederate steamer Shenandoah0 received orders to "seek out and utterly destroy" the whaling fleets of New England as part of an effort to bleed the Union of its economic strength--an undertaking that met its greatest success when the raider sank two-dozen whalers near Alaska's Little Diomede Island in a frenzy of destruction. Before the Shenandoah0 's voyage ended, it had captured or sunk 38 ships total and led some of the federal navy's warships on a 27,000-mile chase that ended with the Shenandoah0 's escape to England, a 122-day voyage. The British government was stuck with the ship, "greatly inconvenienced by the diplomatic complications it created." The crew was free to go ashore; consequently "the last Confederate force was disbanded." A general amnesty granted to all Confederate soldiers specifically exempted the officers of the Shenandoah0 ; 0 it would be years before many of them could go home. Schooler offers readers a marvelously detailed account of this little-known episode of the Civil War. --George Cohen Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A longtime Alaskan has given us this impressive history of the last Confederate commerce raider, which fired its last shot at a Yankee whaler north of the Aleutian Islands two and a half months after Appomattox. It begins with the ship leaving England under the name Sea King, then meeting a chartered cargo ship at Madeira and loading guns and other warlike gear-without more than a fraction of the crew needed to use them. A gifted seaman if more than a little irascible, Capt. James Waddell recruited his crew as he sailed. After an eventful stop in Melbourne, Australia, the ship sailed north to the Arctic whaling grounds, ravaged the whaling fleet and was proceeding to attack the California gold ships when Waddell learned that the war was over-whereupon he set off to deliver his ship and crew to the British by sailing 23,000 storm-tossed miles back to Liverpool without sighting land. Researched heavily from primary sources, filled with vivid personality portraits and almost miraculously accessible to readers without a background in maritime history, this is an absolutely irresistible sea story. The seafaring audience is likely to be as strong as or stronger than the Civil War audience for this book, and the combination may really set it afloat. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Schooler (The Blue Bear) has written a fine account of the C.S.S. Shenandoah, one of the Confederate States Navy cruisers commissioned to prey upon Union commerce during-and, in the Shenandoah's case after-the Civil War. (The Shenandoah's captain, James I. Waddell, did not learn of cessation of hostilities for several weeks.) From its 1864 purchase in Liverpool to its voyages that covered 58,000 miles (the only ship to fly the flag of the Confederacy over every sea except the Antarctic Ocean), the Shenandoah's "flirtation with glory and doom" unfolds as it captures 38 ships, mainly whalers in the Pacific and North Atlantic. Schooler points out that these raids served a near-death blow to the New England whaling industry and resulted in "the establishment of a body of international law that remains in effect today." Especially interesting is Schooler's epilog, summarizing the importance of the 1871 Treaty of Washington, which set a precedent in providing for "two powerful nations to settle a dispute in international court, through arbitration before representatives from several nations." Schooler maintains an elegant and fascinating balance between the adventure, which the Shenandoah's petty officer and commander each wrote about soon after the war, and its implications. In addition to illustrations, there is a useful select bibliography. Recommended for academic libraries and for public libraries with an interest in naval history.-Robert C. Jones, formerly with Central Missouri State Univ., Warrensburg, MO (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The story of a Confederate raider that was still sinking ships months after Appomattox. Schooler (The Blue Bear, 2001) begins by outlining the state of naval affairs as the Civil War began. The U.S. Navy had enough ships to blockade Confederate ports, but not enough to protect its own ships on the high seas. The Confederates sought to exploit that gap by attacking Union merchant ships and whalers. But first they had to get a ship. They found her in England, where the Sea King, built as a troop carrier with a steam engine in addition to sails, had already proven herself one of the fastest vessels afloat. Late in 1864, Sea King sailed to the Madeira Islands to be "sold" to the Confederacy beyond imperial borders, a subterfuge to preserve British neutrality. Commander James I. Waddell armed her, renamed her Shenandoah and went to work, attacking any merchantman that showed a U.S. flag. Imprisoning the crews and seizing provisions, he burned the captured ships, 40 in all, taking more than a thousand prisoners by the time his voyage ended. Shenandoah raided the South Atlantic, then made for Australia to release his captives and make repairs. Foiling Union sympathizers who hoped to impound Shenandoah for violating British neutrality, he headed to the Arctic whaling grounds, where he captured more than 25 Yankee whalers, 9 in less than 11 hours. Finally learning of Lee's surrender, Waddell disarmed the ship and headed for neutral England. The last leg of the trip was a desperate race along South America, around Cape Horn and up the Atlantic to Liverpool, a remarkable feat of navigation in the face of raging weather, a state of near-mutiny among his officers and men, and constant fear of encountering a U.S. warship. Schooler does an excellent job of portraying the ship, her colorful crew and her astonishing mission, putting into clear perspective a key Civil War episode. A first-rate sea saga. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Library Journal Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
