Reign of iron : the story of the first battling ironclads, the Monitor and the Merrimack
(Book)

The fabled battle between these two iron-plated vessels is ironic. The battle had virtually no effect on the outcome of the Civil War, yet it revolutionized naval warfare, instantaneously condemning wooden warships to obsolescence. Nelson's technical knowledge of the art of naval warfare is impressive, and he effectively tells this story in lay terms. He begins with the launching of the Merrimack (more correctly, the Virginia, after its refitting). His description of the attack upon almost helpless Union wooden warships spares nothing in showing the bloody carnage. Nelson then chronicles the genesis of both ships, and his portrayals of the key players in the process, both Union and Confederate, are absorbing and often surprising. He concludes with the confrontation between the ironclads, and his vivid, blow-by-blow account has the aura of two uncertain giants pummeling each other while watching for the effects of their blows. This exciting retelling of a famous and groundbreaking battle is an excellent addition to Civil War collections. --Jay Freeman Copyright 2004 Booklist

The Monitor-Merrimack showdown may be one of the Civil War's most overhyped chestnuts: the two ships were by no means the first ironclads, and their long awaited confrontation proved an anticlimactic draw, their cannon fire clanging harmlessly off each other's hulls. Still, the author of this lively history manages to bring out the story's dramatic elements. Nelson, author of the Revolution at Sea series of age-of-sail adventure novels, knows how to narrate a naval crisis. He gives a harrowing account of the Merrimack's initial onslaught, in which it destroyed two wooden Union warships in a bloody and chaotic battle the day before the Monitor arrived, and of the Monitor's nightmarish final hours as it foundered in a storm at sea. Equally arresting is his retelling of the feverish race between North and South to beat the other side to the punch with their respective wonder ships. He delves into every aspect of the ships' innovative design and construction, and draws vivid portraits of the colorful characters who crafted them, especially the brilliant naval architect John Ericsson, one of that epic breed of engineer-entrepreneurs who defined the 19th century. The resulting blend of skillful storytelling and historical detail will please Civil War and naval engineering buffs alike. Agent, Nat Sobel at Sobel Weber. (Apr.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

The fabled battle between these two iron-plated vessels is ironic. The battle had virtually no effect on the outcome of the Civil War, yet it revolutionized naval warfare, instantaneously condemning wooden warships to obsolescence. Nelson's technical knowledge of the art of naval warfare is impressive, and he effectively tells this story in lay terms. He begins with the launching of the Merrimack (more correctly, the Virginia, after its refitting). His description of the attack upon almost helpless Union wooden warships spares nothing in showing the bloody carnage. Nelson then chronicles the genesis of both ships, and his portrayals of the key players in the process, both Union and Confederate, are absorbing and often surprising. He concludes with the confrontation between the ironclads, and his vivid, blow-by-blow account has the aura of two uncertain giants pummeling each other while watching for the effects of their blows. This exciting retelling of a famous and groundbreaking battle is an excellent addition to Civil War collections. ((Reviewed April 1, 2004)) Copyright 2004 Booklist Reviews.

The Monitor-Merrimack showdown may be one of the Civil War's most overhyped chestnuts: the two ships were by no means the first ironclads, and their long awaited confrontation proved an anticlimactic draw, their cannon fire clanging harmlessly off each other's hulls. Still, the author of this lively history manages to bring out the story's dramatic elements. Nelson, author of the Revolution at Sea series of age-of-sail adventure novels, knows how to narrate a naval crisis. He gives a harrowing account of the Merrimack's initial onslaught, in which it destroyed two wooden Union warships in a bloody and chaotic battle the day before the Monitor arrived, and of the Monitor's nightmarish final hours as it foundered in a storm at sea. Equally arresting is his retelling of the feverish race between North and South to beat the other side to the punch with their respective wonder ships. He delves into every aspect of the ships' innovative design and construction, and draws vivid portraits of the colorful characters who crafted them, especially the brilliant naval architect John Ericsson, one of that epic breed of engineer-entrepreneurs who defined the 19th century. The resulting blend of skillful storytelling and historical detail will please Civil War and naval engineering buffs alike. Agent, Nat Sobel at Sobel Weber. (Apr.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.