The Civil War Gulf Blockade: The Unpublished Journal of a U.S. Navy Warrant Officer Aboard the USS Vincennes, 1861-1864

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Abstract

This paper attempts to (1) describe the unpublished journal of Nicholas Lynch, Warrant Officer (Sailmaker), U.S. Navy; (2) expand upon the most remarkable incident in the journal, the Affair at the Passes of the Mississippi River, a minor disaster for the Union navy in the first year of the war; (3) discuss the thoughts and moods of Sailmaker Lynch during the Union blockade from 1861 through 1864. The journal offers rare insights about naval warfare from the point of view of a sailor of the line. It also reveals that officers and crew were unable to maintain discipline and esprit de corps when faced with years of monotony and inaction on blockade duty aboard a sailing vessel
Original languageAmerican English
JournalInternational Journal of Naval History
Volume1
StatePublished - Apr 2002

Keywords

  • age of sail

Disciplines

  • History of Science, Technology, and Medicine

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