Waters of Discord: The Union Blockade of Texas During the Civil War

Rating:
Summary: The Union Blockade of Texas
Review: Rodman L. Underwood's "Waters of Discord" focuses on the Union blockade of the Texas coast and several attempts by Union forces to get a "foothold" on that coast. His prose style is very readable, and his accounts of military and naval actions are much easier to follow than those of many Civil War authors. Underwood also provides useful background on the blockade running system on other coasts and the operations of the Union blockading sqadrons. I was impressed by the material on the geography of the Texas coast, the origins of the Union blockade, the buildup of the Union and Confederate navies, the evolution of Union blockading stratery, the prize system, and the pattern of operations of the blockade runners. His comprehensive analysis of the opinions of previous authors on the impact of the Union blockade on the Confederate war effort is unprecedented and very helpful.

"Waters of Discord" also includes extensive background on the diplomatic and domestic issues that influenced Union and Confederate actions in Texas (including French interest in Texas, Lincoln's desire to establish a Union foothold on the Texas coast as a means of thwarting French designs on Texas, the Confederate need to get Texas cotton through the blockade to Europe to finance arms imports, and the domestic pressures on Lincoln to obtain Texas cotton for Northern cotton mills). His discussion of diplomatic issues is highly consistent with that in "One War at a Time," my book on the international dimensions of the Civil War. Every CW author can quibble about a few points in the CW book of another author, but my quibbles about Underwood's book are on minor points of little interest to average readers.

Rating:
Summary: The Union Blockade of Texas
Review: Rodman L. Underwood's "Waters of Discord" focuses on the Union blockade of the Texas coast and several attempts by Union forces to get a "foothold" on that coast. His prose style is very readable, and his accounts of military and naval actions are much easier to follow than those of many Civil War authors. Underwood also provides useful background on the blockade running system on other coasts and the operations of the Union blockading sqadrons. I was impressed by the material on the geography of the Texas coast, the origins of the Union blockade, the buildup of the Union and Confederate navies, the evolution of Union blockading stratery, the prize system, and the pattern of operations of the blockade runners. His comprehensive analysis of the opinions of previous authors on the impact of the Union blockade on the Confederate war effort is unprecedented and very helpful.

"Waters of Discord" also includes extensive background on the diplomatic and domestic issues that influenced Union and Confederate actions in Texas (including French interest in Texas, Lincoln's desire to establish a Union foothold on the Texas coast as a means of thwarting French designs on Texas, the Confederate need to get Texas cotton through the blockade to Europe to finance arms imports, and the domestic pressures on Lincoln to obtain Texas cotton for Northern cotton mills). His discussion of diplomatic issues is highly consistent with that in "One War at a Time," my book on the international dimensions of the Civil War. Every CW author can quibble about a few points in the CW book of another author, but my quibbles about Underwood's book are on minor points of little interest to average readers.