Union And Confederate Submarine Warfare In The Civil War

This hardcover spans approximately 310–328 pages and offers a fascinating and meticulously researched account of America’s earliest experimentations with underwater naval technology during the Civil War. Ragan reveals how both the Union and the Confederacy developed an array of submarines—ranging from human-powered craft like the Confederate H.L. Hunley to the Union’s experimental motor-driven vessels—and used them in daring operations along blockades and battleship patrols. Drawing from letters, logbooks, factory records, and rare archival sources, the book reconstructs both the successes and tragic failures of this “infernal machine” technology. Enhanced with illustrations and maps, and featuring an introduction by Clive Cussler, this volume is an essential addition for scholars and enthusiasts of naval history, the Civil War, and the evolution of submarine warfare.