Ironclads and Columbiads: The Civil War in North Carolina, The Coast

Great book. Reads VERY well (keeps ones attention). Learned a lot. Quite a few pages so it takes a while too (a good thing, imo). Fantastic treatise on everything that happened in North Carolina during the Civil War. I bought it specifically to learn about the lead up, execution and fallout from The Battle of Plymouth (where a relative fought and was captured becoming an Andersonville prisoner) but there are only say 10 pages (of 600 or more) that describe Plymouth. That said, every other book that I've read just barely mention Plymouth (e.g., 1-2 pages) so it's head an shoulders above all others I've encountered (thus far) but still a bit lacking there (probably just not much written documentation to be had at all I guess).

The importance of the bays and rivers of North Carolina had much to do with the Souths ability to continue the war effort. The significance and immense bravery on both sides in these conflicts is astounding in many cases and mostly uncovered in any other reference I have read.Superb Read

Absolutely the best overview of American Civil War in Eastern NC. Very detailed & extremely well researched / written. Great research notes if you wish to dig further. Author has also written books about mid-NC & Mountain of NC in the Civil War period. Very rare stuff. Ton of Civil War books, but most plough the same ground. This (& his other books) totally different. Highly recommended.

part 3 of North Carolina Civil War reading.

Very good work on the Civil War along the NC coast

Great Book Worth Reading!!!

"Ironclads And Columbiads" by William Trotter covers American Civil War events in Eastern North Carolina.Among the topics covered include:1. Various Northern personalities - Butler, Foster, Porter, Cushing, etc.2. Various Southern personalities - Hoke, Bragg, Lamb, Whiting, Ransom, etc.3. Several engagements - Roanoke Island, Goldsboro, New Bern, Fort Macon, Fort Fisher, Kinston, Washington, etc.4. Overall and local strategies of the North and South.Trotter also offers compelling points concerning the importance of Eastern North Carolina (several railroads, agriculture) that helped to supply the Confederacy, especially General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. If the South had reinforced Eastern North Carolina during 1861-1862, the Civil War may have lasted longer and tipped the scales in the South's favor. Conversely, if the North had made a more concerted push into Eastern North Carolina during 1861-1862, the war may have ended earlier. We'll never know!Anyway, the book is a very readable account and contains good maps. I highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to know more about the war in Eastern North Carolina.Read and enjoy!

This book is a great overlay of what happened in Civil War North Carolina. The eastern coast and rivers, as well as the Outer Banks are all given a account. Decent maps that can be expected for some of the least written and talked about battles. From Cushing to Hoke, from Burnside to Lamb, all the commanders and their men are here, well detailed and spoken for. This is the book to wrap alll of North Carolina's coastal Civil War up in one bundle for buffs and non buffs alike. The author has away of wrapping the reader up into the excitement and history that is both real and fascinating. A great read, pick it up!